© 2023 Gaétan G. Charland
© 2023 Urantia Association of Quebec
Gaetan G. Charland
president@urantiaqc.org
Hello dear readers and friends of the association,
As I mentioned in my message from June, this summer period which is often accompanied by travel is an opportunity to meet new people and sometimes, the privilege of sharing the truth that lives within us.
Who says vacation for some, can mean a relaxation of the activities of daily life. But for those who are on the path of spiritual progression, certain activities always remain present in daily life. I am referring here to the daily periods of meditation/worship as well as prayers. The Urantia Book warns us against periods of spiritual fasting, which like fasting from food can lead to destroying hunger.
I remember the first times I incorporated a period of meditation and prayer into my day. At first, my ego rebelled against dedicating twenty to thirty minutes to a period of silence and recollection. After several years of this practice, I cannot imagine starting my day without this period to commune with our Heavenly Father. Even more interesting, the duration has lengthened to often last more than an hour.
For me, vacations can even increase the frequency and duration of these periods of meditative worship. If you are interested in deepening your way of meditating, there is nothing better than referring to booklet 160, where Rodan explains the way Jesus proceeded to commune with his Father. This method was completely natural and did not involve visions, trances, or other forms of mysticism. You can also read this excellent article by Peter Holley entitled: “Meditation in The Urantia Book - The Way of Jesus”, which can be found under the tab, PUBLICATIONS/READERS’ TEXTS on the association’s website: https://urantia-quebec.s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/documents/Lameditation-selon-Jesus.pdf.
But, following the Master’s advice to his apostles, and in order not to succumb to the errors of passive mysticism, he always associated periods of prayer and meditation with service to their neighbor.
Let us keep in mind that our spiritual mission is to promote the Fatherhood of God and the spiritual brotherhood of men. To do this, there is nothing better than service.
To love is to serve.