Spirit above matter
Christmas has become one of the busiest times of the year for many in the Western world. School holidays, family reunions, the giant kerfuffle of gift hunting and preparing, lots of celebratory meals and parties, etc, etc. But on closer inspection Christmas appears as a perfect time to reflect on the primacy of the Spirit / Self over matter. The birth of Lord Jesus Christ and the events of his life on Earth as well as his teachings are possibly the strongest affirmation of this truth out of all the great saints and prophets anywhere in the world.
His birth was a first dramatic underscoring of the principle. In extraordinarily adverse conditions, with the lowest possible form of shelter, neither his mother or himself were bothered in any way. The story had to be exemplary and the highest spiritual light emanating from his advent made all material aspects completely irrelevant. The pursuit of the magi, as the only beings of the time with sufficient spiritual caliber to truly relate to Christ’s coming, is also in the same vein as it is their mixing with the gentle common folk that, in their innocence, immediately felt the radiance from Lord Jesus and his mother. And in the background acted the protective, impenetrable divine Will against which no worldly enemies had any chance of interfering.
During his life the same affirmation, of the spiritual side being the only thing we need to focus on, was made again and again. This was also evident in his rather sharp self-examining and self-judging instruction: we should get rid of our own eye or limb if it has sinned… This is in great contrast with his direction of behaviour to be followed towards others: to turn the other cheek as well when we get a slap on one side…For anyone with any attachment to the material world those are impossible commandments. By simply making them, Christ has pushed us to draw the conclusion that matter is nothing, and the purity of the Spirit / Self is everything.
How to follow this without feeling the Self and its light had been an insurmountable block. But nowadays we can make real strides on that road after Self-realization and the comfort and joy of the Spirit will indeed allow us to navigate independently. Sometimes the path weaves closer to the matter and sometimes away, but we become able to follow it in either direction with full understanding and with less and less difficulty.
Merry Christmas !