© 2021 Line St-Pierre, Gilles Bertrand, Éric Tarissan, Claude Flibotte
© 2021 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Word from the President 2021
Line St-Pierre
president@urantiaqc.org
Hello my friends, student-readers,
I offer you my best wishes for health, progress and spiritual joy for the year that is beginning and that gratitude becomes your attitude with each new day that is offered to you.
A transition is taking place among the association’s volunteers and I salute my friend Normand Laperle for his tenacity and perseverance in holding the torch for almost seven years to publish the newsletter Réflectivité, while he himself was experiencing health problems.
The courage and kindness he has demonstrated as a caregiver to his partner Claudette for several years are an inspiration to me and to the people who know him. He welcomes adversity in every sense of the word, but he must also ensure his well-being, both physical and mental.
Last month when he “threw his bottle into the sea”, it ended up on the shores of a few individuals who responded to his request and I thank these people, you recognize yourselves!
From now on, Claude Flibotte, a student of revelation for over forty years, will take over the direction of Réflectivité and above all, send him your text, a reflection, a testimony on your study group, or a comment to follow up on the reading of a text read here, to reflectivite@urantiaqc.org
As I always said, no need to write prose, we will correct your text if necessary!
This year, the AUQ will organize virtual meetings like the conferences transmitted on April 25, October 25 and December 6. If you would like to present a 45 to 60 minute conference to your contemporaries, contact me to discuss the programming. The calendar on the website will display the activities that we will promote in the coming months.
Fraternally,
¶ A very successful virtual activity
Gilles Bertrand
Quebec
This Sunday afternoon, December 6, 2020, a virtual conference was held, already announced by the A.U.Q., entitled: A divine partnership: the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of Truth.
This Virtual Conference was presented by Ms. Héléne Boisvenue. The first part was started with great success on October 25th and mainly concerned the area of functioning of the Holy Spirit.
On the same Zoom platform, our communicator continued with the end of her presentation, that is, on the extended kingdom of the Spirit of Truth.
Helene’s allegations were confirmed and attested by examples of personal and judicious demonstrations, those of her own family. One could follow visually and easily the plan of her logical approach thanks to her computer support (PowerPoint).
Her search for Truth began after a question from a visitor at the L.U. kiosk during a book fair held in the city of Sherbrooke. This question asked her if she possessed the Truth. It was the start of an adventure to adequately answer this existential question and which today leads to this Spirit of Truth so mysterious and almost elusive.
So, for more than an hour virtually on our computer media, on this afternoon of physical confinement, our friend ventured to try to discern this spirit well and to make us move towards this awareness of what the Spirit of Truth is or what it is not. She led us to perceive that this spirit is more than simple intellectualism but remains alive to realize our progression.
A discussion forum ensued on these three (3) intriguing questions.
- What is the substance of Jesus’ mission?
- Is it necessary to know Jesus to have access to the Spirit of Truth?
- What would you say to someone who said: “So you have the truth!?”
Here are some observations picked up over the course of the event.
- It is soothing that the Spirit of Truth is constantly with us.
- Contact with the presence of Jesus is done in a constant way if desired. It is even better than 2,000 years ago when the physical presence of Jesus was then necessary.
- The Spirit of Truth functions in a sincere seeker of the true values of reality (beauty, goodness, love)
- Truth brings us closer to reality and the adjuster
- Parent-child trust is an important part of the experimentation equation.
And many other pearls such as: Even if we do not know where to look for the truth, we find it if we ask. The fact of choosing is important, it is not automatic like the Holy Spirit. Feeling is the heart of the truth. The Spirit of Truth concretely actualizes the solution. It is more often advantageous to ask questions to arouse interest and make spiritual movements work in the individual. etc…
Thank you Hélène for opening a door to divine wisdom for us and as my soul mate Louise said, you gave us a beautiful virtual Christmas gift.
If you missed this appointment, you can always catch up by viewing it on the A.U.Q. website. Much other information is constantly being added and I personally encourage you to read it immediately. You will be delighted to visit this brand new portal which seems to me to be most useful and very attractive.
¶ AUQ Annual General Meeting
Members are cordially invited to attend the Annual General Meeting virtually on Saturday, February 13 at 1:00 p.m.
You will receive an invitation to this subject and the link to participate in the Zoom meeting by return mail.
The members of the board of directors will present the actions undertaken by the Urantia Association of Quebec in 2020 concerning the mission of the Urantia Book and its projects for 2021.
The positions of President and Treasurer are up for election.
In winning souls for the Master, it is not the first mile of compulsion, duty, or convention that will transform man and his world, but rather the second mile of free service and liberty-loving devotion that betokens the Jesusonian reaching forth to grasp his brother in love and sweep him on under spiritual guidance toward the higher and divine goal of mortal existence. (UB 195:10.5)
¶ Zoom Meeting, a divine solution!
Eric Tarissan
Quebec
When the pandemic began and governments began to confine us in order to avoid overcrowding our hospitals, it became clear that our regular UB reading/study group meetings would no longer be the same. It is possible that some groups have taken a break while waiting for the end of this pandemic or, at the very least, the end of this confinement that we are living willingly or unwillingly.
As for our Maisonnia reading/study group, we simply decided, from the beginning, to continue our meetings via Zoom, and I would like to share my experience with you.
To begin with, we decided to increase our bi-weekly meetings to weekly meetings and, rather than having them in the afternoon, we also decided to have them in the morning, so that those who had other activities or appointments could do them in the afternoon.
Not only were we all excited about this new schedule and new way of doing things, but other positive things also came out of it.
First of all, meeting via Zoom allowed us all to see each other simultaneously on each of our screens, thus enhancing the quality, respect and fraternity of our exchanges. Unconsciously or not, we quickly noticed that it is impossible for two people to speak at the same time as unfortunately happens when we are physically present. This happy state of affairs therefore made our meetings much more pleasant, enriching and constructive for everyone. In addition, it was also possible for other people to join the group while maintaining the same quality, richness and respect of our exchanges.
That said, I think that when the lockdown is over, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see our group meetings continue in the same way, that is, via Zoom, and that we all meet physically only a few times during the year.
In short, for all those who may have temporarily put an end to their periodic meetings, I strongly suggest that you live this divine and fraternal experience of group meeting by Zoom or, by any other medium using a camera and a microphone.
And I bet you that you will appreciate the experience that does not require any travel, other than sitting in front of your screen! So good meetings and, above all, good fraternal and divine sharing in the union of our souls.
¶ Is it possible to bring together classical physics, relativity, quantum physics and the existence of God?
Claude Flibotte
Sainte-Julie
I am not a physicist and even less a mathematician, I work more by intuition rather than by learned mathematical formulas. I have been a student of The Urantia Book for many years and I have faith in these revelations. I tell myself that the cosmos of today’s scientists and the universe of universes of God are one and the same reality. So how can we reconcile what our scientists are looking for and what God has created?
¶ What scientists seek!
Classical physics is what you and I use every day. If I throw an apple, based on the force exerted by my arm, the mass of the apple, and the angle at which I let it go, I can determine where it will fall. We all know the story of Newton and his apple. He discovers the law of gravity, but he can’t explain it. Classical physics doesn’t explain everything.
It will be Einstein who, through his theory of general relativity, will provide a plausible explanation of gravity. It would be through the deformation of space-time by a massive body that gravitation could be observed. However, the theory of relativity does not explain everything once again especially when it is put to the test of the enigma of black holes. According to calculations, inside a black hole time and space disappear, invalidating relativity to explain everything.
In the 1970s, Stephen Hawking tried with his quantum theory to unify the two types of physics, classical physics and general relativity. His theory provides an explanation for what happens in black holes, but again does not explain gravitation.
In fact, what scientists are looking for is a mathematical formula, a hypothesis that would explain all phenomena including gravitation.
¶ What revelation teaches us:
In Paper 42, the Mighty Messenger teaches us that the foundation of the universe is material, that it is energy and controlled by the Universal Father through the Isle of Paradise. The ultimaton, the first form of energy, has Paradise as its core in the sense that it will return at the end of its universal cycle to Paradise. “The force organizers initiate those changes and institute those modifications of space-force which eventuate in energy; the power directors transmute energy into matter; thus the material worlds are born” (UB 42:1.5).
¶ Deduction
When the descending manifestations of the cosmic force into universe power at the electronic level are accomplished, the linear gravitation which is associated with the mass of space bodies appears as a consequence of the absolute gravitation of Paradise.
We know from the revelators that the presence of the three Absolutes is everywhere in the cosmos. We also know that an electron, the particle that orbits the nucleus of the atom, is made up of 100 ultimatons (UB 42:6.5). The ancient representation of the electron described it as a grain, a small ball of energy. Today, we see it as an energetic entity with a vague, imprecise form that is both a wave and a corpuscle. Something relatively material, as if belonging to a level of reality different from ours. Since the ultimaton is the first form of energy, since the Unqualified Absolute is everywhere in the universe, could it be possible that the ultimaton is a direct manifestation of this Absolute? In the theory of quantum physics, the electron (100 ultimatons) left alone, that is to say without an observer to observe it, would be endowed with the strange power of possessing within itself the totality of all manifestations and positions (Young’s slit experiment). Unless an observer observes it and imposes on it by his presence alone a single manifestation. This reminds me of the catalytic effect produced by the power directors who “cause energy to segment, organize or assemble into unitary formations” by their presence alone (UB 42:2.22). As humans, we are not power directors, but could the simple fact of being conscious and endowed with will be the cause of a catalytic effect influencing the ultimatons contained in the electron?
The revelators tell us that the Unqualified Absolute decides nothing, but reacts to the will of a Deity or personality that has come out of the Deity Absolute. Considering that we are in some way from this Deity Absolute, would the effect on the electron observed by the scientist be of a similar nature?
As far as gravity is concerned, science knows only one category of gravity, material gravity. This material gravity is called linear gravity in The Urantia Book. Science does not know absolute gravity, that of the Isle of Paradise, nor the spirit gravity of the Son, nor the personality gravity of the Father, nor the mind gravity of the Spirit.
In summary, we have in this reflection an explanation for gravitation and a valid reason to explain the behavior of a free electron. It would be very interesting to see the conclusions of a real scientist after reading booklet 42 and the parallels he would make with modern science. On the other hand, is it possible to find on this planet such a person who can open his mind to science as much as to the divine?
¶ Change to Réflectivité
Claude Flibotte
Dear readers! For several years now, our friend Normand Laperle has been acting as a graphic designer for the layout of your newsletter Réflectivité. He has fully deserved to retire! But, not quite, because he remains a collaborator. It is possible to remove this task from our friend Normand, but it is impossible to take away his passion for serving you well!
On behalf of myself and all the avid readers of this newsletter, I would like to offer him our gratitude for all that he has accomplished while wishing him an excellent semi-retirement!
Thank you, Norman!
¶ Study groups
This activity allows several readers of different levels of understanding to exchange 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 step 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: “Uni-Terre”
Region: Joliette
Sundays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am, (virtual Zoom)
Contact :
Eric Martel (450) 756-9387
Group: “At Maisonnia”
Region: Quebec
Every 2 weeks: Sundays, from 1:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Gilles Bertrand & Louise Renaud (418) 871-4564
Group: “The United Family of Urantia”
Region: Montreal — Downtown
Thursdays, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Mrs. Diane Labrecque (514) 277-2308
Group : “Le Pont”
Region: Montérégie
(Sainte-Julie, south of Montreal)
Tuesdays, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Claude Flibotte (438) 404-6399
Virtual Study Group, French
Every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time (Montreal)
Via Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/9084766734
Responsible :
Guy Perron (438) 495-7747
Group: “Découverte”
Region: Laurentians — St-Jérôme
Mondays, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Gaétan Charland and Line St-Pierre Tel.: (450) 565-3323
Possibility to participate via Internet (Zoom)
Sherbrooke Group
Region: Sherbrooke
Every 2 weeks: Tuesday or Wednesday, (to be confirmed) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Helene Boisvenue and Denis Gravelle
Tel.: (819) 569-6416
To see the official list of study groups:
Click directly on the following link: http://urantia-quebec.ca/activites_liste_des_groupes.php
¶ Réflectivité
| Responsible: | Claude Flibotte |
| Assisted by: | Normand Laperle Gilles Bertrand |
(438) 404-6399 Claude Flibotte
(418) 835-1809 Normand Laperle
(418) 871-4564 Gilles Bertrand
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