To the Youth of Good Will

Source: A letter from the book “Sagradas Diretrizes Espirituais da Religião de Deus, do Cristo e do Espírito Santo” [Sacred Spiritual Guidelines of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit], volume 3 (1991).

I — Youth: When you embrace the ideals of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, you are signing your spiritual letter of freedom and confidently saying: “I prefer God, Jesus, and the Paraclete (Holy Spirit or Spirit of Truth) to human folly.” You are also affirming, as Peter and John did when they replied to the members of the Sanhedrin who wanted to silence their voices: “We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard. . . . We must obey God rather than human beings.” (Acts of the Apostles of Jesus 4:20 and 5:29)

II — The Youth of Good Will love and respect their fathers and mothers, with the Love of Jesus, drawing inspiration from Exodus 20:12, in which we find the fifth of the 10 Commandments of the Divine Law, given by Christ to Moses“12 — Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.”

III — The Youth of Good Will know that the Religion of the Third Millennium does not foster a climate of conflict between generations. On the contrary, it combines the invaluable experience of older people with the bountiful energy of the younger ones. And society benefits from it. They have learned that a young person is one who keeps the Goodwill Ideal.

IV — The Youth of Good Will are firmly convinced that human beings are not just sex, stomach, and intellect subjugated to what some consider to be the only reality on Earth: matter. In them there is the Eternal Spirit, who speaks to them of other lives and other worlds that they seek through Intuition or Reason. Quoting Moses, Jesus said (Deuteronomy 8:3): “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (The Gospel of Christ according to Matthew 4:4)

V — The Youth of Good Will adopt the Unrestricted Ecumenism of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. They do not accept atheistic sectarianism, religious fanaticism, racism, or any kind of intolerance that separates people under the pretext of hateful selection. We are all creations of the same Father, components of the Universal Race of God’s Children. The Youth of Good Will also know that the miracle that God expects from spiritual and human beings is that they learn to love one another, because Love “does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the Truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians 13:5 to 7)

VI — The Youth of Good Will are idealists. They are men and women of Accomplishing Faith, who do not complain all the time or find it a sacrifice to fight tirelessly for the heroic and generous Divine Religion, for they place Jesus and His Organizations—for the good of all humanity—above any barrier. For the Youth of Good Will, time wasted is time spent far from the work of the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit. In his Epistle to the Hebrews 11:36-38, Apostle Paul writes about what the true followers of Christ had to face throughout centuries: 36Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  37They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated; 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground.”

VII — The Youth of Good Will have the tough mettle of a Joshua Ben-Nun. They are strong, resistant, convinced of their own value before Christ, who is returning. David said to Solomon, his son: “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” (I Chronicles 28:20)

VIII — The Youth of Good Will are agile in their tasks for the Goodness, because they are part of the production team of Jesus’ plan on Earth. They also know that “people who are bad timekeepers have no character,” just as Alziro Zarur (1914-1979) taught us.

IX — The Youth of Good Will know that all victories are decidedly at their reach by the power of their own valorous work. They also recognize that we all depend on each other’s solidary actions. Nobody does anything alone. We must join our efforts.

X — The Youth of Good Will cultivate the Truth, they are attentive to everything, and they do not allow themselves be dragged down by anything or anyone. They refuse to slander, they do not despair, do not get discouraged, and do not see anything as an insurmountable difficulty. They highly regard this teaching of Jesus: “All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No;’ anything beyond this comes from the evil one” (The Gospel of Christ according to Matthew 5:37). Believe in God and in the invigorating power of work.

XI — The Youth of Good Will are neither optimistic nor pessimistic. They are realistic. They never rush into judgement. Jesus taught us in His Gospel according to John 7:24: “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.” They know that just as the sun constantly rises, illuminating human life, every day is the day to renew our destiny.

XII — The Youth of Good Will build true friendships in their daily toil. They know how to overcome all of life’s trials, humbly and courageously. They value their fellow men and women and do not disregard the little things. They fulfill their tasks to the letter. They also recognize that humble people will never be humiliated. The Christ of God stated in His Gospel according to Matthew 23:12: “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

XIII — The Youth of Good Will are not prodigal; they know that today’s crumbs are tomorrow’s feast.

XIV — The Youth of Good Will build their characters out of faithfulness to Jesus. They are not afraid of being ridiculed by those who do not believe that the Eternal Spirit prevails over transitory things and do not believe in the value and Power of Jesus Christ; nor are they afraid of persecution. They know how to defend the Legion of Good Will and the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, without holding grudges. As Apostle Peter warns us in verse 16 of the 4th chapter of his First Epistle: “However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”

XV — The Youth of Good Will know that hatred is a weapon aimed against those who hate. In Proverbs 10:12, Solomon writes: “Hatred stirs up conflict, but Love covers all wrongs.”

XVI — The Youth of Good Will are not afraid of crises. They understand that the most powerful nations and the greatest characters are forged in times of struggle. They strongly believe in the words of Jesus to the Church in Smyrna: “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you Life as your Victor’s Crown.” (Apocalypse of Jesus 2:10)

XVII — The Youth of Good Will are convinced that no one can defeat those who are at Peace with themselves and that nothing strengthens and tranquilizes the conscience better than the certainty of having fulfilled our duties. They replicate in their lives this lesson of Christ, which is found in His Gospel according to Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

XVIII — The Youth of Good Will have no fear. They are fully aware that fear is the result of a feeling of guilt. “Nothing to hide, nothing to fear.” John wrote in his First Epistle 4:18: “There is no fear in Love. But perfect Love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in Love.”

XIX — The Youth of Good Will recognize that, in the Religion of God, of the Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, bravery is taking on a commitment and honoring it to the end. Jesus taught: “By your perseverance you will save your Souls.” (The Gospel of Christ according to Luke 21:19)

XX — The Youth of Good Will are balanced. In the Divine Religion, they have learned that the final victory belongs to Christ. Wisdom teaches us that true heroism is persisting a little longer, even when all seems lost. Never give up on the Truth, Justice, and Goodness, irrespective of the challenges we face. Jesus said in His Gospel according to Matthew 10:22: “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Plutarch reports that in one of Persia’s attacks on Greece, Leonidas, the hero of Thermopylae, replied to someone who said that the arrows of Xerxes’ soldiers were so numerous that, if they were shot they would blot out the sun: “That’s better! Then we’ll be fighting in the shade.” Xerxes came back with threats: “Put down your weapons!” Once again Leonidas is not to be intimidated: “Come and get them.”

XXI — The Youth of Good Will are sure that all the facts prophesied by Jesus, from the Old Testament through His Prophets and in the New Testament, mainly in the Gospels and in the Apocalypse, will be fulfilled in this troubled times of end of cycle. “Sowing is optional, but harvesting is mandatory. Humanity has sowed winds, so it will reap storms. The Youth of Good Will, however, fear nothing, because they put all their trust in the Christ of God, who said in His Gospel according to Luke 21:28: “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

XXII — The Youth of Good Will believe in progress and the survival of our planet, despite the actions of human madness. Their minds are open to Goodness, and they firmly believe in a better future. They know that Divine Planning is superior to any plot by human beings to destroy the Earth. We find the certainty that the planet will not be destroyed in the Apocalypse of Jesus 21:1-3: 1Then I saw ‘a new heaven and a new earth,’ for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  2I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.’” So there will be survivors of the next and last Armageddon of this cycle, the third Woe of the Apocalypse.*

XXIII — Driven by the unbeatable strength of their Spirits, the Youth of Good Will fight day and night “for a better world and a happier humanity,” paving the way for the Glorious Return of Jesus, the Christ of God, who is no liar and stated: “I will come back.” (The Gospel of Jesus according to John 14:3)

XXIV — The Youth of Good Will put the New Commandment of Christ into practice, because they know that there is only one power capable of stopping the march of hatred in the world: “A New Commandment I give you: love one another, as I have loved you. Only by this shall all of you be recognized as my disciples. . . .There is no greater Love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (The Gospel of Jesus according to John 13:34-35 and 15:12-13)

XXV — This is why the Youth of Good Will are always victorious. They are sure that—as Jesus taught in His Gospel according to Luke 18:27—“What is impossible with man is possible with God.” They have learned that Hope never dies. Why?! Because Jesus is Hope! Praise the Lord!

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The three Woes of the Apocalypse — Apocalypse of Jesus 8:13: “As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!’”

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.”