A Course In Miracles - Chapter 13, Section II
ACIM is read one section at a time. It is a guidebook leading us back to our true natures, as we open to the awareness of love's presence. All quoted material is from A Course in Miracles, copyright ©1992, 1999, 2007 by the Foundation for Inner Peace, publisher, and the copyright holder. This material is used with permission. Glossary-Index for a Course In Miracles, 8th edition, Kenneth Wapnick, Ph.D. Music: Bensound
Transcript
Hi,
I'm Teresa Hubbard.
Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.
We continue today in Chapter 13,
The Guiltless World,
Section 2,
The Guiltless Son of God.
To summarize my takeaways,
In Section 2 of Chapter 13,
We are reminded that this Course has explicitly stated that its goal for us is happiness and peace,
Yet we are afraid of it.
We have been told again and again that it will set us free,
Yet we sometimes react as if it is trying to imprison us.
We often dismiss it more readily than we dismiss the ego's thought system.
To some extent,
Then,
We must believe that by not learning the Course,
We are protecting ourselves.
Yet we must realize that it is only our guiltlessness that can protect us.
We must understand that if we retain guilt,
As the ego insists,
We cannot be who we are.
For only by persuading us that we are the ego could the ego possibly induce us to project guilt,
Thereby keeping it in our mind.
We must consider how strange the ego's arrangement is.
It tells us to project guilt to get rid of it,
But we are actually merely concealing it.
Then we do experience guilt,
But we have no idea why.
We have no idea that we are failing the Son of God by seeing Him as guilty,
And by believing we are no longer ourselves,
We do not realize that we are failing ourselves.
In this dark and secret place,
We believe that we have betrayed God's Son by condemning Him to death,
And so it is this secret we must look upon.
In the calm light of truth,
Let us recognize that we believe we have crucified God's Son.
Jesus lovingly reminds us here that this is not so,
And that our guilty secret is nothing.
We are invited to bring this secret to the light where it will be dispelled.
For then no dark cloud will remain between us and the remembrance of our Father,
For we will remember His guiltless Son who did not die because He is immortal.
We will then understand that we were redeemed with Him and have never been separated from Him.
In this understanding lies our remembering,
For it is the recognition of love without fear,
For the redeemed Son of Man is the guiltless Son of God.
I invite you to keep a few things in mind as you listen to the reading.
The Course uses male pronouns,
Yet this is simply a way of pointing to the spiritual being having no gender.
The Course is written in first person,
And although not introduced directly to the reader,
It becomes clear that the words are from Jesus,
Often quoting from the Bible.
The Course uses traditional Christian terms in a non-traditional manner.
These words are simply pointers to truth,
Nothing more.
A few terms you will hear within this reading.
Crucifixion,
The symbol of the ego's attack on God,
And therefore on His Son,
Witnessing for us our belief in suffering,
Sacrifice,
Victimization,
And death.
The true meaning of the crucifixion is that our true identity of love can never be destroyed because death has no power over life.
Salvation,
We are saved from our belief in sin and guilt through the change of mind that forgiveness and the miracle bring about.
Atonement,
The Holy Spirit's plan of correction,
Healing our minds from the earthly world of illusion to God's world of truth.
Son of God,
All of us,
The creations of God.
Ego,
Our belief in the separated or false self that we made as a substitute for the self that God created.
Now,
On to the reading.
A Course in Miracles,
Chapter 13,
The Guiltless World.
Section 2,
The Guiltless Son of God.
The ultimate purpose of projection is always to get rid of guilt.
Yet characteristically,
The ego attempts to get rid of guilt from its viewpoint only.
For much as the ego wants to retain guilt,
You find it intolerable,
Since guilt stands in the way of your remembering God,
Whose pull is so strong that you cannot resist it.
On this issue then,
The deepest split of all occurs.
For if you were to retain guilt,
As the ego insists,
You cannot be you.
Only by persuading you that it is you could the ego possibly induce you to project guilt and thereby keep it in your mind.
Yet consider how strange a solution the ego's arrangement is.
You project guilt to get rid of it,
But you are actually merely concealing it.
You do experience the guilt,
But you have no idea why.
On the contrary,
You associate it with a weird assortment of ego ideals,
Which the ego claims you have failed.
Yet you have no idea that you are failing the Son of God by seeing him as guilty.
Believing you are no longer you,
You do not realize that you are failing yourself.
The darkest of your hidden cornerstones holds your belief in guilt from your awareness.
For in that dark and secret place is the realization that you have betrayed God's Son by condemning him to death.
You do not even suspect this murderous but insane idea lies hidden there.
For the ego's destructive urge is so intense that nothing short of the crucifixion of God's Son can ultimately satisfy it.
It does not know who the Son of God is because it is blind.
Yet let it perceive guiltlessness anywhere and it will try to destroy it because it is afraid.
Much of the ego's strange behavior is directly attributable to its definition of guilt.
To the ego,
The guiltless are guilty.
Those who do not attack are its enemies,
Because by not valuing its interpretation of salvation,
They are in an excellent position to let it go.
They have approached the darkest and deepest cornerstone in the ego's foundation.
And while the ego can withstand your raising all else to question,
It guards this one secret with its life.
For its existence depends on keeping this secret.
So it is this secret that we must look upon.
For the ego cannot protect you against truth,
And in its presence the ego is dispelled.
In the calm light of truth,
Let us recognize that you believe you have crucified God's Son.
You have not admitted to this terrible secret because you would still wish to crucify him if you could find him.
Yet the wish has hidden him from you because it is very fearful,
And so you are afraid to find him.
You have handled this wish to kill yourself by not knowing who you are and identifying with something else.
You have projected guilt blindly and indiscriminately,
But you have not uncovered its source.
For the ego does want to kill you,
And if you identify with it,
You must believe its goal is yours.
I have said that the crucifixion is the symbol of the ego.
When it was confronted with the real guiltlessness of God's Son,
It did attempt to kill him,
And the reason it gave was that guiltlessness is blasphemous to God.
To the ego,
The ego is God,
And guiltlessness must be interpreted as the final guilt that fully justifies murder.
You do not yet understand that any fear you may experience in connection with this course stems ultimately from this interpretation,
But if you will consider your reactions to it,
You will become increasingly convinced that this is so.
This course has explicitly stated that its goal for you is happiness and peace,
Yet you are afraid of it.
You have been told again and again that it will set you free,
Yet you sometimes react as if it is trying to imprison you.
You often dismiss it more readily than you dismiss the ego's thought system.
To some extent,
Then,
You must believe that by not learning the course,
You are protecting yourself,
And you do not realize that it is only your guiltlessness that can protect you.
The atonement has always been interpreted as the release from guilt,
And this is correct if it is understood.
Yet even when I interpret it for you,
You may reject it and do not accept it for yourself.
You have perhaps recognized the futility of the ego and its offerings,
But though you do not want them,
You may not yet look upon the alternative with gladness.
In the extreme,
You are afraid of redemption,
And you believe it will kill you.
Make no mistake about the depth of this fear,
For you believe that in the presence of truth,
You might turn on yourself and destroy yourself.
Little child,
This is not so.
Your guilty secret is nothing,
And if you will but bring it to the light,
The light will dispel it,
And then no dark cloud will remain between you and the remembrance of your father,
For you will remember his guiltless son who did not die because he is immortal,
And you will see that you were redeemed with him and have never been separated from him.
In this understanding lies your remembering,
For it is the recognition of love without fear.
There will be great joy in heaven on your homecoming,
And the joy will be yours,
For the redeemed son of man is the guiltless son of God,
And to recognize him is your redemption.
