In the world, you will have trials

Roberto Tavares

I have told you these things so that you may have peace in me. In the world you will have trials, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. This passage, according to the Gospel of John, was spoken by Jesus to his disciples to prepare them for what would happen to Christ himself, as in the rest of the lives of his true followers. As Spiritism is a Christian doctrine, its adherents base themselves on the teachings left by Jesus in order to have a better, fuller and more integrated life with the Law of God, both inside and outside of matter.

Considering this Gospel passage, we can refer to the words of the Higher Spirits when they answered Kardec about the purpose of incarnation: God imposes incarnation on them in order to make them reach perfection. Therefore, being in the flesh is not a punishment, but an opportunity given to everyone to grow as immortal souls. Knowing this, it’s important that we begin to see trials, as the Nazarene master guides us, as an opportunity to evolve at some point in our lives.

Often, these trials come to us indirectly, that is, they hit us through the suffering of those we love. And how should we behave in this situation? How can we avoid suffering from the loss of a loved one or a serious illness that affects the one we love? Spiritism offers us some consolation.

First of all, we must always bear in mind that contingency does not exist, that nothing is by chance, that guiding every moment of our lives there is something much bigger than us, something that has harmoniously created both the smallest particles inside a cell and the gravitation of countless orbs scattered throughout outer space. Therefore, the same law that guides the growth of a seed into a leafy tree organizes our lives. We therefore need to have faith in the love and justice of this creator.

Another important point to bear in mind is that difficulties are necessary for our evolution as beings who exist beyond the body, who existed before it and will continue to exist. In this way, we should see the illnesses that affect our loved ones as a chance for that immortal being to cultivate patience and faith, while those around them are given the opportunity to practice care, love, compassion and faith.

In the same way, it can happen that one of our loved ones leaves material life for the spiritual homeland, for the place that is true life, as the Higher Spirits tell us. In this situation, let’s remember The Gospel According to Spiritism, which uses this popular saying from Kardec’s time: if you were a good man, you would have died. The codifier uses this saying from popular wisdom to explain to us that, since our material life is full of tribulations, a good person would need less time in it. Therefore, a premature departure may indicate that the being has fulfilled their mission in this world and that, when we do the same, we will be together again in a much better way, because we will have evolved as Spirits through incarnation.

I repeat: I will have trials in the world. However, trials are not punishments or proof of God’s wickedness, they are exactly what the term means: we will be tested in our love for others, in our sense of justice and in our faith. The Lamb did not say that there would be no pain or death, but he came to explain to us that there is a reason for it and that we can overcome it by understanding that this life is temporary, just like our pain and longing.

1 John, 16:33. Translation by Haroldo Dutra Dias in: DIAS, Haroldo Dutra. The New Testament. Brasília: FEB, 2013.
2 KARDEC, Allan. The Spirits’ Book. Translation by Guillon Ribeiro, 93rd ed. Brasília, FEB, 2019. Question 625.
3 Idem, q 132.
4 Idem, q 13.
5 Idem, q 153.
6 KARDEC, Allan. The Gospel according to Spiritism. Translation by Guilhon Ribeiro, 131st ed. Brasília: FEB, 2019. Chapter V, item 22.
7 John, 16:33. Translation by Haroldo Dutra Dias in: DIAS, Haroldo Dutra. The New Testament. Brasília: FEB, 2013.