The Essence of the Teachings of Jesus Christ

(Prem Baba)

In my view, Jesus Christ is the power of forgiveness. He is the

power that cures us of all the negative characteristics that we
carry in our psyches and hearts. He unties the knots that bind us
to our karmic burdens. Forgiveness and gratitude give us access
to this healing; and we can only open our hearts once we are
healed. Forgiveness frees denied feelings from the psyche.

Gratitude promotes elevation and transcendence. It reminds us

that we are manifestations of divine love. Through gratitude, we
remember that we are an ever-flowing source of love, imbued
with infinite goodness, able to forgive even one who hurt us
gravely. We can feel grateful for everything that life deals us.
We become thankful for all that we understand, and also for
what we cannot yet understand.

How can we put these teachings into practice? How can we free
our hearts from the resentment, the woes and sorrows we still
carry around inside?

We are here today to celebrate the birthday of master Jesus, so

how can we best put his teachings into practice?

First, become mindful of all your karmic debts. Become aware

of who you are still unable to love. Which people do you feel
compelled to hurt somehow, either actively through your
hostility or passively through your indifference?
On this Christmas Day, I invite you to remember your mother,
who brought you into the world. I invite you to remember your
father, who served as a channel for you to come here. I invite
you to remember your siblings. I invite you to remember all
those people who had any role in raising you, and towards
whom, for any reason, you have held on to some bitterness or
resentment.

If you feel that, your heart is completely clean and at peace with
these near and dear ones, then use this opportunity to be really
thankful and grateful for that. Try to remember what these
people gave you, and what you gave them in return. Try to
remember the difficulties and problems you caused them.

You cannot enter the kingdom of heaven in your heart with

resentment and unhealed wounds. May the teachings of Jesus
continue to act as a ray of light to shine and work its magic
inside of you.

When we make progress in this healing process, we naturally

start to see beauty in life. We begin to be grateful. This is how
we begin to become translucent, to give passage to the Light.

This is a small example of the power of gratitude. Gratitude is

your being able to recognize and acknowledge an expression of
love. When was the last time that you let your gratitude show?
When was the last time you expressed your gratitude in a
tangible way?

Meditate on these questions regarding forgiveness and

gratitude.