"Blessed are they who have been persecuted for righteousness sake! For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven".

Let us note again that Beatitudes of Jesus are be-attitudes. They call us for inner transformation and for deeper alignment with the Reality of our being. When we begin this inside job, others might easily misunderstand us. Tensions in relationships with people around us often arise. And if we are not ready for this challenge, we might never see the personal progress.

A subconscious fear of rejection is the reason why some people fail in their search for better life. The plain fact is, it is impossible to change our life and to stay as we used to be at the same time. It is impossible to change our life at our own terms. It is impossible to change our life without paying the full price.

"Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist", said Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is a noble trait of a spiritually mature individual to trust oneself. There is no reason to follow social customs, religious practices, and behaviour patterns which do not agree with our understanding of what is good and true.

But let us note that reaction of others to our inability to get along with them have nothing to do with "persecution for righteousness sake". Genuine love and kindness toward others, no matter how different from us they might be, is the acid test of our spirituality. When we are enlightened, we recognize the divine nature of others - and relate ourselves to this core of their being. We do not judge by the appearances.

Yet there is a deeper aspect of this statement of Jesus regarding persecutions. Outer "persecutions" are but manifestations of inner struggles we experience in our progressive movement toward deeper understanding.

We've been thinking in certain ways for many years, and built crystallized thought forms. They surround our "ego" as defence walls. When new and fresh ideas enter into our conscious minds, "ego" often considers them as a threat - and plots to destroy them. Divine thoughts meet resistance - and we need to realize that there is nothing strange about it. If we persistently look for the Truth, lies won't stand for too long. Their authority is but temporary.

Let us not be afraid of our inner processes. Let us not be afraid to search for the Truth, because an honest doubt is much better than false security of commonly accepted doctrines. Let us get rid of attachments to prejudices and preconceived opinions. This freedom will lead us to mental clarity and better understanding.

Not so long ago I received a message from a lady who wrote that she is afraid of losing her faith. She did not want to become cynical, pessimistic, and disillusioned. But she mistakenly tried to keep her faith alive through fear. Nothing good could be maintained through fear - we will receive exactly what we're afraid of. Such is the law of mind action.

Perhaps, the best solution for that lady would be not to suppress her doubts, but to use them constructively in building a better set of convictions and values. Our ideas about God should not be fixed graven images. They are not to be objects of our worship. Intellectual constructions could easily betray us, especially if we give them undue significance. But the great Reality will never betray us. It always exceeds our greatest thoughts - and it is always on our side. This Reality is God. This Reality is Love.

Jesus teaches us to maintain courage in the face of misunderstanding outside of us and doubts within us. Cowards are never happy, and they never enter the fullness of life.

(to be continued)