Click to download at PDF of the Notes & Quotes from this talk.
December 29, 2019
Swami Prabhavananda wrote, “When I joined the Ramakrishna Order, I had an interesting experience. A few days after my admission we held a Christmas celebration at our monastery; Christmas is celebrated at all the monasteries of the Order …. In one of the large halls the monks had built an altar, upon which was a picture of the Madonna and Child. Seated around the altar were many of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna. Imagine, if you will, the physical presence of Peter, James, John, Mathew, and so on. This is how we felt, as though the counterparts of Christ’s disciples were present before us.
A disciple of Swami Vivekananda, who had dressed himself up as a Christian padre, performed the worship. He offered candles, flowers, and, strange as it may seem, a fruitcake—the kind you buy in a Western market … As the worship proceeded, all of us remained silent. Then my master, Swami Brahmananda, told us: ‘Meditate on the Christ within and feel his living presence.’ We all felt—suddenly—that a spiritual atmosphere had been created.”
Sri Ramakrishna had direct experiences of Christ’s presence, and believed that Christ is an incarnation of God. Swami Brahmananda and other direct disciples of the Master saw and talked with Lord Jesus. The Ramakrishna Order of India was founded on Christmas Eve.
In this talk, we will discuss these and other reasons why we think of Jesus Christ and Sri Ramakrishna, together, at this Holy Season of the year.