Oneness and the Call to Love Our Neighbors by Patrick Carden
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&view=post&articleid=Oneness-and-the-Call-to-Love-Our-Neighbors-by-Patrick-Carden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Patrick Carden
At the heart of nearly every faith tradition lies a profound truth: we are all one. This oneness is not simply a poetic idea or a lofty spiritual concept—it is the deep reality that binds us together. Scripture reminds us that we are all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and Paul writes that "we are all members of one body" (1 Corinthians 12:12). The mystics of many traditions echo the same truth: the divine spark dwells in every person.
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At the heart of nearly every faith tradition lies a profound truth: we are all one. This oneness is not simply a poetic idea or a lofty spiritual concept—it is the deep reality that binds us together. Scripture reminds us that we are all created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and Paul writes that “we are all members of one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). The mystics of many traditions echo the same truth: the divine spark dwells in every person.
When we begin to see life through the lens of oneness, the way we view our neighbors changes. They are no longer strangers, enemies, or competitors; they are extensions of ourselves. To harm another is to wound ourselves. To lift another is to elevate us all. As Jesus taught, the greatest commandments are to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:30–31). But the deeper mystery is that to truly love our neighbor is, in a very real way, to love God Himself, for God’s image resides within them.
Oneness also calls us to radical compassion. If we recognize that every person carries the breath of the Divine, then kindness ceases to be optional. Mercy, patience, and forgiveness are no longer lofty ideals but the natural outflow of spiritual sight. When we see our neighbor’s suffering, we can no longer dismiss it as “their problem,” for in truth it is our shared burden.
In a world often driven by division, suspicion, and fear, oneness invites us to live differently. It asks us to lean into humility, to set aside the labels and walls we build, and to remember that the Spirit of God moves through all creation. Loving our neighbor, then, is not about mere tolerance; it is about reverence. It is about honoring the divine imprint that unites us all.
The practice of oneness begins in the small, everyday acts: a listening ear, a kind word, a gesture of forgiveness, a willingness to serve. These are not insignificant. Each is a thread woven into the great tapestry of humanity, strengthening the bonds of love that hold us together.
When we live with the awareness of oneness, love becomes more than duty. It becomes joy. It becomes the recognition that in loving our neighbor, we are in harmony with the deepest truth of the universe: all are one, and love is the force that unites us.
Patrick Carden
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=You-Will-Never-Look-into-the-Eyes-of-Someone-God-Doesnt-Love-by-Patrick-Carden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
There's a truth so simple, yet so profound, it could change the way we see the world: you will never…. ever look into the eyes of someone God doesn't love. Not once. Not ever. Every person you encounter: the stranger, the friend, the rival, the one you struggle to understand — all of them are seen and cherished by God. His love is not rationed, not conditional, not selective. It is relentless. Think about that.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Open-Your-Mouth-A-Challenge-to-the-Silent-Church-by-Patrick-Carden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
Dietrich Bonhoeffer's words slice through time like a prophetic arrow: "We must finally stop appealing to theology to justify our reserved silence about what the state is doing — for that is nothing but fear. 'Open your mouth for the one who is voiceless' — for who in the church today still remembers that that is the least of the Bible's demands in times such as these?"
http://www.identitynetwork.net/apps/articles/default.asp?blogid=0&url=10&view=post&articleid=Even-When-Were-Mad-at-Him-God-Still-Covers-Us-by-Patrick-Carden-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
There are moments in life when the weight of disappointment, grief, or unanswered prayers becomes too heavy to carry. In those moments, many of us have felt the urge to cry out, to question, to even rage at God. We don't talk much about how being angry at God feels like spiritual treason. But the truth is, it's human. It's real. And surprisingly, it's also where love shows up in one of its most powerful forms.
