© 2023 Olga López
© 2023 Urantia Association of Spain
Newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain
Light and Life — May 2023
¶ In this number
- Editorial – May 2023
- Works – our recommendations of the month
- History and teachings: Chronicles of the life of Jesus
- Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book: Jesus Goes to Jerusalem with His Parents
- Other spiritual growth books
- Video – our recommendation of the month
- Navigating through life: self-control
- My favorite paragraph
- Urantia Questionnaire – Mairam Durand
- UBIS “In Focus” Presentation Series
- About the Light and Life newsletter
¶ Editorial – May 2023
M. José Sánchez Santamaría
Become yourself
Dear reader friends of this monthly bulletin: welcome one more month to this space to analyze, debate, disseminate and share the extensive teachings of the blue book.
We believe that the newsletter for the month of May is a small “feast” where you will find such a diversity of “dishes” that we hope you will enjoy them during this month that we are now inaugurating. The dedication and love put into its preparation makes us anticipate that it will be to your liking. And if there is any “dish” that you think is not so successful, let us know and we will work even harder for the next month. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it? We always seek to improve and learn but, above all, to be of service to others.
Allow me to share this short story that you may know. Anthony de Mello offers us this account:
During years I was a neurotic. I was an angsty, depressed, selfish being, and everyone kept telling me to change. They kept reminding me how neurotic I was.
I was offended, although I agreed with them, and I wanted to change, but I didn’t quite get it no matter how hard I tried. The worst part was that my best friend also kept reminding me how neurotic I was, and insisted on the need for me to change.
I also agreed with him, and I couldn’t feel offended with him, so I felt powerless and trapped.
But one day he told me: “don’t change. Keep being the way you are. It doesn’t really matter if you change or stop changing. I love you as you are and I can’t stop loving you.”
Those words sounded in my ears like music: “don’t change. Do not change. Don’t change… I love you”.
Then I calmed down, and I felt alive. And oh, wonder! I changed. I know now that I couldn’t really change until I found someone who loved me, whether or not they changed. Is this how you want me, my God?
This beautiful story tells us about the facet that can move us the most: unconditional love for us. A love that allows us to become ourselves. Love and respect ourselves. Something heroic in these times of large multinational corporations that are interested in blurring our personalities, assimilating us to a mass identity.
¶ Works – our recommendations of the month
Family tree of breeds (Oly Tartakowsky)
This work is actually a graph where we are shown in a very graphic way what its title indicates: a kind of family tree where we see the origin of each of the races that populate the planet, starting with the initial Andonites until reaching to the current population of the different regions of the world. In this scheme, the migrations and invasions that led to a change in the populations of that time are also recorded.
In communication with our Thought Adjuster (author unknown)
The author begins the work with a quote from the book that expresses that the great challenge of current humanity is precisely to achieve better communication with our Adjuster. And why is it a challenge? In large part, due to all the events that have hampered the development of our world at all levels. The revelators clearly separate what is not our Adjuster’s voice from what is authentic communication, and indicate how best to improve that communication. The key? Develop the fruits of the spirit.
Chronology of the life of Jesus on Urantia (Jimmer Prieto)
There is no shortage of works by readers who make a chronology of the events of the life of Jesus according to The Urantia Book. In the case of the author of this chronology, it should be noted that the life of Jesus appears grouped into stages, wherever possible, the reference to the same event in the Gospels appears at the end. All with a very schematic and clear style, and where the references are easy to find, from the birth of Jesus to the events of Pentecost.
Friends and residents of Urantia (Olga López)
In many passages of the book, the revelators tell us about beings that reside on our planet and that are not ascending mortals like us. Some of them are here because that is the usual in all the worlds of time and space; others are here because of our peculiar condition as the world chosen to house the seventh bestowal of our Creator Son, and some more reside here as a consequence of the Lucifer rebellion. This work is in fact an account, a list of “the other inhabitants of Urantia”, which can help us to be aware that we are not as abandoned as we might think.
¶ History and teachings: Chronicles of the life of Jesus
JOURNALISTIC ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE URANTIA BOOK
We present the following installment of the chronicles of the life of Jesus, which on this occasion contains what the revelators tell us in paper 144 (In Gilboa and in the Decapolis). Inside the PDF you will see a button from where you can access the text of the paper from the Urantia Foundation website.
¶ Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book: Jesus Goes to Jerusalem with His Parents
We continue to review the secondary work A Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book, by Mary Livingston. This is the next chapter, dedicated to the time when Jesus goes to Jerusalem with his parents for the first time, and it begins like this:
«Women were not obliged to go to the temple, but Jesus wanted her to be his mother. When Maria decided to travel, many women also traveled. Around 100 Jews decided to travel together. The men traveled together in a group. The women walked or rode on donkeys, in another group. On the journey to Jerusalem Jesus was guiding his mother’s donkey.
Download the entire chapter in PDF format
¶ Other spiritual growth books
The strength of optimism (Luis Rojas Marcos)
Learning to feel and think positively is a highly profitable investment to win the battle against pessimism and maximize the chances of living healthy and happy. In this book, the psychiatrist Luis Rojas Marcos reviews the history of positive thinking; details the ingredients that distinguish the optimistic from the pessimistic position; explores the forces that shape our temperament, identifies the most damaging poisons to optimism, describes strategies for fostering an optimistic disposition, and examines the influence of optimism on relationships with other people. And it ends with an analysis of the most valuable quality of our optimism; its enormous and proven usefulness in coping with adversity in life.
¶ Video – our recommendation of the month
The truth of the death and resurrection of Jesus ([Audio-video quotes from The Urantia Book](https://www.youtube.com/@AUDIODELLIBRODEURANTIA QUOTES))
Now that we have relatively recently left Holy Week behind, it is always good to review the quotes from the book about the facts, meanings, and values surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus. Despite the terribleness of the events, and the distortion that Paul of Tarsus’s doctrine of atonement entailed, the message that remains to us is undoubtedly one of hope.
¶ Navigating through life: self-control
If a man conquered,
in a battle,
a thousand times a thousand men,
and another will conquer only one,
in addition,
this would be really
the greatest of conquerors.
(The Dhammapada)
¶ My favorite paragraph
Mar Alférez
The Universal Father has decreed: “Be you perfect, even as I am perfect.” (UB 26:4.12)
Many times I have thought how difficult this decree is. And how is it perfect? What does this perfection that is required of us consist of? Reflecting on this mandate, I have needed to delve into it and understand, in some way, what it means. Understand what the Father wants from me, from us. Because I know I’m imperfect and because humanity is imperfect. Even nature is imperfect.
It is Jesus who has given me a clue:
Brotherly love means loving your neighbor as yourself, and this would be the proper fulfillment of the “golden rule.” But parental affection requires that you love your fellow men as Jesus loves you. 140:5:1 (1573.3)
I tell you: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. And whatever you think I would do for men, you do it. UB 140:3.15
Your Father in heaven makes the sun shine on the wicked as well as the good; in the same way he sends rain on the just and the unjust. You are the children of God; even more, you are now the ambassadors of my Father’s kingdom. Be merciful, just as God is merciful, and in the eternal future of the kingdom you will be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. UB 140:3.16
It is true that it seems that Jesus asks us for a disproportionate love, but in reality it is not so. It is simple and it is provided. It is giving food to the hungry and water to the thirsty. It is extending my hand to those who need it. If the word prójimo means next, it means being close to someone who is close and loving them. But even further, it is not about seeing who is your neighbor, but about being your own neighbor. Neighbor to who is near, and far, even my enemies. I don’t have to go to the movies with my enemy, or go near someone who hurts me, but I can pray for him and wish him well.
I believe that the things of God must be brought in and carried out.
In what can perfection consist, then? Simply in mercy, which is nothing other than love in action. We must recognize that we can make mistakes and learn from mistakes, forgive the imperfections of others and also our own. That is to say, that the love of more, the love that goes beyond the “golden rule” is equivalent to being perfect. And from this teaching I have understood something else.
It’s not about being brilliant. It’s not about standing out, being the best in the class. No. The exercise of love is something else. And if I look closely, Jesus always preferred the love of the fragile, of sinners, of those who suffer, of those who fall and get up. A wounded love A love not divine, but human. An imperfect love. Even if I look at nature, it is perfect in its imperfection.
I have chosen the image of a meadow because I think it represents well how God loves us. It’s a watercolor I painted recently. There are crooked trees, holm oaks, small and large, surely some even rotten. imperfect nature. But He makes the sun rise for everyone, and that is his way of loving. That is what he asks of us: Be merciful, just as God is merciful, and in the eternal future of the kingdom you will be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
¶ Urantia Questionnaire – Mairam Durand
Mairam Durand is a reader from Lima (Peru), who has always considered herself a seeker of Truth.
- How did you get to The Urantia Book and why do you think you found it?
I didn’t get to him, the book found me, because I was looking for answers to many questions for many years.
- What was your first impression when reading it?
Fascinating, and then one teaching after another.
- At what point in the reading (document, sentence, etc.) did you accept that The Urantia Book is really what it claims to be?
And what does the book claim to be? It is not a sacred book, nor a flight log or messenger from the future; It contains a lot of wisdom, it invites you to reflect, it introduces you to the Father as a figure that was previously very distant, and it informs you about what our vast universe is like and the wonderful organization that the Father has to administer it.
- How has The Urantia Book changed your life?
It has taught me to be more tolerant, to respect, to understand that we are not the owners of the truth and that if it helps you improve and evolve, then what better.
- ** Has the faith you had after reading it changed? If so, how?**
I believe that it has been strengthened, there are documents that make you realize that believing is important, but having faith is very personal and leads you to accept that the Father is always close to you. And the presence of the Master, the son, the father, the friend, the accomplice.
- Is there a point (or points) of the revelation that you find difficult to accept?
Yes, the personality, the soul, where are they? Do they appear before or after birth? Its duties? The revelators speak little of them. And what is the function of angels? We know where they are, but what for?
- What is the part that has most deeply impressed you?
In every sense the life of Jesus, his understanding of the human being, his tolerance. Also, the mega-organization of the universe, always in harmony. If human beings managed to do this, wars would no longer exist, we would learn to see that interests are no longer personal but for everyone.
- How do you understand “doing the will of the Father”?
Good point. Personally it caused me a rebellion, I now consider that doing the will of the Father is not irrational or fanatical submission to his will, nor is it doing what a third party wants by annulling your free will. It’s a bit immature, like adolescence, it’s a stage of rebellion where you want to do what you want and if you stop, then you’re against it. You have to understand that as a Father he wants the best, wherever we are, and he is there, waiting if you ask him for help. It shows you the way and has its times to give you.
- Have you become aware of your Adjuster’s presence?
Yes, these beings full of unconditional love are incredible, born guides. The work we give them is immense.
- Have you tried to put the Master’s teachings into practice? What was the result?
It is difficult at the beginning. You have to change the original chip. Now, when I ask myself: and what would the Master do in this case?, there is always an answer.
- Do you think that The Urantia Book has something “mysterious” that makes not everyone decide to read it?
Not only mysterious, but also “hidden”. Many myths were created about him, which made other people mistrust what he says and what he clearly explains. But if you talk about the content of the documents, because they are full of wisdom, people ask about it. Now, the documents were from 1955 when they were published and only after many years did it reach the hand of a person, despite having a clearer explanation than the Bible, they do not trust, because its dissemination was selective, sometimes radical or create an image of “chosen”.
- Is there anything else you would like to say regarding The Urantia Book?
The Urantia Book or the Urantia Papers are insightful, thoughtful and the best guide on the spiritual path. If we spread this, little by little we will create a critical mass and change our world a little bit.
¶ UBIS “In Spotlight” Presentation Series
The Urantia Book International School (UBIS) offers a series of “In the Spotlight” webinars related to The Urantia Book or community of readers topics.
In the Spanish language, the sessions last between 60 and 90 minutes, and are held one Saturday a month at 6 pm (Madrid, Paris, Rome time). The presenter gives an introductory presentation on the topic at hand, after which there is an opportunity for attendees to engage in discussion.
This is the presentation scheduled for the month of May:
Day: Saturday May 6
Time: 6:00 p.m. CET (Madrid, Paris, Rome)
Title: A cry for hope
Presented by: Eduardo Altuzarra
Zoom Room: https://urantia-org.zoom.us/j/4457962840
You can see the video of the previous session at this link.
¶ About the Light and Life newsletter
Light and Life is the newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain. From 2005 to 2016 it was published in PDF format and distributed by mail and email to the association’s reader list, but it is currently distributed in newsletter format from content in HTML format.
If you want to receive the newsletter in your email, contact the association to subscribe to the mailing list.
All papers and news from readers and study groups are welcome, so if you want to share any side work, writing, outline, image, etc., you can send it to the association and we will publish it previous evaluation of its suitability. Likewise, the Communication commission of the board of directors of the Urantia Association of Spain reserves the right to edit it so that it meets minimum spelling quality.
¶ References
- Article of the Magazine Light and Life Online: https://aue.urantia-association.org/newsletter/luz-y-vida-mayo-2023/