© 2017 Marc Belleau, Line St-Pierre
© 2017 Urantia Association of Quebec
“. . .in the kingdom, being righteous, by faith, must precede doing righteousness in the daily life of the mortals of earth.” (UB 140:10.1)
¶ Theme of October 15, 2017
“Perceptions and Spiritual Growth”
Marc Belleau
treasurer@urantiaqc.org
[Here is an introductory article on the subject of the next upcoming theme, that of October 15, 2017, which will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at Club L’Ami-Temps, 1345 Rue Fleury Est, Montréal, QC, H2C-1R4 (map)]
There is only one reality, God, but as many perceptions of this same reality as there are creatures in the universe.
Living in harmony with this rich diversity of perceptions is not a simple matter. Peace in our society, in our world, will be possible only to the extent that we accept the free expression of our different perceptions. Many conflicts on Urantia are due to our attitude toward our divergent perceptions. We do not need to analyze what is happening internationally to find examples; we have only to look at what happens at a family dinner when we discuss hot topics such as politics or religion.
How can we take advantage of this variety of perceptions and live in peace despite the presence of opposing perceptions? In the search for answers to these questions, the history of the rebellion will allow us to see what solutions have been put forward by the leaders of our universe and how these solutions can enlighten us on the best attitude to adopt in resolving our differences.
In this theme, we will question ourselves about our way of perceiving reality. What are our perceptions made of? What factors influence our perceptions? By what means can we transform them? What are the impacts of our perceptions on our spiritual life? How do they influence our decisions? How do they affect our growth?
To help us understand better, Jacques L’Oranger will make us aware of the diversity of our perceptions through short exercises in small groups. Gaétan Charland will talk to us about his perception of Lucifer’s rebellion, preceded by Robert Cadieux who will give us a short summary of the important points of this episode in the history of Urantia that has strongly colored our vision of things. I will lead the afternoon discussion which will focus, more specifically, on the intelligent and surprising way in which our spiritual leaders dealt with this unfortunate episode. We will also talk about the influences of the planetary rebellion on the currents of thought of our modern society.
So it’s a meeting. Hoping to see you in large numbers.
“You cannot put spiritual joy under a microscope; you cannot weigh love in a balance; you cannot measure moral values; neither can you estimate the quality of spiritual worship.” (UB 196:3.18)
¶ The role of women in improving our society
Line St-Pierre
president@urantiaqc.org
[Speech given by Line St-Pierre during the last theme, in May 2017]
Welcome to this meeting organized by the Urantia Association of Quebec with the theme “How to participate in the improvement of our society”. As the Association is an organization that is oriented towards the accomplishment of a spiritual mission, I invite you to take a moment of recollection to thank all the celestial beings who participated in delivering to us “The Urantia Book” and making known to us our grandiose destiny in God’s plan.
It is always of interest to know the framework within which the Urantia Association works, and I will read to you its mission:
“Our mission is to help each person meet the great challenge of establishing a better relationship with the divine within them. In this effort to increase cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception, we desire that each human comes to individually recognize the fatherhood of God and thus live universal brotherhood.”
To promote this personal development, and to create an environment conducive to sharing our spiritual life, the URANTIA Association of Quebec encourages the creation and maintenance of study groups of “The Urantia Book”, presents conferences and sets up thematic meetings, workshops, seminars, and congresses.
It publishes the newsletter Réflectivité, Tidings and the Urantia International Journal.
One of the primary tasks of the AUQ is to bring together readers of The URANTIA Book, and to invite readers to join study groups.
¶ Introduction to the day
“Religion does need new leaders, spiritual men and women who will dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings.” (UB 195:9.4)
We are all encouraged by the revelators to “build a new and attractive philosophy of life” that integrates truth, beauty and goodness the more we grow spiritually.
May seeds of creativity and originality take root in us, as soon as we become “human reflections of the Divine.” We can make the truth shine: God is the flame, and we are the torch.
My presentation is a personal reflection on the failing moral and spiritual education of our youth and almost everywhere in society.
How can we help to establish these ethical and moral values?
15 years ago I had a spiritual awakening that transformed me and gave meaning and direction to my life, a more spiritual direction.
Having traveled extensively for Urantia around the world with my husband, I found that the participation was women and men.
In 2011, when I was wondering why there were so few women in the movement and where the women who were readers but not participants in the organized events were, I formed a women’s committee to investigate the question, which also led us to think about other avenues.
During these meetings (there were 12), in different places in Quebec, what emerged was that in the study groups and meetings, there were too many hypothetical discussions on subjects that were not necessarily practical and that the groups were too intellectual.
You remember that man and woman are different and complementary and that these traces will follow us to Paradise!
In these all-day meetings, the discussions that interested the women the most were all things related to the practical side of life. Family life, raising children, our participation in society as Urantia women, volunteering. Together during these meetings, we saw that society has been allowed to develop on material values and now how can we install ethical and moral values? And we said to ourselves: We have not educated our children in the best way!
Booklet 84 talks a lot about the importance of education.
“And home building should be the center and essence of all educational effort.” (UB 84:0.1)
“As are the families of the race or nation, so is its society. If the families are good, the society is likewise good.” (UB 84:7.1)
There are other people who have also thought about this question!
Napoleon Bonaparte said: “The destiny of a child is the work of his mother.”
A Russian poetess said: “Give us good mothers and we will give you better children”
In Senegal there is a saying that says: “When you educate a boy, you educate an individual; when a girl is educated, you educate an entire nation.”
Woman is the torchbearer of morality and spirituality.
A few years ago when I ended up in the hospital emergency room with a friend who had injured her head, we waited 12 hours before being taken in. When the doctor examined her he spoke in French and then I told him that she only spoke English, he spoke to her in English and explained to her what he would do and how she should have been taken in much earlier, all the while sympathizing with her after all those hours of waiting.
I told him how caring and humane he was and thanked him.
He replied: “When I was studying medicine, my mother told me that when I had a patient in front of me, to remember that he was a human being and to treat him with dignity.”
This is an example of the impact of a mother’s education on her child.
It is the woman who carries the children, who feeds them, who rocks them, who cuddles them, who comforts them, so if this same woman is educated in moral and parental values and when she is pregnant she has the right mental framework, the right thoughts with the knowledge of God and the concern to give birth to a baby who is physically and mentally healthy, then the child she will give birth to will be a child well endowed to live his life, and who in turn will also make a good cosmic citizen.
¶ Conclusion
Is it not our responsibility as students of the Revelation to awaken the possibility of openness and transformation in other people and to make them aware of these things?
- By restoring value to the human being.
- By promoting the theme of being a mother.
- Speaking of the ideal of the mother’s education of the child.
- By having conversations between women.
- By valuing the young girl in relation to her body.
- It is also good to share our experiences as girls with them.
- By providing them with examples of role models; women who are good role models who have succeeded.
- By training parents in family life.
- …and many other things.
We can all, in our own way, help mothers and mothers-to-be realize the important influence they have on their children. Including teenagers and fathers-to-be.
“The secret of a better civilization is bound up in the Master’s teachings of the brotherhood of man, the good will of love and mutual trust.” (UB 194:3.12)
It’s up to us to inspire people to do the things that inspire them and, together, help improve our society.
“Become a rainbow in someone’s dark moments.” (Maya Angelou)
To be kind to someone in order to brighten someone else’s moment, day or life with a smile, a hug, kind words and actions, or simply by being there for them in their struggle during difficult times.
¶ “Inspiration of the moment” — from our readers
“To evolve is to ‘cure oneself’ of a lack of perfection.” (Anonymous)
“We don’t know our limits until we reach them” (Anonymous)
“When ideas come to us, we must write them down.” (Anonymous)
Send us your inspirations… Thank you
¶ Urantia Book Readers Easter Retreat in Israel!
Urantian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land from March 29 to April 12
“The United Urantia Family” is delighted to invite you to join us for our 2018 Easter Pilgrimage to the Land of Jesus!
Jerusalem, the City of David, the Tunnels of the Old City, Bethesda, Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives, the Israel Museum, the Mount of Ascension, Scythopolis (Beit Shan), the Port of Caesarea, Capernaum, the Jesus Trail, the Mount of Beatitudes, the Jordan River, Sepphoris, the Village of Nazareth, the Basilica of the Annunciation, Cana, Caesarea Philippi, Mount Hermon, the Ginosar Museum as well as the Sea of Galilee and the Jesus Boat and more! You will see them all with your eyes, and we anticipate that your heart will sing for joy. We feel it every time we see these sites with which we commune from within.
This pilgrimage journey will take place March 29-April 12, 2018 as part of the 2018 United Urantia Family Easter Retreat when Israel is thriving and the weather is most pleasant. Come with us to celebrate Easter in Jerusalem where you will see an incredible number of pilgrims from all over the world coming together to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus right where it all happened!
The cost of this 15-day spiritual pilgrimage is $2,475 USD, which includes all registration and processing fees (see our Early Bird Special below). This price also includes accommodations in beautiful and strategically located pilgrimage houses, all breakfasts and dinners, transportation in a luxury air-conditioned bus, the robe for our baptism in Yardenit in the Jordan River, and all entrance fees to sites while visiting Israel.
This price does not include your flight ticket which you must purchase by yourself, as participants come from different cities and countries. We suggest you to see www.cheapoair.com for excellent prices.
For more information, visit our website at www.tuuff.org or contact dianelabrecque@sympatico.ca if you have any questions.
I look forward to sharing this exceptional experience with you and our Lord Jesus Christ Michael!
Diane Labrecque
Your group leader
Registrations are limited to 45, so be sure to reserve your spot now.
All you have to do is CLICK HERE to REGISTER for this spiritual pilgrimage.
*** SPECIAL OFFER *** FOR THE FIRST 24 REGISTRANTS
The first 24 to register will spend 4 nights at Ecce Homo on the Way of the Cross, the very place where Pontius Pilate presented Jesus to the multitude and declared: “Behold the man!”
¶ Upcoming activities
Thematic, from October 15, 2017
Location: Le Club L’Ami-Temps, 1345 Rue Fleury Est, Montreal, QC, H2C-1R4 (map)
Theme: Perceptions and Spiritual Growth
Reception: 9:30 a.m. $; Theme: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Theme: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
¶ HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR FUNDSCRIP CARDS?
Every time you buy Fundscrip cards, a percentage of your purchase is donated by the company to the Urantia Association of Quebec. A smart way to support the AUQ for the price of a stamp.
If you would like more information, go to the website of the Urantia Association of Quebec and click on the “Contribution” link, or you can read the excellent article written by Marc Belleau in the Réflectivité of April 2017.
You can also register immediately on the FundScrip website, by clicking on the following image.
¶ STUDY GROUPS
This activity allows several 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 of 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 gladly 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”
Laurentides Region
Mondays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: (450) 565-3323
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
Outaouais Group
Gatineau Region
Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maurice Migneault:
(613) 789-6833
Group : “Étoile du Soir”
Laurentides Region
Wednesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Carmen Charland: (450) 553-3601
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
Virtual Study Group, French
Every Monday from 5pm to 7pm Eastern Time
Via Zoom:
https://www.zoom.us/j/9()84766734
Responsible :
Guy Penon (438) 494-7747
Group : “Le Pont”
Montreal South Shore Region
Thursdays from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Guy Vachon: (450) 465-7049
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
To see the official list of study groups, visit the AUQ website
Go to: Activity, Groups
study, (on the left bar 
List of study groups ”
Or click directly on the following link: http://urantia-quebec.ca/activites_liste_des_groupes.php
¶ Réflectivité
Responsible: Normand Laperle
Assisted by: Gilles Bertrand.
(418) 835-1809 (Normand Laperle)
(418) 871-4564 (Gilles Bertrand)
Publication (monthly)
In the second week of the previous month.
To submit your articles:
Send them to: reflectivite.auq@gmail.com
Add: Your name and city of residence.