© 2014 Hélène Boisvenue, Normand Laperle, Marc Lavigne, Gilles Brien, Line St-Pierre
© 2014 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Divine Governance
Helene Boisvenue
Sherbrooke
Conference presented at a meeting between students of Progressive Divine Wisdom in July 2013 in Montreal, Quebec Canada
Part Two — of Four.
¶ Being hungry to think
Let us take primitive man as an example. This man was very much rooted in animal impulses; he was rather indolent and thought, it is said, only when he was hungry. So, he had to be hungry… to think and imagine ways to get him out of this painful situation. In doing so, he developed his intelligence. And modern man also develops his intelligence and explores the material facts of his planet when he is placed in problematic situations. Many discoveries in science have been made to solve a specific problem. Let us think, for example, of the work of Louis Pasteur on infectious diseases which led to the use of vaccines for the betterment of humanity. Men must be put in favorable conditions to “think, make plans and imagine new and better methods of doing things.” (UB 81:2.14)
¶ Morality must emerge
In a similar way, at the dawn of humanity, morality emerged from situations of necessity or constraint. The strong attachment of the woman for her children and the compassion of the man mobilized to protect this woman and her children from the dangers inherent in a hostile environment developed in them the sense of duty and responsibility and the moral qualities relevant to their survival. For the human being God has privileged family life and integration into a society. These living environments allow human beings to extract themselves from their selfish tendencies and to take charge of altruistic duties. There are no more tender feelings than those of parents for their children. This human experience can even enhance the knowledge of God as Father. (UB 84:7.30)
Man’s living environment (family, society, state of life, etc.) is necessary for his being and his life. The management of his being in this living environment is based on obvious constraints. Man experiences it and feels the results at the level of his body, his consciousness, his personality. Man and his living environment have their origin in God. God’s objective is the integration of human nature, the living environment and the divine will which requires perfection. There is divine governance for this objective to be realized.
¶ Contrasting situations
Moral qualities develop in situations of contrast, without which moral qualities would be elusive. Contrasts are stimuli, orientations of the effort of growth.
When I was a young mother, responsible for the well-being and education of my children, I discussed with friends the relevance of fairy tales. Should we, through these stories, confront our young children with the violence of certain characters? Wickedness in fairy tales is as present as goodness. A book by an American pedagogue and psychologist, Bruno Bettelheim, entitled “Psychoanalysis of Fairy Tales”, helped us in our questioning. From this reading, I especially retained the importance of presenting children with contrasting figures, without ambivalence, to allow them to easily understand the difference between good and evil. Thus, the characters in fairy tales are all good or all bad. One is brilliant, the other stupid, one is cantankerous and jealous, the other generous, etc. Being so little developed, young children need a marked contrast to grasp the moral meaning of a situation.
All the moral qualities that we praise and on which the divine qualities will settle are developed in situations of contrast where the good stands out because it is placed side by side with the evil. For imperfect beings, contrasts are obligatory: without them, values, moral qualities would be elusive. Contrasts are stimuli and orientations of the effort of spiritual growth. “[Men being imperfect need] levels of relative value to stimulate their choice. [They could not] identify and choose the good in the absence of any moral situation making contrast and forcing to think. […] All the divine things that the human mind grasps and that the human soul acquires are outcomes of experience […] realities of personal experience, therefore unique possessions.” (UB 3:5.16).
Continued next month
in part 3 (of 4)
“When man loses sight of the love of a personal God, the kingdom of God becomes merely the kingdom of good.” (UB 2:5.12)
¶ Editor’s note
Normand Laperle
Lévis
The edition of “Réflectivité” changes hands. It is now me, Normand Laperle, who is committed to serving you, dear readers.
I would like to pay special tribute to Line St-Pierre who has managed the publication of this monthly for more than seven (7) years. I salute her commitment and her spirit of service. She is an example and an inspiration for many of us.
There is now a new email address to communicate directly with the editorial team of “Réflectivité”. You can now contact us at: reflectivite.auq@gmail.com. A friend and collaborator from Quebec, Gilles Bertrand, and myself, will then be happy to meet your needs regarding the editing of articles or others.
In this word, I have a very special invitation to make to you. It is very simple. I would like to invite you to collaborate in the development of the next “Réflectivité”. Tell me what you would like to see there, your mixed ideas, your suggestions, your preferences. Your criticisms will be your participation. Without formalities, summarily or without structure, do not hesitate to send us your perspective, even partially. From this mixture, we will surely make a tasty recipe. By default, we will preserve your total anonymity as it should be.
This publication is yours, in the sense that you are the one who feeds it. It is nourished by your voluntary contributions, by your sharing.
“Réflectivité” is a monthly magazine supervised by the AUQ. It is intended to be a place for exchanges in written form, mainly between readers of “The Urantia Book”. It contains stories of inner transformations, life experiences, quests for meaning and spiritual discoveries. Having, as human beings, the same origin and the same destiny, these narratives plunge us into the observation that we all experience the same difficulties and the same stages of life, thus all walking together in the same direction. Hence a feeling of brotherhood.
¶ The reflectivity review has a new face
Marc Lavigne
Lévis
We welcome the new team of the magazine “Réflectivité”. Normand Laperle will be the editor. We would especially like to congratulate the performance and the wonderful work of the previous team, who maintained the bar for more than seven (7) years. The team was composed of Line StPierre (editor) and Denis Laniel (layout), columnists who knew how to delight the readers and be a relevant reflection of the Urantian community. BRAVO!
¶ The greatest miracle of Jesus
Gilles Brien
Laval
Every reader has their favorite part of the big blue book. For most, it is the last part of The Urantia Book, the life of Jesus. And I must admit that when I think about it, it is the same for me. No book of fiction or religion has given me as much joy and emotion. Reading the daily account of Joshua ben Joseph’s life on Earth reads like a novel, a political thriller, a chronicle of the times that grabs you by the throat. With characters of villains as we like them, with adventures and miracles, there are in the life of Jesus all the ingredients for a fabulous story, the most incredible ever told. It even seems that it is a true story… The origin of Part IV of The Urantia Book is special in itself.
The booklets on the life of Jesus were produced by a commission of midwayers and were completed a year after Parts I, II, and III were declared complete. These first three parts of the book were completed in 1934. The Jesus booklets did not appear until 1935.
This one-year delay is thought to be because the midwayers were concerned about getting involved in a pending court case, the “Gabriel vs. Lucifer” case. They were reluctant to complete their project until they were assured that they had full authority to tell the story of Jesus’ life. This permission seems to have been granted, for the booklets of Jesus’ life were “delivered” a year later.
What is the miracle of Jesus that touches you the most?
There is something fascinating and wonderful about miracles, especially those of Jesus. The humans of Jesus’ day are described in The Urantia Book as people hungry for miracles for the eyes and ears, but deaf and blind to spiritual truths for the soul and heart. Things have not changed much in 2,000 years. Magical thinking remains very popular among hundreds of millions of people, especially politicians. And the crowd’s thirst for miracles is as great as ever. Just look at the lines of lottery buyers to be convinced. Everyone is looking for the miracle in their life these days. The dream job, the dream car, the dream house, in short the kind of miracles that make the modern world go round.
If we love miracles so much, it is because everyone loves magic. And if Jesus allowed himself to “commit” so many miracles in his life, despite the warnings of his Personalized Adjuster, it is out of love for his creatures.
The miracles of Jesus dazzle us, of course, but beyond their spectacular effects, they challenge us. If there had been no extraordinary demonstrations of power in the life of Jesus, what would remain today of the memories of his time on Earth? Probably not much. St. Peter’s in Rome might not exist. People would have gradually forgotten his story. Maybe yes. Maybe no. It’s hard to say. What is certain, and what will always remain true, is that people love good stories. And telling the story of Jesus without the miracles he performed is like trying to tell the story of the Canadiens without talking about the Stanley Cup.
Of all the miracles performed by Jesus as recorded in The Urantia Book, the greatest is of course the resurrection of Lazarus. In terms of miracles, the return to life is certainly the greatest of miracles. And Lazarus is not going to complain about it! Regular readers of the book know that Lazarus died again at age 67, from the same disease that had taken him in Bethany, when he was younger. I have always wondered if Lazarus held a grudge against Jesus for this lack of “creativity”. But hey…
As for me, the greatest of Jesus’ miracles is the one that is least talked about. Every reader has their favorite miracle in the story of Jesus’ life. The wine of Cana is a miracle that any good host would wish to see fall from the sky when the party is running low on ammunition. Casting out a demon from a possessed person is a hell of a miracle too, although no matter how hard you cast out the demon, it always comes galloping back. Healing a blind or paralytic is not so bad either. But curing 683 people at once, men, women and children, that is an American miracle. It is Big, ostentatious even.
It all happened in the outer courtyard of Zebedee’s house in Bethany, the port area of Capernaum. The people were in an uproar over alleged healings attributed to Jesus. All the sick and suffering people in the area had gathered in Zebedee’s courtyard, knowing that Jesus would be there. The description of Jesus’ gaze upon a thousand cripples, sick people, and “poked” people and others who arrived still troubles me. I can well imagine the fathers bringing their sick or disabled children, the women dragging their blind or paralyzed brothers and sisters on their backs or pulling them in a cart, all believing that Jesus would heal them, all looking for a miracle.
If I have no difficulty imagining the scene, it is because I too would have liked to be there, in line, with the others. I too would have taken my children to be healed by the guy from Nazareth. I can easily see myself in the shoes of Zebedee’s neighbor: “One man started out with his paralyzed daughter just as soon as the sun sank behind his neighbor’s house” (UB 145:3.2). I admit, I would have been there first to hold the hand of my two autistic boys while the vast legion of angels, physical controllers, life carriers and mediums would have set to work…
I have no doubt that this miracle, this explosion of supernatural healings, as recounted by the revelators, had little effect on the people who were miraculously cured.
A small number were truly edified by this physical ministry, but the spiritual kingdom was not advanced in the hearts of men by this amazing eruption of timeless creative healing. (UB 145:3.14)
Miracles may be illusions and certainly magic tricks that hide the essential. But there are miracles that touch the heart and give hope of one day finding oneself in the presence of the Great Magician.
¶ Leather cases for the Urantia Book small format
At a rate of $5 plus postage.
Let me know your interest, either by email at line.stpierre@gmail.com or by phone at 450-565-3323.
Line St-Pierre
¶ STUDY GROUPS
THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWS MULTIPLE READERS OF DIFFERENT LEVELS OF UNDERSTANDING to share and study together the teachings of The Urantia Book. It promotes spiritual progress by allowing its participants to find practical applications to the teachings of The Urantia Book in their daily lives. This important practice helps to maintain a broad perspective on 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.
Outaouais Group
Gatineau Region
Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maurice Migneault:
(613) 789-6833
Group : “Sans Frontière”
Hawkesbury Region
Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Yvon and Irene Belle-Isle: (613) 632-5706
Group : “Laurantia”
Petite Nation region in Outaouais
Sundays from 9:00 a.m.
Denise Charron & Jean-Claude Lafrenière Tel: (819) 983-2113
Group: “Découverte”
Laurentides Region
Mondays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: (450) 565-3323
Group : “Étoile du Soir”
Laurentides Region
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Carmen Charland: (450) 553-3601
Group : “Les Débonnaires”
Terrebonne Region
Every 2 weeks: Thursdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Julien Audet: (514) 315-9871
Group: “Uni-Terre”
Lanaudière region
Sundays from 9:00 a.m.
Eric Martel: (450) 756-9387
Group: “Fraternité-Urantia”
Lanaudière region
Wednesdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Richard Landry & Gisèle Boisjoly Tel: (450) 589-6922
Group: “The United Family of Urantia”
Montreal Region
Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Ms. Diane Labrecque: (514) 277-2308
Group : “Le Pont”
Montreal South Shore Region
Thursdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Guy Vachon: (450) 465-7049
Group: “The South Shore Lighthouse”
Montreal South Shore Region
Mondays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Luciano Camellini and Dominique Marchessault Tel.: (450) 332-1459
Group : “Vers les Sommets”
Ormstown & Valleyfield Regions
Fridays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Louise Sauvé: (450) 829-3631
Sherbrooke Group
Sherbrooke region
Every 2 weeks: Tuesdays or Wednesdays (to be confirmed) from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Hélène Boisvenue and Denis Gravelle Tel.: (819) 569-6416
Group: “Readers of Mauricie”
Trois-Rivières Region
Mondays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Madeleine Boisvert: (819) 376-8850
Roger Périgny: (819) 379-5768
Group: “The Agondontarians”
Quebec Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 13 h 00 to 4:00 p.m.
Guy & Rolande L. Martin: (418) 651-3851
Group: “The Partners of the Supreme”
Quebec Region
Mondays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Richard Lachance: (418) 614-2520
or (418) 933-0244 (cell.)
Group: “At Maisonia”
Quebec Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud:
(418) 871-4564
Group: “The Ascendants”
Quebec South Shore Region
Every 2 weeks: Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Guy Le Blanc: (418) 886-2366
¶ Réflectivité
Responsible: Normand Laperle
Assisted by: Gilles Bertrand.
To contact us:
reflectivite.auq@gmail.com
(418) 835-1809 (Normand Laperle)
(418) 871-4564 (Gilles Bertrand)
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