The Spirits’ Teachings

Let the children come to me

18. Christ said, “Let the children come to me.” Profound in their simplicity, these words do not imply the mere calling of children, but of the souls that gravitate in the lower regions, where misfortune knows no hope. Jesus called unto him the intellectual infancy of the full-grown person: the weak, the enslaved and the wicked. He could not teach anything to physical infancy, which is subject to matter and the yoke of instinct, and does not yet belong to the higher order of reason and will, which is exercised around them and for their benefit.

Jesus wanted people to come to him with the trust of those little beings of wavering steps. His calling to them would win him the hearts of women, who are all mothers. Thus, he could submit souls to his tender and mysterious authority. He was the flame that shone in the darkness, the morning light that awakens the dawn. He was the initiator of Spiritism, which in turn must call to itself not little children but mature individuals of goodwill. A vigorous process has begun; it is no longer a question of believing instinctively and obeying mechanically; it is necessary for humans to follow the intelligent law that reveals its universality.

Dearly beloved, the time has come in which errors, once explained, will become truths. We will teach you the precise meaning of the parables and will show you the strong correlation linking what was with what is. Truly, I say to you: spirit manifestations are increasing on the horizon, and Spiritism is the messenger that will shine like the sun on the mountaintops.

John the Evangelist (Paris, 1863)