Page 87 - Built For God Handbook (Annotated and Explained Edition) - The Christian Edition of the Tao Te Ching - The New Evangelization - Pope John Paul II

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Our challenge is to be open to the Spirit of God, to be Spirit-filled, while
simultaneously letting go of self-consciousness, and emptying ourselves of
self-centeredness. That means letting go of any attempt to over-attach to
the created goods, as we have already seen, letting go of possessions,
prestige, power, and pleasure so that they do not become false gods and
idols that we end up worshipping. To be childlike is to be trusting, innocent,
and filled with a sense of awe and wonder. As we mature, we add to that the
quality of self-awareness, knowing ourselves and accepting ourselves as we
are.

Listening to the Word of God, within a stance of solitude, silence and
emptiness, allows the Spirit of the Living God to touch us and heal us at a
deeper level than any psychology or therapy can achieve. Traditionally,
there are a variety of names for the Holy Spirit: Ruah, a Hebrew word
meaning the breath of God; the Greek words pneuma meaning compressed
air, dunamis from which the English word dynamite comes, and energia
meaning energy. However, the word God likes best and uses the most is
exousia. Technically, this means authority. But, more correctly, the authority
of a little child who has the power to melt the hardest hearts. It is the power
of vulnerability, of powerlessness, of love and forgiveness, that in the end, is
the greatest power of all.

a 1 Corinthians 6:17-20; Matthew 26:41; Psalm 46:10; John 17:20-24;
c
d
b Psalm 131:1-2; Matthew 7:4-5; Matthew 23:1-7; John 1:1-2;
e
f
1 John 2:5; Luke 11:28; Genesis 28:17; 1 Corinthians 2:13-14;
h
g Genesis 1:24-2; 1 Peter 1:23-25; John 4:10-14; 2 Corinthians 6:10;
j
k
i John 8:54; Hebrews 5:5; Psalm 9:8; John 3:5-6; Romans 5:15.