Thomas 60: The Soul’s Prayer
Thomas 60: He saw a Samaritan carrying a lamb and going to Judea. He said to his disciples, “that person … around the lamb.” They said to him, “So that he may kill it and eat it.”
He said to them, “He will not eat it while it is alive, but only after he has killed it and it has become a carcass.”
They said, “Otherwise he can’t do it.
”He said to them, “So also with you, seek for yourselves a place for rest, or you might become a carcass and be eaten.”
Thomas 60 describes how humans become a carcass if they allow this existence to bind them. When people are completely encumbered by day-to-day living they are not allowed the time to contemplate the nature of what they are. If people do not find rest from the world they are at risk of becoming a carcass. A carcass is absorbed by this world. It is the soul that is the ultimate victim (Thomas 7).
Yeshua describes the evidence of the Father in us as ‘motion and rest’. This is a thread linking Thomas 50 and 60—evident in the reality of this life, because humans have no rest (Thomas 86). Every waking moment is filled with an expectation of some kind—to eat, work, look after family, participate in amicable relationships, and so on. All these day-to-day aspects of human life consume our time and our minds. Yeshua asks, through Thomas 60, that we understand the dilemma and disparity between what it is to live in Spirit and what it means to live in this realm. If we do not seek a place to stop and be at peace (rest) in this life, then we become a carcass, consumed by this realm (Thomas 7). This is why Yeshua says it is imperative people treat the Sabbath as a time to contemplate our relationship with God, the Source (Thomas 27). It should not just be a break from work. In our era, this means we set aside time to focus on what we are, in relation to the universe and all other things. One avenue might be through meditation. This mediation can be in various forms, such as walking, swimming, or even just sitting and observing others. Becoming aware of other life forms in this universe (and others) by sky watching at night has become popular. Indeed, various phenomena make themselves visible to those seeking the truth, because they want the human species to rise above their current level of awareness. Every individual can find their own way, but it is important to make that time for the soul—what we are.
Seeking a place of rest asks more of us than a holiday from work. A place of rest is an intellectual space where we ask the questions pertaining to the Soul. In this space, a human is able to exclude all other distractions and consider the answers, which will come to them in time. Without this repose the questions will not be asked, nor will the answers be heard. By avoiding a place of rest, people are at danger of becoming a carcass—the lion consumes the human and will still present as a human, regardless of its external truth (Thomas 7).
77th Pearl: the Perpetual Tree contains important revelations, but some of its most significant discoveries are the prayers, which are directly linked to the words of the living Jesus in the Gospel of Thomas. At any time of the day or night, people are invited to say the following prayer, while being mindful of what each line is saying to the soul. This is your time of growth and connection through the collective consciousness (Holy Spirit). The Soul’s Prayer brings comfort to those pursuing the truth, seeking rest. They are the words Yeshua gives us through this gospel.
The Soul’s Prayer:
Our Father, who is in all things,
hallowed be your presence.
Your Kingdom be recognised in each of us,
as your Light is made visible in this realm, as in the other.
Give us our days of residence in this dimension and body,
the recognition of its imperfections and weaknesses.
We accept our faults and the faults of others,
We see them as lessons for our growth.
May we walk upon a straight path,
with open minds and open hearts,
harming no-one along our way.
Where there is knowledge of the true self,
there can be no evil.
Amen.
Read the Introduction to Gospel of Thomas 77th Pearl: The Perpetual Tree
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