Mysticism & Gospel of Thomas – No. 82 – The Inner Fire

Verse - The Inner Fire

Jesus said, “Whoever is near me is near the fire, and whoever is far from me is far from the kingdom.”

Comment

By this, Christ means the fullness of the inner light that shines through the inner person and sometimes even makes the body appear as if it were glowing with fiery light. Anyone who has found Christ within himself knows about the inner light. The glow of his God-inflamed heart has united him with the heart of God. But anyone who knows nothing about this fervor, the inner burning and inflaming in the light of God, is still on the way to awakening and has not yet reached that high goal that his divine self desires.

Far from him is anyone who, like the rich man, thinks only of himself and his well-being. When he wanted to retire and enjoy life, God demanded his soul from him. Rich in God is anyone who knows the fullness of life within himself and knows how to draw from it, anyone who has found Christ within himself. He is in the light and close to the fire. His guiding principle is Christ, the inner Word and Light, of whom another word from the Lord speaks:

From God came the Word, as the stock from the root, as the river from the fountain, and as the ray from the light.