gospel of Thomas 49

Jesus said, "Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom. For you are from it, and to it you will return."

For many people, this is one of the most difficult teachings to embrace, on the spiritual journey. Blessed are the solitary. The solitary: for many people, this one word strikes terror into the heart. Aloneness – most of us do all we can to avoid being alone. Even if we don't have the physical company of another human being, present in the same space as us, we will fill that void one way or another. We will telephone someone. We will connect by other communication means. We will switch on the radio, the television. We will read a book. Anything, to maintain a feeling of company, of not being alone.

And yet, ultimately, we have to face our aloneness, if we are to blossom spiritually. This is what Jesus is saying. Blessed are the solitary…for you will find the kingdom. In fact, the words of Jesus are solitary and elect. I don't much like this word elect – it makes it sound like some are chosen and some are not chosen. And if, like me, you have been conditioned by Christian conditioning, then there is always this implication of being judged: the good are chosen, and the evil are not chosen; the sinners are not going to be chosen. This is not so.

And yet not everyone is destined to find the kingdom, prior to their last breath here on earth. And so, in that sense, some are elect, some are the chosen ones. But it's not because they are good and others are sinners, no. In the end, it is down to good fortune, good luck, that is all.

But for our part, we can increase the chances. And one of the most important ways we do this is to spend time alone – become comfortable with being alone, with being solitary. Only when we can face our aloneness, are we ready to be transformed. That is why Jesus says, blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the kingdom.

And he goes on, for you are from it, and to it you will return. This is true for all of us, not just the solitary and elect. We are all from the kingdom. We are all from existence. We are all part of existence. And actually, we have never left it. We merely perceive and feel ourselves to have left that great oneness that is God, the kingdom, existence. And whilst we feel ourselves separate from it, it makes sense to say, we will return to it. That is how it will feel. And yet, if the truth be known, we have never left it. And this is true even for those who are not solitary and elect.

My own feeling is that, as we draw our last breath, we all shall return to the kingdom. But why not bring about that happy moment a little bit earlier in our life.