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Insults and violence. - Instructions from the spirits: Affability and mildness. - Patience. - Obedience and resignation. - Anger.

Insults and violence

1. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth. (Matthew 5:5.)

2. Blessed are the peaceful, because they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9.)

3. You have learned from the ancient: You shall not kill, and whoever kills will be in danger of judgement; But I tell you that everyone who is angry with their neighbor will be in danger of judgement; that whoever says to their neighbor “Raca” will be in danger of the council; and that whoever says “You fool” will be in danger of hell fire. (Matthew 5:21-22.)^{1 2}

4. With these words, Jesus makes meekness, moderation, docility, affability and patience a law. Consequently, he condemns violence, anger and even all impolite expressions. Going further, he threatens with hell fire anyone who says to another “You are fool.”

Yes; intention aggravates or lessens each offense. But why should a few words deserve such a severe reproof? Because an aggressive word transmits a feeling contrary to the law of love and charity, which must preside all human relationships; because an outrage bangs the mutual goodwill and fraternity; because insults feed hate and hostility; and because, beside to humility before God, charity to neighbors is the first Christian duty.

5. Jesus teaches us to prioritize spiritual success instead of earthly; spiritual achievement rather than material. But at the same time Christ says: “Blessed are the meek because they will inherit the Earth.” So, what do these words mean?

While we await for heavenly happiness, we need material stuff to live. But until today the earthly wealth has often been taken by the violent, who, while enjoying a needless luxury, impair the meek. The peaceful frequently lack what they need. With those words, Jesus promises that justice will be done both on Earth and in Heaven, and says that the meek and the peaceful will be called God's children. When the earthly population abide by the law of love and charity, selfishness will disappear from the planet. The weak and peaceful will no longer be exploited nor crushed by the strong and violent. This justice will cover all the Earth when, according to the law of progress, and to the Christ's promise, this globe becomes a happy world due to banishment of the wicked. So the meek will literally inherit the Earth.

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SPIRITS

Affability and mildness

6. Fruit of love to neighbors, kindliness towards the fellow creatures produces affability and mildness. However, appearance may deceive. Education and worldliness can give a person a varnish of these virtues. There are many people whose faked friendliness is just an elegant mask, which hide their inner perversity. The world is full of such people, that show a smile on lips but have poison inside their hearts; who look mild provided nothing annoys them, but who become fierce at the least nuisance; whose tongues, golden while speaking face to face, change into poisoned darts when speaking from behind.

Still in this category are the seemingly mild people that, being domestic tyrants, make their families, groups or subordinates to withstand their pride and despotism, so as to revenge the constraints that outsiders impose upon them. Incapable to inflict authority upon strangers, who would rebuke them, they want, at least, subdue those that cannot resist. They proudly say: “Here I give the orders and I am obeyed” forgetting that they could also add: “And I am hated.”

Just speaking milk and honey is insufficient. When words unmatch heart there is only hypocrisy. People really mild are never belied, because they are always the same, in public or in privacy. Besides, they know that, although one can cheat humans, nobody deceives God. - Lazarus. (Paris, 1861.)

Patience

7. Pain is a blessing God sends to the chosen ones. So, don't be afflicted if you suffer. Rather, thank the Omnipotent, who, through the earthly pain, has elected you to the Heaven's joy.

Be patient. Patience is also charity, and you must practice the love law that Christ teaches. The alms you give is the easiest charity type. There is another charity kind, however, which is more challenging and, thus, more valuable: forgiving the people that life places in your pathway, in order to serve as a tool for your suffering and to test your patience.

Living is hard. We know it. It lays on us a lot of pinpricks that hurt in the long run. But if you fulfill your duties and acknowledge all the blessings you are daily granted, you will admit grace is more plentiful than pain. When we look at Heaven our burden seems to be lighter.

Courage my friends! Christ is your model. He had no debt to pay and suffered much more than you, whereas you must atone for your past and become stronger for your future. Be patient. Be Christians! These two words summarize all. - A friendly spirit. (Havre, 1862.)

Obedience and resignation

8. Jesus teaches obedience and resignation, two active virtues which mate mildness. However, many confuse them with will denial and feeling denial. Obedience is the reason consent. Resignation is the heart consent. Both virtues are active because they carry the burden that the unwise revolt lets fall down. The coward cannot be resigned. The proud and the selfish cannot be obedient. Jesus was the very incarnation of these virtues, which material antiquity despised. He came when Roman society was perishing in corruption. He came to extol sacrifice and carnal renouncement to a depressed humanity.

Each epoch carries the seal of virtue or vice that either saves or wastes it. The virtue of your generation is intellectual activity. The vice is moral indifference. We prefer using the expression intellectual activity instead of genius because the latter suddenly rises up and discovers, by their own, horizons which crowd will only see later, while the former means the everyone's endeavor united, in order to reach a result that, although less brilliant, confirms the rational elevation of an epoch. Submit yourself to the boost we have come to offer your spirits. Obey the great progress law, which is the motto of your generation. Woe to the lazy spirit! Woe to those who close their understanding! Woe to them because the spirits who guide humanity will whip them and subdue their rebellious will with the brake-and-spur double action. All prideful resistance will fall down. Blessed are the mild, because they will lend yielding ears to the godly teachings. - Lazarus. (Paris, 1863.)

Anger

9. Pride induces you to overestimate yourselves, and to reject any comparison which might lower your worth. The least parallel annoys you. What happens then? You surrender to anger.

Investigate these dementia outbursts which make you lose self-control and reason. Look for their origin and you will probably find the hurt pride, which makes you to angrily reject even the wisest advice. The excessive importance proud people assign to their own personality, in front of which they think everyone has to bow down, turns any trifle into impatience.

In their frenzy, furious people go back to the fiercest state and attack everything, even lifeless objects, breaking them because they do not obey! If they could calmly see themselves on such moments, they would either be afraid or think grotesque of themselves! Imagine how ghastly is the portrait of their own they spread to others. So, we must struggle to overcome such bad trends, which turn any human being into a pitiable creature.

Those who understand that anger disturbs, weakens health and sometimes jeopardizes life recognize themselves as its first victims. Moreover, the angry ones make those around them unhappy. They make even their dearest beings to suffer. If they have hearts, remorse is unavoidable. What a terrible pain upon them if, during a fury turn, they do something they will regret all life long!

Anger does not exclude the heart virtues, but it stops goodness and promotes evil. This reason should be strong enough to motivate anyone to keep calmer. Spiritists have yet another reason to control wrath: it is contrary to Christian charity and humility. - A protective spirit. (Bordeaux, 1863.)

10. Due to the false idea that we cannot amend our nature, many people self-judge exempt from trying to correct the vices they either enjoy or lack perseverance to get rid of. Those who are prone to choler often blame their bad temper. Instead of admitting their own liability, they prefer accusing their bodies. Thus, they reproach God for their own fault. This is another pride consequence.

Of course there are temperaments more inclined to violence, as well as muscles more suitable for strength. However, such compatibility is not the anger root cause. A pacific spirit, even incarnated in a rage-supporting body, will be peaceful. A violent spirit, even occupying a feeble body, will not be mild. In this case, violence is restrained just because it lacks an organism that supports it. However, wrath can develop when it meets a body that allows its expansion.

The body neither gives anger to a serene spirit nor provokes other vices. All virtues and vices are intrinsic to the spirit, otherwise humans would be devoid of responsibility and merit. We cannot eliminate many physical shortcomings, because our spirits are unable to act on them. But through strong resolution we can enhance our souls. Experience shows that willpower can achieve miraculous transformations. So, we only remain vicious if we want keeping so. Those who seriously want to evolve can always try to self-correct, elsewise the progress law would not apply to humans. - Hahnemann. (Paris, 1863.)

Do to others what you want that others do to you. (Matthew 7:12)
You'll know the truth and the truth will make you free. (John 8:32)
 
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