The healthy do not need a doctor

11. While Jesus was at table in the home of this man (Matthew), many publicans and sinners came to join Jesus and his disciples. Upon seeing this, the Pharisees said to his disciples, “Why does your Master eat with publicans and sinners?” But upon overhearing them, Jesus answered,  “The healthy do not need a doctor, but the sick.” (Mt. 9:10-12)

12. Jesus addressed mainly the poor and disinherited because they were the ones in greatest need of consolation; and the blind of good faith and humility because they asked to see, and not the proud who believed they possessed the full light and were in need of nothing.

These words, like so many others, find their application in Spiritism. Sometimes people wonder why mediumship is granted to unworthy persons capable of making a bad use of it. It seems – they say – that a faculty this valuable should be the exclusive attribute of those of greater merit.

Let us first state that mediumship is connected to an organic disposition, with which any person may be endowed – just as that of seeing, hearing and speaking. People are capable of abusing any of them through their free will, and if God had granted speech, for example, only to those who were incapable of saying bad things, there would be more mute than speaking individuals. God has given faculties to humans and leaves them free to use them; however, he always punishes those who abuse them.

If the ability to communicate with spirits were granted only to the most worthy, who would dare to claim this quality? Moreover, where is the line between being worthy and being unworthy? Mediumship  is given without distinction so that spirits may bring the light to all ranks, all classes of society, to the rich as well as to the poor; to the wise to strengthen them in the good, and to the corrupt in order to correct them. Are not these latter the sick who are in need of a doctor? Why would God, who does not want the death of sinners, deprive them of the help that could pull them from the mire? Good spirits thus come to help them, and their counsels, which they receive directly, are of a nature that will impress them more strongly than if they received them by different means. In order to save them the trouble of having to go far in search of the light, the benevolent God places it in their hands; are they not even guiltier if they do not consider it? Could they excuse themselves for lack of knowledge when they have written with their own hands, seen with their own eyes, heard with their own ears, and spoken with their own mouth their own condemnation? If they do not take advantage of it, they will be punished with the loss or perversion of their faculty, with evil spirits taking hold of them in order to obsess and deceive them. This will not lessen the real afflictions with which God smites unworthy servants and hearts hardened by pride and selfishness. Mediumship    does     not       necessarily      imply   habitual communication with high order spirits. It is simply an aptitude that serves as a more flexible or less flexible instrument for spirits in general. Hence, good mediums are not those who communicate easily, but those who are attuned to good spirits and who are helped only by them. It is solely in this sense that the excellence of their moral qualities has complete power over mediumship.