Courage

The moment we live is of great challenges. Do we have courage to bear all the challenges we face? 

Photo by Oliver Cole on Unsplash

The moment we now live on Earth is of great challenges, requiring a lot of courage, to behave according to the Divine Laws.

Courage to maintain honesty when almost everything around us conspires against the right attitudes.

Courage not to strike back at the blows of insanity, maintaining understanding and praying the blessings of heaven for your unbalanced brother.

Courage not to deviate from humility and integrity when, with power in our hands, we do not allow pride and selfishness to take over.

Courage to cultivate moderation and patience when we realize that the difficulties are getting worse.

Courage to maintain patience, even if your heart is beaten by the onslaught of cruel feelings that reach us.

Courage to preserve in serenity when the storms of discord and disagreements roar, threatening to bring us down.

Moral Courage

When we carry the Gospel of Jesus in our hearts, we know that it is not by running away from obstacles that we overcome them, but by facing them with calm, serenity and confidence. We understand that the first virtue of those who trust God is moral courage.

Courage that is necessary to achieve self-discipline to remain in balance in the face of attacks of less noble feelings and attitudes.

Courage that helps bearing difficulties with serenity, making the necessary efforts to overcome them.

Courage to persevere in the face of difficulties, without allowing ourselves to give up.

Our journey, in this life, reserves us many paths to travel, but the peace and happiness that we long for, will only be built with inner courage. And it is this courage that will determine when and how we will achieve our inner improvement, which will be reflected in our individual fulfillment.

The greater the achievement, the calmer our attitudes will be, helping us continue our personal journey.

Final Thoughts

Faced with the most embarrassing situations of his material life, Jesus endured all the injuries, all the humiliations that were inflicted on him, maintaining the purity of the high ideal for which he endeavored to the extreme sacrifice.

Let us have the courage to act like Him, maintaining serenity and moving on.

Let us have compassion of those who have lost their faith and stumbled upon violence.

Let us look at those who despaired and were lost in the revolt.

Let us keep in mind that true courage arises from resilience and calm in times of challenge, suffering and imbalance.

Let us protect ourselves in good. When we are about to utter any thoughtless phrase or take the least action against others, let us pray and be silent because heaven hears us. God will always sustain us in our good efforts.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 07, 2018.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Vibrating Bridge

How do you deal with the challenges and stresses of the modern life?

Photo by Andre Xavier on Unsplash

She returned from school, where she worked for many years. She was discouraged by the routine situation. The violence in the children's actions and words left her actionless, after so many attempts to resolve them.

Every day she worked hard doing her best. She guided and corrected their attitudes so that the children would become kinder to each other, so that they felt like family.  However, she saw that none of her efforts was effective.

Discouraged, she sat on the bench in the garden and cried. Her father, seeing her there, came over and stroked her hair in silence. With her beloved presence, she allowed herself to give more freedom to emotions. She hugged him and let the tears flow.

When she calmed down a little, he spoke calmly: "I don't know what your problem is, but we can establish a vibrating bridge to the sky, from where you will come calm and tranquility to solve what ails you." Remember what we have been taught: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will get it and what you will grant will be what you ask for."

She smiled slightly and, because she still felt a little tormented, she asked him to formulate the prayer for her, for her work and for the children at school. Right there, among the flowers, he prayed. She, following her words mentally, felt her heart calm and hope to be reborn.

Later, they went into the house, had tea and continued to talk. She found that she was now calmer and more confident, envisioning other possible solutions.

The mechanism of prayer

It is important to know the mechanism of prayer. Jesus, the sweet Rabbi of Galilee, used to walk away from the crowd in order to pray to the Father in silence.

An enlightened creature wrote: prayer is the emanation of well-directed thinking and rich in vibratory content, establishing the creature's exchange with the Creator. Therefore, thoughts driven by love and charged with positive energies can perform real miracles.

Prayer not only dilutes negative energies, it renews the moral forces of being, saturating it with higher vibrations that alter mental, emotional and organic landscapes.

The act of praying is an expression of humility towards life and an awakening of the conscience to understand the goals to which one must give oneself.

Jesus sought prayer as an effective resource to be linked to the Father, maintaining the exchange for the inspiration and courage that he was always clothed with. Through the constant practice of prayer, He left us an example that we must not abandon.

Final Thoughts

Through sincere prayer, we are in tune with the spheres of light, from which we draw the energies that provide emotional balance and inner peace, which allows us to better reason and act.

A sincere prayer opens the windows of the soul and expands our possibilities of inspiration.

Allow ourselves the exercise of prayer, in all situations of our life. Pray and let yourself be guided by the Celeste Pastor who will send you superior support in any circumstance through this vibrating bridge, called prayer.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on May 06, 2016.

See Also

• The Power of Love
• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem

Ryan's Well

How far would you go to help those in need?

Photo by Amevi Wisdom on Unsplash

He was only six years old when the first grade teacher spoke of the sad fate of children living in impoverished and disease-ravaged Africa.

Ryan shuddered to learn that hundreds of thousands of African children died each year from drinking contaminated water. His school was raising funds for Africa and he knew that seventy dollars would fund a well.

When he got home, he asked his mother for the money and said why he needed it. The mother suggested that he do extra chores to get the amount.

He took a sheet of paper and drew a diagram containing thirty-five lines. For every two dollars received, Ryan filled a line and kept the money in an empty cookie tin.

He washed windows, collected pine cones that fell in the yard, worked as he could.

One day in April 1998, Ryan handed over his seventy dollars to an international organization. The lady who answered, thanked him and explained that a hand pump cost seventy dollars, but it took almost two thousand dollars to drill a well.

So I'm going to work harder, said the boy. Parents got involved and started a donation campaign. At the age of seven, Ryan had managed to raise a little over seven hundred dollars, and the missing amount was completed by the Canadian International Development Agency.

Ryan and his parents were invited to a meeting with the Ugandan representative at the Canadian Doctors' Association for Aid and Assistance, a group that collected the funds raised and, with the help of the villagers, built and maintained the wells.

Ryan was hugged by representative Shibru, who confirmed to the boy that the well could be located near a school in Angolo, northern Uganda, but he said it took twenty people working ten days to build a well with a manual digger. A small drill cost twenty-five thousand dollars.

Willing to get the money, the boy had his story published in a Canadian newspaper and, in two months, had inspired $ 7,000 in donations.

Already in the second grade, Ryan and his classmates began to correspond with the boys of Angolo. Meanwhile, Ryan would spend hours writing letters asking for money from various organizations. Finally, he got the amount due for the purchase of the equipment.

On July 27, 2000, a truck, carrying Shibru, Ryan and their parents, went down the dirt road near Angolo. About three thousand children were waiting by the side of the road, clapping their hands. The village leaders received Ryan and took him to the well, next to the school's vegetable garden. On the concrete base it was written:

Ryan's well. Built by Ryan Hreljac. For the Angolo elementary school community.

That night, in bed, Ryan said to his mother: I'm very happy. That unforgettable day ended with the prayer he said every night: I wish that everyone in Africa has clean water.

Conclusion

Fraternity knows no boundaries and love knows no limits.

Let us allow the contagion of the good, with this willingness to help, with this feeling of caring for the other, even if we do not know the name. Even if all he needs is a glass of fresh, clean water to keep him alive.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on November 27, 2013. 

References

• Ryan Hreljac 
  
• Ryan's Well Documentaries & Book | Ryan's Well Foundation

See Also

• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem
• Poverty and Wealth

We can count on our loved ones

Can someone feel our emotions without us saying a single word?

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

It had been a very difficult week for him. As a dedicated and responsible businessman, he faced multiple complications in the small organization which already had more than two decades of existence.

After another sleepless night, one of those we stay awake all night trying to find solutions to our problems, he took his youngest daughter - five at the time - to school. The girl's joy made him forget, for a few moments, all the battles that awaited him. A brief rest for that warrior soul.

They stopped the car and and as always he took her to the entrance of the educational institution. They were going to say goodbye when she suddenly burst into tears and hugged him tightly.

She never complains about going to school, he thought. What happened?

After a few moments, unable to speak, she said to him: Daddy, I want to go to work with you! - And continued to embrace him still in tears. He understood the reason for weeping, and he was also moved. Even without him saying what was going on inside her, she had realized that her beloved father's heart was sad.

Not knowing how to express her desire to help, to make him happy again, to comfort him, she proposes to go to work with him.

What a beautiful and simple expression of love. That type of love which wants to see those around us well, happy and in peace.

And what could be more pure than a child's expression, saying to his father: I'm here, I want to help, don't be like this.

Invisible vibrations

We radiate everything that goes into our soul without even realizing. We may try to hide behind the silence but we emit invisible vibrations constantly and those sensitive enough can capture it. Those who love us, who care about us, are attentive, and willing to help will certainly do.

And yet, on many occasions, the Divine Providence makes use of those around us to send us advices, friendly words and issues of affection.

Yes, the Creator speaks to us in the most different ways possible. It is up to us to know how to hear Him.

In the daughter's proposal mentioned earlier, perhaps it was God's embrace saying: I know that the battles are many, and that sometimes you feel weak, helpless. But know that you are not alone. Those who love you, in My name, are at your side.

There is no victory without a battle. There is no conquest without fights. The warrior who deserves rest and triumph is one who stands firm, and who follows through.

Final Thoughts

At the same time that we are surrounded by challenges and struggles, we are supported by the love of Divine Laws. We are never abandoned, although we often think that our struggle is lonely. We can count on the safe haven of the family, on the true friendships, and have the confidence that everything will end well.

Let us try to always tune in to the highest spiritual planes, through positive thoughts and sincere prayer, so that we can more easily receive the necessary assistance.  Let us observe life around us. Do not allow ourselves to close in the lonely caves of distress, anxiety, and self-terrorism.

The many fights will be worth it. Be sure of that.

And for those who think that life is made up of uncertainties and easily despair, here's another comforting certainty - we can always count on our loves.

Adapted from Momento Espírita, originally published on April 02, 2018.

See Also

• Weighted observation
• The most important bridge
• Bridge of Life
• A Thinking Power
• Divine Poem
• Poverty and Wealth