I. INEQUALITY OF RICHES1 II.

THE TRUE PROPERTY

SOURCE: Gospel according to spiritism - cap. 16: 8, 9, 10.

SYNTHESES: Item 8 - Why are we not all equally rich? * For the simple reason that we are not equally intelligent, active and industrious enough to acquire it, nor sober and careful enough to keep it. * That the good be the effort and man's own will. * Fortune is a means of proving a man morally. * God transfers the fortunes unceasingly so that there is progress. * Riches, if equally divided would give a minimum and insufficient portion to each one. * So that, supposing this division were actually made, in a short time this equilibrium would be undone by the diversity of characters and aptitudes. * If it were conceded that each person was given the indispensable, then there would no longer be any goad to impel men and women to make discoveries or to found useful enterprises. * Why God has conceded riches to people who are incapable of making them bear fruit for the good of all. Here we have yet another proof of the wisdom and goodness of god. By giving man free-will, He wishes that the position of being able to distinguish right from wrong be reached through individual experience, and that the practice of good be solely the result of effort and choice. * Poverty is a test of patience and resignation. * Riches are a test in charity and abnegation. * The origin of evil lies in pride and selfishness; therefore, all manner of abuses will cease when humanity is governed by the law of charity. Item 9 - The only true property that Man can own is that which may be taken with him on leaving this world. * What is found on arrival on Earth and that which is left behind on parting, is enjoyed only while living here? * What then constitutes true property? Nothing which is for the use of the body, but everything which is for the use of the soul, such an intelligence, knowledge and moral qualities. * No one will be asked what it was they had had on Earth, or what position they had occupied, nor even if they were a pauper or a prince. Instead, they will be asked what they have brought with them. Neither worldly goods nor titles will be valuated, only the total sum of virtues acquired. * Are you rich in these qualities? Then you are welcome and may go to one of the high places where all kinds of happiness away you. But if you are poor in these qualities then you must go to the low places, where you will be treated according to that which you possess. Item 10 - Earthly goods belong to God, Who distributes them in accordance with His wishes. Man is nothing more than the usufructuary, a relative honest and intelligent administrator of these goods or property. * If however, the property be used exclusively for the satisfaction of pride and the senses, or if they become the cause of failure, then it would have been better not to have received them seeing that what is gained on the one hand is lost on the other, so annulling all merit for the work. In this case, upon leaving the Earth, God will say that the recompense has already been received CONSIDERATIONS: These studies of the inequality of wealth and the true property are more complex than one can imagine, since, generally thinking of the material inequalities, but also as spiritist students that we are, we have to analyze and consider other inequalities, because: There are inequalities of societies, There are culture inequalities, There are intelligence inequalities, There are knowledge inequalities,
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This study was given at the Centre, Joana dArcy, Rua capito salustiano, 377 - So Joo de Meriti - RJ. On 02/12/1997.

There are moral inequalities, There are inequalities of health etc. All the inequalities that seem difficult to understand, are accountable to the light of the Spiritist Doctrine, which is not tired of instructing the immortality of the soul, the reincarnation, the multiplicity of lives, the multiplicity of worlds, the multiplicity of hierarchical graduation of the spirit, the evolution and spiritual progress, constantly remembering us of our free will and that God created us: simple and ignorant" (The spirits Book, Question, 115) and that pride and selfishness are the humanity's wounds. (The gospel according to Spiritism, VII: 11 XI: 11. XV: 3.) * For being mainly the Spiritism with this knowledge, it is freeing us of inequalities and bringing us the true faith and hope in our true property. * With this knowledge the man goes on giving up his pride and selfishness and opening hand on behalf of his neighbour, in the distribution not only in the material needs, but also in the morals and obviously in the one of knowledge. * The man who made sweets with his son in the silence of the night so as the recipes could be in secret. * The church that monopolized the amount and knowledge distribution. * Gutemberg that multiplied the amount of Bibles. * Martinho Lutero, that liberated the reading of the Bible, in other words, dismonopolized it. * The truth that will free of prejudices, of powers, of monopolies of stigmata, of taboos, of owners of the truth, of fanaticisms, of adeptismos, etc., the appropriate distribution brings equalities. The distribution of knowledge frees the man. The fanatic prohibitions or monopolists reduce the man's evolutionary development, as well as the one of his expression; freedom of expression is necessary, the dialogue, the understanding, exchange of information, etc... Jesus said": and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John, VIII: 32.) However, many are arrested still imprisoned and without freedom: There are prisoners in superstitions, There are prisoners of ignorance, There are prisoners in prejudices, There are prisoners in dogmas, There are prisoners in fanaticisms, There are prisoners in taboos, There are prisoners in racisms, There are prisoners in powers, There are prisoners in riches, There are prisoners in snobberies, There are prisoners in pride, There are prisoners in selfishness, There are prisoners in absolutism, There are prisoners in religious positions. Etc. God wants us all to be liberated, for that Jesus brought us this message liberating and hopeful": you shall Know the truth...", because only little by little are we going to free us of ourselves, as from ignorance to our inferior compounds, in practice of the Gospel, in elapsing of the times, the inequalities little by little will give their place to equalities: Social equality, Equality of rights, Equality of freedom, Education equality, Equality of health. Etc And the man will no more feel unequal, himself with his true values, his true property, he will be autocrat, owner of his destiny, as much material as spiritually, because according to the prophecy that says: And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, saying, know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; (Hebrews, VIII: 11. Revelation, VII: 16) Hence obviously that we infer: There won't be hunger of justice; There won't be hunger of education;

There won't be hunger of rights; There won't be hunger of knowledge; There won't be hunger of Gospel. Although there may be relative inequalities, because the man will have inside of himself his true property, which actually is: his works" (Revelation, XIV: 13 XX: 12, 13.). And his true property will be his wealth: Knowledge wealth; Wealth of virtues; Emotional wealth; Vibratory wealth; Wealth of faith and hope; Wealth in the use of the reason; Wealth in logical judgment; Intuitive wealth; Psychic wealth; Character wealth; Wealth of health. Being considered that sound mind is healthy body; And, consequently wealth of the spirit. And the wealth of the spirit is power upon matter, be it solid or quintessence, because God so wants, that these be the true properties of the spirit and He places us in this world with His aid so that we may acquire, with our effort the goal of wealth that this world can offer, and it is in this work field that the worker improves his tool and his final work, and may God permit us to leave this world richer than when we entered, (we incarnated) more chiseled and improved in the fight that the inequalities press us so that we may be worthy of our true properties always with faith in God and in Jesus, who encouraging us said: "Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world, (John, XVI: 33) He didn't say that to show himself to be superior to us proudly, but to encourage us and to give us hope, because Jesus reminds us: Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me, (John, XIV: 1) well then, Yes, we believe, that if Jesus overcame the world we too will overcome it with His help and the help of the wellbeing Spirits who are unified to Him and to our God Father! And of this world of inequalities, as well as there can be a victorious spirit that coming to his own funeral, thanks with a kiss, affectionately his body blessing it for the usefulness that it gave him, in the increase of his virtues, as well as he did to his body we will thank this world admittedly, for having provided us the necessary opportunities to our moral improvement, victoriously grateful to God. May God be with us as well as formerly, today and forever?

This Study is an extract from my book Invitation to the Spiritism doctrine.