Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, June 22, 2010

How strange when an illusion dies.
It's as though you've lost a child.

Judy Garland, waif and musician;
she died on this date, 1969, age 47


Oh, Illusions have power! In Christian mythology, Satan is called “the Prince of Lies”. “He” is the one who plants the seeds of falseness, who convinces us that all the illusions we have about who we are and what Life is about and what the “truth” is are Reality. Most times, She has an easy job of it! You know how complicated we are, we human beings. We can be such Wimps! So easy to take the Road of Least Resistance. To avoid confronting Reality. So easy to convince ourselves that this will give us a comfortable, pleasant Life. And you know something? If we content ourselves with the pap that such an approach to Life offers, we can very easily lull ourselves into the Illusion that this is what Life really IS.

We have only to have heard a whisper of the “words of Life” to know what we have settled for is abject poverty. I often think of that amazing moment in the Gospel when Jesus turns to the Disciples and asks, “Do you too want to leave me?” And Peter, bless his often confused heart and mind, amazingly says, “Lord, where would we go!! You have the words of Eternal Life!!”

Rejecting Illusion is often painful and full of grief. We can be so comfortable in Illusion! Banishing Illusion brings us up against some really challenging, painful, realities. It takes real courage and – even more important – self-belief and self-esteem to throw ourselves against Illusion and embrace the Truth! We feel vulnerable and weak. But the Gospel says that embracing the Mystery of “Christ Within Us”, surrendering ourselves to union with “God” generates within us the true power of being Human. This “Grace” permits us to reject Illusion and embrace What Is.

This is Power. Real power for Life. Judy is reported to have said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” That’s the first step. Alas, Judy didn’t make it.

But she is a powerful call for US to make it!

Having “faith in God” means knowing we are “of God”. When we know this, we know we can make it. Illusions fall away like autumn leaves.

Brian+