The thought above is by our guest this week, José Antônio Vieira de Paula (photo), one of the most respected Spiritist speakers in this region of Brazil. He was born in the Brazilian city of Itapetininga, in the state of São Paulo, trained as a doctor at the State University of Londrina in 1980 and settled down in Cambé, in the state of Paraná, where he found Spiritism in 1983.

For more than 30 years, he wrote regular articles for the Spiritist newspaper, “O Imortal,” founded by Hugo Gonçalves, and was always one of the writers of A Minute with Chico Xavier, a column published every week in O Consolador.

He is the author of the book, “Um Minuto com Chico Xavier” (A Minute with Chico Xavier), which was published in 1997. He has since 1987 worked for the dissemination of Spiritism as a speaker and lecturer in Paraná and other Brazilian states, as he explains in the following interview.  

At the end of last year, you began a project to help the dissemination of Spiritism through short videos, of about 10 minutes each. The project was entitled “Reflexões Espíritas,” or Spiritist Reflections. What was your motivation for this project?

I was diagnosed in May 2017 with T-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which forced me to temporarily give up all my duties, including those in the Spiritist Movement. I had to go through chemotherapy and, later, immunotherapy. When the doctors began allowing visits again, my friends began coming to the hospital to give me healing. But I was really determined to resume my activities and continue working for the dissemination of Spiritism. I wanted to share the vast number of stories that I had experienced in my life, analysing them in the light of Spiritism.  

What challenges did you face then?

Mainly the physical challenges caused by the cancer: weakness, lack of appetite, loss of sensibility in the hands and legs etc. But while I faced a number of physical problems, I couldn’t complain about the lack of support and the blessings I received. I had huge support, especially from my friends Sineya and José Carlos, from the Meimei Spiritist Centre in Londrina, who were willing to come to my house every two weeks for the recording sessions. I had huge support also from my wife, who always stood by my side and never ceased to encourage me with my project. She said that the recording sessions revitalised me.

How do you choose the issues to be discussed in the videos?

As I said before, my main goal was to share the stories and events that I had experienced. Later, I understood that I needed to analyse the daily events around us in the light of Spiritism and explain them to those watching us. That’s what I did when I discussed the victims of stray bullets, or the cases of those who pass away in group accidents, to pay for collective mistakes of previous lives. And I was very often inspired to discuss particular issues. On the eve of a recording session, something would come up and I often spent hours overnight studying that theme so I could offer an explanation the day after. That only proves that we are not really in charge of any project once it is approved by the Spiritual Benefactors, which increases my sense of responsibility towards the success of the project.

It’s the first anniversary, this October, of the “Reflections” project. Do you plan to carry on with the recordings?

I will carry on for as long as I can. Working for the dissemination of Spiritism will always be like healing for all of us. But the final decision is not mine. I only express my wishes to the heavens and the final decision will come from the Spirit World. In the meantime, I pray to the Lord to give me the strength I need to carry on.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Emmanuel, the Spiritual guide of Chico Xavier, told us that the best form of charity we could for Spiritism would be to help its dissemination. Chico said that the Spiritist Teachings are the light that shines in our pathway but also they show the flaws that we carry inside us. So, by helping disseminate Spiritism we will be lightening up the pathway of those who come across us and, as we read more and study the Teachings, we will understand how much darkness we still have inside us and how much we need to work in order to improve and overcome those problems.  

Editor’s Note:
In order to access the “Reflexões Espíritas” (Spiritist Reflections), click here