Spiritist DissertationsWoman’s mission
Lyon, July 6th, 1866
Group of Mrs. Ducard, medium Mrs. B…
Every day, the events of life bring you lessons to serve you as an example, and yet you pass without understanding them, without drawing a useful inference from the circumstances that gave rise to them. However, in this intimate union of earth and space, of free Spirits and captive Spirits, attached to the accomplishment of their task, there are those examples whose memory must be perpetuated among you: it is the peace proposed in war. A woman, whose social position attracts all eyes, goes on, a humble sister of charity, bringing to all the consolation of her words, the affection of her heart, the caress of her eyes. She is an empress, the crown of diamonds shines on her forehead, but she forgets her position, she forgets the dangers of being amid miseries, and tells everyone: "Rest assured, I am here! Do not suffer any more, I am speaking to you; do not worry, I will take care of your orphans! …”
The danger is imminent, the contagion is in the air, and yet, she passes, calm and radiant, in the middle of these beds, where the pain lies. She calculated nothing, apprehended nothing, she went where her heart called her to, as the breeze refreshes the withered flowers and straighten their tottering stems.
This example of dedication and abnegation, when the splendors of life should engender pride and selfishness, is certainly a stimulus for women, that feel vibrating in them this exquisiteness of feeling, that God has given them to accomplish their task; for they are mainly responsible for spreading consolation, and especially conciliation. Don’t they have the grace and the smile, the charm of the voice and the sweetness of the soul? It is to them that God entrusts the first steps of his children; he chose them as the nurses of the gentle creatures that are about to be born.
This rebellious and proud Spirit, whose existence will be a constant struggle against misfortune, doesn’t he come asking them to inculcate in him other ideas than those that he brings at birth? It is towards them that he extends his little hands, and his once harsh voice and its accents that vibrated like copper, will unstiffen like a soft echo when he says: mom!
It is to the woman he implores, this sweet cherub that comes to teach reading in the book of science; it is to please her that he will make all his efforts to learn and make himself useful to humanity. It is again towards her that he extends his hands, this young man who has strayed in his path, and who wants to return to good; he would not dare implore his father, whose anger he fears, but his mother, so gentle, so generous, will have nothing but forgetfulness and forgiveness for him.
Aren’t they the animated flowers of life, the unalterable devotion, these souls that God created women? They attract and charm. They are called temptation, but they should be called remembrance, for their image remains engraved in indelible characters in the hearts of their children, when they are no more; it is not in the present that they are appreciated, but in the past, when death returned them to God. Then, their children seek them in space, as the sailor seeks the star that must guide him to the port. They are the sphere of attraction, the compass of the Spirit that remains on earth, hoping to find them in heaven. They are still the hand that leads and supports, the soul that inspires and the voice that forgives, and just as they were the angel of the earthly home, they become the comforting angel that teaches to pray.
Oh! you that have been oppressed on earth, women believed to be the slaves of man, because you yielded to his domination, your kingdom is not of this world! Be content, therefore, with the fate reserved to you; continue your task; remain the mediators between man and God and understand the influence of your intervention. This one is an passionate, impetuous Spirit, the blood boils in his veins; he will lose his temper, he will be unfair; but God placed sweetness in your eyes, caress in your voice; look at him, talk to him, and the anger will subside and the injustice disappear. You may have suffered, but you will have spared a fault to your companion of journey, and your mission is accomplished. That one is still unhappy, he suffers, fortune abandons him, he believes himself to be an outcast! But there is here a dedication to the test, a constant abnegation to raise this abated morale, to restore to this Spirit the hope that had abandoned him.
Women, you are the inseparable companions of man; you form with him an indissoluble chain that misfortune cannot break, that ingratitude must not stain, and that cannot be broken, for God Himself has formed it, and although you have sometimes in the soul, these dark worries that follow the struggle, rejoice however, because in this immense work of earthly harmony, God gave you the best part!
Courage then! O you that live humbly, by working to improve your inner self, God smiles at you, for He has given you that facility that characterizes a woman; whether they are empresses, sisters of charity, humble workers or gentle mothers of families, they are all enlisted under the same banner, and bear written on their foreheads and in their hearts, these two magic words that fill eternity: Love and charity.
Cárita
