Padraig, Thank you for this post. It is a reminder for me to go to Our Lady at the foot of the Cross and ask her forgiveness once more, for the interior grief I cause her by clinging to my persistent sins. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have Mercy on me, a sinner!
I have discussed this matter with Padraig, respectfully via this sites private messaging. Perhaps, the word “revelations” rang alarm bells.. I can only assume . However, to clarify: I did not mean that I have written instructions from heaven to relay, but in the sense of knowing. If I had: I would not be so presumptions to say, write, post anything without the full consent of the Roman Holy Catholic Church. I will keep my word. As for visions - I fail to see the reasoning - as there are many here that have posted their experiences.. but I digress. I am very stressed, tired regarding other matters. I wish to leave this for God alone in His divine providence. Such matters may district from this beautiful thread. I will send you a message John, if it helps you. God bless!
"Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword." Matthew 10:34 Douay-Rheims "I want you to become like a knight experienced in battle" St. Faustina - Diary, 1823 "Bring me my weapon" St. Padre Pio "The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence and you’ll be amazed at the results." St. Josemaria Escriva "Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world." Blessed Pope Pius IX "Finally, brethren, be strengthened in the Lord, and in the might of his power. Put you on the armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places. Therefore take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and to stand in all things perfect. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice, And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace: In all things taking the shield of faith, wherewith you may be able to extinguish all the fiery darts of the most wicked one. And take unto you the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit (which is the word of God). By all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the spirit; and in the same watching with all instance and supplication for all the saints." Ephesians 6:10-18 Douay-Rheims
I was rewatching the film The Passion of the Christ (2004), which returned to the Netflix catalog this Tuesday in Brazil, and as I watched the scene of Christ’s agony in the garden, I found it to be an inexhaustible source of lessons for every Christian who suffers. The scene of the apostles sleeping reminds me of how many of us are overcome by discouragement as we try to persevere through long and tiring prayer vigils, while many of our loved ones are asleep — often not just in the physical sense. The apostles’ flight and dispersion echo the abandonment that many people experience in moments of tribulation, which is often followed by the temptation to believe that even God has forsaken us. The enemy made every possible attempt to sink Christ’s faith, and he was defeated in every one of them. In doing so, Our Lord’s victory over those trials gave us the protection needed so that our faith may not be lost entirely — even if it is mortally wounded in the purifying experience of the dark night of the soul. This is what many Protestant denominations refer to as the “perseverance of the saints,” which is one of the five points of Calvinism. Unfortunately, however, many of them have distorted the concept, treating it as if good works play no role in the process of salvation. Yet tears, suffering, and perseverance are themselves a kind of good work and a sacrifice of praise — one in which Christ has compassion on us, because, in such moments, we unite ourselves in an infinitely smaller scale with His suffering in Gethsemane. The experience of the dark night of the soul remains a paradox for much of the Western world, which often views a lack of faith and a trial of faith as one and the same. There’s a sort of herd mentality behind the fact that many Christians confuse the crisis of faith they begin to experience with the disastrous trajectory that currently represents, to a large extent, the main spiritual crisis of the European continent. The fact that Catholicism is virtually the only religion to “theologize” the crisis of spiritual dryness as a kind of purification analogous to purgatory is very revealing. It offers a direct answer to a question many ask about the existence of God and how He operates His supernatural activity in the world.
The great difficulty for Protestantism is that it kills the Mystical. So no Eucharist. No Mass. No Marian Devotion. No contemplative path in prayer. It kills all that is of the heart and exalts all that has to do with the head. Perhaps this is why it never prospered in the Romance countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. They are people of the heart rather than of the head; the same could be said of Ireland.
Although watching this film always causes me deep anguish and reflection, yesterday, while rewatching it on Netflix, I had an experience unlike anything I had ever had before: I felt sharp pains in my head during the scenes in which Jesus’ hands are nailed to the cross. Has anyone ever experienced something similar?
