Blessed are the pure in heart! For they shall see God.

Like many other statements of Jesus, this beatitude was widely misinterpreted. For centuries religious leaders taught that if we've made ourselves pure enough, we will be able to see God - after we die. But if we realize that all teachings of Jesus had to do not with future, but with the present moment - here and know - we have all the chances to discover a deeper meaning of these well-known words.

The realm of God is near. This is one of the greatest truths expressed by Jesus over and over. Happiness and the fullness of life are available to those who reach for them now, not in the afterlife. Those who talk about "blessed heaven", say in effect that the realm of God is far away.

How near is the realm of God? According to records of the gospel of Thomas,

"The kingdom is within you and it is outside you".

"The Father's kingdom is spread out upon the earth, and people don't see it".

Let us note these words, "people don't see it". People do not see God and God's kingdom within them and all around them because their spiritual vision is blurred and distorted. This is why Jesus likened the human ignorance with alcoholic intoxication:

"I found them all drunk, and I did not find any of them thirsty. My soul ached for the children of humanity, because they are blind in their hearts and do not see".

In order to see God and to live in conscious union with God's Spirit, we need to cleanse our heart from errors and false ideas concerning the nature of God and Reality. The greatest truth is that God is good and the world which proceeds from God is good. After we settle that in mind, we will attract into our life greater good. This is how the law of mind action works.

We may affirm, "There is only one Presence and one Power active in the universe and in my life, God, the Good omnipotent".

Where is a place of evil in this scheme of the world? Most of what people call evil, is either immature and undeveloped good, or an effect of their limited perception.

Some people were taught to believe in external power or principle of evil which they call the Devil. According to them, this wicked creature opposes God and at the same time tempts and destroys humans, causes pain and sufferings. When things go wrong, these people use the Devil as a scapegoat. They spend their time "resisting the Devil". But they battle with an illusion which exists only in their minds.

Devil in the Bible is but a symbol of an ignorant and self-important human ego. As Charles Fillmore wrote, "the devil is a state of consciousness adverse to the divine good. There is no personal devil. God is the one omnipresent Principle of the universe, and there is no room for any principle of evil, personified or otherwise".

This perfectly agrees with what Jesus taught. All our "enemies" are "of our own household". We overcome them as we allow the light of God (our I AM, the kingdom of God within us) to shine into our conscious minds.

To have clear spiritual vision - the purity of heart - is to see than only God is real. God is good. God is everywhere. When there is apparent evil, when an individual misbehaves, the presence of God and God's goodness is still there. It actively seeks to be recognized and expressed. Our positive vision brings divine potential into visible manifestation. The one who begins to see God, will eventually see God more and more often.

As we go out into the world, let us say to everyone and everything: "I behold God in you".

(to be continued)