Hi friends!
This is Sue,
And welcome to this week's Guided Lectio Divina practice,
Rooted in the Gospel of Thomas.
Now,
Remember,
In this practice we are not analyzing the text we hear.
Instead,
We are allowing it to speak to us,
To take root in our hearts,
To see how the divine is moving in us and speaking to us,
That new arisings might emerge in our lives.
So,
Let's begin by settling into a gentle stillness.
Feel the breath that moves through you,
Just grounding you in this moment.
Breathe in deeply and exhale fully.
Close your eyes and rest in the quiet.
Just set the stage to allow the mystery of the sacred to open before you.
Trust that you are held in love even as you journey into the unknown.
And in this space of stillness,
Of receptivity,
Of rooted groundedness,
Let us take in today's passage and enter into its wisdom and spirit together.
The Gospel of Thomas,
Logian 18.
His followers said to Yeshua,
Tell us how our end will be.
Yeshua said,
Have you discovered the beginning?
You ask about the end?
For in the place where the beginning is,
There the end will be.
Blessed is the one who takes a stand in the beginning.
That one will know the end and will not experience death.
His followers said to Yeshua,
Tell us how our end will be.
Yeshua said,
Have you discovered the beginning?
That you ask about the end?
For in the place where the beginning is,
There the end will be.
Blessed is the one who takes a stand in the beginning.
That one will know the end and will not experience death.
Gently listen to these words and allow each sentence to enter your heart.
Tell us how our end will be.
Have you discovered the beginning?
That you ask about the end?
For in the place where the beginning is,
There the end will be.
Blessed is the one who takes a stand in the beginning.
That one will know the end and will not experience death.
Now,
Reflect on the words that stood out to you.
Were they,
Tell us how our end will be?
How often do we ask about our destination,
About the end of our journey?
We tend to seek security in knowing the outcome.
But Yeshua's response invites us to shift our attention,
To look at the beginning instead.
Perhaps you were struck by the line,
Have you discovered the beginning?
That you ask about the end?
What does it mean to discover the beginning?
Beginning is where your story started,
Where you took your first step,
Where the seed of your being was planted.
Maybe take a moment to reflect on your beginnings,
On your birth,
Your spiritual journey,
On the first stirrings of your heart's deepest desires.
Maybe you are wondering what truths about your end can be found by returning to the beginning.
As Yeshua says in the line,
For in the place where the beginning is,
There the end will be.
In this mysterious union of beginning and end,
We are reminded that all things are cyclical.
That the end is not something far off,
But something already contained within the beginning.
The circle of life,
The eternal return.
Yes,
Eliot echoes these words.
We must be still and still moving into another intensity for a further union,
A deeper communion.
In my end is my beginning.
Can you see your life not as a straight line,
But as a sacred circle where each step is a return to yourself?
Perhaps you've been pondering the line,
Blessed is the one who takes a stand in the beginning.
To take a stand in the beginning is to be rooted in your origin,
To know who you are at the core.
It's not about reaching outward to some distant goal,
But sinking deeply into your essence,
Into your truest self,
Into the truth that has always been with you.
What might it look like for you to take a stand in your own beginning?
To stand firm in the truth of your being,
Knowing that all things flow from this source.
His followers said to Yeshua,
Tell us how our end will be.
Yeshua said,
Have you discovered the beginning that you ask about the end?
For in the place where the beginning is,
There the end will be.
Blessed is the one who takes a stand in the beginning.
That one will know the end and will not experience death.
Now allow your heart to respond to these reflections.
Perhaps you feel a prayer rising,
A prayer for wisdom to return to your beginning,
For the courage to stand in the truth of who you are.
Maybe you ask for the grace to stop reaching for the end.
To stop grasping for security and certainty,
And instead rest in the knowing that all things are connected,
That the beginning holds the end.
Finally,
I invite you to enter into a time of silence.
No need for words or thoughts.
Simply rest in the truth that the beginning and the end are already one.
There is no need to strive for an ending.
No need to fear what is to come.
You are already held,
Held in great love.
In this stillness,
Feel yourself standing in the beginning,
Rooted,
Centered in peace.
Know that in this place you are already connected to the end.
There is nothing to achieve,
Nothing to become.
You already are.
And just rest in this awareness for as long as you feel called,
Letting the peace of this truth settle deep within your being.
