Sermon On The Passion Of Awareness

Henri Frederic Amiel, a Swiss philosopher once remarked: “It is by teaching that we teach ourselves, by relating that we observe, by affirming that we examine, by showing that we look, by writing that we think, by pumping that we draw water into the well.” 2 Corinthians 13:5 reminds us: “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”

Awareness is defined as knowledge or perception of a situation or fact. It is often considered to be a state of consciousness that observes and alerts the mind to a realization. It may include a vision that recognizes activity or a development that is sometimes intended not to be noticed. It is an important aspect of life that sometimes reveals that, which was formerly hidden. For some, an awareness of the unknown can become a passion. Explorers and naturalists are typical examples of this fervor. Passion is considered to aid self-awareness, which is believed to be the foundation stone of emotional intelligence. It allows one to identify their interests, values and strengths in life, it highlights weaknesses and can suggest possibilities to eradicate its forbidden wants. The passion of awareness might be said to be the eyes and ears of mankind that are primarily used for the purposes of gathering knowledge and understanding.

Passion could be said to feed the heart. Its seeds are planted in the depths of good soil. Its fruit can aid health and rejuvenate life, it can provide both energy and inspiration. Awareness is considered a key factor of finding one’s passion in life. Its knowledge and benefit emerge from the truth of life that God can instill in our hearts. Passion fruit is usually round in shape, which is said to represent earth and the love given to us by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Mark 4:1-20 reminds us: “Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.

And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. And other seeds fell into good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable?

How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.”

During a particular session within a seminar organized by a London-based company, aimed at improving awareness in its workforce, those in attendance were shown three different photographs from a possible selection of ten available. Each picture included non-identical scenes of rabbits situated in a field taken over an allotted time span in the early hours of a summer’s day. Each snapshot, chosen randomly, was shown for a maximum of five seconds to every individual before it was changed.