The only way to repay the debt
There's a way open here. Jesus said, "Whatever you do to my little ones, in that way you are going to repay me"-something like that.
Your ancestors and all the rest living in spirit world as creditors would want you to repay your debts to the whole of mankind and to your own descendants. Starting from your own family, if you repay your debts by loving your brothers and sisters, by loving your parents and relatives, friends and neighbors you reach other people.
For instance, a river or stream always flows downward. The size of the river doesn't matter, big or small it flows downward. We too must flow down, filling other people's hearts.
Up to the present, you were never aware of being a debtor or how to repay your debt. Think of God and how He worked His providence of restoration even after we became debtors, transgressors.
We named many to whom we are indebted, but more than your ancestors more than anyone else, we are indebted to God every moment of our lives. What would God want you to do to repay Him?
God's only wish would be for you to repay the debt towards other people, His own children. Your parents' wish is for you to love your brothers and sisters more than you would your own parents. The same thing is true with God. God as the parent would want you to love your brothers and sisters more than you love Him.
In God's sight, all of mankind are brothers and sisters, so He would want you to love all mankind. Your parents would want you to love your offspring.
More ideal is that you love the whole of mankind more than you would your own descendants, doing things for later generations of mankind.
What God wants you to get is not knowledge, position, or wealth, but love to give to other people. You know that you would love your children naturally, as you would your own parents. With that same kind of love you must love other people. That's the only thing God would want you to do.
Your parents would want you to be successful in life so that everybody around you would praise you and admire you, then they can be proud of their children.
They would want you to love your brothers and sisters as you would yourselves, to take care of them and help them to be equally successful. So you can see divine love in your parents' love toward you.
If you are sons and daughters of filial piety, would you not want to carry out what your parents want you to do? So, you want to be able to love your brothers and sisters, your parents, relatives, friends, and neighbors, as you would your own self, and you want to be successful in worldly careers without using evil tactics or things like that, but rather by using goodness and heart. In choosing your mates, you want to have your spouse like that, too.
Let's go back to the main point. We are aware that we are all great debtors. And now you have learned how to repay the debts. Repay means pay back.
But your creditors wouldn't want you to pay back the money to them, but to pay it to your descendants and people around you. In God's love, everything good and valuable flows down, like water flows downward filling up any shallow places, and when it is on level ground, it covers the whole space. That's the only way possible for us to repay. There are two ways to repay your debt: on the horizontal level towards all mankind; and vertically to your descendants.
You must always be thinking how to repay the debt, what to leave for mankind and what to leave for your descendants.
An artist would want to leave a masterpiece of his handiwork. Your leaving something means you transmit your love to other people.
Friday, December 19, 2008
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