The Place Beyond Dreams

These words came into my mind a while ago, I thought it is best suited as a poem.

The Place Beyond Dreams

Prashant Solomon

There is a place beyond dreams;

A place where we were born;

Where there is no space or time;

No yours or mine.

A place where we all belong;

Where we are all of light;

No sorrow, fear or pain;

To this place we all shall go again.

The place beyond dreams is where we were all born;

Descended from there upon this Earth we have;

Mistaken we are that Earth is our home;

We are but sojourners here.

Sent by our Father in Heaven to reap what we have sown before;

This place beyond dreams we visit again and again;

Between our trips to Earth - our temporary dwelling place;

Home we call it but it is not.

The place beyond dreams is where we were born;

Before time, beyond space;

That place we will see again but only after we finish this mission;

Arise, awake, do not sleep.

Back to our home we must go;

Full of love and light it is;

That world from which we have come;

God our father lives there - in that place beyond our dreams.

In my heart I can hear the music - the symphony of my dreams;

That sweet music that is calling me;

Once again to that same place beyond my dreams;

A music embedded in my soul, that has accompanied me on my course.

A journey I started long ago. How long ago?

I may never know;

I was made in that place beyond my dreams; 

In His image, my light was made and then sent away to learn.

This trip to Earth I do make, to grow in love and light;

Onwards I go and try my best, to do what is right;

Each one of you is from my home;

from the place beyond our dreams.

Sojourners all like myself;

Each one of you are;

Seeking, searching, learning things;

That we take back.

For God made us to experience things;

And become flesh for a while;

But our true selves are the light;

That is the current of our life.

Onwards, onwards we shall race;

But for those on Earth;

We have vanished without a trace;

For back to the place beyond our dreams we go.

No sorrow, fear or pain;

As long as we are there;

Until our Lord decides again;

For us to briefly say good-bye.

Then again we are in the flesh;

This time with a new face;

Onwards, onwards another race;

Then again we disappear without a trace.

Sojourners to this Earth we are;

To the place beyond dreams we will return;

Our home beyond time and space in the realms of love and light;

That land O my dear is where you and I were born.

Our true home it is, only forgotten we have;

Listen to the music embedded in your soul;

And memories will awake;

Remember, you are that, remember you are that.

I am you and you are me and we are that;

That which we call God - omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent!

The place beyond our dreams beckons us all;

But there is work to do before we return.

prashantsolomon@gmail.com

Welcome Pope Francis

Pope Francis (CTV/AP)

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected pope on March 13, 2013. He took the name of Francis becoming the first Pope to ever do so. He is also the first Pope from the Americas and the first Jesuit Pope. When he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican City, he endeared himself to billions of people around the world by asking first for the prayers and blessings of the people before he blessed them. He is known as a very humble man who travels by bus to work in his native city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He also opted not to use the official car and house allotted to the Archbishop of Buenos Aires living in his old apartment instead.

There was a moment when he asked for the silent prayers of the people when there was a complete hush in the crowd of hundreds of thousands in the square. I watched this entire episode on CNN, thousands of miles away in New Delhi, India. But even I closed my eyes and prayed for the new Pope. I could feel an energy, a power, a feeling of new hope and new promise in that moment. I believe it was the Holy Spirit that connected me and billions of others to those in the square and the new Pope.

The first impression I got of the new Pope Francis is that he is a man who will try to return the flock to the Lord Jesus Christ. He just seemed immediately so much more human and humble than his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI and seemed to me to be almost like in the mold of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II. Well, time will tell.

The choice of the name Francis is in honor of St. Francis of Assisi who is known to be a great lover of the poor and of nature. He is also known for his kindness and gentleness towards animals. A great choice of name I must say. He also proved everybody (including me) wrong about the probably names that the new Pope would take.

The next day during a mass for the Cardinals, Pope Francis said this:

"If we don't proclaim Jesus, we become a pitiful NGO, not the bride of the Lord. When we walk without the cross, and when we preach about Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord. We are mundane. We are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but we are not disciples of the Lord." 

I pray for Pope Francis. May he restore the Catholic Church to truly love and live the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ.