Verses 13–14: “But when you give a party, ask the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind; and so find happiness. For they have no means of repaying you; but you will be repaid on the day when good men rise from the dead.”
The word party brings to mind a festive social gathering or a group of people coming together for a common cause. We usually think of a party as including people we like and who are similar to us. We gravitate towards people where there is an easy fit and compatibility. We tend to operate the same way internally. We want to know and relate to those parts of ourselves that agree and fit easily with our sense of we are.
What about those aspects of the self/Self that disagree with or oppose the ego ideal? Often, the states of consciousness we experience as poor, crippled, lame, or blind are ignored, denied, or repressed.
- We might think of the “poor” as those places where we feel depressed, empty, lacking the wherewithal to do what we desire.
- The “crippled” is an apt image of the distorted patterns that form in our psyche as a result of life experiences. They show up when we react in the present moment as if we were reliving a situation from the past.
- The “lame” symbolizes our inertia, the inability to move or act that is often masked in passivity or indifference.
- The “blind” refers to places we know something in our body-mind, but we can’t get the words or consciousness to see clearly what’s happening.
Instead of being invited to consciousness, the energies we label poor, crippled, lame, or blind often stay disconnected from the ego/self. They remain unmediated, not tempered or balanced by the whole of our being. Whatever remains unconscious has more power as it operates independently of the whole of who we are.
We have all experienced the intensity of a feeling (i.e., anger, attraction, irritation) that seems to come from nowhere. We have also encountered people who blatantly denied having certain feeling states (like judgment or hatred) even though we were sensing these feeling in the person’s presence.
We disavow these feelings because they seemingly have nothing of value to offer us, “no means of repaying us.” When we do not invite and relate the poor, crippled, lame, and blind parts of our psyche to consciousness, their energies act of they own volition. Our ego has no say in when and how they appear.
Every state of consciousness in our psyche/soul is an aspect of the Self/God Within that offers information and needed libido/life force. The Scripture reminds us of the mystery of transformation with the statement, “You will be repaid on the day when good men rise from the dead.” When we engage consciously and intentionally with seemingly worthless aspects of our selves/Selves, the libido/life force that has been stuck is freed to find a life-creating and sustaining expression.
We can ask these aspects, “What is the message you have for me? What are trying to show me?” (For instance, our anger may become fuel for a desired change. Our attraction may lead to a new relationship or venture. Irritation may prompt us to be more honest with ourselves and others.)
Inner Reflection
Take a few minutes to reflect on the aspects of your self/Self that have been showing up over the past few days. Where are the energies you may have dismissed as poor, crippled, lame, or blind? Ask the Self/God Within to help you know what each energy is saying to you. Be open to the mystery of transformation that will establish the needed flow of your Spirit.