The Earth
THE SPIRITUAL EARTH
- Chapter 69 -
Active faith
What has been mentioned thus far applies not only to the papacy, but also to all denominations. Wherever Christ is not preached in His true spirit, there in its place is false prophet-hood instead of a true church.
Even if one or another sect states, "Behold, we have no pictures, therefore our denomination must be the purest", thus do I reply: "Icon or no icon determines nothing, only living in accordance with God's word. Teachings, even if they be cleansed of all ceremony and made suitable for the acceptance of pure reason, are meaningless if they remain merely teachings and no one lives by them."
It is, however, true that in the Roman Catholic Church there are a thousand colossal abuses. In spite of this they have many good things, because they also preach of love and humility. If that be complied with and nothing else, you will not be forlorn. But what should I say about a church that does not teach anything but belief, and repudiates works? It is clearly written: Belief without works is dead. I Myself said it many times, "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only!" That makes it obvious that belief alone is of no benefit; rather, it must become active through love.
Of what benefit is the light of the sun to the Earth, if it were not linked to the energetic warmth? Of what benefit would be all the knowledge of the sciences if we did not apply them? And of what benefit would it be, in the cold of winter, merely to believe that burning wood in the stove would heat the room?
In short, firm belief without works may be compared to a foolish human being who covers himself with a warm thought in a cold room. Just as this thought-blanket is of no benefit, so is belief of no benefit without works. Belief is only the acceptance of teachings, which give guidance to a specific activity. So to whomever receives this guidance only into his belief but does not act accordingly, My question is: "Of what benefit will this guidance be unto him?"
That is why I prefer any church where things still happen. Because it is better to give someone a small piece of bread than to make a thousand plans for the provision of the poor. It is proper to make plans, but these plans must be implemented; otherwise, belief is once again without works.
He who wants to live properly may accomplish this in any church, because the main rule is as follows: examine everything and keep what is good. I will tell no one: become a Catholic, a Protestant, or an Orthodox! Instead, remain what you are if you so wish; but be an active Christian in spirit and in truth! Because anyone may have access anywhere to the pure word of God, if he so wishes.
I am not like a patriarch, and I am not like a pope, and I am not like a general superintendent; but I am like an extremely good and just Father to all My children. And it gives Me great joy when you actively compete when it comes to love, but I find no joy when you scold one another and each and every one wants to be the wisest and most infallible.
My kingdom is a kingdom of the highest vigor, not a kingdom of idle laziness. I did not say to the Apostles, "Stay at home and think and ponder about My teachings!" but, "Go, therefore, to all the nations of the world."
I say the same to all the blissful. It means to be active; the harvest is always greater than the number of laborers. That is why it is better to be active in any order than to be only in the purest of belief. The mere believer is the one who buries his talents. When someone knows very little about the Scriptures but acts accordingly, such a person may, based on the little he knows, be compared to the one who keeps a faithful household with the little he has and as a result of this will rise above many things.
From what has been said, anyone who is of good will may easily gather what he has to do to become a righteous human being, knowing what he has to choose from and what to avoid. In this respect, therefore, everything has been explained.