|
Poverty and
spiritual
service at the
Spiritist Centre
“These
principles, to
me, do not exist
only in theory,
as I put them
into practice; I
do as much good
as my position
allows; I
provide services
when I can; the
poor were never
repelled from my
door, or treated
with severity;
they were always
received, at any
time, with the
same
benevolence; I
have never
complained about
the steps I took
in order to do a
good deed
(...)”. Allan
Kardec”(1)
Charity as a
paradigm
In the epigraph
above we find a
passage selected
from the
intimate
thoughts of the
master Allan
Kardec in
respect to
charity, a
constant in a
published work
after his
discarnation
which, in its
turn, contains
the compilation
of a series of
manuscripts
posthumously
presented in the
La Revue Spirite:
the journal of
psychological
studies.
In this text
especially, we
see Kardec
highlighting
that charity for
him was not a
mere maxim or
word well placed
in the lips. It
was praxis, that
is, an attitude
connected to the
exercise of
reasoning about
charity.
He highlights
still that he
carried out
something in
favour of fellow
men whenever
possible,
meaning that his
small amount of
free time was
available for
service to
others and still
in a openness of
heart to the
poorest whose
reception did
not have an
exact time to
happen.
My understanding
is that here we
have a moral
legacy of the
Lyonnais master
which must be
served as a
paradigm – model
– for our
actions in the
world and,
equally, in the
activities of
the spiritist
centre, mainly
those that are
to do with
welcoming people
in conditions of
poverty or
precarious
inclusion in the
present social
system, so
marked by
selfishness and
by economic
logic.
In order to
understand the
concept of
precarious
inclusion
(2), I
resort to the
sociologist José
de Souza Martins
who, on facing
the question of
social
inequalities as
a problem more
sociologic than
economic,
generated by the
forms of
anomalous
development
(which produce
poverty and
cynically affirm
it as a
necessary cost
of development
effectiveness).
He defends the
thesis of which
the unequal
distribution of
social, cultural
and political
assets exclude
an extensive
legion of people
from the
processes of
participation
and provoke
integration in
non-humane forms
of survival and
of a tiny social
role, as
privileged ways
of that and not
as a process of
implementation
of rights.
So, the above
mentioned author
has the
opportunity to
make problematic
the enticing and
pathological
competence of
this model of
development that
includes the
poor in
specifically
precarious
processes of
access to the
social, cultural
and economic
assets.
He also reminds
us that, in
complex
societies,
poverties
multiply
themselves,
reaching
dimensions of
human existence
that we would
never identify
as
manifestations
of fundamental
shortages and,
in this effect,
the challenge is
in realising
that we have
other ways of
social
differentiation
which imposes
inferior social
places upon
certain people.
Thereby, if the
option of
Spiritism is to
make human
creatures happy,
it is up to the
spiritist who
deals with
people who live
exposed to
poverty to
engage himself
with overcoming
limiting
situations that
impede these
people from
being more and
without thinking
of himself as
the saviour of
the world, but
as someone who
through his
knowledge, and
having Jesus as
his higher
inspiration, has
the social
commitment to
achieve
something
concrete in this
sense.
Such
understanding
leads us to
believe that the
spiritual
service in the
spiritist centre
needs to reach
out to the poor
brother and,
with sensitive
listening, to
identify hidden
miseries, doing
the best within
one’s reach,
without any form
of
discrimination
or
indifference.
To do the best
means to
accomplish the
duty already
marked by Kardec
when he wrote:
“The true
spiritist will
never stop doing
good. To relieve
afflicted
hearts; to
console, to calm
despairs, to
operate moral
reforms, this is
his mission. It
is in this that
he will find
real
fulfilment.”(3)
The suggestion
of the Spirit
Cheverus
In the Gospel
according to
Spiritism”,
the true code to
living well,
Kardec publishes
the
communication of
a Spirit who
signs with the
name of Cheverus
(4).
According to
this spirit,
when faced with
someone who is
suffering, the
first action is
relief. When we
receive someone
at the spiritist
centre whose
heart is taken
by personal
dramas, the long
philosophic
speech,
elongated
explanations or
lectures about
the rules and
dynamics of the
institution, are
useless.
It is a question
of common sense:
first relieve
the suffering of
our brother,
embracing him
fraternally and
manifesting our
feeling of
welcoming in
such way that,
through our
attentive look,
our listening
and clarifying
dialogue, it
will be possible
to establish an
essential tie of
trust in order
to be able to
help him.
The second stage
of the service,
Cheverus
proposed to us
that we inform
ourselves
regarding the
transitory
situation of our
fellow being’s
suffering who
asks help from
us. I highlight
transience so
that we do not
fall into
stigmatising
postures that
place the poor
person as “poor
him”
(patronising),
not seeing in
him the
potentialities
of immortal
Spirit and of
capable
individual, with
the due
opportunities,
to provide to
his own
existence with
dignity.
Hence the
importance of
the dialogue of
the fraternal
service at the
spiritist centre
which must be
guided by the
pre‑requisite of
listening. We do
not learn about
the
circumstances
surrounding the
life of the
requestor if we
do not listen to
his narrative
and for such, we
need to let go
of any anxiety
to convert the
other to our
belief.
Moreover for two
reasons:
Spiritism is a
philosophy of
free adhesion by
reasoning and by
maturity of the
moral sense and,
also, the moment
of fraternal
meeting is only
to console by
short
clarifications
or by the way of
improvised
assistance,
according to the
need of those
who look for the
spiritual help
at the spiritist
centre.
But knowledge in
a more in depth
manner, without
invasion of
privacy or
humiliation, of
the conditions
in which our
brother lives
trailed to
material
poverty, asks
for referral,
after – I insist
– the immediate
assistance, to
the department
of the spiritist
centre
specialised in
tasks of social
action capable
of assisting
poor families
and, at the same
time, exercising
a pedagogy of
generation of
work and income
in order to
contribute with
the emancipation
of the popular
classes
alongside the
spiritualisation
of the
individuals.
So, the
spiritual
benefactor
recommends
another point to
be observed on
the Christian
route of
assistance: that
we become
informed in such
a way with
regards to the
individual and
his material
struggles and
that we verify
if the offer of
work, of advice
guided by
Spiritist
Philosophy and
if our affection
will not be more
efficacious than
the pure and
simple alms in
his favour, for
his liberation.
Alms,
manifestation of
a welfare logic,
is an action
which attends to
a material need
without
educative
intention and
that demeans the
the person’s
humanity,
training him to
the condition of
begging or of
dependency. As
such, it does
not attend to
the regenerating
project of
Spiritism to
humanity.
This way, I
believe it to be
interesting that
the spiritist
centre’s
voluntary teams
have the
knowledge of the
beautiful
initiatives
within and
outside the
spiritist
movement
regarding the
networks of
joint economy
(5),
that arise as a
possible answer
to the present
social system
which as much
dehumanises –
throwing crowds
of people into
the abyss of
consumerist
society - as
produces an
ecological
crisis without
precedent in our
History.
Later on,
Cheverus
proposes that we
disseminate, as
we must do with
material
assistance, the
principles of
God’s love, of
love of work, of
love towards our
fellow being,
putting our
resources into
good deeds. And,
he could not
refrain from
doing so, he
suggests that
the intellectual
resources that
we may possess,
be available for
the instruction
of the people.
This much
updated message
registered by
Allan Kardec, on
the basic works
of the Spirit’s
Doctrine,
effectively
presents a
pedagogic action
of welcoming
common people to
the spiritist
centre. However,
it has to be
said that this
educative
action, which
starts with
welcoming, will
find its zenith
in the instant
in which, in the
further
interdependent
activities of
spiritist
assembly, those
who are socially
excluded find
support to live
with dignity,
working,
producing and
living in
regimen of
Christian
fraternity.
To invite the
poor
The Master of
the Cross
(6) once
guided his
disciples so
that, on
carrying out a
feast, they
would invite the
poor, the
crippled, the
lame and the
blind. And still
he had
highlighted that
in the adherence
of those to the
feast is that
the disciples
would be happy,
as the poor
would not have
the means to
reciprocate the
kindness in any
way and that it
is in the future
life that they
would find
compensation for
the good carried
out during their
earthly
experience.
According to
Allan Kardec
(7),
the “feast”, in
present times,
does not refer
to mundane noisy
parties but to
the partition of
the abundance of
that which we
enjoy along with
spiritist
knowledge. For
such, we need to
share “in small
amounts”
spirituality
underlying to
Spiritism with
our brothers
stigmatised by
exclusion and
who get in touch
with us, in
particular, at
the spiritist
centre.
It is up to us
to radiate to
them spiritual
counselling –
the welcoming of
the service,
fraternal
dialogue, the
lecture and the
laying on of
hands healing –
without any
distinction as
the spiritist
centre is the
teaching
establishment of
the common mind,
according to its
own goal.
However, on
ourselves taking
conscience of
the moral and
material
sufferings of
our fellow
being, we cannot
become frozen
into
indifference
because, in the
altruistic
ethics proposed
by Spiritism, we
are
co-responsible
for other’s
happiness.
Studying Allan
Kardec
“Amigos, de mil
maneiras se faz
a caridade.
Podeis fazê-la
por pensamentos,
por palavras e
por ações. Por
pensamentos,
orando pelos
pobres
abandonados, que
morreram sem se
acharem sequer
em condições de
ver a luz. Uma
prece feita de
coração os
alivia. Por
palavras, dando
aos vossos
companheiros de
todos os dias
alguns bons
conselhos,
dizendo aos que
o desespero, as
privações
azedaram o ânimo
e levaram a
blasfemar do
nome do
Altíssimo:
‘Eu era como
sois; sofria,
sentia-me
desgraçado, mas
acreditei no
Espiritismo e,
vede, agora, sou
feliz’.”
(8)
“Friends, one
can be
charitable in
thousands of
ways. You can be
charitable
through your
thoughts,
through words
and through
actions. Through
thoughts, by
praying for
those who are
poor and
abandoned, who
died without
even being in
the conditions
of seeing the
light. A prayer
said from one’s
heart alleviates
them much.
Through words,
by giving to
your every day
companion good
advice, telling
to those upon
whom despair and
hardships have
soured their
moral strength
and led them to
blaspheme in the
name of God:
“ I was as you
are; I suffered,
I felt
unfortunate, but
I believed in
Spiritism and,
see, now, I am
happy.”(8)
References:
(1)Kardec,
Allan.
Posthumous Works.
Rio de Janeiro:
Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
2005, page 407.
(3) Kardec,
Allan. The
Mediums’ Book.
71st
Edition. Rio de
Janeiro:Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
2003, page
51.
(4) KARDEC,
Allan.
The Gospel
according to
Spiritism.
120th
edition. Rio de
Janeiro:
Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
2002, page 334.
(6) Luke 14: 12
a 14.
(7) KARDEC,
Allan. The
Gospel according
to Spiritism.
120th
edition. Rio de
Janeiro:
Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
2002, page 271.
(8)
KARDEC, Allan.
The Gospel
according to
Spiritism.
120th
edition. Rio de
Janeiro:
Brazilian
Spiritist
Federation,
2002, chapter
13, item 10.
|
