I suppose I need hardly remind anyone how bad things are at the moment in terms of a danger to peace and the risk of great wars breaking out. Please join me in praying to Our Blessed Mother for Peace ; the need is very, very urgent. Pray, pray pray.
I am with you padraig, it is what we are called to do. Take part in the sacraments as often as we are able, stay in the grace of our Lord and PRAY!
The sky in Ireland this evening and the last few evenings seem strange, kind of looming, as though waiting. My heart feels sad. But my hope is in the Lord my God as always. My stronghold, my Saviour.
Yes, if something were to happen this is the best time of the year for it. I have had a great Lent this year, looking back on it, may be the best ever. The best perhaps because it involved struggle. But its been worth it. I have found my Faith tried but strengthened. I always thank God that He has fgiven this period every year to go into the desert. I find I never come out of the Desert empty handed. My gift this year was a much deeper Faith. Thank God. Mark 4:35-41 Jesus Calms the Storm 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
It has also been a fruitful Lent for me. I was "urged" , inner urgings, to struggle this Lent. So, I took away and added to my days. It was hard for me on some days but I persevered. Fasting has always been a challenge for me but I didn't give in to the temptations. By the grace of God, I really limited my foods and I gave it to Mary. I also added more prayer and more spiritual reading. I didn't have enough time to "do more" but what is funny, God found me time And I had more time on top of the time I thought I didn't have....lol. May God be praised!
I had one great Temptation this Lent and this is one that people who are dying get hit with, the Temptation to Despair. This came over and over again in the form that my entire Spiritual Life was a sham. That instead of going forward on road to God I was in fact going backwards, subject to an illusion . This can be off putting and confusing, for of course if we are subject to an illusion we would be the very last to know. A kind of hyper scruples if you will. For some time I struggled with this getting a little tied up in knots over it but praying. Eventually I was given the grace to see and say, 'Well if it is all nonsense and a waste of time . Fine. Lord give me the grace to start all over from the beginning without illusion or pride. For if this new true journey is the real one , wonderful. For if the Illusion brought me such joy, happiness and peace how much more wonderful will the real deal be? Bring it on, Lord, bring it on'. At this the temptation fled. I suspect we will all get hit with temptations like this at one time or another. Dying people in particular. The reason is God wants us to despair. If we fall into a blackness where we loose trust in God to save us to loose confidence in God's mercy he has won. So, even with Judas. If he had not despaired he would not have hung himself. Temptations to despair are a terrible, terrible thing. Satan's nukes.
How do we know and know really and with absolute confidence we are on the right path? Well you know I don't think we ever really do, not with absolute security. Yes we may have strong indicators. Do I keep the ten commandments? Do I follow the Word of God? Do I obey the Teachings of Holy Mother Church? Do I love? But at the End of the Day we walk the Dark Path of Faith along our Spiritual Road. A path that relies totally on God's Mercy and requires from us great humility and Trust and the further along it we go the more we realise we are sinners and cry out, 'Jesus Christ Son of God , have mercy of me a sinner!' Knowing that Jesus said, Matthew 7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ..and as St Paul adds: Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, But if the road we walk on, the spiritual bed that we lie on is that of God's Mercy, we know we can move forward with complete confidence. For though the world end and the Heavens fade Gods Mercy is Eternal and without End. Heavenly Father , let us begin today the walk towards your Heart..
I think this is one thing that makes me uneasy about our Protestant Evangelical brothers and sisters who loudly proclaim, 'I am saved'. I am inclinded to think quietly to myself, 'But are you, are you really?' Even in the physical realm , instead of saying, 'I am healthy', it is safer to say, 'I seem to be healthy', for who knows what is going on inside the body, what illnesses or tumours may be growing? So as St James warns us we should not boast of what we are going to do tomorrow but rather say, , 'Tomorrow, God willing', as indeed good Catholics do do. For how do we know if we have a , 'Tomorrow?' James 4:15 Do Not Boast of Tomorrow …14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.…
I am always questioning whether I do enough for God - do I love? The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak... Our Heavenly Mother's messages from Medjugorje taught me how to pray, how to try and remember that we are always in the Lord's presence. I try and do this. I am confident in my faith. But I am always questioning if what I do is enough. I suppose it's healthy for the spiritual life as it keeps one striving...
I once told an old priest in confession that I did not love God enough and he burst out laughing, 'Who does?' he said, 'No one ever does'. Love is the stuff of poetry and who can ever measure poetry? Only God. I guess we will have to wait till the end of time to see God turn the last page.
You are right, sparrow. As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, obvious sins might be dealt with quickly. For instance, in my conversion experience back in 1977, my vulgar tongue was vanquished immediately. Other growth spurts have occurred- it's like going through spiritual puberty! But now, 4o years later, what I struggle with most are sins of omission. Procrastination is one of them. The Holy Spirit nudges me to make better use of my time or to undertake a mini-mission and I fail to act promptly. I'd rather do what I prefer even if it not be overtly sinful. I am truly dependent on the grace of God and Our Lady who as Mother distributes them according to the Divine Will. Back in the 197os and early 1980s, I used to think certain Marian prayers were somewhat bleak. Now I better understand what the term , vale of tears, means! It often is found in the reluctance of my own heart! ...To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. As long as my tears are due not from excessive guilt, but from failing to bring joy to the Heart of Jesus, there is hope. Come, Holy Spirit, come! Safe in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
