© 2014 Mariano Pérez
© 2014 Urantia Association of Spain
Good afternoon, dear brothers and sisters, seekers of Truth. Thank you for sharing this work, these reflections, on worship and also on meditation.
I already did a brief work on this subject some time ago, which also included prayer, but now, on this occasion, I’ve expanded it to include worship and meditation; above all, I’ve delved much deeper into the depths of knowledge and wisdom offered to us by the fifth revelation: The Urantia Book.
Initially, when Ricardo Nieto asked me for the title of this work, I included three topics: Worship, Prayer, and Meditation. However, due mainly to the breadth of the topic, I had to decide against including anything related to prayer in this talk-conference, as it is a broad topic in itself and warrants a separate work. And this inconvenience has “coincidentally” led to what this work was supposed to be: worship and meditation, which are closely related and closely intertwined, as we will see throughout the talk.
There are several papers that, to a greater or lesser extent, address the issues that concern us today, either by telling us about the historical evolution of our planet, especially with regard to worship, or through the contributions of the various spiritual beings involved in this epochal revelation, or through the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, our sovereign and Creator Son, Michael of Nebadon.
To address the analysis of these concepts and their differences, I’ve chosen to use some images, which will be used as a pedagogical aid throughout my presentation; among other things, to make it less boring. The slides that will appear will provide an extract, a summary, so to speak, of the main points I’ll be making.
After approximately an hour of my virtual conference, we’ll move on to a discussion, in which you can all participate and give your opinions on these topics, contributing whatever you deem appropriate.
First, and in the order of the title of this talk, we will address the topic of worship. First, I will briefly summarize its evolutionary history on Urantia, that is, its origin and history. Then, I will try to explain what authentic worship is according to the revelators themselves and my understanding of it. I will also complement this with some valuable teachings from the Master on this subject.
To address the evolution of worship, the primary and most recommended paper is 85. The Origins of Worship. Here, by way of summary, I extract what I considered most interesting:
The revelators tell us that the religious manifestations of primitive humans originated from their fears and, unlike animals, from their capacity for imagination and illusion. And that the most basic, lowest forms of worship began before concepts about the present and the hereafter, which could be called religion, could be formulated. That is, this primitive impulse to worship arose before religion itself.
The first thing primitive man worshipped was nature. Starting with stones, many tribes eventually had their own sacred stone or stones, which they made objects of worship. Later, he moved to the hills, which were even the abode of the gods. He created a division of worship, assigning a spirit to trees, lakes, rain, and many other natural phenomena.
Some plants were worshipped to obtain liquor, since intoxication was considered a divine state. Curiously, The Urantia Book tells us that in modern times they are called “spirits.” We’re talking about the early 20th century (when the revelation was transmitted), and I, at least until very recently, had not heard this term, which has become fashionable again. It’s a term that has undoubtedly been revived from the more recent past.
Also, of course, trees played an important role in tribal worship. Both plants and trees were venerated for their medicinal powers. And of course, the cult of the tree of life existed almost everywhere in the world.
Animals were also worshipped, and are still worshipped today in some parts of the world. In South Asia, their origin stems from the belief that the human soul returned to Earth in the form of an animal. All peoples have considered some type of animal sacred. We won’t dwell on this, as it is well known.
It must be said that, as we know, the evolution of humanity in general, and of worship in particular, has not followed a progressively homogeneous pattern across all races and places on Urantia. We need only look at the differences that still exist today in various aspects, customs, and beliefs, which speak volumes about the advancement of different peoples.
The four basic elements of nature: earth, water, air, and fire have, of course, been objects of worship. For example, the primitive mind was impressed by moving waters, torrents and rivers, whose movement was attributed to spirits with supernatural powers. Consider what happens in this example, which is a constant in the history of worship. What is behind all this? Simply ignorance. A failure to understand the law of gravity, which causes water to descend until it reaches sea level. This makes the inexplicable become an object of worship, and this has been and continues to be the case throughout human history.
It can be considered a certain advance when man began to worship celestial bodies, the Sun, the Moon, and the stars. What can be said about the worship of the Sun, which led to the later Mithraic cult? The worship of the stars has had a great influence on our culture; we only need to review the origin of the names of the days of the week, and unfortunately, it still has a strong influence on astrology, but that’s another topic.
After having worshipped everything that existed on the surface of the planet and in the heavens, man also worshipped himself, more specifically those he considered extraordinary or even superhuman; cases such as epileptics, lunatics, and so on, were curiously worshipped by ordinary people. The culmination of man’s worship of man was the imposition by rulers of their subjects’ worship, justifying it by the fact of their divine descent. And this worship also extended to phantom gods of supposed human origin.
This worship of objects of nature and things in general may seem ridiculous and even ridiculous to us today, but it is still a practice that exists, more widespread than we think.
I could have gone into much more detail about all these forms of worship, but frankly, I don’t think it’s necessary. We all have an idea about what happened and continues to happen on our planet.
But on the other hand, we might ask ourselves whether this entire evolutionary process of worship in its various phases is necessary, essential. Is it part of a natural and necessary progression? And if so, why? What for?
To answer these questions, the paper or rather section of The Urantia Book that best explains it is section 7, “The Helpers of Worship and Wisdom,” of the same paper 85 .
Here we are told that this impulse to worship in primitive minds, which apparently arose spontaneously, was due to the influence of the sixth adjutant mind-spirit: the spirit of worship. Although what motivated primitive man to worship was animal fear, that fear of the unknown, of phenomena inexplicable to those savage minds, it was the sixth adjutant mind-spirit that generated the impulse to worship, and it continues to exert that influence today.
This impulse toward worship, when directed by the seventh adjutant spirit of the mind, the spirit of wisdom, begins to develop into true religion, which consists of the worship of the God of nature, the Creator of all that exists, the Maker of all things, expanding and improving the concept until it reaches God the Father. Worship evolves thanks to this spirit of wisdom—to meditative and experiential thought—as this same paragraph explains; and although this spirit of wisdom is somewhat broader in definition, notice how it is concretized in this qualifier: meditative and experiential thought. This already leaves us with a seed for the second part of this presentation, which deals with meditation.
Dear brothers and sisters, after a brief overview of the origin and history of worship on Urantia, let’s try to analyze its true meaning, its highest concept. So far, I’ve spoken about the beginnings of worship among human beings on this planet, from the moment they began to gain self-awareness. Currently, it may be that in certain places on the planet, unevenly or for certain groups of people, the act of worship has evolved somewhat more than I’ve outlined here. But, really, what is the ideal concept of worship? What is its deepest meaning? Ultimately, what does true worship consist of? Or, to put it another way: What is the form of worship that, sooner or later, we must practice?
Looking in the fifth revelation, I believe that if there is any paper or section that best expresses this concept in its most sublime and perfected expression, it is in paper 27, which deals with the ministry of the primary supernaphim, specifically in its seventh and final section, entitled: “The Leaders of Worship”. It explains worship as these primary supernaphim teach it to be carried out on Paradise, nothing more and nothing less than on Paradise. There these beings teach and lead worship to the Father, and even there, when one is practically perfect, worship is not executed perfectly. One must learn, one must perfect the technique of worship.
Notice how our revelators, specifically a Perfector of Wisdom, define worship in these pages: Worship is the conscious and joyful act of recognizing and acknowledging the truth and fact of the intimate, personal relationship between Creators and their creatures. It is an act that ultimately achieves the glory of the highest experiential delight and the most exquisite pleasure known to human beings.
Apparently, on Paradise, worship becomes the first and most dominant passion of beings who arrive on that Eternal Isle. Previously, throughout Havona, this passion grew, and on Paradise, it is necessary to direct and control it. Note how it is that we are told that all ascending beings would enjoy remaining forever in the attitude of worship. And no ascendant who has attained Paradise is ever asked to undertake the tasks of eternal service without having attained full satisfaction in worship. This is the highest privilege, but also the first duty of all intelligences. Our revelator even makes a comparison of what worship means to a perfected Paradise soul with what entertainment means here to our exhausted minds, although logically, worship is much more than entertainment on Paradise; it is the supreme joy of Paradise existence.
Well, even though the way of worship there is totally incomprehensible to us, we are told that down here we can begin to appreciate its spirit.
To delve deeper into what worship is, let’s analyze some of the things that Jesus of Nazareth said in his teachings to his followers about worship, specifically in paper 143 The Journey through Samaria, at the end of it, in the last section titled “The Teachings on Prayer and Worship,” in some night conferences on Mount Gerizim:
He begins by saying: Worship—the contemplation of the spiritual—, (Here he is already giving us an equivalence, worship is the contemplation of the spiritual) He says further: Worship has the purpose of anticipating the better life in the future and then reflecting these new spiritual meanings back onto the present life. Worship is divinely creative.
For my understanding, worship is like a foretaste of later, higher existential realities, where one feels the whole universal organization and the spiritual hosts in their cooperation in the Great Work. It is feeling the kingdom of heaven on Earth and how we are part of it.
It’s as if, in the act of worship, our firm faith leads us to feel that spiritual reality, of a higher order, that awaits us. We feel it with such absolute certainty that it is reflected in our daily lives. That is, when we speak, when we perform the daily or not-so-daily tasks of life, when we share with others, that certainty is reflected in our gestures, in our words, in our attitude toward life, with the joy that comes from knowing that, up above, beyond the threshold of physical death, there is an entire celestial organization, a Great Work designed by the Creator. But this must not only be thought; it must be felt permanently in our lives. But to achieve this, we must seek the sublime moments of worship, at the appropriate moment, absorbed within ourselves.
Jesus says in that same discourse: The effort to live—the tension of the personality in time—should be mitigated by the rest of worship. This is what I meant when I said about seeking the appropriate moment; it is seeking that safe refuge for the soul, which at the same time nourishes it with the engine of the individual’s faith. The greater the faith, the greater the soul’s “potential capacity” in the act of worship.
On the other hand, our beloved Sovereign says: The feelings of insecurity arising from the fear of the isolation of the personality in the universe should be counteracted by the contemplation of the Father, through faith, and by the attempt to understand the Supreme. That is to say, in those moments when we seem to be isolated from the world, when we feel alone, or when things are going wrong; even when we are literally alone on a lost island, worship would undoubtedly serve to make us feel accompanied, aware that we are not really alone.
The Master continues in this memorable discourse on worship: Worship is the yardstick that measures the degree to which the soul has detached itself from the material universe, and has adhered simultaneously and securely to the spiritual realities of all creation. I understand by this that, from the intensity, the frequency or perhaps the way in which the person worships, the degree of detachment from the material, from the mundane, is derived, and one identifies with the spiritual and eternal.
He also tells us in this discourse: Worship is self-forgetfulness—super-thought. Worship is effortless attention, the true ideal rest of the soul, a form of peaceful spiritual exercise.
Worship is the act of a fragment that identifies with the Whole, the finite with the Infinite, the Son with the Father, time in the process of adjusting itself to the rhythm of eternity. I think it makes clear that this worship directed to the Father, only to the Father, is like a synchronization of our spiritual clock to the rhythm of eternity. Surely we have to adjust our clock so that it doesn’t run ahead of the rhythm that really corresponds to it, the much more sedate rhythm of eternity. Giving us a much broader perspective, encompassing a more complete vision of our existence, making us see and understand the small fraction of it in which we find ourselves.
He goes on to say: Worship is the act of personal communion of the son with the divine Father, the acceptance of life-giving, creative, fraternal and romantic attitudes on the part of the soul-spirit of man. Of course, this communion entails an attitude of our growing soul, with four very revealing adjectives: life-giving (which entails a joy of living), creative, (essential for growth and development), fraternal (of recognition of the universal brotherhood that surrounds us), and romantic (full of love for all creatures)
Finally, I would like to highlight another phrase from this speech, which says: Worship is the technique of seeking inspiration in the One to serve the multitude.
It speaks of the technique of seeking; I understand it to refer to receiving, through divine inspiration, the best way to serve our brothers and sisters with whom we live and humanity in general.
In this regard, we also find a paragraph from our revelators referring to the Master’s teachings during his first preaching tour in Galilee (paper 146), specifically when he taught the twenty-four disciples, his apostles and those of John, in Jotapata (Yodfat). The revelators tell us:
Jesus taught his followers that, after making their prayers to the Father, they should remain for some time in a state of silent receptivity to give the inner spirit the best chance to speak to the attentive soul. The spirit of the Father speaks best to man when the human mind is in an attitude of true worship. We worship God with the help of the inner spirit of the Father and through the illumination of the human mind through the ministry of truth. Jesus taught that worship makes the worshiper increasingly like the being he worships. Worship is a transforming experience through which the finite gradually approaches the presence of the Infinite, and ultimately attains it.
It seems logical that the Thought Adjuster, the inner spirit, has a greater opportunity to communicate with the human soul in these moments of worshipful receptivity. It is there, in these moments, that one can best receive the divine inspiration I mentioned earlier, to serve humanity, our brothers and sisters.
But many may be asking: What do I do to worship? Where do I do it? Well, as expected on such an important topic, The Urantia Book itself also guides us in this regard.
During his stay at Jericho (Paper 167), in connection with a discussion on the early religious training of children in the habits of divine worship, Jesus impressed upon his apostles the great value of beauty as an influence conducive to the impulse to worship, especially among children. By his precepts and example, the Master taught the value of worshipping the Creator amidst the natural contours of creation. He preferred to commune with the heavenly Father amidst the trees and among the lowly creatures of the natural world. He felt the joy of beholding the Father through the inspiring spectacle of the starry realms of the Creator Sons.
When it is not possible to worship God in the tabernacles of nature, men should do their best to provide houses of beauty, sanctuaries of appealing simplicity and artistic embellishment, so that the highest of human emotions may be aroused in association with the intellectual approach to spiritual communion with God. Truth, beauty, and holiness are powerful and effective aids to true worship.
Well, I think there’s a clear message here: the beauty of nature awakens an interest in drawing closer to God, inviting human beings to commune with the Father. And I can personally attest to this. My best moments of spiritual retreat have always been spent alone, in beautiful natural settings, where nature speaks to us, whispers in our ears. And if not, in an artistically decorated setting that is inspiring, it also uplifts our soul and predisposes it to the act of worship. How wonderful it would be to have inspiring decor close to us, even in our own home, in a room or in a garden.
This section 6 of this paper continues:
But spirit communion is not promoted by mere massive ornateness and overmuch embellishment with man’s elaborate and ostentatious art. Beauty is most religious when it is most simple and naturelike. How unfortunate that little children should have their first introduction to concepts of public worship in cold and barren rooms so devoid of the beauty appeal and so empty of all suggestion of good cheer and inspiring holiness! The child should be introduced to worship in nature’s outdoors and later accompany his parents to public houses of religious assembly which are at least as materially attractive and artistically beautiful as the home in which he is daily domiciled.
Unfortunately, for many, it’s difficult to find that appropriate environment, although perhaps we don’t do our best to do so. Many of you may already be doing it in one way or another, and I’m not one to tell anyone how to proceed. But if not, I’d like to reflect together on the lack of the act of worship, which I also want to include myself in, since I’m not satisfied with either the quantity or the quality. So I dare say: Could it be that we don’t give it the importance it deserves? Could it be that we prefer to find excuses? That we don’t have time, for example! And that we don’t take seriously something so sublime and necessary for our spiritual advancement! And this attitude may be understandable for someone who doesn’t believe in God, or whose belief is limited to fulfilling the precepts of their religion, and doesn’t question or inquire into anything else. But for a person of “enlightened” faith, a seeker of Truth, it must be a very serious matter. Just as we are capable of mobilizing ourselves for countless recreational and sports activities, just as we are capable of finding any excuse to leave home, of sometimes traveling many miles to meet up with friends, to share well-deserved moments of relaxation, to follow a sporting or musical event—there are countless things that interest us—in the same way, we should be generous with our souls, we should stop being lazy, stop making excuses, we should even let go of our ancestral complexes that sometimes hold us back, to seek out those moments of contemplation, those experiences of communion with our Father, preferably in a naturally beautiful setting.
Dear brothers and friends, this is the end of my work, my reflections, on Worship.
Next, I’m going to talk about another topic that is, in some ways, related to the act of worship. As you know, it’s meditation.
I would like to first make an introduction based on my previous work, which reads as follows:
What is meditation? And what do we aim for when we meditate?
Nowadays, due to the proliferation of various techniques for personal progress taught by respected schools, most of them of Eastern origin, one might think that meditation involves sitting in a certain posture and clearing the mind and achieving mental peace, or, in other cases, visualizing various induced images that can produce a range of sensations. What I’m saying isn’t a criticism, at least not a negative criticism of these practices, far from it, since visualization for specific goals, as well as relaxation, can be interesting to apply in our lives.
But what I do want is for us to try to differentiate the use of these respectable techniques with what true meditation is, although many times, due to the distortion of language, it is easy for us to say meditation when we mean relaxation, capturing physical energy, etc.
While it is true that meditation requires a prior period of relaxation, whether through breathing or other techniques, it is also true that relaxation is not the same as meditation.
But let’s see what The Urantia Book tells us about this.
Delving deeper into the subject of meditation in the pages of the book, I have concluded to make three parts:
The first is the conclusions we can draw from Rodan of Alexandria’s speeches to two apostles and other followers, which when included by the revelators in The Urantia Book, I understand have a value to be taken into account.
Secondly, there are the mentions of meditation that the revelators themselves give us in some papers.
And finally, of course, the importance that meditation had for Jesus of Nazareth in his life on Urantia, which is evident from those rather frequent periods in which the Master withdrew alone to secluded places, both from a very young age when he lived in Nazareth and later throughout his life on this planet.
First, I’ll address the most interesting part of the words of this great Greek philosopher, Rodan of Alexandria. For this, we have paper 160, which bears his own name. Specifically, there is an adaptation of the speech he gave to Nathanael and Thomas, and two dozen other followers. In it, we can see the very intelligent observation he makes of the Master’s attitude, saying:
But the greatest of all methods of problem solving I have learned from Jesus, your Master. I refer to that which he so consistently practices, and which he has so faithfully taught you, the isolation of worshipful meditation. In this habit of Jesus’ going off so frequently by himself to commune with the Father in heaven is to be found the technique, not only of gathering strength and wisdom for the ordinary conflicts of living, but also of appropriating the energy for the solution of the higher problems of a moral and spiritual nature.
In these words, we see how Rodan unites or blends two acts we were discussing separately, but which, as I said before, are closely related: this is worship meditation. And as we saw before, after worship, what we could call GIVING comes, through meditation, what we could call RECEIVING; that is, receiving divine inspiration for life’s conflicts and attracting the energy necessary to confront the most elevated problems of a moral and spiritual nature. In other words, first we give, in our act of worship and recognition of divinity, and then we receive strength and wisdom, thus fulfilling the established cosmic laws.
Rodán continues in this same speech:
I am deeply impressed with the custom of Jesus in going apart by himself to engage in these seasons of solitary survey of the problems of living; to seek for new stores of wisdom and energy for meeting the manifold demands of social service; to quicken and deepen the supreme purpose of living by actually subjecting the total personality to the consciousness of contacting with divinity; to grasp for possession of new and better methods of adjusting oneself to the ever-changing situations of living existence; to effect those vital reconstructions and readjustments of one’s personal attitudes which are so essential to enhanced insight into everything worth while and real
Later he goes on to say:
The effort toward maturity necessitates work, and work requires energy. Whence the power to accomplish all this? The physical things can be taken for granted, but the Master has well said, “Man cannot live by bread alone.” Granted the possession of a normal body and reasonably good health, we must next look for those lures which will act as a stimulus to call forth man’s slumbering spiritual forces. Jesus has taught us that God lives in man; then how can we induce man to release these soul-bound powers of divinity and infinity? How shall we induce men to let go of God that he may spring forth to the refreshment of our own souls while in transit outward and then to serve the purpose of enlightening, uplifting, and blessing countless other souls? How best can I awaken these latent powers for good which lie dormant in your souls? One thing I am sure of: Emotional excitement is not the ideal spiritual stimulus. Excitement does not augment energy; it rather exhausts the powers of both mind and body. Whence then comes the energy to do these great things? Look to your Master. Even now he is out in the hills taking in power while we are here giving out energy. The secret of all this problem is wrapped up in spiritual communion, in worship. From the human standpoint it is a question of combined meditation and relaxation. Meditation makes the contact of mind with spirit; relaxation determines the capacity for spiritual receptivity.
Well, I think Rodan makes it clear in these words that meditation is a mental exercise for better communicating with the spirit within the human being. He also speaks of rest, which I understand refers to the mind calming itself from discordant thoughts for a proper reception of spiritual order.
Finally, I do not want to finish with this great philosopher without mentioning some words that are more of a recommendation to carry out these practices, and that are perfectly valid for modern man, he says:
When these experiences are frequently repeated, they crystallize into habits, strength-giving and worshipful habits, and such habits eventually formulate themselves into a spiritual character, and such a character is finally recognized by one’s fellows as a mature personality. These practices are difficult and time-consuming at first, but when they become habitual, they are at once restful and timesaving. The more complex society becomes, and the more the lures of civilization multiply, the more urgent will become the necessity for God-knowing individuals to form such protective habitual practices designed to conserve and augment their spiritual energies.
Undoubtedly, the men and women of our time are deeply immersed in our complex society, which has advanced significantly technically, but has not done so at the same pace in the mental practices we are discussing. It’s important to emphasize Rodan’s reference to habit; like many other aspects of life, meditation and worship must become a habit for true believers.
Much more forceful are our revelators in paper 195 After Pentecost, in its section 6 “Materialism”:
The mechanistic naturalism of some supposedly educated men and the thoughtless secularism of the man in the street are both exclusively concerned with things; they are barren of all real values, sanctions, and satisfactions of a spiritual nature, as well as being devoid of faith, hope, and eternal assurances. One of the great troubles with modern life is that man thinks he is too busy to find time for spiritual meditation and religious devotion.
As I noted earlier in my reflection on worship, we have a problem in today’s world finding the time necessary for worship and also for the meditation that should accompany it, since in fact they should go hand in hand.
Well, let’s continue with what our revelators tell us about meditation. In the very interesting paper 100: Religion in Human Experience, in its section 1 on “Religious Growth”, they tell us:
Habits which favor religious growth embrace cultivated sensitivity to divine values, recognition of religious living in others, reflective meditation on cosmic meanings, worshipful problem solving, sharing one’s spiritual life with one’s fellows, avoidance of selfishness, refusal to presume on divine mercy, living as in the presence of God.
Well, in this paragraph our revelators give us some quite practical “recipes” for well-understood religious growth; and among them, they speak of reflective meditation on cosmic meanings and worshipful problem-solving; the latter, by the way, suggested by the Greek philosopher Rodan, whom we saw earlier. But regarding reflective meditation on cosmic meanings, I would like to point something out. I believe this implies “deep thinking”; that is, concentrating our thoughts on some situation in life, on people’s relationships, on the moral and ethical issues that surround us, even on facts, imbuing them with a touch of cosmic vision, of eternity; and thus trying to discover that authentic real value, that authentic meaning from a non-temporal point of view, regarding the matter in question. This, in any case, is yet another application of meditation, and it finds its maximum execution in the third mansion, in the third mansion world, as long as it has not been done before by the ascending being.
And in this same paper, in its section 5 “Conversion and Mysticism”, another ingredient is added:
The healthiest attitude of spiritual meditation is to be found in reflective worship and in prayer of thanksgiving.
This phrase corroborates what has been said so far, but then it says:
The direct communion with one’s Thought Adjuster, such as occurred in the later years of Jesus’ life in the flesh, should not be confused with these so-called mystical experiences. The factors which contribute to the initiation of mystic communion are indicative of the danger of such psychic states. The mystic status is favored by such things as: physical fatigue, fasting, psychic dissociation, profound aesthetic experiences, vivid sex impulses, fear, anxiety, rage, and wild dancing. Much of the material arising as a result of such preliminary preparation has its origin in the subconscious mind.
Here we are warned of the danger, or rather I would say of the border, between what is healthy from a spiritual point of view and what are other types of experiences, which some call mystical, but which, having their origin in the lower levels of the mind, can provoke states that can be confused with “spiritual communions.” In this sense, our revelators, without failing to recognize the positive aspects of mysticism but warning of its dangers, tell us in paper 91 The Evolution of Prayer, more specifically in section 7 “Mysticism, Ecstasy and Inspiration”:
Mysticism, as the technique of the cultivation of the consciousness of the presence of God, is altogether praiseworthy, but when such practices lead to social isolation and culminate in religious fanaticism, they are all but reprehensible. Altogether too frequently that which the overwrought mystic evaluates as divine inspiration is the uprisings of his own deep mind. The contact of the mortal mind with its indwelling Adjuster, while often favored by devoted meditation, is more frequently facilitated by wholehearted and loving service in unselfish ministry to one’s fellow creatures.
And he goes on to say:
The great religious teachers and the prophets of past ages were not extreme mystics. They were God-knowing men and women who best served their God by unselfish ministry to their fellow mortals. Jesus often took his apostles away by themselves for short periods to engage in meditation and prayer, but for the most part he kept them in service-contact with the multitudes. The soul of man requires spiritual exercise as well as spiritual nourishment.
It is clear to our revelators that a dose of mysticism to cultivate God-consciousness is healthy and beneficial for the individual, as long as it is not a fanatical and extremist attitude, which leads the individual to the isolation of which we see so many examples in different religions and cultures. And they make something very important clear: that contact with the divine spark that dwells within each human being is most favored by altruistic practice, by sincere and heartfelt service to one’s fellow human beings.
Both things are important: Meditation in an attitude of worship, as a spiritual exercise for the soul, and altruistic service to others, out of selfless love, as spiritual nourishment for the soul, because ultimately these are the fruits of the spirit that make the soul grow.
Now I will make a brief chronological description of the mentions made in The Urantia Book, specifically in the fourth part, about the Master’s moments of meditation throughout his life, with the aim of showing us the great importance that they had for Him and the role that they undoubtedly played in his decisions and in his attitude in many of the events of that exciting life that he decided to live here, with the beings of his Creation.
THE ELEVENTH YEAR OF THE LIFE OF JESUS (Doc. 124)
At the end of this eleventh year Jesus was a vigorous, well-developed, moderately humorous, and fairly lighthearted youth, but from this year on he was more and more given to peculiar seasons of profound meditation and serious contemplation. He was much given to thinking about how he was to carry out his obligations to his family and at the same time be obedient to the call of his mission to the world; already he had conceived that his ministry was not to be limited to the betterment of the Jewish people.
THE TWO CRUCIAL YEARS (14 and 15 years old) (Doc. 126)
At the same time, his parents understood less and less his frequent alternations between the affairs of this world and his meditations on their relationship to his Father’s affairs. Frankly, they didn’t understand him, but they sincerely loved him
His periods of deep meditation, his frequent trips to the hilltop to pray, and the many strange ideas Jesus occasionally proposed alarmed his mother considerably. At times she thought the young man was out of his mind, but she was reassured by remembering that he was, after all, a son of promise and, in some ways, different from other young men.
Later he goes on to say:
As he grew up to manhood, he passed through all those conflicts and confusions which the average young persons of previous and subsequent ages have undergone. And the rigorous experience of supporting his family was a sure safeguard against his having overmuch time for idle meditation or the indulgence of mystic tendencies.
In this last paragraph, we are given to understand that his family obligations “curbed” him, so to speak, against excessive contemplative meditation, given the possible situation that might have arisen, which surely would not have happened.
THE TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR (Doc. 128)
This year his seasons of deep meditation were often broken into by Ruth and her playmates. And always was Jesus ready to postpone the contemplation of his future work for the world and the universe that he might share in the childish joy and youthful gladness of these youngsters, who never tired of listening to Jesus relate the experiences of his various trips to Jerusalem. They also greatly enjoyed his stories about animals and nature.
BAPTISM AND THE FORTY DAYS (Doc. 136)
Jesus’s retreat was not motivated by fasting or by the affliction of his soul. He was not an ascetic, and he had come to destroy forever those ideas about how to approach God. …
He now clearly and fully understood all his vast relationships, and he desired to be alone, away from everyone, for a season of meditation, for the purpose of laying down plans and selecting procedures for the fulfillment of his public ministry for the benefit of this world and all the other worlds in his local universe.
And he goes on to say:
These forty days were the occasion of the final conference between the human and the divine minds, or rather the first real functioning of these two minds as now made one. The results of this momentous season of meditation demonstrated conclusively that the divine mind has triumphantly and spiritually dominated the human intellect…
The transactions of this eventful time were not the fantastic visions of a starved and weakened mind, neither were they the confused and puerile symbolisms which afterward gained record as the “temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.” Rather was this a season for thinking over the whole eventful and varied career of the Urantia bestowal and for the careful laying of those plans for further ministry which would best serve this world while also contributing something to the betterment of all other rebellion-isolated spheres. Jesus thought over the whole span of human life on Urantia, from the days of Andon and Fonta, down through Adam’s default, and on to the ministry of the Melchizedek of Salem.
We see that these forty days of retreat and meditation had a very clear objective: to develop the plans and procedures for the fulfillment of his public ministry, not only for the benefit of this world but also for all the other worlds in his local universe.
Jesus was also one with his Adjuster from baptism onward, and was shown the entire journey of humanity. From that moment on, he had complete, and we might say “firsthand,” insight into everything of importance that had happened in this world. And all thanks to that direct, conscious connection with his Adjuster.
After seeing in different passages of Jesus’ life the very important role that meditation played in his life, and which ultimately should also serve as an example for all of us, I am going to relate some words that I found in the book on meditation spoken by Jesus himself. They are in paper 192, The Appearances in Galilee; that is, after the resurrection, with a morontia body and when he was having conversations with the apostles two by two, specifically in this case with John and Peter, addressing the latter he said:
Serve your fellow men even as I have served you; forgive your fellow mortals even as I have forgiven you. Let experience teach you the value of meditation and the power of intelligent reflection.
In his own words, the Master tells us about the value of the meditation that he practiced so much.
But I remind you that what the revelators tell us about Jesus’s discourse at Jotapata, which we discussed in the first part of this presentation, also provides some clues as to how to carry out this exercise of worship-meditation. It is worth remembering; it said: Jesus taught his followers that, after having made their prayers to the Father, (and I believe that by prayers here they refer to worshiping the Father), they should remain for some time in a state of silent receptivity to provide the inner spirit with the best chance of speaking to the attentive soul. The spirit of the Father speaks best to man when the human mind is in an attitude of true worship.
Dear friends: After all that has been said about meditation, I don’t have much left to add, except to encourage its practice, whether to solve a problem, to make certain decisions in some aspect of our lives, or as a method of creative inspiration in the projects we embark on throughout our lives. In any case, it is an exercise in communion with our divine source. The difference with normal reflection is that in meditation, the aim is to receive inspiration from our divine spirit or Thought Adjuster for the resolution of these matters. That is why it is important to achieve a prior state of relaxation and peace, which will lead us to a few minutes of intelligent worship, where we give ourselves, we surrender ourselves to our Maker, recognizing His creation, His work, already sensing within us that higher spiritual order existing, though not visible to us. And then we move on to receiving through a meditation that can have several facets, depending on our needs at the moment: it can be simply capturing energy, reflective and solving a specific problem, seeking decisions that best fit the Father’s will, or, as I said before, serving as a source of creative inspiration for any work we wish to undertake.
I also think that meditation is a valuable tool for introspection, through which we analyze ourselves, observe our conscience, our behavior toward others, our attitude toward life; in short, we take stock of who we are and, consequently, the virtues we should foster and the errors we should avoid. Or in the words of the philosopher Rodán, whom I mentioned earlier regarding the Master’s retreats: to “carry out those vital reconstructions and readjustments of personal attitudes that are so essential for a greater discernment of all that is valid and real.”
I think this kind of reflective meditation is supported by the seventh adjutant spirit of the mind, the spirit of wisdom, defined by the book, as I said in the first part of my work, as meditative and experiential thinking. It allows our mind to work in that realm, to gain wisdom from our experience.
Finally, I would like to add that, in those sublime moments of meditation, when our divine spirit tries to communicate with us through the mind, when it succeeds, we should not think of it as a voice whispering in our ear; rather, it is as if it were our own thought. Human beings do not discern when a thought is from their own self or from their divine gift. However, what can be affirmed is that all thoughts that lead to a feeling of love for God and others, which provoke selfless altruism, are inspired by it.
God is love and love seeks to inspire us!
Thank you very much for your attention.
Mariano Pérez