new church life: march/april 2016
bend the branches and cause the new leaves to tremble. But even though false
reasoning and cloudy judgment continue to result in some harmful errors,
we can see that there were good intentions behind them. And as the rational
truths of the New Church continue to unfold, a more spiritual, enlightened
form of charity will emerge.
Winter’s days are numbered. Spring is in the air. Summer is on the way.
(WEO)
the changing seasons of the soul
In the course of our regeneration, we go through alternating states of spiritual
“summer” and “winter.” In this way we learn the difference between the happy
state of heaven (the warmth of love and the light of truth from the Lord), and
how sad it is when these qualities are lacking from our lives, as is the case when
the loves of self and the world turn us away from the Lord and heaven.
In heaven it is always springtime because there is an equal balance of
warmth and light, goodness and truth. So we might think that in heaven we
will no longer go through changes of state as in this world. But we will continue
to experience such changes, though in milder form, as we are brought ever
more deeply into the perfect happiness of heaven forever.
“In the next life these changes are like those of summer and winter in
temperate regions, and of day and night in springtime.” (Arcana Coelestia
935.2)
(WEO)
joining heat with light
More on springtime from True Christian Religion 774:
The Lord’s presence is unceasing with every person, both the evil and
the good, for without His presence no one lives; but He comes (more closely)
only to those who receive Him, that is, who believe in Him and keep His
commandments.
The Lord’s unceasing presence causes us to become rational, and gives
us the ability to become spiritual. This is effected by the light that goes forth
from the Lord as the sun in the spiritual world, and that we receive in our
understanding; that light is truth, and by means of it we have rationality. But
the Lord approaches more closely to those who join heat with that light, that
is, love with truth. For the heat that goes forth from the spiritual sun is love to
God and love toward the neighbor.
The mere presence of the Lord, and the consequent enlightenment of the
understanding, may be likened to the presence of solar light in the world. Unless
this light is joined with heat all things on earth become desolate (as in winter).
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