© 2014 Urantia Association of Spain
| Convergences and Divergences: How long does it take to get to Paradise? | Luz y Vida — No. 36 — March 2014 — Index | News from Urantia Association of Spain |
Juan Ismael Gracia Josa has been secretary of the Urantia Spain Association since 2012. Born in 1971, this Aragonese has lived in Tortosa (Tarragona) since 1995. After a varied and diverse work experience, since 2007 he has run a store/warehouse dedicated to the distribution of decorative paints for both professionals and the general public. He is married and is the father of two girls. He began reading The Urantia Book on January 1, 2009.
¶ 1. How did you get to “The Urantia Book” and why do you think you found it?
Like many others, Benítez’s “Trojan Horses” helped me develop enough curiosity in me to seriously seek the universal Father and Jesus of Nazareth. The way of speaking and doing, the closeness and humanity of that “new” Jesus captivated me, but I needed to know more. It was as if he were entering through some kind of “door” but had not quite gone through. Until one day, in another of Benitez’s books, “Lucifer’s Rebellion,” the final acknowledgment page mentioned the “Urantia manuscripts.” I became interested in them and researched through the Internet. I finally looked it up in a bookstore and bought it.
I think I found it because it was the right time for me and because I really needed it. A time before surely I would have disdained it. The Father is very wise and administers the “tempos” perfectly
¶ 2. What was your first impression when reading it?
I had a bad time in the Prologue, because it overwhelmed me. I thought that what was there was too dense and that I was not prepared for it because my academic training is not very extensive. But “something” inside me told me to keep going and I did. As I progressed in reading, I found myself more and more comfortable and little by little I began to understand many of the concepts that at first overwhelmed me. The general idea or message is easily understood by anyone. Later on, I better assimilated the more complicated concepts based on rereading and reflecting more deeply, and also largely thanks to the help and opinions of my classmates from the Vilanova study group. Conversations in these groups are enriching.
Over time, I sincerely believe that if my thirst for truth and knowledge had not been so strong and sincere, it would have been impossible for me to digest it. Without a minimum dose of curiosity, courage, sincerity and honesty, or however you want to define this kind of cocktail, it is difficult to face this Revelation, because you immediately understand that you have always been wrong in many things that you considered fundamental in your life. life. Almost from the beginning you realize that this book is going to change you profoundly, you understand that you will never be the same as when you started reading it.
The first reading gave me a totally new overview of reality, fascinating and so coherent that I was deeply satisfied. I knew that I had finally found well-argued and coherent answers to almost all those questions accumulated for years inside me. I was finally beginning to understand that God-Father that I had been told about since I was little but that I couldn’t quite believe. At last I was beginning to understand our dear Jesus. I was finally beginning to realize the meaning of Life and the meaning of reality, the why of things. I had finally found a “specific direction” and I had to follow it as far as it took me… and that’s where we are.
¶ 3. At what point in the reading (document, sentence, etc.) did you accept that “The Urantia Book” is really what it claims to be?
I remember that the first five documents of the first part, those that talk about God, his nature and his relationship with the creation of things and beings, left me fascinated and without a doubt reached me to the depths. I remember that at some point in these chapters the Plan of God was detailed, the Plan of progressive perfection. When I grasped the immensity of what was explained to me there, I remember that a kind of energy began to run through me from head to toe, it was like an outburst of joy that you cannot contain, it is as if your body could not "hold » what seems to want to come out of you, and then I began to cry with joy like a child. I had found in that book the most coherent answer I had ever felt about my main concern since I was a child: why? What sense does it all have? What am I here for?
That was the moment I accepted this book as true. The rest of the book all he did was corroborate that certainty.
¶ 4. How has “The Urantia Book” changed your life?
I’m basically the same as always. I’m still a nervous wreck but much calmer. I believe that the entire philosophical approach of this work has provided me with new tools that help me face life in a more leisurely but more effective way. This knowledge has given me a security and confidence that I lacked before. And above all, it has given me the necessary and essential patience for this great “journey” that I am beginning right now.
Now I understand the importance of living a life and my life, of taking advantage of this time and doing it not only as well as possible but also as correct as possible. Now I am more interested in moments, relationships, quality. Before, I paid too much interest to many things that weren’t really that important. In any case, the person who can give the best opinion about whether or not I have undergone changes is my wife. She is not a UB reader but she always tells me: “Ismael… keep going!” I guess that’s a good sign.
I very sincerely believe that the most important thing of all regarding my previous life is not whether or not it has undergone changes, which there certainly have been, but that the UB has made me aware of its nobility. I have lifted that burden of guilt for merely being a mortal that the ancient religions imposed on thousands of generations and that is so ingrained in the collective unconscious even if you are not very religious. I have freed myself from many ties that oppressed me and from many fears, and that relief increases my desire to “fly” even higher, as high as I can go but little by little, slowly but surely. There is a saying that I love that says: “life has to be lived with your feet on the ground but with your eyes on the stars”.
¶ 5. Has the faith you had before reading it changed? In what way?
And so much! Before, I only believed in myself and my abilities. Now I still have faith in myself, but I have much more faith in God and his wisdom, his justice and his goodness; especially in his loving nature. Beginning to understand a little that Love has made me more humble and grateful, and from that humility and gratitude is where my faith in the Universal Father is born. And I can see that, although life continues to “slap” me from time to time, my faith in God is strong and increases with time. I have understood that I am not alone, he is always “there” and he shows it to me every day. That is comforting and gives me tremendous security.
¶ 6. Is there a point (or points) of the revelation that you find difficult to accept?
Leaving aside the translation errors in the 1993 edition, which were glaring and created misunderstandings, what was most difficult for me to accept at first was the issue of eugenics. I had to read it several times in depth to understand it better. I finally felt relief because at first glance it seemed too harsh for a general message of love.
This episode taught me that when you read UB, you have to leave all preconceived ideas out. You must read it with objectivity, an open mind and a critical spirit, otherwise you can misinterpret it. In the same way, you cannot peck at individual paragraphs because it is very counterproductive.
I believe that the internal earthquake that occurs in us when the UB is read is not instantaneous or standardized. It totally depends on how “loaded” our “backpack” is. That is why I understand that many readers clash head-on with some of the concepts presented in the book, but if their hunger for truth is sincere, little by little they “reorder” themselves internally. Sometimes by themselves, sometimes with the help of peers. Of course, inner spiritual influences also do their part to make it so.
¶ 7. What is the part that has most deeply impressed you?
There have been many. As I have discussed before, the description of God and his nature along with his plan of perfection is what struck me deeply at first. But then many other aspects have also impressed me. For example, knowing in detail who Jesus really was. The explanation of the work of the Creator Sons and their bestowals is spectacular. It is comforting to know that in the universe even a divine being must earn his authority by working as hard as anyone else, being able to even live a mortal life with all the consequences that entails and without using his power. And also, of course, all the information about the Thought Adjuster and the soul, which is very special to me. It is the bottom of the question of mortal life.
¶ 8. How do you understand that of doing “the will of the Father”?
First we must try to understand what that will is: “Be perfect as I am perfect.” I believe that the Father wants us to live fully and without fear. For me, doing his will is LIVING with all that it entails. Sometimes I think: if God were in my place with my abilities, my time, my environment, what would he do? I have come to the conclusion that surely what I would do would be to make the most of that life because it will never happen again. Take advantage of it not in the sense of a simple search for happiness, but in the sense of feeling, doing, saying, thinking, etc., everything that gives time and above all in the most correct way possible following that line of perfection expressed by he. Making the most of life, making the most of what it has to offer, while making the most of all the capabilities one has while trying to mitigate/control its “impurities”. For me, that is right now the will of the Father in relation to a mortal being; This is my way of interpreting it.
That is why it is so important to seek God, because the more you know about him, the more you like him and the more you want to be like him. And that desire is what I believe to be the main force that transforms man by creating new habits and higher ways of thinking that result in better adaptation and better progress. But of course, that needs its times, and that is why the Father in his wisdom gave us ALL the time in the world to have time to perfect ourselves… if we want, of course.
In any case, we should not be overwhelmed by the difficulty of this universal path of improvement. God knows about this difficulty and that is why he is not so interested in our results but rather in our intention and dedication. He is very “cool” with honesty.
¶ 9. Have you become aware of the presence of your Adjuster?
The answer is Yes, but it is something so intimate, personal and deep that words do not serve or exist to explain it. If I have learned anything from UB, it is that the spiritual experience of each being is totally original and personal. Therefore, mine can only be understood and lived in depth by myself. That’s why I can’t say anything more about it.
¶ 10. Have you tried to put the Master’s teaching into practice? What was the result?
Yes, in fact I continually try in any facet of my life. His teaching was basically to love and serve with the security and confidence of knowing that he was a child of a universe of goodness and of a God-Father of Love. Result: many “slaps”… but curiously, although sometimes they are very painful, instead sinking have the opposite effect, they encourage me to continue. The personal satisfaction of knowing that what you do is good, true, and beautiful is greater than the disappointment that accompanies those “slaps.” In any case, and as it happens to all of us, I have very good days and moments but I also have very bad days and moments… although I always try to find the balance. There is a very widespread spiral of distrust of others in society, so much so that it is difficult to help those who do not allow themselves to be helped, who paradoxically is the one who normally needs it the most and asks for the least help. Also, when you behave or speak with “Urantian spirit”, people look at you as a freak. Sometimes you manage to reach some people and perhaps arouse their curiosity, but most do not understand that this spiral of mistrust (of fear in short) can only be appeased precisely by trusting and opening the heart and mind.
Loving attitudes, cordial words, affection, help, sincerity, honesty, true humility, patience, hope, etc., are the tools available to us to change those destructive inertias derived from fear. The Master got sick of saying it over and over again during his life. His teachings are imbued with all that message.
The good thing about all this is that the Master’s teachings are known to everyone (although they are not as detailed and extensive as in the UB) and they are easy to develop and understand, but most people turn their backs on them and that It’s a pity, because the world needs them. On top of that, there is a tremendous spiritual hypocrisy that “soaks” society, dehumanizing it and that is the real culprit for the generational disaffection towards religiosity.
Therefore, if thanks to the UB Jesus and the Truth enter you definitively, we must be consistent and honest. Despite the slaps that we have to take non-stop in a world as complicated as today’s, we must continue and live inspired by his message. The small grain that each one of us is capable of planting during our lives is important, for us of course, but also for the whole wheat field.
“Doing is better than not doing, if big things cannot be done, we will make them small, but we will do them”, said Vicente Ferrer. “You must not learn so much not to do evil… what you have to learn to do better is to do good”, said the Master. I always try to keep these two phrases in mind.
¶ 11. Do you think that “The Urantia Book” has something “mysterious” that makes not everyone decide to read it?
I don’t think that’s the reason why people don’t decide to read it. Precisely what most people like a lot is magic and mystery. The real reason is that not everyone is ready because their “time” has not come. If there is any mystery, it is how this book makes its way to reach who it has to reach. I’m not talking about reaching any “chosen one” or anything like that, I’m talking about reaching those who really need it.
What does seem a bit mysterious to me is that no organized religion has seriously and officially attacked this revelation, taking into account that the UB unmasks, although always with respect, its defects and shortcomings.
¶ 12. Is there anything else you would like to say regarding The Urantia Book?
Just to emphasize that we are very lucky to have received this gift and that we must make the most of it. It is a source of knowledge in which lies an enormous potential capable of transforming the entire world. Sometimes I wonder if we readers are really aware of it.
“The truth will set you free,” said the Master. And, as in everything he said… he was right.
¶ References
- Light and Life Magazine (all old issues): https://aue.urantia-association.org/numeros-antiguos-del-lyv/
| Convergences and Divergences: How long does it take to get to Paradise? | Luz y Vida — No. 36 — March 2014 — Index | News from Urantia Association of Spain |