The thought above is by Yeda Peres Hungria (photo), who lives in the Brazilian city of Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. A Spiritist since 1960, she is a retired civil servant and an active member of the Chico Xavier Spiritist Nucleus in Niterói. In the following interview, she shares some memories of the many occasions when she met Chico Xavier, the late Brazilian medium. 

When and how did you become a Spiritist?

When I was a teenager, I suffered from a serious psychological problem. It went on for two years and all attempts to treat it failed. I was eventually taken to a Spiritist Centre in Niterói, Irmã Rosa. As a newcomer, I was surprised when I wrote in trance a message from a Spirit who spoke of the importance of spiritual matters. At the end of that session, all the symptoms had disappeared. I heeded the call and embraced the Third Revelation, dedicating my time from then on to study Spiritism and try to put it into practice. 

How did you meet Chico Xavier?

My profound admiration for Chico Xavier began the moment I became a Spiritist. I admired his difficult life story, his message and his example of love and Christianity. Many years later, in 1974, I met him in person for the first time. I worked at the State Assembly and requested that he be granted the title of honorary citizen of the state of Rio de Janeiro. I went to Uberaba, where he lived, to deal with the bureaucratic procedures ahead of the ceremony that would take place in Niterói. And that was the first of many visits, which continued until the final days before he passed away. 

What aspect of the great medium’s personality marked you the most?

It was undoubtedly his kindness, humility, his capacity of universal love, his profound knowledge of Spiritism, his dedication to his duties, his discipline as a medium and his loyalty to Jesus and Allan Kardec. In Chico Xavier I found the matrix of the true “Good Man,” according to the definition of Luke, in 6:43-44, and Kardec, in question 918 of The Spirits’ Book.  I keep very dear in my memory the efforts, the examples, the teachings, the encouragement and the revelations he shared with me for 28 years. 

Would you like to share with us a memory you keep of your time with Chico Xavier?

On November 30th, 1974, before the official ceremony at the State Assembly in Niterói, I welcomed him to my house. It was very hot, as the summer approached. As he took off his jacket, I noticed that his shirt was drenched in sweat, sticking to his body. I regretted the discomfort he was going through but his approach to life soon became evident: “What heat are you talking about, my dear? Look at the sun out there shining, the wonderful blue sky and life in full bloom! These are all the wonderful works of God!” His reverence to divine creation lied well above ephemeral physical discomforts. 

How did the ceremony go?

Thousands of people turned up for the ceremony at the local sports arena, Caio Marins. That was Chico Xavier’s first visit to Niterói and many people came from other cities too. I can still see his eyes shining with joy as he handed roses to those queuing up to shake his hand.  

Tell us a bit more about what you experienced in Uberaba alongside Chico. 

On Friday afternoons, Chico Xavier received messages at the Spiritist Centre from those who had returned to the Spirit World. Once, as we left his house towards the Spiritist Centre after lunch, he stopped and went back into his bedroom. I saw him taking something out from a drawer and putting it inside his pocket. When we got there, he sat next to me and started hearing from members of the public. “Chico, I have lost my beloved son. I’ve sent you so many letters expressing my despair but I never got a reply. I came all the way from Brazil’s northeastern region in the search of news. I’m desperate!” The medium picks up a picture from his pocket and whispers: “Is this your son?” Visibly touched, she confirms. Later, during the public meeting in the evening, she shared with others her joy and the relief of receiving news from her late son. The message was dictated by him to Chico Xavier during the meeting.  

How would you define Chico Xavier?

An unforgettable multiplier of good deeds, the faithful successor of the work of Allan Kardec. But adjectives will fail to describe his greatness. They will only put limits to the great person he really was. 

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I am profoundly grateful to the Spiritual Benefactors for the opportunity I had of spending time with Chico. I also thank O Consolador for the opportunity of sharing some of the memories I have of him. We are living in troubled times. That is the consequence of a lack of ethical, moral, spiritual and humanitarian values in our societies. There isn’t enough love around us in its most sublime expression. We haven’t lacked, however, help from the messengers of our Beloved Father, who have worked hard to help us reeducate our Spirits. We need to do our part too and work on our spiritual structure, reshaping it through humanistic and transcendental thoughts, which should focus on the collective wellbeing. And no one shines brighter within that context than Chico Xavier, who was voted the greatest Brazilian of all time, in a national competition run by the SBT television network in October 2001.