© 2018 Line St-Pierre, Jean Pierre Cadieux, Claude Flibotte, Diane Labrecque
© 2018 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Word from the President
Line St-Pierre
president@urantiaqc.org
In his book, DISCOVERING MEANING IN LIFE, Victor Frankl wrote that when an opportunity presents itself to us, we must seize it, because it is unique, there will never be another one like it; of course, there will be others, certainly, but never the same one.
It was this statement that motivated my decision to return to Africa and attend the event, “The Dakar Summit”, where my husband Gaétan Charland, our friend Guy Perron with whom we traveled 16 years ago to receive the Progressive Divine Wisdom Teachings given by Moussa Ndiaye in Dakar and Agnès Lazar from Belgium met.
I saw this journey as a step on the path. I often say that I know where I am going, but I do not always know what opportunities will present themselves to me and it is in this spirit that I accepted to find myself living this experience and expansion of my being.
It was in an atmosphere of goodwill and fraternity that for six days, we met among students of the Revelation at Moustapha’s in Senegal, to reconnect with our Senegalese brothers, whom we met 16 years ago.
The work during these meetings consisted of intense study group sessions where a core of seven people were present from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and where other students were added around 5 p.m. after their day’s work.
The topics presented to us are the Pedagogy of Teaching, what Moussa Ndiaye developed in his predominantly Muslim country, which is an approach to lead men and women to know God and live Him as taught by the UB and to become spiritual educators if they wanted to. Prayer and Worship, how important are individual and group prayer when we understand that God is waiting for us and leaves us free to ask Him or not! We were able to appreciate the many testimonies of the benefit of prayer on the worshipers.
“The Supreme and the Service were an opportunity to address clarifications and cross-sharings of many very profound Concepts of the UB teachings on the nature and reality of the Supreme, as well as the realities associated with it in human experience. These exchanges helped to clarify and unify many apparently difficult concepts, and to open perspectives for reflection and action for the members present. They also helped to illuminate the importance of Service in the cosmic economy, both for the Universal Father and for the Supreme. They also strengthened our Faith in the commitment and pursuit of our efforts, to live and share the truths of the UB, letting God inspire us in the best approach.” Moustapha Ndiaye.
The Jesus Method. How, inspired by the way Jesus taught his people with the “sacred books” of his time, should we adapt our approach to today’s truth seekers?
It was with great joy and emotion that I visited my big brother Moussa, who today has lost his physical faculties, his sight, his hearing and finds himself in a wheelchair with all his spiritual fragrance. We had a beautiful contact, soul to soul!
I also had wonderful meetings of sharing and reflection with Senegalese women in a friendly atmosphere for future perspectives, in support of sharing the truths of the UB, and from there, a virtual prayer group was formed between us, the women.
At an invitation to dinner at a student’s house, he shared with us his personal spiritual experience and his appreciation of the truths contained in The Urantia Book.
All our meetings began and ended with individual prayers by each of us.
Again, I understand that it is the desire to progress that motivates our actions and leads to the transformation of our being. What will come out of this experience? God has prepared the ground and it is up to us to sow.
“The act is ours; the consequences God’s.” (UB 48:7.13)
“Spiritual growth yields lasting joy, peace which passes all understanding.” (UB 100:4.3)
¶ Word from the Vice-President
Jean Pierre Cadieux
Vice-president@urantiaqc.org
Dear members, readers, truth seekers, my sisters and brothers, you see me surprised, but delighted and honored by this nomination. It seems that my time has come to serve the Urantian community even more. Of course I was destined for service, but much later in my life, I told myself that this time would come at the time of my retirement, I gave myself five more years of work before investing myself in the AUQ in a more concrete way. But life decided otherwise, the call was made and I cannot decline it and this is what delights and honors me.
I believe we are privileged to be able to participate in the dissemination of the fifth epochal revelation. Yes, to have in our hands such a collection of truth is a privilege.
I remember the first time I came into contact with the UB, I felt something very strong and for good reason, because I literally held the truth in my hands. I never doubted it and my faith has only grown since then. I remember the time when I only wore white, when I refused to even kill a mosquito! I was young and full of hope, now I am old and still full of hope.
Life has always been generous to me, taking me to so many different places and doing so many different things, I have met so many people, great and small, but always interesting and enriching.
I have not always made wise choices, are not our mistakes there to make us move forward? What would the sea be without its waves? This wonderful journey that is life, our life, we cross it aboard this, even more wonderful ship, this temple that is lent to us. Let us know how to let ourselves be guided by our divine pilot to thus accomplish the divine will. I have often asked “show me the way” and that is why today, I cannot decline this nomination to the vice-presidency, perhaps premature, but full of hope and expectation.
Translation Committee
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our need for volunteers for the translation committee that I am responsible for. The more of us there are, the more interesting texts we will be able to translate and make accessible to the French-speaking community.
Proofreading translated texts is always important, because two heads are better than one and three is even better!
It is in service that we find our greatest fulfillment.
Here is the address to contact me on this subject; translator1@urantiaqc.org
Fraternally,
“And when man is thus at his best, he lives most unselfishly for the good of others, his fellow sojourners in time and eternity.” (UB 160:2.9)
¶ What would we have become without the Melchizedeks?
Claude Flibotte
Sainte-Julie
The order of Melchizedek Sons, created by our Creator Son and the Divine Minister in liaison with the Father Melchizedek, are, in my opinion, of paramount importance to the smooth functioning of a universe. They were “all created within a single millennium of standard time” (UB 35:1.3) and represent the first group of high Sons followed by the Vorondadeks, the Lanonandeks, and finally the Life Carriers (UB 35:0.2 to UB 35:0.6).
Their functions are extremely varied and cover a wide range of activities in a local universe. They function as mobile and advisory review tribunals to provide solution to evolutionary problems (UB 35:2.4). They assist the Bright and Morning Star in carrying out the orders of Michael of Nebadon (UB 35:2.5). They accompany the Avonal Sons on their bestowal or magisterial missions (UB 35:2.6). They serve as teachers to us ascenders as we pass through the 490 worlds of the Melchizedek University (UB 35:3.1). They supervise our morontia careers (UB 35:4.1) and even serve as emergency Sons when a critical situation of any kind arises (UB 35:4.4). They can make themselves visible to mortals and even incarnate when necessary (UB 35:4.4). For each system in a universe, a Melchizedek served as Life Carrier by mating with an Eve thus giving birth to the strange midsonitarians who seem to be destined for a future eventuality in the evolution of the universe (UB 36:4.1 to UB 36:4.8).
They work much in association with the angelic orders, the Life Carriers, and the midwayers. It is interesting to note that of the 196 papers of The Urantia Book, 36 are written by a Melchizedek, 9 by the Life Carriers, and 75 by the midwayers.
What They Did for Urantia
Their interventions in our world are not new. When life was first established on Urantia, twelve of them served as liaisons with the Life Carriers. Following the secession of Caligastia, a corps of twelve Melchizedeks provided provisional administration of our world until the arrival of Adam and Eve. They returned a decade later following the failure of Adam’s mission and resumed administrative authority until the days of Jesus (UB 93:0.2).
Machiventa Melchizedek
During the supervision of the Melchizedeks, and as a result of the failures of the two previous missions, “by about 3000 B.C., the concept of God had become very vague in the minds of men” (UB 93:1.1). It was then that Machiventa Melchizedek incarnated on earth, in Salem, on an emergency mission to rekindle the flame of the concept of a Universal God, Father of all (UB 93:1.3).
Strange phenomenon
As time went on, the old primitive evolutionary beliefs of men were in danger of losing the message of Machiventa. Then a strange phenomenon occurred. About the sixth century before Michael’s bestowal, a presentation of spiritual truth took place through several human educators (UB 94:6.1). Lao-Tzu and Confucius in China; Gautama Siddhartha for India; Zoroaster in Iran; Isaiah the First, Micah, Obadiah, Jeremiah, Isaiah the Second for the Hebrews; etc., to name only a few. Apart from the missionaries of Machiventa who spread throughout the known world in his time, he could finally see human educators proclaiming to men a true God (UB 97:7.6).
By what means could this event have occurred? The first thought that comes to mind is of course self-revelation by their Thought Adjuster (UB 101:4.3). But, could there be other ways of achieving this? In quote UB 94:6.1 it is written that “by an exceptional coordination of spiritual factors not all of which are understood, even by the planetary supervisors, Urantia witnessed a most unusual presentation of religious truth in multiple forms.” Since “spiritual factors” and “multiple forms” are plural, I conclude that self-revelation alone could not be the cause.
In Mark Koulieke’s book “Piecing the Origins of The Urantia Book,” he writes on page 8 that midwayers had petitioned in the Middle Ages for what later became Part IV of the book, the life and teachings of Jesus. On page 12 he mentions that “_superhuman intelligences—whether midwayers, visiting students, or any other order of the invisible hierarchy—have been training for centuries to communicate with us.” Could it be that these superhuman intelligences used their powers in some way to convey the truth to these sixth-century B.C. educators? Since all this would have happened under the high authority of the Melchizedeks, it was easy to make, let us say, some exceptions to the usual evolutionary procedure, to compensate for the failure of the two previous revelations, that of Caligastia and Adam. The question remains unanswered. Perhaps we will one day have the answer when our cousins, the midwayers, communicate directly with us!
¶ Urantia Book Readers Easter Retreat in Israel!
Urantian Pilgrimage to the Holy Land from March 29 to April 12, 2018
“The United Urantia Family” is delighted to invite you to join us for our 2018 Easter Pilgrimage to the Land of Jesus!
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.
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 during our visits to Israel.
This price does not include your flight ticket which you must purchase 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.
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 to 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 AUQ activities
¶ Theme in Drummondville
Mark your calendar for a theme, Sunday, May 27, 2018, 10:00 a.m., at the “Le dauphin” hotel, at 600 boul. StJoseph, Drummondville.
Theme: “Life after death”
UIA International Congress
Also worth mentioning is the International Congress of the UAI in Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands.
Date: April 12-15, 2018
Link : https://www.uai2018.org/fr
¶ HAVE YOU PURCHASED YOUR FUNDSCRIP CARDS? THIS MONTH?
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 April 2017 Réflectivité.
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 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
Region: Gatineau
Wednesday, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Maurice Migneault (613) 789-6833
Group: “The Artisans of Progress”
Region: Montreal — Center of the island
Wednesdays, during the day
Robert Cadieux (514) 237-3616
Group: “At Maisonia”
Region: Quebec
Every 2 weeks: Sundays, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud (418) 871-4564
Group: “Découverte”
Region: Laurentides — St-Jérôme
Mondays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre
Tel.: (450) 565-3323
Group : “Le Pont”
Region: South Shore of Montreal — Brossard
Thursdays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Guy Vachon (450) 465-7049
Group: “The United Family of Urantia”
Region: Montreal — Downtown
Wednesdays, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Mrs. Diane Labrecque (514) 277-2308
Sherbrooke Group
Region: Sherbrooke
Every 2 weeks: Tuesday or Wednesday, (to be confirmed) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Hélène Boisvenue and Denis Gravelle Tel.: (819) 569-6416
Virtual Study Group, French
Every Monday from 2pm to 4pm Eastern Time
Via Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/9084766734
Responsible: Guy Perron (438) 495-7747
To see the official list of study groups, visit AUQ website.
- Go to: “Activity, Study Groups, (on the left bar): List of study groups”
- Or click directly on the following link: http://urantia-quebec.ca/activites_liste_des_groupes.php
Potential Study Groups Seeking Participants
Group: “Uni-Terre”
Region: Joliette
Sundays at 10:00 am
Contact: Eric Martel (450) 756-9387
Group : “Le portail du bercail”
Region: Sorel
Mrs. Eva & Ernest Asselin
(450) 517-0136
Group: “Saguenay”
Region: Saguenay
Contact: Jean-Guillaume Tremblay (418) 693-2049
¶ 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.
Warning :
All submissions of articles or otherwise become the property of the journal and none will be returned.
We do not guarantee that all articles in our possession will be published in the next Réflectivité.
For the sake of fairness, we operate on a first-come, first-published basis. There is one exception to this rule: if I receive an article that discusses recent, past, or future events, it will be given priority over all others.