In chapter 21 of the book of Words of Eternal Life, written by the dear benefactor Emmanuel, brought to us by the blessed psychographics of Francisco Candido Xavier, we find the loving behavior of a true spiritual therapist who, in the name of Jesus Christ, comes to awaken us to the reality of the Spirit. For this reason, perhaps, his message has the title of "Understanding", in which to understand means also to contain in itself. Contain in one’s own consciousness the true identity. This is the goal. With this understanding, we are able to completely transform our existence, and we are capable of transforming our own destiny.

In order to bring this message to us, Emmanuel sought inspiration from the New Testament in the Second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians and from the chapter 4 he highlighted the verse 7, to draw our attention to the luminous possibilities that each one keeps in himself, and of which not always are we aware, or we know how to use them wisely for the advantage of our own existence.

To understand this thought of Paul, we must first reflect on the events that marked the history of the Apostle. Saul was his name, and after his encounter with Jesus in the Spirit at the gates of the city of Damascus, he understood the spiritual immortality of the human creature, and with that understanding he could finally believe in Jesus whom he persecuted, having then become a new man - Paul.

Historians who have researched - and still research - the origin of Christianity have been perplexed and wondered how a small Jewish sect could have survived because they were considered the first followers of Jesus if they were practically exterminated by the Romans in the Jerusalem massacre which, curiously, occurred thirty-three years after the disincarnating of the Master, and lasted for four years until AD 70.

They also wondered how the spread of the Gospel would have been possible throughout the world if their followers had practically been exterminated. The question left no doubt: the expansion of the teachings of Jesus was thanks to Paul of Tarsus, therefore considered the greatest disseminator. It was he who allowed the Good News to cross all frontiers, winning time and space, marking the very history of Humanity. But what strikes us is that this apostolic work of dissemination occurred in an unusual way. After his religious conversion, he faced great difficulties and obstacles: he was rejected in his own family environment, considered a deserter in his intimate circle of friends, considered subversive by the same authorities he had led before, and was therefore left in the utmost abandonment. On the other hand, he suffered from the mistrust of the Christians he had persecuted before, so that he never found it easy to spread the Gospel. He suffered abandonment, misunderstanding, went through cold and hunger, was persecuted, suffered accidents, fell ill, was stoned, beaten, but, at every turn, he was amazingly strengthened.

When imprisoned, unable to personally continue to spread the teachings of Jesus, he did not settle down and began to write his letters to continue to guide those early Christian communities, letters that are contained in the New Testament, with the denomination of Epistles, and that to this day serve as a source of spiritual guidance in the living of the Gospel. But the question we want to know is where Paul of Tarsus found the strength, the courage, the good spirit to act with so much fearlessness and determination. In that same letter to the Corinthians, the Apostle revealed that even though he suffered, the task he had embraced in the name of Jesus was a blessing, considering it a concession of Divine Mercy.

He was surrounded by tribulations, it is true, but he never felt distressed; he was perplexed, but at no time did he experience discouragement; although persecuted, never felt helpless, and although physically despondent in his heart, never felt destroyed.

For all the mishaps he faced, for his spiritual understanding of life, he was steadily pursuing his goals. How to understand his self-confidence, this intimate victory of Paul?

His outer life was a chaos, plunged into adversity, yet he recounts that in his heart he felt pacified, strengthened, and serene. How is this possible? Let us find the answer in this passage from the same epistle that Emmanuel pointed out to help us. Paul writes: "But we have this treasure in clay pots, so that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us".

He was referring to the power of realization that we all possess, and that, because he understood Jesus, he knew how to use it without hesitation. He trusted in his ideal and the work he was doing, he sensed the positive outcome of his effort, even before the appearance of any evidence that could justify his struggle, which in the eyes of many was insane. And so he proceeded because he was aware of his power, but with the lucidity of recognizing that the power he manifested was not Paul's, but God's. He stated then that this treasure of good, of power, of the love that we all have is the manifestation of God in us. We are compared by the Apostle to clay pots, fragile creatures, but with a power of realization in unlimited good, because it comes from God and not from us.

When we conduct our existence in affinity with the higher values ​​of love, especially when we act with charity towards one another, we become channels of Divine Love through which blessings flow, which we never suspected that they were possible to realize. In Paul's realistic view, we are like clay pots, yes, but capable of carrying a great wealth that our fragility does not prevent us from harboring: the Love of God.

Would we not have in this thought the explanation for Jesus' spiritual vision that we are lights? We are spiritual creatures with immense responsibilities to watch over our lives, keeping our hearts and minds high. Based on this, let us think: as much pure, clear, and crystalline is the water that comes from springs, if placed in a contaminated vessel it will also become contaminated and cannot fulfill its high purpose in Nature.

We can make a comparison with ourselves in the field of the Spirit: if we take good care of ourselves, taking care of our mental health, maintaining goodness and optimism in the field of our feelings, we will no doubt be placing ourselves in the condition of perfect vessels to shelter the love of God, renewing our destiny.

From the spiritual plane, benefactors guide us in their messages to cultivate faith in the Heavenly Father. To plan high life goals, to cultivate constructive attitudes, and expand our capacity to love and serve, will not this be the way if we want a better life? Our ability to progress is unlimited in all directions by having the source of our progress come from the divine wellspring.

To spiritualize is to refine one inner self to produce the progress for which we are destined.

In this way, Emmanuel brings in this message, the object of our reflections, the incentive not to abandon the fight with our own selves for the predominance of the good in us. If from the High pour unceasingly higher forces on our behalf, attuning to these forces is a personal task that no one can accomplish for us.

But, what do we have to do? Where to start? The spiritual benefactor advises us to value ourselves more, for we are inclined to overestimate our limitations. We have a habit of focusing our mind on what is negative. However, we carry with us, from past existences, imperfections, vices, bad tendencies, but also carry a positive baggage of good qualities, of moral values ​​that today allow us to change our focus to what we have positive and constructive. Through the attitude of valuing what is good in us, we neutralize the less noble aspects of our personality. That is why we reincarnate: to improve.

Spiritism, acknowledged as the Comforter Promised by Jesus, has offered relief to human afflictions by clarifying the cause of suffering, leading us to resignation. Young souls that we are, on our way to evolution, as we grow in spiritual maturity, more and more, we are willing to embrace our duties without hesitating. In this way, we will gain the best opportunities for learning, of readjustment and spiritual evolution.

Thus our earthly experiences can be described as opportunities for our growth. Conflicts, obstacles, difficulties alternate or accumulate regarding family, professional, emotional problems with relationships, or referring to our health; problems that we all, with no exception, have gone through and know very well. However, what we need to understand is that in this evolutionary stage in which we find ourselves, problems are inevitable, as they serve as levers for our growth.

Problem is not punishment, but, yes, progress lever. The truth is that we have suffered more than we need, but let us see: The Gospel according to Spiritism in chapter 4, “Blessed are the afflicted”, makes it clear that many of our sufferings could be avoided. This means that many of the painful experiences we experience are not programmed to occur in this lifetime, but have their origin in current causes, caused by our own misadjusted behavior, representing a remarkable plot.

The Gospel guides us to work for our improvement and is exactly what Emmanuel proposes, regardless of the shadows of our personality that we should not allow to paralyze us. We are constantly advised to strengthen the good points we all have that will only be possible if we morally educate ourselves by improving ourselves spiritually.

This education and this improvement, although we do not realize it, we are already doing it daily fraternal attitudes that we incorporate our conduct and that, in time, will arise spontaneously in our behavior. A gesture of patience and forgiveness with that difficult family member, goodwill and tolerance with our neighbor, a gesture of solidarity with those in need, are attitudes characteristic of Christian behavior that gradually annul egoism in all its forms of expression, a destructive feeling for those who possess it and for those who serve as its target.

The new land promised by Jesus is the one that will be reflected in the full exercise of the love that each one has in Him. When each of us put into practice the teaching of the beloved Master to love our neighbor as ourselves, we will live in peace and fraternity.

Paul of Tarsus relied on this promise and understood that he was able to assist in the construction of the new Earth. His exceptional effort has even surpassed the barrier of time and continues to produce sweet fruits to us today. He defeated himself by overcoming human frailty.

After we know a little of the history of this brave Christian and reflect on the words of Jesus, we no longer have doubts about our capacity for fulfillment, whether in the sphere of our particular interests or in the field of sublimated aspirations.

Sick people heal by the power of faith; fathers and mothers, supported by the force of love, save their children from ruin; people of the most modest conditions, deprived of recourse, have erected admirable works of collective protection: they founded crèches, hospitals, asylums, shelters, reducing the suffering of thousands of our brothers in rude trials.

Who is not moved by the works of love of Francisco Candido Xavier, Divaldo Pereira Franco, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Sister Dulce, just quoting a few? All are simply our brothers who understood and practiced their faith without weakening.

We exalt God in His power, in His glory, in His goodness, and in His righteousness when we are healed, when we receive relief from our afflictions, or when we are relatively happy or at peace. But, our faith is unstable, today we believe, tomorrow we will believe accordingly if our conveniences are fulfilled or not. We are like this, fragile creatures. Yet Emmanuel comforts us by telling us not to marvel at this conflict of light and shadow within us, to follow the light in order to find the way.

The esteemed spiritual benefactor concludes his message in full agreement with Paul of Tarsus and confirms that all the good that we shelter, our gifts, our intelligence, our good qualities are the treasures of the Lord, that in the happy definition of the Apostle, we carry in the vessel of our deep inferiority, so that we may know that all love, all wisdom, all beauty of life, does not belong to us,  but to the glory of our Father, to whom we must obey and serve today and always, because Jesus assured us that if we, being evil as we are, know how to give good things to our children, how much more does our Father in Heaven! This means that at no time can we doubt the shelter of God. Whatsoever we would like to have done to us, let us do to others, because this is the law and the prophets. This is how Jesus taught us.

Bibliography:

Matthew 7: 7-11.

John 13: 49-50.

Galileo Magazine, April 2001, no. 117 - What happened after Easter.