© 2024 Olga López
© 2024 Urantia Association of Spain
Bulletin of the Urantia Association of Spain
Light and Life — December 2024
¶ In this issue
- Editorial – December 2024 — M. José Sánchez Santamaría on 11/30/2024
- Jobs – our recommendations of the month
- History and teachings: Chronicle of the life of Jesus
- Urantia Book Children’s Guide: Permission to Marry
- Other books on spiritual growth
- Recommended video
- Navigating through life: Nothing disturbs you
- My favorite paragraph — L. Coll
- Urantian Questionnaire — By Víctor García Bory
- UBIS “In Focus” presentation series
¶ Editorial – December 2024 — M. José Sánchez Santamaría on 11/30/2024
And finally, the last month of the year 2024 arrived. A year in which, without a doubt, we have experienced the duality of life: moments of joy and sadness, births and farewells, beginnings and endings. Everyone can remember and value the journey of their year, but at the Urantia Association of Spain we are sure that all the work and projects carried out in these 12 months have been worth it:
- The shared reading and analysis on Sundays at GEV has been worth it.
- We loved the creation of the “Trust Group”, an intimate and fraternal space for dialogue.
- We greatly value the unforgettable National Meeting of Readers in Toledo.
- The creation of the “Monographic Studies” group has been worthwhile, allowing us to calmly delve deeper into the topics of The Urantia Book.
- We have learned a lot from the analysis and debates of the Urantian talks in the Zoom room.
But above all we are excited to have so many readers of The Urantia Book committed to a better and more generous world, as our beloved Master yearned for. Thanks to all of you, friends, because one more year, one more Christmas, hope remains alive… here and now.
¶ Jobs – our recommendations of the month
The human mind according to Bill Sadler (Eduardo Altuzarra)
Starting from a fragment of a conversation between Bill Sadler and the members of a study group, in which the former explains what the image of the human mind and its components would be for him, Eduardo has created some graphics in which he represents what that image would be and how it would be connected to the adjutant mind-spirits and the Thought Adjuster. Very useful for having an overall view of the mind, its components and its connections.
Opinions and comments (Bill Sadler Jr.)
On July 23, 1960, Bill Sadler met with a Urantia Book study group in Oklahoma City, USA. The lecture was quite long and was recorded on tape. Years later, that talk was transcribed in full and is available on other websites. This is a translated summary containing Bill Sadler’s most notable comments and opinions.
A new thought (Eduardo Altuzarra)
The author begins his presentation thus: “In this dissertation, neither neophytes nor those people who, considering themselves seekers of the truth, have not felt within themselves the force that drags one to the threshold of REALITY, will find answers.” What is this work about, then? Precisely about awakening to a new thought, which is precisely what arises when we sincerely seek the truth, when we want to develop a consciousness “that makes us progress in cosmic reality, in a conscious and responsible way.”
Synthesis of reality (Joseph Servant)
This work is really exactly what its title indicates: it briefly reviews all of reality according to The Urantia Book, from the I AM to our human condition. Along this rapid path, valuable reflections on our society, the Church that emerged after Jesus of Nazareth, and many others are interspersed.
¶ 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 161 (Other conversations with Rodan). 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: Permission to Marry
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’ brothers were beginning to intend to marry, and it begins like this:
“James had reached twenty years of age. He had fallen in love with a young woman from Nazareth. He told Jesus that one day he would go hunting. Joseph was approaching eighteen years of age. It had been decided that James would teach Joseph how to take care of the family. James would teach Joseph for two years, after which he would marry.”
Download the full chapter in PDF format
¶ Other books on spiritual growth
Coming home (Julio J. Miranda)
On this occasion, the author presents a self-contained book that moves away from the theme of his previous works and seeks to touch the hearts of readers. Volver a casa tells the story, in the first person, of Carolina, a doctor in Chemistry who will live a hard and very dramatic story, but also very special. Despite her brilliant scientific and logical mind, the protagonist must reconcile her most immovable beliefs with facts that will challenge her imagination, shaking the foundations of her entire life. From there, questions arise such as whether life after the death of the body is possible and, if so, where does it go.
¶ Recommended video
The Bahá’í Faith and Urantia (Omar of Urantia)
On the Omar Delgado channel we have this interview that was done in the “Planet Urantia” space about the similarities between the Bahá’í faith (monotheistic religion founded in the 19th century) and the teachings of The Urantia Book. Omar Delgado has dedicated himself to researching the religions of the world and highlighting what unites them with the fifth epochal revelation, which helps to understand religious people who profess other beliefs and to look for common points with them to provide higher truths.
Link:
https://youtu.be/Lk4zLlrXdk4?si=Nc1qHJ9blL23XX0O
¶ Navigating through life: Nothing disturbs you
Nothing disturbs you,
Nothing scares you,
Everything passes,
God does not change,
Patience
It reaches everything;
Who has God
Nothing is missing:
Only God is enough.
Elevate the thought,
rises to heaven,
Don’t worry about anything,
Nothing disturbs you.
Jesus Christ follows
with big chest,
and, whatever comes,
Nothing scares you.
Do you see the glory of the world?
It is vain glory;
There is nothing stable about it,
Everything passes.
Aspire to the celestial,
that always lasts;
faithful and rich in promises,
God does not change.
Love her as she deserves
Immense kindness;
but there is no fine love
Without patience.
Trust and living faith
keep the soul,
that who believes and hopes
It reaches everything.
From hell harassed
although it is seen,
will mock his fury
Who has God.
Let helplessness come upon him,
crosses, misfortunes;
God being his treasure,
Nothing is missing.
Go, then, you goods of the world;
Go, vain sayings,
Even if I lose everything,
Only God is enough.
(St. Teresa of Avila)
¶ My favorite paragraph — L. Coll
Two of my favorite paragraphs refer to the concept that Jesus taught about the kingdom of heaven and the spiritual and personal transformation of the individual: “The kingdom of heaven is within you.”
At different times and in varying circumstances it appears that Jesus may have presented numerous concepts of the “kingdom” in his public teachings, but to his apostles he always taught the kingdom as embracing man’s personal experience in relation to his fellows on earth and to the Father in heaven. Concerning the kingdom, his last word always was, “The kingdom is within you.” (UB 170:1.13)
¶ Urantia Questionnaire — By Víctor García Bory
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to respond to this questionnaire and share.
I was born in Mexico City and now live happily with my wife and our son in New York City.
I have a degree in Communication Sciences with a specialization in Advertising and Public Relations. I obtained a master’s degree in Organizational Development in Mexico and a postgraduate degree in Strategic Marketing in the United States.
I have worked in the corporate and nonprofit arenas in Mexico, Latin America, the United States, Europe, and East Asia since the early 1990s. I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as director of the Spanish-speaking office of Urantia Foundation from 2001 to 2004, as an associate trustee from 2010 to 2015, and then as an associate trustee emeritus until 2022, when I was elected to the permanent board of trustees.
1. How did you come across The Urantia Book and why do you think you found it?
I first heard about Urantia Foundation in a thank you note that Juan José Benítez wrote in one of his books. Years later, through a panel discussion on a Mexican television program, I learned of the existence of The Urantia Book. But, although I searched for the book with determination for years, I did not find it. Until one day, while waiting for a person I accompanied to a bookstore to pick up an order of books, I saw on the floor an individual box of The Urantia Book that a worker had thrown away while cleaning the warehouse. I took the box and asked a saleswoman about the book. She told me that they did not have it, but that the owner of the bookstore had ordered it by mail for himself from a publishing house in the United States.
¶ UBIS “In the Spotlight” Presentation Series
The Urantia Book International School (UBIS) offers a series of “In Focus” webinars related to topics from The Urantia Book or the community of readers.
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:
Title: The art of teaching of Jesus: methods that are still valid
Presenter: Erika Webster
Erika has been a reader of The Urantia Book since 2011 and considers it a constant source of inspiration for living and serving. She is actively involved in a study group in her community and currently leads the Spanish branch of UBIS, where she enjoys facilitating courses and promoting the dissemination of this revelation. Born and raised in Mexico, Erika is now a naturalized American citizen. Before settling in Oklahoma (USA), she lived in Germany, which enriches her cultural perspective. A widow and mother of two, Erika works as an artistic gymnastics director and enjoys digital photography as a hobby.
In this presentation, we will explore how Jesus employed profoundly effective teaching methods, highlighting some of the most notable techniques he used, such as the use of questions, learning by experience, utilizing prior knowledge, teamwork, personal ministry, and the use of parables. These methods not only inspired his contemporaries but also offer helpful insights for modern readers of The Urantia Book, showing how we can incorporate these approaches into our daily lives and into our own ways of teaching and sharing.
Join us to discover together the richness and depth of Jesus’ teaching method, based on examples taken from Part IV of The Urantia Book!
Link to the Zoom room:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81765686229?pwd=kAGxAlbYbgdFTgIgzMMAWzvvNkoB9k.1
Identification: 81765686229
Password: 812878
¶ 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”