Philadelphia's Christ Church²

O Church of Christ, to you I bow, to you I bow. You embodied, you embody and you will forever embody America’s hope, America’s promise, America’s sacrifice and America’s pride. As a seeker of the transcendental Truth, I wish to tell you that in the inmost recesses of my heart I feel that you are not only historically unparalleled but also spiritually unparalleled. Countless are the churches in America, but I soulfully and unmistakably feel that this particular church has been blessed by the Absolute Supreme most dynamically and most powerfully. Here I always experience the freedom-spirit of America, not only in the physical world, but also in the world of the spirit.

It is the most significant day for me and for my students, especially for the thirteen hero-runners, runners who are lovers of their nation. These divine runners will cover three hundred sixty miles as one way to acclaim their country’s independence from bondage. Love of their country, love of the presiding deity of their country, love of the Inner Pilot of their country, has divinely and supremely inspired these thirteen runners to offer their dedicated capacity to their country.

Here in Philadelphia we are offering our heart’s most soulful prayer to this church, the Truth-Abode of God. The soul of America embodies peerless hope, peerless promise, unparalleled sacrifice and unparalleled pride. My soulful prayer is this: “O soul of America, you are awakened. You are running fast, faster, fastest. May you continue this unimaginable speed, not only in the world of vision but also in the world of reality.” The world of vision has made America great. The world of reality is making America good.

I believe in reincarnation. I can tell you with absolute certainty that this church was frequented by me in the physical body many, many years ago. It was here that I played my role soulfully, devotedly and unconditionally as a supreme lover of this mighty country. In this incarnation I have come here as a seeker, to love this country and to serve this country infinitely more than I did in that previous incarnation. In this incarnation, by the Grace of the Absolute Supreme, I shall be infinitely more successful, for I have with me this time hundreds of sweet children, who are for the Supreme and who consciously want to please the Supreme in the Supreme’s ever-illumining, ever-fulfilling way.

When I lived here before, I saw a new world emerging. Now again, after a long time, I see another new world. The world that I saw and lived in is being triumphantly surpassed by the world that I now see and now live in. Previously, the world was one of hope, promise, sacrifice and pride. Now the world is oneness within and oneness without — oneness of the individual with the collective, oneness of the one with the many, oneness with the world that we already have and oneness with the world that we are going to have. Here I see the oneness of the veiled world and the unveiled world. The veiled world is ignorance; the unveiled world is wisdom. Today the veiled world is being transformed into the fulfilling manifestation-world of the Absolute Supreme.

In the name of the Absolute Supreme, in the name of the Saviour’s soul, I bless my runner-seekers. These thirteen runner-seekers will always feel special Grace in the heart of the American freedom-spirit. Today their dedication to their country’s spirit is being imprinted in letters of gold in my gratitude-heart.

[_Sri Chinmoy wrote in the guest book at Christ Church this significant message:_]

The country-server of the past comes as the country-lover of the present to fulfil the Supreme in His own way.