December 1997 Newsletter (Volume 1, Number 3) "A Special Christmas Edition"
Divine Mother Audrey's MessageSri Ramakrishna's experience with Jesus was recorded in The Gospel Of Sri Ramakrishna as follows: "...some time in November l874, Sri Ramakrishna was seized with an irresistible desire to learn the truth of the Christian religion. He began to listen to readings from the Bible...Sri Ramakrishna became fascinated by the life and teachings of Jesus. One day he was seated in the parlor of Jadu Mallick's garden house at Dakshineswar when his eyes became fixed on a painting of the Madonna and Child. Intently watching it, he became gradually overwhelmed with divine emotion. The figures in the picture took on life, and the rays of light emanating from them entered his soul...he cried out, 'O Mother! What are you doing to me?' And, breaking through the barriers of creed and religion, he entered a new realm of ecstasy. Christ possessed his soul. For three days he did not set foot in the Kali temple. On the fourth day in the afternoon, as he was walking in the Panchavati, he saw coming toward him a person with beautiful large eyes, serene countenance, and fair skin. As the two faced each other, a voice rang out in the depths of Sri Ramakrishna's soul: 'Behold the Christ, who shed His heart's blood for the redemption of the world, who suffered a sea of anguish for love of men. It is He, the Master Yogi, who is in eternal union with God. It is Jesus, Love Incarnate.' The Son of Man embraced the Son of the Divine Mother and merged in him. Sri Ramakrishna realized his identity with Christ, as he had already realized his identity with Kali, Rama, Hanuman, Radha, Krishna, Brahman, and Mohammed. The Master went into samadhi and communed with the Brahman with attributes. Thus he realized the truth that Christianity too, was a path leading to God-consciousness. Till the last moment of his life he believed that Christ was an incarnation of God..." Jesus was the personal name given to the Avatar, (a Divine Incarnation of God), who was born in Bethlehem during the time of Herod the Great, who ruled over Palestine, the Jewish homeland. The title Christ comes from the Greek word christos, which is a translation of the Hebrew word messiah, or anointed one, and has become so closely associated with Jesus that it is incorporated into his name. Jesus' teachings of love and compassion spread throughout the world, and Christianity, the religion based upon his teachings, is one of the largest religions in the world today. Jesus' own religious background was Judaism. The New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible, reveal most of what is known of Jesus' life. Christmas is the holiday which celebrates His birth, which is called the Nativity. Though His birth was humble, wise men from the East came to pay homage to him, and King Herod had all newborn males slain to eliminate this potential rival to his throne. Joseph, having been warned about Herod's decree in a dream, fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. After Herod's death, they returned to Galilee, and settled in the town of Nazareth. Little is known of Jesus' youth, although there is one incident set forth in Luke which tells of Jesus' remarkable ability at age l2 to amaze the Temple teachers and scholars with his breadth of knowledge of religion. During his ministry Jesus was revered for his ability to perform miracles. He healed the sick, lame, and blind. He walked on the sea, raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, turned water into wine, and fed a throng of 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fishes.  The enduring quality of Jesus' ministry was his ability to manifest and teach God's love. He gave the hope of redemption for anyone who truly repented. He taught compassion, forgiveness, and love for one another. By his own actions he also demonstrated the virtues of tolerance, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her," (challenging a group of people attempting to stone an adulterous woman. John 8:7); forbearance, "Whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." (Matt. 5:30); and self examination, "And why beholdest thou the splinter that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" (Matt. 7:3). Jesus was clear about the priorities that one must have. In the book of Matthew, when a lawyer asked Jesus which is the greatest commandment in the law, Jesus replied, "Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matt 22:37-39). Jesus also gave a new commandment to his disciples, "That ye love one another, as I have loved you..." (John l3:34). The Apostle Paul, who knew of the love of Jesus and understood his pure message of love preached the teachings of Jesus, and in his epistle in Corinthians, wrote: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing. Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth; but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away... And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians l3:l-l3) The purest love comes from God. The power of God's love will transform your life. This divine love is already within you, and when conveyed from that sacred place within your heart to others, can be a source of awakening to love within that other. My most memorable and treasured Christmas came in the form of this pure love. It was a gift that was given to me by Divine Mother. It was a simple Christmas card from her, but the love that was contained within it resonated to the core of my heart. Divine Mother enclosed $20 with the card. She had a way of letting you know that she thought of you to the smallest detail. This was my first Christmas in Boston, and I could not come home that year. I have treasured this card, and the moment of unspeakable love that I felt when I read it. I delighted in Divine Mother's humor, as the cover of the card had a Hawaiian Santa Claus in a sleigh being pulled by reindeers flying toward Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach. I share this beautiful treasure with you now, and may the great love that it expressed be transmitted to the core of your heart as it was to mine.  It is this sharing of love that Christ brought to mankind. It is the celebration of this love's sharing that we remember at Christmas in our acts of giving. I am happy to share the love in the hearts of the spiritual family with you as they give out in this special Christmas edition. May God bless you, and keep you in His infinite love and joy. Merry Christmas! The Spiritual Family's Christmas SharingThe gift I would like to share with my loved ones is this precious gift from Divine Mother—the complete and boundless Love that she poured overflowing into my heart.
Mark Nomura What I would like to give for Christmas is a hearty concoction of Roberta's devotion, Ken's enthusiasm, Mary's humility, Nelson's steadfastness, (and the special ingredients of still others, too numerous to mention), steeped in the warmth of the spiritual family's love and presented to all who wish to fortify spiritual character that we may love Divine Mother more and give whole-hearted support to Divine Mother Audrey as she takes Sri Ramakrishna's Light out to the world. Thank you, Divine Mother Audrey, for bringing Truth to our lives and to the lives of countless others who are yet to experience the oneness of God. Edith Sakai Because of Divine Mother and Divine Mother Audrey's true heartfelt, unconditional Love, I will be able to give my husband and son a new wife and mother who has discovered her true self worth. Kim Kitagawa What I want to give is simple; use the tools that God has blessed me with to their highest potential for whatever God needs of me. John Tsukahira |
