PRIDE AND HUMILITY 1

Theme: BLESSED ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT

INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE SPIRITS.
Source: The Gospel according to Spiritism, Chap., VII: 12.

PRIDE AND HUMILITY

12. Mankind, why do you complain about the calamities which you yourselves have heaped upon your
heads? You despise the saintly and divine morality of Christ, so do not be surprised that the cup of iniquity
should overflow on all sides.
Trouble has become generalized. Who is to blame if not you who have unceasingly tried to crush each
other? It is impossible to be happy without mutual benevolence; but how can benevolence coexist alongside
pride? Pride! This is the root of all your troubles. Apply yourselves therefore to destroying it, if you do not wish
continually to perpetuate these fatal consequences.
There is only one way which offers itself for this purpose, but it is infallible: take Christ's law as your
invariable rule of conduct, that very same law which has been spurned or falsified in its interpretation.
Why do you hold that which shines and enchants the eyes in higher esteem than that which touches the
heart? Why do you make the vice of opulence the object of your adulations, whereas you are disdainful of true
merit when it is obscure? Whenever a rich debauchee appears, even though he be lost in body and soul, all
doors open, all rush to give him attention; whereas a godly person who lives by his work is hardly given a good-
day! When the consideration dispensed to others is measured by the gold they possess or the name they use,
what interest can they have in correcting their defects?
But it would be very different if the many degrading and immoral practices which are gilded over, were
censured by public opinion as much as is the failing of poverty. But pride shows itself ever indulgent to all who
flatter it. You say that this is the century of cupidity and money.
Beyond doubt; but why allow material necessity to overshadow your good sense and reason? Why
must each one wish to place themself above their brother? Society today suffers the consequences of this fact.
Never forget that this state of affairs is always a sign of moral decay and decline. When pride reaches
extremes it is an indication of an imminent fall, for God never fails to punish the arrogant. If He sometimes
allows them to rise, it is only in order to give time for meditation and to mend their ways under the blows which
come to strike their pride from time to time, to serve as warnings. But instead of becoming humble, they rebel.
Thus when the cup is full God will cause them to descend, and according to how high they have risen, the more
terrible will be their fall.
Suffering humanity, whose selfishness has corrupted all things, we beg you to renew your courage
despite everything. In His infinite mercy God has sent you a powerful remedy for all your ills, an unexpected
help for all your miseries. Open your eyes to the light! Here are the souls of those who no longer live upon the
Earth, who have come to call you to the fulfillment of your true obligations. They will tell you, with the voice of
experience, that compared to eternity the vanities and grandeurs of this passing existence become mere trifles.
There, the greatest is the one who has been the humblest amongst the most humble of your world; he who has
most loved his fellow beings will himself be the best loved in Heaven. If the powerful on Earth abuse their
authority, they will find themselves reduced to a position of obedience to their own servants and lastly, humility
and charity, who are as two brothers going hand in hand, are the most efficient means of obtaining grace before
He who is Eternal. - ADOLF, Bishop of Argel (Marmande, 1862).

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CONSIDERATIONS:
The Bishop of Alger said:
"Men, why do lament the calamities that you yourselves heaped up upon your heads "?
In other words here the Bishop is saying: is that we do not suffer the consequences of someone else sins,
the son doesn't pay for the sins of his parents, 2 each one suffers the consequences of his own actions, 3 it is the

1
Estudo feito no Centro Espírita, Joana d’Arc a 04/12/ 2007.
2
Deuteronomy, 24: 16.
3
Galatians, 6: 7.

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law of causes and effects self executing, each one is responsible for himself in accordance with Jesus teaching:
“To each one according to their works." 4
This so much is worth for an individual, as for a society, a nation or a world.

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The Bishop of Alger tells us:
“You despised the saint and divine morals of Christ, so do not be surprised that the cup of iniquity should
overflow on all sides"
On all sides because the fault is not individually alone but collective, everyone acting in a wrong way,
guided by selfishness and pride in a general way and in that way despising Christ's morals!
And, how is it the one of Christ? It is because Christ's morals is the one of humility, it is the one of charity,
it is the one of solidarity or altruism, it is the one of love, it is the highest moral, that people can follow for their
spiritual elevation. 5
******
The Bishop of Alger says:
It is impossible to be happy without mutual benevolence, but how can benevolence coexist alongside
pride?"
Meaning to say in other words, that we will be unhappy if we do not have mutual benevolence, if we do
not want good towards each other, that this attitude has to be separate from pride, because the fruits of pride are
unhappiness.
******
The bishop of Alger says:
"Pride! This is the root of all your troubles." (...)."
“Apply yourselves therefore to destroy it, (...).
There is only one way which offers itself for this purpose, but it is infallible: take Christ's law as your
invariable rule of conduct, that very same law which has been spurned or falsified in its interpretation".

******
The Bishop suggests that pride is the root of all troubles and he indicates a way of destroying it, an
infallible way, which is to take as conduct Christ's law as rule.
Look here, Christ's law is the doctrine of love, of charity, of tolerance and of pardon; and the law of love
leads us to the spontaneous freedom of us living the spiritual life free from concepts or human rules and hence to
be able to walk with God, because if we live in love, being God Love, God is for us, and, if God is for us, who can
be against us. 6
On living in affinity with love, we will live in union with God; these spiritual feelings do not stop being, the
ones that caused Jesus to say: “I and the Father are one." 7

******
The Bishop of Alger says more:
"Suffering humanity, whose selfishness has corrupted all things, we beg you to renew your courage
despite everything. In His infinite mercy God has sent you a powerful remedy for all your ills, an unexpected help
for all your miseries.
Open your eyes to the light: Here are the souls of those who no longer live upon the Earth. Who have
come to call you to the fulfillment of your true obligations?
They will tell you, with the voice of experience that compared to eternity the vanities and grandeurs of this
passing existence become mere trifles.
There, the greatest is the one who has been the humblest amongst the most humble of your world, he
who has most loved his fellow beings will himself be the best loved in Heaven,. If the powerful on Earth abuse
their authority, they will find themselves reduced to a position of obedience to heir own servants and lastly,
humility and charity, who are as two brothers going hand in hand, are the most efficient means of obtaining grace
before He who is Eternal.

4
Revelation, XX: 12 e 13.
5
John, XIV: 16.
6
Romans, 8: 31.
7
John, X: 30.

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 ******
The Bishop of Alger says:
God sends a powerful remedy to your ills, and he explains: The souls of those who no longer live upon
the Earth. They will tell you with the voice of experience, that there the greatest is the one who has been the
humblest among the most humble of your world, and be the best loved in Heaven. And he adds that charity and
humility are the most effective titles to obtain the grace of the Eternal, that is, of God.

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Well, of this study we can make questions and answers:
Q. - Who caused calamities?
A. - You yourself piled up on your head.

Q. - Why the cup of iniquity overflowed for the whole part?

A. - Because, the saint and divine morals of Christ were despised.

Q. - To whom is the general indisposition due?

A. - To ourselves.

Q. - How can we be happy?

A.. - With mutual benevolence.

Q. - Which is the source of evils?

A. - Pride, here is the root of all ills.

Q. - What should we do for not perpetuating pride and its consequences?

A. - We should have the task of destroying it.

Q. - Is there some effective way?

A. - Yes, Christ's law as rule of conduct.

Q. - What does cause a moral fall?

A. - When pride reaches its end, it is indication of a next fall.

Q. - Which roads were the human race corrupted?

A. - Through selfishness.

Q. - Which means did God use His mercy?

A. - Allowing the return of the souls of those who had gone.

Q. - What for did the souls return?

A. - To remind men the true duties.

Q. - With what authority they will speak?

A. - With the authority of their experience.

Q. - What will they tell us?

A.. - They will say that in the world of the beyond, it will be greater the littlest among the little of this world,
that the one who loved more his brothers will be the most loved in Heaven.

Q. - Which are the most effective titles to obtain the grace of God?
A. - Charity and humility.
******
Q. - What would Jesus say on this study?
A. - "Whoever wants to be the greatest let him be your servant" 8

8
Matthew, 20: 27 - 23: 11.

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 Q. - What would the Spirits in general say on this study?
A. -" Without charity there is no salvation" 9

Q. - What would the Law of Causes and Effects say on this study?
A. - God is infinitely just and His laws are consequently fair. 10

Q. - Where is evil, and does that evil persist?

A. - Being evil in the man, he is who has to make an effort to eradicate it, becoming a well to do man,
because evil is the absence of good. 11

Let us see an extract from the book: “Heaven and Hell", Chapter. IV: - Suffering Spirits -
Listeth. - A suffering Spirit under the name of Listeth:
"(...), 3. Q. - … will you give me some details concerning your last existence? Such details may be
instructive for us; and you will thus render your repentance productive. (...).
A. - I was born in a high position. I had everything that men regard as conductive to happiness. Rich, I
was selfish; handsome, I was coquettish; cold-hearted, and deceitful; of noble rank, I was ambitious. With my
power, I crushed those who did not prostrate themselves sufficiently low before me; I crushed even those who
threw themselves under my feet, without reflecting that the Lord also crushes. Sooner or later, the haughtiest
brows.
Q. - At what period did you live?
A. - One hundred and fifty years ago, in Prussia!
Q. - Have you, in that time, made no progress as a Spirit?
A. - No, the influence of matter has kept me in a state of constant revolt. You cannot comprehend the
influence exerted by matter upon the spirit, notwithstanding the separation of the latter from the body. Pride winds
around the soul the chains of brass, whose links grow tighter and tighter about the wretch who has abandoned his
heart to its action. Pride! The hydra whose hundred heads - perpetually renewed - have the art modeling their
poisoned hisses so cunningly that its victims mistake them for celestial music! Pride! The Protean demon who
lends himself in the deepest recesses of your heart, who penetrates into your veins. Envelops your being, absorbs
you, and draws you after him into the darkness of the eternal Gehenna... Yes, eternal “

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Well, the way that the Spirit describes pride, it is of putting fear to any one.
From the Spiritual medium's following annotations, she certainly had progress, because she already sees
which her badliness is.
The Spirit sees as eternal her suffering, because she doesn't see its end, however the Spiritist Doctrine
gives us Hope, saying that there is no suffering nor eternal punishment, due to the Law of Progress. 12

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Now we will see about humility, we know that it is a virtue, however we have difficulty in describing it, it is
the opposite of pride, in the Dictionary of Spiritist philosophy, by L.Palhano Jr., Publisher CELD, says":
Humility, virtue which gives us the feeling that it is exempted from greed of power. Modesty, simplicity. In
this sense one cannot understand humility for servitude or submission, but, yes, for a spiritual freedom which
doesn’t undergo the yoke of wild passions of the command power and domain. Antidote of the thirst of power, of
pride".
******

9
The Gospel according to Spiritism, 15: 10.
10
The Spirits’ Book, Chapter., I.
11
Genesis, III: 8,9 - the gospel according to spiritism, VII: 4 - the Spirits’ Book, Q.,
847b.
12
Heaven and Hell, VI: 18 e 19.

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 Humility is a virtue difficult to be acquired, Jesus had humility in high degree, and as Jesus was the most
perfect model which God gave us, 13 and he said in a statement, not for vanity, but for our need, He said:
“Example I give you",14 and as his virtues were of high degree, He suggests:
"Take upon yourselves my yoke, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest
unto your souls." 15
And for Jesus to have his own experience, He could or to teach:
"Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the Earth." 16

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What is to be meek? Aurélio's dictionary says: “Meek = Of a peaceful nature; quiet, tranquil, calm."

Then, the person of peaceful nature is not an explosive person or who exalts easily, it is not a nervous
person, but calm, it is not a person of boiling temperament, but cool headed, even-tempered.
These virtues are pertinent to the Spirits of goodness, and he who doesn't have virtues has to make an
effort for obtaining them, if a person is explosive he has to learn to control himself, if a person is nervous, he has
to learn to be calm, and if he has hard-temperament, he also has to learn to control himself so that little by little
may be gaining his own virtue of meekness.
People may say:' That is far away from me', but let us appreciate, did not Jesus say:
"Be perfect" 17 and doesn't the Spiritist Doctrine say, that our progress is infinite, until we reach the degree
of: “Pure Spirit".18 Well then, with effort we will go in the direction of a happy future, because we should consider
that a Spirit does not retrograde, 19 and, it does not lose his reached degree, therefore, then nobody loses the
effort he may make to his own advantage; is it not a good incentive, will there be anyone who does not want or
wish well to himself!
Well then the Spiritist Doctrine is that.
Spiritism doesn't make miracles, nor offers privileges to anybody. The Doctrine does not say:
Do come to Spiritism, for I will give you Heaven.
The Spiritist learns with Spiritism the same as Jesus said: “To each one according to their works",20 and,
"Their works will follow them”,21 of course Spiritism encourages: “Help yourself and heavens will help
22
you”, it is important to have known that!
Well, let us close the study knowing, that it is up to us to try to improve ourselves,23 for the simple reason
that virtues are not acquired easily, but a merit-present to our effort in the faith in God.

Well, may God be with us as formerly, today and always!

The Spirits’ Book, question, 118.

118. Can spirits degenerate?

13
The Spirits’ Book, Q. 625.
14
John, 13: 15.
15
Mateus, XI: 29.
16
Mateus, V: 5.
17
Matthew, 5: 48.
18
The Spirits’ Book, Q. 112 & 113,
19
The Spirits’ Book, Q. 118 & 119.
20
Matthew, 16: 27. - Mark, 8: 34.
21
Revelation, 14: 13.
22
The Spirits’ Book, Q. 663. - The Gospel according to Spiritism, 25: 1-5.
23
Heaven and Hell, Chapter, III: 7.

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 "No; in proportion as they advance, they understand what has retarded their progress.
When a spirit has finished with any given trial, he has learned the lesson of that trial, and never
forgets it. He may remain stationary; but he never degenerates."

Spiritism does not make miracles,

Nor offers privileges to anybody.
The Doctrine does not say:
'Come to Spiritism, and I will give you Heaven.
The Spiritist learns with Spiritism the same, which
Jesus said:
"To each one according to his works", 24 and,
“Their works will follow them”, 25
Of course, Spiritism encourages:
"Help yourself and Heaven will help you”, 26
It is important to know that!
Well, let us close the study knowing,
That it is up to us to try to improve ourselves, 27
24
Matthew, 16: 27.
25
Revelation, 14: 13.
26
The Spirits Book, question, 663. - The Gospel acc. To spiritism, 25: 1-5.
27
Heaven and Hell, 3: 7.
Extract from the study ‘O orgulho e a Humildade’, given at the Spirit Center Joana
d’Arc,
Situated at Rua Capitão Salustiano, São João Meriti, RJ. on 04/ 12/ 2007.

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Because virtues do not reach us on a kissed hand,
as the expression goes, but a merit to our effort in
the faith in God.