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Liberal Catholic Holy Orders
Written by Most Rev +William Delahunt Monday, 07 February 2011 16:42
The Fabric of Our Being:
Insights into Liberal Catholic Praxis
The Liberal Catholic Church was founded by Bishops of direct spiritual vision and experience in the Apostolic Succession. Their experiences were unusual and different from what is thought of today as theology and church practice. It is not the same. It is something different, yet true to the original Magisterium which Jesus Christ gave to the Twelve Apostles. We feel that it is the True and Original teaching of Jesus Christ. This perception and knowledge cannot be accessed or had by academic intellectual means. Academic study and intellectual efforts will sharpen and give you a brilliant mind, and you may even achieve intellectual genius, but it will not give you access to what we are referring to.
The only way to access the Spiritual Wisdom we are speaking of is to lead the life of Spiritual Discipline. If we lead the life, the Wisdom will be open and available to us. It is a very simple process, not complicated at all, but we must follow the discipline. This all important point is often overlooked by spiritual aspirants, and they end up following practices which only promote egotistical piety and useless rhetoric. We are talking about a LIVING WISDOM, and we must be living the life to be attuned to it. The Wisdom tells us of many different levels of existence and being. of a graded hierarchy of Spiritual Intelligences. There is a Wisdom and a Teaching, but it is not dogmatic or authoritarian, and not the rhetoric which passes as “theology” of the churches today.
While Liberal Catholic praxis imposes NO dogmas, standards or beliefs or practices upon the laity of the Church, but purposely leaves everyone free to form their own conscience, the clergy of the Church must be held to a higher standard because they are expected to be leaders. The clergy of our church must lead the lie of spiritual discipline in order to have access to the Living Wisdom. Without access to this Living Wisdom there is nothing to guide them, and the tendency is to revert to academic rhetoric and/or dogmatism, which is not what we are about. We do NOT want our clergy reverting to academic rhetoric or authoritarian dogmatic theology. They MUST be able to SEE and EXPLAIN the Living Wisdom.
There is a congruence and consistency to the Living Wisdom and no duplicity or contradiction. This is the TRUE Spiritual Knowledge our clergy must be able to access and explain in order to truly lead people and give accurate counsel; the TRUE teaching of Jesus Christ.
Living the life of spiritual discipline, the fabric of our being is automatically changed, and it is this finer fabric which allows which allows access to the Spiritual Wisdom. For our clergy and their process of spiritual formulation there are certain prerequisites which are mandatory and essential. These items cannot be granted dispensation. They MUST be adhered to. It they are not honestly and in good faith adhered to, then the whole process of spiritual formation and training is compromised and is defective. Results WILL show up in your life. So there is ‘NO way to “cheat” the process. You only fool yourself!
THE PATH TO TRUE FREEDOM AND UNDERSTANDING
WHERE DO I START?
A. THE FIRST TWO REQUIREMENTS
1. A Vegetarian Diet
2. Abstention from ALL alcoholic drinks and mind-altering drugs
B. THE NEXT STEPS
Learning Contemplative Meditation and Prayer
There are many different types of meditation training available today, but NOT all of them are suitable for our training purposes. Highly recommended are the works of:
Anthony de Mello – Jesuit Priest
Bede Griffiths – Benedictine Monk
Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington – Rapist Monks
Christian Meditation by Father John Mann
Raja Yoga – Patanjali
Vedanta Meditation by Monks of the Ramakrishna Order
PROFICIENCY IN CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION PRACTICE IS ESSENTIAL
Heretofore we have been referring only to your personal spiritual formation and practice. There are two other aspects of your clerical training that must be mastered.
1. Understanding the Theology of our Church.
2. Liturgical Training and practice.
THE THEOLOGY OF OUR CHURCH
The Theosophical teachings of H.P.Blavatsky as articulated by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater is the ONLY theology of the LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHURCH – THEOSOPHIA SYNOD.
These Theosophical Teachings deal with two primary themes:
1. COSMOGENESIS – The origin, nature and destiny of the Cosmos
2. ANTHROPGENESIS – The origin, nature and destiny of Mankind
FROM THESE TWO THEMES WE DERIVE ELEVEN OTHER POINTS:
1. There IS a Divine Plan.
2. Man and his septentary (sevenfold) nature.
3. Life after death.
4. Reincarnation.
5. Karma.
6. The Monad, the Ego, and the Personality.
7. Universal Brotherhood.
8. The Power of Thought.
9. The Question of Evil.
10. The Rise and Fall of Civilizations.
11. The Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World
These teachings are further elaborated upon in the writing of Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, and James Wedgwood, and other Theosophical authors. The student should read and seriously study the works of these authors.
LITURGICAL TRAINING
The correct and accurate performance of our rituals and ceremonies is an important priestly function. Your training in ceremonial practice should occur under the mentoring direction of an experienced priest. It is “on the job training” before you get the job. Also, an understanding of the various ceremonies is essential so that you may teach others accurately. The various ceremonies have different effects and purposes.
The training of our clergy to be True Spiritual leaders is a serious and important obligation. It requires integrity, authenticity, and brutal self-honesty. These are MOST important to us. The Lord will cover any other deficiencies a person may have, but a clean heart and honest mind ARE BASIC prerequisites without which we can do nothing.
SUMMARY
OUR CLERICAL TRAINING IS THREEFOLD AS ABOVE DESCRIBED
1. Spiritual Formation and Practice
2. Study and Endorsement
3. Liturgical Training and Practice
The Fabric of Our Being:
Insights into Liberal Catholic Praxis
The Liberal Catholic Church was founded by Bishops of direct spiritual vision and experience in the Apostolic Succession. Their experiences were unusual and different from what is thought of today as theology and church practice. It is not the same. It is something different, yet true to the original Magisterium which Jesus Christ gave to the Twelve Apostles. We feel that it is the True and Original teaching of Jesus Christ. This perception and knowledge cannot be accessed or had by academic intellectual means. Academic study and intellectual efforts will sharpen and give you a brilliant mind, and you may even achieve intellectual genius, but it will not give you access to what we are referring to.
The only way to access the Spiritual Wisdom we are speaking of is to lead the life of Spiritual Discipline. If we lead the life, the Wisdom will be open and available to us. It is a very simple process, not complicated at all, but we must follow the discipline. This all important point is often overlooked by spiritual aspirants, and they end up following practices which only promote egotistical piety and useless rhetoric. We are talking about a LIVING WISDOM, and we must be living the life to be attuned to it. The Wisdom tells us of many different levels of existence and being. of a graded hierarchy of Spiritual Intelligences. There is a Wisdom and a Teaching, but it is not dogmatic or authoritarian, and not the rhetoric which passes as “theology” of the churches today.
While Liberal Catholic praxis imposes NO dogmas, standards or beliefs or practices upon the laity of the Church, but purposely leaves everyone free to form their own conscience, the clergy of the Church must be held to a higher standard because they are expected to be leaders. The clergy of our church must lead the lie of spiritual discipline in order to have access to the Living Wisdom. Without access to this Living Wisdom there is nothing to guide them, and the tendency is to revert to academic rhetoric and/or dogmatism, which is not what we are about. We do NOT want our clergy reverting to academic rhetoric or authoritarian dogmatic theology. They MUST be able to SEE and EXPLAIN the Living Wisdom.
There is a congruence and consistency to the Living Wisdom and no duplicity or contradiction. This is the TRUE Spiritual Knowledge our clergy must be able to access and explain in order to truly lead people and give accurate counsel; the TRUE teaching of Jesus Christ.
Living the life of spiritual discipline, the fabric of our being is automatically changed, and it is this finer fabric which allows which allows access to the Spiritual Wisdom. For our clergy and their process of spiritual formulation there are certain prerequisites which are mandatory and essential. These items cannot be granted dispensation. They MUST be adhered to. It they are not honestly and in good faith adhered to, then the whole process of spiritual formation and training is compromised and is defective. Results WILL show up in your life. So there is ‘NO way to “cheat” the process. You only fool yourself!
THE PATH TO TRUE FREEDOM AND UNDERSTANDING
WHERE DO I START?
A. THE FIRST TWO REQUIREMENTS
1. A Vegetarian Diet
2. Abstention from ALL alcoholic drinks and mind-altering drugs
B. THE NEXT STEPS
Learning Contemplative Meditation and Prayer
There are many different types of meditation training available today, but NOT all of them are suitable for our training purposes. Highly recommended are the works of:
Anthony de Mello – Jesuit Priest
Bede Griffiths – Benedictine Monk
Thomas Keating and Basil Pennington – Rapist Monks
Christian Meditation by Father John Mann
Raja Yoga – Patanjali
Vedanta Meditation by Monks of the Ramakrishna Order
PROFICIENCY IN CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION PRACTICE IS ESSENTIAL
Heretofore we have been referring only to your personal spiritual formation and practice. There are two other aspects of your clerical training that must be mastered.
1. Understanding the Theology of our Church.
2. Liturgical Training and practice.
THE THEOLOGY OF OUR CHURCH
The Theosophical teachings of H.P.Blavatsky as articulated by Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater is the ONLY theology of the LIBERAL CATHOLIC CHURCH – THEOSOPHIA SYNOD.
These Theosophical Teachings deal with two primary themes:
1. COSMOGENESIS – The origin, nature and destiny of the Cosmos
2. ANTHROPGENESIS – The origin, nature and destiny of Mankind
FROM THESE TWO THEMES WE DERIVE ELEVEN OTHER POINTS:
1. There IS a Divine Plan.
2. Man and his septentary (sevenfold) nature.
3. Life after death.
4. Reincarnation.
5. Karma.
6. The Monad, the Ego, and the Personality.
7. Universal Brotherhood.
8. The Power of Thought.
9. The Question of Evil.
10. The Rise and Fall of Civilizations.
11. The Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World
These teachings are further elaborated upon in the writing of Annie Besant, C.W. Leadbeater, and James Wedgwood, and other Theosophical authors. The student should read and seriously study the works of these authors.
LITURGICAL TRAINING
The correct and accurate performance of our rituals and ceremonies is an important priestly function. Your training in ceremonial practice should occur under the mentoring direction of an experienced priest. It is “on the job training” before you get the job. Also, an understanding of the various ceremonies is essential so that you may teach others accurately. The various ceremonies have different effects and purposes.
The training of our clergy to be True Spiritual leaders is a serious and important obligation. It requires integrity, authenticity, and brutal self-honesty. These are MOST important to us. The Lord will cover any other deficiencies a person may have, but a clean heart and honest mind ARE BASIC prerequisites without which we can do nothing.
SUMMARY
OUR CLERICAL TRAINING IS THREEFOLD AS ABOVE DESCRIBED
1. Spiritual Formation and Practice
2. Study and Endorsement
3. Liturgical Training and Practice