Course XVI - Teaching 10: The Eternal Hour

When the Apostle Saint Paul says: “We all shall be transformed”, and Christ says to Peter: “You are Peter, and upon this stone I shall build my church”, they teach upon the stone of our own being, such as it is, with its mistakes and its past, God wants to build His Temple.
This Temple shall be a temple of the Spirit as soon as our being is transformed and our higher nature sweeps our instincts. When these beautiful thoughts are suggested, the disciple gets enthusiastic, his promises are hasty and easy, and experiences a sweetness that seemingly is the end of the Path, but all this is no more than a very little token as divine promise of realization.
Then, the enchanted soul implores, sighs and sings:
“Lead me, Lord, on this shining path of light; open my eyes to see your beauty forever! Change my life to be totally centered on the unique life, which are You, oh Lord! May this old and earthly body burn so that I wear the glorious raiment! “I have changed so many emblem. I want my emblem, my brilliant emblem of chastity, renunciation and sacrifice! Oh Lord, I want to suffer for you any trial and pain and thousand deaths, to stand numberless torments, and to know martyrdom as all your more faithful servants in order to deserve Your love!”
May the spark burn once for all! And while this spark is burning, it shall cover my whole being! Oh Lord, do not forsake me now! I cannot live without You; I cannot live if I do not possess You! Do not you see I am more and more hungry and thirsty of You, oh Summum Bonum!”
“I have started looking for you: one cannot stop an arrow on the air.”
“Speak, oh Lord! What do you want me to do? What do you want of me? Tell me, and just Your Will shall be made.”
Poor soul! This disciple asks and promises too much! It is unaware of those hard thorns and pointed stones that he shall find on the Path!
Now the Divine Master is looking at him quite tenderly and covers his eyes with his holy hands when He sees an awful time to come. How many falls of his disciple during his journey! How many times He must raise this wounded soul! How many times his wounds shall be healed! How many times clouds of disappointment and despair shall be driven away from his mind!
Then the Master speaks during that lonely meditation to a soul that desires a new life and is tired of this fatuous world:
“Oh soul, first do not try high flights; do not promise wonders; do not aspire to a higher sanctity. To live well your present day by sanctifying always your little daily works should be enough to you. Follow me with submission and simplicity, and change entirely your life; none and nothing should denote it externally.”
“I know exactly what you were, but now you must be entirely changed within. First, see Me everywhere, the whole day and always. Your eyes should see Me on the face of all men, and as a veil over all things. See Me on the rich and the poor, on children and old people, on saints and sinners, on a flower and the sky, on day and night, on your pleasant work and on your joyful party. Everything may be pretty or beautiful if we see it with serene and passionless eyes, secluded in our secret abode.”
“Afterwards, you shall see Me when compassion is in you by turning you into a meek, calm, discrete, compassionate and wise being, and when the sorrow of others is flesh and soul in you.”
“Join to sorrow; join to love; join to knowledge and action, and you shall find Me; but and tell you again, while this occurs, simplify more and more your living so that it be littler and humbler.”
“Never say, ‘give me’; your order must be always, ‘take’. Do you understand, my Son?”
The disciple remains serene and quiet; after his outbursts of enthusiasm, there is a deep peace in his heart; and then, he starts his journey after he tasted the inner solitude and heard the Master’s Voice.
All is silence around. He has chosen this hour, –the eternal hour.