fr-Chapter 34 - Free Will and Conscience
The Significance of Conscience and Free Will
1. Listen, disciples: Human beings possess free will and conscience as spiritual gifts; all come into the world endowed with virtues and are able to make use of them. The light of conscience is within their souls; but as the body develops, so too do the passions and evil inclinations, and these are in conflict with the virtues.
2. God allows this to happen, for without struggle there is no merit, and this is therefore necessary for you to ascend on the spiritual path. What merit would the children of God have if they did not struggle? What would you do if you lived filled with happiness, as you long for in the world? Surrounded by comforts and riches, can you expect spiritual progress? You would stand still; for where there is no struggle, there is no merit.
3. But do not misunderstand; for when I speak of struggle, I mean that which you engage in to overcome your weaknesses and passions. These struggles are the only ones I permit among people, so that they may master their selfishness and material pursuits, that the soul, enlightened by the Spirit, may take its true place.
4. I approve of this inner struggle, but not of that which people wage in their desire for self-aggrandizement, blinded by ambition and malice. (9, 42-44)
5. The soul strives to achieve its ascent and progress, while "the flesh" repeatedly succumbs to the temptations of the world. Yet soul and body could harmonize with one another if both would only make use of what rightfully belongs to them , and this is what My teaching shows you.
6. How can you practice my law at all times? By listening to the voice of conscience, which is the judge of your actions. I command you nothing that you cannot fulfill. I wish to convince you that the path to happiness is not a fantasy, but that it exists, and I reveal to you here how to walk it.
7. You have the freedom to choose the path, yet it is my duty as a Father to show you the true one, the shortest one—the one that is always illuminated by the light of the divine beacon, which is my love for you. For you are disciples who thirst to hear ever new words that confirm your knowledge and enliven your faith. (148, 53–55)
8. I have placed conscience within your being so that it may be the guiding principle in all your ways, for conscience is able to distinguish good from evil and what is right from what is wrong. With this light, you cannot be deceived nor called ignorant. How could the spiritualist deceive his neighbor or seek to deceive himself if he knows the truth? (10, 32)
9. Man on earth is a prince, to whom My love and My justice have given this title, and the mission he received from the beginning was to rule over the earth.
10. Over the divine gift of his free will, I placed a radiant beacon to illuminate his life's path: the conscience.
11. Freedom to act and the light of conscience to distinguish good from evil are two of the greatest gifts that My Fatherly love bequeathed to your spirit. They are within man even before he is born and also after he has died. Conscience guides him and does not separate from him in despair, nor in the loss of reason, nor in the agony of death, because it is deeply united with the spirit. (92, 32-34)
12. The soul rejoices in the freedom of will, by means of which it is to earn merits in order to attain salvation.
13. Who guides, directs, or advises the soul on its free path of development, so that it may distinguish the permissible from the impermissible and thus not go astray? Conscience
14. Conscience is the divine spark, a higher light and a power that helps man not to sin. What merit would there be in man if conscience possessed material power to compel him to remain in the good?
15. I want you to know that the merit lies in listening to that voice, in convincing yourselves that it never lies nor errs in what it advises, and in faithfully following its instructions.
16. As you can surely understand, it requires training and self-reflection to be able to hear that voice clearly. Which of you are currently practicing this obedience? Answer for yourselves.
17. Conscience has always manifested itself in human beings; but humanity has not reached the necessary level of development to allow its entire life to be guided by that light. It requires laws, teachings, regulations, religions, and counsel.
18. When people come to connect with their spirit, and, instead of seeking the spiritual in the external world, seek it within themselves, they will be able to hear the gentle, persuasive, wise, and just voice that has always been alive within them, though they did not listen to it, and they will understand that in the spirit is the presence of God, that He is the true Mediator through whom man is to connect with his Father and Creator. (287, 26–30)
19. You all have My light within you; every soul possesses this grace; but while in some this light has grown ever stronger, expanding outward to make itself known, in others it remains only in a secret, hidden, and unconscious state. But truly, I tell you: No matter how spiritually backward a person may be, he will always be able to distinguish between good and evil, which is why you are all accountable to Me for your deeds.
20. I must tell you that your responsibility grows in proportion to the increase of your knowledge, for you will then become ever more sensitive to the promptings of conscience. (310, 69 70)
21. I want you to know that among all the creatures of this world, you are the favored beings who have been endowed with spirit and conscience. I have given you free will so that, of your own free will, you may take the right path that leads to Me. It is not a flower-strewn path that I offer you, but one of prayer, penance, and struggle, and your conscience shall guide you along this path. (58, 42)
22. What would become of the spirit if it were deprived of its free will? First and foremost, it would not be a spirit, and therefore it would not be a creature worthy of the Most High. It would be something like those machines you manufacture, something without a life of its own, without intelligence, without will, without ambition. (20, 37)
23. I gave man free will. Yet if, in his delusion, he should go so far as to reproach Me for this, I will tell him that I also gave him willpower and reason. At the same time, I revealed to him My law, which is the path to avoid stumbling or going astray, and kindled within him the light of conscience, which is the inner beacon that illuminates the soul's path and leads it to eternal life.
24. Why does sin exist, why does evil prevail, and why do wars break out? Because man does not listen to the voice of conscience and makes poor use of his free will. (46, 63-64)
25. The world does not hear Me, for the voice of these bodies through which I make Myself known has only a limited range. Therefore, it is the voice of the Spirit—which is My wisdom—that speaks to people and surprises many who, under the spell of their selfishness, are otherwise deaf to the calls of that voice, paying attention only to flattery and earthly prestige, and intoxicated by their social status and power. (164, 18)
The Abuse of Free Will
26. Today I find a humanity that is spiritually weakened as a result of the abuse it has committed with the gift of free will. I laid out a path of justice, love, mercy, and goodness. Man has created another path of apparent light that has led him to ruin.
27. At My return, My Word will show you precisely that path you did not wish to take, and it would be unjust and unreasonable for anyone to say that this teaching causes confusion or indifference. (126, 5-6)
28. Look at how people destroy and hate one another, snatching power from one another without shying away from crime, deceit, or betrayal. There are millions who die as victims of their fellow human beings, and others who perish under the influence of vice. Is there any light within them? Does the Spirit that lives within them speak? What is there is darkness and pain, the result of the abuse of the gift of free will and of not heeding the inner voice, and because people did not focus their attention on the light of that divine spark which you all carry within your being, which is the divine ray of light that you call conscience. (79, 31)
29. Free will is the highest expression, the most perfect gift of freedom granted to man on his life's journey, so that his perseverance in goodness—which he has attained through the counsel of conscience and through the struggle in enduring trials—may lead him to the Father's bosom. Yet free will has been replaced by licentiousness; conscience is ignored; people listen only to the demands of the world, and spirituality has been replaced by materialism.
30. In the face of such great confusion and so many deviations, My teaching will seem absurd to the people of this age. Yet I tell you that it is the true instruction to enable people to free themselves from the lethargy into which they have fallen. (157, 15-16)
31. My Word is the Way, is the Divine Law that leads you to perfection; it is the Light that elevates the soul, which, however, was clouded when the "flesh," with its stubbornness, prevailed and did not heed the inner call of its spirit.
32. Woe then to the soul that, driven by the "flesh," has yielded and allowed itself to be dominated by the influence of the world around it, thereby exchanging its position of leadership for that of a defenseless being tossed about by human passions and weaknesses, just as dry leaves are whirled aimlessly by the wind.
33. The person who loves freedom most fears submitting to the divine will, out of fear that his spirit will ultimately subdue him and deprive him of many human pleasures, which he knows are harmful to him; and so he leaves the path that leads him to true life. (97, 36)
34. The time when people have used their free will to pursue pleasures, base passions, enmities, and revenge is now coming to an end. My justice blocks the paths of sin and instead opens the way of reconciliation and renewal, so that people may find the path of peace they have sought in vain by other means. (91, 80)
35. I gave you the gift of free will and have respected that blessed freedom granted to My children. But I also placed the Divine Light of the Spirit within your being so that, guided by it, you might direct your abilities along the right path. Yet I tell you: In the struggle between the soul and the body, the soul has suffered a defeat, a painful fall that has gradually distanced it more and more from the Source of Truth, which I am.
36. Its defeat is not final; it is temporary; for it will rise from the depths of its abyss when it can no longer endure its hunger, its thirst, its nakedness, and its darkness. Pain will be its salvation, and when it then hears the voice of its Spirit, it will rise up strong and radiant, fervent and inspired, and once again make use of its abilities. However, no longer with that freedom to use them for good or evil, but by dedicating them solely to the fulfillment of the divine laws, which is the best worship you can offer to my Spirit. (257, 65–66)
The Necessity of Following the Impulses of Conscience
37. How far removed from reality are millions of beings at present who live only for their material present! How could they open their eyes to reality? Only by listening to the voice of conscience— , that voice which requires concentration, reflection, and prayer to be heard. (169, 16)
38. Whenever you wish to know whether the path you are following is that of upward development, you should consult your conscience; and if there is peace within it, and if love for your neighbor and goodwill toward your fellow human beings dwell in your heart, you will be certain that your light still shines and your word comforts and heals.
39. But if you should discover that greed, ill will, materialism, and lust have taken root in your heart, you can be certain that your light has turned to darkness, to deception. Do you want—when the Father calls you home—to present an impure harvest instead of golden wheat? (73, 45)
40. Disciples: If you do not wish to commit errors or mistakes, examine your actions in the light of your conscience, and if there is anything that clouds it, search yourselves thoroughly, and you will discover the blemish so that you may correct it.
41. There is a mirror within you in which you can look at yourselves and see whether you are pure or not.
42. The spiritualist shall be known by his deeds, which, to be pure, must be dictated by conscience. Whoever acts thus will feel that he rightly calls himself My disciple.
43. Who could deceive Me? No one. I do not judge you by what you do, but by the intention with which you do it. I am in your conscience and beyond it. How can you believe that I cannot know your deeds and their motives? (180, 11-13)
The Struggle Between Free Will and Conscience
44. When the first human beings inhabited the earth, the Creator placed His love within them and gave them a soul, kindling His light in their spirit, while at the same time granting them free will.
45. Yet while some strove to remain steadfast in goodness, fighting all temptations with the aim of remaining pure, worthy of the Lord, and in harmony with their consciences, others forged, link by link, a chain of sins, moving from sin to sin and from one transgression to the next, guided only by the voice of their senses and ruled by their passions, and sowing error and temptation among their fellow human beings.
46. But alongside these confused souls, My prophets have also come as angelic messengers of My Divinity to awaken humanity, to warn it of the dangers, and to announce My coming. (250, 38–39)
47. The "flesh" was too stubborn and rebellious to follow the guidance of that inner light called conscience, and it found it much easier to follow the impulses that led it to the unbridled indulgence of its instincts and passions.
48. For a long time, humanity has walked the path of life on this earth in a fierce struggle between the conscience, which has never been silent, and the "flesh," which seeks to make materialism its cult and its law, without either matter or spirit having prevailed to this day, for the struggle continues.
49. You ask Me who will prevail? And I tell you that it will not be long before the absolute victory of conscience, which is brought about through the soul within the "flesh."
50. Do you not sense that after so much struggle and such a long struggle, the body, which is human and transitory, must bow to the Spirit, who is My eternal Light?
51. Understand that after such a long conflict, man will finally attain that sensitivity and yieldingness which he has never before possessed toward that voice and that spiritual life that vibrates and lives within his being.
52. You are all moving toward this point without realizing it. Yet when you one day witness the victory of good and justice on earth, you will understand the reason for the struggle, the battles, and the trials. (317, 21–26)
53. Behold how man stands before and above all that surrounds him; that he is the only being endowed with free will and conscience. From this free will have all the errors, downfalls, and sins of mankind originated. But these are transient transgressions before the justice and eternity of the Creator. For afterward, the conscience will prevail over the weaknesses of the body and the susceptibility of the soul. Thus will come the victory of the Light, which is knowledge over the darkness that signifies ignorance. It will be the victory of the Good—which is love, justice, and harmony—over the evil that is selfishness, licentiousness, and injustice. (295, 49)
54. Nothing is impossible for Me; My will has been fulfilled and always will be, even if it occasionally seems as though it is the will of man that prevails, and not Mine.
55. The path of man's free will, his dominion on earth, the victories of his pride, the coercion he sometimes imposes through the use of force—these are so fleeting in comparison to eternity that, while they may in a certain sense alter the divine plans; but tomorrow or in the course of their fulfillment, the will of my Spirit will increasingly reveal itself to all beings , allowing the good to endure and eliminating the impure. (280, 9-10)
56. The time will come when the boundaries of this world will be dissolved by love and when the worlds will draw closer to one another through spiritualization.
57. Until then, the struggle between conscience and free will will continue, which man will use and exploit to make of his life whatever pleases him.
58. The struggle between these two forces will reach its climax, and victory will lean toward the side of the spirit, who, in an absolute surrender of love to his Father, will say to Him: "Lord, I renounce my free will; accomplish Your will in me alone."
59. I will bless the one who comes before Me in this way and envelop him in My light; yet I will let him know that I will never again take away from him that blessed freedom with which he was gifted. For whoever does the will of his Father, whoever is faithful and obedient, is worthy of his Lord's trust. (213, 61–64)
Sharpening of the Conscience through the New Word of God
60. My teaching, full of light and love, strengthens the spirit so that it may exercise its power over the "flesh" and make it so sensitive that the promptings of conscience become ever more easily perceptible to it.
61. Spirituality is the goal to which man should aspire, for through it he will be able to become fully one with his conscience and ultimately distinguish good from evil.
62. For due to the lack of spiritual elevation in people, that profound and wise, unwavering and just inner voice could not be sufficiently heard and interpreted, and therefore man has not attained unrestricted knowledge that truly allows him to distinguish good from evil.
63. But not only this; he must also find within himself the necessary strength to follow every good impulse and obey every luminous inspiration, while at the same time rejecting every temptation, every dishonest or evil thought or emotional impulse. (329, 56–57)
64. How easy it will be for people to understand one another if they become still within themselves and hear the voice of their higher reason, the voice of that Judge whom they do not want to hear because they know that He commands them the exact opposite of what they are currently doing.
65. I can also tell you that if you were not willing to heed the promptings of your conscience, you have not been obedient or willing to put my teaching into practice. You acknowledge it in theory, but you do not apply it in practice. You speak of its divine essence—saying that Christ was very great, and that His teaching is perfect. But no one wants to be great like the Master; no one wants to come to Him by truly taking Him as a model. Yet you must know that I did not come merely so that you might know that I am great, but also so that you might all become so. (287, 35-36)
66. I will gather all people and all nations around My new message; I will call them as the shepherd calls his sheep, and I will provide them with the peace of a stable where they may find refuge from harsh weather and storms.
67. You will yet witness how many, though they seemingly have not the slightest trace of faith or spirituality, have preserved the immortal principles of spiritual life in the purest part of their soul—you will yet recognize how many of those who appear to you as if they had no worship of God at all carry within the innermost part of their being an indestructible altar.
68. Before this inner altar, people will have to kneel spiritually to weep over their transgressions, their evil deeds, and their offenses, in sincere repentance for their disobedience. There, before the altar of conscience, human pride will crumble, so that people will no longer consider themselves superior on the basis of their race. Then will come the acts of renunciation, reparation, and finally peace as the lawful fruit of love and humility, of faith and good will. (321, 9–11)