You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.
Luke 11:40-41
Dear members and friends,
Meditation as practiced by Buddha caught my attention when I was fifteen. Ever since, I have been practicing meditation. Perhaps, I practiced the most intense and serious meditation in my twenties. The reason was very simple: I felt and acknowledged a strong fire within me, and it was going to burn me inside out unless I did something about it. I trusted the promise of Buddha that through meditation, one day I would reach a state of being when and where the fire is extinguished, and the mind is calm. After seven or eight years of very intense and persistent practice, I felt that I had reached a state of mental coolness. However, what I did not find in Buddha’s teachings was that it was not the end of the story, but just a new beginning. I found the causes of my inner fire, which were many! I wanted to do something about them. Thus, I chose to pursue the way of ordination, following the lead of the Creator who I found in Swedenborg’s visions, experiences, and theological teachings.
During my seminary years, I found this verse in Luke: “As for what is inside you – be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.” At first I thought, if I have nothing and am poor myself, how can I be generous to the poor? After some time of meditational reflection, I realized that Jesus was not referring to poor people as those with less or no money, and generosity was not necessarily giving away my time or money. Instead, Jesus was pointing out the importance of a generous mentality. This mentality is about our inner attitude, especially about the core of our heart. What we have in our heart matters! For the first time, I felt the strong need of actually changing what was in my heart. And this has everything to do with caring for others with a willingness to do what it takes to support, help, and assist them in achieving their happiness.
My brothers and sisters in God, let us take a special moment of prayer this week. Let us hold people in our lives, in our thoughtful prayers, and ask God to illuminate our hearts to be generous.
Blessings, Rev. Junchol Lee