Christmas and the invitation to Eternal Life
Christmas. In different cultures, the date brings the strength of its celebration and invites you to remember what cannot be forgotten: the birth of Jesus. This is the time when families come together to give thanks, friends meet up to celebrate, and so many other people gather to show the solidarity they have in their hearts. How great it would be if this season lasted longer, wouldn’t it?
Historically, the life of Jesus had a fundamental role in the human, social, and spiritual progress of the world. He broadened the concept of Love towards our fellow beings, exemplified in brave and just actions, which defined Him as the symbol of a new era, as a broad and pragmatic idea of Citzneship1.
JESUS AND ETERNAL LIFE
His existence also marked the non-existence of death and the eternity of Life. Reports of the presence of Jesus prior to His birth2 and the way He overcame death by His resurrection gave the world a new perspective, that of Eternal Life: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (Gospel of Jesus according to John 14: 1 to 3).
This expansion of the meaning of Life, which must be seen from a spiritual aspect, incited discussions and gave rise to new studies, in addition to guaranteeing, according to the words of Jesus quoted above, His Triumphal Return. In these words, a Divine commitment is certified by Christ, who establishes with Mankind the pact of protection and Peace, which makes Him a reference point in wisdom and security, especially in times of conflict and transformation. After all, what certainty do we have of tomorrow, unless the one promised by the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman? The reach of the prophecy that talks to Human Beings about a happier tomorrow transcends the limits of culture or creed:
“The question is that everyone presages something profoundly remarkable for their existence, in this life or in Eternal Life, in this or in another dimension. For a very long time now human cultures, of the most different types, have been forecasting an important event that will mark the history of this planet. For many this is the glorious return of the Divine Leader of Humanity. As we have already seen, Christians are waiting for Christ; our Jewish brothers, in turn, continue announcing the long-awaited and imminent coming of the Messiah; for Buddhists it is Lord Maitreya; for Islam, Mahdi; and so on and so forth. It is something highly mystical lying deep in the human soul,”3 explains journalist and writer Paiva Netto, the President-Preacher of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit.4
CHRISTMAS AND THE TRIUMPHAL RETURN OF JESUS
When observing the journey of Jesus on Earth, we notice (in His teachings and examples) that the most coherent posture that anyone can adopt to prepare himself/herself for these extraordinary events—which build the future we want—is actively taking part in them and not just contemplating in a passive way. That means making Life an opportunity to change what is wrong, thus speeding up and contributing towards transformations. Yes, that is right, changing society ourselves; why not? After all, there is still a lot to fight for. Unfortunately, hunger, poverty, violence in all its forms, exclusion, inequality, and prejudice are still part of our reality and they should upset us to the point that we come up with healthy alternatives to this sad scenario.
And that is why Christmas becomes such a good time for us to make this decision. To practice Solidarity and Love as lived and exemplified by Jesus is an effective invitation that should be accepted by all of us in order to contribute to a more human, just, and fraternal reality.
In this manner, we will be preparing ourselves and contributing to the change we want to see happen in society. It is as if Christ was constantly inviting us to repeat the transformation He made in a visible way in His time and that He helps us with today. “We, Human and Spiritual Beings, are the Fifth Gospel being continuously written, the unfinished Gospel, but one that is alive and active. Yes, we are writing this GOOD NEWS with our own acts of Accomplishing Faith so that our lives are a Revelation of Jesus, open for everyone to see and appreciate, without the need to use many words in warning or in preaching.” 5
This is the fraternal and exciting invitation that the Religion of Brotherly Love has been making to the hearts since the 1940s: to live the Permanent Christmas thus, to follow Jesus’ Divine examples every day, in order to prepare the paths of His Triumphal Return.
+ Seven ways of experiencing the Christmas of Jesus (every day)
The youth of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit also invite you to join the debate on the final book in the Holy Bible, the Apocalypse of Jesus. Please send an email to english@boavontade.com. Read also other articles by writer Paiva Netto about the final prophecies: www.paivanetto.com/en.
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1 This is how the President-Preacher of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, Paiva Netto, defines it: “Jesus is, above all, a generous and very modern progressive idea that deserves to be studied and experienced by all anti-sectarian Souls who are free of prejudices and taboos.” Learn about our proposal of Jesus, the Ecumenical Christ, the Divine Statesman.
2 The narrative of the first chapter of the Gospel of Jesus according to John, unlike the Synoptic Gospels (that narrate the birth and earthly genealogy of Christ), presents His Spiritual existence, as being among us since the beginning of Planet Earth: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made: Jesus Christ.” (Gospel of Jesus according to John 1:1 to 3)
3 Excerpt from the article Jesus, the Ecumenical Christ, and His Triumphal Return, published in the magazine Jesus Está Chegando! [Jesus is Arriving!], issue 109, 2010.
4 Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit — also called the Religion of the New Commandment of Jesus, the Religion of the Third Millennium, and the Religion of Universal Love. This is the Ecumenical Religion of Brazil and abroad.
5 Excerpt from an impromptu speech delivered on the Super Good Will Radio Network during an ecumenical preaching on January 17, 1988 by José de Paiva Netto.
Version: Rob Dinham
Revision: Felipe Duarte
