By Father Blot, Company of Jesus
[1]One of our corresponding members, Dr. C…, mentioned this book to us, writing the following:
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For some time now, words that I abstain from using as a Christian and as a Spiritist, have been pronounced many times by persons that have the mission of speaking about charity and mercy. To alleviate it from the painful impression that they may have caused you as to every true Christian, allow me to talk about a small book from Father Blot. I don’t believe him to be a Spiritist but I found in his work that Spiritism lead people to love God and wait for his mercy as there are many other passages that closely resemble what is taught by the Spirits.”
We point out the following passages that confirm the opinion of our correspondent:
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In the VII century Pope St. Gregory, the Great, after having told the story that a religious person saw the prophets before his eyes when he died and designated them by their names, added: - This example clearly shows us how important is the acknowledgement that we will have with respect to one another in the incorruptible life of heavens, for that religious person, still in a corruptible flesh, recognized the sacred prophets that he had never seen before.
The saints see one another as required by the unity of the kingdom and the unity of the place where they live in the company of God. The spontaneously reveal to one another their thoughts and feelings like people in the same house that are united by a sincere love. Among their co-inhabitants of heavens they even know those that they did not know down here and the knowledge of the good deeds leads them to a more thorough knowledge of those that carried them out (Berti, De theologicis disciplinis). Have you lost a son or a daughter? Receive the consolations given by a Patriarch of Constantinople to a heartbroken father. That Patriarch can no longer be counted among the great men or saints. It is Photios the author of the cruel schism that separates the East from the West but his words only demonstrate that the Greek think like the Latin about this point: - If you daughter appeared to you; if she rested her hand on yours and head on your head and if she spoke with you wouldn’t she describe heavens to you? She would then add: - Why suffer oh my father? I am in paradise where happiness is boundless. One day you will join me with my dear mother and you will then acknowledge that I was right about this place of enjoyment for reality is beyond my words.” The good Spirits can therefore manifest, be seen and touch the living ones, speak with them, describe their own situation, console and strengthen the loved ones. If they can speak and take their hands why wouldn’t they be able to write? Father Blot says: -
The Greek think like the Latin about this point. Why the Latin today say that such a power is only given to the devil to deceive people? The following passage is even more explicit:
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St. John Chrysostom said in one of his homilies to his followers about St. Mathews: - Would you like to see those that were taken by death? Follow their lives on the path of virtue and you will soon enjoy that sacred vision. However, would you like to see them here? Well, what is it that blocks you? You are allowed to do that and it is easy to achieve if you are prudent because hopes in future assets is clearer than life itself.”
Flesh cannot see what is purely spiritual. Hence if they can see the Spirits it is because there is a material and accessible part to our senses. It is the fluidic envelope that Spiritism calls perispirit. After a citation by Dante about the state of the blessed ones, Father Blot adds:
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Hence this is the principle of solution to the objections: - In heavens, less of a place than a state, everything is light and love.”
Therefore heavens is not a circumscribe place. It is the state of the happy souls. Wherever they are happy they are in heavens that is everything is light, love and intelligence to them. That is what the Spirits say.
On the occasion of the death of his friend, Duke of Beauvilliers, Fénelon wrote the following to the Duchess: “It is n
ot only feelings and imagination that lost their objective. The one that we can no longer see is amongst us more than ever. We meet him all the time in our common nucleus. He sees us there and helps us. From there he knows better about our diseases, he that no longer has his own; he begs for the remedies to our cure. As for myself that did not see him for a long time I speak with him and open my heart to him.”
Fénelon also wrote to the widow of the Duke of Chevreuse: “
Let us unite in our hearts to the one that we cry for. He has not moved away from us because he became invisible. He sees us, he teaches us and he is touched by our needs. He has fortunately arrived at the port and he now prays for us that are still here, exposed to the wreckage. He tells us with a smooth voice: “Hurry up to be able to join us. The pure Spirits see, understand and always love their true friends in their common nucleus.
Their friendship is immortal like their source. The non-believer only love themselves. They should be desperate on losing their friends forever. Nonetheless the divine friendship converts the visible society into a society of pure faith. It cries but by crying if finds consolation in the hope of meeting their friends again in the country of truth and at the heart of love itself.”
In order to justify the title of his book:
We recognize one another in heavens Father Blot cites a large number of passages by holy writers about apparitions and several manifestations that demonstrate reunion of loved ones after death; the existing relationships between the dead and the living ones; the help they provide mutually through prayer and inspiration. It never mentions eternal separation, consequence of eternal condemnation, or devils or even hell. On the contrary it shows the souls of miserable individuals freed by the power of regret and prayer and by the mercy of God. Had Father Blot said anathema against Spiritism it would be against his own book and against all the saints whose testimonies are invoked by him. Whatever his opinion is about this one can say that if they had always preached like that there would be less skeptics.
[1] Paris, 1863, 1 small volume. Price 1fr at Poussielgue-Rusand Bookstore, Rue Cassette, 27.
