PASTOR'S LETTER FROM GURU RASA
MARCH 31, 2005
WHAT IS A CHURCH?
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF ITS MEMBERS?

Interior of the Church of Hagia Sophia
Istanbul

 

A Church is a living, breathing organism. It is the Spirit of God within a certain Embodiment, a particular place. It is a domain of spirituality. When a Church becomes reality on earth, in time and space, it has certain dimensions.

A Church LIVES. As a creature of life, it cannot stagnate. It must GROW, in the way that we grow, that plants grow. It may go into winter for a short time (or longer) but it is never dead. It is never outward ritual and letter of the law, it is always living, breathing, growing, and changing. Change is one of the most important elements of a Church. Why change? Is not the Truth eternal and unchanging? In a way, yes, in a way, no. Where God is in eternity God alone knows ABSOLUTE TRUTH. God as a matter of fact IS Absolute Truth. Everything else is on its way toward God, revolving around God! And so, as all of life moves, breathes, grows, IT MUST GO THROUGH CHANGE.

I had a dream regarding the Catholic Church, in which God told me THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS DEAD! I had NEVER seen this before! I always felt, at its core, in spite of its faults, that the Catholic Church was great. But God said no, leave the Catholic Church, BECAUSE THEY HAVE TAKEN GOD OUT OF IT! The dream showed me a beautiful living oak in the middle aisle of a gothic church. It could live because on top was a huge dome of a skylight, with just enough to keep it growing. The oak had acorns which were various sized green fruits, from pear to acorn size. But they removed the Oak from the Church, because they said, it was IN THE WAY! God explained to me "they" - which is the leaders of the church - took out Jesus/God because Jesus was IN THE WAY! In the way? In the way of what? I had to draw my own conclusions.

I surmised the Catholic Church has been contaminated (for a long time) by bad priests. These priests, of course, became Cardinals and Bishops. What was wrong with them? For one thing, they had no intention of keeping their vows or obeying God and Church. They were blinded by lust and greed. And so, underneath the flesh and the human mind, they no longer served nor worshipped God; they served their own human needs. Over a period of time, they contaminated the church with their ideas, not of God. Most of the saints are dead. They live off legends and rituals, substituting empty form for love. They go through the motions. They say the truth doesn't change, it is forever the same. They have not grown. They use this "truth" theory to justify sexism, discrimination against women, to harbor lies. In other words, truth has grown all around them, but they hold onto an old lie they perpetrated, saying, "truth doesn't change.....we have to keep women out of the Church! etc." Pitiful, pathetic, dead souls, look in the mirror and see that you are in darkness! All around you the world acknowledged women had been done wrong, but you keep saying women were meant for breeding and slavery. They have been slaves in the Catholic Church, haven't they? At best, when you weren't killing them, they were slaves. Enough!

Now, my children, we are speaking of a new church. We are not the one and only, by any means. There are many good churches out there - go to them if you wish. But I want to have my own group and promulgate it throughout the world......you can be a part of this. But let us define who I am and who you - the members, are.

Jesus said - and He spoke for God,

"I am the vine, you are the branches."

This is the role of the leader. When the leader starts a church, the leader is the focus or pivot of the Church. The leader calls people to herself, and then, they become her spiritual children. The RESPONSIBILITY of the leader is to "feed the sheep" or nourish the children, as Jesus required of Peter. We are "fishers of men and women" and after we find them, we feed them. How do we feed them? What is spiritual nourishment? What is that fish and bread that Jesus had waiting delightfully for the devotees, at the side of the water? He'd once said, "I have bread to eat you know not of." What is that spiritual nourishment? Three names: Shakti Kundalini, Holy Spirit, and LOVE. A leader is a MOTHER. A leader has SPIRITUAL MILK. That spiritual milk, the "milk of human kindness" runs through the leader to you. It comes from God.

What is your role? What does the leader require of you? I love the way the great Baba Muktananda explained it, when he spoke of his guru, Baghwan Nityananda. The guru takes your ignorance, your darkness! And in turn, he gives you shakti! He cleanses you like a washerwoman, removing all the filth from you, and giving you all that is good.

As your leader, I want to see you grow. The above explains what I give you, when you give me your darkness. What else do you need to do? Cooperate with the Holy Spirit! Do all that you know of God, such as reading spiritual books, prayer and meditation, good works. Specifically, you might do what is called Guruseva. This is the help for guru and church. Whatever it takes to help that you can do, you do it. This is praying for the guru and church, telling others about it, doing physical work, giving prasad or donations, and whatever. (In my own journey toward God I served a physical guru, Rev. Verna Talbot, for six years. I promoted her and her church and gave her a large portion of my income during this time....about $10,000. over a period of six years. When I left her, I joined back with the Catholic Church and donated approximately $15,000. for Masses for the Souls in Purgatory during a period of ten years. I also studied the books of Catherine Ponder, a great prosperity teacher, and sent her almost $4,000. the first year. I have receipts for most of the above. God rewarded me for my generosity, and although I gave much, God returned to me MUCH MORE BOTH SPIRITUALLY AND FINANCIALLY.) I am prosperous today because I was generous in giving myself to God and God's own.

What are your rewards, what are my rewards? We both move toward a Perfect God, Who gives all good things. In this journey, you need a guide and fellowship helps. I know that many of you come from places that gave PARTIAL SATISFACTION. Your family might have loved you or abused you. Whatever they did, it was not perfect fulfillment. You went into the world. There you found coldness and calculation, dog eat dog, everyone for themselves. You had to watch your back and the land mines. Somehow, you came out alive, though barely, it seemed, at times. Anxiety and depression overwhelmed you, because you could not find perfect fulfillment. How do I know this? IT IS THE LOT OF ALL HUMANS!

Do not be afraid to give! The more you open your mind and heart to Guru/God, the more grace you receive. The more you give physically/financially, the more you get back from God! Charity/generosity brings untold blessings and gifts your way - THINGS YOU NEVER DREAMED OF! TRUST GOD!

In our movement toward God, this is GROWTH. A CHURCH GROWS. Do you think I or anyone knows all the answers? As I live, I learn daily. I learn by listening to the people out there, who are my children needing Light. I learn what their problems are in their lives that are keeping them from fulfillment. There are no easy answers at times, it just takes growth. My mind grows as I listen to you, and your soul grows as you receive from God through me. We grow together, the church evolves.

 

TO BE CONTINUED.......

 

 

Rasa Von Werder March 31, 2005

 

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