6. FREEDOM-UNITY-INTEGRITY: The SCP "WAY-OF-LIFE"

The Society of Christ’s Priesthood (SCP) was begun as a Certification Program of CITI Ministries to legally enable married priests to return to active ministry. The, 'Way-of-life', encouraged for this newly developing support Community is simply each one’s whole-hearted response to the Threefold ‘Call’ to all Peoples for, Freedom-Unity-Integrity. This Threefold Universal Call touches the very heart of our, ‘meaning-of-life’, that of our very existence and purpose for our creation. The daily intentional integration of this Threefold ‘Call’ for Freedom-Unity-Integrity in our relationships and services embodies the SCP meaning of a, ‘consecrated life’.

Daily I am seeking 'how' I can more effectively embrace this Universal Threefold 'Call’. I have learned that, only through SOURCE-DIRECTED living, can any, ‘attitude-of-attack’, of an ego-driven 'moment' be, accordingly, replaced with an, ‘attitude-of-gentleness’. The Society of Christ's Priesthood is a Community called to serve within the 'turmoil' of this world's dysfunction which tends to resolve relationship 'issues' through 'war' in its many forms. Our LOVE-SOURCE is 'commissioning' us to be 'recognized' by the 'spirit' of the Universal Threefold 'Call', that is, gentleness: “A servant of The Lord is gentle to all.“ (2 Ti 2:24) Gentleness proceeds from our conscious union with our Indwelling LOVE-SOURCE.

For several years I have been studying about 'perceptual change'. It became immediately clear that, Freedom-Unity-Integrity, was the key 'enabler' for 'transforming' or 'replacing' our 'transitory', 'illusary', earth-directed perceptions with, Eternally Fulfilling, 'SOURCE-PERCEPTION'. It can, at times, be challenging to 'recognize' and distinguish between 'seeing' daily life through, 'ego', and 'seeing' who we REAL-ly 'are', Eternally, through our, 'SOURCE'. Now, I understand clearly that the ego-opposite of LOVE is, 'fear'; and, the ego-opposite of PEACE is, 'attack'. This latter 'bottom-line' is at the 'heart' of 'who' we are called to become as, The Society of Christ's Priesthood. In our ministries we are to be, 'LOVE-IN-PEACE', 'where' fear and attack 'are not' and 'can not' co-exist. Even, 'correcting' another with ‘tough love’, can be done with a ‘spirit-of-gentleness’; that is, without angrily, 'attacking' or 'disabling' with fear. Consequently, each moment ‘in time’ we are given the, ‘opportunity’ and choice’ to either live, in gentlenss, ‘from within’ our Indwelling SOURCE of LOVE/PEACE, or by ego, 'fearfully', and ever ready to 'attack' . . . The latter is in direct opposition to the Threefold 'Call' for, Freedom-Unity-Integrity.

Practical application of the SCP ‘Way-of-Life’ is learned with one another in each circumstance. Daily, THE SPIRIT of our Indwelling LOVE-SOURCE inspires an ever deepening understanding of the meaning of each of the three essential aspects of this Universal ‘Call’. With our final breath we will then ‘know’ that the depth and breadth of the spiritual and practical applications of this Threefold ‘Call’ is truly, ‘Endless’. Even while within the temporal mode of each time/space event of this life, a whole-hearted response to this Threefold ‘Call’ for, Freedom-Unity-Integrity, can transport our spirits into an 'awareness' of this Eternal Realm. “The Kingdom (Kin-dom) of Heaven is within us.” (Luke 17:21) The Relationship we have with our Indwelling SOURCE while in this life reflects through our relationships with one another, 'in community', as we ‘live’ the Threefold ‘Call’.

SCP Members are encouraged to both personally embrace, as well as to encourage all whom we serve to embrace this Universal Threefold ‘Call’ as truly practically possible in every, ‘state-of-life’. Freedom-Unity-Integrity also becomes more desirable as the Fruit of Peace is experienced through the development of our mission’s, ‘spirit-of-gentleness’, to all in all circumstances.

In summary, we have been given the gift of ‘Freedom’ to choose ‘Unity’ with one another from within our Indwelling LOVE-SOURCE, for a life of ‘Integrity’ through gentleness. To the degree that we, as SCP Members, can ‘align’ our ‘thoughts’ with the ‘THOUGHTS’ of our Indwelling LOVE-SOURCE, we can, accordingly, ‘know’, PEACE, both in mind and heart; in word and action; individually and communally.

It was 'traditional' for the founder(s) of Religious Communities that were developed throughout the Centuries to capture the 'essence' of their service-mission Community in a 'Rule'. The 'essence' of the SCP, ‘Way-of-Life’('RULE'), could be simply stated as: Freedom-Unity-Integrity, with gentleness.



Donna Amy Podobinski, SCP; Copyright © The Society of Christ's Priesthood, a program of CITI Ministries, Inc