Advanced Study Group of Spiritism
http://www.geae.inf.br/
Founded on October 15th, 1992
The Spiritist Messenger - Monthly Electronic Report
of the GEAE Group
GEAE 12th year - Number 55 - distributed: October 15th, 2004
SPECIAL
ISSUE TO COMMEMORATE GEAE'S 12th YEAR ANNIVERSARY
"Unshakable faith is only that which can face reason face to
face in every Humankind epoch."
Allan Kardec
|
|
"The discovery
of truth is prevented more effectively
not by the false appearance of things present and which mislead into
error, not
directly by weakness of the reasoning powers, but by preconceived
opinion, by
prejudice."
|
| Arthur
Schopenhauer |
MESSAGES FROM THE EDITORS
Dear reader of The Spiritist Messenger,
Let us share with you our happiness at this occasion and let us
commemorate together the date of October 15, 2004, which represents 12
years of work by GEAE, The Advanced Study Group of Spiritism, using the
Web as a means to study life based on the Spiritist Doctrine. In this
month we also commemorate 200 years of the reincarnation in Europe of
Allan Kardec, the codifier of The Spiritist Doctrine.
These have been 12 years of continuous, serious, humble and dedicated
work done by a lot of people – incarnate and discarnate – all united
with a common goal, contributing that way for the success of our group.
We have faced difficulties, mostly due to the fact that all of us,
editors, collaborators and readers, have to care for our private and
professional life and find time available for the group’s activities.
Besides that, negativity and fanaticism form outside have acted as
restrictive forces to the work. We have succeeded in going through
those difficulties with much support especially during the initial
activities of the group. Gradually the group became stronger as more
value was added to it by several goodness path workers who had been
called for this mission from the spiritual plane and promptly answered
the call.
We knew that everyone lacked available time to dedicate more to the
task from the start but the group was created anyway, since our life
must really go on in total harmony. We must accomplish our duties
and do it well. In order to do that our group has the objective to
support everyone. It doesn’t absolutely mean imposition to anyone.
Everything that’s imposed is in essence a violation of free thinking
right. However, the need to tell right from wrong, goodness from
wickedness can be found in God’s Law. That’s what we search. Our will
is to contribute the better we can to humanity’s and to nature’s
progress, that is, contribute to God’s Law.
Dear reader, we are referring specially to you who, in your silent
reading or without showing your presence in any part of the world, feel
the need to evolve and understand the meaning of going always forward.
We know how much you would like to tell us what you think after reading
an interesting text or comment. We also know that you would have a lot
to contribute although that cannot happen at this moment. Never mind.
The improvement of you personal behavior is what we care for, no matter
if you are a Spiritist or not. The means we use to spiritually evolve
is not important. What’s important is the way we do.
How does the improvement of our life happen? This we have to learn with
much work.
We could think that improvement meant having better material
conditions, like more money, a better job or occupation, buying
something we wanted. Not simply that! It’s obvious that any improvement
in life3 is welcome. Some people don’t even need more material things,
since they have plenty. But they surely need much improvement! We are
talking of the moral support necessary to face storms, that support
that stimulates us and pushes us upwards on the quest for interior
peace, that offers us a hand when we need to stand up since we are
susceptible of falling down at any moment. A wall that is well built
over solid soil and using good material can last for long, provided
that necessary maintenance is done. However, if built on a soft and
inadequate soil , that same wall will quickly collapse unless it’s
rebuild with proper techniques considering the kind of soil
available. Everything depends on time. The wall is a conglomeration of
atoms and as such it will suffer slowly wearing by time due to nature’s
restrictive forces.
Our spiritual or psychological structure depends a lot on the
environment where we live. If we live in a proper environment we will
be strong and resistant. However, if we live in inadequate environment
with strong restrictive forces, we must be prepared with proper
spiritual maintenance in order to live well and turn out winners in our
work, with the help of the powerful forces of good, reducing our
sufferings on the quest for eternal happiness. This way we will drive
the progress and the balance of the universe.
Spiritism always supports us as our eternal consoler, since it’s well
founded as philosophy, religion and science, assuring a better future
to all those that want it, according to the merit of each one. We
need to benefit from this as soon as possible, making shorter the path
of unnecessary suffering.
We always thank GEAE’s spiritual mentors for the chance they put in our
hands and where we stand as mere tools. We are referring as “us” to you
also, dear reader.
Congratulations to all for being in search of truth and life. Let us go
forward for ever in search of love and never-ending peace.
Long life to GEAE!!
Raul Franzolin Neto
Pirassununga
– São Paulo - Brazil
*
In 1991 I had
decided to do my PhD studies abroad. A good friend of mine, who worked
for the same Company as I, had taken the same decision and he
stimulated me a lot. My wife also supported my decision and subscribed
to do her own PhD studies as well. After some research, we found out
that the University most appropriate for the studies we wanted to do
was UMASS - University of Massachusetts – and the second one, Case
Western Reserve University. We sent applications to both, although our
preference was the first one. My friend was successful, and left his
job to start his studies in September 1991. However, I didn’t succeed
in getting the approval form my company, and quitting was out of
question. I had the option get a leave and request a scholarship from
CNPQ, but the whole process would take longer than what was available
for starting the classes in September. We proceeded anyway, and CNPQ
granted the scholarship starting January 1992. Even though UMASS did
not accept new students in winter, CWRU did, and “destiny” sent us to
CWRU. Thus, in January 1992 we moved to Cleveland, USA where CWRU is
located.
I remember to
this day the anxiety I felt, knowing that I was leaving the work I used
to do at Centro Espírita João Batista (John the Baptist
Spiritst Center), in Rio de Janeiro. I was not a leader or a lecturer,
but it allowed me to learn a lot. I remember the talks I used to have
with D. Zely, who was then the president of the Center. Because I
wanted to carry on my spiritist studies, although there were no Centers
nearby, I carried with me the collection of the Spiritist Magazine,
which I hadn’t yet read. I remember that D. Zely used to say that
working opportunities would certainly appear and that I would possibly
be able to belong to some group.
After setting up
my family in a rented house, I mail ordered a computer, in order to do
some work at home. Soon after getting it running I got to know the
Cleveland Freenet, a local BBS, provided by the City of Cleveland and
CWRU. Even though my job was not related to computers, I became
interested in the subject and started to study the world of BBS and
e-mail. With the help of my friend who was living in Massachusetts I
found Bras-Net, an e-mail distribution list in Portuguese, gathering
Brazilians and friends all over the world. It was great to be able to
exchange letters with other Brazilians living in different countries,
read news about Brazil, jokes, the RUI (Radio Uirapuru de Itapipoca – a
funny weekly e-letter) and take part of several discussions. It was a
little of Brazil running through the wires…
One day I found
in my mailbox the e-letter from Raul Franzolim, inviting anyone
interested in exchange information about several subjects. I remember
the text did not make it clear that a spiritist was writing it. But,
after months, it was the closer thing to Spiritism that I found on the
net. I replied immediately and became a member of the GEAE group.
I used to wait
eagerly for the messages, and I remember to have participated early of
the discussions. Shortly after I and Raul found that we lived in the
same state and about two hours driving apart. It was one of those
coincidences”… We visited each other several times, and the friendship
got stronger with time. I believe that it would not happen, if I were
living in Massachusetts…
When Raul
returned to Brazil, after completing his Post-Doctoral work, he was
concerned about GEAE’s survival. I committed to giving part of my time
to organize and distribute GEAE’s newsletter every week until he could
get his feet back on the ground and return to his duties. But, when I
completed my PhD, in 1996, and had to return to Brazil myself we
decided to create the Editorial Board, organization that proved to be
reliable and is in effect until now.
In my opinion
the GEAE newsletter is a Spiritist Magazine of the Internet Age. The
participation of the subscribers is the spice that enriches the
discussions. It is a newsletter made by its subscribers who bring the
subjects and the themes for discussion. It is not the Editorial Board
that writes the newsletter, but you, the readers and subscribers that
do it.
And the most
important is the clear action of our spiritual friends guiding,
stimulating, taking our inspiration in the same tune, and bringing new
subjects in a non-stop work that helps to spread the word of the
Spirits Doctrine.
Now GEAE is
turning twelve. The humble proposal of a weekly e-mail page, born out
of necessity to exchange ideas and thoughts, grew a lot and reaches
places we could never imagine, even in our wildest dreams. But, better
than all, it touches people’s hearts and the souls of its readers,
bringing an always open communication channel, ready to healthy
discussions about the Spiritst Doctrine. In my opinion, a Doctrine that
can serve every aspect of our lives.
May God bless us
all!
José
Cid
Rio
de Janeiro - Brazil
*
Around 1994 I was working as a communication systems developer when I
made the initial contacts with the Web, which was starting to be
available to users outside the academic area. The technologies for
accessing the Web were limited, very far from the present resources.
However, they already allowed a relatively easy exchange of emails.
Texts were in pure ASCII - alphabetic characters without accentuation
symbols - and we had to improvise accentuation and use certain
artifices, as the use of "emoticons", to give some life to the texts.
It was a time when people still used "netiquette", a set of
consensual behavior rules, as avoiding sending unasked advertisements.
One day when I was reading the emails of a newsgroup - an ancestor of
the modern lists and interest groups - called BRASNET, I found a copy
of “Boletim do GEAE” number 1, which had been posted by
José Cid. José had been coordinating the group since Raul
Franzolin, who had created the group in 1992 while he was in the USA,
had returned to Brazil.
I subscribed to the group and for a certain time I only followed the
exchange of ideas. I was deeply impressed by the way José
conducted the discussions. He did so in such a way that GEAE seemed the
virtual equivalent of those friendly meetings that used to happen in
the universities in order to study deeper a difficult subject. We could
see clearly that the group that took part in the discussions was made
of serious people dedicated to learning. The ideas were presented and
discussed with replies and counter-replies always converging to a
broader understanding of the initial question, no one showing either
vanity or personal pride.
Feeling encouraged by the simple and brotherly environment, I decided
to send some comments on the history of spiritualism, a theme that has
always interested me a lot. Little by little, I started taking active
part in the discussions. Due to a certain incident - an email sent to
the group by a person willing to advertise political ideas – certain
changes had to be made in the way GEAE's work was done. So, José
started to use a distribution list, which was created and cared for by
Sergio Freitas. There was also a plan to create a FAQ so that the modus
operandi and the rules of the group could be explained to new members,
a task where I got involved more straightly.
In 1995 Sergio organized the first Website of GEAE and in that same
year FEESP (The Spiritist Federation of the State of São Paulo)
authorized us to upload The Spirits’ Book to the site and leave it
available for download. Transcribing it to digital format tool almost a
whole year. We scanned the book’s pages, had them read by the OCR
software and then checked the result for errors caused during the
process.
The team that took part in this work was the kernel of the Editorial
Board formed in 1996. José’s return to Brazil, after having
finished his studies in the USA, represented a big challenge to the
continuation of GEAE and so he and Raul decided to create this working
group with editing and moderating role. The Editorial Board made
possible a less personal and more independent exchange of ideas. Today
the Board is formed by Ademir Xavier, Alexandre Fonseca, Antonio Leite,
Edgar Crespo, José Cid, Raul Franzolin, Renato Costa, Yvonne
Limoges and me.
José and Raul invited and convinced me to be part of the
Editorial Board. I hesitated for a while because I didn’t see myself as
prepared for the task. I had no experience in editorial activity and my
activities within the Spiritist movement were very little. This
experience in GEAE turned out to me as an extraordinary school. I still
don’t consider myself either as an experienced editor or as a writer.
However I have been learning from my friends that have been taking part
in GEAE how to organize ideas and express them in an honest and
brotherly way. They also lead me to know Spiritism better mostly by
showing me where I was wrong and showing me different point of view.
Not to say of the studies I had to do in order to be able to reply to
the most difficult questions or to understand arguing that was beyond
my knowledge.
The most important of all is that GEAE kept growing little by little
all along those years, giving us the chance to meet people from a large
number of places, from several countries. Each of those people – who
form the study group in a proper sense – brought its personal view of
the world and our Doctrine. Those contacts were largely valuable.
We finally get to the commemorations of GEAE’s 12th anniversary and
start its 13th year of continuous publication. It’s important to
observe that this work – this experience of brotherly communication
through the Web, which justifies the adjective “advanced” in its name –
wouldn’t have been possible were it not for the sound base build by
Kardec. The drive for this search of a better understanding of the
world comes from how Kardec emphasized the need for studying and for
personal improvement. That’s the reason why Spiritists are always
struggling to study, carefully examining each idea before deciding to
accept or reject it.
The Spiritist Doctrine is the view that unites us all and makes
possible a biweekly edition. “Boletim do GEAE” number 481 was
distributed to 3.499 subscribers and The Spiritist Messenger number 54
to 651. The communication facilitators – our true role as Editorial
Council – would be useless if the extraordinary gathering link provided
by the Doctrine didn’t exist.
Congratulations GEAE !
Tank you very much, Kardec !
Happy Birthday, Kardec e Happy Anniversary to all the members of GEAE !
Carlos Alberto Iglesia Bernardo
São
Paulo – Brazil
*
Here's how I became engaged in the works of GEAE:
The history of Spiritism was always marked by communication events. The
flow of information that reached Earth in the last quarter of the XIX
century was a communication revolution never seen in mankind's history.
Spiritism was conceived as scientific doctrine entirely based on the
new teachings of the invisible world, teachings there were fully
consistent with the ethical and moral aspects of the Christian
philosophy, once devoid of the external aspects of conventional
religion.
A second revolution was to take place in the last quarter of the
following century, the XXth. 100 years after the organized invasion,
the advent of the Internet marked a new era for humankind. GEAE was
then the result of two revolutions both never seen in previous times.
I'm particularly proud of having lived at such times when calculating
machines found a new application as communication tools. In fact, my
interest in GEAE (that appeared in October 1992) was alive as soon as I
was fully plugged to the net in 1996. Based on principles of affinity I
was attracted to GEAE work soon after my first works as webmaster of
"Spiritism to the World", one of the first Spiritist sites in English
at the time. GEAE was then a mature group that electronically published
regular newsletters in Portuguese. These newsletters delivered news and
information to the Portuguese speaking community, notably formed by
Brazilian that lived both in Brazil and abroad, that were of practical
interest. The speed and format of the "electronic bulletins" were
greatly appraised and, until today, constitute the core work of the
group. However, everybody knew that the work in Portuguese was limited
because of language restrictions. The idea of GEAE-EN (an English
version of GEAE) was a natural one. To motivate a constant flow of
information in English similar to that in Portuguese, a version of the
GEAE bulletin was conceived. I took part of this work at the end of
1997 after an e-mail invitation of Carlos Alberto. The first GEAE-en
newsletter was launched in December 1997. Since then the number of
Spiritist friends (and groups) that receive and read the GEAE-En
bulletins increases yearly.
In a certain sense, the initial aim of GEAE-EN was somewhat bold. It
soon became clear that linguistic differences are far from being the
only obstacles in improving the flow of Spiritist related information
in the web. Cultural differences are also important. New members joined
GEAE-EN to further improve and maintain the group's work: Antonio Leite
(in NY/USA), Renato Costa (in Brazil) and Yvonne Limoges (in FL/USA).
Their participation affected fundamentaly the work of GEAE-EN, boosting
their activities in a way never seen before.
I would like to thank GEAE at its 12th birthday for the opportunity of
work. I believe that GEAE is an important tool of communication that
transcends the physical frontiers among countries and cultures.
Spiritism needs the cooperation of people for the worldwide knowledge
of its superior messages. Before internet, nobody was able to say how
this could be possible if not by the work of the Spirits. Today we know
that local news and spirit communications (brought by exceptional
mediums) may become worldwide available by the works of groups like
GEAE.
I'm proud of being one of its members.
Ademir Xavier Jr.
Campinas - São Paulo - Brazil
*
I consider my approach to GEAE as one of those salutary incidents that
happen in our lives, which most of time we tend to see as accidental.
It happened in the beginning of the 1995, when I was already living in
America for almost a year. One day I typed the word Spiritism in one of
the web browsers, and I was surprised to find the website of the group.
When I mention the word surprise is due to the fact that at the time
the WWW was yet in its very beginning and I was not expecting to find
any spiritist group with homepage on the Web.
My first impressions regarding the homepage were very positive and
immediately I started surfing through it. After reading the group's FAQ
I started reading the Portuguese newsletters, which at the time was
around issue number 150. I was impressed with the quality and the
voluminous material available there and even more with the simple,
fraternal and dynamic way that the many themes was discussed by the
members of the group, always having the Codification as the basis. My
first message was sent to them when the group's fourth anniversary
celebration was going on (newsletter 210), and I offered a small
contribution in the form of an article written by my friend Christiano
Torchi, titled Iniciação ao Conhecimento da Doutrina
Espírita. As I kept in touch with the group and collaborated
more actively, I was thereafter invited by Ademir Xavier to join the
Editorial Council, which happened in December 2000, and since then I
have been participating in the elaboration of the Portuguese
newsletters (newsletter 404).
It is unnecessary to stress how beneficial it has been to me to
participate in this fraternal study group and to be able to exchange
ideas about the Spirits' Doctrine. As we study this great doctrine more
carefully we are able to perceive our smallness and how we need help,
which we will seek in the fraternal intimacy of those who vibrate in
the same harmony and are moved by the same aim, the search for truth.
Throughout the last 12 years of existence GEAE has been a marvelous
stage for this searching, which is always conducted by the safe
guidelines of the Codification, being its members aware of the advice
of Allan Kardec:
"Let us add that the study of such a theory as that of Spiritism, which
introduces us at once to an order of ideas so novel and so grand, can
only be fruitfully pursued by persons of a serious turn of mind,
persevering, free from prejudice, and animated by a firm and sincere
determination to arrive at the truth."
Let us thank God and Kardec for this marvelous opportunity by working
for our own education and serving our brothers and sisters with
simplicity and humility. Let us act as true workers of God following
the recommendation of one of the most humble workers for the
spiritist's cause, Herminio Miranda:
"Workers of God we all aim to be and we will be every time that we
erase our name in the supreme glory of the anonymity in order that our
work be of God, Who makes the seed to sprout and the tree grow, and not
ours, who simply cast the seed on the ground. We are the carriers of
the message, not its creators, for neither men nor spirits create; they
simply discover that which the Father created."
May the good spiritual friends continuous to assist us.
Antonio Cunha Lacerda Leite
New York – USA
*
We were, and continue to be, very pleased and honored to have been
asked to become members of the GEAE board. We believe that the members
of the GEAE board work hard to present Spiritist thoughts, ideas, and
material which are progressive and open-minded, while keeping true to
the Doctrine. We felt that we had found fellow Spiritists who work hard
to maintain a fine balance between the three aspects of Spiritism:
scientific, philosophical, and religious/moral. This website provides
the analytic and scientific aspects Spiritism, but there is also
material which touches our hearts and souls... for Spiritism should
satisfy both our reason and be in harmony with our sentiments.
Edgar Crespo and Yvonne
Limoges
Spiritist Society of Florida – St.
Petersburg, Flórida – USA
*
My first interaction with GEAE happened in January 1998 when, after
some time visiting GEAE’s website, I visited the links page and saw
that a certain international book publisher and reseller’s URL was
being listed there among many others. Knowing that the aforementioned
company’s website published articles in favor of atheism and against
Christianity, I wrote to GEAE explaining the fact and suggesting that
the link was deleted. Sérgio Freitas, who had been the creator
of GEAE’s website, replied to my message thanking me for the
information, saying that the link would be deleted and explaining that
they had no way to check in detail every information they got from so
many parts of the world,
From then on I visited GEAE’s website once in a while reading articles
and downloading available works.
In June 2003 I was busy looking for Spiritist articles to populate the
Articles section of IEJA’s
website when I read a very good article written by Carlos Iglesia
who was available at Portal do Espírito. I immediately wrote to
him asking his permission to reproduce the article at IEJA’s website.
Ademir, who had been caring for the English section of GEAE’s website
and for editing The Spiritist Messenger, was very busy at the time and
lacking time for the work. So, after visiting IEJA’s website and seeing
that it had an English section, Carlos asked me if I could help with
GEAE’s website and bulletin in English. Feeling much happy and honored
by the invitation I promptly accepted the invitation.
Ever since I have been doing my best to be useful whereas undoubtedly
the good Spirits that care for GEAE have been doing much better helping
me. As the saying goes, for every good action we do God gives us twice
as much.
Renato Costa
Rio de Janeiro - Brasil
*
In 1995, I subscribed to the eletronic newsletter in Portuguese
(Boletim do GEAE). In 1996, I sent my first contribution to the
Editorial Board of GEAE. It was a comment on a text written by Raul
Franzolin Neto about evoution. My comment was published in the issue
196 of GEAE's newsletter and was followed by a
polite answer from Raul. It made me feel the seriousness of GEAE with
respect to Spiritism and that all contributions are dealed with
respect. I felt that I really belonged to a group (a friendly group)
and that I was not merely a distant spectator. That is why we always
ask the readers to send contributions in the form of comments,
questions and articles. The group is for all of us.
In 2001, I had the opportunity to exchange various e-mails with one of
the members of the Editorial Board, Antonio Leite, about something that
was published in the GEAE's newsletter.
In 2003, I made small contributions sending some articles and comments
about scientific topics related to Spiritism. All of them were
commented upon by Ademir Xavier (another member of the Editorial Board)
in a very fraternal and constructive way.
In October 2003, I had the opportunity to visit an University in New
Jersey, USA. I was received in USA by Antonio Leite and we became very
good friends. We talked a lot about Spiritism and the Spiritist
Movement in both USA and Brazil.
In March 2004, I was already in Brazil, when I received the invitation
to join the Editorial Board of the GEAE. I accept with a enormous
feeling of gratitude to the group and to God for the opportunity to be
useful, even though I know of my great limitations.
At this time, we are commemorating the bicentenary of Allan Kardec's
birth. We would like to share with all readers of the GEAE's newsletter
and visitors of the GEAE's website our profound feeling of gratitude to
God for Life, to Jesus for the alive example of Love and to Allan
Kardec for giving the last time of his life to work hard to show us
that it is God that we have to adore (in spirit and true) and it
is Jesus that we have to follow as our Guide. Also, Kardec let us the
certainty of the continuity of the life and that our path is towards
the progress.
The best form of honouring the Kardec's effort is making our effort in
the intimate reform and by the dissemination of the Spiritist Doctrine.
The Spiritist Doctrine is the one which deserves all the merit; it has
the power to make the Man better; It is Spiritism that instructs all of
us. We ... we are only the beneficiaries of the spiritist instructions;
we are the intermediaries of the spiritist instructions; we are
Spiritism's "arms", "legs", "mouths" and "fingers" (to write on the
computers) in such a way that it is the Spiritist Doctrine shines for
every internet user, each new visitor of the GEAE's website and every
one.
May Jesus strengthen and iluminate us now and ever.
Alexandre Fontes da Fonseca
Brotas – São Paulo - Brasil
Back to Content
SPIRIT SCIENCE
Spiritual and Moral Laws
9 - The Law
of Reincarnation
(The Spirits' Book – Second Book
Chapter II & Chapter IV and The Gospel According to Spiritism –
Chapter 5)
- The aim of
reincarnation is the progressive improvement of spirits (and with it
mankind).
- The
spirit, in purifying itself, undergoes a transformation, but in order
to effectuate this transformation, it needs the trial of material life.
In each new existence, the spirit takes a step forward in its
evolutionary progress and when it has stripped itself of all of its
impurities, it has no further need of the trials of material life. It
enters the state of happiness as a purified spirit.
- Reincarnation,
in keeping with the Supreme Justice of the Creator, is the only process
that can explain the apparent inequities of life. We suffer wherein we
have committed wrongdoing. Our freewill in this life determines our
future life and our present situation is the result of our past life.
We also cannot learn or experience everything we need to evolve to the
state of a purified spirit in only one lifetime.
- Reincarnation
explains why there are geniuses and prodigies. It also explains why all
the peoples of the earth are at different levels of intelligence and
morality.
- The
doctrine of Heaven and Hell goes against reason and the Perfect Justice
of the Supreme Intelligence. Why should those who were not that good go
to “Heaven”? How can the justice of a God be reconciled with a doctrine
that would condemn wrongdoers eternally to “Hell” without hope of
redemption? We forgive our own children, would not the Creator
Forgive us Infinitely and Give us the means to improve and redeem
ourselves no matter how long it took?
- Reincarnation
is one of Hope - for the doors of redemption are never closed and we
alone determine through our own conduct how many lifetimes we must
fulfill. The amount of personal responsibility involved in this
process is too much for many to accept or handle. Nevertheless,
reincarnation is a universal law. Other religious beliefs seem to
provide an easy pathway to God yet still do not answer the question,
“Why does a good person suffer?” Only reincarnation can answer this,
for we do not know what faults or crimes that “good person” may have
had or committed in a past lifetime for which now they may be atoning
for, by their own choosing, in order to spiritually and morally
progress.
- The
inequitable situations seemingly good people find themselves in exist
only in appearances as they are considered only from the perspective of
the present lifetime.
- If we
agree that the Creator is Infinitely Just, all suffering must have a
just cause. The Creator does not punish, we do it to ourselves through
the law of cause and effect.
- Suffering
can be from the immediate and obvious actions we have committed in this
lifetime.
- Suffering
can be from the effects of wrongdoing we have committed in past
lifetimes. It is this last type that confuses many because we see
people suffer seemingly for no reason (example: those with terrible
diseases, born with deformities, those with mental and emotional
disorders, those born in horribly poor or violent circumstances, etc.).
- It is only
through the plurality of existences that we can see the Supreme Justice
of the Creator and can explain the apparent inequities of the
distribution of happiness and unhappiness upon the earth.
- All
suffering does not necessarily mean a person has a certain fault or is
expiating a wrongdoing. Sometimes a spirit has requested a trial in
material life with a particular suffering for further purification of
its soul. They elected the trial for further moral and spiritual
advancement.
- In
addition, many spirits ask for difficult missions, small and/or great,
for which they will be properly compensated if they carry it out
successfully.
- In order
to obtain merit for any trials and tribulations we undergo and
progress, we must suffer them with calm resignation as much as
possible, praying to our spirit guides and the Creator for moral and
spiritual strength to support whatever we may be going through.
Otherwise, we will have to repeat the lesson all over again in another
lifetime.
- Those
spirits that keep repeating the same trials and are very stubborn and
continue to persist in wrongdoing can reincarnate in even worse
conditions then the lifetime they were previously in, in order to
correct their defects or expiate their wrongdoings.
- Material
life may be compared as somewhat similar to a school were we learn
lessons and past tests at each grade level. We never retrograde but we
can mark time in the same grade and repeat the same lesson over and
over until we finally get it right. Some spirits work faster at this
then others. We all have our freewill to do, or not to do, good or bad,
and can only blame ourselves for our actions or inactions.
10
- The Universal Control of the Spirits
(The
Gospel According to Spiritism – Introduction)
The
information contained in what we call the Spiritist Doctrine or
Spiritism was not the invention of any human being but teachings
communicated to humans by spirits from the spirit world. Although
humans who were mediums were used as instruments to transmit these
teachings, the same information was consistently transmitted through
different mediums unknown to each other and at different times and in
different places. What Allan Kardec did, using his scientific
reasoning, was compile the information that was logical, consistent,
and corroborated by more then one spirit communication, in order to
finally publish the books he did.
Spirits
have been communicating with mankind since its existence but more
intelligent spirit teachings and messages have now been allowed as
mankind has advanced in science and progressed to a certain level of
intelligence and morality and where superstition would have no place.
As
we evolve on this planet we will continue to receive spirit
communications teaching us many new things… but only when we are ready
to receive them.
The
guarantee that what they teach us, after first using our reason to
decide if the information makes sense, is if the same new idea or
teaching is spontaneously received by a large number of mediums who do
not know each other and are located in different places.
The
spirit world has worked (and continues to do so) in unison under a
Divine Plan according to the law of progress to help propel mankind to
evolve to higher levels of understanding regarding its true nature and
purpose on this planet and in the universe.
Next
Chapters: 11 & 12
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MEMOIRS
OF FATHER
GERMAIN
Spirit
Communication received through a medium from the Spiritist
Center La Buena Nueva,
of the former town of Gracia, Spain.
Copied and annotated by AMALIA DOMINGO SOLER
Translated from the
original Spanish by Edgar Crespo
Edited by Yvonne
Crespo Limoges
The Spiritist
Society of Florida, St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.A.
First Electronic
Edition by GEAE (2002)
Chapter 5
The Spirng of Health
The past always
appears better! As a general rule, lost yesterdays make
our
hearts mysteriously laugh, although misery had oppressed and
tortured
us; there seems to be a secret happiness in remembering the confused
hours,
in the shadows of the past.
Why is this, dear
God? Ah, it's easy to guess, because the less years
we must
account for, the less responsibilities we will have had. That's why
looking
back at our time in the past, it appears better to us, because for each
hour
which transpired, wherein we may have committed a transgression or we
initiated
a crime, or, we lamented an abuse or deplored a punishable lie, it
seems
very true, the person who said; “a long life, much to account for.”
Dear Lord, my
journal has been very long and I have seen so much...! I
have
sounded the depths of the human heart, and looked attentively on the
flight
of human intelligence, and if I had been around the world one hundred
times,
I would not have been able to see, such a variety of ideas and such
confused
feelings, as I've seen in the many years that I've passed, in this
corner
of my beloved village!
What eagerness men
have, to appear that they've been good! Therefore,
they do not sin through ignorance! They know right from wrong, they
know what evil
is, and what it is, to be evil. It’s like Adam when he tried to hide
from
God, after having sinned, embarrassed in his nakedness. It is the same
with
men who want to hide the nudity of their vices, with a cloak of
hypocritical
virtues, and there is nothing that does this better, in this deception
of
souls, than the traditional religions.
Religion is
supposed to admit only the Truth, but religions are only a cloak that
cover humanity’s misery; and I have accepted the fulfillment of being a
priest, with the firm
resolve of being a martyr, if necessary, but not a sinner. That's to
say,
we all sin, but there are improprieties which are premeditated, and
faults
that correspond to our moral and physical weaknesses. The obligation of
man
is to sin the least possible, being that absolute perfection is only
possessed
by God.
Much strength is
needed in this world, to be tolerant with those who
are hypocrites,
because they make one a target of much hate; it being that they
recognize
my rectitude, and know that I do not condemn, because I remember what
Jesus
did with that sinful woman. It's known that He made concessions for
sinners,
but never with sin itself. I will pull to my arms, any who
genuinely
tells me, “Father, I am miserable and a sinner...!” But, I will
reject,
abominate, and cast out from my presence, anyone who comes acclaiming
their
love of God and detachment from material things, when I see them
enjoined
together with human vanities, like an oyster in its shell.
Why, then, do
they pursue
me, which places me in the position of uncovering their mask, and
telling
them face-to-face that which most offends man, which is to cite their
defects?
Dear God, have mercy on me, remember that I am weak.. I have feelings,
I
have loved, and I have struggled with myself, all of my life. Why
then,
do they demand virtues that I do not possess? Why is it that they
want
me to take part in another’s problems, when I am overwhelmed by the
weight
of my own?
Dear God, every day
that passes I am more convinced that I must have
lived before, and will live tomorrow, so that I will be able to realize
the dreams in my mind. I know that my strength is now spent, and I have
need to rest in a new existence. But in that new life, all will be
forgotten, except the
companion of my soul [the girl he loved], because without the love we
have
for one another, I could not comprehend the purpose of life.
Dear God, oh how
I wish
to finish my journal.... so full of oppositions, having to struggle
openly,
creating powerful enemies. Yes, I want to live in a little corner of
the
earth, with my hut surrounded with palm trees. I want to love a woman
with
pale cheeks and black curls. I want to embrace to my heart, beautiful
children,
who would call me father!
I want to bless God
when the birds salute Him! I want to go into
meditative ecstacy, when the sun caresses the earth. Finally, I wish to
recover my strength,
I want to acquire life! I want my spirit to smile! I wish that
for
a time, no one will come to me with the laments of men! I wish to
ignore
the history of mankind! Do not call me egotistical, dear God, because I
carry
many years of struggle. The career of a priest is one of the most
painful,
if he wants to fulfill his obligations. There's so much expected
from
a priest!
Without a doubt, I
accepted being a priest as an expiation because,
upon seeing
so many infamies, so many secret crimes, my being is shaken. And I find
myself
so insignificant, when I have to keep within me, so many abuses. When I
want
to criticize someone, my superiors threaten me, and tell me that, ‘the
end,
justifies the means.’ Then, oh how I suffer, God! I do not believe in
good
endings without there being just means, and I tell their eminences,
“Sirs,
one either believes in God, or one does not. If we recognize a Supreme
Intelligence,
if we consider a gaze that's Infinite, which is fixed on us constantly
from
within Creation, then we should understand that, for those Eyes that
are
Eternal, there is no way we can deny what we feel. Therefore, false
devotion
serves nothing. What worth is it, if men accept something, that has no
value
to God? Are religions special conveniences for creating privileges in
the
world? No, religions should serve to bring men closer to God, because
religions
are the reins that restrain our runaway passions, and, if we are not
able
to intimately better ourselves, then we are as the atheist who believes
in
nothing, like one who builds a place of worship to cover a crime.
God, I confess, I
lack the strength to struggle with men,....... so
please take from me, my love of truth, so that I will be able to
tolerate their
hypocrisy. Or, give me more strength to be able, in those moments of
supreme
need, to overcome these struggles, so that my poor body can conserve
its
strength for when it’s needed, so that I will not be overcome, and will
still
have strength for my spirit. Right now I feel defeated, I've supported
many
cruel days, and when I am in contact with the world, I feel profoundly
wretched.
Oh humanity, how you poison everything!
Who would have told
me that a tranquil spring of water (which the
villagers called ‘The Spring of Health’) would give cause to me of such
annoyance, bitter
disappointments, and, at the same time help accomplish good deeds. I
have
saved a rose surrounded by spiny thorns!
Beloved manuscript,
when I leave this earth, God only knows where you
will end up. But whomsoever your new owner is, I wish that he will
learn from these
confessions of my soul, and he will reflect that if one goes astray in
life,
this leads us towards reckless and immoral passions. He should
also
see the hypocrisy and deceit which have almost always been the motives
behind
religious institutions.
At the foot of a
mountain, between two boulders, there springs forth an
abundance
of crystal clear water, that quenches the thirst of the children of my
parish.
In those happy afternoons, where I did not know the miseries of the
world,
I enjoyed sitting near this rustic spring where I contemplated my
youthful
family who ran joyfully about. Upon finishing the frugal snack they had
brought,
they would drink happily from that nectar of Nature, so necessary for
life.
One day, upon seeing so
many
happy faces, with their sparkling eyes and mouths full of the water,
which
they had drank with so much enthusiasm, I said to them, “Drink, drink,
my
children, this is a ‘Spring of Health!’
And, from then
on, the
inhabitants of my village called this humble spring, ‘The Spring of
Health’!
In truth, the water
was beneficial for the health of the innocent
children, who joyfully followed me so that I'd let them play with
Sultan and tell them
ghost stories. For pure souls all water is good! Furthermore, when I
first
came to this village, I had noticed that lack of care in the
cleanliness
of the little ones, so I slowly started to instill in them that to be a
good
Christian, it was a duty to be clean. So that they would more fully
obey
me, I told the children, “If every day you wash your eyes twice, in the
‘Spring
of Health,’ your eyes will never go bad..”
Those innocent
ones, who loved me very much, religiously fulfilled the mandate of this
priest, believing that the water had a miraculous quality to it, but
this quality only consisted in the cleanliness of the children and
their mothers, in a
habit that was gradually acquired. This was how ‘The Spring of Health’
originated.
Things almost always start from simple beginnings, and since there was
no
harm in it, I let them believe that the spring had some special quality
which
preserved their eyesight, provided that my faithful parishioners
continued
the good habit of personal hygiene.
One day, one of my
superiors came to me, and he suggested that it would
be
convenient to see if possibly one could build, a small chapel next to
‘The
Spring of Health,’ because when the women came to collect water, they
could
pray, as it was necessary for sinners to find small temples everywhere,
in
order to repent their sins. Meanwhile, the water could then become the
property
of the chapel, a small fee could be charged for it, so as to be able to
build
a new hermitage.
Looking at my
superior with a fixed stare, I coldly told him, “I
understand full well your good intentions but.....excuse me, I am not
in agreement with
them. There is no need for more temples, we have more than enough
already.
And putting a price on that water, we can’t do it, as that water
does
not have any special qualities, which chemically I have examined, and
it
has no special substances.”
“But they call it
the ‘Spring of Health’,” he said.
“I gave it that
name, so as to give more incentive to the parishioners in maintaining
the habit of good personal hygiene. I did it for their own benefit.
Cleanliness is health,
and I wanted to give these poor beings what is most necessary, their
health.
They have had excellent health, and wisdom tells us that cleanliness
invigorates
and strengthens the body. Raise your chapel wherever you wish (which I
believe
is unnecessary anyway), but leave this ‘Spring of Health’ alone. I do
not
want financial speculations under the shadow of religion.”
“You are a
terrible priest,” said my superior,“You do not know how to awaken
religious faith.”
“Never... in the
manner in which you wish to awaken it! I exclaimed.
“If God
is the Truth, then only the truth should be offered!”
“You may have to
let it
be,” he said, “Because a very rich family was attracted by this ‘Spring
of Health’ and will soon be coming here. The first born of this noble
family is very sick and her mother, a very devout woman, hopes her
daughter will be cured here. And, she's made a promise that if her
daughter recovers her health, she will pay to build a new chapel next
to the blessed spring. So, I repeat, do not become an obstacle in the
building of a new house of prayer.”
I was about to
reply, but it seems I heard a voice say, “Be quiet and wait!”
So I said
nothing. My
superior, thinking he had convinced me with his reasoning,
departed with much more fondness towards me than was his custom.
A few days later,
the wealthy family he told me about, arrived in the parish. That's to
say only part of them, because only the mother and her eldest daughter
came, with some
servants who after seeing to their needs left for the city, leaving
only
an elderly manservant and the girl’s nurse behind. I immediately went
to
pay my respects because that is what I had been ordered to do. Even if
I
had not been ordered, I would have gone because I had a feeling this
family
brought with them a mystery. Even though I would wish to flee from
people
when I have a presentiment that a crime is going to be committed, I
conquer
my feelings and do whatever is possible to prevent it, because I
believe
that my only obligation is: to prevent evil and practice goodness.
Indeed, as soon as
I saw them, I knew that my feelings had not been
mistaken. The mother was a woman with a good heart, very God-fearing,
but conceited by her noble ancestry. She would have let herself die,
one hundred times before
admitting into her family a commoner. The daughter was just as proud as
her
mother. She was superstitious, and, absolutely dominated by religious
fanaticism
and by the pride of her noble birth. One could tell that she was sick
by
her
pale looks, and her face
had
the expression of a person with a grave illness; one noticed everything
bothered
her, starting even with herself.
For the first
time in
my life I was diplomatic, and let them talk. They said, that they had
come
with plans to pay for a new chapel near the ‘Fountain of Health’. But,
the
young woman who was named Clarisa, first had to be cured by its water,
which
they felt she would be. I looked at them and asked for the strength of
will
to keep myself silent. I understood that Clarisa was sick, but her
sickness
had a remedy. I tried to study that woman’s character, noting that she
had
a heart made of marble, and because of excessive pride, she had a
vicious
intellect. She had formed an idea of God, so absurd and so
inadmissible,
that one could not remain calm listening to her, due to her disdainful
reasoning.
Every day she went
to ‘The Spring of Health’ to drink the water, but
her paleness
got worse, her impatience grew, and her character became embittered. I
tried
to take charge of that soul which was so rebellious, by being sweet to
her,
but I soon learned that her spirit would only be made to obey through
religious
terror. Therefore, I became a strict priest, being very severe with her
and
continuously mentioning the word ‘Hell’ (which is something that I
could
never believe in).
Her mother, on
the other
hand, had better qualities, with a character which was sweeter. She
became
more friendly with me, until after a time she confessed the following,
“Father,
I have a weight on my conscience which oppresses me, it's something
that
I have resisted telling my husband. But, I did tell my confessor, and
he
approved of my plan. Now lately, since I have heard you speak, I do not
know
what is happening to me. I feel confused and bewildered. I lose myself
in
the thousands of ideas going around my head, and the situation is so
grave,
that I need a person with strong willpower, to help me come out of this
dilemma.”
“For some time,
I've known that you suffer,” I said.
“Oh Father, oh,
so much!
My daughter Clarisa, disgracefully, is going to become a mother in the
worst
way imaginable. It's enough for you to know that the child she carries
is
from an incestuous love. She and her brother (an illegitimate son of my
husband’s),
an unhappy bastard, have been victims of satanic temptation. The honor
of
the family above all, is at stake. I discovered this horrible madness
but,
it was too late to remedy the damage done. We have been forced to use
violent
and extreme methods to try and abort this being, so horribly conceived,
but
all has been in vain. We came here to try new remedies, but it has been
useless.
Therefore Father, I come to you for help at this critical moment.”
“How can I help
you, madam? Speak, as I am at your service.”
“Thank you,
Father, I expected no less from you, and I'm ready to pay you for your
services. When
the child of that crime...when the fruit of that incestuous passion,
comes
into the world, it will be necessary to drown its cries,” she said. She
continued,
saying, “In order to make amends to God, the Eternal, we will build, in
the
place which will serve as the forgotten one’s grave, a chapel which
will
take the name of that nearby spring. It will be called, ‘The Chapel of
Health’!
Then my daughter, rid of that sinful burden, will get better, and it
will
seem that she was cured by the waters from that blessed spring. The new
sanctuary
will be renowned, and with the
founding of this great
work, the Church of God will be aggrandized. Although, the means
through which this
will happen, is not as commendable as I would like, the end result
could
not be better; the honor of a noble family will remain without blemish,
and,
by the building of this chapel, which in time will be famous, the
faithful
will come to implore the mercy of God.”
“And that, is
what you
will have need of, madam, the mercy of God, the Eternal, so that He
will
pardon you for infanticide,” I said.
“An infanticide,
Father?...”
“There is no
other name
for the assassination of a child. You wish to build a chapel over a
tomb!
You want the blood of an innocent being, to serve as mortar to unite
the
rocks of a new church, to cover a crime! Do you think, poor sinner,
that
this house of prayer will be pleasing to the Divine Jehovah? Do not
blaspheme
anymore, madam, because woe unto to those who do. Do you think that
those
who have committed incest will be less guilty, so that after they
commit
a murder, they can place the first rocks to build a cathedral? No,
madam,
God does not want more temples, because He has formed them in
multiples,
in the conscience of each man,”I replied.
“Then how will we
disarm His anger?” she asked.
“Do you believe
that God gets angry like a weak mortal? Do you believe that the
sad stories of this planet can reach His Sublime Throne? When has dark
mud tarnished a
rainbow?”
“What can I do,
then, to perform something meritorious? I confess, Father, I'm afraid.”
“What to do?
Listen to me, and woe unto you if you do not obey me! Your obligation
is to secretly look for someone to take custody and care of that poor
child, who is coming into this world, who I know, has a purpose in
life. If you wish, I'll take care of everything. In addition, the
amount that you were about to spend in
building the new chapel, employ it more appropriately by leaving an
inheritance
for that poor orphan, whose misfortune was to be born without receiving
a
kiss from his mother, and, since family pride and fatality deprives it
of
the bread of the soul, do not take away from it the bread of the body,
because
your blood runs through it’s veins,” I said.
“Oh, Father, what
you propose is too compromising, and dead men don’t talk!”
“Don’t talk? What
are you saying? A dead person talks more than a whole
generation!
Do you know what it is, to be persecuted by the ghost of a victim? I
know,
but not from my own experience (thank God), many criminals have told me
their
misfortunes. I know that remorse is the carrier of torment, and it
crushes
men. I, in the name of God, and because of my love for my fellow
man,
positively prohibit you from carrying out this cynical plan. Let me
have
my way. I will find a family in a nearby town who will take care
of
that child, born out of insanity, you will then be fulfilling the law
of
God. Do this, or otherwise, you will see a priest become a
relentless judge,” I told her.
I do not know
what transformation
comes over me, when I prevent someone from committing a catastrophe,
but
I feel myself grow. I'm no longer the timid pastor of souls who flees
from
danger, but a severe judge who would make a declaration to any of
earth's
sovereigns. I am not dazzled by the brilliance of their crowns, I feel
so
strong. I feel vested with such a special power, that if they did not
obey
my mandates, I would not respect the laws of society, and I would let
the
whole world know the truth, before consenting to a felony. I
exercise,
in those brief instants, such a power of subjugation upon those around
me
that, they obey me, either through moral ascendancy, or through force
of
will. When I see that the life of an innocent is in danger, I will use
all
means to save it.
It took me a month,
to find a family who would take the child. I
assured them
that they would receive a substantial sum for his care, so that he
would
have a good future. Till the moment that Clarisa gave birth to that
child,
I was her shadow, preaching for her to have love for her fellow man.
That
young woman listened to me with a sort of profound amazement, and it
appeared
that her sentiments were becoming humanized. But, I did not have peace
of
mind until, I saw for myself that child, in the arms of it’s wet nurse,
sleeping
sweetly. It was a boy. Poor creature, you would have been condemned to
die,
before being born! I've saved you from certain death. I wonder what
your
mission here on earth will be? Only God knows!
When Clarisa was
leaving to return to the king’s court, she came and
shook my hand warmly saying, “Father, thank you. I came to you
desperate, and thanks
to you, I leave peacefully. Watch over him, Father. When he can pray,
teach
him to pray for his mother.”
Upon hearing these
words, and knowing that I had been able to cut from
her
heart, the icy coldness it had, I felt an immense and pure
satisfaction, a
feeling so great that in that moment, it repaid me for all the
bitterness I had been feeling. By the remembering of this good deed, I
will acquire the
strength to resist the abuse that awaits me. I know that my superiors
will
call on me, and question me, asking for a long explanation as to why
the
chapel will not be built by the ‘Spring of Health.’
I suffered much,
my superiors cast grave charges upon me, but.... my conscience is at
peace. God,
I have saved an innocent child from a certain death and have assured
his
future well?being. Also, I did not take part in a holy fraud by
converting natural water, into something miraculous, and evaded
committing a lie. In
addition, I prevented two souls from committing infanticide. Is this
not
better? Is this not more just, than building a chapel over the
tomb
of an innocent being? Who knows what that child might become some day!
Dear God, I feel
I have
strictly fulfilled my duty and I am calm, but at the same time, these
unjust
recriminations have fatigued me. They have taken the air out of my
life,
to the point where, I have found no place left to breathe.
Many call me a
heretic, and a false minister of God. Dear Lord, give me the will power
to remain
silent, because I cannot reveal the secrets of the confessional. I love
You
very much, God! I believe, we should worship You by a doctrine of
good
deeds. It is not good to commit fraud in Your name. If in You, all is
Truth,
we should not worship You with hypocrisy.
Next chapter: 6
Back to Content
Learning from Joanna
de Ângelis:
Joanna of Chuza, a Disciple from the Very Beginning
Renato Costa
This
article was originally published by Casa Editora O Clarim in Revista Internacional de
Espiritismo, Year LXXIX, num. 06, July 2004
Evolution
and Apprenticeship
According to the teachings of our Doctrine, we know that a Spirit must
evolve in wisdom and goodness from its initial state, when it’s created
simple and ignorant, until it reaches its final aim, that is, the
perfection of Pure Spirits.
Basically, Spirits may evolve in two ways. One of them, when a more
advanced Spirit teaches them something it knows and they humbly accept
the received teachings and from that moment on it starts acting in
accordance to the learned lesson. Faster and easier, this is the only
way that enlightened Spirits need in order to learn, although it is
mostly inadequate for ignorant Spirits. These latter, still living in
their spiritual childhood, never trust the experience of others, but
they always choose to experience again the events that others described
as already lived by them.
It happens however that the more evolved a Spirit gets, the more
patient and indulgent it becomes. So, although it knows our weakness,
it doesn’t leave us victims of our primitive choosing criteria. Instead
of that, it keeps teaching us always, with its words and life
experiences, confident that we will wake up one day from our spiritual
lethargy and realize that God’s laws apply to all with no exception,
thus accepting from that moment on received teachings and reported life
experiences from more advanced Spirits as if they were our own
experiences and learned lessons.
After having reached the status of good disciples, learning stages will
be easier, leaving more time available for doing good deeds, repairing
our wrongdoings and enlarging our minds towards what’s pure, beautiful
and sacred.
Bearing in mind what we have considered up to now, let us listen, as
good disciples, to the descrption of a few lives of our wise and loving
Joanna de Ângelis, trying to obtain from those accounts the
profound teachings they contain, so that we can try to use them in our
behavior from now on. In this article we’ll talk about Joanna of Chuza,
a disciple of Jesus from the very beginning.
Joanna
of Chuza
What we know nowadays about Joanna de Chuza is partly contained in the
Gospel according to Luke and mostly written by Spirit Humberto de
Campos in the book “Boa Nova” (Good News), through the mediumship of
our beloved medium Chico Xavier.
Joanna was the wife
of Chuza, the steward of Herod Antipas, king of the Jews from 4 BC to
39 BC. After having received a grace or a healing from the Master and
having known his teachings by listening discreetly to his preaching,
she tried to follow him. Shebeing advised by Jesus not to do so but to
stay at home and, through her words and behavior, help the evolution of
the husband who had been trusted to her in that life.
When her son was born, she dedicated her body and her soul to his
upbringing and moral education, with the same zeal and love she had for
her husband. Following Jesus from a distance, as much as her occupation
as zealous mother and dedicated wife would allow, she was one of the
women who provided financial help to Jesus and his disciples.
After the martyrdom of Jesus, Joanna joined other women and went to the
tomb, taking spices and ointments so that they could wrap up the dead
body of the Master. Arriving there, they found the tomb empty, thus
being able to testify the survival of the Spirit after the death of the
body, as Jesus had taught them.
After the death of her husband, she had to work for other families in
order to raise her son, something she did with dignity until she was
old.
During one of the many persecutions suffered by the early Christians,
Joanna was imprisoned with her son and other followers of Jesus being
all taken to the circus in Rome. There on August 27, year 68, she was
sacrificed by being burnt on a pyre stake together with her son and
several other martyrs who refused to renounce their faith.
Humberto de Campos’s account of the last moments of Joanna contains
additional information that interests us in a particular way. Humberto
de Campos tells us that when the flames had already started to touch
Joanna’s body and while she serenely lived those painful moments with
her mind focused on Jesus, she was interpellated by an executioner, who
asked her:
- Has your Christ only taught you how to die?
to what she placidly replied:
- Not only how to die, but also how to love you! ...
Under the tremendous emotional and mental dilemma of having to choose
between keeping faithful to Jesus or betraying him in order to save her
life and that of her son, she found strength to give victory to her
mind and submit her emotions. And, on the supreme moment she
proved to have learned in the deepest of herself how to love even her
executioners.
How much did Joanna de Chuza learn close to her beloved Master!
*
Let us ponder now. What lessons does our modest evolution stage allow
us to extract from the final moments of Joanna of Chuza? Will it be the
case that her example will only serve us when we are able to die for
Jesus? I don’t think so.
We must never be afraid of supporting the teachings of our Master and
friend. We must not be coward failing to act to repair injustice when
it’s present, if we are able to face it with the light of our acquired
knowledge. No matter how unfavorable circumstances may be we must never
leave the teachings of Jesus, remaining patient, gentle and dedicated
to all the people around us, no matter if they treat us well, bad or if
we are indifferent to them. Let us develop our senses so that we may
learn how to love those that offend us or hurt us, seeing in them
brothers and sisters who are behind us in the evolution path and who
for that very reason deserve our help and understanding.
Let us practice that sublime attitude of Joanna of Chuza on a small
scale from now on. If we are still unable to love our enemies, let us
start learning how not to hate them. If we are still unable to use the
knowledge that we acquired in order to take light to where darkness
prevails, let us at least learn how not to increase existing darkness
with our confused feelings, dominating our emotions and educating our
mind to what is good.
Jesus doesn’t expect radical changes in us, knowing as he knows our
imperfections and weakness. More evolved Spirits follow Jesus more
closely so that we can more easily see the aim we have to achieve.
However, as the old saying tells us, a road of a thousand miles always
starts with the first step. Let us so be determinate and take our first
step. Keeping our eyes focused on the aim, we will surely get there one
day.
*
Will the lessons from Joanna’s last minutes of life be the only ones we
can learn? I am sure they aren’t. Such an elevated life is a source of
perceivable lessons that an article like this one is too much short to
comment, let alone the many that we fail to notice due to our shortage
o understanding. From those that are clear to us, I would like to
comment a very important lesson that may have passed unnoticed.
On a Saturday afternoon I was preparing the study that originated this
article and inspiration refused to come. I had written the introduction
on a weekday late in the evening after the kids had already gone to
bed. It had come free from the mind to the computer’s keyboard,
straight, with no doubts, no hesitation. Why was the text that
afternoon so difficult to write? I wrote, erased, and wrote again, the
work wouldn’t go. Why? Then an idea came to my mind: ”Shouldn’t you be
playing with he kids?” And so I stopped my work and went to play
with the kids, staying with them till late until they went to bed. When
I went to a nearby market to buy some refreshers for them to drink a
new idea came to my mind: “How do you want to teach to others something
you haven’t already learned?”
That’s it, dear brothers and sisters, the other lesson from the life of
Joanna de Chuza that I am glad to comment is the teaching she received
from Jesus. When she wanted to follow him the Master told her not to do
so but to remain close to her husband and become for him an example of
Christian life, thus fulfilling the mission that had been entrusted to
her.
The main mission of those who constitute a family is close to it,
serving with words and behavior as a model of what being a Christian
means. Those who place the activities they believe to be
Christian or, in our case, Spiritist, before their family duties,
duties that are always assumed in the spiritual plane, are wrong if
they think that such is God’s will. No. That was not what Jesus taught
Joanna of Chuza and the account of her life allows us to learn.
The Spiritist worker must be absolutely serious concerning his assumed
duties in the Spiritist Center, in his job and at home, never failing
to be present and active in any of them for a frivolous or foolish
reason. However, the worker must never ignore a real family need using
the argument that a duty at the Spiritist Center or at his job demands
his presence. If children of Spiritst workers don’t follow Spiritism,
if children of hard working men and women take wrong paths in their
life, aren’t those signs that the commented lesson from Joanna de
Chuza’s life still has to be learned?
Bibliography
• Costa, Renato. Aprendendo com Joanna de
Ângelis (Learning from Joanna de Ângelis). Study
presented at Joanna de Ângelis Spiritist Institution, on December
11, 2003.
• Santos, Celeste e Franco, Divaldo P. A Veneranda
Joanna de Ângelis (Venerable Joanna de Ângelis). LEAL.
Salvador, 1998.
• Xavier, Francisco Cândido. Boa Nova (Good
News). Dictated by Spirit Humberto de Campos. FEB. Rio de Janeiro, 2002.
• Bíblia Sagrada (The Holy Bible). Translated
from the originals by the Monks of Mardesous. Ave Maria, 1997.
• Expoentes da Codificação
Espírita (Exponents of Spiritist Codification).
Federação Espírita do Paraná. Curitiba,
2002.
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