05.25.25 "Spiritual Junkie" or "Miracle Worker"? with Rev. Tony Ponticello

One of the greatest obstacles I have seen in ACIM students I will today call the "spiritual junkie" syndrome. This is when students are seeking the spiritual high, like a drug junkie looking for their "fix." They have, perhaps, had a few of these revelation moments and they got addicted to them. Just like a drug junkie gets addicted to the heroin they inject into their veins, spiritual junkies get addicted to the spiritual high they may occasionally feel from profound prayer or deep mediation. The feeling is so intense and transformative that they want more, longer lasting, and even more intense experiences of this revelation bliss. They want their fix.

Unfortunately, or perhaps it is fortunately, the practice of ACIM is not aiming towards this. ACIM is "A Course in Miracles" NOT "A Course In Revelation." This is stated many times and in many ways, however I have seen ACIM students just skip over those teachings like they weren't written for these students. They are blind to those teachings. The goal of ACIM is to produce miracle workers, healers. It is NOT to give students repeated experiences of bliss.

I suppose to many this just doesn't seem to be a lofty enough goal. The Course acknowledges this in this next quotation but tells us to be content with the goal ACIM DOES aim towards – healing. "Be you content with healing, for Christ's gift you can bestow, and your Father's gift you cannot lose." (Tx.13.7) This is telling us to be happy with, "content with" the healing we can gift to others and the healing we can also receive.

Who doesn't love to feel lost is God consciousness? However this is not a course leading to your being lost in God consciousness. This is a course in miracles. Here is an early teaching from Chapter 1. It is part of Miracle Principle #29. "Revelation induces only experience. Miracles, on the other hand, induce [interpersonal] action. Miracles are more useful now because of their [impersonal] nature. In this phase of learning, working miracles is more important." (Tx.1.40)

"Interpersonal action" means the action is between the appearance of different people. This is the level where miracles operate. This is the level where and when they are needed. This is the course we are studying, the course we are guided to learn. Other spiritual students may have different goals and different practices. Let them be. "You are not making use of the course if you insist on using means which have served others well, neglecting what was made for you." (Tx.18.68)

Don't be a "spiritual junkie." Be a miracle worker.

24 min.
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