Maria do Carmo Sepulveda
Rio da Janeiro, Brazil
The lessons that Jesus bequeathed to humanity remain alive, and those who seek guidelines for their moral improvement find in them a safe path, a guide to face the difficult situations on a daily basis.
In the book “A Caminho da Luz” (On the way to Light), by the benefactor Emmanuel through the psychography of Francisco Cândido Xavier, there is a testimony of paramount importance for Christians of all times: “If the Good News has not spread in the course of time, it is because the so-called missionaries of Christ did not know how to cultivate the flower of life and truth, love and hope that their examples implanted in the world, smothering it under a false religiosity.”
In this sense, we remember: those who embrace Christianity and believe that Our Lord Jesus Christ came to our Planet to sow the Kingdom of God in the heart of man, must pay attention to the daily practice of cultivating the teachings that the Divine Gardener exemplified.
His first lessons were addressed to the group of disciples who, invited to collaborate in the dissemination of the Good News, they dedicated themselves, imbued with renunciation and without measuring efforts, to the sublime task for which they were called. Today, we are the disseminators of the Master’s messages, and we must, therefore, watch over the Gospel – that magnificent treasure of virtues that ennobles our spirits.
In Tolstoy’s short story O dream of Startsi, through the psychography of Yvonne do Amaral Pereira, there is an exciting statement about the coming of Jesus to our Planet to experience the values that leverage man’s spiritual progress. When the virtues that accompany Christ come here to meet the inhabitants of the Earth, still far away, they catch sight of it and are dazzled by the exuberant beauty of nature that characterizes it and conclude that man – to be awarded by the Creator with such a special place to live – must be very evolved to deserve such a great privilege. They decide to accompany him to confirm their assumptions, however, they return, crying with disappointment and sadness. They turn to Jesus, reporting the imperfections of those who live in the place that will receive his luminous presence.
The Master consoles and clarifies them, explaining that the purpose of his coming to the Planet was, precisely, to teach love, humbleness, hope, gratitude, faith, patience, forgiveness, loyalty, work, meekness and all the other virtues, which would be exemplified by Him in his daily actions as lessons capable of transforming those hearts still inexperienced before existence.
This is how the truth that sets humanity free is stamped with vibrant colors: the Gospel of Jesus consists of a fragrant flowers bouquet that beautifies the spirits. These rare flowers are the virtues taught by the Divine Master for over two thousand years and must be cultivated from an early age, with the help of the parents, in fact, of the whole family, and, simultaneously, of the Spiritist teachers who represent today the disciples in charge of spreading the message of eternal life lived by our sweet Nazarene.
Therefore, the Children and Youth Spiritist Education occupies a very special place in the Spiritist Centers.
The messages of spirituality about the importance of the Gospel today continue to reach the Earth, and our Infinite Brother presented us with the messages gathered in the book “O jardim do Senhor” (The Lord’s Garden).
So let’s go through some of its pages, highlighting the transformative power of its lessons that can contribute, in spaces dedicated to the children’s Spiritist education, to sow the values that are so essential to the character shaping of those who are now starting their evolutionary journey.
In the message “O mandamento do amor” (The commandment of love), we highlight the scope of virtue that unfolds in multiple petals, which rose of unique beauty: “Love was born of Jesus, in the form of forgiveness, when he exhorted Peter: ‘Up to seventy times seven”. […] Love glowed in a healing way, when the Master exclaimed: ‘Rise up and walk’. […] Love was concretized in the form of comfort, when He said: ‘I will not leave you as orphans’. […] Love expressed itself in the form of humbleness when he washed the feet of his disciples.”
How many lessons to be cultivated, seeking the context of these speeches to reproduce the stories reported in the Gospel!
“Caminhos do perdão” (Paths of forgiveness) underlines the strength of this liberating flower that is capable of making those who receive it reborn and reinvigorate those who offer it. Through forgiveness, souls are renewed to live the lightness of joy, walking without the burden of sorrow and remorse: “The forgiveness of offenses, the mistakes of others and the mistakes themselves, was placed by the Nazarene Master as an essential principle to the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the heart of man. […] Learning the message of forgiveness and living it each day is one of the goals of disciples of Christ. […] Dark, stony, thorny paths will become lighted paths, flanked by beds of evergreen joys, in which crystalline streams murmur songs to the Creator, when souls, redeemed of their grudges, light up with the sun of forgiveness.”
In the text “Em tudo dai graças” (In everything give thanks), the Infinite Brother takes up Paul’s warning, the great disseminator of the teachings of Jesus, highlighting the good provided by the exercise of gratitude, affirming: “In everything give thanks must be a safe motto for the Master’s followers every morning, when the sunlight touches our bodies and illuminates the dark paths, warming the frozen hearts by the insecurity and fears that reach us, in this panorama in which we live moments of fear and hopelessness […] Let us give thanks for all the gifts that come to us, for, according to the apostle, ‘All things work together for good to those who love God’”.
In the Spiritist education of children and young people, many activities should be carried out on the importance of work, a virtue that lifts the spirit and forges character.
“Entre flores e espinhos” (Among flowers and thorns) ratifies these concepts: “If you walk today on the brink of the abyss of pride and selfishness, seek to cling to the redeeming bushes of work and humility that the friendly branches extend to you.”
There are countless divine lessons that come to us to renew and strengthen our hearts, when we walk step by step “O Jardim do Senhor” (The Lord’s Garden), seeking to sip the perfume and enjoy the beauty of the rare flowers planted on our Planet by our sweet Rabbi of Galilee.
May we, as faithful administrators, multiply our talents to watch over them, safeguarding them in all their purity, so that they grow lush in the Creator’s seedbeds.
Maria do Carmo Sepúlveda as a Portuguese language teacher, she dedicated herself to the study of literature, with an emphasis on encouraging the training of readers. Spiritist speaker, she seeks inspiration in the Gospel of Jesus that always guided her life.
Translation: Juliana Lazzari
