THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO SPIRITISM

Allan Kardec

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FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS JUST DIED


59. PREFACE - Prayers for those who have just left the Earth ore not for the exclusive purpose of showing our sympathy. They also have the effect of helping to release them from their Earthly ties, and in this manner shorten the period of perturbation which always follows the separation, so allowing a more peaceful awakening on the other side. Nevertheless, in this case, as in all other circumstances, the efficacy depends on the sincerity of the thought and not on the quantity of words offered with more or less solemnity in which very frequently the heart does not participate.

Prayers which truly come from the heart encounter a resonance in the Spirit to whom they are directed, whose ideas are still in a state of confusion, as if they were friendly voices come to awaken them from sleep (See chapter 27, item 10).

60. PRAYER:

Almighty God, may Your mercy be shown to the soul of X . . . whom You have just called back from Earth. We beg and implore that the trials suffered here may be counted in their favour and that our prayers may soften and shorten the penalties still to be suffered in the Spirit form!

Good Spirits who came to fetch this soul, and most especially their Guardian Angel, help them to free themself from matter. Give them light and a consciousness of themself so that they may quickly leave the state of perturbation, inherent in the passing from the body back to the spiritual life. Inspire in their Spirit a repentance for all errors and faults committed and a desire to obtain permission to remedy them, so as to quicken their advancement in the direction of the life of those who are eternally blessed.
And you, ... ., who have just entered into the World of the Spirits, we wish to say that despite this fact, you are still with us; you hear and see us, since you have merely left the perishable physical body, which will quickly be reduced to dust.

You have left the gross envelope which is subject to vicissitudes and death, now retaining only your etheric body which is imperishable and inaccessible to material suffering. If you no longer live through a physical body, you live instead through your Spirit, and the spiritual life is free from those miseries which afflict humanity.

You no longer have over your eyes the veil which hides the splendours of the future existence from us. Now you may contemplate new marvels, while we remain bathed in darkness.

You may travel through space and visit the worlds in all liberty, while we still painfully drag ourselves about here on Earth, prisoner in our material bodies, which are like heavy armour.

The infinite horizons stretch themselves before you, and on seeing their grandeur you will understand the vanity of terrestrial desires, of worldly aspirations and the futility of the so-called joys to which Man delivers himself.

For Man, death is nothing more than a separation from matter, lasting but a few instants. From this place of exile in which we continue to live according to the Will of God, and with the duties we still have to fulfill in this world, we will continue to follow you in thought till the moment when it is permitted for us to join you once again, just as now you are reunited with those who preceded you.

We cannot go to where you are, but you may come here. So come then to those who love you and whom you love; help them in the trials of life; watch over those who are dear to you; protect them as much as you are able; lessen the bitterness of absence by suggesting to them the thought that now you are happier and that one day, for certain, you will again be reunited in a better world.

In the place you are now, you must extinguish all earthly resentments. You must hold yourself inaccessible to them now, for the sake of your future happiness! Therefore forgive all those who may have incurred debts towards you, just as those against whom mistakes were committed now forgive you.

NOTE - To this prayer, which applies to everyone, can be added some special words according to the intimate circumstances of the family, the relationship to the deceased of the one who is praying or the social position of the departed. When dealing with a child, Spiritism teaches us that we are not referring to a Spirit that has been recently created, but to one that has already lived other lives and may even be well advanced. If the lost existence has been a short one, then it is because it was needed only to complete a test or trial, or because it was needed as a test for the parents (See chapter 5, item 21).

61. PRAYER *:

All Powerful Lord, may Your mercy extend over all those brothers and sisters who have just left the Earth! May Your light shine upon them! Remove them from darkness! Open their eyes and ears! May the Good Spirits surround them and let them hear Your words of hope and peace!

Lord, even though we are not worthy, we beg and implore Your merciful indulgence for this brother (or sister) who has recently been recalled from exile. Make their return that of the prodigal son. Forget, O Lord, the faults they may have committed and remember only the good they have done. Your justice is immutable, as we know, but Your love is immense. We beseech You therefore, to mitigate Your justice from the fountain of kindness which emanates from You!

You who have just left the Earth, may the light shine brightly before your eyes, my brother! May the good Spirits come to be near you, to surround you and help you to break your earthly chains! Now you can understand and see the grandeur of God: so submit yourself without complaint to His justice; however, never despair of His mercy. Dear brother! (or sister) May a profound examination of your past open the doors of the future, by making you understand the errors you have left behind, as well as the work that awaits, so you may remedy them! May God forgive you and may the good Spirits uphold and animate you! Your brothers and sisters on Earth will pray for you, and ask that you pray for them.


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* This prayer was dictated to a medium from Bordeaux at the moment when an unknown funeral procession was passing by their residence.

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