Mário Ribeiro Frigéri (photo), a Lawyer from the Brazilian city of Nuporanga, lives in Campinas, in the state of São Paulo, where he is engaged in the local Spiritist Movement. He is the author of many books and has recently published the magnificent Kardec: uma dádiva de Deus à Humanidade (Kardec: A Gift from God to Humanity). We have spoken to him about his new work:

Your new book has a very suggestive title, as the word “gift” opens the field to many interpretations. Can we consider Kardec as a true benefactor of Humanity?

Without any doubt. Dictionaries define “gift” as the act of effect of spontaneously giving someone something valuable, either of a material nature or not; it’s an offer, a treat, a reward. Humanity wasn’t expecting Kardec. It was a surprise. France and Europe were wailing in pain with the impact of the massacres of the latest wars and revolutions. People’s hearts were shattered. And then, all of sudden, Kardec comes up with his Consoling Teachings, which were a providential response from heaven. It was a shower of balsam from the Infinity to help heal the hearts in despair. And that can only be described as a gift from the Highest Spheres. 

In Chapter 2 - Letter to Kardec, which I think is particularly inspired, you have three subtitles that reveal the high esteem you have for the Codifier. Could you share that with our readers?

Meeting Kardec for the first time in this incarnation, when I was only 15, was also a gift from God to me. That’s something I will always be grateful for but will never be able to pay back in full. Before that, I was completely unaware of anything spiritual. It all changed when a friend of mine, a tailor, lent me his copy of The Spirits’ Book. 

I hadn’t heard about the book or its author. But I couldn’t put the book down and read it from start to finish. I then began reading the other books by Kardec, making notes in several notebooks, focusing on the issues that benefited me the most. I now have it all in the computer, which helps me find what I want quickly. That’s how I wrote “Letter to Kardec,” which is something I’m particularly fond of.

In chapter 12, you borrow a technique from journalism to simulate an interesting dialogue with The Spirit of Truth, based on an extraordinary page from Spiritism? How did you come up with that idea?

I agree that is one of the most intriguing parts of the book. The original Spiritist page you mention is called “Workers of the Lord” and can be found in Chapter 20 of The Gospel According to Spiritism. The Spirit of Truth warns us then that the time was nearing when the prophecies announced for the transformation of Humanity would come into fruition. He talks about the charitable and altruistic workers, who were able to silence their jealousies and disagreements for the greater good, saying they would be paid a hundredfold what they expected. And he also mentions another group of workers, who failed to take on any jobs and who, moved by their pride, caused dissent and delayed their harvest. When the storm comes, these will be dragged away into unimaginable abysses. That’s because heavenly rewards will come for those who haven’t sought earthly rewards. If there’s a more eviscerating warning in Spiritism, I’m not aware of. That’s how I had the idea of addressing that issue, with a special note for those who are now working in the fields of the Lord. 

You also dedicate a whole chapter to the issue of families and another one to children with disabilities. Why were you particularly drawn to those two situations?

I suffer a great deal when I see a family disintegrating like a worn out piece of cloth, or a disabled child perishing because of the lack of proper resources. I feel a great pain in my soul when I read about those crimes involving parents and their children. My desire was to fly around the world dropping the enlightening pages of The Gospel According to Spiritism like petals.

Your book also highlights the role of Brazil in the world. What do you have to say about our country as we live through these troubled times in human history?

A poet wrote in the 1940’s: “Brazil has lived bitter hours/ From Deodoro [the founder of the Brazilian Republic in 1889] to Getúlio Vargas [who was president at the time].” I would suggest rewriting it as: “Brazil has lived ingloriously/ From Discovery to present times.” Our country has all the requirements to succeed: a privileged location, its overflowing boundaries, fertile soil and the exuberance of the ocean. We have the best miscegenated people on the planet, a group of people who are going through a process of spiritual development. We have the healthiest nutrition to the soul, which is Spiritism, which has been assimilated spontaneously by the Brazilian people. So, why has Brazil lived “bitter hours,” so ingloriously? I believe this is part of a strategy from the Higher Spheres to safeguard Brazil from the greed of more powerful nations. Who would be interested in a country full of problems? But I believe that when the right time comes, Brazil will throw away its rags and will rise up to its right position in the world to herald the New Era. And then there will be an intervention from the Spiritual Benefactors in favour of Brazil, so the country can help establish and consolidate the new Era of Regeneration and Peace on Earth. That’s what the prophecies say. 

Note from the interviewer: