Psalmist offers Two Ways

Luke writes of Jesus telling a story about a Rich Man and a beggar, Lazarus from the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. The plot and lesson of the story are predictable. The surprise comes from Jesus having Abraham proclaim that they will not believe even if someone rises from the dead. The senses and the intellect will help us maintain our own understanding of our experience. Words and stories will not convince the ego to release control of our ‘mission’. Richard Rohr suggests that two experiences will open the door to surrender of control. He identifies deep love and deep suffering as two paths to overcome the ego which maintains our way in spite of all evidence to the contrary. The states of meditation and trust in the Divine which Jeremiah and the psalmist celebrate require that the indwelling Spirit be uncontrolled by the ego as it resonates to the Divine Presence.