In the rich spiritist
literature, a
mediumistic work stands
out that has not yet
been properly understood
and valued, and many
hastily classify it as a
history book, when the
author himself explains
that it is not a work
about human history, but
rather, a “contribution
to the religious thesis,
elucidating the sacred
influence of faith and
the spiritual ascendancy
in the course of all
terrestrial
civilizations”. We
are referring to the
book On the Way to
the Light, authored
by Espírito Emmanuel,
psychographed by the
medium Francisco Cândido
Xavier.
Still according to
Emmanuel's words in the
Anteloquy
(presentation), the work
is an effort “to show
the true position of the
Gospel of Christ”,
and, furthermore, “our
effort will only consist
of notes outside the
task of great
missionaries of the
world and of peoples
that have already
disappeared, clarifying
the greatness and mercy
of the Divine Master”.
It is not, as we see, a
work that rewrites the
history of humanity,
that details facts and
brings new documents,
but rather, a work that
highlights the action of
Jesus, as spiritual
governor of the Earth,
directly and indirectly,
through the various
missionaries who
reincarnate here, or the
spiritual masses of good
that act on the
characters who make up
human history. To this
end, Emmanuel follows
the historical line of
human times, without
bringing outlandish
revelations, as this is
not the nature of
Superior Spirits.
There is one fact,
however, to be noted, as
it is important: the
book was written between
August 17, 1938 and
September 21 of the same
year, that is, in just
over thirty days, and
was published by the
Brazilian Spiritist
Federation at the
beginning of the
following year, that is,
in 1939, a few months
before the start of the
Second World War, which
occurred on September
1st with the German
invasion of Poland. When
reading the work, we
perceive the spiritual
ascendancy of this
event, with the
spiritual author's
concern in accentuating
the action of the
Spirits for the benefit
of human beings, showing
that we are not
abandoned, that
everything has its
reason for being, and
that from the rubble of
the fratricide struggles
a new era always emerge,
under the aegis of
Christ.
Emmanuel makes an
expressive note in his
text, reminding us that
everything changes,
everything passes with
time, given the laws of
reincarnation and
progress; however, Jesus
does not pass away. He
is the only one who
survives time and
continues to illuminate
our steps vacillating in
this world, whether we
are incarnated or
discarnate, because
humanity is the whole,
it is the union of the
corporeal world with the
spiritual world.
Nothing, absolutely
nothing, that occurs in
human history, is the
result of chance or
solely the use of free
will on the part of men,
as Divine Law governs
everything and places
limits on our action,
making us responsible
for the consequences of
our actions and
decisions, in the
wonderful and perfect
functioning of God's
justice. And as He is
goodness and mercy, He
does not abandon us,
allowing the action of
the discarnate upon us,
for good and for evil,
always within the limits
of the Greater Law,
leaving us the
responsibility for the
decisions and movements
that make history. In
other words: it is not
only the incarnate
people who make human
history, as it also
receives the help of the
disincarnate people.
This is Emmanuel's
thesis, which he seeks
to highlight in the
book, showing that many
events had the influence
and participation of
Spirits, including, in
many cases, spiritual
planning preceding the
historical fact.
Spiritists know that
Jesus is the most
perfect Spirit that has
ever been on Earth,
being our guide and
model, as we see in
question 625 of The
Spirits' Book, and
through the universal
teaching of Spirits, we
also know that he, since
creation of the planet,
is the spiritual
governor of it,
therefore, of humanity.
His incarnation was
planned, and several
missionary Spirits
incarnated before him,
and with him, to prepare
the ground, so that
everything was in order
for him to carry out his
mission. This is the
approach of chapter 12,
which we will highlight
here: “The manger
marked the starting
point of Christ's saving
lesson, as if to say
that humility represents
the key to all virtues.
The definitive era of
the spiritual majority
of earthly humanity
began, as Jesus, with
his divine
exemplification, would
deliver the code of
fraternity and love to
all hearts.”
Emmanuel does not
discuss whether Jesus
was born in Bethlehem or
not, whether the wise
men existed or not, he
just uses the figure
exalted by the
evangelists to highlight
the purpose of the
Messiah's coming,
starting with the
exemplification of
humility. And he adds: “his
lesson of love and
humility was unique in
all times of humanity.”
Highlighting the
redemptive mission of
Jesus, he informs that “Christ
came to bring to the
world the eternal
foundations of truth and
love. His word, gentle
and generous, brought
together all the
unfortunate and all the
sinners. He chose the
poorest and most
unadorned environments
to live the intensity of
his sublime lessons,
showing men that the
truth did not need the
sumptuous setting of
Areopagus, forums, and
temples, to make itself
heard in its mysterious
beauty. His preachings,
in the public square,
occur in relation to the
most unprotected and
disqualified beings, as
if to demonstrate that
his word came to unite
all creatures in the
same vibration of
fraternity and on the
same luminous path of
love. He peacefully
combatted all official
violence in Judaism,
renewing the Ancient Law
with the doctrine of
enlightenment,
tolerance, and
forgiveness. He spread
the clearest visions of
immortal life, teaching
earthly creatures that
there is something
superior to homelands,
flags, blood, and human
laws. His profound,
energetic, and merciful
word reformed all
philosophies, clarified
the path of science, and
would have united all
the religions of the
Earth, if the impiety of
men had not made the
weight of iniquity worth
the scales of
redemption.”
Still in that same
chapter, Emmanuel
reminds us of the
consequences of these
lessons if properly
applied by men in all
fields of knowledge and
human institutions: “From
his unforgettable
lessons, consequences
arise for all
departments of planetary
existence, in the sense
of renewing the social
and political institutes
of Humanity, with the
moral transformation of
men within a new era of
economic justice and
universal concord.”
Finally, in the last
item, looking at human
time and the infinite
growth of the Spirit
towards perfection, he
declares: “the lesson
of Christ remained
forever on Earth, as the
treasure of all the
unfortunate and all the
helpless. His word built
faith in human souls,
giving them a glimpse of
their glorious destinies.”
We highlight in this
text only the
transcendent meaning of
Christ's presence on
Earth, and the moral and
spiritual ascendancy of
his teachings in the
history of humanity, and
forevermore, in a sample
of what the reader will
find in the pages of On
the Way to the Light,
a work mediumistic,
authored by Emmanuel, by
the blessed hands of
Chico Xavier, showing
that in all recorded
historical facts there
is always spiritual
ascendancy, under the
aegis of Jesus, with his
divine love working so
that we understand the
need for good and love
to achieve peace and
happiness, right here on
Earth, taking these
achievements to the
afterlife, in the
spiritual homeland that
awaits our return.
In fact, On the Way
to the Light is not
a history book, but
following the recorded
historical facts known
to everyone, Emmanuel
shows us that this
history is not carried
out apart from the
spiritual reality of
life, on the contrary,
many facts have their
origin in the planning
and action carried out
by the Spirits, in the
constant interaction
between those who are
discarnate and those who
are incarnate, in an
interaction made in
accordance with the
sublime lesson and
exemplification of
Jesus: “love one
another”.
Marcus De
Mario is a writer,
educator, speaker; he
coordinates Seara de
Luz, an online spiritist
study group; he edits
the Orientação Espírita
channel on YouTube; he
has more than 35
published books.
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