The message of ‘Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man’, which Jesus Christ proclaimed 2,000 years ago, should become a living faith for the achievement of real peace and the unity of mankind. The oneness of all creation affirmed by the ancient seers and sages must be expressed in a transcendental love which embraces all people regardless of creed, community or language.
- “Call to Sai Samithi Members”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 15, August 1981,
Prasanthi Nilayam
Prasanthi Nilayam
Man today worships inanimate idols and images, but makes no attempt to love his fellow human beings in flesh and blood. This was the first message of Jesus. Though one sees his neighbours day after day, he does not choose to love them. How can one believe that such a person can love an invisible God? If a man cannot love a fellow human being who is visible before his eyes, how can he love what is not visible to him? This is not possible. Only a man who loves living beings around him can love the invisible Divine.
Love must start with love for beings that have form. It must be extended to all beings. This is the primary stage in spirituality. Spirituality does not mean preoccupation with meditation, worship, etc. It involves total extinction of the animal and demonic qualifies in man and the manifestation of his inherent Divinity.
When the attachments and hatreds in which man is enveloped are removed, the inherent divinity in man, the Sat-Chit-Ananda in him will manifest itself. There is no need to search for the omnipresent Divine in any specific place. When you are yourself Divine, why search for the Divine elsewhere? It is a mark of ignorance. How Jesus Christ’s message was accepted?
Jesus performed many miraculous deeds, relieved the sufferings of many in distress, preached sublime truths to the people, and ultimately sacrificed His life. For over a hundred years after His martyrdom, Christ’s message did not have any impact. Four centuries later, Christianity was accepted by Roman emperors. Even after many centuries, humanity is yet to realize the inherent divinity of man.
A car cannot change over to another all of a sudden. A car cannot fly in the air, nor can a plane taxi along the road to the destination. ‘I am the Son,’ ‘God is My Father,’ ‘I and My Father are one’- these declarations of Christ are significant in this context. As one’s vision gets clearer and sharper, one’s knowledge of oneself and the Universal in which he is involved becomes clearer, sharper and truer, until it becomes the very breath, the very core of his existence.
- “The Journey in the Jungle”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 07, April 22, 1967, Madras
Jesus said, all are the embodiments of truth and purity, all are children of God. His teachings were based on such broad-minded feelings. He emphasized the need for refraining from hurting others.
- “Love God Wholeheartedly”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 31, November 24, 1998, Prasanthi Nilayam
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| Jesus Christ and the Rich Man |
Jesus also set no value on wealth or position. Once, a rich man came to Jesus when He was in the house of Martha and Mary. The rich man told Jesus that despite all his wealth and possessions he was not having peace of mind.
He was harassed by many worries and appealed to Jesus to show him a way out. Jesus told him, “There is a simple way but will you follow it? You have been accumulating riches and your worries have grown with them. What are you going to do with all this wealth, which some day you will have to leave behind?
Distribute it among the poor and the needy and all your worries will go; accumulate instead the wealth of God’s grace through love of your fellowmen”.
This is the message that has to be understood today. What people should seek is the earning of God’s love. All other forms of wealth, including the wealth of scholarship, are valueless.
By chastising the rich and ministering to the poor and the diseased, Jesus taught His disciples a new way of life based on faith in God. Starting His ministry as a Messenger of God, Jesus finally declared, “My Father and I are one.” St. Paul, who was in the beginning, an inveterate critic of Jesus, became the first propagator of the Christian faith after having a vision of Christ in a dream in which Jesus told him, “Every man is a spark of the Divine. When you hate me, you are hating yourself and hating God.” Paul had to face many ordeals in propagating Christ’s message. The early Christians were subject to persecution by the Roman rulers. In course of time the Christian faith established itself in Rome, which became the seat of the Catholic Church.
- “Divinity through Love”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 20, December 25, 1987, Prasanthi Nilayam
Christian worship (Christ-Upasana): Lord Jesus is the Saviour. People are by nature prone to fall into sin, knowingly or unknowingly. Jesus shed His heart blood on the cross to free people from sin and to cleanse their souls. Follow this Lord and His teachings contained in the Bible and worship Him, this is Christ worship. Sing His glory and adore Him through hymns; this is the mode of worship that this method envisages.
- “Modes of Worship”, Sathya Sai Vahini
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
The propaganda, indulged in by some propagators of Christianity, casting aspersions on other faiths, does great harm to the personality of Jesus. Jesus sacrificed His life for the regeneration and welfare of mankind.
Today there are some who exaggerate the so-called differences between different faiths and, for their own selfish purposes, exploit these differences and thereby bring a bad name to the great founders of these religions, who were spiritual giants. No prophet or messiah asked His followers to hate other religions or the followers of other faiths. Every religion has declared that God is One and that the Divine dwells in every being, Jesus also proclaimed the truth that the One Spirit resides in all beings. When Jesus was addressing the Jews, an ethereal voice declared, “All lives are one, my dear Son. Be alike to everyone.” When Jesus was being crucified, the same ethereal voice declared that the human body is only a vesture for the Spirit. The body is subject to constant change. But the indwelling Spirit is immortal.
- “One God: Basic Truth of All Faiths”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 18, December 25, 1985, Brindavan
Do not talk ill of any one with contempt; do not think of any one as low or mean. Christ declared, “All are One; be alike to everyone.” Hating an individual, or institution, or a religion is a low act. The Atma (Soul) is immanent in every one; it is the spark of Divinity which gives him light, love and joy.
- “Nearer and Nearer”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 12, January 4, 1974, Rajahmundry
Jesus demonstrated and preached the power of faith and, ultimately, invited on Himself the supreme sacrifice of life itself. When His disciples started abusing His tormentors, His voice warned them to desist. “All are one, my son! Be alike to everyone”. By a vision, He granted to Paul who was reviling Him, He transformed him into a penitent disciple, full of faith and ardor. Today, the world is bedeviled by conflict and violence. Peace and prosperity can emerge only when people turn to the path of love and morality and lead purposeful lives. Regard yourselves as embodiments of Love and dedicate your lives like Jesus to the service of your fellow men.
- “Truth and Faith”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 19, December 25, 1986, Prasanthi Nilayam
Jesus declared, “All are one my dear son, be alike to everyone.” All are born of the same mother earth, breathe in the same air and drink the same water.
In such a case, why should there be differences at all? Eschew all differences and live in unity. Recognize the unity in diversity and act accordingly.
- “Seek God Within”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 32 Part II, November 21, 1999,
Prasanthi Nilayam
Prasanthi Nilayam
Do not consider Jesus as an ordinary mortal. See God in Him. You often refer to someone and say “He is a man” or “She is a lady”. No, no. This is not the correct way of identification. Gents or ladies - “All are one; be alike to everyone”.
- “Anything in Life can be Achieved with Faith in God”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 40, December 26, 2007, Prasanthi Nilayam
Jesus knew that God wills all. So, even on the cross, when He suffered agony, He bore no ill will towards any one and He exhorted those with Him to treat all as instruments of His Will. “All are one; be alike to everyone”. Practice this attitude in your daily lives.
- “The Meaning of Christmas”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 14, December 24, 1980, Prasanthi Nilayam
In Christianity, the term “Esu” (Jesus) is used to describe Christ. This term signifies the oneness of Divinity. The inner significance of the term “Esu” is the recognition of the One Divine in all beings.
- “Develop Spiritual Oneness”, Sathya Sai Speaks, Volume 24, December 25, 1991, Prasanthi Nilayam
Source: Sai Vani: Avatar on Mahapurushas
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