Excerpt from a talk by Dr. Harbhajan Singh at Christmas in St. Gilgen, 24 December 1992
Dear brothers and sisters,
Many, many greetings by way of happy Christmas. And wishing you a holy life. You know the purpose of celebrating Christmas. Master says, that there are two kinds of Christmas: one is the inner and one is the outer. The inner Christmas was connected with the physical life of Jesus Christ. And blessed were those who celebrated with him. This Christmas was directly connected with their internal lives. And who were those? Who became receptive. Not all, but those who became receptive could celebrate Christmas with Christ. And even we can celebrate it now, if we are receptive.
Because Christ said,
“I shall never leave thee, nor forsake thee
till the end of the world.”
So this Power never leaves the world and the human beings. That Power always remains with us. He comes in many forms, in different forms, in different religions. Their purpose was one and the same. If we remember Him, He is there. One time He came as Guru Nanak, another time He came as Christ, some time He came as another Master, and then He came as Kirpal. So our purpose is lying before us, but if we become receptive, we can celebrate Christmas internally.
One is the inner and one is the outer, but the outer is also due to the inner. There is a fast connection between the two – the inner and the outer, because outer Christmas is due to the inner Christmas. It is a very fast link. So Master always said, “Celebrate it!” Master never condemned any celebration. He said, “By celebrating we remember the purpose of human life. We remember how to become receptive, provided we celebrate with the competent One, with the receptive One.”
So to celebrate the birthday with the Master Power, or in sweet remembrance of that Power, that pays a lot. Master says that the celebration of those Masters are not only celebrated in the physical world, but on the higher plane as well.
Christ said:
“Be perfect as your Father is in the heaven.”
This is very important because this comes from his life. So far we do not get in touch with this type of life, the life of full perfection, we cannot go back. So we have to be perfect, but how can we be perfect as no person in the world is perfect? Only with the perfect One we can get this perfection, otherwise not. The teaching is there, but he who is perfect, he will reveal the Truth.
It is already in the Bible:
“Son knows the Father and others whom the son reveals.”
Because we are the children of God. If we are receptive, we can bring a big change in the world. Guru Nanak has also emphasized that a time will come, when this thing (to reveal the truth) will go in the hand of conscious people. Some more competent Masters have revealed this truth. I mean to say, it is a high time to live with the teaching of the Master Power, Christ Power, God Power. And this Power is there – our purpose is only to become receptive to that Power, receptive to our cause. This Power is innate in us, whenever we are receptive, that Power will make a contact and you experience these things. Those who are receptive come in contact very easily, as if they were knowing each other for a long time.
Such is the celebration, and many celebrations we celebrated with our Master. It was very beautiful, and we could get some inspiration because our soul must be inspired. Inspiration will come, when we are sitting for only one cause. Attention of each one of us is there, and this Power comes to help us.
In Gurbani it is said,
“When we sit together, we forget the duality.”
All of us think that we have to surrender to that Power. If not now, we have to surrender to it some day because our purpose is there. So, this remembrance that we have to surrender is there, but it comes, when we all sit together. Then everyone feel his shortcomings, everyone feels his draw-backs and everyone wants Him by heart. He says, it is very good, if he also comes in contact with this Power. So this time Master inspires our soul. He says, “My children are sitting together”, and He gives some boost in life. He inspires our soul. This is the right food and by sitting together we get it.
“Where more than two sit in my name there I am.”
— Matthew 18:20
All Masters have said the same thing. (Christmas means) to celebrate in this way, forgetting all about the worldly home and home affairs for some time, to sit collectively in His sweet remembrance. And that is only possible, when this Satsang or congregation is inspired by that Power, because that Power inspires each one of us. And through this inspiration we can celebrate it within also.