The Reincarnation of Albino Luciani
In Search of the Human Soul
by
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Times That Try Men’s Souls It was Saturday, the one day I could sleep in. It was ten o’clock when I came down into the kitchen to partake of whatever Audrey had whipped up for breakfast. At my place was a folded up newspaper. As I picked it up, she asked, “Did you get a good night’s sleep?” “Certainly,” I threw her one of those ‘slept like a baby’ lines. “Good,” she seemed concerned. “You’re going to need it.” “What do you mean?” I asked. “What is he up to now?” “He is searching… He’s been up since six o’clock. He’s down in the family room with the usual stack of books around him.” “He is searching…?” I questioned. “Yes, he is searching…” she smiled “…for his soul.” “For his what?” I exclaimed, more than asked. “His soul,” she repeated. “He’s not sure he has one. Are you sure you have one?” “Of course, I have one,” frustrated she would question my sanctity. Nevertheless, with cup in hand and an unprecedented air of confidence, I headed down the steps. To most, this would be an insurmountable challenge. But, to me, it was just another day on the job. There he was, just as Audrey had described him, hunched over with his dark eyes perusing an open book. Off to one side, stacked up next to his Bible, was a book on reincarnation, another on existentialism, one on Egyptology, the Jewish Torah, the Muslim Koran, the Vedic Sanskrit and Brahma Sutras texts of the Hindus, the Tripitaka and Mahayana Sutras of Buddha, and a host of others. Most of which I had not known even existed until that morning. He didn’t give me a chance, “In order to find the soul we must first define the soul—just exactly what is it we are looking for. We cannot settle for the preacher’s offering—‘the soul is just something we don't understand.’ “To do that, we must first define faith. Not only the assumption we have been born into, but the similarities, differences and salvation requirements of all the faiths of the world. That we will do now … cont’d An Astounding Revelation Closing his book, he peered over at me, “Aside from resurrection of his body, which common sense tells him is sheer fantasy; the good Christian is bent on saving his soul, something he does not understand. “Doesn’t make much sense, does it?” He waited. I agreed. “You are right about resurrection of the body. It makes no sense there are bathrooms in heaven. “Yet, one still has the soul. You will never be able to prove or disprove the existence of the human soul.” He wormed the hook, “Why not?” I took the bait. “For starters, you can’t define it. You don’t know where it is. In truth, you don’t really know what it is.” Reaching over and grasping my arm, he held my eyes. I nearly fell off my chair. “But, I do know what it is. I have found my soul. What’s more, I have the proof.” The room fell respectively quiet. I waited anxiously for the little guy to make his astounding revelation. He was not to disappoint me… cont’d The Sure Bet He had cleared the table. He sat there with a single book and a deck of cards. Ancient symbols looked out at me from its cover. It was the first time I had ever seen him with only one book. “Some kind of a game,” I thought. He read my mind, “Yes, you are right, we are about to play a game—an ancient game. Yet, it is not a game of chance. It is a game of certainty. I call it, ‘The Sure Bet.’ I shot him a look, as if he had lost his mind. “I am speaking here of the opportunity each of us have in this world to remove the question mark from the end of each of our lives.” He stopped as to assure himself I had not missed his opening. “As we have discussed, the Christian, despite his foolish impulse to profess otherwise, doesn’t enjoy the slightest confidence in his destiny. “When the doctors tell him, he is about to meet his Savior, he falls on his knees and prays for miracles to save him from his salvation. He does not really want to meet his God. “He does not want to meet his God, because he suspects his God is not there. He does not trust the preacher who sold him his condominium in the sky because he knows his preacher has never been there. What’s more, all he holds is one card—the mythical assumption he was born into or picked up along the way.” Seizing the deck of cards, the little man fanned them across the table in a cutting thud, “This is the real world we live and die in. “There are fifty-two cards in this deck. There are infinitely more cards in the vast deck of eternity. Yet, in the vast deck of eternity there is only one winning card.” His eyes roamed around the room as if to assure himself the walls were not listening. He waited for the crackling in the fireplace to simmer down before revealing his remarkable find. Lowering his voice “I have struck on the secret of eternal life. One no longer has to guess. One can know in this life, one will live forever.” Just above a whisper, “What is important for me, I have found it.” An octave higher, “What is important for you, I am about to share it with you… cont’d
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About the Book
“In that it removes the question mark from the end of one’s life, this book is a great comfort to the aging and those who contemplate death. Yet, it is most important to the young and those who contemplate life.” Howard Jason Smith, Boston Globe. Lucien Gregoire, friend-biographer of Albino Luciani, has written books on the evolution of world religions in a simple and enlightening way so that a child can easily understand them. This is one of them. In 1947, Albino Luciani--the 33-day pope John Paul I--defended his thesis ‘The Origin of the Human Soul…’ in which he defined the human soul—just what is it one is trying to save? What’s more, he stumbled upon the secret of eternal life. The relatively heavy theological intellectual complexity of Luciani’s thesis is presented in a series of fun and entertaining conversations with a ten year old boy. As Dante once took the reader through the levels of hell, the reincarnated Luciani takes the reader through the heavens of the Christian, the Jew, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Tao, and one more—a long lost religion holding the secret to eternal life. One no longer has to guess. One can know in this life, one will live forever. Listen as he tells you what he meant, when he told us, “Don’t knock yourself out over smart monkeys and Adam and Eve. Each of us is responsible for our own evolution. We can either choose to remain as mortal men, or we can evolve as Gods.” Albino Luciani, Gregorian University, doctoral dissertation, Feb '47. “If every teen were to read this book, what a wonderful world we would live in.” Dr. Alexis Bishop, London Times.
About the Author
Lucien Gregoire, friend-biographer of Albino Luciani, has written books on the evolution of world religions in a simple and enlightening way so that a child can easily understand them. This is one of them. In 1947, Albino Luciani--the 33-day pope John Paul I--defended his thesis ‘The Origin of the Human Soul…’ in which he defined the human soul—just exactly what is it one is trying to save? What’s more, he stumbled upon the secret of eternal life. The theological intellectual complexity of Luciani’s thesis is presented in a series of fun and entertaining conversations with a ten year old boy. As Dante once took the reader through the levels of hell, the reincarnated Luciani takes the reader through the heavens of the Christian, the Jew, the Muslim, the Hindu, the Buddhist, the Tao, and one more—a long lost religion holding the secret to eternal life. One no longer has to guess. One can know in this life, one will live forever. Listen as Luciani tells us what he meant, when he said, “Don’t knock yourself out over smart monkeys and Adam and Eve. Each of us is responsible for our own evolution. We can either choose to remain as mortal men, or we can evolve as Gods.” Howard Jason Smith, Boston Globe: “In that it removes the question mark from the end of one’s life—what happens to us after we are gone—this book is a great comfort to the aging and those who contemplate death. Yet, it is most important to the young and those who contemplate life.”