THE GIFTS OF GOD — Sondra Ray and Markus Ray on A Course in Miracles

Guilt is something we feel and then project onto others. The ego's thought system is based on guilt, and retaining guilt. Projection of guilt does not "get rid" of it. The ego believes if you dare to think you are "guiltless," then you are really "guilty." To declare our absolute innocence is "blasphemous to God," according to the ego. The guiltless induce "fear" in the ego. But when we have seen the Truth that God's Son is guiltless, full of joy, and whose will is perfect happiness, and we are God's Son, the ego just appears as ridiculous. The cornerstone of the ego has no real basis. The Truth redeems us along with the Christ, who is eternally Innocent.

This whole Chapter 13 is called "THE GUILTLESS WORLD." This Chapter is to help us to see things differently, and be freed from the delusion of "guilt." The guilt projected onto ourselves and others makes up "laws of suffering, separation and death." This is a loveless world of the ego. We cannot have a feeling of a Benevolent and Merciful GOD in this picture of the ego. "Love does not kill to save." Adam's "sin" was merely a mistake of feeling guilt. God did not condemn man by "throwing him out of paradise." We threw ourselves out through the delusion of guilt. It was the belief in "guilt," not our Creator, that put us in hell. God created us "originally innocent" and established Heaven as our eternal State of Being, in the frequency of our "guiltlessness."

Can we remember the Love that created us? It is our Divine Connection. This is the precedent in our life. Our Divine Connection is our attraction to Absolute Love. Love created us like Itself, and this Energy that created the Universe is at our disposal. But if we would rather listen to the ego's voice, the Love that would solve our problem has become "invisible." What is "visible" is our despair that resulted from our separation. Will we continue to relinquish that Power that Created Reality for some version of a "reality" that is embroiled in massive problems that we first projected? We are ATTRACTED to Love and Love only. In Love there is no conflict. There is no "crusade" to protect ourselves from the very Evil that we made up in our world.

"Miracles demonstrate that learning has occurred under the right guidance, for learning is invisible and what has been learned can be recognized only by its results. Its generalization is demonstrated as you use it in more and more situations. You will recognize that you have learned there is no order of difficulty in miracles when you apply them to all situations." This is the beginning of asking for Help in the Mind. You start within. The Holy Spirit is there to Help us with our Healing, but we have to ask for it. This is the Action of "Looking Within." The Miracles is trading our expectations from the ego to the Holy Spirit. We have to expect the Miracles before we can have them. Whose manifestations will we invoke? The Holy Spirit manifests the Christ. Are we willing to have only this?

The Vision of Christ is the help we need to make contact with our Higher Self. The value of our Self is realized by the extension of loving thoughts outward. We have something to give, and this is our own remembrance of God. The Holy Spirit reminds of this Divine Connection. The Real World is composed of only loving thoughts; everything else is a "call for help." Our job is to meet the unloving with the loving. The real world springs to our sight because the Christ has never left us. In perfect peace He waits for us at our Father's Altar, where we waits for our awakening. Christ is the Identity we share, and the way we express love in this world.

This is the beginning of sanity, in which we listen to the Teacher that can give us the SANE CURRICULUM. The ego's rule is to "seek and make sure it does not find what it seeks." In terms of a curriculum, the ego tries to "learn but make sure it does not learn what it studies." Attack makes us weak, but the attacks we do on ourselves and others really have no effects. When we see our invulnerability to attack is true, all the attacks we have done on ourselves and others have not really weakened us. Attack has no effects on our Real Self. The Holy Spirit is our only Real Teacher. His Love is our strength. And this is the Sane Curriculum. No attacks have had any real effects.

The rule of the ego is "seek but make sure it does not find what it seeks." The futile search for "love" fails to acknowledge that Love is already our true nature—there is nothing we need to seek. We already "have" what the ego "seeks." What we "seek" is already ours. Seeking and finding go together. Lesson #230 says, "Today I seek and find the Peace of God." This Peace is inside of us. No external conditions need to be a certain way for us to stand in this Peace. It is always here, and requires we simply accept it in the present. And then it is here in our Mind, in our Awareness. It is always here now.

What is the reality we invest in? Are we investing in conflict, anger, problems, and trouble? Our Investment in Reality would be totally free of inner conflict and anger. The Text later states, "Anger is never justified." JOY is always justified, and we owe our brother the Reality of Peace and Joy. If he asks something of us that "does not really matter," rather than go into "opposition," respond with faith and acceptance. We can give to our brother the harmony and the abundance of the Holy Spirit's spiritual wisdom. To remain in peace is the key. Any response other than Love deviates from the Answer from God which is absolute abundance. We are supplied by the Love that is ours to give.

We remember God by remembering our brothers and sisters. To heal ourselves we translate denial into truth. All sickness is a "lack of love" from our denial. The sick must heal themselves, but it may be us who give this healing to others. We can deny the "denial of love." Only Love exists, and our remembrance to Love everyone and everything including ourselves is the way to remember God. We give the brother Love even in the midst of his problems and calls for help. Our response is the way of remembrance. Sickness is another "call for Love." It is our job to respond to any sickness with more Love. Give Love and we will know we have it. AMEN.

There are either Loving thoughts or a "call for help." How we respond to any situation, incident, or interaction accordingly would involve these. All other reactions would be giving the "unreal" a "reality" that is not there. We can remain neutral with either our response with Loving thoughts or with our response to a "call for help." How do we respond? Appreciation is the only response to our brother. There is one teacher of Reality, and this is the Holy Spirit. Hear This and receive all we need to answer any call for Help. We need the Holy Spirit's guidance in all responses. We do not know what the full situation is asking of us. We keep asking for guidance. And ask for and listen for the Judgment of the Holy Spirit, not our own.