© 2023 M. José Sánchez
© 2023 Urantia Association of Spain
¶ The perfect time to sow
Once again, after the holiday break, we are resuming our newsletter Luz y Vida this September. In addition, we are looking forward to attending the first national face-to-face meeting after the pandemic, in Ciudad Real.
In this September issue you will once again find reflections, discoveries, study materials, video or audio recommendations, etc., which we hope you will enjoy. We invite you, dear reader, to take this journey with us for another month through The Urantia Book and its fascinating details.
Let’s begin then.
We’ve all had the opportunity to see a baby who is learning to walk, right? Despite falling over and over again in his attempts to walk, he persists in this effort to walk and gets up again tirelessly. The littlest ones are pure energy and pure learning. They are discovering their own body, they are learning about material life, with its possibilities and challenges. We have all gone through that stage, which inevitably allows us to know and delve into what life is like on Earth, in matter, in this universe of space and time.
However, we adults have continued learning; we have not remained in that purely sensorial and motor phase of our development. Have we not continued to progress? Does life drag us along by experiencing sensations such as “I want to eat this hamburger”, “I want to lie on the couch” or “I am interested in seeing all the possible shorts on my cell phone”? Do we act according to primary parameters, limited to the most instinctive, like little animals?
In a striking phrase, the Kabbalah master Mario Sabán gives us the key: either people enter the spiritual world or commit suicide. At this stage of civilization, one cannot live only by matter. Will the latest cell phone model give me satisfaction in my life? Will it perhaps be the brand new car I just bought at the dealership, or the trip to that heavenly place? How many cars, houses or iPhones will we need to feel fulfilled and happy?
We all know the answer. Matter does not give more of itself. We cannot ask of matter something that, in itself, it cannot give. Many movie stars or singers have seen this for themselves: they become successful, they get drunk, they take drugs, they lose themselves. We can ask ourselves: if they had everything, why did they fall? That is the question: they had everything in matter and they thought that they could not continue advancing any further, that this material or social success did not give more of itself. However, these dissatisfied people did not have access to the spiritual part of their life, they lacked the meaning for which to use matter, this instrument of our growth. Matter should be at the service of our project, of the meaning of our life. For example: I buy this car so I can go to work and help my students; I do not accumulate objects or money just like that, I do not endlessly stun myself with sensations.
Jesus knew how to maintain a good balance in his life between the material and spiritual components. He had a dual nature and a dual purpose in his life, which gave meaning to everything:
Always keep in mind the twofold purpose of Michael’s bestowal on Urantia:
- Adquirir la experiencia completa de vivir una vida de criatura humana en carne mortal y culminar su soberanía de Nebadon.
- Revelar al Padre Universal a los moradores mortales de los mundos del tiempo y el espacio y llevar más eficazmente a esos mismos mortales a una mejor comprensión del Padre Universal. UB 128:0.2-4
In our dear Teacher we find a magnificent human who
Joshua ben Joseph knew full well that he was a man, a mortal man, born of woman. This is shown in the selection of his first title, the Son of Man. He was truly a partaker of flesh and blood, and even now, as he presides in sovereign authority over the destinies of a universe, he still bears among his numerous well-earned titles that of Son of Man. It is literally true that the creative Word—the Creator Son—of the Universal Father was “made flesh and dwelt as a man of the realm on Urantia.” He labored, grew weary, rested, and slept. He hungered and satisfied such cravings with food; he thirsted and quenched his thirst with water. He experienced the full gamut of human feelings and emotions; he was “in all things tested, even as you are,” and he suffered and died. (UB 128:1.2)
But he also knew how to be constantly in the divine presence, giving a deep meaning to his life:
After his baptism he thought nothing of permitting his sincere believers and grateful followers to worship him. Even while he wrestled with poverty and toiled with his hands to provide the necessities of life for his family, his awareness that he was a Son of God was growing; he knew that he was the maker of the heavens and this very earth whereon he was now living out his human existence. And the hosts of celestial beings throughout the great and onlooking universe likewise knew that this man of Nazareth was their beloved Sovereign and Creator-father. A profound suspense pervaded the universe of Nebadon throughout these years; all celestial eyes were continuously focused on Urantia—on Palestine. (UB 128:1.13)
The same being who walked with his powerful legs along the dusty roads of Galilee stated:
“And yet, throughout all these years of his life in the flesh he was truly divine. He was actually a Creator Son of the Paradise Father. When once he had espoused his public career, subsequent to the technical completion of his purely mortal experience of sovereignty acquirement, he did not hesitate publicly to admit that he was the Son of God. He did not hesitate to declare, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” He made no protest in later years when he was called Lord of Glory, Ruler of a Universe, the Lord God of all creation, the Holy One of Israel, the Lord of all, our Lord and our God, God with us, having a name above every name and on all worlds, the Omnipotence of a universe, the Universe Mind of this creation, the One in whom are hid all treasures of wisdom and knowledge, the fullness of Him who fills all things, the eternal Word of the eternal God, the One who was before all things and in whom all things consist, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Upholder of a universe, the Judge of all the earth, the Giver of life eternal, the True Shepherd, the Deliverer of the worlds, and the Captain of our salvation.” (UB 128:1.10)
What a great teaching from our Master: he did not shy away from the matter or reject it, but rather he lived it, using it to produce greater growth and expansion.
There are many significant examples in The Urantia Book that show us Jesus of Nazareth living the material life to the full, bringing the “heavenly light” into matter and thus elevating it. For example, we know from The Urantia Book that he had and maintained a family, and he deeply loved all its members. In this way he showed us a great example for families:
Another example: he knew how wise it is to have and manage money as a useful tool in our lives, although he also warns us of the dangers that those who love riches and covet fraudulent goods can encounter.
While he worked with Zebedee, he had only received small sums of money that he sent monthly to his family in Nazareth. Some months Joseph went to Capernaum to get the money and other months Judah passed through Capernaum, received the money from Jesus and took it to Nazareth. UB 129:2.1
Peter said, “Then, Lord, who can be saved? Will all who have riches be excluded from the kingdom?” Jesus replied, “No, Peter, but all who put their trust in riches have little chance of entering into the spiritual life that leads to eternal progress. However, there are many things impossible for man that are not beyond the reach of the Father in heaven; we should rather recognize that with God all things are possible.” UB 163:3.2
But let’s delve a little deeper into this topic and its repercussions on the readers of The Urantia Book. Currently in the West we observe that, broadly speaking, there is a certain tension between two approaches about matter and how to live in it.
If we look at the Eastern philosophies that are so in vogue, they tend to seek elevation or go towards the light, leaving matter, desires or attachments behind. Krishamurti, the Hindu sage, spoke precisely of renouncing the rational mind, because it can deceive us, and we must break free from the bonds of matter or flesh in the mind.
On the other hand, in the West we are surrounded by the materialist approach of Marxism and capitalism, purely material worldviews that understand that everything in life is material or fleshly desires, without any transcendence.
Should we flee, reject matter and its attachments, as the East advocates? Or would it be better to live all material desires, since it is the only thing that really exists?
Let’s not confuse ourselves: not all desires are purely material (as some claim) nor are all desires attachments (as others say). In reality, most desires are not material, although they can be “covered” with matter, since they are desires of the soul.
Let’s imagine this situation: a woman goes into a shoe store and buys a shoe; then 2 more, then she continues buying 3 more pairs, up to 40 pairs, then she reaches 50 pairs. Will the woman be satisfied at that point? Has this excessive consumption responded to her soul’s desire to feel beauty in herself?
What the Master teaches us is the search for balance in life. It would not be about elevating ourselves towards the light, rejecting matter, or living only from the senses and instincts. It would be about bringing to Earth, to our planet, to matter, the kingdom of heaven, just as the Lord’s Prayer says:
Your kingdom come; your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven. (UB 144:3.5-6)
We are, without a doubt, beings living the experience of matter:
Man is a creature of the soil, a child of nature; however hard he may try to escape from the earth, he is ultimately assured of failure. It is literally true of all mankind that “dust thou art, and to dust shalt thou return.” UB 68:6.1
But we are not only made of matter: at the same time we are spiritual beings. This duality in our life is inevitable and is planned for our good, for the best good of the universe:
In every mortal there exists a dual nature: the heritage of animal tendencies and the high impulse of spiritual endowment. During the short life that you live on Urantia, these two distinct and opposing impulses can seldom be fully reconciled, hardly harmonized and unified. But throughout your life the combined Spirit is ever at your side to help you to bring the flesh more and more under the guidance of the Spirit. Although you must live your material life to the full, although you cannot escape the body and its needs, yet you have, in purpose and in ideals, more and more power to bring the animal nature under the dominion of the Spirit. There truly exists within you a conspiracy of spiritual forces, a coalition of divine powers, whose sole purpose is to free you ultimately from material bondage and finite encumbrances. UB 34:6.9
The importance that our Creator gives to matter, to living our lives in it, should make us reflect. What purpose does matter serve us now?
At the level of civilization, it has helped us to have more and more time. For example: if my great-grandparents did not have a refrigerator, they had to dedicate themselves to salting food, making pickles, sausages, etc., something that requires time. Or if my great-great-grandmother did not have a washing machine, she had to go to the river and spend a lot of time washing sheets, clothes, diapers, etc. Technology has helped us, therefore, to have a lot of free time today.
And now, what can we do? We are the first generation that has the great privilege of having a lot of time available, but we also have a lot of existential emptiness, a product precisely of the free time we have. Many of our ancestors fought to ensure that at this point in civilization a generation had so much time available (to study, develop, expand) and, now that we have so much free time, people don’t know what to do with it: they travel all over the world, play video games, etc. People seek fun, but when it reaches a certain level, they become bored or tired of this fun.
We have free time thanks to technology and we have time to meditate on the reality of the universe, for example. Our ancestors, on the other hand, worked hours in the fields, cleaning or in the kitchen. They did not have time to meditate on the meaning of life or reality; only a monk in a monastery had that privilege of study and reflection before. This generation that has entire libraries, immediate access through the Internet, saving time with technology… now, curiously, lives in an existential void.
Medicine and technological advances have also made it possible for us to live longer. For the first time in history, we find people aged 60 who can have a longer life expectancy; they can have 20 or 30 years ahead of them. What can they do now when they retire? What are they going to do with so much time? We should make the most of it, because for centuries our ancestors worked non-stop in order to achieve this current achievement that we enjoy. For generations, humanity had to fight for survival, but now we are not in those conditions of daily struggle for survival to be occupied with nothing more than material things. The historical and crucial moment has arrived in which we can no longer escape from the soul, from spirituality. Matter no longer gives us any more: we need to live our lives with meaning, we need something with depth, with substance, in our lives.
Now is the time to be able to show the world the unparalleled teachings of our beloved Creator and Master. These teachings can fill the current existential void and give meaning to our lives. Readers of The Urantia Book have fertile ground around us, like new sowers, in the image of that ancient parable that Jesus of Nazareth told about a boat. And like that sower, we will have obstacles and problems, but it does not matter, because as Thomas said in his interpretation of that story, we do not have control over all things:
Jesus nodded, and Thomas said, “Brethren, I do not wish to prolong this discussion, but if you wish, I will tell you that I think this parable was told to teach us a great truth. And that is, no matter how hard we strive to execute our divine mission effectively and faithfully, the success of our teaching of the gospel of the kingdom will vary greatly, and that all these differences in outcome will be a direct consequence of the conditions inherent in the circumstances of our ministry, conditions over which we have little or no control.” UB 151:2.6
Let us respond to the hope of so many generations that fought and suffered to achieve this current moment: time to develop spiritually in this material universe. Now is the perfect time to sow.
¶ References
- Index of the magazine “Luz y Vida” of the Association of Spain
- This article from the magazine “Luz y Vida Online”