“The philanthropist of your world uselessly dream about something that will never happen. Remember Jesus’ words: ‘You will always have poor people among you’. Know that these words are the expression of truth. Now that you know Spiritism my friend, don’t you find it fair and equitable the inequality of conditions that raised your heart, full of grumbling against God who had not created everyone equally rich and happy?
Now that you understand that God’s doing is fair and perfect and that you know that poverty is a punishment or a trial, go and try to alleviate that misery but don’t show them utopias that may lead the unfortunate ones to believe in an impossible equality. It is certainly possible to mitigate a lot of suffering through a smart social organization, and that is what one must aim at, but pretending that poverty can be eliminated from the Earth is a hallucinatory idea.
Earth is a place of atonement hence, there will always be poor people making up for their previous abuse of their God given wealth, never realizing the kindness of doing good to their brothers and sisters; who hoarded piece by piece to accumulate unnecessary wealth that served nobody; who became rich off of the backs of widows and orphans. Oh! Those who are guilty along with their selfishness will have terrible return! Beware, however, to believe that all the poor suffer a punishment of being guilty. While poverty is a great atonement to some, it is also a trial to others, helping them to more rapidly achieve the sanctuary of the elected ones. Yes, there will always be the poor and the rich so that some may have the merit of resignation and others that of charity and devotion. Rich or poor you stand on a slippery slope that can push you off the cliff, like an incline where only your virtues can hold you back.
When I say that there will always be poor on the Earth, I mean that while there are vices that maintain Earth as a place of reparation to the perverse spirits that God will continue to send for their own punishment. It is through your virtues that you shall have the merit and God will only send good spirits and you will then create an earthly heaven out of an earthly hell.”
Adolph, bishop of Alger
