Forgiveness class was in session worldwide on the Internet on July 31st, a truly delightful Sunday afternoon with John Morton, Spiritual Director of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA). It was Vincent DuPont, one of the presidents of MSIA, who mastered the ceremonies for us, in his elegant French style.
Vincent began by giving a very clear introduction to MSIA and Peace Theological Seminary (PTS), then calling in the Light. Next, he introduced Robert Jameson who gently presented his own composition, “Surrender,” playing guitar and harmonica.
We then watched a Moment of Peace video from one of MSIA’s group travels to Egypt, and Vincent reminded us to send Light and the prayers of our hearts to that region. He stated that the essential teachings of MSIA are: Not one Soul will be lost; Out of God come all things; and God loves all of Its creation.
Vincent then introduced John Morton, the facilitator for our class. John announced that there were people tuned in across the planet for this class, including Argentina, Chile, United Kingdom, Cook Islands, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Venezuela, and all across the United States. He announced that the text for the class was the book Forgiveness, the Key to the Kingdom, by John Roger. He gave two definitions for “forgiveness” : (1) Pardoning for mistake or wrong-doing, including one’s self; and (2) A quality or tendency to forgive offenses readily and easily. And he asked, “Do we hold that quality for ourselves?” He added that if we don’t pardon or forgive, that’s what perpetuates offense. He stated clearly that we are here (our purpose) to let go, release, and to learn to forgive. He speculated that if we were willing to forgive all offenses, we would have a life of freedom, without limitations. He used the game of golf as an example, stating that it can lead to some forms of frustration. Then he quoted from John-Roger’s book, Forgiveness, the Key to the Kingdom, at page 193, which begins, “You must forgive yourself all things.”
John went on to quote several other passages from the text, including “seeing the Divine in all things and God in all beings,” and “love, honor and respect.” He shared a little from a message given by the Headmaster of the school his children attend. John said that the school is asking parents to model courteous behavior, and he added that this could be a message to our planetary family as well. He commented that never has Man been so inter-connected with each other. He told a story about some photographs taken of the earth from space, ones in which the Society Islands (in the South Pacific) have such clarity of water and light that they shine like a jewel. He encouraged each of us to participate in forgiveness and pardon, to take advantage of the opportunity, such that we shine like jewels.
John then placed a sweet and precious blessing upon all of us, setting a deeply sacred tone for accepting and forgiving ourselves and all others. He explained the process of an exercise we would do in class in pairs, or online at home. Before the exercise, John discussed “road rage,” and what that might look like. He also reminded us of the spiritual law of acceptance and he stated that forgiveness relates directly to compassion.
John briefly took some sharing regarding judgments. The first person spoke about judgments regarding politicians. John’s answer was short and swift: Forgiveness is the key. He offered that our errors and mistakes and negativity are already enough, and that we can choose to stay clear of judgments. Then John called in the Light once again, leading us in a closed-eye process, offering it all up to God, and we began our exercise in pairs or duos, relating to judgments we hold against ourselves and others and forgiving those judgments.
When we completed that, John read a letter that was so sweet, relating a story that illustrated a person’s movement from judgment to forgiveness and compassion. Then he began a Question and Answer session. Questions were wide-ranging: “How can one deal with individuals who will not forgive?” “What about forgiving the action as well as the person?” “Is it forgiving to forget, or remember and forgive?” “How can I serve one who is judging another?” In all of his answers, John guided us back to the forgiveness that is within, that the hurts and judgments are inside of us, and that is where our compassion reigns. He emphasized that forgiveness triumphs because it is bigger than any action. When he was finished, he said, “Baruch Bashan,” which means, “The Blessings Already Are.”
Vincent DuPont came back to the microphone, and introduced a video on MSIA’s study materials, noting that all products can be purchased online at the MSIA store, www.msia.org/store . He added that the next John Morton webcast class, “What is Grace?”, will be held on August 13, 2005, at 10:00 a.m. pacific daylight time. Join us at www.msia.org/live or at 2101 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica, California.
If you missed the Forgiveness webcast class, you can still participate in the archive of the class online at www.msia.org/class.
