by Michael Maciel

There is a deeper meaning to the teachings of Christianity. But unless we sense that there is a deeper side of us, we will never delve below the surface of the teachings of Christ Jesus. We have to be nagged by the knowledge that there is something more before we will go looking for it. And unless a thing speaks to our intuitive nature, unless it rings true in a way that surpasses our rational mind, our soul will not hear it, and we will remain unmoved.

The teachings of Jesus have perplexed the most learned scholars for centuries, but only because they were trying to figure them out instead of sensing the inner openings they provide. Seeking wisdom from scholars, therefore, is unwise. Only the mystics—those who have experienced God firsthand—can lead us to the door of realization. But it is we who must walk through it.

One has to be driven to find out what lies behind the visible world. As long as the physical senses set the parameters of the real, the door to realization will remain closed, and no amount of intellectualization will open it. A higher calling will never come as the result of thinking. The higher calling is the soul crying out as though from behind a veil. What cannot be seen can nonetheless be heard. What the mind cannot rationalize can still be felt by our inner senses.

Hidden truths only speak to that which is hidden within us. It is from that unknown place that we respond, and our response is foolishness in the eyes of the world. Answering the inner call is not swimming upstream, neither is it is going with the flow. Answering the inner call is getting out of the stream altogether. We have to ignore the protests of others, those who are happy with their place in the world. For unless we recognize that we are not of this world, we can never find our rightful place in God’s true creation.