I more and more have the increasingly strong feeling in prayer that events have caught up on us and we at the very edge of stupendous events in heaven and on Earth. I feel such a strong desire to simply sit at the Feet of Mary and pray. I feel such a tremendous sense of anticipation. I wonder do others feel this.? A deep need for prayerful spiritual focus Medjugorje Message, October 2, 2017 - Apparitions to Mirjana “Dear children, I am speaking to you as a mother – with simple words, but words filled with much love and concern for my children who, through my Son, are entrusted to me. And my Son, who is of the eternal now, He is speaking to you with words of life and is sowing love in open hearts. Therefore, I am imploring you, apostles of my love, have open hearts always ready for mercy and forgiveness. According to my Son, always forgive your neighbors, because in that way peace will be in you. My children, care for your soul, because it alone is what truly belongs to you. You are forgetting the importance of family. A family does not need to be a place of suffering and pain, but a place of understanding and tenderness. Families who strive to live according to my Son live in mutual love. While He was still little, my Son would say to me that all people are His brothers. Therefore, remember, apostles of my love, that all people whom you meet are family to you – brothers according to my Son. My children, do not waste time thinking about the future, worrying. May your only concern be how to live well every moment according to my Son. And there it is – peace for you! My children, do not ever forget to pray for your shepherds. Pray that they can accept all people as their children; that, according to my Son, they may be spiritual fathers to them. Thank you! ”
I was hearing the news today from Egypt. Islamists and attacked a congregation at a Mosque who were engaged in Friday prayer and massacred them all. This is such a Sign of the time. People who claimed to be super religious followers of Islam killing people who were their very own people. There is something just so diabolical and Satanic about this, it made me really, really think and pray. Does the devil really have so much power he can make people who claim to follow Islam murder other followers of Islam whilst at pray. What is going on the world/ Such evil! if they would massacre their own people while at prayer what would they not to us Christians? The gates of hell appear to have opened right before our very eyes.
I feel sorry for the younger generation Padraig Many on this forum have the faith to endure the coming tribulations but the younger people without faith don't. It seems to me that there are few who will be able to endure when the walls of the dam eventually cave in and the Moslem hordes invade. Not sure if anyone has reported the latest revelations concerning John Paul II prophecy about a Muslim invasion of Europe --- I see the Church afflicted by a deadly scourge. Deeper, more painful and more deadly than those of this millennium’, referring to … communism and Nazi totalitarianism. ‘It’s called islamism. They will invade Europe. I saw the hordes coming from the West to the East’, and he described to me the countries one by one: from Morocco to Libya to Egypt, and so on to the eastern parts. The Holy Father added, ‘They will invade Europe, Europe will be like a cellar, old relics, shadowy, cobwebs. Family heirlooms. You, the Church of the third millennium, will have to contain the invasion. Not with armies, armies will not suffice, but with your faith, lived with integrity.’ https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/n...f-st.-pope-john-paul-islam-will-invade-europe
Well we have God's promise, My grace will be sufficient unto you'. I read the most wonderful story today which filled me full of hope. When the Communist s ruled Yugoslavia and Our Lady began appearing there they sent two atheist Doctors , the Head of a Clinic and his assistant to disprove the apparitions in Medugorje. The lady Doctor asked to touch Our Lady and Our Lady said she could. She was at once converted. Really astounding. http://www.nationalmedjugorjemoveme...ks-publically-for-the-first-time-in-34-years/
I feel it. More than ever but at the same time a temptation to be sluggish of Heart. Prayer is so difficult. Getting to daily Mass is so difficult. I do it by God's Grace and the faithful assistance of my Guardian Angel but it is as if I have to do violence to myself in the process like I am up against a force field. Any one else experience this? There is always great joy on the other side of this but getting there is sometimes a gauntlet. This is a recent thing. Maybe it has to do with getting older? Just don’t know.
Sometimes in the past I have felt afraid that I was going backwards rather than forward in the Spiritual Life. It was similiar to the feeling you sometimes get when one train overtakes another, as if your own train was going backwards. I remember my Spiritual Director telling me several times that the spiritual life is not a sprint but a marathon. I think one thought which has set my mind at rest is the Spiritual is not centered on what we feel or think it centres on love, which by its nature is self giving. . It is a bit like a deep ocean , it is on the floor of the ocean rather than the crest of the waves that the real change, the real effects occur. Usually I think these changes are slow, though they can appear dramatic... as in the case of conversions. I used to love reading books on mystical theology that set the spiritual life in stages such as St Teresa of Avila's, 'The Interior Mansions'. I loved to try and place myself somewhere on the path, to give myself a place. But I think there is a point when like a little boat we find ourselves at sea, far from the shore. Not only to be far from the shore but to be happy not to know and simply to trust. But one think I do think is that we are never closer to Christ than when we hang upon the Cross, at least I have found this in my own spiritual life. I noticed in recnet Marian messages,... and this really stood out for me , Our Blessed Lady speaks of getting spiritually prepared. I find one grace I noticed recently. I am a very,very organised person. I love everything to be one two three. As in a monastery. I get up at 4;30 walk the dogs have coffee spend a couple of hours on the forum and so on. But I find this changing recently , I kind of do the unexpected. For instance I usually go to bed at night at nine; last night I went at midnight and rose at 6:30. Even the paths I walk sometimes I walk in places I have never walked in many years. I have thought of moving house. They are changing me from the day shift to the night shift in work and so. I no longer feel attached to the routines around me. It is as though the inner spiritual season had changed as though some inner wind were bring down many leaves and branches. I feel like I am getting set for bigger changes all around me, teaching me to let go...
I love Billy Grahams quote, 'I have read the Bible to the end and it all works out well there'. As for the Church we know that, 'The Gates of Hell will not prevail against it'. No matter what. Christ's promise; a total rock. As to our won spiritual life we have the assurance of St Paul, 'For those who love God , all things work unto the good'. Blessed assurance!! But God came to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. The Holy Spirit is a jokester. Who would have it any other way.?
But I think there is a point when like a little boat we find ourselves at sea, far from the shore. Not only to be far from the shore but to be happy not to know and simply to trust. Very beautiful Padraig. For me, I find I yearn for the shore because while at sea I know that the shore is safe. My life seems to have this little boat stranded at sea most of the time, and I am always surprised when I find myself somewhat magically transferred to the shore of consolation and then for a brief moment I look in hindsight at my time at sea and know how truly safe I was! In the blink of an eye it seems the Lord has me in the sea again, He must be teaching me trust.
I am sensing death. Not the death of a person. The death of our way of life - the death of our civilization - for it must die in order to be resurrected. I know not the timescale but given the graces we are all being given then our Lady is preparing us for something big, something so big that it is beyond our human comprehension. Something that rarely happens in human history, something that only comes along in millennia, an epoch changing transformation -- for out of the dust a new way of life must be built -- Europe will be like a cellar, old relics, shadowy, cobwebs. Family heirlooms (St John Paul II)
AED I hear you! I think God gives us little mountains to overcome, possibly to strengthen us. Of course they feel enormous to us and no one really knows the difficult assaults that another has to endure, however that cross is our crown, and the good thing is, once we put our first foot forward or maybe our second foot forward, God lifts us high and His rewards far outweigh our effort.
The Christian Life is such a paradox. Totally different from the wisdom of the world. In the world people sake safety, the shore. They think if they have loads of money they will be safe, if they are successful and so on. But the path of the Cross is a real ass kicker. I would say one of the greatest dangers to the Spiritual Life is complacency, the feeling of having made it. I think God is a little bit like a Father who picks up His baby child up and throws it in the sea time and time again to force us to swim. Naturally we can hate this at the time, but looking back on it we can see the sense of it. But even for unbelievers the safety they seek is illusive, there are no safe places in this world as Jesus said. He talked of the merchant who built himself a huge shed to store his wealth in and thought he had safety made, but then the Lord called him saying, 'Fool this night your soul is required of you'. I suppose the only difference between them and us is we know we have to keep on swimming to the Eternal shore, whereas they think the shore on which they appear to stand is Eternal. But it's not off course. We're all going to die. There's nothing surer. Our Lady speaks to this in the Magnificat
Oh yes. I love the image of resting in our little boat on the sea. Many years ago I was praying with great anguish for my younger son’s soul. In front of the Blessed Sacrament and I was crying saying to the Lord: he is drifting further and further from shore and I can’t pull him back. I am not strong enough to go get him. (I had this image of my son being swept away by the tide) And the Lord answered very softly and very clearly: But I am an Ocean of Mercy. And I saw so clearly that He is in control. He hears my prayers. That of course I can do nothing but with Him all things are possible. And that my son is adrift on His Mercy. And I had peace. So this image of drifting on the ocean of God’s mercy is very dear to me.
I suppose sometimes it may be necessary for them to loose the Faith in order to find it again. A bit like pulling down the old house before building a new one.
I agree garabandal, at Mass this morning a father asked me to pray for his son who has lost his way, let us pray for all the son's and daughters who have lost their way from Christ and his Holy church. The younger generation do not see the need to focus on the eternal which is so sad. I pray for the salvation of their souls before it's too late.
Oh well, time for another week at work. Thanks Lord for the Job. Thanks for the wonderful people I work with. Thanks for the frosty morning, the moon the stars. Thank you for a day closer to coming home to you.
