Many centuries ago,
a child was born into a dry and arid land.
The land was filled with his own people;
its rulers were from another land.
The people were burdened by great poverty
and oppressed by the continuous hard work needed to maintain their lives.
The rulers demanded too much in taxes.
...And the priests,
    the priests were so divorced from God
    that they could no longer speak God's truth
    or give the comfort and guidance
    that God's truth could bring to the suffering people.
Into this land and time and poverty,
this boy was born,
and in the embrace of this world and culture,
he grew to adulthood.
With his hands, he learned to work,
to shape and join wood together, to build furniture and plows.
With his heart, he learned to listen to God,
to listen very closely and deeply.
He felt the pain as splinters broke the skin of his hands.
He felt the pain as the hurt of others invaded his heart.
He learned that God's truth was the only pathway to light and healing
and that all sincere hearts could listen to and act on that truth
as it became clear to them.
With great courage, he determined to live that truth as he heard it,
to live it as fully and completely as he could,
without stinting, without holding back.
This was the blessing he gave as he received it--
not only the truth which he heard and shared with all,
but his tireless and determined walk through life in surrender and trust to that truth.
Even in the face of great fear and loss
he did not waver from his God-given path.
He lived only thirty-three years
but the life that he lived, two thousand years ago,
showed us a path
to our own inner truth.
Last modified: January 12, 2005