We learn from Spiritism that we are Spirits in the process of learning, of evolution, of moral and spiritual improvement through various incarnations in which we are purifying, developing our potentials, such as intelligence, good feelings, virtues, the way we live with our neighbor and how we view our journey.

For that, we have our free will, a faculty that was granted to us by the Creator, allowing us to make choices according to the needs we face in this trajectory.

The Spiritist Doctrine teaches us that all choices have consequences, according to the acts we practice. If we are loving, charitable, we will have, as a result, also love, happiness, fulfillment, however, if we act in the opposite way, we will be creating difficult future situations, which we need to face as a way to rebalance ourselves with our own conscience.

It is the law of cause and effect, action and reaction - Natural Law - working according to our attitudes towards life. We will understand, therefore, that we are on a long journey of apprenticeship, in which we are learning and relearning with our own experience what suits us or not. And from that apprenticeship we leave more mature, more strengthened for the next lessons, and thus we can reach new spiritual levels, since we were not created ready by God, but simple and ignorant, with potentials to be developed, to flourish and to be put into practice daily.

We are always looking for answers to the questions we ask to find the consolation and hope we so long for. And we always ask ourselves: Why do we suffer so much? Why so many difficulties for the fulfillment of our wishes? What did we do to receive it all?

These questions are generally linked not only to the material aspect, but also to health, affectivity, and emotional, moral or professional problems of our existence.

For this reason, God sent us Jesus, model and guide, so that He could make us understand in our hearts, the meaning of the Divine Law, the Law of Love that rules the entire Universe. His teachings invite us to meditate on these sorrows and the difficulties we have been through. However, whenever the problems weigh on us, we think how much God has been unfair to us, because we consider our suffering greater than the other's and we end up establishing an image of God in the likeness of the imperfect man that we still are; the man who privileges some over others; that is partial; who acts on a whim. We are not able to realize that God is always good to us in the same manner as He is with the other.

He is infinitely good, just and merciful.

What makes our understanding difficult is that we do not recognize the reasons for our afflictions. However, in the Gospel we can find consolation and hope, and understand that the causes of afflictions can be from this incarnation or from past incarnations, that is, previous or current causes of afflictions.

In order to look for the current causes of the afflictions, we need to understand the essence of the acts we practice daily, using common sense, balance, reason, and thoughtfulness.

It is not enough to obey human Laws, it is essential to examine the qualities of our attitudes, because what we sow will be returned to us at some point. This is from the Law of God.

Does what we are doing harm the other? We are free to plant, but we are obliged to harvest the sweet or bitter fruits of our planting. Thus, when we consult our conscience in the search for the source of so many afflictions, we can certainly hear it say: If you had not done such a thing, it would not have happened and you would not be in this situation. But, instead of recognizing ourselves as creators of our own suffering, we look outside ourselves for these causes, blaming God first, then blaming luck and then blaming the other.

In fact, these difficulties are a warning, a warning for us to adjust to our path. This is so true that we often say or hear that if we knew what we know today how many things we could have avoided. However, the causes of these sufferings can also be in old plantings, from other existences, done thoughtlessly, without the sieve of reason and that today lead us to bitter harvests. Let us remember, then, that today we are reaping afflictions and sufferings, we probably planted anguish and penalties on some occasion; and if we reap material difficulties, it may be that we have sown waste, thinking only of ourselves, of our selfish satisfaction of immediate and whimsical desires.

Therefore, we understand that we cannot reap peace if we sow discord, or reap joy if we sow sadness. It is the Law. But we can, through our changes in attitudes, reverse this situation with maturity and conscience demanding us.

Jesus is the great sower and if He finds in us the propitious, fertilized soil, the fertile land with good will, hope, love and resignation in the face of the Father's designs, the seeds that He will deposit in each heart will sprout.

Knowing how to take advantage of these opportunities that God gives us daily, we will find the Kingdom of God, that is, we will find happiness, harmony, inner peace, always working and working for the good in favor of all. It is from the world of light that each one of us creates, within himself, the strength to fight against evil tendencies and temptations, so that we can draw ever closer to God, our eternal Father. Even in this world of fanciful, transitory needs, we will be able to find inner happiness, when we walk cultivating the love of the neighbor, accepting it and respecting it as it is; for the joy of being useful, without expecting anything in return. Then, we will be able to make new plantings, becoming a small light and spreading the example of love wherever we go.

Often, the consequences of our unfortunate actions become quite difficult challenges, and most of the time, we ourselves ask, or at least accept, to free ourselves from the conscience that accuses us of the act committed, wherever we are. These consequences can become painful atonements that will serve to sharpen our feelings and awaken in us the new man, the good man, who makes his moral renewal.

It is not a matter of worshiping afflictions, suffering, or desiring it, but, with Spiritist knowledge, we will better understand the reason for our pains and afflictions, since they are caused by ourselves. Let us examine difficulties as blessed opportunities to exercise the moral values ​​of courage, faith, hope, charity, solidarity, patience, in short, the virtues taught by Jesus.

In the present moment of Humanity, in these tumultuous days when we are faced with the terrible situations of conflict, let us observe how we are reaping what we have sown; rescuing our wrong attitudes, however, marching towards happiness, towards a better world, towards a future of enlightenment, building a world of inner regeneration. However hard our road may be, let us learn to smile and bless always.

The Universe is a stream of love in constant motion. Let us remember that no one is so sacrificed that he cannot, from time to time, raise his eyes in thanks, with a prayer, an affectionate greeting, a flower, a friendly note... With this small gesture, we will be able to dispel pain, discord, shadows.

Let us remember Francis of Assisi, who, with his humility, experienced the greatest love affirming that we need to be grateful to everything and everyone. Thank the Sun that warms us; the wind that caresses us on hot days; to the Moon for decorating the nights; to the suffering that allows us to introspect and learn for our growth.

There is a need to stop for a moment and thank all the opportunities that are offered, good or not, for the pain, the stones and the obstacles.

In this way, let us broaden our understanding, understanding of the vicissitudes of this journey, overcoming disagreements, hurts, resentments, sowing a happier existence together with those who share this trajectory with us.

Let us thank the Father for the love with which he surrounds us: life, bread, light, home and friends who reach out to us.

Let us also thank the light of suffering that makes us walk. For the pain you send us, let us be grateful, Lord!