The Miracle of Christ - Talk by Swami Paramatmananda - Part 6

[Guest guest]

Listen to one of the beautiful things that happened at that time. A

Roman soldier sent some of his servants to Christ, to request him to

bless another servant of his who was sick and dying. Hearing them,

Jesus got up and was going with them, but he did not get very far when

the Roman soldier came running to him and said,

" Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I'm not worthy that you should

enter my house. Therefore, I did not even think myself worthy to come

to you, but say the word and my servant will be healed. For I am also

a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me, and I say to

one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to

my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it. "

When Christ heard his words he marveled at him and turned around and

said to the crowd that followed him, " I say to you, I've not found

such great faith anywhere in Israel. "

The soldier was not even asking Christ to come into his house and cure

the servant. He was asking to just say the word that he'll be okay and

he'll be okay. " I tell somebody to go and they go, and I tell somebody

to come and they come. " And those who were sent to Jesus returned to

the house and found the servant well.

A dead man was being carried to the cemetery. He was the only son of

his mother, and so she was weeping profusely. Christ came there and

said, " Don't weep! " He touched the open coffin and said, " Young man,

arise! " and the dead person got up and started talking. Then everybody

got really afraid.

They said, " A great prophet is here among us. This must be God Himself

that is visiting his people. " This incident, more than any other,

spread like wildfire all over the country and beyond. People started

flowing in, all the sick and suffering. They wanted to see who this

person was and perhaps get cured.

John the Baptist, who was Jesus' messenger, sent word when he heard

this and said, " Are you the One that we're waiting for, or is there

really somebody else? " He wasn't quite sure whether this was really

the Christ, the Avatar, or if someone else was coming. He knew that

the Messiah was coming and that his life's purpose was to tell people,

" He's coming. He's coming. Make sure that you are ready when he comes. "

Christ turned to John's people and said, " Go tell John the things that

you have seen and heard, that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers

are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hear

the gospel. And tell him that blessed is he who does not lose faith in

me. "

This is the main obstacle, the main problem, when you live with an

Avatar - not to lose faith. Amma is very particular that nobody should

lose faith in her. Why? Why should she care? She doesn't need any more

devotees. She's got millions of them. But she gets very concerned when

one person's faith is becoming weak, because that is her mission. It

is through faith in her that all of us are going to evolve and escape

from the jail that we're in. If we don't have faith, it won't work.

That is the main ingredient. People ask her, " Amma, how did you cure

that person? " She will say that it was their faith that did it. So our

faith is an essential element in our relationship with her.

Mary Magdalene was a prostitute. One of the priests asked Jesus to

come home to have dinner with him. Not all the priests were bad - some

of them believed that he was great. Mary Magdalene somehow got into

the house and sat behind Jesus and took out a bottle of oil that she

had brought and started weeping. She fell down at his feet and was

washing them with her tears and wiping them with her hair. Kissing his

feet, she rubbed the oil on them.

When the priest saw this, he thought, " If this man is really a

prophet, won't he know what kind of woman this is who's touching him? "

That was his doubt. He had more sense than to say something like that

to his guest. He was just thinking it, but Jesus, who knew his mind,

turned to him and said,

" Simon, I have something to say to you. "

" Teacher, please say it. "

Jesus said, " There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One

owed five hundred dollars and the other fifty dollars. And when they

both had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both.

Tell me therefore, which of them will he love more? "

Simon answered, " I suppose the one he forgave more. "

" You're right. "

Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, " Do you see this woman?

I entered your house and you did not give me any water to wash my

feet, but she washed my feet with her tears and wiped them with her

hair. And you did not give me any kiss, but this woman has not ceased

to kiss my feet since the time I came in. And you did not give me any

oil, but this woman has anointed my head and feet with oil. Therefore,

I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved

much, but to one to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. "

Then he turned to her and said, " Your sins are forgiven. "

Those who sat at the table with him said to themselves, " Who is this

who can forgive sins? "

And he said to the woman, " Your faith has saved you. Your faith has

saved you. Go in peace. "

So remember that if you come to a Mahatma, it is your faith that makes

their grace flow. They have the grace to give, but if you don't have

faith, it won't flow.

 

(to be continued)