Christmas Wallpapers
Jesus & Sai Baba Birth Date Of Jesus Christ - "There are various theories about the birth date of
Jesus based on the "bright star" that appeared at his birth. It is visible once
in 800 years, it is said. Some say that He was bom on the fifteenth day of
September. But He was born at 3:15 a.m. (early morning) on December 28. It was
Sunday. The star that appeared that day appears only once in 800 years. Its
appearance had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. There is no rule that,
"Jesus was honoured by the populace as Christ, for they
found in his thoughts, words and deeds, no trace of ego. He had no envy or
hatred, and was full of love and charity, humility and sympathy. Jesus' original
name was 'Isa' which, when repeated, is Sai. 'Isa' and 'Sai', both mean Ishvara,
God, the Eternal Absolute, the Sat-Chit-Ananda. In the Tibetan manuscript at the
monastery, where Isa spent some years. His name is written as 'ISSA', which
means the Lord of all beings." Sai Baba, Vol. X. discourse on 25-12-78. p.
231 "In Christianity, the term 'Esu' (Jesus) is used to
describe Christ. This term also signifies the oneness of Divinity. The inner
significance of the term 'Esu' is the recognition of the One Divine in all
beings." Sai Baba, SS,~ 1/92'. p.2 "Jesus is truth." Sai Baba, SS. 1/99, p.
6 'Two thousand years ago, in Palestine, a province of
the Roman Empire, there were Jews professing Judaism. The Jews believed in one
God called' Yehovah'. They believed that God would send a messiah for the people
of Israel. Jerusalem was the sacred city of the Jews and continued to be so even
under the Romans. This was the time when Jesus was bom." Sai Baba. SS, 1/92,
p. 3 "It is said that when Jesus was born in a manger, three
kings were led by a star to Jesus' place of birth. In fact, they were not kings
but three shepherds. One of them, seeing the infant Jesus observed: 'This child
will be lover of God'. A second one said: 'No. God will love him.' The third one
said: 'Verily he is God Himself. The true significance of these three statements
is: To love God is to be His messenger. To be loved by God is to be a son of
God. The final state is to be one with God. As Jesus said: 'I and my Father are
one'. Thus, all persons are messengers of God. This means that they should
divinise themselves. When can men call themselves 'sons of God'? Recognise what
pure actions are done by God, selflessly for the sake of all. There is no trace
of self-interest in Him. Everything men do, speak, or think is born out of
selfishness. Men can describe themselves as 'Sons of God' only when they are
completely free from selfishness and become Godly. To call yourself the 'son of
God', you have to manifest the qualities of the Father." Sai Baba, SS. 1/95.
p. 4 "Jesus exemplified the spirit of social service. The
inspiration for this came from his mother Mary. From His childhood Mary taught
Him such good qualities as truth, kindness, compassion and justice. In his
twelfth year, Jesus and his parents went to Jerusalem for a festival. In the
crowd, the parents lost the trace of Jesus and searched for Him everywhere. Not
finding Him anywhere, Mary sat under a tree and prayed to God to come to her
help. At that moment, a thought flashed in her mind that Jesus was perhaps in a
nearby temple. Jesus was there sitting in a comer of the temple and listening to
the words of the priest. Mary affectionately rushed towards Him and embraced
him. 'Child, what agony I went through on your account', she said. Jesus told
her: 'Mother! Why should you have any fear? Those who believe in the world will
have fears. But why should anyone believing in God fear at all? I am in the
company of my Father. Why do you fear? You taught Me that God is everything for
us. How, then, can you worry like this?' Jesus had learnt His lessons from his
mother and developed His spiritual faith. After they returned from Jerusalem,
Jesus felt that service to His parents was His foremost duty, because He owed
everything to them. In this spirit, He used to assist His father in his
carpentry work. When Joseph, His father, passed away, He sought His mother
permission to devote Himself to the service of the needy and the forlorn."
Sai Baba. SS, 1/95. p. 3 "Like most seekers, Jesus first searched for the Divine
in the objective world. But He soon realised that the world is a kaleidoscopic
picture created by one's own imagination, and sought to find God within himself.
His stay in the Himalayan monasteries in Kashmir and in other centres of eastern
asceticism and philosophical inquiry, gave him greater awareness. From the
attitude of being a 'Messenger of God', he could now call himself the 'Son of
God'. The bond of relationship increased. The 'I' was no more distant light or
entity. The light became a part of the 'I'. With body-consciousness predominant.
He was a messenger. With the heart-consciousness in the ascendant. He felt
greater nearness and deamess. So, the son-father bond seems natural at this
stage. Later as the Atman-Consciousness was established, Jesus could declare: 'I
and My Father are One'. The three stages may be described as: 'I was in the
Light', 'the Light was in me', and 'I am the Light', and may compared to the
Dwaita (dualism), Vishishta-adwaita and Adwaita (non-dualism) stages as
described in Hindu philosophy. The final stage is the one when all duality has
been shed. This is the essence of all religious disciplines and teachings".
Sai Baba, SSS, X, discourse on 25-12-78. p. 231 "Jesus was a Karana-janma, a Master bom with a purpose,
the mission of restoring love, charity and compassion. He had no attachment to
the self, nor paid any heed to joy or sorrow, loss or gain. He had a heart that
responded to the call of anguish. He went about the land preaching the lesson of
love. His life was a libation for the upliftment of humanity". Sai Baba,
Vol. X, discourse on 25-12-78, p. 230 "Jesus announced Himself as a 'Messenger of God'. He
spent many years in austerities so that He could shower compassion and love on
all humanity. Later, He asked Himself: 'Am I just a messenger, or am I more
closely related to God, a part of God with the Divine as my essence?' Jesus
spent twelve years wandering alone in deserts engaged in this inquiry. At the
end of this period. He returned to the society of men and announced, 'I am the
son of God'. At this time, the priests of the holy temples of Jerusalem had
become corrupt and commercialized. They had deteriorated into proud and selfish
men. Jesus condemned them and tried to root out the evil practices. For, all
forms, in the eyes of Jesus, were Divine Forms. He could not tolerate any
action, which belied this status. So, when asked by people who He was. He could
reply: 'I and my Father are One'. Jesus tried to teach the Fatherhood of God and
Brotherhood of man. Tradition-minded and egoistic men considered Jesus a false
prophet and they tried by every means to thwart His mission. Jesus, however, did
not waver. Faced with opposition. He continued to be an example of living truth,
and tried to purify the society." Sai Baba. SSS. Vol. XI, pp. 11 & 12. After leaving home, Jesus had Himself baptized by John.
Then for forty days, Jesus observed severe austerities without food and drink.
At first he considered Himself as a 'Messenger of God'. After the penance, He
realised He was the 'son of God'. He began His ministry with a group of
fishermen as His first disciples. He taught them that they should first seek the
'Kingdom of Heaven.' To enter that Kingdom, they had to cultivate loving hearts.
Then, their hearts would become the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus further declared to
them: I and my Father are one'. Sai Baba. SS, 1/95. p. 3 "Love must be manifested as service. Seva (human
service) must take the form of food for the hungry, solace for the forlorn,
consolation for the sick and the suffering. Jesus wore Himself out in such
Seva." Sai Baba, SSS, Vol XI, discourse on 25-12-81. p. 225 "As Jesus went on with His preaching and drew
multitudes towards him, some of the priests and those in authority grew envious
of His popularity. This happens in all countries. They started persecuting Him
and charging Him with treason. Jesus, however, continued His mission of love and
righteousness, first, as the Messenger of God, and later as the son of God."
Sai Baba, SS, 1/89, p. 3 "Jesus said that the bread taken in the 'last supper'
was his flesh, and the wine his blood. He meant that all beings alive with flesh
and blood are to be treated as He Himself and that no distinction should be made
between friend or foe, we or they. Everybody, sustained by the bread, every drop
flowing in the veins of every living being is His (God), animated by the
activity that the wine imparted to it. That is to say, every man is Divine and
has to be revered as such." Sai Baba. SSS, Vol. X. Discourse on 25-12-78.
pp. 232 & 233 "They tempted one His (12) disciples with 30 silver
pieces, to betray Him into their hands. The Roman rulers were told that Jesus
attempted to assert himself as King and so could be punished for treason. Their
insistence made the Governor order his crucifixion. When the nails were being
driven into him to fix him on the cross, Jesus heard the Voice of the Father
saying, "All life is one. My dear son. Be alike to everyone," and He pleaded
that those who were crucifying Him be pardoned, for they knew not what they did.
Jesus sacrificed Himself for the sake of mankind". Sai Baba. SSS. Vol. X.
discourse on 25-12-78, p. 232 "People talk of Christ's sacrifice as evidenced by his
crucifixion. But, he was surrounded and bound, and crowned by the crowd who
captured him with the crown of thorns, and later, nailed to the cross by his
captors. A person bound and beaten by the police cannot say that he has
sacrificed everything, for he is not a free man. Let us pay attention to the
sacrifice that Jesus made while free, out of his own volition. He sacrificed his
happiness, prosperity, comfort, safety and position. He braved the enmity of the
powerful. He refused to yield or compromise. He renounced the ego, which is the
toughest thing to get rid of. Honour Him for these. He willingly sacrificed the
desires with which the body torments man. This sacrifice is greater than the
sacrifice of the body under duress. The celebration of His birthday has to be
marked by sacrificing your at least one desire or two, and conquering at least
the more disastrous urges of ego." Sai Baba. SSS. Vol. VIII, 25-12-72 You should not be afraid of difficulties. They are
passing clouds. Do not waver. Follow the heart, which is steady and unwavering.
Unity of head, heart and hand is essential for man. This is the true
significance behind the Christians making cross sign by hands (Swami made a sign
of holy cross to show how it covers heart, hands and head). Install God in your
heart. Contemplate on Him and undertake good deeds. Consider every activity as
God's work and act accordingly." Sai Baba. SS. 1/99. p. 3 "This day is a holy day, the day on which Jesus was
born. He announced Himself as the Messenger of God. In fact, all humans are bom
as Messengers of God. The sole purpose of this human career is to propagate the
omnipresence of God, His might and glory. No one has incarnated for merely
consuming quantities of food and catering to one's senses. Human life is much
more precious than that. That is why the capacity to appreciate beauty, truth
and goodness has been endowed only on man." Sai Baba, SSS. Vol. X, discourse
on 25-12-76, p. 84 "Religions arise from the minds of good men, who crave
to make all men good. They strive to eliminate the evils and cure the bad. It is
therefore appropriate that the birthday of Jesus, who felt the need to save
mankind and who strove to achieve it, be celebrated. But the celebration must
take the form of adherence to the teachings, loyalty to the principles,
practising the discipline and experiencing the awareness of the Divine that He
sought to arouse. These days, the world is deriving satisfaction in mere words,
and in witnessing clever ruses designed to cover up one's faults. The birthdays
of the Great are honoured by such hypocrisy and external pomp. There is no
examination in the light of the message they gave, nor, any effort to practise
it and derive the bliss it promises". Sai Baba, SSS. Vol. VIII, discourse on
25-12-72. p. 129 "The birthday of Jesus must be celebrated by all
mankind, for such 'Karana-Janmas' (Masters born with a purpose) belong to the
whole human race. They should not be confined to a single country or community."
Sai Baba, SSS, Vol. X, discourse on 25-12-78, p. 232 "There is a custom of putting up a Christmas tree on
this day. The genesis of this custom can be traced to Germany. A preacher by
name Jensen from England once visited Germany. When he was travelling in Germany
on his mission, he noticed some Germans attempting to offer a child's life as
sacrifice to propitiate God who, they believed, lived in an oak tree.The priest
was warned and questioned-them as to why they were offering an innocent child as
sacrifice to a tree. As they asserted that God lived in the tree, he took an axe
and cut the tree. To his surprise, he was shaken by the inexplicable vibration
from head to foot. He noticed the form of a child between the two portions of
the tree that was cut by him. This incident teaches the truth that God lives not
only in human beings but also in plants and trees. From that time onwards people
started putting up a Christmas tree." Sai Baba, SS, 1/93, p. 4 Here is an image of Jesus at 29, immediately prior to
commencing his ministry. online source
:http://www.saiaustralia.org.au/Jesus.html
when Divine Energy or Divine Incarnation descends on earth, a star has to
appear. That is the opinion of devotees only. But, Jesus was himself a "Star" of
infinite value, spreading brilliance of infinite dimension. Why posit another
less brilliant glow?" Sai Baba. SSS, Vol. XI. p. 13Jesus' Original Name
Meaning Of Jesus
Birth Place Of Jesus Christ
Visit Of Three Kings To See Christ At His Birth
Early Life Of Jesus
Enlightenment Of Jesus
Jesus' Mission
Jesus' Spiritual Work
Jesus's Ministry
Inner Meaning Of Jesus's Teaching Given at the Last
Supper:
Crucifixion Of Jesus
Sacrifice Of Jesus Christ
The Inner Meaning Of Making the Sign of the Cross with
hands
Purpose Of Christmas Celebration
Christmas Belongs To All
The Christmas Tree
