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The body’s eyes will not enable us to see miracles, but when we think about sight we automatically think about eyesight. It is explained in Lesson 91 that we never deny what our eyes show us. “…You do not doubt that the body’s eyes can see. You do not doubt the images they show you are reality. Your faith lies in the darkness, not the light.” W156. The reason why we should not rely on our eyesight is that the body (and all its senses) was created by the ego to keep us focused on the illusory world of form. And whilst our eyes enable us to enjoy the great natural beauty on earth, they are not the tool to use when opening up our minds to the miracle of love and forgiveness.
What do we use instead of our eyes? Faith. We need faith because Jesus, in A Course in Miracles, is teaching us about a completely new way of perceiving everything. Serious students of the Course are aware that they know absolutely nothing about anything in this world and therefore, in order to learn about reality, it is essential to have faith in God and in Jesus. “If you would be a happy learner, you must give everything you have learned to the Holy Spirit, to be unlearned for you. And then begin to learn the joyous lessons that come quickly on the firm foundation that truth is true…” T273. We have to unlearn everything the ego has taught us, if we are to awaken from the dream. It’s not easy to abandon all our existing beliefs, based on the ego’s thought system, and replace them with Jesus’ radical teachings. Yet, if they make sense to us and we feel drawn to the message of love and forgiveness in the Course, then it can only give us joy to unlearn what we think we know, and open our minds up to the truth.
Lesson 91 reminds us that our physical form is not what we are. If we think it is, we will feel weak and limited, and remain in the darkness. But with faith in the Holy Spirit (Higher Self), we can see ourselves in a different light. Jesus acknowledges that transferring our identification from the body to the spirit is not easy. “If you are not a body, what are you? You need to be aware of what the Holy Spirit uses to replace the image of a body in your mind. You need to feel something to put your faith in, as you lift it from the body…” Then he asks us to say powerful affirmations such as: “I am not weak, but strong. I am not helpless, but all powerful….” W157. But because our eyes may show us something different, faith is vital. “…Remember that all sense of weakness is associated with the belief you are a body, a belief that is mistaken and deserves no faith. Try to remove your faith from it, if only for a moment…” W157.
One of the goals of the Course is to heal our split minds and teach us that the separation from God never happened, which is known as the Atonement. In the following passage an interesting connection is made between faith, forgiveness and healing. “To have faith is to heal. It is the sign that you have accepted the Atonement for yourself, and would therefore share it. By faith, you offer the gift of freedom from the past, which you received. You do not use anything your brother has done before to condemn him now. You freely choose to overlook his errors, looking past all barriers between yourself and him, and seeing them as one. And in that one you see your faith is fully justified.” T400. When we do this, we give miracles to each other and, in doing so, we hasten our own awakening and the awakening of others. It is the way out of the darkness of the ego’s world and into the light of the real world, which is one stop before Heaven.
When we offer the miracle of love and forgiveness to someone, we experience a holy instant. Holy instants are steps along the road to complete healing and awakening; that is why they are so important. They take practice, hard work sometimes, faith in the Holy Spirit and a deep belief in the fact that we are one with God and with every human being that exists. “In the holy instant, you and your brother stand before the altar God has raised unto Himself and both of you… And there it is that you will realize that there is nothing faith cannot forgive…” T401.
With faith in Jesus’ teachings and with the Holy Spirit to call upon for guidance, we can open our minds to light and open our hearts to love and forgiveness. Then miracles will abound as we begin our journey of transformation from an ego-dominated individual to a resurrected spirit, just as Jesus became in his short life on earth. He has told us that we can achieve all that he achieved, and even more than that. Now is the time for us to believe in him. All we need is faith and the willingness to turn away from illusions.
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