This teaching on marriage does need to be heard. It could help many. Church no longer preaches. Please continue your story. So interesting. Mary
Jesus told me a very instructive way to look at Marriage. I never forgot it: When we are born, we are to be made into our full selves to be brought back to Heaven, or our true home. Please bear with my way of describing this, as they are not Jesus exact words, this was something He infused into me during the apparition. I did hear him speak but we did not use words per say... Anyway, He does NOT recommend marriage, because it is hard, (which I later found in scripture) but recommends staying a consecrated single or going into a community as a religious. He said we people all seem to think we are going to Heaven in this age. But in Heaven we are expected to love ALL of our brothers and sisters in Christ UNCONDITIONALLY and for ETERNITY (He really stressed those words) and then He said that we can't even manage to love ONE PERSON for a short lifetime on earth that WE OURSELVES CHOSE! No one forced us into it, we did it ourselves (if we were forced itwould make the marriage invalid of course). We are put on eartto serve God and each other, and grow and prepare for Eternity.
Very powerful words indeed - thanks for sharing that Carmel333. I am asking Jesus for a heart transplant - that my heart will be infused by love from his Sacred Heart so that I can then love even more!
So, we are put here on earth to come back to Heaven, and we must learn and grow and perfect our love both for God and for, first our Husbands or wives, our family, our community, and inclusive of all of our brothers and sisters around the world. How would one like me, I asked, love my husband, who has left and does not love me? Jesus told me to love and serve Joe, as if he were Jesus Himself and not to worry about what I would get in return. Jesus said He Himself would give me all the love I need, and all the care and protection I need. He said I will be judged on how I fullfilled MY marriage vows, not on how Joe fullfilled his. In other words LOVE, and SERVE your husband or wife, and in fact that is how you LOVE and SERVE God!
And of course, tolerating or committing sin is the opposite of love. I cannot stress enough that He convicted me of sin, and showed me how very enslaving it is until finally it brings a soul into a crushing death, such as the snake Boa Constrictor, slowing crushing all real love and beauty into death. We must tell our brothers and sisters that are in mortal sin that they are in great danger, and that Jesus loves them and wants them to come home to Heaven. They will be freely forgiven if they repent and change their ways. If we dont tell them, and say, bless a homosexual union, we will also go to hell for helping them into the fire and not warning them, but instead telling them the lie that God doesn't mind!
Carmel, I think your story is interesting, but I am very troubled by this comment because it doesn't seem like something that Jesus would say since He instituted the sacrament of marriage. "Marriage. I never forgot it: When we are born, we are to be made into our full selves to be brought back to Heaven, or our true home. Please bear with my way of describing this, as they are not Jesus exact words, this was something He infused into me during the apparition. I did hear him speak but we did not use words per say... Anyway, He does NOT recommend marriage, because it is hard, (which I later found in scripture) but recommends staying a consecrated single or going into a community as a religious." This makes me very leary.
What Carmel333 says has its origins in Holy Scriptures: St Paul states in the letter to the Corinthians 1 v 8 So I say to those who aren't married and to widows--it's better to stay unmarried, just as I am. And also 1 Corinthians 7 v 1 'Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to marry'.
Rosebud, as I stated, these words were at the time were meant for me, and my situation. I do believe that I had a vocation I ran away from and I chose to marry. Jesus does take marriage extremely serious, and it is something that binds a man and woman both spiritually and physically. For someone who's main concern is serving God, and spending lots of time with God in prayer, like Mary at Jesus feet when Martha needed her help, He told me that He and His Church recommend a religious vocation for the safest route to Heaven. In a religious vocation, one shares in the graces of a very large family, instead of trying to please a husband or wife, who may be very worldly. I hope that helps explain. I believe if you read the rest of the apparition, it was about marriage being VERY sacred to Jesus.
Carmel333 is not saying that marriage is not from God - just that sacramental marriage is difficult because it involves total self donation to the other. The number of failed marriages proves how difficult marriage is. It is a long standing Catholic dogma that celibacy [the consecrated life] is superior to the married state and should be preferred, if it is within the capacity and disposition of the soul to do so.
Ok, after the apparition I read the whole Bible. This is where I found Jesus talking about it: Luke 20:34-39 New International Version (NIV) 34 Jesus replied, “The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection. 37 But in the account of the burning bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’[a] 38 He is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.” Hope that helps.
Oh! How lovely. You have just made me cry. With Maria Divine Mercy. I was reading them daily and following the messages. When I first heard about her, I couldn't quite understand the secrecy of her true identification. But like all of us, we want to believe all the prophets, we are all looking for direction, and if we think someone might be recieving Divine messages we want to be apart of it. Her messages seem to make sence, and true to what is happening in the world. Then this message made me sit up. The 26th June 2012. The messages about heaven says, 'you will see your children marry and have children.' I am sure scriptures says 'no one is married in Heaven'. God the Father, Jesus, Mary, never make mistakes in prophecy. Feb 2011, we were also told we had only weeks left to be prepared. 17th Feb 2011, we were told 3 world leaders will soon be killed. Another thing that I was surprised about was.... 16th May 2012, we were told WW3 will soon unfold and Germany would will be behind it again because of the banking system. Anyway, Lisa. I just want to let you know what I have picked up on with Maria Divine Mercy. I could be wrong.
I came across this Scripture reference that gives me hope that God can give me a new heart full of love! I am going to take you from among the nations and gather you together from all foreign countries, and bring you home to your own land. I shall pour clean water over you and you will be cleansed; I shall cleanse you of all your defilement and all your idols. I shall give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you; I shall remove the heart of stone from your bodies and give you a heart of flesh instead. Ezekiel 36 : 24-26
Jane, you have hit on those points of Maria's messages that I, and probably everyone following are too wondering...what happened there? I also read one message in 2011 that said weeks meant within months and months within a year. Having seen Him myself, I have to say that anyone with a deep connection with Jesus would be SCARED to death to offend Him, and also love and desire to please Him too much to offend Him, and would never publicize any thing untrue. Perhaps she unconsiously is adding to what she hears, or perhaps Jesus is testing our loyalty by not having things happen yet. I feel my knowledge of the Catholic Faith and my knowledge of scripture is mature enough, that I can follow, take what is good, be informed, and wait on the rest. There seem to be others who have very little knowlege of scripture, who have never actually read the bible, and have not read through the Catachism in adulthood, who may fall for anything said in any prophecy. We can only pray for Maria, as it has to be very difficult to be in that situation, and actually BE prepared for those events, which of course doesn't hurt anyone's faith at all.
Charity is good .We must not offend against it. Justice and truth have their place too. Maria started out shaky. Then she went into orbit. Currently she is cruising light years from here in an unknown galaxy. She hasn't gotten there by accident and she's brought an awful lot of good folks way out there with her. It's a dark, cold place to be and many of them may never see planet Catholic again. She's Captain of her very own ship, heading goodness knows where....I was fond of her when she was on the forum, but.... 2 Peter 2:1 ESV But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
1 Timothy 5:20 ESV As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.
Lisa, it is very difficult to know which prophets are true. I really don't know how far Satan can go to decieve us. Can he perform miracles? I don't know. Everyone on these forums, and I'm assuming you too, believe in Medjugorje. I did too until recent. But I read all the stories regarding Medjugorje on this forum and they sound convincing. But I just can't understand why Ivan is making so much money? Why would Our Lady allow him to own a hotel and charge such an amount to make a real lot of money? And this isn't the only way he is making money. But please, before anyone thinks I am just knocking Medjugorje, I'm not. It's just an honest questions. By the way, I did go to Medjugorje last year. Sorry everyone. But I am really confused about all these prophecies. I'm afraid of following the false prophet, I am also feeling horrified that I may well be turning my back to Our Lady. I feel in my heart that I have to keep reading the Bible. I hope I will find the answer there. I also hope I finish the Bible before the 'Warning'. Reading this forum means I have less time for the Bible. Anyway, when you meantioned you were reading Maria Divine Mercy, I just wanted to tell you what I had noticed. I think it is fair to say, we do have to be careful. I keep hearing "even the elect will follow the false prophet."
I think in Discernment we must see things in the round, rather than getting tripped by one issue. My biggest persuader of Medugorje's validity are the conversion stories:
I too am convinced Medugorje is probably real. If one or more of the seers offend in anyway, I think that is just human nature. They have to earn money to survice and feed and clothe themselves in this world too, and perhaps it is better for Ivan to run that hotel, than other people who's intentions may be evil? To be honest I don't know much personal about any of the seers, so not right for me to make any judgement, but those who are known to be close to God are truly judged by a different set of judgments, and can cause scandal alot easier, so should be really careful of what they do, as they are, in a way, representing God for some people. I don't know anything personal about Maria either, only that some of the FIRST of her messages about the Warning, were close to things I was receiving at that time, some almost word for word. I have never had any prophecy though about wars or fallen Bishops, or executed leaders and such. If we all know our Catholic faith, we will be able to dscern what goes against it, for example if the Bishops try to tell us the Eucharist is NOT the Body and Blood of Christ, or that Mary had original sin, etc...we would know they are lying, and something is wrong in there. We know from the Bible that something WILL happen to "abolish the Holy Sacrafice" and that we would be terribly persucuted in the end times, so we can beware, and just support those Priests and Bishops that follow the true teachings. And that's only if the Pope LEAVES Rome. So reading the Bible and obeying the teachings of the Church, praying the Rosary, and receiving the sacraments frequently, and of course spending time in personal prayer and maybe adoration each day is all we need. I'm convinced God will let each of us know what we need to do in times of crisis.
I am reading five volumes of Butlers, 'Lives of the Saints', at the moment, Connie. I love particulary reading about saints I have never heard of before. Its like making new friends. Here is one I found the other day; a great mystic I had never heard of before. St Veronica De Julianis
