Conducting One’s Thoughts: Wings or Shackles?

Source: A Goodwill Reflection taken from the book "Jesus, a Dor e a origem de Sua Autoridade" [Jesus, the Pain and the Origin of His Authority], from November 2014.

Popular tradition teaches us that “thought is power.” So, my dear friends who carefully read me: let us bear in mind at all times the very best, in other words, Good for others and for ourselves. If we are always in good spirits, the beneficial consequences will be evident, since we shall feel strengthened by the Divine Authority of Jesus, who has never faltered in the face of provocations and inspires us to overcome them with Him.

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André Luiz (Spirit) and Chico Xavier

In Nos Domínios da Mediunidade  [In the Realms of Mediumship], Spirit André Luiz, through the medium Chico Xavier (1910-2002), registers valuable information from a spiritual mentor regarding the importance of educating our minds in accordance with the correct path of the Love of God:

“Let us watch over our thoughts, purifying them in the unceasing work of good, so that we may cast from us the shackles capable of chaining us to the obscure processes of an inferior life.

“It is from the living forge of ideas that the wings of the angels and the shackles of the condemned come forth.

“[. . .]

“Believe, my friends! . . .

"Pure and operative thinking is the force that drives us from hatred to love, from pain to joy, from Earth to Heaven . . .

“Let us seek the conscience of Jesus so that our conscience can portray Him in perfection and beauty! . . .

“May we know how to reflect Him in glory and love, so that the heavenly light may reflect on souls, as the splendor of the sun extends over the world.” [Emphasis added]

Tela: Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne (1631-1681)

So be it! That is why in the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, we cultivate Triple Harmony with Jesus: Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Actions.

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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944) told those who wanted to listen to him: “You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed.”

These words from the author of The Little Prince are a serious warning to irresponsible seducers.

Given this, only a mad person will sow evil, which they will desperately regret later.  

José de Paiva Netto is a writer, journalist, radio broadcaster, composer, and poet. He is the President of the Legion of Good Will (LGW), effective member of the Brazilian Press Association (ABI) and of the Brazilian International Press Association (ABI-Inter). Affiliated to the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Union of Professional Journalists of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Writers of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Radio Broadcasters of Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazilian Union of Composers (UBC). He is also a member of the Academy of Letters of Central Brazil. He is an author of international reference in the concept and defense of the cause of Ecumenical Citizenship and Spirituality which, according to him, constitute “the cradle of the most generous values that are born of the Soul, the dwelling of the emotions and of the reasoning enlightened by intuition, the atmosphere that embraces everything that transcends the ordinary field of matter and comes from the elevated human sensitivity, such as Truth, Justice, Mercy, Ethics, Honesty, Generosity, and Fraternal Love.”