II. SECTION 13. What is a Miracle?
Lesson 350 Miracles mirror God’s eternal Love. To offer them is to remember Him, and through His memory to save the world.
1. What we forgive becomes a part of us, as we perceive ourselves. The Son of God incorporates all things within himself as You created him. Your memory depends on his forgiveness. What he is, is unaffected by his thoughts. But what he looks upon is their direct results. Therefore, my Father, I would turn to You. Only Your memory will set me free. And only my forgiveness teaches me to let Your memory return to me and give it to the world in thankfulness.
2. And as we gather miracles from Him, we will indeed be grateful. For as we remember Him, His Son will be restored to us in the reality of Love.[1]
Today let us briefly recap the introduction to this section before we examine today’s lesson. I will also suggest that you read or listen to each day’s lesson again today and ask God to show you miracles in which His grace and His love will be mirrored through your devotion and practice. This is a course in miracles and God is calling each one of us to know what miracles are and be an active participant as we stand with and become one with Christ in saving the world.
In Part II:13 the question is asked: What is a miracle? We are taught that a miracle is a correction. A miracle is the cleanser that removes the lie, the illusion, and all that the mind perceives falsely. Miracles are for this world; in heaven we do not need them anymore. Miracles are a gentle remedy for all that keeps us from knowing and experiencing God’s eternal love. Miracles are acts of mercy, they heal and restore. Miracles reflect God’s devotion to each individual part of Creation.
What does a miracle contain? The miracle holds the gift of God’s grace – it is given and received as one. When I offer a miracle to you, the miracle is received by you and by me at the same time. The world does not operate on this law of truth; but when we experience giving and receiving as one, we can never go back to believing any different! No longer are we afraid to forgive, because giving forgiveness heals us from our own sense of sin, shame, and reproach. Healed, we naturally become miracle workers for to keep being healed, we must keep healing others. The practice of miracles contains then, the framework of the symbiotic relationship, the mutually beneficial associations, in which Creation is restored to oneness and wholeness.
Where do miracles reside? Miracles reside in forgiveness. As we put our trust in the Vision of Christ, we look upon the world with mercy and love. Our perception is healed, and what we would have at one time cursed, we now bless and correct. Each time we forgive and bless, we offer a miracle. A sense of purity and joy illuminates our world as we remind Creation of God’s love and everlasting devotion.
Where do miracles take place? The practice of miracles takes place within our minds and hearts. Not knowing much about miracles, we must at first rely on faith – we must ask for what we cannot see and what we cannot yet understand. But once we experience the miracles, our faith in them is justified. We think forgiving thoughts, we offer blessings instead of curses, we recognize our brothers as we recognize ourselves, as Sons of God. Miracles then take place in jail cells, hospital beds, corporate offices, in ghettos, and in gated communities. Miracles keep taking place whenever and wherever a Son of God is reminded of who and what he really is.
What do miracles do? Miracles heal the world; they provide everlasting sustenance to all of Creation. They restore Creation to innocence, to purity, to holiness. Miracles restore our love and devotion to God for miracles reflect God’s love and devotion to Creation. Miracles show that what is born will never die, that what has life has immortality. The practice of miracles leads to everlasting love, peace, and joy; while the practice of that which is not a miracle, leads to a sense of hatred, unrest, and loneliness. Practicing miracles sets our world free of the chaos, condemnation, and affliction which has captivated our mind and separated our awareness from God and from each other.
Today our lesson reminds us that miracles reflect God’s everlasting love. When we offer our fellowman a miracle, we offer correction, we offer forgiveness, we offer a blessing. When we remind our brothers of who and what they are, we become one with them in Christ. Our lesson says that we incorporate all things within us! Becoming one with our brothers, means that without them we cannot be saved; without us they cannot be saved.
Without the miracle, we can only see ourselves and others as tiny fragments splintered off from the whole, lost and adrift in the vast universe, ignorant of the big picture, afraid of our insignificance, putting others down in order for us to climb up. Without the miracle, we struggle to be special, carry signs to strut our worth, or spend our lives futilely trying to make our bitty separate selves matter.
When our minds remember God, we take our place in the big picture. Our mind has been healed from the lie of separation. Our mind has been healed from the idea of each one for themselves. We become one with Christ and instead of being only too happy to escape the hellish realm, we stand with Him in saving the world. The more we offer miracles, the more we remember God, the more we remember God, the keener and more devoted we are to save the world for heaven cannot be conceived without all of Creation. We count it all joy.
When I choose forgiveness, when you choose forgiveness, we learn to allow God’s memory back into our awareness. When we put down our guards against God’s memory, He will cleanse us of all selfishness and restore to us the reality of Love. And there is the miracle that saves me to save you to save the world.
[1] A Course in Miracles. Workbook for Students. Lesson 350. Foundation for Inner Peace, Second Edition (1992) p. 478.
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