The thought above is from our fellow Spiritist João Geraldo Vieira (photo), who was born in the city of Cosmópolis and lives the Campinas, both in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. He is a businessman in the area of software with a degree in System Analysis and post-graduation degree in Project Management. He became a Spiritist in 2006 and works as a volunteer at the Allan Kardec Spiritist Centre, where he directs a mediunimic group. He is also a Spiritist speaker and researcher of the Gospel, as he explains in the following interview.

When and how did you have your first contact with Spiritism?

My first contact came when I was quite young. I was still a baby when one of my grandfather’s brothers, João Merlo, took me to an Umbanda [African Brazilian religion] centre. I grew up with the concepts of spirituality around me. João Merlo was also a dedicated reader of the works of Allan Kardec and Emmanuel. He used to give us long explanations about his studies. But I only joined Spiritism effectively in 2006, when I attended my first court at the CEAK Spiritist Centre in the city of Campinas. My then fiancée and now wife, Camile, was also studying there, which further raised my interest.

How did you first get involved in giving Spiritist talks and lectures?

It is interesting when we realise that nothing happens by chance. I finished the course in 2009 and could then join CEAK as a volunteer worker. My wife was the director of the Talks department and one day he invited me to give a talk. I was a bit reluctant initially but accepted. That was the beginning of my work with the dissemination of the Teachings. Only in 2017, after going through a period of personal problems I began considering giving talks and lectures regularly. And after hearing the advice from incarnate and discarnate friends, I decided to start, and the invitations haven’t stopped coming.

Why did you develop this passion for the detailed and in depth study of the Gospel?

The Gospel of Jesus had always had a particular attraction to me. There was something inside me that always prompted me to look for more and to understand the Gospel beyond its literal meaning. When I began studying Spiritism, I began to understand Christ’s mission on our planet and realised that his words had much deeper meaning. The Gospel of Jesus is the biggest blessing we have received from the wonderful Master; it is the key we need to free ourselves from the cells where we live.

What method do you use for your research?

We have formed this year a study group that follows the method known as NEPE, which stands for Gospel Study and Research Nucleus. It has been followed by many Spiritists. In our Group, we are striving to understand the context around the Teachings of Christ. Our Master was born among the Jews. So it is essential to understand what made sense for that people, at that time. We study word for word, for example, of the parables of Jesus, looking for their meaning for the Hebrews of that era. We study the politics, the religion, the geography and the costumes of the time. We also look for the meaning of every word in Hebrew and the links of those words and sentences with Spiritism. It is a very thorough work, which has brought us pleasant surprises.

How have these studies affected your personal spiritual goals?

This study method has completely changed my way of understanding the Gospel. It has also enabled me to have a much better understanding of the spiritual truths and it has helped me reflect on my actions. That shows that the Gospel must be lived, not only studied. To pass on information to other people, we first need to feel then inside our hearts.  

Is there any particular memory from your studies and work in the dissemination of Spiritism that you would like to share with us?

I remember that once at CEAK in Campinas, as I concluded a talk about the Prodigal Son parable, a man approached me and said that even though he knew that parable for 40 years he had never understood it in the way I had explained. He said that my words helped put his heart in peace that day. His words and the emotion I could hear in his voice gave reassured me of how powerful is the Gospel of Christ. As a friend of mine always says, we are only the conducting wires, transmitting the light of our Master.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I would like to highlight the importance of Spiritism in this process. Without its solid structures, without its liberating philosophy it wouldn’t be possible to study the Gospel without reins, without constraining beliefs and without dogmas. The Spiritist Groups, when well guided, play a key role in keeping the purity of the Teachings and taking to others the message of love. Without the ideals that Spiritism has helped us understand in depth, these would only be empty words. More than taking the Gospel to others, our duty is to feel it. And Spiritism enables us to do that.