© 2024 Olga López
© 2024 Urantia Association of Spain
Urantia Association of Spain Newsletter
Luz y Vida — July-August 2024
¶ In this issue
- Editorial – July 2023 – M. José Sánchez Santamaría
- Jobs – our recommendations of the month
- History and teachings: Chronicle of the life of Jesus
- Urantia Book Children’s Guide: Jesus is left alone in Jerusalem
- Other books on spiritual growth
- Recommended audio
- Navigating through life: Life
- My favorite paragraph – Miguel Mallorca
- Urantian Questionnaire – Montserrat Blanco
- XIX Meeting of readers of The Urantia Book in Spain – Urantia Association of Spain
- About the Luz y Vida newsletter
¶ Editorial – July 2023 — M. José Sánchez Santamaría
Hear
We welcome you to this new issue of the Luz y Vida newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain. New reflections, discoveries, study materials, video or audio recommendations, activity reviews, etc., await you every month in this digital magazine that we give you as a gift so that you can enjoy it at home. It is a means of communication that shows that the Urantia movement is alive, diverse, and open to reflection and personal growth. Enjoy reading it and share it with as many people as you think it might help or like. In August we will take a vacation break from our monthly event, to return in September with new energy and new news.
Let’s begin this new journey together this July. Join us on this journey through The Urantia Book and its fascinating nuances.
Pablo d’Ors, a priest at the Ramón y Cajal hospital in Madrid for many years and now a meditation teacher, tells this true anecdote:
Two women had entered the hospital and Pablo heard this dialogue at the threshold of the room where they were, each in her own bed:
“I’m here because I broke my leg,” said one.
“I’m here because I broke my hip,” said the other.
“Dr. Perez is my assistant,” said the first one.
“Dr. Carvajal is attending me,” said the second.
“My husband is coming this afternoon,” the first one continued.
“My son is coming to see me this afternoon,” said the second.
And so the “dialogue” continued for a while, with no one showing any interest or desire to listen to what the other person was saying. People took advantage of the silence to butt in and say their own thing. It was obvious that there was no interest in the other person.
This anecdote shows the daily drama of “sharing experiences” without anyone having the desire to really listen to the other. Because LISTENING is the great THEME of our life. We do not know how to listen, we do not know how to look, we do not know what REALITY is really like. We live in a fiction, in an image that we have in our own mind and we act in such a way that nothing disturbs that image that we have.
In The Urantia Book we read about Jesus of Nazareth this unusual behavior:
By this time Ganid had begun to notice that his tutor was spending his leisure time in this unusual personal ministry to his fellowmen, and he sought to find out the reason for this constant activity. He asked: “Why do you spend all your time talking to strangers?” Jesus replied: “Ganid, to one who knows God no man is a stranger. In the experience of finding the Father in heaven you discover that all men are your brothers, and what is so strange about rejoicing in the company of a newly discovered brother? To associate with our brothers and sisters, to learn their problems, and to learn to love them is the supreme experience of living.” UB 130:2.6
It was this close association with his fellow men, young and old, Jew and Gentile, that gave him the opportunity to become acquainted with the human race. Jesus was well educated in that he thoroughly understood men and dearly loved them. UB 123:5.8
We see how a true creator God comes to Earth and does not show himself to be overbearing in his supreme power, but rather close and kind, friendly and understanding in the face of our problems and experiences. “He understood men deeply and loved them dearly.” He spoke and listened to all kinds of people: caravan drivers, prostitutes, an emperor, fishermen or small children. All human beings interested him.
There is a very interesting definition of LISTENING: accepting what the other says, but without loading it intellectually or emotionally. This definition is advocated by the Jesuit Franz Jalics to promote silence, meditation and true listening. It is very common that if someone tells us “I am sad” we say to that person something like: “don’t be sad, you have wonderful children”, rationalizing that person’s circumstances. Or I can say in my head “poor thing”, when that “poor thing” has our emotional load and we have not listened to it in purity. We have introduced into listening a part of ourselves that is not in the other person.
Let’s delve a little deeper into this important topic of LISTENING. It can offer us profound and inspiring reflections for us, readers of The Urantia Book.
Pablo d’Ors analyzes these five convictions regarding listening:
¶ Jobs – our recommendations of the month
About document 105 (William Sadler Jr.)
Bill Sadler, son of Dr. Sadler, had the uncanny ability to explain very complex concepts from The Urantia Book in simple words. In this paper, which contains a transcript of a talk he gave to a study group, Bill Sadler alludes to a teaching in Paper 105, “Deity and Reality” on the I AM: “When I think of static Deity, I think of a fried egg. This is the I AM. Potentials have not yet been differentiated from manifestations. As the paper describes it, this is the hypothetical static moment of eternity.” He then elaborates on the comparison to better understand the differentiation of potentials and actuals.
The Kingdom of Heaven in the 21st Century (Olga López)
This work was written as a presentation in a virtual room, considering that the day of the presentation was precisely Easter Sunday. In a vindication of the optimistic message of the resurrection and the religion of Jesus in the face of the fact of the crucifixion and the religion about Jesus, respectively, the author reviews the key concept of the message that Jesus came to transmit to us: the kingdom of heaven. To do so, she develops what was the origin of the concept of the kingdom, how it evolved during the public life of Jesus and in later Christianity, and what the future of its implementation may be, in light of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
The Ministry of Mercy (Javier Martínez)
In this PDF you can see the main points of the presentation offered by its author on this very important topic to understand the love of the Father. As its author points out when expressing his objectives: «The main objective of this presentation is to analyze and become aware of what represents the colossal ministry of the divine mercy of our heavenly Father, the Paradise Trinity, the action of the heavenly and seraphic hosts, as well as the real and vital manifestation in the figure of our father Jesus of Nazareth (Michael of Nebadon), in the time that he shared his material existence with us on our planet.»
A Jewish girl finds Jesus (Bobbie Dreier)
In this presentation, the author talks about her upbringing in the Jewish religion, in its relationship to Christianity. As the author says, “Jesus is a kind of cursed word in most Jewish homes. The persecutions during the Inquisition in Spain, the Crusades, the raids on Jewish quarters with the slaughter of their inhabitants, the Holocaust, general anti-Semitism, and a great deal of the suffering that Jews have experienced, is somehow laid at the feet of Jesus. They make no distinction between Christianity and Jesus.” But through her husband she came to know The Urantia Book, and in its pages she encountered Jesus for the first time and not only became reconciled with him, but also began to love him.
¶ History and teachings: Chronicle of the life of Jesus
JOURNALISTIC ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE URANTIA BOOK
We present to you the next installment of the chronicles of the life of Jesus, which this time contains what the revelators tell us in document 146 (The first preaching tour in Galilee). Within the PDF you will see a button from which you can access the text of the document from the Urantia Foundation website.
¶ Urantia Book Children’s Guide: Jesus Left Alone in Jerusalem
We continue our review of the secondary work A Child’s Guide to The Urantia Book, by Mary Livingston. This is the next chapter, which deals with the moments when Jesus is left alone in Jerusalem without his parents, and it begins like this:
«The people of Nazareth returned in groups. They had a meeting place near the temple. Jesus entered the temple while his parents were waiting for the others. He was so interested in the talk about angels that he did not notice that he was moving away from his parents.
»Mary did not miss Jesus because she thought he would be with the men. Joseph did not miss him either because he thought he would be leading his mother’s donkey, just as he had done on the journey to Jerusalem. Indeed, they went a long way and camped for the night before they realized that Jesus was missing. They could not imagine what had happened to their son. They were so worried that they could not sleep all night.»
Download the full chapter in PDF format
¶ Other books on spiritual growth
The Road, Part I (Rafael Fuentes Maestre)
This month we recommend a book of short stories written by Rafael Fuentes, a reader of The Urantia Book. In the words of its author: «This book is for those who are looking for God. Also for those who don’t believe in anything. This book is also for those who would like to escape to other worlds. For those who define themselves as romantics. For those who feel alone. If you are losing faith in your fellow human beings, you have to read “The Path”, because its stories are comforting. They are made of the same material as dreams. They are experience, they are life. They are a journey into the interior.»
¶ Recommended audio
Tribute to David Zebedee, by Horacio Gamboa (Radio Urantia’s “Light and Life” space)
In this installment of Radio Urantia’s “Light and Life” podcast, Chilean reader Horacio Gamboa tells us about one of the characters who worked behind the scenes during the Master’s public life but who played a very important role in spreading the gospel. David Zebedee, brother of James and John Zebedee, was a forgotten hero, a decisive figure, one of the few who believed that Jesus would rise again on the third day, unlike others closer to the Master. A figure who should inspire us with his unwavering confidence, his leadership skills, and his quick reaction.
¶ Navigating through life: Life
Life disappoints you so that you stop living with illusions and see reality.
Life destroys everything superfluous until only the important remains.
Life doesn’t leave you alone, so that you stop blaming yourself and accept everything as it is.
Life will take away what you have, until you stop complaining and start being thankful.
Life sends you conflictive people to heal you, so that you stop looking outside and start reflecting what you are inside.
Life allows you to fall again and again, until you decide to learn the lesson.
Life takes you off course and presents you with crossroads, until you stop wanting to control everything and flow like a river.
Life puts your enemies in your way, until you stop reacting.
Life scares you and will scare you as many times as necessary, until you lose your fear and regain your faith.
Life distances you from the people you love, until you understand that we are not that body, but the soul it contains.
Life laughs at you many, many times, until you stop taking everything so seriously and can laugh at yourself.
Life breaks you into as many parts as necessary, so that the light can penetrate you.
Life confronts you with rebels, until you stop trying to control.
Life repeats the same message, if necessary with shouts and tapas, until you finally hear it.
Life sends lightning and storms, to wake us up.
Life humbles you and sometimes defeats you again and again until you decide to let your ego die.
Life denies you goods and greatness until you stop wanting goods and greatness and begin to serve.
Life cuts your wings and prunes your roots, until you no longer need wings or roots, you just disappear into the forms and your being flies.
Life denies you miracles, until you understand that everything is a miracle.
Life shortens your time, so that you hurry up in learning how to live.
Life ridicules you until you become nothing, nobody, and then it makes you everything.
Life doesn’t give you what you want, but what you need to evolve.
Life hurts and torments you until you let go of your whims and tantrums and appreciate breathing.
Life hides treasures from you until you learn to go out into life and look for them.
Life denies you God, until you see Him in everyone and everything.
Life wakes you up, prunes you, breaks you, disappoints you… but believe me, that is so that your best self can manifest… until only love remains in you.
(Bert Hellinger)
¶ My favorite paragraph — Miguel Mallorca
Opportunity, mercy and law
Among all the paragraphs, I would like to highlight some that have impressed me for their great importance, not only on a personal level but also on a social, global and spiritual level. There are many references, but the development and conclusion are quite brief, reasonable and coherent.
In these paragraphs I try to summarize what I understand as transcendent in the face of the elements and inevitabilities that could condition our spiritual growth:
…it may happen that, through no fault of your own, the accidents of time and the limitations of material existence prevent you from attaining these levels on your home planet. In that case, if your intentions and desires are of survival value… You will be allowed additional time to prove your worth. UB 112:5.6
When there is any doubt as to the advisability of advancing a human identity to the mansion worlds, the universe governments invariably rule in favor of the self-interest of that individual… while still watching the emergence of his morontia intentions and spiritual purposes. Thus the fulfillment of divine justice is assured, and divine mercy is granted a new opportunity to expand its ministry. UB 112:5.7
… all creatures of will must have a real opportunity to make an indubitable, fully conscious, and final choice… The human soul must and will have a full opportunity to reveal its true intent and real purpose. UB 112:5.9
… We would rather take the risk of rebellion in one system than run the risk of depriving a single struggling mortal on any evolutionary world of the eternal joy of pursuing the upward career. UB 112:5.8
«The act is ours, the consequences God’s.» UB 117:5.5
In the face of these words from the revealer, I had to make a great effort to reflect in order to accept the fact that the free will granted by the Father does not grant us total authority over our future (yes, but no). He is the Principle. He establishes the rules of the game, the laws that govern the cosmos… even the law of spiritual euthanasia, where I mistakenly thought that, because I enjoyed this free will, I was absolutely responsible for my destiny, but this is not the case.
In a system of love, laws are only applied when mercy does not obtain results, but if we consider that the possibility of extinguishing ourselves spiritually is also a law of the Father, I must recognize that literally the acts are ours, but the consequences belong to HIM.
¶ Urantian Questionnaire – Montserrat Blanco
Montserrat Blanco lives in Zeberio (Vizcaya). She is divorced and is the mother of two adult daughters and has a 2-year-old granddaughter. She has been a businesswoman all her life, but after the pandemic she closed the company and is currently in charge of an ice cream shop.
- How did you come across The Urantia Book and why do you think you found it?
About 6 years ago I saw in some forum the discrepancies that existed between The Urantia Book and the Trojan Horse books, written by JJ Benitez, who considered these books a plagiarism of The Urantia Book. This caught my attention, because for me the Trojan Horses were a pearl, since they showed me a real and pure Jesus of Nazareth, outside of the interests and manipulations that I have always seen and felt in the different religions of our days. That is why I wanted to know more about the book.
- What was your first impression when you read it?
At first I was disappointed, as I was expecting a more comfortable and understandable type of reading. But I did not give up and looked for a way to try to understand it.
¶ XIX Meeting of readers of The Urantia Book in Spain
Urantia Association of Spain
Dates: September 7-9, 2023
Location: Hotel Santa Cecilia, C/Tinte nº 3, CIUDAD REAL
Topic: The Commitment to Being a Believer. Life Practices in the Light of The Urantia Book
¶ Room reservation
In conjunction with the hotel, it has been agreed to create a standard package called “Urantia Group” for the reservation of 20 double rooms on a P/C basis, according to the offered budget.
We recommend booking as soon as possible to guarantee the low price offered.
Each person who wishes to attend the event must formalize the corresponding reservation in the manner and form described below.
This will be done by sending an email to hotel@santacecilia.com and copying it to urantiaesp@gmail.com or by calling the hotel reception at 926 22 85 45, where the following must be indicated, both in the emails and when giving the details to the hotel:
«Urantia Group»
- Names and surnames of the attendees.
- Total number of people.
- Approximate day and time of arrival and day of departure.
- Room type (preferably double occupancy).
- DNI number of attendees or Passport number.
- Telephone Number.
- Email.
- Payment method.
¶ Payment to the hotel
The reservation will be paid by bank transfer or credit card to the following account:
BANKINTER, account number: ES78 0128 0085 2505 0000 8566. Bankinter’s SWIFT or BIC code is: BKBKESMMXXX
Cancellations:
More than 15 days free of charge. Less than that, pay the reservation.
Between 7/14 days, wake-up call.
Less than 7 days, cancellation of reservation.
Remarks:
Children up to 3 years old, free crib.
Maximum availability in double/single use rooms 10 rooms.
Extra beds available for up to 6 people per group.
Refund of the reservation in particular cases for justified reasons, accident, hospitalization, illness, etc.
¶ Registrations
Those who wish to attend the 19th National Meeting must pay an amount of €15 per person for common expenses arising from room rentals, audiovisual equipment, water in rooms, stationery and other costs.
Payment will be made by bank transfer, credit card, to the TRÍODOS BANK account.
IBAN code: ES86 1491 0001 2521 3206 5927
BIC code: TRIOESMMXXX
Account holder: URANTIA ASSOCIATION OF SPAIN
Name and address of the bank:
TRIODOS BANK
C/ JOSE ECHEGARAY 5
28232 LAS ROZAS, MADRID
¶ About the Light and Life Newsletter
Luz y Vida is the newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain. From 2005 to 2016 it was published in PDF format and distributed by post and email to the association’s reader list, but is currently distributed in newsletter format from HTML content.
If you would like to receive the newsletter in your email, please contact the association to be added to the recipient list.
All work and news from readers and study groups are welcome, so if you wish to share any secondary work, writing, outline, image, etc., you can send it to the association and we will publish it after evaluating its suitability. Likewise, the Communications Committee of the board of directors of the Urantia Association of Spain reserves the right to edit it to ensure it meets minimum spelling quality standards.
¶ References
- Index of the magazine “Luz y Vida” of the Association of Spain
- This article from the magazine “Luz y Vida Online”
- Index of the magazine “Luz y Vida Online”