Pray for us Blessed Pope John Paul II, that we may all be inflamed with the love through the Holy Spirit, to love one another as He loves us. To pull closer to our Lord in all our times of trouble and peace, and to understand no matter what is offered to us here in exile, that what our Lord is offering to us, will always be much greater. Amen
Sunday morning, Easter Morning, I awoke and decided to take a walk. As I was preparing for the walk, it became my walk with Christ. It was on this walk, I knew I could never come back. I packed my rosary & prayer, tossed on my shoes and started walking to Church to see our Lord in Adoration.
As I started to pray I noticed the life around me. I came to a tree in bloom and stopped to look. Some blooms were open and full flowers and some buds had not opened yet. I came to a pine tree and seen some cones fully open that had sent forth their seeds and some completely closed, holding on to them. I was reminded of our faith in Christ. Some hearts open before others. Some are in full bloom, some just ready to burst forth and some have not opened yet. All just as beautiful as the next.
As I walked and prayed, I came to a house that had been completely renovated but no one was living in it yet. It looked as if it had been updated from top to bottom and all it was waiting for was to become a home. I thought of “I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.’”. And I continued to walk..
As I came to a bend in the road that lead to my church, I noticed someone walking behind me. I continued to pray the rosary and ponder. A teenage boy came up behind me, and began to speak to me. He was mentally retarded, and asked me what I was ding on this beautiful day. I told him I was praying the rosary and walking to Church. He began to walk with me and told me he was going to a car lot up the street and I assumed he liked cars, then he said he was heading to the pet shop up the street that had lots of animals. We began to talk about faith and as we walked, I taught him how to pray the rosary. He was not Catholic, but his love for Christ was very noticeable.
We talked about our Lord all the way to my Church. I told him I was going to see our Lord who is present in the Holy Eucharist. He did not know what Catholics believed. We walked and had an enjoyable morning and it came time for me to leave. When we got to my church I told him this is where I had to cross. I asked him his name and he said it was Kenny. I told him I would keep him in my prayers and he walked off with my rosary and the little prayer card, instructing him how to pray.
He was continuing on and I crossed the street to my home parish. As I got into the parking lot, the 10 AM Easter Mass was letting out. One of the office workers seen me and grabbed me telling me they needed some help directing traffic because it was getting backed up. So I put on the orange vest, grabbed the whistle he gave me and was on my way directing traffic on the street where cars were trying to cut into the exit. I started directing traffic,m allowing cars to exit on to the street, not allowing cars into the same area, as they had to go back and turn at the “light” to enter. As I stood there I realized I was in the middle of the street and looked at the stop light. I could hear our Lord speaking to me in my heart, “Work with the Light”. I giggled because I knew not only was He speaking about the traffic light, but also in regards to Him. After about 30 minutes or so, the traffic died down and I was free to spend some time with our Lord in adoration.
I walked to the tabernacle, kissed it and thanked our Lord, knowing Mass was about to begin again, left quickly, grabbing a Divine Mercy Chaplet pamphlet for the walk and continued my walk with Him, taking that different route home. As I am still walking with Him today, without any plans using that old route, with the exception of making sure Mama Mary was still with me.
I had a dream last night, I was able to fly. I had not dreamed like this since childhood. When I was a child I dreamt all the time I could fly but I was never able to fly in front of anyone. I would tell them I could and try but never could get off the ground. I would beg them to believe me but the never would, and would walk away, leaving me alone where once again, I would fly.
Last night, in my dream, I flew in front of people. I woke up the morning and after prayers, thought about it. Our Lord freed me from the hunters snare. But more, I had a dream a long time ago, that I was a baby bird. I wrote about it here. (Impossible Dreams, Where Do They Take You) that left me with a prayer: “May God whisper in your ear, as Jesus plans your tomorrows, while you sleep under the wing of the Holy Spirit”.
I went to Mass this morning and served my first as I was Extraordinary Minister of the most Precious Blood of our Lord, and I didn’t know that was going to be. I “Flew” in front of everyone for the very first time and I served our LORD. All Glory to God!
Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen, Who Thy glory hidest ‘neath these shadows mean; Lo, to Thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed, Tranced as it beholds Thee, shrined within the cloud. Taste, and touch, and vision, to discern Thee fail; Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil. I believe whate’er the Son of God hath told; What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold. On the Cross lay hidden but thy Deity, Here is hidden also Thy Humanity: But in both believing and confessing, Lord, Ask I what the dying thief of Thee implored. Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see, His be my confession, Lord and God, of Thee, Make my faith unfeigned ever-more increase, Give me hope unfading, love that cannot cease. O memorial wondrous of the Lord’s own death; Living Bread, that giveth all Thy creatures breath, Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live, To my taste Thy sweetness never-failing give. Pelican of mercy, Jesu, Lord and God, Cleanse me, wretched sinner, in Thy Precious Blood: Blood where one drop for human-kind outpoured Might from all transgression have the world restored. Jesu, whom now veiled, I by faith descry, What my soul doth thirst for, do not, Lord, deny, That thy face unveiled, I at last may see, With the blissful vision blest, my God, of Thee. Amen
“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.’” (John 6:53-56)
3 So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. 4 They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; 5he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 7 and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. 8 Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned home. – John, chapter 20 3-10
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
Yesterday when I arrived at Church to dress the Altar for Easter, I had gotten there very early and spent, as I normally do, most of my time in prayer while preparations were taking place. While pondering St. Mary Magdalene and placing myself in her shoes, (Read here: Empty Tomb – Pope Francis Homily Added) our Lord filed me with great joy being the first one there to prepare for the celebration. After thirty minutes the first helper arrived. t was one of our maintenance men and the first thing he said to me was: “I ran all the way here!”
I smiled and laughed so hard and asked him, “Are you Saint Peter?” Then explained to him what I had been pondering. It filled me with awe.
He is risen indeed!
Acts 10:40-43
God raised up Jesus on the third day and granted that he be seen, not by all, but only by such witnesses as had been chosen beforehand by God – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and to bear witness that he is the one set apart by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets testify, saying that everyone who believes in him has forgiveness of sins through his name.
‘On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark,* and saw the stone removed from the tomb”
Today is a beautiful day to ponder St. Mary of Magdala’s despair at the sight of the empty tomb. Her love for our Lord and her expectations had brought her to the tomb in hopes of dressing the body of our Lord. Her hopes of touching Him one last time in love. Her hopes of the final goodbye, but what she seen and received was far greater than she had hopped for. This is where our Lord turns lack of faith, into true belief in Him.
I will be adding to this post later today. I am heading to “the tomb early” to prepare the “Altar” for Easter and I want to post more about St. Mary of Magdala and her love for our Lord but more, His love for her. I will post the update below.
ADDED
Full text of Pope Francis’s homily at the Easter Vigil
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. In the Gospel of this radiant night of the Easter Vigil, we first meet the women who go the tomb of Jesus with spices to anoint his body (cf. Lk 24:1-3). They go to perform an act of compassion, a traditional act of affection and love for a dear departed person, just as we would. They had followed Jesus, they had listened to his words, they had felt understood by him in their dignity and they had accompanied him to the very end, to Calvary and to the moment when he was taken down from the cross. We can imagine their feelings as they make their way to the tomb: a certain sadness, sorrow that Jesus had left them, he had died, his life had come to an end. Life would now go on as before. Yet the women continued to feel love, the love for Jesus which now led them to his tomb. But at this point, something completely new and unexpected happens, something which upsets their hearts and their plans, something which will upset their whole life: they see the stone removed from before the tomb, they draw near and they do not find the Lord’s body. It is an event which leaves them perplexed, hesitant, full of questions: “What happened?”, “What is the meaning of all this?” (cf. Lk 24:4). Doesn’t the same thing also happen to us when something completely new occurs in our everyday life? We stop short, we don’t understand, we don’t know what to do. Newness often makes us fearful, including the newness which God brings us, the newness which God asks of us. We are like the Apostles in the Gospel: often we would prefer to hold on to our own security, to stand in front of a tomb, to think about someone who has died, someone who ultimately lives on only as a memory, like the great historical figures from the past. We are afraid of God’s surprises; we are afraid of God’s surprises! He always surprises us!
Dear brothers and sisters, let us not be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives! Are we often weary, disheartened and sad? Do we feel weighed down by our sins? Do we think that we won’t be able to cope? Let us not close our hearts, let us not lose confidence, let us never give up: there are no situations which God cannot change, there is no sin which he cannot forgive if only we open ourselves to him.
2. But let us return to the Gospel, to the women, and take one step further. They find the tomb empty, the body of Jesus is not there, something new has happened, but all this still doesn’t tell them anything certain: it raises questions; it leaves them confused, without offering an answer. And suddenly there are two men in dazzling clothes who say: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; but has risen” (Lk 24:5-6). What was a simple act, done surely out of love – going to the tomb – has now turned into an event, a truly life-changing event. Nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of those women, but also in our own lives and in the history of mankind. Jesus is not dead, he has risen, he is alive! He does not simply return to life; rather, he is life itself, because he is the Son of God, the living God (cf. Num 14:21-28; Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10). Jesus no longer belongs to the past, but lives in the present and is projected towards the future; he is the everlasting “today” of God. This is how the newness of God appears to the women, the disciples and all of us: as victory over sin, evil and death, over everything that crushes life and makes it seem less human. And this is a message meant for me and for you, dear sister, dear brother. How often does Love have to tell us: Why do you look for the living among the dead? Our daily problems and worries can wrap us up in ourselves, in sadness and bitterness… and that is where death is. That is not the place to look for the One who is alive!
Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.
3. There is one last little element that I would like to emphasize in the Gospel for this Easter Vigil. The women encounter the newness of God. Jesus has risen, he is alive! But faced with empty tomb and the two men in brilliant clothes, their first reaction is one of fear: “they were terrified and bowed their faced to the ground”, Saint Luke tells us – they didn’t even have courage to look. But when they hear the message of the Resurrection, they accept it in faith. And the two men in dazzling clothes tell them something of crucial importance: “Remember what he told you when he was still in Galilee… And they remembered his words” (Lk 24:6,8). They are asked to remember their encounter with Jesus, to remember his words, his actions, his life; and it is precisely this loving remembrance of their experience with the Master that enables the women to master their fear and to bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles and all the others (cf. Lk 24:9). To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future. May we learn to remember everything that God has done in our lives.
On this radiant night, let us invoke the intercession of the Virgin Mary, who treasured all these events in her heart (cf. Lk 2:19,51) and ask the Lord to give us a share in his Resurrection. May he open us to the newness that transforms. May he make us men and women capable of remembering all that he has done in our own lives and in the history of our world. May he help us to feel his presence as the one who is alive and at work in our midst. And may he teach us each day not to look among the dead for the Living One. Amen.
“Over his head they hung their accusation: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
Isaiah 52:13-15
See, my servant shall prosper,
he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.
Even as many were amazed at him —
so marred was his look beyond that of man,
and his appearance beyond that of mortals —
So shall he startle many nations,
because of him kings shall stand speechless;
For those who have not been told shall see,
those who have not heard shall ponder it.
“And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of thieves”
Last Friday, a woman made her way to our Adoration chapel with two family members. She was in a condition of great fear. Frozen in fear. She did not want to leave the tabernacle. She clung to it with a crucifix in one hand and begged me to place holy water on her. My heart cried for her. You see I knew her pain as I had been in a similar condition many years ago. It’s a state of deep repentance. As I was describing this poor woman to another person, I was quickly reminded this week of our Lord in the temple, flipping over the money changers tables. The body is the Temple. When the “world” sees a soul in this state, they call it mental illness but never even think of the sickness of the soul. Confession! Anointing of the Sick! THEN take them to a mental care facility, arming them with a book of prayers for the duration. When the soul is sick, everything in the body is sick. There is no pill you can take or that can be created by man to cure a sick soul. Only our Lord is the Doctor of your soul. If you allow Him to fix your soul, your entire life blossoms into great beauty!
You see, our Lord did this to me. My soul has always belonged to Him as do all of ours baptized in the faith. I had made His “Temple” a den of thieves by living a sinful life and falling away from His teachings. He came in to His “Temple” and removed everything He did not place in there, everything that did not belong there. When this happened, I too was in a state of dread and fear, frozen in fear because it is Him, allowing the soul to be “Sifted as Wheat”. Every sin I had ever committed was being tossed into the dumpster as I stood by it repenting as it was thrown in, feeling like a “hoarder” watching everything I had, my sinful posessions and passions, which was in fact worthless garbage, being tossed away. There was nothing else I could do but repent. I was guilty of everything. A disconnect comes when we do not understand this is for the greater good of our soul and we think that Christ want’s us to just stand there and not move as this is taking place. Or that He hates us and is punishing us. Dead wrong! It is very incorrect to think this way. God never wishes you to be frozen in fear. He needs you to trust in Him and continue moving closer to Him with the understanding He is everywhere you are to complete His will. If we remain frozen in fear, afraid to move, we miss out the beauty of his consolations through all life, that He is trying to replace all the death that He removed from your soul that you had built up separated from Him.
No table of junk is left unturned. But know this. Everything that is removed is replaced with great joy and love that explodes into a satisfaction of knowing He is God and He is with you but it takes lots of prayer to work through this along with using all the grace and gifts He gives to you. Leaning and trusting completely on Him as the Builder, turning the tables on living the sinful life and bringing you into “communion” with Him, in a life of prayer.
Our recompence is in Christ’s hands and when we submit, we are then crucified with Him.
Edit to add on 3/30/2013
Hosea 5:15b-16:2
Thus says the Lord:
In their affliction, they shall look for me:
“Come let us return to the Lord,
For it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.”
How could Jesus, the Son of God, become simple bread & wine? He doesn’t. He turns bread & wine into His Body & Blood, in the same way he turns sinners into Saints. In the same way the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, because HE is God ever-present with us so we could be ever-present with Him.
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
“In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”
One man, one woman. One God.
Open the gates before Him, lift up your Voices –
I had a dream last night…..
Where I was, it was foggy. I had been praying very hard for our Lord to come and I looked out over the ocean and through the fog, I seen a great Battleship cutting through the fog. I was filled with peace because I knew HE had arrived. At that moment, the chaos had no power over me but I was working to cut it al off and quarantine it.
It was a direct reflection of my being under attack by so much evil for so long and surrendering to God. He heard me calling and His reinforcements have arrived. I finally can “Be not afraid” for the King of Glory has come and everything truly is in His hands, including me. “His love endures for ever.”
I called to the Lord in my distress;
he answered and freed me.
The Lord is at my side; I do not fear.
What can man do against me?
The Lord is at my side as my helper:
I shall look down on my foes.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in men:
it is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes.
The nations all encompassed me;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me, compassed me about;
in the Lord’s name I crushed them.
They compassed me about like bees;
they blazed like a fire among thorns.
In the Lord’s name I crushed them.
I was hard-pressed and was falling
but the Lord came to help me.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he is my savior.
There are shouts of joy and victory
in the tents of the just.
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
his right hand raised me up.
The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;
I shall not die, I shall live
and recount his deeds.
I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,
but not doomed to die.
Open to me the gates of holiness:
I will enter and give thanks.
This is the Lord’s own gate
where the just may enter.
I will thank you for you have answered
and you are my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the corner stone.
This is the work of the Lord,
a marvel in our eyes.
This day was made by the Lord;
we rejoice and are glad.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Go forward in procession with branches
even to the altar.
You are my God, I thank you.
My God, I praise you.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good;
for his love endures for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
– as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen
Our Lord woke me up last night just in time to see the Holy Mass from Rome. It was beautiful to see and stay awake to watch. I was in awe seeing Bartholomew I from the Greek Orthodox church in attendance, as well as Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist leaders.
I did have a dream last night that I feel compelled to post here today. I’m not sure what it means but it was beautiful.
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23:5-6
I was sitting at a very small, romantic table for two, in a rustic cottage just at dusk. I could hardly see my surroundings as I focused on the One who was placing the Meal in front of me. It was our Lord. There was not a multitude of souls. It was just the two of us, and He was serving me. I don’t mean to be funny, but it may have been Shepherd’s Pie as my surroundings were very Irish looking in nature.
I woke up and immediately thought of Psalm 23. I was no longer walking through the dark, but rather now sitting with my Lord. I thought of my enemies, and I said to our Lord, I have forgiven them. I could hear Him say to me, His were now mine.
Everyone wants the fairy tale romance. Save the princess with a kiss that wakes her up and she falls into your arms and you live happily ever after….
How we forget the “Dragon Slaying” and the importance of it first and foremost. If you don’t slay the dragon first, he torments you until death do you part. Spiritual death that is. Chastity before marriage and in all relationships is the weapon that slays the dragon of fornication. Having the title of “Dragon Slayers” is one that is worked for before you kiss the princess and live happily ever after opening your heart to a deeper love. A love not of the flesh, but a love for the others soul, in which you strive to get the other to heaven. Chastity is a key building block to the Temple built on Rock, and not on sand. Fornication is a dragon. Not just a simple sin of the flesh. It leads to many other mortal sins and become seared on the soul and take many years of prayer to overcome. To defeat this dragon, takes purity. To achieve purity, takes obedience to our Lord and the gift of chastity becomes yours through the Holy Spirit. It is attainable, for even souls married outside of the Church first, who seek to invite our Lord into the marriage, returning to the Catholic Faith. Abstinence through the marriage preparation and if another marriage has occurred, annulment process takes you and your spouse to a level of love unheard of in today’s society. I know this as I am now there. The love of God comes first, and the love of neighbor falls into place.
Dearest Jesus! I know well that every perfect gift, and above all others that of chastity, depends upon the most powerful assistance of Thy Providence, and that without Thee a creature can do nothing. Therefore, I pray Thee to defend, with Thy grace, chastity and purity in my soul as well as in my body. And if I have ever received through my senses any impression that could stain my chastity and purity, do Thou, Who art the Supreme Lord of all my powers, take it from me, that I may with an immaculate heart advance in Thy love and service, offering myself chaste all the days of my life on the most pure altar of Thy Divinity. Amen. -St. Thomas Aquinas
Saint Margaret of Anitoch, pray for us
I can relate. I don’t believe he would be to happy about the way folks celebrate his feast day. He drove the snakes out of Ireland, he didn’t drive them in. Just as St. Valentines day is not a free day for fornication.
My husband was in Dublin for St Patrick’s Day one year and it was very quiet. The only people who get drunk and obnoxious are those wo do no understand the Saint or the feast or the faith behind him..
For more help, please follow the link below. Think.
“Let us begin this journey together – a journey for the Roman Catholic Church.” Pope Francis
Pope Francis’ Motto: “lowly and yet chosen” (“miserando atque eligendo”)
¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
Moments after he stepped out to as us to pray for him, I see this on twitter: “Anyone else think Pope Francis looked like a Soviet ruler standing there. Regardless, I love him.”
I couldn’t help but respond back with the following: No Soviet leader but I did see the Vicar of Christ and all worldly leaders don’t add up to him
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Pope Francis, first Francis Pope, first Jesuit Pope and first from Latin America.
“REBUILD MY CHURCH!”
Thank you Lord.
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St. George, pray for us. May East and West come together in Christ through His love. Amen
As I was praying last night just before bed, our Lord allowed me to peek into the mirror and see what He had done to me since my conversion back home to Him began. I looked back and forth and said to our Lord, “I love what You have done with this place”. I then giggled and what I had said began to sink in.
The body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Mine is still under construction. While it was in the hands of the evil one, pharaoh, it was ransacked and defiled, filled with all sorts of idols. Our Lord seen the damage and knew He could rebuild it. It first had to be purchased at a price. He began restoration, first fixing the things that could not be seen, and now the things that can be by the eye. “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.”
I wait patiently for its completion and can see the beauty of the Craftsmen’s work.
You will need to read the last post from today, Testing, to understand a little more in regards to this post. Also, the post Eucharist may be a great help also. The Sacrament of Confession is a shower of graces.
My penance was to recite one decade of the Rosary. I knelt and started to pray, thinking which decade shall I recite and the Baptism of our Lord came to my heart. As I began to pray, I heard water and heard it again. I opened my eyes to see someone changing the Holy Water in the fonts at the doors. Here I was, pondering the Baptism of our Lord, the sound of Holy Water was a beautiful addition to the quite. I could see Him so clearly and thanked Him for the grace of being able to be there today at this very second to experience Him in such a way. I began to pray another decade of the rosary thinking of my penance. As I finished, the angelus prayer was just beginning, which lead us into the Holy Mass.
Todays first reading Ezekiel 47: 1 – 9, 12 –
1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
3 Going on eastward with a line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep.
4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the loins.
5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back along the bank of the river.
7 As I went back, I saw upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh.
9 And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
I immediately knew this all was my Lord speaking to me. On my ride home I pondered my penance and thought to myself, I prayed two! IMMEDIATELY I heard in my heart, I did not tell you to pray two. It was only one that was needed. You did more than I asked and it was not necessary. At that second I was reminded about Eve in the Garden of Eden and how she exaggerated to the serpent what God had told her of eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. God has said clearly, “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Gen 2 16-17 Eve added: “‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” Genesis 3:3
It points out to me the BEGINNING of disobedience! God said do not eat it, not do not touch. She added to God’s command stepping on His “sovereignty”, which brings us to Mary:”His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5 As did I by saying TWO DECADES for penance thinking it would be much better! By my LORDS suffering and HIS sacrifice I am healed. His gift. Not by mine. But it took work to get there and takes work to stay in this state of grace. Is there any “sacrifice” in loving our Lord? No! Love is not sacrifice, it is free for the giving and taking. The sacrifice of our Lord was to give His life for ours . When our life is lived in His it is no sacrifice. It is a GIFT! The “WORK” is like a work out you would do for your body to keep it in shape. The work comes by or should I say, through being “Obedient” (Complying with orders) to the will of God.
Our Lord pointed this out to me so I could grown in obedience. So as He told me, I offered up the extra decade since He knows better than I do, where this decade is needed.
I love our Lord and all the GLORY and honor is His. Not mine but I accept all the grace needed to make it through this world to spend eternity with Him.
Ever have one of those days when you wake up in total love & hope in the Lord? When you “feel” like nothing can stop you! Then the rest of your family gets out of bed…..and the test begins.
And you fail…. the “Oral” part of the test. BUT what the true grace is here from our Lord, is that He woke you up early to pray and spend time with Him so that when this test came, you could see it for what is was even if it is after the fact, and know He is still there bringing you through it. He also informs you that He will be waiting for you at St. Joseph Cathedral for Lunch (Mass) and its Tuesday so the Confessional is open AND KNOW THIS – you will be Re-tested over and over again, as many times as it takes until you pass.
When it ends, we will have a new Pope. Lord I pray for this election of a new leader but I know Lord, you have chosen him already. See you all for the white smoke…
Ask yourself today…Why is it the media and the secular world pay attention to the Election of the Pope but not to what he ever has to say…what is wrong with this picture? Its Satan’s noise pollution. Place more emphasis on the election and made up fraud that may take place and forget the Holy message of God. Lord have mercy on us all.
Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh…Our Lord came as the new Adam. In my sinfulness, I am fallen Eve and must become Woman so to become one with Him. If I become Him, and share in the pains of the hatred the world had for Him so be it, as He had already become me, on His cross. I must become one with Him in the Eucharist as our Lord truly is there. I must repent. I must confess and I must believe. I must love my Love with all my heart, strength soul and mind. I must love my neighbor as my Lord has loved. I must die to self and live in Christ in order to be in Love. I accept.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. – 1 John 4:18
This week of lent, our parish has been hosting two wonderful redemptive Priests who are holding a Mission of the Cross of our Lord. I have been attending all week and have found them to be awe-inspiring. But this morning, was miraculous.
Today’s reflection was on healing and forgiveness. I have forgiven every soul in my life for everything but there was always something I felt that was in the way of my total healing. something holding me back and I could never put my finger on it. As I focused completely on the prayers with my heart this morning, I realized what was holding me back. Fear. Fear for others not listening to our Lord. Fear of others being separated from the love of God through the choices that they have made and continue to make.
As I was reminded of this through meditation and prayers of this morning, I began to have a strong pain in the pit of my stomach. It began to become stronger the more I focused on this issue and when I prayed for our Lord to remove this from me, the pain started to move upward, from my stomach and what felt like my esophagus and then I had this huge pain stuck for a bit in my throat. My eyes closed, I see the image of our Holy Mother Mary, in the painting of our Mother of Perpetual Help. She is the principal patron of the fathers giving this mission. Redemptorist Missionaries. I could barely think, let alone pray anymore but the pain continued to move until it was gone. It was without a doubt, our Lord removing a deep hook that I had swallowed. One that certainly held me back from healing. I can not say anymore about this now, as I truly need to pray and spend time in silence and contemplation of the love that has replaced that pain.
This past Wednesday, February 27, 2013, I was accepted into Formation in the Third Order of Carmel. I don’t think I can be any more full of the Holy Spirit and recognize Him in all things. Our Lord is to be, truly, my spouse. Since this day, my life has seen some very great blessings. One of which is my husband’s acceptance of the Catholic Faith and agreeing to have our Marriage blessed by the Catholic Church, which now will take place on May 4th of this year. The month of our Holy Mother, and first Saturday. We had been living as brother and sister since 2009 when our roads split. I climbed the mountain of our Lord. Reached the top and fell in love with our Lord. As St. Peter did, I wished to build three tents and stay there for all eternity, forgetting what was left at the base of the Mountain. On my decent, not taking the same road that I climbed up, I grew in hope and understanding that I was not leaving the mountain top for ever, but rather just for a time to finish carrying the cross that I had been assigned. I can not put into words all I have seen yet, as most of this week’s events have been moments of pure bliss and affirmation. I understand what love is and it is everything. There is nothing else.
While in Adoration last night praying the rosary, I couldn’t help but start crying. While focusing on how our Lord has changed my life so drastically, changing me from a home wrecker to a home builder. Placing every sin I had committed my entire life in front of my face so I could see my own filth and allowing me the tools to clean up this life and change the path I was on through confession, Holy Mass and prayer, I looked at all the wonderful doors He opened for me and I knew in an instant, it’s much bigger than needing someone to change the Altar linens or taking care of the Adoration Chapel and ensuring the Legion of Mary is taken care of. All the beautiful and pure activates He filled my life with instead of hanging out at bars looking for Mr. this guy may be Right. I couldn’t hold back the tears thinking about His life and how He gave everything up for me not just so I could do these things. No way was it just about that. Rather it was for me to understand there is much more after this life. He has done so much for me, to prove to me He needs me, He wants me and He loves me. It’s much greater then this life and anything that fills it. I can only focus on how to empty myself for His love. Empty myself so He can fill me in order to live through me to reach every soul I come into contact with while I am still here. Some in big ways, some in little ways. Ensuring it is Him in every case.
After receiving our Lord at Mass this morning, I began to pray, and while my prayer was complete, the Priest began the final prayer of the Mass. I knew our Lord was there as the prayer I had recited in the quiet of my heart, was a reflection of the prayer the priest was saying to the entire church.
Withdraw your heart from the world before God takes your body from it.
— Blessed John of Avila
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” Genesis 2:23
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Yesterday just before receiving our Lord in Communion, "Bone from my bone, flesh from my flesh" came to mind. Is it good to think of Him in this way, as He is the New Adam and to understand He is the spouse of my soul? And I must love Him as He loves us in order to love my neighbor as He is asking of me? I have been pondering this since. We are called to return to our First Love. He is my First and my Last…
Today, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his last public mass as pope.
“What sustains and illuminates me is the certainty that the Church belongs to Christ, whose care and guidance will never be lacking” – Pope Benedict XVI
The Legacy of Pope Benedict XVI: A commentary by Fr. Barron
Upon hearing the news this morning about Pope Benedict XVI, after the shock has settled quickly, I take to heart and understand our Holy Father has taken everything into account and has made his decision in the best interest of the entire Catholic Church. My personal words to him:
Your Holiness Pope Benedict XVI,
I love you and thank you for leading us through one of the most trying times in history. It is as if we have come to the juncture where the road once again become steep and another is needed for this part of the travel. The famine of faith in the world is raging in the golden years of your life. I take the words of our Lord seriously and trust in Him and your decision. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” I keep you in my prayers and trust in the Holy Spirit to bring us another, not to fill your shoes, but rather to fill the shoes of our Lord and what He needs from us and what He is asking of us for now.
Most Holy Father I love you and thank you.
Full text of Pope’s declaration:
Dear Brothers,
I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonizations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of Saint Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me. For this reason, and well aware of the seriousness of this act, with full freedom I declare that I renounce the ministry of Bishop of Rome, Successor of Saint Peter, entrusted to me by the Cardinals on 19 April 2005, in such a way, that as from 28 February 2013, at 20:00 hours, the See of Rome, the See of Saint Peter, will be vacant and a Conclave to elect the new Supreme Pontiff will have to be convoked by those whose competence it is. Dear Brothers, I thank you most sincerely for all the love and work with which you have supported me in my ministry and I ask pardon for all my defects. And now, let us entrust the Holy Church to the care of Our Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ, and implore his holy Mother Mary, so that she may assist the Cardinal Fathers with her maternal solicitude, in electing a new Supreme Pontiff. With regard to myself, I wish to also devotedly serve the Holy Church of God in the future through a life dedicated to prayer.
From the Vatican, 10 February 2013
BENEDICTUS PP XVI
After dressing the Altar last night & praying Vespers & Compline, I went into Adoration & kissed the tabernacle. On my ride home, I noticed a heavy taste in my mouth of honey. It wasn’t just a slight taste, it was as if someone poured an entire jar of honey down my throat. It was across my teeth, coating my entire mouth. No, the tabernacle had not been cleaned with anything recently. I was amazed and couldn’t wipe the smile from my face and had a great night sleep…
“Forgive me, a sinner.”
Today is Forgiveness Sunday. I forgive EVERYONE in my life from conception and in advance, through natural death who may or has inflicted any harm on me. I hope you can forgive me as well if I have hurt you in any way.
With the 40 days of lent approaching, what a great way to start the journey. May God have mercy on us all.
Burying the Proverbial Hatchet
Forgiving people when they apologize is one thing; but have you ever tried to forgive someone who has hurt you and never shown any remorse? Not so easy, is it? It’s tough to bury that hatchet.
Even after years spent developing a relationship, a single harsh statement or thoughtless act can destroy everything we feel for that person. We forget the good and play out bitter, vindictive scenarios in our minds.
When someone hurts us, we have choices. We can go our separate ways and never talk again. We can live with the anger. We can bear grudges, nurse hate, and seek revenge. We can pretend everything is fine and just bury our feelings. Or we can face the person and talk things through … and then forgive.
Of course, the last choice is the healthy one. Even if the person who wronged you refuses to change or take responsibility, you can still let go of pride and bring closure and healing – for your own sake.
Forgetting is the hardest part of forgiving. We bury the hatchet; but when we leave the handle sticking out of the ground, we’re just giving the pain permission to continue cutting us. Bury the handle! Cancel the debt! This is the only way to experience freedom.
By Fr. Robert M. Pipta, Holy Angels Byzantine Catholic Church, San Diego CA.
Master, Teacher of wisdom, Bestower of virtue, You teach the thoughtless and protect the poor: Strengthen and enlighten my heart. Word of the Father, Let me not restrain my mouth from crying to you: Have mercy on me, a transgressor, O merciful Lord!
The Fourth Sunday of the Triodion Period: Sunday of Forgiveness (Cheesefare Sunday)
I had a dream…..
I was on a very hight point, overlooking a great beautiful green valley. I could see from my view, two men walking in the valley on a foot path. As they reached some brush, a brown bear stood before them snarling. The bear bit the first man on the hand and then the men then came to where I was sitting up on the high point. He, the first man, was very kind and gentle and I bandaged his hand. the second man was just as pleasant.
That was the dream…
In the early morning hours yesterday morning, I happened to catch Holy Mass on EWTN. During the priests homily, he mentioned two words that tripped this dream back up to the forefront of my memory. The two words? “Bear Witness”
Isaiah 53:5
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
The soul not ready for our Lord…
A woman is taking care of the household as her Spouse is on a very long business trip. Little by little things begin to go wrong arround the house. He left her with more resources than she could have ever dreamed of having. A sink backs up one week. The next week some shingles fall off the roof in a wind storm. A few days later, the toilet overflows. A few days later a window is broken. The woman sits and does nothing to fix the things going wrong. She puts them off and says to herself, its my spouses job to fix those things, not mine. He will have to fix them when He gets home. After weeks and years of her Spouse away on business, the house has fallen into disrepair and she is sleeping on a pile of rubble. Her Spouse returns and she sees Him walking up to the front door that is hanging on one hinge. As soon as He crosses the threshold, she begins to cry and tell Him if He was here the house would not be ruined. If He would have done His job, they would still have a home today. He looks at her and knowing He has been away for so long, begins to clean up the mess she allowed to happen. He stops as her complaining continues and walks away.
A ready soul….
A woman is taking care of the household as her Spouse is on the same long business trip. Little by little things begin to go wrong arround the house. A sink backs up one week. She fixes it because she knows her Spouse is busy and not here yet. He left her with more resources than she could have ever dreamed of having. She loves Him so much, and does not know when He will be returning. She takes it up and fixes the problem immediately, so He doesn have to when He returns. The next week some shingles fall off the roof during a wind storm. She calles a roofer to help her fix the problem as she knows she can not fix it alone. She does not want her loving Spouse to have to take care of it upon His return. All the same things begin to go wrong and she pulls all she has in strength together to fix all that goes wrong before her loving Spouse returns. One day, she is looking out a window she learned how to fix, and seen her Spouse walking up the front walk. She ran to the door as He opened it and they fell into each others arms and kissed passionately. (I’ll end it there).
Do you think our Lord wants to sit and have a cup of coffee with you and talk about all the things that went wrong while you were living? Do you think He wants to hear you complain about how long He was gone? Of course not. All He wants to do is grab you in His arms and hold you and love you. The falling down house is the soul in need of serious repairs. A soul who has not gone to confession, not taken care of the business at”home” with the gifts our Lord has given to us to do so, while He is away. The ready soul is the one who used everything our Lord has left them, to ensure when He returned, He would not have to do much before grabbing hold of His spouse.
Think about it….
When you are in love, not a second goes by that you can not think of the person you are in love with. It’s like two teenagers constantly texting each other, seconds apparat just telling the other, I love you. This is how our Lord wants you to Love Him. Everything you see, taste, touch, hear, learn, and know, should remind you of Him. When the two meet again, everything around them disappears and all they see is the love between them. Not the things that separated them.
All that I have written seems like straw compared to what has now been revealed to me. – Saint Thomas Aquinas
Saint Thomas Aquinas never finished his writings. I can relate. If all he has written O Lord is straw, then what I have done is mud. May they mingle and become bricks for You’re great glory O Lord.
For everything we can ever know about God, regarding all the inner workings of His way, the simplest and easiest is through Love. Love is simplicity. If we complicate all that is true with what we feel we need to know then we are taking away room for love. To simply love, is to understand the Divinity.
Does a wife love her Spouse any more upon learning what His business is or how He runs His business? Or does a loving wife just continue to love her Spouse? Our Lord shares everything with His wife. All she has to do is ask. But it should never come between or hinder in any way, the love she has for Him. She knows He is in control and all He does is for the good of all.
To read more about this wonderful Saint, see here
Peg Pondering Again 