© 2022 Gaétan G. Charland, Alain Cyr, Maurice Migneault, Samuel Heïne
© 2022 Urantia Association of Quebec
¶ Word from the President May 2022
Gaetan Charland
president@urantiaqc.org
Hello readers and friends of the association,
For the past few months in my President’s Message, I have been speaking to you about study groups and the importance of education within the Urantia Movement. Within these two sources of learning are two fundamental values that appeal to two different aspects of our being: the aspect of the intellectual dimension and its counterpart, the aspect of the spiritual dimension.
Side by side, these two aspects produce results that are quite different from each other, but which can provide immense benefits to our spiritual growth if they become complementary in our human experience. I would like to emphasize here the important contribution of these two essential aspects in the experience of readers of The Urantia Book who have embarked on the path of knowledge of its teachings.
It is well to note that many long-time readers involved in various activities of the Urantia movement have observed an intellectual growth far superior to any spiritual acquisition or expression of the teachings of The Urantia Book. This tendency toward intellectualization of the teachings significantly and perniciously thwarts the mission of the revelation to expand cosmic consciousness and heighten spiritual perception. In fact, we encounter more and more Urantia Book scholars and far fewer living embodiments of the teachings that the book offers us.
Here is a quote that underlines my point well,
“The world needs to see Jesus living again on earth in the experience of spirit-born mortals who effectively reveal the Master to all men.” (UB 195:10.1)
In fact, and you have certainly already noticed this, each time we resume a rereading of The Urantia Book, we rediscover new concepts or ideas. But to acquire new spiritual meanings, we need to have experiences of service, we need to live the teachings. This complementary way of doing things promotes our spiritual growth and benefits the mission of the revelation.
We do not need to be scholars of The Urantia Book to be of service to the mission of The Urantia Book; we need only make alive what we have learned, however small that knowledge may be. In fact, the message is simple:
“The ultimate goal of human progress is the reverent recognition of the fatherhood of God and the loving materialization of the brotherhood of man.” (UB 143:1.4)
I leave us to meditate on this last quote.
To love is to serve
¶ Our volunteers, unique jewels!
Alain Cyr
Longueuil
Hello dear friends,
To make my message a little poetic, I would first say that: “each of us is a unique jewel in our character, but participating in a beautiful and great adventure. That of presenting God to our contemporaries with the coloring of our being.”
At our AUQ Annual General Meeting held on Zoom on March 12, our president Gaétan Charland made an appreciative mention of the volunteers who work in their own way to promote the teachings of the Urantia Book (there are several). In my case, he mentioned my involvement as the person responsible for the French translation of the UAI Journal and the newsletter Tidings; something to be proud of, right? But not to the point of being “proud-fart”, because the people who assist me are just as indispensable as I am in the assembly of the finished product.
I thank Jean Sauvé and his assistants, Alain Tremblay and Hubert Thouin, translators, as well as Robert Cadieux who is available for proofreading and revisions. I thank Line Saint-Pierre, head of the AUQ Communications Committee, for her confidence in me and also for her watchful eye which, in addition to her many commitments, reviews our writings. These people work in the factory; they are among the jewels of communication at the AUQ.
A sentence like a thought of the day
We can be responsible actors in our world
We are the actors of the world we want for tomorrow, but conversely, we are also responsible for the one in which we live today.
Samuel Heïne, Reunion Island
¶ How beautiful old age is!
Maurice Migneault
Quebec
How beautiful old age is!
I am not saying that it is pleasant to grow old, because it is often difficult and painful, but what old age offers us that is beautiful is the opportunity to take a step back from our experiences to better appreciate the wonderful moments of goodness, beauty and truth that have marked our lives and contributed to forging our soul.
How beautiful old age is!
But why does our society refuse to acknowledge this? When we reject a reality, we begin by erasing the word to name it. By replacing the word old with “the golden age”, people of a “certain age”, young and “less young” we put in place a mechanism to deny our own reality.
If you avoid me with your eyes, you lose your horizons; if you deny my existence, yours will no longer have any meaning.
How beautiful old age is!
The fragility that accompanies it also brings more authenticity. We no longer need a mask to disguise our soul and a shield to hide our emotions; our true nature and personality take back their rights. This chrysalis that is this aging body still contains countless treasures.
How beautiful old age is!
Happiness is not found only in pleasures, but especially in the satisfaction of growth. There are colors in the garden of life that take time to emerge, and this is what our old age allows us. We are only at the first stage in our celestial destiny, and it is always the first steps that are the most difficult.
But how beautiful old age is!
¶ Listening to others
Text written in 2014 by a former Outaouais study group
In the material world, the one who shouts the loudest will be heard the furthest. But we are also spiritual beings and in this world, we do not need loudspeakers to make our prayers heard, because God is so close to us that he hears them even before they are formulated. Would it be possible for us to do the same with our brothers by refining our listening?
But what does it mean to listen to the other? Listening to the other is not only about being attentive to what they say, but also to what is not said, to gestures, to hesitations, to discomfort, etc. We must know how to listen with all our senses, and when this is done well, knowledge of the other goes beyond our understanding.
Once you understand your neighbor, you become tolerant, and this tolerance will transform, grow into friendship and mature into love. UB 100:4.4
People don’t always manage to say what they really think. Sometimes, behind a disjointed speech, they tell us who they are, and that’s important. It’s this knowledge of the other that allows us to better understand what they really need, what they are ready to receive and give.
Another reason to improve our listening is that, unconsciously or not, we recognize in our brothers the qualities and defects that we ourselves have. It is therefore also a way to know ourselves better. We are all mirrors for each other. But a mirror reflects light, not darkness. We must tend to illuminate the world with our love as the Father does for all his Creation.
It is literally true that “one must know human things in order to love them, but one must love divine things in order to know them” UB 102:1.1
¶ Memorable Remembrance Dinner
After two years of confinement and Zoom Remembrance Dinner, this year, on April 6, 2022, we gathered in the comfort of our homes with members of our study group. There were seven of us around the table.
In absolute silence and filled with devotion, I began the evening by reading a few paragraphs from the article “An Intimate Supper with Jesus” from ‘The Christ Experiment’
In turn, each person read a paragraph from section 5 of booklet 179: “Institution of the Remembrance Supper”. In a moment suspended in time, I played the video and the musical piece ‘Comfort me’, Alone in Gethsemane, and throughout the supper, this piece played in the background. You can listen to it by clicking on this link
We felt the presence of Jesus, it was as if the Master was really present.
The atmosphere was simple, sincere, religious and emotional. We shared the feeling of doing what Jesus commanded us to do: “do it in remembrance of me.”
Jesus told us that we will all one day dine with Him in the Father’s eternal kingdom. Until then, our goal is to live our lives as He lived His; doing good.
During the meal, we shared our love of Jesus, the influence he has had on our lives as we have come to know him better through the teachings of The Urantia Book, and our growing responsibility to others as sons and daughters of God through faith.
Another moment imprinted in eternity!
Brotherly friendships,
Line St-Pierre & Robert Cadieux,
Sainte-Sophie Discovery Study Group
¶ At length in The Urantia Book
Samuel Heine
Reunion Island
As I reread the life and teachings of Jesus in The Urantia Book, I came to realize how many times the word “at length” is used.
Jesus spoke at length to his disciples in groups or individually, the disciples spoke at length with Jesus, they spoke to each other late into the night, even all night, they prayed at length and reflected at length…
I think this is a characteristic of lovers of God who seek to understand Him and be like Him.
The enthusiasm and awakening of the lover of God push him to open himself to the whole of God, to want to understand the creatures of his sphere of life, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, art, religions, sciences… and I pass over a great number of other things because the lover of God wants to know everything, to understand everything and to give everything to the light of God which is in him.
I think that this is precisely what can surprise a great number of people who are not interested in anything profound and who, at the same time, have nothing to say about themselves that could be enriching.
This morning, “I” said to myself (my Adjuster): Samuel, it is precisely because you are a lover of all of God that you become an unalterable source that always has a thousand things to share in writing or in words in a spontaneous and natural way.
I have often heard that we must listen to others and only speak when we are asked a question, but I can say that for someone like me who brings everything back to God, if I really had to do this in my daily life, all my meetings would become sterile, because the majority have nothing enriching and authentic to say.
In a way, the God-loving, open-minded person naturally pushes the other person out of “the monotony that has nothing useful, authentic and profound to say” and I think that is a quality.
This is a little thought that I just had on the fly and that I share with you in its original form. 
Kisses, kisses my friends! 
¶ The importance of faith, source of harmony
The important thing for each of us is that our faith, which is a source of harmony and fulfillment, is not shaken by external events.
Personally, I am increasingly aware of the effectiveness of the power of regular prayer. As soon as fears, doubts, negative feelings and the like consciously disturb the stability of my faith and inner harmony, I ask God, in a powerful inner feeling, to help me remove these inner obstacles and I can say that it really works, it is extraordinarily healing.
I think we are living in a time when we are realizing the negative sides of materialism, economic and technological growth and so on. We are entering an era where people, leaders and scientists will have to keep the good and put aside the bad, it is the beginning of an era of readjustment.
Samuel Heïne, Reunion Island
The Ambassador School is the premier ministry school designed to equip readers of The Urantia Book with the skills needed to effectively disseminate the fifth epochal revelation, and all of this is accomplished through the course entitled The Ministry of the Master, which focuses on the incomparable teachings of Jesus.
Begin your journey toward successful outreach ministry of the Fifth Epochal Revelation by visiting
https://fr-school.thechristexperiment.org
¶ Picnic for the feast of Jesus
Invitation for Sunday August 21, 2022 at 11:00
Come celebrate the feast of Jesus on Mount Royal in Montreal near Beaver Lake and the restaurant
The Mount Royal Pavilion
2000 Chemin Remembrance Montreal, Qc H3H 1X2
(follow the signs with concentric circles)
Paid parking nearby
We will be waiting for you with the pleasure of greeting you and sharing
Bertin Perron and Julien Audet
¶ 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.
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
NEW
Group: “Urantian Universalists”
Every Monday from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Time (Montreal)
Responsible:
Claude Flibotte (438) 404-6399
Subject: Appendices of W. S. Sadler Jr.
Zoom Virtual Group. (Get informed)
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
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(438) 404-6399 Claude Flibotte
(514) 237-3616 Robert Cadieux
(418) 871-4564 Gilles Bertrand
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