© 2025 Olga López
© 2025 Urantia Association of Spain
Bulletin of the Urantia Association of Spain
Luz y Vida — March 2025
¶ In this issue
- Editorial – March 2025 – Mr. José Sánchez Santamaría
- Works – our recommendations of the month
- History and teachings: Chronicle of the life of Jesus
- The Urantia Book for Children Guide: Difficulties with Judah
- Other books on spiritual growth
- Recommended video
- Ideas taken from the Circle of Trust group: Beauty
- March Urantian Talk
- UBIS “In Focus” presentations
- New courses from The Urantia Book International School (UBIS)
- About the Luz y Vida newsletter
¶ Editorial – March 2025 — Mr. José Sánchez Santamaría
Breathe peace
The 21st century is about change. You’ve noticed that, haven’t you?
We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, but we know something will happen.
We don’t know what life or your job will be like a year from now, but we know it will be different.
We don’t know what technology will change everything, but we do know that something will turn everything upside down in five years. Or maybe seven. But that will happen.
What to do in a place where everything changes so quickly?
Well, the truth is that the best answer is this:
NOTHING.
Well, I clarify: nothing, but everything at the same time.
You know: I don’t do anything, but I don’t leave anything undone.
When everyone is running around like a headless chicken, it’s best to maintain a low-information diet and turn off the TV or cell phone for a while during the day.
¶ Works – Our Recommendations of the Month
Mr. Hubble and The Urantia Book (Dick Bain, with commentary by Jan Herca) (also on the association website)
In this paper, Dick Bain (with additional comments from Jan Herca, the article’s translator) compares Hubble’s theory that the universe is constantly expanding with the book’s claims about this perception, particularly its focus on the breathing of space, leading him to reflect on the book’s cosmology and the potential criticisms it may face from non-readers regarding the need to revise it.
The ascending race, by Rafael Mondéjar (also on the association’s website)
In this extensive and exhaustive work, the author, a veteran reader of the book, describes the upward trajectory from our stage as planetary mortals to the stage of citizens of Paradise, with all the milestones that characterize each of the stages and what we learn in them.
In this extensive and exhaustive work, the author, a veteran reader of the book, describes the upward trajectory from our stage as planetary mortals to the stage of citizens of Paradise, with all the milestones that characterize each of the stages and what we learn in them.
Supporting PowerPoint presentation
What to Do About Human Evolution?, by Mariano Pérez
This work was presented in a virtual Zoom talk on October 25, 2015. In this talk, the author, based on the teachings of the book, asks whether anything should be done to biologically improve the races of Earth and, if so, how to do it. To answer these questions, the author strives to contextualize the teachings with an open mind and critical spirit to propose the tools that should be used for the improvement of the races. Here is the supporting PowerPoint presentation
Judas Iscariot, the 12th apostle, by Javier Martínez
This PowerPoint presentation contains the content of the virtual talk the author gave on Zoom, in which he analyzes the figure of Judas Iscariot: his origin, his personality traits, his negative aspects, and the process that led him to distance himself from the elevating influence of the Master and embrace evil.
You can watch the video of the presentation here.
¶ 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 the next installment of the chronicles of Jesus’ life, which this time contains what the revelators tell us in Document 164 (On the Feast of the Consecration). Within the PDF, you will find a button to access the text of the paper from the Urantia Foundation website.
¶ The Urantia Book for Children Guide: Difficulties with Judah
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 problems Jesus had with his brother Judah, and begins like this:
«Jesus taught James how to manage the caravan storehouse. Joseph learned how to take care of the family. Simon worked with Jacob as a stonecutter. But there were problems with Judah. He wasn’t doing his assigned work. He wasn’t helping the family with his allotted allowance. James and Joseph wanted him gone. They wanted to force him out of the house. Jesus didn’t think that way. He told James and Joseph that they had been patient, that they had served as an example to Judah. In this way, Jesus kept the family together.»
Download the full chapter in PDF format
¶ Other books on spiritual growth
Shamelessly human (Francisco Zárate)
This book is a voice that emerges from the depths of our being, where each verse reflects the fragility and strength of our existence. Francisco J. Zárate frankly lays bare the human soul, exploring the joys and miseries that define us. He invites us to walk barefoot on the burning coals of our emotions and to feel the pulse of life in every word. This collection of poems is not content to observe from a distance: within its pages, the reader will find a mirror that not only reflects, but challenges us to live intensely. Here, the philosophical and the poetic intertwine, revealing the essence of our daily struggles and the silent impulse to survive. It does not seek to offer easy answers, but rather to draw us on a journey of self-discovery, where each page is a test of the courage of those who dare to think.
Here is an excerpt:
“Growth is never a painless process. A tree grows stronger when the wind shakes it, metal only becomes stronger after a fire, and a muscle needs to be broken to become stronger.
The same is true of the mind and spirit: without challenges, without setbacks, without nights of doubt, there is no possible evolution. Life pushes us, twists us, confronts us with heavy silences and abrupt goodbyes, but every wound forces us to rebuild ourselves more firmly.
No one grows strong in comfort. The mind needs questions that disturb it, the soul needs cracks through which light enters.
If everything were easy, we wouldn’t learn anything, we wouldn’t know what resilience is or how to sustain ourselves when everything falls apart. Sometimes, to grow, you have to break a little, only to discover that true strength isn’t the absence of pain, but what we do with it.”
¶ Recommended video
The Parable of the White Lily and the Parable of the Carpenter (Urantia Initiate – The New Age of Brotherhood)
This video from the channel Urantia Initiate – The New Age of Brotherhood accompanies with beautiful images two parables that Jesus told his apostles and that are collected in paper 156, sections 1 and 2.
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_tKZFrMbiI
¶ Ideas taken from the Circle of Trust group: Beauty
[Fourth installment of the ideas that emerged from the Circle of Trust conversations supported by the Urantia Association of Spain. We believe these reflections can be useful to others and spark new thinking, while respecting the privacy and anonymity of the circle members.]
15th Meeting of the Circle of Trust, October 18, 2024
- Beauty is found in the spiritual; philosophy, personal relationships based on peace, joy, and sharing.
- Beauty is found within and deep within people, things, and situations in life. Even in the imperfect.
- Beauty is not the same as pretty. The opposite of pretty is ugly, but ugly is not the opposite of beautiful.
- The Truth-Beauty-Goodness triad is indissoluble. All these supreme values are intimately interrelated. Each profoundly influences the others. If one increases, the others increase, and vice versa.
- Maturity, expressed by others as spiritual evolution, is an important factor in appreciating true beauty.
- Beauty as an absolute exists in the central universe and Paradise, but relative beauty exists throughout the physical universe.
- Beauty is an energetic vibration, and depending on our vibration, we can perceive different energies; that is, we perceive beauty in one way or another. Energetic vibration depends on our spiritual evolution.
- Imperfection or ugliness can be beautiful. Example: a sick person with wormy parts. Does it produce disgust? According to Teresa of Calcutta, it was a vision of Jesus in a distressing disguise.
- Let’s think of examples of what each of us feels is beautiful or lacks of beauty.
- Everything related to the senses; smells, sight, sounds, etc., and whether ugly or unpleasant sensations and perceptions (like odors) can contain beauty: the answer is yes.
¶ March Urantian Talk
The Urantia Association of Spain organizes and sponsors so-called “Urantian Talks,” Zoom sessions in which a presenter offers a keynote topic, followed by a moderated discussion in which attendees can participate.
This is the talk scheduled for the month of March:
Saturday 29th: Exploring The Urantia Book with Artificial Intelligence: A New Era of Study, Part 2 (Ariel Vargas)
Location: Zoom room of the Urantia Association of Spain (link https://zoom.us/j/362798144)
Room ID: 362 798 144
Time: 7:00 PM (CET, Spanish peninsular time)
¶ UBIS “In Focus” Presentation Series
The Urantia Book International School (UBIS) offers a series of “In Focus” webinars related to topics from The Urantia Book or the reading community.
In Spanish, sessions last between 60 and 90 minutes and are held on the first Sunday of the month at 6 p.m. (Madrid, Paris, and Rome time). The presenter gives an introductory presentation on the topic, followed by an opportunity for attendees to participate in a discussion.
This is the presentation planned for April:
Title: God has a plan
Day: Sunday, April 6
Time: 18:00 CEST
To discover the plan of ascension for Adjuster-fused mortals and to take a brief tour in the reverse direction of the fifth revelation. This plan involves traveling both an external path (stage) and an internal path (self-transformation). Its successful completion guarantees the transformation of a mortal from the Adjuster-fusion realm into a finaliter, thus fulfilling the mandate to “BE PERFECT AS I AM PERFECT.”
Host: Jaime Marco
Jaime Marco is Spanish and lives in Lorquí, a town in the Murcia region of southeastern Spain. He is married to María Dolores and has a son and a grandson, both also named Jaime. He makes a living as a practicing systems engineer.
He has been a regular reader of The Urantia Book since 1999. He is committed to its dissemination by participating in UBIS as a facilitator, in the Urantia Association of Spain as president, giving presentations when requested, and participating in debate and discussion forums.
It is clear that everything in The Urantia Book is true, but all truth is not contained in The Urantia Book.
Link to the Zoom room:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81765686229?pwd=kAGxAlbYbgdFTgIgzMMAWzvvNkoB9k.1
ID: 817 6568 6229
Password: 812878
In case you missed it, this was the presentation on March 2nd:
Topic: Genesis of reality
Presenters: José Manuel Díaz Roldán and Raúl Framiñán
In The Urantia Book, we are told on various occasions about the origin of reality. It seems the revelators accept that reality, including absolute reality, had specific beginnings. The purpose of this presentation is to reflect on everything the fifth revelation conveys to us in this regard.
Link to the video:
https://youtu.be/wU3FkLxMMkA?si=zrxOfTw_ltJbJc5n
¶ New courses from The Urantia Book International School (UBIS)
A new semester of courses begins in April at The Urantia Book International School (UBIS). Registration begins on Monday, April 21st and ends on Sunday, May 4th. Courses begin on Monday, April 28th with Orientation Week.
These are the courses offered this quarter. All are 6 weeks long:
- The Prologue: Where It All Begins. Facilitated by: Olga López. Level: Basic.
- Introduction to Prayer and Worship. Facilitated by: Darío Franco Cuartas. Level: Basic.
- The Infinite Spirit: The Great Unknown. Facilitated by: Francisco Gallar Castro. Level: Intermediate.
- The Life Carriers and the Midsonite Children. Facilitated by: Irma E. Aguilar and Gabriela Arcaute. Level: Basic. Study group format. Dates: Every Sunday from May 4th to June 8th at 5:00 PM CEST.
If you are interested in applying for a course, you must first create an account on the school’s website, http://ubis.urantia.org. This can be done before registration begins.
Space is limited, so sign up as soon as possible!
For more information about the courses, you can visit this page: https://www.urantia.org/en/educacion/escuela-virtual
¶ 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 mail and email to the association’s reader list. However, it is currently distributed in newsletter format, based on HTML content.
If you would like to receive the newsletter in your email, contact the association to be added to the recipient list.
All work and news from readers and study groups are welcome, so if you’d like 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 standards for spelling.
¶ References
- Index of Spanish Association “Luz y Vida” articles
- Article of the Magazine «Luz y Vida Online»
- Index of the Revista “Luz y Vida Online”