I am moved to a further rejoinder in the form of a poem by the Persian
poet Rumi.
No one can claim to be sincere in love
Who doesn't forget the sting of the Master's whip
In the presence of the Master--
Just like those Egyptian women
Peeling fruit in the Pharoah's kitchen
Who cut their hands to shreds when they saw
Beautiful Joseph stepping in the room,
And didn't even know it.
The Parisian philosopher Simone Weil stated about these lines: "Love of
God is pure when joy and suffering inspire an EQUAL degree of gratitude."
Weil's observation is further enhanced by the notion of Divinity of Spirit
in each of us, the mirror of our own essence being God. We are not
necessarily the creatures of God; rather, God is our Beloved.
The concept of love is not so simple to decipher.
Barry
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bmallis@markem.com