Jesus
enjoined
us that we can move mountains, if we have but the faith of a mustard
seed. Of course, his parables were often veiled pronouncements of
profound truths, and this is no different. Faith is the cornerstone of
our advancement, as it gives us volition to believe that something can
be different from the way it is today. Faith is well described as
evidence of things yet unseen. Faith is the certainty that "B" will
happen if you do "A", that some future event will take place as
predicted and that, a certain set of inputs will generate the desired
result, even though the exact picture of the outcome is not defined.
Spiritism, as do the world’s religions, employs faith as a tool
in
daily living, helping in the task of soul advancement. But
Spiritism’s
approach hones this valuable tool to a razor sharp edge.
In
Chapter 19,
205:12 of The Gospel according to Spiritism, faith is described as
“the
will to desire and the certainty that this wish may be achieved.”
Jesus
performed many material “miracles” – or actions whose
mechanisms were
not understood. Jesus’ actions,
and his
words, have been assigned by most people to the world of religion. But
if looked at in a different, more scientific light, perhaps Jesus was
leading us toward the development of our own powers.
Faith,
then, is
the bridge between our reality of today and the reality to which we can
aspire by following inner guidance and by believing,
with
every fiber, that the outcome is certain. Even one kernel of doubt may
be enough to cause the desired result to fail to materialize. Thus,
faith is a powerful exercise in preparing the mind to accept a new
reality, with 100% certainty.
Faith
must be
unshakeable, according to this reasoning, and must be based on logic
and reason. It is not enough to love God; it is necessary to know why
you love It. By combining reason and faith, attainment of a particular
outcome is greatly enhanced. It is necessary to overlook seeming
failures along the path to attainment, as these will only distract. But
how does one secure the inner guidance necessary to fortify faith as a
power in one’s life?
Faith
is
enhanced by an inner relationship with one’s Guardian Angel.
Guardian
angels are advanced spirits who have agreed to accept the task of
guiding the advancement of other, lesser, spirits. According to The
Spirits' Book, beginning with question 489 and continuing, one’s
relationship with the Guardian angel is described as a friendship
“truer and more devoted than the most intimate union you can
contract
upon”. Is it not encouraging, then, that we have at our disposal
superior beings who are with us every minute of every day and who are
prepared to aid us in our advancement? Thus, Spiritism not only offers
a very reasoned discussion of faith, it points the way to unshakeable
faith through the promotion of ones most intimate relationship, a
relationship that is grounded in certainty and the greatest of caring
for one being by another.
It
is not
necessary to “try” to reach our Guardian Angels; they are
most
receptive to our every thought, word or desire. It may, however, be
necessary to cultivate the garden of one’s inner awareness of
this most
beautiful spirit. Just point your attention to your Guardian Angel with
the certainty that you will receive a response that you will recognize
and understand. The desired result may or may not be instantaneous, but
it will surely come. It may be necessary to hold some faith first, then
little by little you will feel more secure in the knowledge that your
angel is really there for you, guiding your advancement. Do not,
though, look to your angel to solve every little material problem
you
may have. Guardian angels are far more interested in our moral and
intellectual advancement than they are in the resolution of problems we
may have that are purely physical and which do not bear on moving
forward in our soul’s journey.
With
faith and
implicit trust that your Guardian angel will assist you, you can move
those proverbial mountains of difficulty which block you from becoming
the person and soul that you are eventually destined to be. This is a
certainty.