Shadow of Death

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 

He leadeth me beside the still waters. 

He restoreth my soul: 

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; 

Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: 

Thou anointest my head with oil; 

my cup runneth over. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: 

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.  

(Psalm 23, KJV)

Christians believe that Jesus died on the cross and in three days rose from the "dead," and continues to live eternally at the "right hand of the Father."  So, if that is true - if our faith is authentic - then it would logically follow that he is still alive in another state or dimension, one that we cannot "see" with our human eyes, but can feel or "see" with our inner eye. If that is what we believe, then it should not come as a surprise that Christ is talking to us today, as he always has throughout the ages to mystics and others, i.e. St. Theresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Teresa "the little flower," just to name a few.  In these "last days," and exactly what that means remains to be clarified, it seems he is very much speaking to us, through modern prophets, mystics and just ordinary people all over the world, in every country and culture. The dark forces would keep us skeptical, doubting these people's witness, unbelieving of their messages that reveal their encounters with Christ.  But, if you have studied the ancient scriptures, many of the Gnostic scriptures (although  not all) and poured deeply over the Gospels, you will find the SAME message coming through.  Through my own study, several years ago I came across The Christ Letters.  At first, like many others, I was skeptical, until I really read them and saw that Christ was honestly and truly speaking to us, AGAIN. And, why wouldn't he?  Doesn't our world need him now as much as ever, if not moreso. So, this day, this Good Friday, when we kneel at the cross and remember his courage, his strong faith, his powerfully authentic Oneness with God, a bond so strong that death could not sever it, we may also remember that he taught us how to enter into that same bond with God, how to build a strong bond with God, one strong enough that when our mortal bodies have ceased breathing, our souls would remain connected to God and continue to live in truth, without illusion, eternally.  I believe that when that day comes, when we have "fought the good fight," we will indeed really see with our inner eye, Christ standing there before us with arms outstretched welcoming us into the light. So, on this Good Friday, I am sharing the following from The Christ Letters with you.  May you be cheered by this good news:  There is no death and God's love is sufficient to bring you through any trial, any "shadow of death," safely, completely and truly.  This is no fairy tale.  It's the real deal.

Dear Readers of Christ's Letters, Letter 3 Christ outlines to us the truth regarding his death on the cross, and what it really meant to humanity. He wasn't the 'sacrificial lamb' millions believe was led to the slaughter... He was simply the man who died because he knew and spoke the Truth of Existence.   "In the garden, there was a special boulder, shaped like a little cave. I liked to shelter in it from the wind. And so I sat and meditated and prayed, seeking a way into the exalted harmony I had enjoyed in the past. I knew that when I moved into attunement with the 'Father Love', my fears would dissolve and I would be in a state of total and absolute peaceful confidence again. As I felt the Power of Love move into me and possess my human consciousness, so did the strength to endure what lay ahead, possess my heart. I would be able to remain within the Love and give the Love to others to the very end. And so it was. I will not even attempt to re-enter into the trial and crucifixion state. It is of no consequence. When I finally died on the cross and my spirit withdrew from my tortured body, I was lifted into ineffable and radiant LIGHT. I was enclosed in the warmth and comfort of LOVE, such as I had never experienced before. I had a sensation of enveloping praise, a powerful assurance of work well done, of ecstasy in universal strength to continue the work, and joy and rapture which is far beyond any that the earthly condition can ever know. I moved into a new and wondrously beautiful way of life but I still descended in consciousness to remain in touch with the people I had left behind. I was able to show myself to those who were sufficiently sensitive to be able to see me. However, the story of Thomas who supposedly fingered my wounds is nonsense." - Christ Returns, Letter 3                 Many of you within the community may be aware of our dear friend and brother, Marco, in Italy. He is truly living within the light of Christ, for he and his friends have been inspired to walk into the heart of Vatican City and enlighten people to the Truth... the Truth about Christ. It is this Truth that the world so desperately needs to hear. The quote I have chosen for this week, and for this Easter period, is so important for the message we believe in, because it separates our Millennium Christ-given Truth from the beliefs of Christians. Without ideas like this, we would simply be another Christian sect, like the nearly 2000 Christian Churches estimated to be established today in the world. This quote is the message which the world needs to hear... That their view of Christ as the 'only begotten Son' is wrong. The true message of the Letters is of a man who attained the Christ Consciousness. The message of a spirit who freed himself from the chains of the ego. The message of a free spirit who wasn't sacrificed by his father in some cruel enactment of mercy, but the message of a free spirit who dared to live in alignment with Divine and to teach others from that standpoint. Christ... thank you for bringing your message to the world then as you have done in our time. Thank you for enlightening us to the Nature of Reality, and our place in it. Thank you for never giving up when the world acted as six-year-olds brawling over one toy action figure. Thank you for your unconditional love that your pour out for all. We owe you so much, and this Easter time shouldn't be a time to remember your crucifixion and fabled resurrection... but a time to remember what you have given the world in your teachings.     With love and light, Mark