TCR 711, 713 - Holy Supper and the Opposite

TCR 711

. . . the Lord Himself is present in the Holy Supper, 
and that flesh and bread are the Lord 
in respect of the Divine good of love, 
and blood and wine are the Lord 
in respect of the Divine truth of wisdom. 
There are therefore three items 
involved in the Holy Supper, 
the Lord, His Divine good and His Divine truth. 
So since the Holy Supper 
includes and contains these three, 
it follows that it also includes and contains 
the universals of heaven and the church.

TCR 713

Contrariwise 
there are three opposites to these universals: 
the devil, evil and falsity. 
The devil (by which we mean hell) 
is in opposition to the Lord, 
evil is in opposition to good and falsity to truth. 
These three make one, 
for where the devil is, there are evil too 
and the falsity which comes from it. 
These three also contain 
at the universal and the particular level 
everything to do with hell and also the world, 
which are in opposition to heaven and the church.

  

TCR 702 - Flesh and Blood; TCR 706 - Michael and His Angels

TCR 702 

A knowledge of correspondences allows us to know 
what is meant by the Lord's flesh and blood, 
much the same as by bread and wine. 
This is that the Lord's flesh and the bread 
mean the Divine good of His love 
and also all the good of charity; 
and the Lord's blood and the wine 
mean the Divine truth of His wisdom 
and also all the truth of faith. 
Eating means making one's own.

TCR 706 [3-4]

War broke out in heaven, 
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; 
and they defeated him by the blood of the Lamb 
and by the word of their witness.
(Revelation 12:7, 11)

It is impossible to think 
that Michael and his angels defeated the dragon 
by anything but the Lord's Divine truth in the Word. 
For angels in heaven cannot think about any blood, 
nor do they think about the Lord's passion; 
but they think of Divine truth and His resurrection. 
When therefore a person thinks 
about the Lord's blood, 
the angels perceive the Divine truth of His Word. 
When he thinks about the Lord's passion, 
they perceive His glorification, 
and then only His resurrection.

TCR 701 - Holiness Proclaimed & Seen; Outward & Inward

TCR 701 [4]

The difference between holiness 
that is only proclaimed 
and holiness that is seen to be such 
may be illustrated by this example, 
which I saw and heard in the spiritual world. 
A letter was read out which was written by Paul 
at the time of his travels in the world, 
but not published 
so that any knew that it was Paul's. 
To begin with the audience thought poorly of it. 
But when it was disclosed 
that it was one of the Pauline Epistles, 
it was received with joy, 
and every detail in it was revered. 
This made it plain 
that merely proclaiming the holiness 
of the Word and the sacraments, 
so long as performed by leading churchmen, 
imprints the mark of holiness. 
But it is quite different when its holiness 
is disclosed and displayed to view 
before one's eyes;
and this is what the revelation 
of the spiritual sense does. 
This turns its outward holiness into inward holiness, 
and when it is proclaimed it is acknowledged. 
It is much the same with the holiness 
of the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

 

TCR 697 - The Form of the Soul

TCR 697 [9=10]

'The soul then is a form, 
but what sort of form I will tell you. 
It is the form of all the parts of love 
and all the parts of wisdom. 
All the parts of love are called affections, 
and all the parts of wisdom are called perceptions. 
The perceptions as a result of 
and so together with 
the affections 
make up a single form containing countless parts 
but arranged in such order and so cohering 
that they can be called a unity; 
and they can be called a unity, 
because nothing 
can be taken away from it or added to it, 
if it is to be a unity. 
What is the human soul but such a form? 
All the parts of love 
and all the parts of wisdom 
are the essentials of such a form, 
and in the case of a person 
these essentials are in his soul, 
and from his soul in his head and body.'

TCR 694 [2-3] - The Dangers of Complete Leisure TCR 694 [7] - Everlasting Rest and Peace Is Service

TCR 694 [2-3]

'What is the news from earth,' . . .
'about our world and about heaven?'

They replied that 
when recently they had arrived in this world 
they had heard 
that there and in heaven 
there are administrative duties, 
ministries, public offices, businesses, 
studies of all sciences and wonderful work. 
Yet they had believed 
that after their migration or transfer 
from the natural world to this spiritual one, 
they would come into everlasting rest from labors, 
and what were duties but labors?

To this the elder said: 
'Did you understand everlasting rest from labors 
to mean everlasting leisure, 
in which you would continually sit or lie,
plying your hearts with delights 
and filling your mouths with joys?' 
The three newcomers smiled gently at this, 
and said they had supposed something of the sort.

'What have joy, and delights and so happiness 
got in common with leisure? 
they were asked in reply. 
'The result of leisure 
is that the mind collapses instead of expanding, 
or one becomes as dead instead of lively. 
Imagine someone sitting completely at leisure, 
with his hands folded, 
his eyes cast down or withdrawn, 
and imagine him being at the same time 
surrounded with an aura of cheerfulness; 
would not his head and body 
be gripped by lassitude, 
the lively expression of his face would collapse, 
and eventually his every fiber 
would become so relaxed 
that he would sway to and fro 
until he fell to the ground? 
What is it that keeps the whole system of the body
stretched and under tension 
but the stretching of the mind?
And what is it that stretches the mind 
but administrative duties and tasks, 
so long as they are enjoyable? 
So I will tell you some news from heaven: 
there are there administrative duties, ministries, 
higher and lower law-courts, 
as well as crafts and work.'

TCR 694 [7]

When they had seen this, 
the elder talked with them again 
about the everlasting rest from labors 
the blessed and happy obtain after death. 
'Everlasting rest,' he said, 'is not leisure, 
since that reduces the mind 
and so the whole body 
to a state of feebleness, torpidity, 
stupidness and somnolence. 
These are not life, but death, 
much less the everlasting life 
of the angels in heaven. 
So everlasting rest is a rest that banishes 
all those ills and makes people alive. 
This can only be something that uplifts the mind. 
So it is some interest or task 
which excites, enlivens and delights the mind. 
This depends upon the purpose 
for which, in which and towards which it aims. 
This is why the whole of heaven 
is seen by the Lord as a coherent purpose, 
and it is the purpose he serves 
that makes every angel an angel. 
The pleasure of service carries him along, 
as a favorable current does a ship, 
and confers upon him everlasting peace 
and the rest peace gives. 
This is what is meant by everlasting rest from labors. 
The extent to which an angel is alive 
depends upon his mental commitment 
arising from service. . . ' 

 

TCR 693 - good affections

TCR 693

. . . good affections go along with wisdom . . .

 

TCR 692 - In the Octagonal Palace called Palladium

TCR 692 [3, 7]

We joined them and went up together, 
and found on the hill an octagonal palace, 
which they called the Palladium. 
When we went in 
we found eight hexagonal recesses, 
in each of which was a bookcase, 
as well as a table 
at which those who wore laurels sat down. 
In the Palladium itself 
we saw seats carved out of stone, 
on which the remainder seated themselves.

But then someone 
standing in the middle of the Palladium 
and holding a palm-frond in his hand said: 
'Please unravel this mystery. 
How could a person 
having been created a form of God 
be changed into the form of a devil? 
I am well aware that the angels of heaven 
are forms of God, 
and the angels of hell are forms of the devil, 
and that these two are completely opposite forms, 
one of madness, 
the other of wisdom. 
Tell me, then, how could a person
created as a form of God 
pass from daylight into such a night 
as to be able to deny 
the existence of God and everlasting life?'

'. . . in the earliest ages people 
acknowledged with heart and soul 
that all the good of love, 
and so all the truth of wisdom, 
came to them from God, 
and also that this good and truth were God's in them, 
so that they were purely receivers of life from God; 
which is why they were called images of God, 
sons of God and born of God. 
But in the following ages 
people no longer acknowledged this 
with their heart and soul, 
but by some incorrect belief, 
later by historical faith 
and finally merely professing it with the lips. 
Acknowledging anything of this kind 
merely by professing it with the lips 
is not acknowledging it, 
and is in fact denying it at heart.