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— The Amazing Cures of a Br an Miracle Man — Continued from page 18 locations in other parts of the world, there Such was the young life of one of the are no faith-healino acnects ar mvcticicm mast remarkahle mediums of the nact twa locations in other parts of the world, there are no faith-healing aspects or mysticism. At Abadiania each person talks personally to the entity, and the overwhelming majori- ty of people are miraculously cured. Not everyone is cured in just one visit. Many things influence the recovery rate— karma, time for tissues to heal and cells to regenerate—and nearly everyone needs to change spiritually. Some need to change their environment; others their attitude to their fellow man. Such was the young life of one of the most remarkable mediums of the past two thousand years: persecution, ridicule and abuse; always only one step ahead of hunger, deprivation or incarceration; and constantly on the move but still determined to carry on his divine mission of healing his fellow man and bringing awareness of their true purpose in this life. Despite his amazing contribution to mankind in the alleviation of suffering, Joao is still pursued by the authorities, spurred along by disgruntled factions: those medical doctors who fail to under- stand the source of his healing and surgical ability and call on their medical associa- tions to take action, and the Church, whose clergy fear a weakening of their position within the community and fail to recognise the same spiritual source that is the very core of their doctrines. In 1981 a writ was issued against him for practising medicine illegally. The court session was held in Andapolis, only twenty kilometres from his healing centre. Fortunately his work is so well known in the area that a huge groundswell of public reality. Many of them come because they are literally, practically, objectively hope- less. Modern medicine has given them up; in some cases they are given up by the best specialists in the world. So where do they turn when all else fails? Despite the hopelessness of their condi- tions, they all share a common look: their eyes carry the soft light of hope. When they emerge from their interviews, that hope has changed to happiness: a mother weeps for the cure of her small child, a cripple who could not walk gently coaxes his limbs to newfound life with the caring aid of staff or friends. Everywhere can be seen new hope, renewed life and a bond of love and caring for one's fellow man. The true essence of charity can be seen everywhere: an old man shuffles up to the dispensary window, fumbling in his pock- ets for small change to buy his herbs. A kindly lady, realising his predicament, slips a ten real note into his hand. The small change will buy his bus ticket back home. No wonder people come simply to observe: it is a moving and rewarding experience. Unlike many 'miraculous' REVELATIONS AND PERSECUTIONS Persecution had become a way of life for Joao Teixeira da Faria. Since he discov- ered his healing gift at the age of sixteen he had spent most of his young life travelling from city to city, exchanging healings and prophecies for donations of food, clothing, shelter or money. Inevitably, word would spread to a med- ical practitioner or a dentist whose com- plaint would bring the police swooping down on him. If he was lucky he would simply be run out of town, but more often he would be charged with a variety of felonies, thrown in jail and, not infrequent- ly, severely beaten. NEXUS - 81 Continued on page 82 FEBRUARY - MARCH 1998