© 2024 Olga López
© 2024 Urantia Association of Spain
Bulletin of the Urantia Association of Spain
Light and Life — October 2024
¶ In this issue
- Editorial – October 2024 — 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 at Age 21
- Other books on spiritual growth
- Recommended video
- Navigating through life: Serenity — Mario Alonso Puig
- My favorite paragraph — Rey Sotolongo
- Urantian Questionnaire — Ulises Pedrique
- October Urantia Talk
¶ Editorial – October 2024 — M. José Sánchez Santamaría
We are celebrating an anniversary.
On Wednesday, October 12, 1955, the publication of the complete The Urantia Book became a reality. This publication coincided with the anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It was in those distant times, according to the members of the contact commission, that the midwayers of Urantia sent a formal petition to the rulers of the superuniverse, the Ancients of Days, requesting that a new revelation be imparted to our world, Urantia. They desired to include more information about Jesus than was contained in the four gospels of the New Testament. And it was not until the time of the Fifth Epochal Revelation (20th century) that the midwayers received the answer to their previous request: permission to include the fourth part of The Urantia Book_, which tells of_ the life and teachings of Jesus.
Now, in the year 2024 and in this month of October, we celebrate the 69th anniversary of its printing on paper.
The Urantia Book, its different parts, its wonderful concepts, its unparalleled approach to the figure of our beloved Jesus of Nazareth, is available to millions of readers. Either with physical books or online. Wonderful news in a world thirsty for good news.
The old, dusty, and cornered books have already had their moment of splendor, and now they rest on shelves, forgotten by readers. But The Urantia Book seeks to become something radically alive and adjusted to our personal circumstances. It is about knowing the Truth with our experience and not only with our intellectual assent in study group discussions, in forums, or in research. It is not only about sharing quotes from the book, but about acting believing that, every time we interact with another person, we are enjoying the encounter with the God who lives within us. A personal religion that tries to find the hidden treasure in the deepest part of our BEING: God himself, our friend and inseparable companion, our true Self. That would be the true and wonderful LIVING spirituality that The Urantia Book promotes.
¶ Jobs – our recommendations of the month
Other beings (Santiago Rodríguez)
In this brief outline, the author helps us to make sense of the beings whose characteristics are the most difficult for us to understand: transcendental beings such as the Architects of the Master Universe, fragmented entities of Deity such as the Thought Adjusters, superpersonal beings, and other unclassified and unrevealed orders.
The life and teachings of Jesus (Jesús Rodríguez)
At the beginning of this extensive work, its author highlights that in the life of Jesus we must differentiate between his personal ministry and his public ministry, separated by a short period of transition. Each of them has unique characteristics and served specific and unique purposes. Next, he summarizes the events of his life and the meaning they had in chronological order.
Key Dates in the History of The Urantia Book (UB Fellowship website)
As the title indicates, the decisive years in the development of the Urantia revelation are set forth here in chronological order, from the year 1906 (the date of the first presentation to the contact personality) through 1954, the year in which the final instructions were received prior to the publication of the book.
How to publicize The Urantia Book (Olga López)
In this presentation, which was given at the IV Meeting of readers of the book in Spain, the author highlights two distinctive features of the fifth revelation: that it has been given to us before it fully bears fruit, and at a time that is not at all the same as for other planets that have followed a more typical evolution in accordance with the plan. From there, she expresses what would be the best way to make the book known among our fellow men, in which the example of Jesus shines with its own light.
¶ 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 159 (The tour of the Decapolis). 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 at Age 21
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 time when Jesus was 21 years old, and it begins like this:
“Joseph had finished school. He worked as a carpenter. Jesus, James and Joseph now worked. There was hope that they would not be poor all their lives. Jesus took Joseph to his first Passover in Jerusalem. Jesus did not prefer anyone. He invited Joseph as he had done with James. He told Joseph about all the Jewish stories. Through this ceremony Joseph would become another young man of the Jewish faith.”
Download the full chapter in PDF format
¶ Other books on spiritual growth
The four agreements (don Miguel Ruiz)
In this book, the author presents the four agreements that can help us better understand both our own behavior and that of others, and that can help us gain security and peace of mind. These are the four points or agreements that this book deals with:
- Be impeccable with your words: words have great power, which we must know how to use wisely.
- Don’t take anything personally: what others say and think about us only defines them.
- Don’t make assumptions: find the courage to ask and express what you want.
- Always do the most you can, according to our circumstances: he who does what he can avoids regrets.
¶ Recommended video
The evolution of artificial intelligence. Is it possible for AI to develop a soul? (channel Urantia Philosophy)
This video explores a fascinating and increasingly relevant topic: can artificial intelligence (AI) develop consciousness or have a soul? As technology advances, AI raises new philosophical and spiritual questions. From the perspective of The Urantia Book, this video examines whether AI could achieve a state of consciousness comparable to humans, whether it could have a divine spark, and whether it could even transcend beyond death.
Combining technology and spirituality to examine how AI might fit into the landscape of humanity’s future, the video asks: How far can AI evolve? What role will it play in our spiritual evolution? Is it possible that it will meet a similar fate to humans in terms of soul survival?
If you are interested in the development of AI, the philosophy behind the technology, or spirituality from a Urantian perspective, this video invites you to deep reflection. It also discusses how The Urantia Book addresses the creation of the soul, the Thought Adjuster, and spiritual evolution in relation to current technological advances.
Link to video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2xRRHmz1fU
¶ Navigating through life: Serenity — Mario Alonso Puig
The ruler of a great kingdom was already advanced in age and wanted to make sure that, before leaving the world, he passed on an important lesson to his son. Throughout the most difficult times of his reign, that had been key to staying strong and finally achieving peace and harmony in his country. For some reason, the young prince did not quite understand what his father was telling him.
The sovereign ordered a painting contest to be held, the theme of which would be serenity, with the condition that no work would be rejected, no matter how strange it might seem.
Wonderful paintings arrived from all over the known world. Some showed calm seas, others clear skies. But a very strange painting also appeared, painted in dark tones and with little light, which reflected a rough sea in the middle of a storm in which enormous waves violently hit the dark rocks of a cliff. The sky appeared covered with enormous, dark clouds. The nobles did not understand the painting, but since they could not reject this work by order of the king, they placed it in a corner where it was barely visible.
¶ My favorite paragraph — Rey Sotolongo
This choosing of the Father’s will is the spiritual finding of the spirit Father by mortal man, even though an age must pass before the creature son may actually stand in the factual presence of God on Paradise. This choosing does not so much consist in the negation of creature will—“Not my will but yours be done”—as it consists in the creature’s positive affirmation: “It is my will that your will be done.” And if this choice is made, sooner or later will the God-choosing son find inner union (fusion) with the indwelling God fragment, while this same perfecting son will find supreme personality satisfaction in the worship communion of the personality of man and the personality of his Maker, two personalities whose creative attributes have eternally joined in self-willed mutuality of expression—the birth of another eternal partnership of the will of man and the will of God. (UB 111:5.6)
¶ Urantian Questionnaire — Ulises Pedrique
I am originally from Caracas, Venezuela and I have been living for some time now in a paradise in North American Florida called Venice.
I present myself as 67 years old, a servant by profession, with three daughters (one of whom recently left this plane) and five grandchildren, and married to an extraordinary person, who thanks to God shares my faith and encourages my beliefs and my highest spiritual desires. She also knows The Urantia Book very well and is an occasional reader.
I have been an everlasting reader and explorer of these revelations for more than fifteen years and, although I satisfy my hunger for truth and my thirst for wisdom day after day, the spring of living and eternal waters never runs dry. It is incredible, but I feel that it is like Love, the more it divides, the more it multiplies.
And I grant this interview with all my heart, because I want to touch hearts, open minds and unite consciences, so that together and hand in hand with the Almighty and Eternal God who created us and strengthens us with His Infinite Love, we undertake the great task of making this society and this civilization the human institutions that we so long for, need and deserve. With God, everything is possible. But apart from Him we can do nothing, absolutely nothing.
¶ October Urantia Talk
The Urantia Association of Spain organizes and sponsors the so-called “Urantian talks”, Zoom sessions in which a presenter offers a starting topic, followed by a moderated debate in which attendees can participate.
This is the talk scheduled for the month of October:
Friday 25: Ethics and morals in the challenges of our current civilization (José Manuel Díaz)
Place: Association Zoom room
Room ID: 362 798 144
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”