Faith, hope, and charity.

FAITH.

I am the elder sister of Hope and Charity; my name is Faith.

I am great and strong. He who possesses me fears neither iron nor fire: he is proof against all physical and moral sufferings. I shine upon you with a torch whose sparkling rays are reflected in the depths of your hearts, and I impart to you the strength of life. They say, among you, that I move mountains; but I say to you: I come to raise up the world, for Spiritism is the lever that must assist me. Unite yourselves to me; I come to invite you: I am Faith. I am Faith! I dwell with Hope, Charity, and Love in the world of the Pure Spirits. Many times I have left the sublime regions and come to Earth to regenerate you, giving you the life of the Spirit. But, except for the martyrs of the early times of Christianity and, from time to time, a few fervent sacrifices to the progress of science, of letters, of industry, and of liberty, I found among men only indifference and coldness, sadly taking up again my flight toward heaven. You believe me to be in your midst, but you deceive yourselves, because Faith without works is a sham of Faith. True Faith is life and action. Before the spirit revelation, life was barren; it was a tree which, scorched by the lightning, produced no fruit.

They recognize me by my acts: I illuminate the intelligences, I warm and strengthen the hearts; I drive far from you the deceptive influences and I lead you to God through the perfection of the spirit and of the heart. Come and take shelter beneath my banner; I am powerful and strong: I am Faith.

I am Faith, and my reign begins among men; a peaceful reign, which will make them happy in the present and in eternity. The dawn of my advent among you is pure and serene; its sun will be resplendent and its twilight will come gently to cradle Humanity in the arms of eternal happiness. Spiritism! pour out upon men your regenerating baptism. I make to them a supreme appeal: I am Faith. Georges, n Bishop of Périgueux.

HOPE.

My name is hope. I smile upon your entry into life; I follow you step by step and I do not leave you until you reach the worlds where the promises of happiness, ceaselessly murmured in your ears, are realized for you. I am your faithful friend; do not reject my inspirations: I am Hope.

It is I who sing through the voice of the nightingale and who make those plaintive and cadenced notes echo in the forests, which make you dream of heaven; it is I who inspire in the swallow the desire to warm its loves in the shelter of your dwellings; I play in the light breeze that caresses your hair; I scatter at your feet the soft fragrance of the flowers of your gardens, and how little you think of that friend who is so devoted to you! Do not reject her: she is Hope. I take every form to draw near to you. I am the star that shines in the blue; the warm ray of sunlight that quickens you; I cradle your nights with joyful dreams; I drive far away the dark cares and the gloomy thoughts; I guide your steps onto the path of virtue; I accompany you in your visits to the poor, the afflicted, the dying, and I inspire in you affectionate words that console. Do not reject me: I am Hope! I am hope! It is I who, in winter, make the thick moss grow upon the bark of the oaks, with which the little birds build their nests; it is I who, in spring, crown the apple tree and the almond tree with white and pink blossoms and scatter them over the earth like a celestial strewing, that makes one yearn for the happy worlds; above all I am with you when you are poor and suffering; my voice resounds ceaselessly in your ears. Do not reject me: I am Hope. Do not reject me, because the angel of despair wages an obstinate war against me and consumes himself in vain efforts to take my place beside you. I am not always the stronger and, when he succeeds in driving me away, he envelops you with his funereal wings, turns your thoughts away from God, and drags you to suicide. Unite yourselves to me to drive away his fatal influence and let yourselves be gently cradled in my arms, because I am Hope. Felícia, Daughter of the medium.

CHARITY.

I am Charity. In nothing do I resemble the charity whose practices you follow. The one who among you usurped my name is fanciful, capricious, exclusive, proud; I come to forewarn you against the faults which, in the eyes of God, diminish the merit and the brilliance of their good deeds. Be docile to the lessons that the Spirit of Truth gives you through my voice. Follow me, my faithful ones: I am Charity. Follow me. I know all the misfortunes, all the pains, all the sufferings, all the afflictions that beset Humanity. I am the mother of orphans, the daughter of the aged, the protectress and support of widows; I dress the infected sores; I cure all diseases; I give clothing, bread, and a shelter to those who have none; I climb to the most wretched garrets, to the humblest attics; I knock at the door of the rich and the powerful, because, wherever a human creature lives, there will always exist, beneath the mask of happiness, the most bitter and harshest pains. Oh! how great is my task! I shall not be able to fulfill it if you do not come to my aid. Come to me: I am Charity. I have no preference for anyone. Never do I say to those who have need of me: “I have my own poor; seek elsewhere.” Oh! false charity, how many evils you provoke! Friends, we owe ourselves to all. Believe me: do not refuse your assistance to anyone; succor one another with enough disinterestedness as to demand no acknowledgment on the part of those you have succored. The peace of the heart and of the conscience is the sweet reward of my works: I am the true Charity. No one on Earth knows the number and the nature of my benefits. Only false charity wounds and humiliates those whom it relieves. Beware of that fatal deviation; actions of that kind have no merit before God and draw upon you His wrath. He alone must know and be acquainted with the generous impulses of your hearts when you become the dispensers of His benefits. Guard yourselves, then, friends, from giving publicity to the practice of mutual assistance; no longer give it the name of alms. Believe in me: I am Charity. I have so many misfortunes to relieve that often I am left with my lap and my hands empty; I come to tell you that I hope in you.

Spiritism has for its motto Love and Charity; and all true Spiritists will wish, in the future, to conform to that sublime precept preached by Christ eighteen centuries ago. Follow me, then, brothers; I will lead you to the kingdom of God, our father. I am Charity.

Adolfo, n Bishop of Algiers.

INSTRUCTIONS GIVEN BY OUR GUIDES CONCERNING THE THREE COMMUNICATIONS ABOVE.

My dear friends, you must have imagined that one of us had given the teachings on faith, hope, and charity, and you were right.

Happy to see Spirits so elevated give you, so frequently, counsels that must guide you in your spiritual labors, no less sweet and pure is our joy when we come to assist the task of your Spiritist apostolate.

You may, then, attribute to the Spirit of Georges the communication on Faith; that of Hope to Felícia: there you will find the poetic style she had during her life; and that of Charity to Dupuch, bishop of Algiers, who on Earth was one of its fervent apostles.

We shall still have to treat of charity from another point of view. We shall do so within a few days.

Your Guides.

[1]

[Jean-Baptiste-Amédée Georges-Massonnais.]

[2] [see Adolfo, bishop of Algiers.]