The other night I ran into a holy friend, and in the course of the conversation, I spoke about an old pagan colleague I haven't spoken to in over 20 years. First, here's a story of my strongest memory of her: We worked the night shift together at a Catholic hospice house. I had a habit of leaving a rosary in the hands of the dying when I had to leave them and care for someone else. She was intrigued by this, and asked me for a rosary, even though she wasn't a believer, and I happily complied. One night, I was caring for an old Catholic woman who couldn't sleep. I sat by her bed and prayed the rosary out loud, and she stopped breathing. I used the call light and my friend came in. "She's gone", I said. Just then, the woman started breathing again, and in a guttural (demonic?) voice, she said, "I don't want to die!" I started praying out loud, and every time I said the name of Jesus, her face contorted with rage and she tried to hit me! I told my friend, "Run to the chapel and get some holy water." I continued praying over the woman and of course was completely absorbed in the spiritual warfare, when my friend cried out, "Help!" I turned around to see her, face frozen in fear at the horror show she was witnessing, frantically dunking her rosary in a cup of holy water and swinging it around over her head. "I don't know how to work this thing, but I'm giving it hell!" Eventually the lady closed her eyes, opened them, and then said in her own voice, "Please help me - I don't want to die." I was able to get a priest to come, and she died peacefully the next day. (I'm guessing she wanted to live so badly, she was willing to make a deal!) Anyway, the other night, after this friend came to mind, I found an email in my box from her. She said the nudge to get in touch with me has been getting stronger and stronger. Then she said, "BTW, I have continued to wander about the fringes of the Catholic church. I keep making friends who turn out to be Catholic. Your people love me! I am loving your new Papa. He seems to be a breath of fresh air." Please pray - maybe I'll finally get the chance to teach her how to work that rosary. I think the Lord has sent me a big fish!
Kathy. I just came across the messages again of Maria Gethsemane and how appropriate they are for your situation you posted here. (OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST SPEAKS) You must be very loving with the little lamb who is looking to return, very compassionate and understanding, but in this time, above all, you must be firm in your word, truthful, and courageous, and that your attitude backs you up, or you will not convince. My Sheep have heard so many empty speeches that they no longer believe, unless they SEE that who is calling them is LIVE GOSPEL. Do you understand? So be lovable, simple, and humble. Don’t talk to them from a pedestal of superiority, but from your heart that they will feel it because remember that MY SHEEP are those who I love above all the creation, and it is you with your love who can get them closer to Me or push them away. Don’t waste even a single opportunity to be generous and even magnanimous with them, that if you return one to Me, just one, and you spend all your possessions in the attempt, you will make your Most Beloved Lord very happy, to whom you owe your own salvation; so don’t spare time, or resources, nor money in going after one and bring it back to My Most Beloved and Very Saddened Heart for longing My Beloved Little Lambs. Do you understand? (OUR MOST HOLY MOTHER SPEAKS) My Beloved Children: In these times you must place all your emphasis and effort in that one who wants, who longs to return, because it is Your Lord who is calling it, and when hearing in its little heart His Holy Calling, it just wants to return, but it is going to need your help, so do everything possible, that Heaven will do the impossible. Do you understand? Maintain yourselves holy at all moment and bring back the Little Lambs of My Beloved Son. Many are the ones who are waiting for one of you to teach them the way of return, so it DOESN’T MATTER HOW YOU SEE THEM IN THE OUTSIDE, because it Is My Beloved Son who is calling it. One lamb is worth the same as the next; so don’t believe that one is worth more and another less. Do you by chance can see how much more or less My Most Beloved Son Loves it in his Most Sacred Heart? So bring them back. Do you have people at your service in your home or those who do some labor with whom you frequently run into, but whom you DON’T SEE because you believe that maybe they are worth less, than those who are more similar to you? They, among them, you will see the ones who belong to My Son, and you will bring them back. Do you see how you don’t have to go too far to bring them? You run into tem in your daily tasks. I charge them to you, in the same manner as I Myself have taken charge of each one of you, of bringing you closer to the Most Beloved Heart of My Beloved Son; in the same way now, this one who speaks to you, your Most Holy Mother, charges you to bring to Me the ones with who you run into every day in your daily living. Do you understand? Do it as we tell you, and don’t forget it.
You have the most wonderful stories Kathy and are a great Apostle. Prayers going up. Keep telling those stories, you should write a book about some of your experiences. I love the way you keep reaching out to people. I'll stop I don't want to give you a big head.
I Thanks, Padraig. But remember - when they come to you, investigating my cause, be sure to tell them I was as humble as a worm. (Maybe they'll fall for it!)
I hear similiar weird things from our own local hospice, I think the death agony is the devils last chance and goes for it big time. The old stories of the Fathers of the Desert confirm this. Fr Malachi Martin told a story about being called out to the death bed of a dying prostitute in , I think it was Brooklyn. The Madam of the House let him in and he got to the girls death bed, but a man came in and he said, 'Leave her she's mine'. He said he was young then so he got scared and left , if he'd been older he would have put up a fight. But he knew who he was dealing with.
I keep thinking of what my friend said: "BTW, I have continued to wander about the fringes of the Catholic church. I keep making friends who turn out to be Catholic. Your people love me!.". How many faithful sons and daughters of the Church, just going about their daily lives, are planting seeds for the kingdom, never seeing the fruits? We must always remember, people are watching! We'll only know when we get to heaven the effect of our day labor for the Lord in our ordinary duties.
I love reading about this stuff, so few people will write about these things. Many, many people see them, few tell.
Wow Kathy that reminded me of St John Vianney..I will say a special prayer to him to assist you. quote from the cure of Ars... Nightly Monsieur Vianney’s rectory was the site of a terrifying cacophony: scurrying and gnawing rats, the sound of pounding nails, and howling wind. When the noises failed to trouble the holy Curé, the Devil turned over furniture, smeared excrement on the doorway, and set the priest’s bed on fire. To this last effort, Vianney responded, “The wretched fiend. He has not been able to catch the bird, so he has burnt the cage.” Adding, “I have asked this favor of God; at last he has granted it. I am truly the poorest of the parish; they all have a bed . . . . I no longer have one.” Nights of particularly violent infestation pleased Fr. Jean-Marie for he came to learn that the following day always brought some major sinner, a “really big fish,” to his confessional. Fr. Thurston declares that there is no diabolical infestation in history that lasted so long or was so “varied and so cogent.” Asked how he tolerated it, Vianney, who had spent so much time in Satan’s company, brushed it off: “The grappin and I are practically mates.”
