fr-Chapter 47 - Materialism and Spiritualism

The Effect of Prevailing Materialism

1. Truly, I tell you, many will flee from my teaching out of fear of becoming spiritual; yet it will be neither reason nor the spirit that speaks within them, but the base passions of the "flesh."

2. When a soul lives devoted to the truth, it flees materialism as one who removes oneself from a contaminated environment. The elevated soul finds its happiness in morality—where peace reigns, where love dwells. (99, 41-42)

3. Examine my word until you are certain of its purity and truth. Only thus will you be able to walk your path courageously and remain steadfast in the face of the intrusion of materialistic ideas that threaten the soul. For materialism is death, is darkness, is a yoke and poison for the soul. Never exchange the light or the freedom of your soul for earthly bread or for meager material goods!

4. Truly, I tell you: Whoever trusts in My Law and perseveres in faith until the end will never lack material sustenance, and in the moments of his union with My Spirit, he will always receive the bread of eternal life through My infinite mercy. (34, 61-62)

5. Materialism stands in the way of the soul's development as an immense obstacle. Before this wall, humanity has come to a standstill.

6. You find yourselves in a world where humanity has been able to develop its intellectual faculties in the application of material science. But its judgment regarding the existence of the spiritual is still limited; its understanding of all that does not belong entirely to matter has lagged behind. (271, 37-38)

7. The trials your world is undergoing are the signs of the end of an age; they are the downfall or the death throes of an era of materialism; for materialism has been present in your science, in your goals, and in your passions. Materialism has determined your worship of Me and all your works.

8. Love of the world, greed for earthly things, the lust of the flesh, the pleasure derived from all base desires, selfishness, self-love, and pride were the forces with which you created a life in accordance with your intelligence and your human will, the fruits of which I allowed you to reap so that your experience might be made complete.

9. Yet if this age, which is now coming to an end, is to be marked by materialism in the history of humanity—truly, I tell you, the new age will be distinguished by its spirituality. For in it, the conscience and the will of the Spirit will establish on earth a world of beings who are magnanimous through love—a life in which one feels the Spirit of the Father vibrating in the spirit of the children, because then all the gifts and abilities that today lie hidden within your being will have infinity as their field of activity. (305, 41-42)

The Essence of Spiritualism

10. Spiritualism is not a mixture of religions. It is the purest and most perfect teaching in its simplicity; it is the light of God descending upon the human spirit in this "Third Era." (273, 50)

11. I have called Spiritualism the revelation that speaks to you of the life of the Spirit, that teaches you to communicate directly with your Father, and that elevates you above material life.

12. Truly, I tell you, Spiritualism is nothing new, nor does it belong solely to this age; rather, it has been a revelation that has been increasingly unveiled in harmony with the spiritual development of humanity.

13. Since the teaching I give you is Spiritualism, which teaches you perfect love for God and your neighbors and invites you onto the path that leads to perfection, Spiritualism was also what the Law of God taught you in the "First Era," and the Word of Christ in the Second Era. (289, 20-22)

14. Spiritualism is not a religion; it is the same teaching that I spread throughout the world in the person of Jesus as a guide for all people of all times. It is My teaching of love, justice, understanding, and forgiveness.

15. In this "Third Era," I have spoken to you with greater clarity due to your spiritual, physical, and intellectual development. (359, 60-61)

16. Spiritualism destroys customs and traditions established by humans that have held the soul back. Spiritualism is the uninterrupted development and elevation of the soul, which purifies and perfects itself through its abilities and qualities until it reaches its Creator. Spiritualism reveals the way in which the soul expresses, feels, and receives its Lord. Spiritualism liberates the soul and brings it to full development.

17. The spiritual is universal power and universal light, which is in all things and belongs to all. My teachings should not seem strange to anyone.

18. The attributes of the Spirit are unchanging, for they are virtues of My Divinity, eternal powers. Understand, however, that depending on how you have lived, the purity you can demonstrate will be greater or lesser. (214, 57–59)

Who can rightly call themselves a Spiritualist?

19. Whoever has attained a certain spirituality through their perseverance, their development, and their love for the Father's teachings will be a spiritualist, even if their lips do not utter it.

20. Whoever has faith and shows generosity in their actions will reflect what their spirit possesses. (236, 27-28)

21. The Spiritualist knows that the Almighty is in all things, that the world, the universe, and infinity are permeated by My essence and My presence.

22. Whoever recognizes and comprehends Me in this way is a living temple of God and will no longer materialize the revelations of the Spirit through symbols or images. (213, 31-32)

23. Spiritualism is the revelation that unveils and teaches you all that you possess and carry within you. It enables you to recognize that you are a work of God, that you are not merely matter, that there is something beyond your "flesh" that elevates you above the level of the nature that surrounds you and above the filth of your passions.

24. When a person attains spirituality, every commandment and every teaching will become a part of the light of his soul. Even if his memory retains not a single sentence or word of My instruction, he will carry its essence within himself, because he has understood it, because he feels it and follows it. (240, 17-18)

25. The good spiritualist will be the one who, despite all poverty in material goods, feels like a master, rich, and happy, because he knows that his Father loves him, that he has brothers and sisters to love, and that the treasures of the world are secondary to the riches of the soul.

26. He, too, will be a good spiritualist who, as the owner of material goods, knows how to use them for good purposes and employs them as means given to him by God to fulfill an important mission on earth.

27. It is not absolutely necessary to be poor, despised, or miserable to count oneself among those who follow Me, just as it is not necessary to belong to those who suffer in order to be loved by Me. In truth, I tell you that, according to My will, you are always to be strong, healthy, and the owners of all that I have created for you.

28. When will you understand that you are the owners of your inheritance, that you should appreciate every grace, and give everything its rightful place in life? (87, 28-30)

Spiritualism in Religions and Denominations

29. Today, people are living through an era of confusion because they have not understood that their entire life and all their efforts are meant to lead them to the unfolding of their spirit, the goal of which is the dialogue of their spirit with that of the Creator.

30. The cult to which the majority of people profess allegiance today is materialism.

31. As long as religious doctrines and faiths insist on their differences, the world will continue to nurture its hatred and will be unable to take the decisive step toward true worship of God.

32. But when will people understand and unite with one another, thereby taking the first step toward mutual love, if there are still those who, believing they possess the key or the secret to the salvation of souls and the keys to eternal life, refuse to acknowledge all those who follow other paths because, in their view, they are unworthy to come to God?

33. Therefore, become aware of the true goal of Spiritualism, whose teaching stands above every denomination, every human ideology, and every sect. (297, 38–41)

34. Spiritualism is not a new teaching that seeks to surpass the development of the doctrines of past ages—no, it is the same revelation as that of the first and second "ages." It is the foundation of all religions, which I wish to remind humanity of in these times of division, so that it may not forget its origins.

35. The works of man, his customs, and the ways of appealing to the senses to flatter himself and take pride in his various religions stand in contradiction to what My work seeks to reveal to the world. (363, 9)

36. In this time, I give you new teachings to ponder—teachings of love that will redeem and uplift you, truths that, though bitter, are meant to be a light on your path.

37. Spiritualism in this age, just as Christianity was in the past, will be fought against and persecuted with anger, cruelty, and fury; yet in the midst of the struggle, the spiritual will make itself known, performing miracles and winning hearts.

38. Materialism, selfishness, pride, and love of the world will be the forces that rise up against this revelation, which is neither new nor different from the one I brought to you in times past . The teaching I have now revealed to you, and to which you give the name Spiritualism, is the core of the Law and the teaching revealed to you in the "First" and "Second Era."

39. When humanity comprehends the truth of this teaching, its justice, and the infinite insights it reveals, it will banish all fear and prejudice from its heart and make it the guiding principle of its life. (24, 48–51)

40. Truly, I tell you, there are Spiritualists scattered throughout all parts of the world—mature individuals who will bring about peace for humanity.

41. Yet I tell you that the union among spiritualists throughout the world will not come about through the organization of a new church, for their strength will not be material. Their unity will be intellectual, ideal, and in their work, and in this way their power will be invincible, since they have drawn it from the Eternal Source that is in My Spirit.

42. To all of them I inspire My truth and also visit them, so that all impurities may depart from their hearts and minds, for these must not mingle with My light.

43. You all have a duty to ensure that the spiritualist teaching is explained and made clearly understandable through your spiritual abilities, and is not tainted by human philosophies. (299, 30–32)

44. Truly, I tell you, the history of Spiritualism will be written in shining letters in the history of humanity.

45. Did not Israel make itself immortal through its liberation from the Egyptian yoke? Did not the Christians, in their triumphal march, make themselves immortal through love? Likewise, the Spiritualists will make themselves immortal in their struggle for the freedom of the spirit. (8, 64-65)