James Douglas da Fonseca (photo) lives in his hometown of Taquarituba, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. He became a Spiritist in 2003. He has degrees in Education and History and is a businessman in the printing industry. He is the current president of the Amor e Caridade (Love and Charity) Spiritist Centre in his city. In this interview, he shares his experience and his learning process since leaving Catholicism. He believes that Spiritism is, in fact, the return of Jesus to our lives.  

How did you become a Spiritist?

I was brought up as a Roman Catholic and was actively engaged in the activities of the Church when as a young. I was an altar boy. When I became an adult, I moved away from the Church because of my beliefs and the lack of answers it brought to the questions I carried with me. I ended up joining Spiritism a bit more than 15 years ago, drawn into it initially by the charity work involving giving soup to people in need.

What strikes you the most in Spiritism?

The vast amount of information, wisdom and answers, which fall into place in a fascinating logical manner and drives us to be constantly seeking for more knowledge. Little by little we get to understand the full picture. It brings a true invitation to reflection with logical and rational faith, helping us understand that we are responsible for all that we plant and sow and also that we are the architects of our future. That enables us to change our attitudes before life so that life changes before us. It detaches us for religious atavisms that have for millennia kept us locked in shackles of ignorance.

Why are you so passionate about giving Spiritist talks? 

Soon after I became a Spiritist, I attended a talk given by Divaldo Pereira Franco. I became fascinated by his oratory, eloquence, charisma and his way of speaking about Jesus and his teachings. I began studying Spiritism as the same time as I realised that Spiritism is, in fact, the return of Jesus to our lives, with al his simplicity and wisdom. I began to nourish then the ideal of taking the message of Christ, and therefore the Spiritist message, as we can say that both are interconnected and complete each other.

As a Spiritist speaker, what is your assessment of the audiences you have addressed?

Making a reference to Our Master Jesus, I see the audiences symbolically as the ground, where we can sow a seed of the Gospel. But we are aware that in each type of soil requires a different length of time will be required for the seeds to germinate. But the main thing is we never stop sowing the seeds.

And what is your assessment of the Spiritist Movement regarding in particular the efforts to disseminate the Teachings?

The Spiritist Movement has grown more and more and that can be clearly seen, which makes us all happy. But we must always remain vigilant and make sure that the basic principles of Spiritism are kept. That way we will be working to make Spiritism “not the religion of the future, but the future of religion,” as the great apostle of Spiritism, Léon Denis, once said.

How do you choose the issues you are going to discuss in your talks?

I try to combine theoretical information with day to day events, following the model of Christ, who left us great teachings in his parables by using situations that people faced in their daily lives. I need to emphasize that there is, of course a huge distance between the Master and me.

Is there any particular event or memory that you would like to share with us?

I remember one evening when I was going to give a talk for the first time at a Spiritist Centre. I admit that I was extremely tense and anxious, even though that was the realisation of a dream. I thought that as I had made so many mistakes in my life, I would not be able to speak about Jesus and take his teachings to others. I thought it did not deserve it. I then focused and made a prayer from the heart and the answer came in the form of intuition: all the lessons and teachings you will speak about will be applied firstly to you. Other people may well benefit if they so wish, but you we are the first ones to come in contact with everything that we teach and study. And we are, therefore, the first ones who can use that wisdom to work on our moral and intellectual progress, as those two aspects will need to walk hand in hand in the future. They represent the two wings that will make us go up, in a near future, towards the spiritual development that we wish so much.

What message would you like to leave to our readers, taking into account the greatness of the Spiritist Teachings?

I see Spiritism as an important preparation course, which provides us with the opportunity of facing the big trials of tribulations in the school of life without diminishing the importance of our own merits and our choices. This is a learning process that will never end and that will take us always closer to God. Spiritism is therefor the great light, which can brighten up the darkness of our imperfections and hence enable us to know the truth and follow new pathways.  

Is there anything else you would like to add?

We should make the most of the opportunity that life brings us, so we can become better people. The mistakes we make are part of our lives and belong to our learning process. The right decisions we make will build up and will be in our account for eternity. They will define who we will be and the pathways that we will follow. Finally, I would like to express the profound joy I feel by being part, albeit a very small part, of this great movement, which does not cease to grow, reviving Jesus as the greatest example to be followed. Spiritism makes us aware that we need to take that great inner journey, which will get us to meet the Kingdom of God inside us where the Divine Master Jesus reigns supreme.