Lesson 81. Our ideas for review today are.
(1) (61) I am the light of the world.
How holy am I, who have been given the function of lighting up the world! Let me
be still before my holiness. In its calm light let all my conflicts disappear.
In its peace let me remember Who I am.
(2) Some specific forms for applying this idea when special difficulties seem to
arise might be:
Let me not obscure the light of the world in me.
Let the light of the world shine through this appearance.
This shadow will vanish before the light.
(3:1) (62) Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world.
It is through accepting my function that I will see the light in me. And in this
light will my function stand clear and perfectly unambiguous before my sight. My
acceptance does not depend on my recognizing what my function is, for I do not
yet understand forgiveness. Yet I will trust that, in the light, I will see it
as it is.
(4) Specific forms for using this idea might include:
Let this help me learn what forgiveness means.
Let me not separate my function from my will.
I will not use this for an alien purpose.
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The commentary on this lesson (below) is from Kenneth Wapnick's eight volume
series of books, called: "Journey Through the Workbook of A Course in Miracles,"
which can be purchased at the following site:??~ M. Street
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Lesson 81. "Our ideas for review today are."
*As I mentioned when discussing the first review, Helen had informed Jesus she
did not want the same mundane introductory statement repeated throughout. One of
her criteria for judging whether Jesus really was who he claimed to be, was to
see if he would dictate different words for the opening of each lesson (e.g.,
"Our ideas for review today are"; "We will review these ideas today"; Today let
us review these ideas"; etc.). Having now seen another example of how these
lessons share the same content, but different form, we can proceed from the
ridiculous to the sublime.*
1(61) "I am the light of the world."
"How holy am I, who have been given the function of lighting up the world! Let
me be still before my holiness. In its calm light let all my conflicts
disappear. In its peace let me remember Who I am."
*In this first lesson we find a clear statement of our real Self, reflected in
what the Holy Spirit's Voice reminds us of: our function of lighting up the
world. As we had seen when we discussed this lesson earlier, we do not
illuminate an external world, as would a lamp casting its glow. The world exists
only in the mind of God's Son, and is darkened because we have chosen to listen
to the ego. By thus choosing the Holy Spirit, we become His light of truth.
Since God's Son is one, and the world is in the Son's mind, we become the
world's light as well. In this light conflict cannot be, for it exists only in
the darkness of the ego's thought system of opposition.*
(2) "Some specific forms for applying this idea when special difficulties seem
to arise might be:
Let me not obscure the light of the world in me.
Let the light of the world shine through this appearance.
This shadow will vanish before the light."
*When we choose Jesus, the world's shadow -- the projection of our guilt -- must
disappear. They have no power before the light as long as we choose the light,
regardless of the shadow's form. An illusion is an illusion is an illusion, and
has no power before the truth. Our daily function is thus to bring our
perceptions of darkness to the light of Jesus' truth.
The next lesson deals with forgiveness, the major theme of A Course in
Miracles.*
(3:1) (62) "Forgiveness is my function as the light of the world."
*Our function in Heaven is to create, with which no one here is in touch, for it
has no worldly reference. On the other hand, forgiveness does have meaning for
us. Previewing Lesson 192, we are reminded:
"It is your Father's holy Will that you complete Himself ... extending love,
creating in its Name, forever one with God and with your Self. Yet what can such
a function mean within a world of envy, hatred and attack?"
"Therefore, you have a function in the world in its own terms. For who can
understand a language far beyond his simple grasp? Forgiveness represents your
function here." (W-pI.192.1:1-2:3).
Elsewhere in the text, as you may recall, Jesus says our function is to heal:
"As your function in Heaven is creation, so your function on earth is
healing. God shares His function with you in Heaven, and the Holy Spirit shares
His with you on earth." (T-12.VII.4:7-8).
It is our function of forgiveness (or healing) that enables us to release the
ego's thought system, first by not seeing it in another, and then realizing it
is not truly present in our minds either. This undoing of guilt removes the
barriers that kept our true function of creation hidden, as it kept hidden or
Identity as Christ.*
(3:2-3) "It is through accepting my function that I will see the light in me.
And in this light will my function stand clear and perfectly unambiguous before
my sight."
*Again and again we see the focus on removing the blocks -- the meaning of
forgiveness -- that keep the light of Christ's Love from us. It is always
helpful to recall the beginning of the text:
"The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond
what can be taught. It does aim, however at removing the blocks to the awareness
of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance." (T. Intro.6-8).*
(3:4-5) "My acceptance does not depend on my recognizing what my function is,
for I do not yet understand forgiveness. Yet I will trust that, in the light, I
will see it as it is."
*This is important. When we begin our work with A Course in Miracles, we think
forgiveness is something we do with someone else. Even more to the point, we
think forgiveness involves overlooking some terrible thing others have done, and
saying we forgive them. A step above that is realizing: "No, I am the sinner
instead of you." This leads us to understand that forgiveness has nothing to do
with anyone else, but only with ourselves, for there is no world apart from our
minds.
Jesus is thus saying we can begin this process without understanding what it
entails; making our ascent up the ladder with no awareness of its top rungs, let
alone of the God Who is beyond the ladder entirely. It is enough to know we have
been wrong about everything we have thought, felt, and perceived. We can do very
well now without understanding the answer to the problem of the ego.
Indeed:
"You are still convinced that your understanding is a powerful contribution
to the truth, and makes it what it is. Yet we have emphasized that you need
understand nothing. Salvation is easy just because it asks nothing you cannot
give right now." (T.18.IV.7.5-7)
Yet we can at least understand that we do not know. That is the first step. The
next ones easily follow as we practice, as in these three specific
applications:*
(4:2-4) "Let this help me learn what forgiveness means.
Let me not separate my function from my will.
I will not use this for an alien purpose."
*As always, Jesus asks us to see our daily experiences as opportunities for
learning how to forgive. Again, we anticipate the later wonderful Lesson. "All
things are lessons God would have me learn." (W-pI.193) We learn the proper use
of our mind's power, shifting from the ego's alien purpose of attack to the Holy
Spirit's right-minded purpose of healing. Thus we return our will to the Will
that God created.*
