© 2011 Marc Belleau, Jean-Claude Lafrenière, Maurice Migneault
© 2011 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Justice and Mercy
WE LIVE IN AN ERA characterized more and more by freedom of thought. It is therefore not surprising to see the proliferation of a variety of visions, sometimes opposing, on divine justice and mercy.
Traditional religions opt for implacable justice, like the vengeful God of the Gospels, while other ideologies offer us a God who can absolve everything and whose love is so compelling that it does violence to the very idea of justice and the free will of creatures. In reality, God in all his perfection wisely combines mercy and justice.
Our Heavenly Father is necessarily merciful toward His creation; this is what characterizes His relationship with each of us. He created us incomplete, without knowledge, without experience, and asks us to respond to His invitation: “Be perfect, as I am perfect.” He knows well that we will make mistakes along the way; this is the lot of those who rise from the imperfect spheres of time and space to the perfection of Paradise. We could define mercy as divine justice adapted to the particular conditions of each creature struggling in the universe. It is a credit of time granted to all intelligent beings to enable them to perfect themselves.
Mercy is not a contravention of justice but rather an understanding interpretation of the demands of supreme justice as it is fairly applied to the subordinate spiritual beings and to the material creatures of the evolving universes. Paper 2 no.4 – Divine Mercy (UB 2:4.5)
God forgives with love and wisdom; he understands our state of incompleteness and gives us all the time we need to fulfill ourselves. He takes cognizance of each of our motives in order to adapt his judgment. Without the brake of mercy, growth in the universe would be impossible, because justice, effective, precise and expeditious, does not support the presence of evil.
Supreme justice can act instantly when not restrained by divine mercy. But the ministry of mercy to the children of time and space always provides for this time lag, this saving interval between seedtime and harvest. Paper 54 no. 4 — the period of mercy — (UB 54:4.6)
God loves the sinner supremely, but he also hates sin, and it is sin that is destined to be destroyed by divine justice. Evil becomes real when the creature uses his free will to indulge in it; by repeatedly choosing it, he becomes wicked. The love of God, powerful but never compelling, is powerless against the deviant will of his children. It is, therefore, the creature who chooses to become unreal by complete identification with evil. The day will come—when all creatures have learned to choose good—when evil will have no existence of its own, since there will be no one to choose it and make it factual; this is the purpose of this vast superuniverse educational system which begins here on Urantia and extends to the embrace of the Universal Father on Paradise. Evil is therefore not destined to become a persistent reality in the grand universe and so it is with those personalities who have completely identified with it.
Such a sin-identified mortal would then become wholly unspiritual in nature (and therefore personally unreal) and would experience eventual extinction of being. Unreality, even incompleteness of creature nature, cannot exist forever in a progressingly real and increasingly spiritual universe. Paper 2 no.6 — the goodness of God- (UB 2:6.8)
If mercy is granted by our Heavenly Father, taking into account the specific situations of each individual, justice, on the other hand, is entirely impersonal. Indeed, the law is always promulgated for the whole, it is impartial and interested in the whole; it does not concern itself with the particular conditions of individuals. Indeed, it is impossible to govern by taking into account each will of each part of the group. It is therefore up to the individual to conform to the laws promulgated, and this, in order to ensure the harmony of the whole.
In the grand universe, the Father does not judge his creatures, but rather that is the function of the Paradise Trinity or its agents, the Ancients of Days (three per superuniverse). Justice, to be precise, must be administered by groups of competent individuals (a group is always made up of a minimum of 3 people) in order to avoid any possibility of personal interpretation. Jesus, in a discussion with his Indian friend Ganid, explained this aspect of the administration of justice well:
“. . . mercy may be lavish, but justice is precise. Cannot you discern that no two persons are likely to agree as to the punishment which would satisfy the demands of justice? . . . Can you not see that on this world such responsibilities had better rest upon the group or be administered by chosen representatives of the group? In the universe, judgment is vested in those who fully know the antecedents of all wrongdoing as well as its motivation.” Paper 133 no. 1 -Mercy and justice- (UB 133:1.2)
Although he is the ruler of our local universe, Michael of Nebadon, when he was incarnated, categorically refused to judge his deviant sons during the Lucifer rebellion.
To the many proposals and counterproposals of the emissaries of Lucifer, Jesus only made reply: “May the will of my Paradise Father prevail, and you, my rebellious son, may the Ancients of Days judge you divinely. I am your Creator-father; I can hardly judge you justly, and my mercy you have already spurned. I commit you to the adjudication of the Judges of a greater universe.” (UB 134:8.7)
Reflecting on the nature of justice and mercy helps us understand how we should behave in our daily lives. In light of what we have just read, we can conclude that judgment is not the responsibility of the individual; let us not judge others, even in the most mundane situations of our lives. Michael did not want to judge his own rebellious sons, and I do not see how we could justify the judgments we sometimes make of our brothers and sisters. The only choice left to us, then, is to follow in the footsteps of the Master and develop our capacity to forgive.
“. . .Mercy ministry is always the work of the individual, but justice punishment is the function of the social, governmental, or universe administrative groups. As an individual I am beholden to show mercy;. . .” Paper 133 no.1-Mercy and justice — (UB 133:1.2)
Being merciful does not mean excusing sin, but rather, stopping struggling with situations of iniquity by returning good for evil, which is actually the positive way to do things. God is merciful because he is always open to the repentance of the creature; his love even goes so far as to rehabilitate the sinner. In the image of God, let us be proactive. We can hate evil, but we must learn to love those who commit it in order to give them every opportunity to understand and become better. This is sometimes very difficult, I admit; personally, I have a lot of difficulty maintaining an open mind towards pedophiles. Although I can hate these highly reprehensible acts, mercy requires that I be open to the idea that individuals struggling with such problems want to change and may need help.
We have every interest in exercising mercy because it keeps us from struggling with error and evil, which is a negative use of our energy. In doing so, we focus on the evil instead of the sinner, which requires love and kindness, two highly positive attitudes that, when inhabited, energize us, renewing our minds and spirits. There are great benefits to being merciful.
Jesus portrayed conquest by sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride and selfishness. By showing mercy, he meant to portray spiritual deliverance from all grudges, grievances, anger, and the lust for selfish power and revenge. And when he said, “Resist not evil,” he later explained that he did not mean to condone sin or to counsel fraternity with iniquity. He intended the more to teach forgiveness, to “resist not evil treatment of one’s personality, evil injury to one’s feelings of personal dignity.” (UB 141:3.8)
In short, justice is always impersonal and concerned with the whole. Mercy is the personalized expression of this justice, adapted to the conditions of each creature. Since the administration of justice belongs to groups of people, we must learn, as individuals, not to judge; let us therefore be merciful, it is the only truly valid alternative if we want to become more and more like God. In his great tenderness, he gives, for our perfection, a credit of time that goes far beyond what we will actually need.
3. The Import of Time. Time is the one universal endowment of all will creatures; it is the “one talent” intrusted to all intelligent beings. You all have time in which to insure your survival; and time is fatally squandered only when it is buried in neglect, when you fail so to utilize it as to make certain the survival of your soul. Failure to improve one’s time to the fullest extent possible does not impose fatal penalties; it merely retards the pilgrim of time in his journey of ascent. If survival is gained, all other losses can be retrieved. (UB 28:6.9)
There is a connection between time and mercy and to the extent that we waste the former, we squander the latter. Let us therefore be wise stewards of this wonderful resource and make good use of the time allotted to us by promoting activities that will bring us closer to both God and His creation.
Orvonton, the seventh superuniverse, the one to which your local universe belongs, is known chiefly because of its tremendous and lavish bestowal of merciful ministry to the mortals of the realms. It is renowned for the manner in which justice prevails as tempered by mercy and power rules as conditioned by patience, while the sacrifices of time are freely made to secure the stabilization of eternity. Orvonton is a universe demonstration of love and mercy. (UB 15:14.2)
If you have any comments, questions or objections about this text, please feel free to write to me. I will be happy to read them.
Marc Belleau
belleaumarc@hotmail.com
¶ A first
THREE TRIPS GROUPED INTO A SINGLE TRIP AND WE SAVE 700 km of road. From St-André Avellin in Outaouais to Sherbrooke on Friday morning to meet my naturopath then stay the same evening in Trois Rivières at the Ursuline convent; we leave early on Saturday morning to go to Lévis to participate in the theme day.
A little inconvenience was offered to us to build our character. A sign indicating 2 km led us astray in the sense that we thought we understood that we had to exit 2 km further. Lost, sidetracked, misplaced, disoriented, but helped, informed, put back in the saddle (I only send you angels, a gentleman apart from that) we finally arrive at the Hotel l’Oiselière and we are at the “petits oiseaux”.
Return planned for Sunday for the religious celebration of my sister’s 50th anniversary of religious life.
Of these 3 activities, which one do you think was our favorite?
Well yes, these presentations on the theme of Faith and Beliefs help us to review, ingeniously grouped, notions contained a little everywhere in The Urantia Book, but gathered into a whole. Excellent way to deepen a subject, two in this case.
What a joy to be together (17 brothers, 7 sisters) and to experience this warm, fraternal human relationship with such “beautiful people”.
Let me give you some notes taken during the various presentations.
- Our president, Mr. Gaétan Charland, told us that he played the hot potato there by asking himself, after reading the book, what to do with it?
- Louise Renaud (a female speaker, apparently that’s rare!) Faith is personal, it liberates, we can communicate with God without an intermediary, while beliefs (of any group) lead to formalism just like religions of authority.
- Guy Breton (magnificent visual presentation skillfully mounted) return to the sources of our first influences, like the small catechism, the conventional Credo versus Love of God for us and us for our brothers in service.
- Robert Ezri: the road to perfection, for us, perfectible beings, can only be achieved in partnership with God to whom we can say: it is my will to do your will.
After dinner, the 4 groups each receive a different document to answer the questions asked. A facilitator per table is chosen and I act as such and give everyone the opportunity to intervene without deviating from our work.
I will end by telling you about my memorable meeting with our devoted Line St-Pierre. To my question, how can I get involved? Here is the concise and precise answer she gave me: 1. Live the teachings 2. Start a study group. 3. Participate in the content of Réflectivité.
And there you have it!
Jean-Claude Lafreniere
May 17, 2011
¶ Creation of a study and reading group in the Petite Nation
(in Outaouais at the top of Montebello)
DEPARTURED FROM THE Thematic Day on Faith and Beliefs last May in Lévis, with among other things a document entitled Study Groups, and noting repeatedly the desire expressed many times by the Revealers of the importance of creating thousands of them, my partner and I agree to form one between the two of us first, now, even if it means working later on to ensure that it gradually expands while practicing our preferred formula of reading and study.
A week after our return, on May 22, we held our first official meeting on a Sunday morning and named it Laurantia.
We start at 9:00 and review the text on study groups together; co-founder Denise, who welcomes us into her home, reads excerpts from the book on prayer and notes copied into her large notebook, about what had impressed her from her first reading.
Co-founder Jean-Claude reads from the notes accumulated in his little notebook, the corresponding extracts from the UB. We review the holding of this meeting and an hour passes quickly.
Understanding the importance of holding fraternal Agapes in memory of the Last Supper, we continue our Sunday morning habit while we will offer to the newcomers: chocolate fondue with fruits.
Very happy with this first we look forward to next week when Denise will take on the role of host.
See how simple it is!
Jean-Claude Lafreniere
St-André Avellin
¶ LEADERSHIP, A TOOL FOR GROWTH
WHEN A GROUP OF people only have a specific role to play, a leader is enough to lead them. The guidelines are already in place, they just have to apply them, that’s all. But when this group has a goal to achieve, when it needs to be creative, competitive, and grow, it is no longer a team leader that it needs, but a leader who knows how to lead the members of the group beyond the simple execution of a task.
However, it would be risky to claim that there are leaders on one side and non-leaders on the other. We are all leaders in our own way, and to varying degrees. This explains why if we eliminate the leader of a group, another will emerge from within that group. On the other hand, there can only be one at a time; that is the way nature wants it. John the Baptist illustrated this well when he said of Jesus:
He must increase but I must decrease.” (UB 135:11.2)
It is common to associate leadership with functions requiring: authority, control, command, mastery, influence, power, strength, etc. But leadership is above all an attitude, not a function. It is its specific applications that are often associated with functions. But the more competent the leader, the more he will be able to highlight all the human and divine aspects of the members of the group. There is always an overlap between its different applications, which is why they do not always seem obvious to us. But here is a brief portrait of it anyway…
1 - A good leader is vigilant in detecting potential problems and conflicts that could break the unity of the group. He knows how to maintain direction and goals.
Time, space, and experience are man’s greatest aids to relative reality perception and yet his most formidable obstacles to complete reality perception. (UB 106:9.3)
2 - The good leader quickly finds a way to use everything at his disposal to solve a problem. He is attentive to each small experience and knows how to learn from it for greater efficiency and always with economy of means.
Jesus was the perfectly unified human personality. And today, as in Galilee, he continues to unify mortal experience and to co-ordinate human endeavors. He unifies life, ennobles character, and simplifies experience.” (UB 100:7.18)
3 - The good leader knows how to be for his group, a model of loyalty and moral vigor. “Children are permanently impressed only by the loyalty of their adult companions.” The Urantia Book p. 1094 — §6 But in the heart of each adult, the child remains and this loyalty will always retain a deep value even if it is often hidden by material attractions.
Keep in mind: It is loyalty, not sacrifice, that Jesus demands. (UB 180:1.6)
4 - A good leader must know how to stimulate curiosity, renewal, the constant search for new interpretations, different ways of seeing things to constantly broaden the horizons of the group.
Variety is restful; monotony is what wears and exhausts. (UB 48:6.37)
5 - The good leader always seeks harmony and compromise. He aims to make the group a united family and in his role as motivator, he knows how to support each member and maintain trust. He consults, favors initiative over constraint, and gives responsibility.
Our kingdom is a realm of order, and where two or more will creatures act in co-operation, there is always provided the authority of leadership. (UB 181:2.16)
6 - The good leader will stimulate the autonomy of the members while preserving the team spirit and this in a work atmosphere that calls upon spiritual resources. He knows how to communicate his vision of things while showing empathy in order to understand and feel the needs of the group. Finally, he knows how to reserve space for rest and entertainment.
“Worship—contemplation of the spiritual—must alternate with service, contact with material reality. Work should alternate with play; religion should be balanced by humor.” (UB 143:7.3)
7 - The good leader knows how to highlight and coordinate the differences of each person while giving them the recognition they deserve. In case of conflict, he knows how to demonstrate wisdom in his mediations.
It promotes the process of identification of members with the group, when they are thus identified, the feeling of unity and belonging is more present and this leads to a much more effective cooperation. This is how good leadership manages to instill in the group a dynamism which results in growth and productivity.
“Knowledge is possessed only by sharing; it is safeguarded by wisdom and socialized by love.” (UB 48:7.28)
Even though we have seen here the application of leadership within the group, it can also be exercised alone, and for many years. Many great thinkers and researchers have been rejected in their time while it is only today that we benefit from their thoughts and discoveries. What happens in these cases is that for them, the notion of group is different, it can even embrace the whole of humanity. When the group thus takes on such magnitude, the actions or thoughts that will influence it can stretch very far in time. Let us think here of Jesus; a large part of his teachings will not have an influence until much later after his departure, here on Urantia, and in all of Nebadon.
By the end of this mission it had become evident to all Nebadon as to why their beloved ruler chose to engage in these repeated bestowals in the likeness of some subordinate order of intelligent being. (UB 119:3.5)
“It is our sincere belief that the gospel of Jesus’ teaching, founded as it is on the father-child relationship, can hardly enjoy a world-wide acceptance until such a time as the home life of the modern civilized peoples embraces more of love and more of wisdom.” (UB 177:2.6)
Maurice Migneault
Quebec, Canada, June 2011
¶ Survey 2nd period
IN THE MAY 2011 ISSUE 244 OF RÉFLECTIVITÉ, YOU WERE ASKED: WHAT IS THE GREATEST MESSAGE OF THE URANTIA BOOK FOR YOU?
Having completed my third reading of the book, Although you took a few minutes within yourself to begin a personal response, the lack of an address to correspond with prevented you from continuing your approach.
Indeed, no one would have dared to waste a stamp and time unnecessarily with so little information, even though the attempt may have succeeded; in the countryside, everyone knows each other, especially those who sort the mail at the Canada Post office.
But do not expect to receive anything, I am however taking the time to structure my own response now while keeping it to communicate to you when the time comes.
So let’s complete it all for now with the full address of the sounder:
Jean-Claude Lafreniere
17A Boul. Whissell
St-André Avellin, JOV 1W0
Or by Internet at:
line.stpierre@gmail.com
See you soon
¶ Activities 2011
Picnic, Michael’s Party
Sunday August 21
Angrignon Park in Ville La Salle
Dear friends,
You are invited to come and fellowship with us at Angrignon Park for a friendly gathering on August 21, the birthday of our Creator Son, Jesus of Nazareth on Urantia. In these gatherings, we rejoice in the pleasure of conversing with other seekers of truth. We exchange our points of view and share a bite to eat… bring your lunch and chairs.
Itinerary :
Take Highway 15, exit Boulevard La Vérendrye, first entrance immediately after Boulevard Trinitaire on La Vérendrye. Once there, watch for the three blue concentric circles on your left. A shelter is provided in case of rain. For those traveling by metro, buses 110 and 113, westbound, leave from the Angrignon terminus and stop at the park entrance on La Vérendrye.
The AUQ Council
¶ STUDY GROUPS
THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWS MULTIPLE READERS AT DIFFERENT LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING TO SHARE AND STUDY THE TEACHINGS OF THE URANTIA BOOK TOGETHER. IT PROMOTES SPIRITUAL PROGRESS BY ENABLING PARTICIPANTS TO FIND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE TEACHINGS OF THE URANTIA BOOK IN THEIR DAILY LIVES. THIS IMPORTANT PRACTICE MAINTAINS A BROADER VIEW OF CONCEPTS OF TRUTH.
You wish to participate or form a study group; we will be happy to assist you. If you wish to have your study group appear in this list, contact the person in charge, via email association.urantia.quebec@gmail.com or at 450-565-3323.
Group: Découverte
Every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Laurentians Region Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: 450-565-3323
Group: Étoile du Soir
Every Wednesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Laurentides region
Carmen Charland
Tel.: 450-553-3601
Group: Le Pont
Every Thursday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
South Shore of Montreal
Guy Vachon
Tel.: 450-465-7049
Group: Basses Laurentides
Every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Yvon or Irene Belle-Isle
Tel: 819-423-1240
Group: Mauricie Readers
Every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Three Rivers Region
Madeleine Boisvert and
Tel: 819-376-8850
Roger Perigny
819-379-5768
Group: Veritas
Every Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Montreal area, near the Church metro station
Lise and Pierre Routhier
Tel.: 514-761-2378
Sherbrooke Group
Every two weeks, Tuesday or Wednesday (to be confirmed)
From 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Helene Boisvenue or Denis Gravelle
Tel.: 819 569-6416
Group: The Ascendants
Every two weeks on Sunday from 13 h 00 to 3:30 p.m.
South Shore of Quebec
Guy LeBlanc
Tel: 418-835-1809
Group: The Agondontarians
Every two weeks on Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. North Shore of Quebec
Guy & Rolande L. Martin
Tel: 418-651-3851
Group: Les Débonnaires
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Julien Audet
Tel: 514-315-9871
Group: Urantia Fraternity
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Lanaudière region
Richard Landry & Gisèle Boisjoly
Tel: 450-589-6922
Group: Vers les Sommets
Friday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Regions Ormstown & Valleyfield
Louise Sauve
Tel: 450-829-3631
Group: The United Urantia Family
Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Montreal region
Mrs. Diane Labrecque
Tel: 514-277-2308
The Partners of the Supreme
Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Richard Lachance
Tel: (418) 614-2520 or (418) 933-0244 (cell)
At Maisonia
Every two weeks on Monday from 7:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Quebec region
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud
Tel: 418-871-4564
Group: Uni-Terre
Every Sunday from 9:00 a.m.
Lanaudière region
Eric Martel
Tel: 450-756-9387
Disclaimer: Any interpretations, opinions, conclusions or artistic representations, stated or implied, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of Urantia Association International or local and national level associations.