35. The essential aim of Spiritism is human improvement. In it one should only seek for what can
really help mankind's improvement.
36. The true spiritist is not one who believes in its manifestations, but he who profits from the
teachings given by spirits. It is useless to believe if this faith does not make one progress
positively and also do the utmost for one's fellow creatures.
37. Selfishness, pride, vanity, greed, hate, enviousness, jealousy and slander are like venomous
plants to the soul, the stems of which must be pulled daily; their antidote is charity and
humbleness.
38. Spiritism faith is only useful for those who can say: we are better today than yesterday.
39. The value which man gives to its ephemeral goods is inversely proportional to his faith in the
spirit life. His doubts concerning the future make him look for his happiness in this world even at
the sacrifice of his fellow creatures.
40. Earth afflictions are remedies to the soul. They salve for the future like a painful surgical
treatment which relieves a sick person's life and brings back heath. For this reason Christ said:
''Blessed are the afflicted for ye shall be comforted''.
41. Always look below you and not above you when you are suffering. Think about those who
suffer more than you.
42. Despair is a natural feeling for he who believes everything ends with death. It is nonsense for
those who believe in the future.
43. Man is sometimes the artisan of his own unhappiness in this world. If he went back to the
source of his misfortunes he would see that his pains are the consequence of his unawareness,
pride and avidity and, therefore, his violation of God's law.
44. Prayer is an act of worship. Praying to God is to think about Him, to approach Him, to get in
touch with Him.
45. He who prays with devotion and trust is stronger against evil's temptations and God sends
good spirits to watch over him. It is an ever fulfilled request provided if it is honest.
46. Pray a lot is unimportant, but one must pray well. Some people believe that prayer's merit lies
in its length, while they close their eyes to their flaws. Prayer is an occupation to them, a time
killer, and not a self evaluation.
47. He who asks God to forgive his mistakes is only pardoned if he changes his behavior. Good
actions are better than prayers since acts are more valuable than words.
48. Prayer is recommended by all good spirits. It is also practiced by imperfect spirits as a way of
alleviating their sufferings.
49. Prayer can not change providence resolutions. But suffering spirits feel less deprived of
protection and become less unhappy through praying. Prayer stimulates their courage and will for
improvement through regret and repair. It can also change spirit's inclination from evil. In this
sense, prayer can not only lessen but also shorten sufferings.
50. Let each one pray according to their beliefs and in the manner they consider more
convenient, since form is nothing, but thought is everything. Sincerity and pureness of purpose is
essential. Good thoughts are worth more than thousand words which are like the noise of a mill
and where the heart can not be found.
51. God makes some persons strong and powerful in order for them to help the weak. Powerful
people who oppress the weak are warned by God. In general they receive their punishment in the
present life without impairing their future.
52. Fortune is a bounty whose owner can only temporarily enjoy it, since he can not take it to the
grave. The affluent will be severely called to account for the use of their wealth.
53. Fortune is a more dangerous test than misery since it constitutes a temptation to the abuse
and excess, and because it is harder to be moderate than extravagant.
54. The ambitious person who prevails and the rich one who sustains his material pleasures
should be pitied rather than envied, since one must take into account the consequences. By the
terrible examples of the dead who have communicated to us their experience after death,
Spiritism demonstrates the truthfulness of Christ's statement: ''He who elevates himself will be
humiliated and he who humiliates himself will be elevated''.
55. Charity is the supreme Christ's law: ''Love each other as brothers and sisters; - Love your
neighbor as yourself; - forgive your enemies; - Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you''; all this is summed up in the word charity.
56. Charity is not only alms-giving, for there can be charity in thought, in words and in acts. He
who is charitable in thoughts is lenient towards his fellowman's mistakes; he who is charitable in
words say nothing against his fellowman, and he who is charitable in acts helps his fellow sisters
and brothers according to his capacity.
57. A poor person who shares his bred with someone even poorer is more charitable and has
much more merit in God's eyes than those who, lacking for nothing, give only that which is
superfluous to them.
58. He who declares himself a Christian and, at same time, feeds evil feelings, hate, jealousy and
lack of charity towards his neighbor, is both lying and offending God.
59. People of all casts, sects and races, you are all brothers and sisters since God is calling all
you to Him. Join your hands in whatever manner you may adore Him. Do not anathematize each
other, as anathema is a violation of the law of charity proclaimed by Christ.
60. Through selfishness, people are in eternal conflict while through charity they will be at peace.
If charity alone constitutes the basis of human institutions, people's happiness in this world will be
guaranteed. According to Christ words, only charity will also guarantee future happiness, since all
virtues which can lead people to perfection are implicitly contained in it. There will be no room for
selfishness, vanity, hate, jealousy and slander with the true charity that was taught and practiced
by Christ, nor for strong attachment to this world's goods. For this reason, Christian Spiritism
exhorts the maxim:
WITHOUT CHARITY THERE IS NO SALVATION
Unbelievers! You can laugh at the spirits, mock in the face of those who believe in their
manifestations. Laugh then, if you dare, at this maxim which they have just stated and which
keeps you alive since, if charity disappeared from earth, people would destroy themselves and
you would probably be among the first victims. The time is coming when this principle, fully
proclaimed in the name of the spirits, will constitute a safe guarantee and a title of the trustfulness
of those who have brought it recorded on their own hearts.
A spirit said: ''They mocked at the turning tables, but they will never laughed at their resulting
philosophy and ethics''. In fact, after a couple of years, we are far from these first phenomena
which entertained curious and lazy for a short while. You say that these ethics is old fashioned:
''The spirits should be clever enough to give us something new'' (A witty phrase of several critics).
So be it! If it is old fashioned, it is ageless and people are no less guilty for having practiced it so
sparingly. Only real truths are eternal. Spiritism comes to remember it, and it do so not through a
revelation of a sole person, but through the voices of the spirits which, as a last trumpet proclaim:
''Believe that all those whom you call dead are more alive than yourselves, since they can see
and listen to what is hidden to you. Admit them, who come to talk to you, your relatives, friends
and all those whom you once loved on earth and that you believed forever lost.'' Unhappy are
those who believe everything finishes with the body, since they will be fiercely undeceived.
Unhappy are those who are uncharitable, for they will suffer what they had done to others. Listen
to the voices of the suffering who have came to say: ''We suffer because we did not recognize
God's power and doubt his infinite mercy. We suffer because of our pride, our selfishness, greed
and all bad passions which we had not restrained. We suffer for all evil we did to our fellow
beings through the lack of charity.
Unbelievers! Say if this doctrine which teaches such things is worth laughing at, if it is good or
not! From the point of view of the social order, say if we could be happy or not, better or not if we
practiced it!
