© 2023 Olga López
© 2023 Urantia Association of Spain
Bulletin of the Urantia Association of Spain
Light and Life — December 2023
¶ In this issue
- Editorial – December 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 Plans God’s Work
- Other books on spiritual growth
- Recommended audio
- Navigating through life: The two jugs
- My favorite paragraph — Raúl Framiñán
-Urantian questionnaire — Mariano Pérez - UBIS “In Focus” presentation series
¶ Editorial – December 2023 — M. José Sánchez Santamaría
And finally, the last month of 2023 arrived. A year in which, we are sure, there have been many moments of growth, joys, farewells, births, deaths, beginnings and disappointments. Each person will be able to reflect and assess how their life path has been this year that is now ending, but what we are sure of at the Urantia Association of Spain is that the work done during these 12 months has been worth it.
It has been worth resuming the Urantian talks in the Zoom room.
The new push to the Urantia Corner and its debates has been worth it.
It has been worth it to have the magnificent National Meeting of Readers of The Urantia Book in Ciudad Real (or so you have told us).
But above all, it has been worth it to be able to count on so many readers of The Urantia Book who continue reading and betting on a better, renewed and generous world, just as our beloved Master yearned for. Thanks to you, friends, because hope is with us one more year, one more Christmas.
¶ Jobs – our recommendations of the month
Invitation to read at Christmas (Pablo Morales)
In this work, the author takes a look at the circumstances before and after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth; he begins by reviewing the reasons why the “official” birth date does not match the one indicated in the book, and continues with the events associated with Christmas, such as the supposed star of Bethlehem. He then explains who Jesus of Nazareth really was in the organization of the universe, taking into account who preceded him in this world.
The hand that rocks the cradle (Olga López)
As indicated in the subtitle, this work was conceived as “a Urantian look at the feminine condition,” albeit in broad strokes. In the words of the author: “The Urantia Book contains very enlightening teachings about the man-woman relationship and about the feminine condition, which can be of great help when it comes to transcending the confrontation between men and women. In this presentation, I invite you to take a journey through the feminine both up in the heavens and down on Earth. It is important, not only for women, but also for men.”
This brief article focuses on the importance of the number 10 and its powers in the universal organization, and begins like this: “The numerology of The Urantia Book is faithful and constant with respect to certain numbers that undoubtedly serve as the basis of the cosmic building, both on the material and spiritual planes. Everything seems to be built around the numbers 3, 7, 10 (7+3) and the multiples of the latter. In this aspect, the number 100 seems to be endowed with a particular purpose, probably being the constant factor of a universal progression.”
The evolution of reincarnation and karma (Santiago Rodríguez)
The book speaks at length about the age of light and life, in which a planet reaches a state that we could define as heaven on earth. But there is an interesting reference to a world, Anova, which the revelators tell us is the oldest inhabited world in the Satania system to which we belong. The author takes that reference and, from other statements in the book, deduces (according to his interpretation) that this world is in the seventh stage of light and life.
¶ 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 on this occasion contains what the revelators tell us in paper 150 (The third preaching tour). Inside 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 Plans God’s Work
We continue reviewing the secondary work A Child’s Guide to The Urantia Book, by Mary Livingston. This is the next chapter, which deals with the stage in which Jesus began to reflect a lot about what his mission would be, and it begins like this:
“The entire Jewish people were waiting for the arrival of a very special person called the Messiah. The Messiah would come to save the Jewish people. The Messiah would lead armies. He would depose bad rulers. In the time of Jesus, the Romans ruled. Many people thought they were bad rulers. It was thought that when the Messiah arrived he would be the new king and that he would free the people.”
Download the full chapter in PDF format
¶ Other books on spiritual growth
A spirituality from below: dialogue with God from the depths of the person (Anselm Grün and Meinrad Dufner)
Those who begin a spiritual path can do so in two different ways: by fixing their gaze on the ideal and applying themselves with all their strength to achieve it, or by working to build the edifice of the spirit from each person’s reality. When we take the first path, we tend to ignore reality and can become tormented and internally divided subjects. However, in spirituality from below we try to open ourselves to personal relationships with God at the point where human possibilities are exhausted and closed. Then, authentic prayer springs from the depths of our miseries and not from the heights of our virtues.
¶ Recommended audio
Channelings: error, truth, illusion or innocence (“Light and Life” Space of Radio Urantia)
In this installment of Radio Urantia’s “Light and Life” space Horacio Gamboa, a Chilean reader, addresses the topic of Lucifer’s rebellion in relation to the supposed channelings that affirm that the judgment of the rebellious Lanonandek has already been issued and that there will be an imminent visit from a paradise Avonal Son. In his reflections he refers to another article, written by Chuck Thurston, which was published in the Journal magazine of the Urantia Association International, and which we also recommend reading. The author does not believe in select groups that receive additional information, or anything like that, and he expresses it this way, since the fifth revelation is the best final authority.
¶ Navigating through life: The two jugs
A water carrier in India had two large jars that hung from the ends of a pole that he carried over his shoulders. One had several cracks through which the water escaped, so that at the end of the journey only half of it remained, while the other was perfect and kept all its contents. And so it continued every day. The jar without cracks was proud of its success, because it knew it was ideal for what it had been created for; but the poor cracked jar was ashamed of its imperfection and of not being able to properly fulfill its purpose, so after two years it said to the water carrier:
—I am ashamed and I want to apologize because because of the cracks you only get half the value you should receive for your work.
The water carrier answered:
—When we get home I want you to see the beautiful flowers that grow along the path.
The pitcher did so and, indeed, he saw many beautiful flowers along the way, but he continued to feel sad because in the end he only had half the water inside.
Then the water carrier said to him:
“Have you noticed that flowers only grow on your side of the road? I wanted to see the positive side of your cracks and I planted flower seeds. You have watered them every day and for two years I have been able to collect them. If you were not as you are, with your ability and your limitations, it would not have been possible to create this beauty. We are all cracked jugs, but we always have the possibility of taking advantage of the cracks to bring out the best in us.”
¶ My favorite paragraph — Raúl Framiñán
One of the paragraphs that has filled me the most is the following:
You will learn that you increase your burden and reduce your chances of success if you take yourself too seriously. Nothing takes priority over the work in the sphere in which you are situated, whether in this world or the next. The work of preparation for the next and higher sphere is very important, but nothing is as important as your work in the world in which you find yourself living. However, although the work is important, the self is not. When you feel important you lose energy in the natural wear and tear of ego dignity, so that little energy is left to do the work. It is not the importance of the work but the importance of self that exhausts immature creatures. It is the weight of self that exhausts, not the effort of achievement. You can do important work if you do not give yourself importance. You can do several things as easily as one thing if you let go of your self. Variety is soothing; it is monotony that wears and exhausts. One after another, the days run the same and always with the same alternative: life or death. UB 48:6.37
¶ Urantian questionnaire — Mariano Pérez
Mariano Pérez lives in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). He has worked as a training instructor for 39 years in a railway company. He is married and has three daughters.
1. How did you come across The Urantia Book and why do you think you found it?
I came to The Urantia Book by reading The Testament of Saint John, by J.J. Benítez, in which he thanked the Urantia Foundation.
2. What was your first impression when reading it?
I had the intuition that it was truly important, I was convinced that I had found valuable information that would change the way I see the world.
¶ UBIS “In the Spotlight” Presentation Series
The Uran_tia Book International School (UBIS) offers a series of “In Focus” webinars related to topics from The Urantia Book or the reader community.
In the Spanish language, 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 in question, after which there is an opportunity for attendees to participate in a debate.
This is the presentation scheduled for the month of December:
Day: Saturday, December 2nd
Time: 18:00 hours CET (Madrid, Paris, Rome)
Title: Spiritual Perception: Achieving Discernment of Divine Spirit Guidance
Presented by: José Manuel Díaz Roldán
Zoom Room: https://urantia-org.zoom.us/j/5136302555
You can watch the video of the previous session at this link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2xygoIcW9o&pp=ygUSdXJhbnRpYSBmb3VuZGF0aW9u
¶ Urantia Talk for December
The Urantia Association of Spain has resumed the “Urantian talks”, Zoom sessions in which a presenter offers a starting topic, followed by a moderated debate among the attendees.
This is the talk scheduled for the month of December:
Friday 15: Work, money, wealth and The Urantia Book (Inmaculada Gómez)
Place: Zoom room of the Association
Time: 7:00 p.m. (Spanish peninsular time)
¶ About the Luz y Vida 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 wish to receive the newsletter in your email, contact the association to be subscribed 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 meet 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”