Unification

By Bezerra de Menezes

The work for the unification in our ranks is urgent, but not rushed. One assertion seems to contradict the other. But it is not so. It is urgent because it defines the goal that we should aim at; but not rushed because, it is not granted to us to violate anyone’s conscience.

Let us preserve the purpose of uniting, approaching, and understanding one another; and, if possible, let us establish at every site where the name of Spiritism has been brought to light, a study group, however small, of the works of Kardec, in the light of the Christ of God.

We, who devotedly engage ourselves in all types of noble endeavors being offered by our principles, cannot ignore clear reasoning to turn our life less somber. Thus, let us compare our redeeming Doctrine to a metropolis with all the demands for comfort, progress, peace, and order. In the city, food, clothes, shelter, and security for all are essential; however, the matter of light cannot be overlooked. Lighting has been a concern of humans since the very first cave dwellings. Originally, light was obtained by fire through friction, followed by the domestic hearth, the torch, flames fueled by resins, the oil lamp, and, in modern times, electricity transformed into glaring radiance.

The Spiritist Doctrine holds its essential aspects in triple configuration. Thus, no one should be restricted in their desire to work and produce.

Let those inclined toward the sciences to cultivate them in their dignity; those who devote themselves to philosophy to ennoble its postulates; and those who consecrate themselves to religion to turn divine its aspirations. Yet, above all, it is necessary that the basis of the Spiritist Doctrine remain in everyone and everything so that we do not lose the balance at the base over which the organization is raised.

No reciprocal hostility, nor disregard toward anyone. However, we have the necessity to preserve the spiritist principles, to honor and exalt them, or we will end up as strangers to one another, or frozen in regimentations which will cripple our best yearnings, turning the movement of liberation into a stagnant sect imprisoned in new interpretations and theologies which would place us conveniently at the mercy of the inferior planes and distance us from the Truth.

Let us follow Allan Kardec in our studies, aspirations, activities, and deeds so that our faith does not turn into hypnosis, whereby the power of darkness establishes its influence over the weaker minds, enchaining them to centuries of illusion and suffering.

To liberate the Divine word is to excise the teachings of Christ from all the prisons to which they have been shackled. At present time, without bestowing any privilege on ourselves, only Spiritism retains sufficient moral strength so as not to tie itself to ulterior interests, and to effect the recovery of the Light which flows from the Master’s crystal-clear verb, satisfying the thirsty, and guiding the souls.

Let Allan Kardec’s work not only be believed or felt, proclaimed or manifested in our convictions, but also be sufficiently lived, suffered, wept over, and put into practice in our own lives. Without this foundation, it is difficult to forge the Christian-Spiritist character which the troubled world awaits from us through unification.

To teach, but also to put into practice; to believe, but also to study; to counsel, but also to exemplify; to unite, but also to nourish. We speak of trials and sufferings, yet we have no other ways to assure the victory of truth and love on Earth. No one edifies without love, no one loves without tears. Only here, in the spirit life, did I come to learn that Christ’s cross was a stake which He, the Master, stuck in the ground to lift up the new world.

And to demonstrate, for all times, that nothing useful and good can be achieved without sacrifices, He died on the cross. Scorned and defeated, He buried the cross in the ground, thus showing us that this is our pathway – the pathway of one who builds upward, of one who glances the continents from high above.

It is indispensable that Spiritism be maintained exactly as it was conveyed to Allan Kardec by the Divine Messengers, that is, without political compromises, without religious professionalism, without degrading personalisms, and without burning desires of conquest of fleeting earthly powers. Respect for all creatures, regard for all authorities, and devotion to the common good, as well as instruction for the people, in every direction, about the truths of the spirit, truths unalterable and eternal.

Nothing which is reminiscent of castes, discriminations, unjustifiable individual prominence, privileges, immunities, and priorities. May the love of Jesus be upon all, and the truth of Kardec be for all. In each temple, the strongest should be a shield for the weakest, the most enlightened a light for the least knowledgeable, and the sufferer always the most protected and the most helped, as among those who suffer less be the greatest the one who puts himself at the service of all others, according to the words of the Divine Mentor.

Let us continue searching for the inspiration of the Lord.
Bezerra de Menezes
(Message received through the medium F.C. Xavier, in a meeting of the “Comunhão Espírita Cristã,” on April 24, 1968, in Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil) Reformador, December 1975

GRADUAL UNIFICATION, IMMEDIATE UNION, INCESSANT WORK

Spiritists, my brothers and sisters!

As the trumpets of a new day of light announce the arrival of the Era of the Lord, and an era of peace prepares for the new humanity, which at this time is still dominated and crushed by desperation, let us make the journey inside ourselves.

As external values lose their significance impelling us to seek God in our hearts, we are invited through our brothers and sisters to share in the highest responsibility of loving, serving, and carrying on. Jesus, my friends, is more than a symbol.

He is a reality in our existence. He is not only a being that went from the manger to the cross, but rather the example whose life became a Gospel of facts calling upon us. Because of this, it is necessary to immerse our thoughts in the works of Allan Kardec in order to experience Jesus in its plenitude.

We are invited to the banquet of a better era, the era of the eternal Gospel, and no one can decline this invitation under any circumstance. There was a time we could claim we were not informed of the truth. Today, however, we know better.

And because we know it through personal experience, let us live the Christ of God in our attitudes, allowing the Spiritist light to show its message of enlightenment without ever being hindered by the dense clouds which still characterize human selfishness, resentment, and vanity. Unification indeed, and union as well.

It is indispensable that we become unified under the Spiritist ideal, but above all, that we unite as brothers and sisters. Our postulates ought to be lived and made known within a strict line of dignity and nobility. Yet, let our feelings vibrate in unison, reflecting the sentiments of friends who want to help one another, of brothers and sisters who do not allow themselves to advance forward while leaving the rear guard covered with corpses, or the ones who did not have the strength to carry on.

The task of unification is gradual; and whereas the task of uniting is immediate, the work is incessant, because we will never complete the job since we are imperfect servants and perform only the portion that is entrusted to us.

To love, however, is the Commandment our Lord left us and which the Doctrine restored. Let us unite, let us love one another earnestly, and let us eliminate our doubts, rectify our opinions, difficulties, and our points of view in light of the clear and sublime message of the Doctrine by which Allan Kardec enriches the new era, understanding that we are just simple apprentices. As apprentices, we cannot surpass the master.

Let us join hands and be helpful to one another; let us forget conflicting opinions to remember the concepts of similitude, trusting in time, the great drier of tears, which corrects everything. We do not call upon you proclaiming inertia, parasitism, or implicit acceptance without discussing or examining the information. We invite you to the true dynamics of love. Let us remember, the words of Jesus: “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” whereas no one can tear a bundle of twigs joined together in a union of forces.

It is for this reason, Spiritists, my brothers and sisters, that while the Unification should continue, the Union should rule in our hearts. We are the seed spreaders of a better time, the cultivators of the new era. The harvest we will reap in the name of Jesus will characterize our work. Go forward, my brothers and sisters, in search of the dawn of the new era. Jesus is the ultimate Master, and Allan Kardec the faithful disciple. Let us be the honorable and noble continuators of His labor of love and His lesson of wisdom.

When the shadows of death subsequently descend upon you and we the discarnate, approach to welcome you, you will be able to say: – Here we are, Master, recognizing that we are still imperfect servants because we only did what was assigned to us. He, however, being magnanimous, just, and good, will say: – Come to me, children of my Father, enter into the joy of peace.

Much peace, my friends! May the Lord bless you.

Bezerra de Menezes
(Message through the medium Divaldo P. Franco, the night of April 20, 1975, at a public meeting at the Brazilian Spiritst Federation, Brasilia, DF, Brazil.) (Reformador Feb./76)