Drifting and Purposeful Living

Our reality is what we make it. If God makes our reality, we are not handicapped, but we might be disoriented until we get used to it. In any case, no one will remain forever in this life, nor will anyone remain the same in the instant they leave this world.

It is a healthy thing to think about life and its end. It is foolishness to avoid the subject. Each of us already has his or her own destiny, but how we arrive where we should be is a matter of the sum of all our choices. 

Fortunately, we have help from God Himself and all His angels, in making good choices. One excellent choice is to say the Rosary every day. Any time we choose God, we become more like Him, because we become part o His Will.

Seeking His Will, asking to know it and to have the grace to ask for what we need rightly is no small thing. It is a matter of taking His hand and placing our hearts in His own.

To overcome our own entropy and lack of motivation can be difficult, but moments are too brief to let things slide.

One of the prayers associated with the recitation of the Rosary is as follows:

"Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven." How could we not want to ask for that? Those who will not need to examine themselves. A confessor might help us lead our lives in ways that bring us peace. 

At any rate, do not wait until the wolf has summoned his pack to tear you to pieces. Life has its harrowing moments, but if we train ourselves to do a thing in a difficult moment, the outcome is sure to be better than drifting or living like a piece of flotsam drifting over a waterfall.

Ads

 If I wanted to watch advertising, I'd log onto advertising sites, which, these days, seems to be every site. I do not want to watch ads, nor do I want to see pictures of women with their naked bodies in full page glory. I don't want to watch pornography. Sites that get ticked off if I use an ad blocker need to consult the Constitution that gives me the right to express myself. Anyone who does not like my ad blocker can just pull up their knickers and put a cinch in their belt, because I hate advertising. 

Sites that don't want to hear from me after making pulic posts have a problem, because I do, as mentioned above, have the right to express myself.

I will be polite and direct in my responses which is more than I can expect from websites. 

If I had the money to buy all the stuff advertised, I would likely not be writing this post anymore, I'd be out enjoying amy purchases. I have just barely enough to make ends meet, and need my money for groceries, paying bills and paying rent. Eveytime I look, there is someone new standing in line waiting to demand that I give them part of what I have. I don't mind sending money to those less fortunate than me, but I limit donations to one place, and they don't quibble over the amount, thanking me for what I gave. They are orphans living in a third world country in our hemisphere, and the children deserve to have something to eat too.

Advertising is based on information about me which websites eagerly collect and hoard in the belief I will break down and go head over heels in debt to have. Since the information usually was gathered without my permission, it is illegal in the first place, and those who gather people's information should be put in jail. They are not hurting in any way, and I have no sympathy whatsoever. Advertising's very nature is contrary to my reight to privacy, and since ads are shoved in my face without a choice and unwanted, I do not feel the slightest remorse about deleting the ads and dissing the site that bombarded my sensibilities with crap.

Ads are also used by criminals to influence elections, and that is another facet of advertising which makes me wish those advertising would get a clue before someone finally has had enough and puts advertisers in jail where they belong.

It is Christmas eve, and you problably were expecting something different than a diatribe against ads. I find very little to make me merry.

Hands

We are in His holy hands.

 It is owing to the holiness and perfection of God, that good Chrstians fear they will not be worthy of heaven, but be hindered by some sin.

Even the very holiest had their doubts.

If they had not somehow seen the holiness of God, they would not have doubted.

Pray to see His holiness, and to comfort the pain of His Heart, and the suffering of His Mother, and the children of the Church.

This is necessary because we have such determined enemies. But God is more determined that we go to be with Him, not to punishment.

Let your love grow in intensity, for each other and for God himself. That which will change and go away, will go away because it is time. Be at peace in each other's company, endowed with the light of the Holy Spirit in which we are enabled to see the Lord. At any moment in which the soul if lifted up, the Holy Spirit comes to comfort us. We may be unaware, as we must grow into seeing in a new way, the way which the Holy Spirit sees and rejoices in God and His children.

Evil has no joy, no light, and no peace but is tormented forever, and God stands beside us to protect and deter evil from harming us. Especially have joy in your heart.

Pain

 Do not be deterred by evil but be strong in love, for it vanquishes selfish greed and hatred.

Be childlike, not childish in your approach to  others, so that the gentle acceptance of the Lord Himself might be made  plain to  others. 

In all things strive to be like Him, not cringing at the thought of suffering or  pain or rejection or failure.

If Christ had stopped to consider those things, He would never have been able to embrace His last evening on earth which was in Gethsemane. The olive trees themselves wept to witness His suffering and rejoiced in His victory. The human race was not saved by fear but by love. Never forget that, and when He asks you for anything, nothing will deter you from granting it.

Having opened my heart, He did me a great service in accepting others, The way was opened unforgettably when he opened my side and my heart. He forgot nothing but included everything that would  make me useable by Him. I simply needed to accept what He wanted to give me, and in receiving, I became enough like Him so He could work  miracles; it did not depend on me, nor was He afraid to use me. I had to overcome my fear of pain. When i could, I became useful in His hands and in His Heart I rejoiced where I used to be afraid.

Habakuk

 Habakkuk’s Complaint
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help,
    but you do not listen?
Or cry out to you, “Violence!”
    but you do not save?
3 Why do you make me look at injustice?
    Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?
Destruction and violence are before me;
    there is strife, and conflict abounds.
4 Therefore the law is paralyzed,
    and justice never prevails.
The wicked hem in the righteous,
    so that justice is perverted.
The Lord’s Answer
5 “Look at the nations and watch—
    and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
    that you would not believe,
    even if you were told.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,[a]
    that ruthless and impetuous people,
who sweep across the whole earth
    to seize dwellings not their own.
7 They are a feared and dreaded people;
    they are a law to themselves
    and promote their own honor.
8 Their horses are swifter than leopards,
    fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their cavalry gallops headlong;
    their horsemen come from afar.
They fly like an eagle swooping to devour;
9     they all come intent on violence.
Their hordes[b] advance like a desert wind
    and gather prisoners like sand.
10 They mock kings
    and scoff at rulers.
They laugh at all fortified cities;
    by building earthen ramps they capture them.
11 Then they sweep past like the wind and go on—
    guilty people, whose own strength is their god.”
Habakkuk’s Second Complaint
12 Lord, are you not from everlasting?
    My God, my Holy One, you[c] will never die.
You, Lord, have appointed them to execute judgment;
    you, my Rock, have ordained them to punish.
13 Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;
    you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.
Why then do you tolerate the treacherous?
    Why are you silent while the wicked
    swallow up those more righteous than themselves?
14 You have made people like the fish in the sea,
    like the sea creatures that have no ruler.
15 The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,
    he catches them in his net,
he gathers them up in his dragnet;
    and so he rejoices and is glad.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net
    and burns incense to his dragnet,
for by his net he lives in luxury
    and enjoys the choicest food.
17 Is he to keep on emptying his net,
    destroying nations without mercy?
Footnotes
Habakkuk 1:6 Or Chaldeans
Habakkuk 1:9 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Habakkuk 1:12 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text we

Dance

They do dance, even with the nail holes in their feet.

It is Thanksgiving Day, a chance to express gratitude for our many blesseings. While it is nominally a happy time, it is also a time when, whether we want ti or not,sorrow insinuates itself into the hours of that day, adding a piquancy to the moments of it.

Wars, natural disasters and many kinds of suffering have a way of muting the warmth of the momennt. Time goes on, things happen, and we are left to deal as best we can, with happenings in the world.

What is important is not the infestation of our universe by evil, but the strength of our love which enlighten  our time.

Like a heavy jacket on a cold day, the cold can be held at bay to some extent, but not elimincated entirely. It is not as if we have some magical power to make the cold warm or to trscend distance and time to unite us to those we love. If we have a place to live and call our own, we should be aware of the multitudes who feel the cold despite the well-meaning wishes of the kind.

The reality is, there is no magical way to dissipate the loneliness and cold; it is a part of this world we cannot dismiss. At best, we can offer the warmth of a smile or a warm greeting. If we can do more, we should be grateful for that as well.

I have often spoken of a special kind of love that is willing to sacrifice itself for those who are without advocate, who are burdened and bound by sin and the need for foregiveness. Perhaps many do not realize the need because they have become so accustomed to the cold dark that they became desnsitized to their sins or the possibility of outright redemption. By offering our sacrifices and and little sufferings, joined together, a mighty manifestation of love is had, and even the most jaded heart can feel the comforrt and pleasure of the Lord and His forgiveness. Be aware, 

Miracles

Ask and you will receive.

How do miracles happen?

I have had some in my life, but I only discuss them in general terms.

Perhaps the one aspect that comes to peoples' minds is that they really have to want the miracle and there can't be any doubt about receiving a miracle.

An honest person will probably be frantic, or the need for an actual miracle would not come up in the first place.

While there are criteria in the Lord's mind, we will never reach such pinnacles of perfection; our selfishness is a very hard burden in life. You don't need to be a saint to ask for a miracle. You do need to be humble and your eyes fixed on the Heart who loves you, because miracles do not take place outside of a great deal of love; very deep and unselfish love.

A person might want to ask, but they may not see themselves worthy. Well, no one is worthy, because we blew in the beginning by the first sin. 

So if you need a miracle, ask for it, humbly and unselfishly, and don't worry about what if. Sometimes the asking must be carried out for a while before it is reoeived. It does not hurt to be a person who bothers to live the way God asks either. 

Peace be with you.

Rapture and other myths

 

The time has come for sober thought. Would God allow a nuclear war? I think the answer has been given before now; we fought the first world war, a second world war, and the VietNam war with the Korean war, the Afghan war and now we prepare for another war. Insofar as war is concerned, another war based on a nuclear exchange would annihilate the human race; there can be no winning side, no thousand year reich or soviet utopia, or wall street atheistic war to establish the kingdom of personal satisfaction and pleasure.

Let that sink in for a bit. The personal guard of Vladimit Putin prance around his palace with a priggish smirk on their face as if they are the master race. As far as human survival is concerned, there is no master race, no master economy and no worker's paradise in which he who works is the slave of the government, whether it resides in Washington DC or Moscow or Beijing or Pyongyang. Every human empire has come to an end; someone smarter and stronger came along and wiped it out, taking possession of everything achieved. Built on the ashes of the last empire, every empire comes to an end.

And if God allows another war, will there be a rapture? Ask yourself, did the people of the first and second world war go away at the height of the veangance rocket? Are we going to give away everything we have achieved? I think not. But even if nucllear weapons disappeared and the very concept was vanished, we would still be at each other's throat without the grace of God, and it is only the grace of God that will allow us to live in peace. Unlike the world that existed in the movie "THe Day the Earth Stood Still", there are no master robots with the ability to totally erase the human race if they don't stop fighting.

No economic system can survive without a radical transformation of human beings by God's grace.

Frankly, I am tired of thinking about these things. I have been thinking about them for 77 years and I participated only in the Vietnam war, and have no desire for any further participation in any further wars. I have seen too much evidence of the consequnces in human lives, young, old and in between.

I think we must insist on His grace, demanding it at any cost. While demanding it may seem arrogant and selfish, people truly in love with each other demand quite a bit from each other, and I am told He loves us with an infinite love. Not much love exists in the world anymore. Only our prayers can preserve it and help it survive and thrive in place of the selfishness and sinfulness of the human race, which seems bent on inventing new heights of sin and hate 

We may be deserving of punishment and chastisement, but even Jesus endured it, when He was whipped at the scourging post in Jerusalem.

That He endured it, not deserving of it, is a fact, and whether we punish ourselves or God punishes us, a lot of unpleasantness and gloomy despair awaits those who will not open their minds and hearts to Christ. I am also tired of having to to shut up and not offend someone who has no clue who God is, let alone what He is really like. The God who allowed the first two world wars was not a woose or a wimp. He is not afraid to punish us justly. We must satisfy His justice, or He will do it.

Rapture refers to a state in which God swoops up a soul and suspends it between heaven and earth, so that nothing of this world affects it and is capable of feeling the full effect of infinite love and joy. It has nothing to do with floating above the scene of a final war, or being lost in God's own bliss to unite us to Himself. The final state of the people who inhabit heaven will be perfected, free of sin or the capacity to commit sin and will be eternally happy. Another word for rapture is ecstasy, in which the senses are suspended along with bodily functions. In that state, the soul feels as God feels, and anything the soul can endure will be at the divine level, and only God can make it possible to be suspended that way and able to endure the happiness. I have never experienced it, though I have experienced great happiness and was not concerned about earthly comfort while I was in His presence.

All in all, I would rather feel that love than suffer anything on earth, but if only some great suffering will satisfy the Lord, then I would choose to be stigmatized, as that was Jesus choice, the choice of St. Francis and the choice of St. Padre Pio when the occasion arose. In Padre Pio's case, he desired the wounds out of love for Jesus, but not the constant harassment he suffered because he bore Christ's wounds. 

So we have come full circle. Much suffering is evident in our future, but loving God, we will not care, because to feel that love is to be wholly abosorbed in Him to the exclusion of everything else. We do have choices, but thus far, the human race has chosen poorly. We see what happened to the Nazi who chose poorly in the ndiana Jones" movie.. Let our intellect be perfected by Jesus so it is at Hs service, then we will not be liable for the sin of selfishness and we may console Jesus hanging still on the cross of selfish loves.

The Solitary Man

 God help the solitary man who seeks God. He is exposed on every side and beset from within and without by evil, gnawing away at his soul for his love of God, subject to the most heartless and descpicable pronouncements possible.

In the midst of such suffering, it does not matter the intensity of pain, or the debilitating loneliness with which he is assaulted, yet even in the midst of total darkness and the assaults of abandonment, he can only see that he is nailed to a cross as real as the ground beneath his feet, and his life blood is flowing away profligately, writhing in suffering that will not end. It makes you  old, and it makes you young.

Hybgry and yearning for sleep, it will not come, until one questions his very vision by which he sees. If it were not for the sudden effulgences of His glory, it might be as bitter as death, yet that does not come either, for men do not stop sinning, and the need that they be punished and chastised never ends, until in a moment He embraces him on the  brink of despair.

Thus a man knows how his brothers are doing, for he is alive with him and all who serve the Lord, and comfort is in their embrace, from far distant shores.

None of it is seen by anyone except God, who measures the weight of sins against the balance of our penances. Yet it is true that we scarcely know His pain and disappointment, and few are those who realize how much He wishes the consolation of our attention, and our desired embrace.

To bleed, the pain must be felt, and the suffering substantial. God deliver him from those who see nothing of the darkness or feel the least prick of any pain, for they are too busy in their merriment and are always busy entertaining themselves while others take up the cross and laid down on it so the nails may the more easilly be imparted all the way through the wood and through the limbs affected. So much will be requited on the final day. Do not fear for your salvation as long as you can feel abandoned and despairing, for the truth is that He loves us greatly for our willingness.

A Prayer

 Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to heaven, especially those who have most need of thy mercy.

One of the prayers said with the other prayers of the Holy Rosary.

A Prayer

 

Selfishness

Donald trump is no savior. He only responds to the possibility of getting something he wants. He has been indicted several times and has hurt people, even raping or molesting them. He doesn't care  if it is possible to get an abortion or not as long as he gets what he wants for himself. Those who voted for him in order to change the law about abortion was tragically wasted. Similalrly, those who are opposed to homosexuality and gay marriage in particularl, will find he hates homosexuals and would hunt them down if he got the chance.

The only thing trump responds to is what he wants, and he will spare no expense to get it, and will say or do anything that will get him what he wants.

Cares

God cares for His children and clothes them in life
and well being.

 It is not difficult to be stunned to silence. Events can freeze us where we stand. It tests what we believe by forcing us to do something, or to admit a truth.

One of my passtimes is watching historical videos about world war 2, and fantasy films like Harry Potter. While some condemn the Harry Potter series, I find that there is a strong current of good versus evil, which is a good thing, I think; if we can see events for what they were, history has a way of repeating irself, which can give us opportunities to take certain actions.

Human ingenuity alters the equation of how time resolves; we can't know how things will change, though we may be quick to pick up on possibilities

People can no longer doubt that changes in the climate have rendered weather forcasts difficult to make. That makes violence in nature very unexpected and if no advance warning is heard, then people die in floods, earthquakes and violent volcanic eruptions. While that list of events is by no means inclusive of everything adverse, it is already close enough.

The bodies discovered at Pompeii  were all that remained after the explosive eruption of Vesuvius volcano, in Italy. So many lives were cut short, and plaster poured into the ash rendered a solid image of the final agonising experience of the inhabitants of Popmpeii.

When ash was removed from parts of Pompeii, frescoes and mosaics appeared, perfectly preserved by the burning cataclysm. People's work was disclosed, the bread baked, and the decorations of the dwellings of the time.

At least some thought should be evoked in encountering these things. Our time is by no means without evidence of sudden and unforeseen catastrophes. People carry on having babies, raising children and working toward retirement and ultimately, passing from this life to the next.

If a person prays their Rosary, they can ponder the meaning of the associated mysteries, and find the comfort nothing else can give. We should ask to be forgiven our sins and we should make atonement for them. Certainly, we should also remember those who have gone before us and encountered the  justice of God. Every sin must be atoned in some way, and an important way is to recall those who have passed on in our prayers, asking for the forgiveness of their sins.

It is certain that none of us will have the excuse "I didn't have time to atone". Sins are committed almost casually, as if there were no consequences. Even priests and bishops nuns and monks must account for their lives before God.

The tragic events of history stand before us as witnesses and admonitions;  such things as the Boxing Day tsunami, and the fire-bombing of Dresden and the use of the first atomic weapon stand demanding explanations and ackowledgments.

"Oh my Jesus, forgive them their sins, be merciful to them and bring them home to you, in your great mercy"; a prayer given me by the Lord. It is a short and simple prayer we can repeat whenever we hear a fire engine or an aid car driving by with their sirens blaring. Then too, when we see the news on the internet or on a tv, we can pray for those who died in catastrophes. Whenever we feel ourselves becoming ill or sudden fear invades our heart, we can make the sign of the cross, and experience the Lord giving us His peace.

In the Rosary we can include the prayer, "Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven."

We shold pray that the Lord prevent a nuclear exchange, and act to quell wars and disputes that can lead to deaths of millions.

The Lord does not demand the impossible; He gives all the grace and knowledge necessary to be safe and to remain close to Him in time of trial, suffering and terror. Those who perpetrate terror will suffer for it. Those who overthrow governments and foment wars will be punished for it, because God is just, and such things will be accounted for.

Seeing

What did you come out into the desert to see,
a reed shaken in the wind? But what did you come out to see?
I know what you saw, and I recall your reaction to what you saw.
Together we are closer to God for what we saw in all we suffered.

Dear God it does hurt so.

t dawned on me, when I pulled my cross from out from under my shirt and I realized there is no one to see it except me; the whole purpose of wearing the habit is to be SEEN.  To be seen  loving, praying and being absorbed utterly into God and His bliss. That was the whole purpose from the beginning. That things went bad from there, is an understatement, and I did not react well.

 But I understood very well, God's purposes in the matter. Those whom I approached were charged by the Church with shepherding His flock, not manipulating and maneuvering people into suffering and humiliation, but that was their will, and they pressed their advantage; I could do nothing but kneel before St. Therese's statue in the dark cathedral, and beg for peace and a little consolation to dull the pain.

They got what they wanted. What happened to them subsequently I will never know. But it hurt; whether it hurt badly enough to constitute reparation of sins, I don't know. My place is more or less quiet and peacful, and there is little else to do but enter into the suffering and submit to God. I have been submitting now for over ten years. Whatever they were afraid of, by now has dwindled away. I was an amusing anecdote.

I got s place to live, auiet in which to be before God, and occasionally, the bliss of being absorbed into Him when I wasn't suspecting it. What they got, I don't really know, but from their remarks, I can only gather that they did not have peace in which to be enclosed and enraptured, and their use of drugs to combat their illness, or their use of alcohol, pretty much states the obvious.

Things should not forever be being dragged up to humiliate me over and over again, but since it is so searingly successful to torment me can only mean it was significant to God Himself. But atonement implies a certain participation, and that makes me happy; that I sensed the urge to approach to the Cross over and over again, asking for the brandedness implied can only speak to His willingness to enter with me. That I hurt, was simple enough, but that I hurt for a decent purpose drew me up into bliss before hIm, and likely always will.

How, I am not certain, but I will be seen. Many times, wearing street clothes only, people have approached me as if I were a religious, even with my cross tucked safely out of sight. The cross is not a source of shame to anyone who loves and realizes that the essence of love is a pain that can't be borne, and the bearing of which is an unbearable weight of blessedness.

My eyes have looked upon God, and He has not allowed me to be killed. For a long time after I returned to the States from 'Nam, I bore a burden for all who were wounded and killed in that country. That I am often reminded over and over again of scenes from the place, tells me He is not finished with me yet, and with all I undertook while I was there. Now I am free. My continuing participation in the cross is a consequence of love; a pure and purging love that brings freedom to all those for whom I bear it. I was not nailed to the cross to the extent that my hands and feet and side or any other part of me exuded a single drop of blood. All that shedding of blood is unseen, and unseeable. For my part, I continue to hope I may stand beside Him on the last day without taint of any sin, and able to see His Face and embrace Him without obstacle.

In The Odor of Sanctity

 In describing that, Laurentin and Corteville inform us that the visionary, who passed in her seventies (long after her fellow other seer, Maximin Giraud), had stigmata and–did Melanie, who so many found controversial–“died in the odor of sanctity”!

How is it one person can prevent honoring someone eho obviouslly exhibits such signs universally recognised? Ego is a terrible adversary for the just.

In the odor of sanctity

The strength of human custom is so great, that even supreme good can be stymied by ordinary human beings, and God help those who do. I suggest that such a thing is unforgiveable. On the other hand, people regularly pain the Immaculate Heart, that replica of the Sacred Heart which implores us so often and in so many ways, to love Her and never stray from beneath Her mantle of protection. They do so with impunity, and a feeling of immunity from punishment because She has not been shown to punish anyone.

They do so with the conviction they have done right, even as they see Her children's lives cut short by evil. They do it anyway.

That is why the answer to the reality is the Rosary, which She has told us time and again is our sheild and our refuge against evil. We may still see it, and still see the grief that evil has perpetrated, but never have we seen that the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart will be overcome except in the pain of grief as She watches Her children suffer. Make no mistake, if She suffers, so do we and so does Jesus. For the abominable sin of not caring and of inflicting that pain, there can scarcely be forgiveness. Yet, if She chooses to forgive, then no one can gainsay Her.

Accordingly, we may say the Rosary, and there is ample opportunity to pray for the conversion of sinners, and to make reparation for the pain of piercing of the Immaculate Heart. I specifically encourage everyone who recites the Rosary faithfully each day, to offer the Rosary to console that Sorrowful Heart which is daily offended countless times. Still She comes to us and speaks to us, piercing the veil of unbelief. We may pray for the forgiveness of sins, but we ought to also offer our sufferings as a gift to the Mother of God as our caresses and consolations meant soley for Her. Our life may scarcely have meaning, as we are so small in the scheme of things, but we are not so small that Mary cannot see us or not know we exist.

We ought to approach God and His Mother in the deepest humility, realizing the perils of our position in the world. We  ought to plead to be forgiven so that there is nothing to prevent us from growing closer to them. 

If we can but be a tiny votive light in the immense darkness about us, then we can be lost in God, and engulfed in His Sacred Heart and that Sorrowful Heart who is His Mother. How much comfort ought we to receive by steadfastly burning with a shining love. Let us desire to be comfort for our brothers and sisters, especially those in endless suffering, and for Jesus and Mary. Let us stand beside the cross and be engulfed in His passion to the extent we can, and love with all  our ability to love, so that in the end, love blots out the memory of pain and evil. Then our neighbors might see too and be encompassed by it. Our particpation is always increased if He finds us worthy to stand where we are. 

Prayer intentions:

Peace and not war in the world.

The  intention of the Holy Father and priests.

The relief of the suffering of our brothers whom we see suffering.
The healing of our planet.

The forgiveness of sins and reparation for them so that offenders may atone for the sorrow they have caused Jesus and Mary.
That  priests live in peace, forgiven their sins and loving to forgive the sins of sinners.

That all who do not believe should be able to believe and to believe.

That those dying in sin might be forgiven and scape the sad sentence of hell.

For the intentions of souls in purgatory that they may be united at last with Jesus.

That in our last moments the angels surround us and protect us so that we arrive safely at the feet of Jesus and Mary and are welcomed into the eternal enjoyment of their company.

That God may be praised always and everywhere.

Greeting

 On this hallowed day before the feast of all saints, let us give thanks to God for all the countless unknown saints with the joy of all the saints we know !

Let us give thanks to the Lord for all His bounty.

God bless you all,
Sincerely,
Brother Michael of the Cross
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Appearances

 

Child Stigmatic

I never dreamed such a thing possible. Yet, there are many things I find difficult to get my mind around.

It humbles me, as it should. To think of how it is possible to penetrate the scalp with thorns, or pierce the hands and feet with nails, and the side with a sharp lance is the height of the inconceivable. If any one doubts the Lord, they are on dangerous footing, the ground teetering on the brink of a landslide.

Repent now, and save the suffering of hell, or even purgatory. In other words, stop doing what displeases God. Stop sinning, and give the innocent a rest. It is unsettling to realize how our sins must be forgiven, and the Lord afflicts the innocent in order to make reparation for other people's sins. 

It is as if we all have been nailing other people to the cross without realizing, but there it is.

He realizes that we are unaware. The very existance of heaven hell are hidden and invisible to nearly everyone, except the few to whom He reveals such realities.

Certainly, if we saw hidden realities, it must make in indelible impression on the soul. Anyone who who saw Saint Bernadette during an apparition said that it appeared as if she were in Heaven, utterly transformed by the beautiful vision of the Blessed Mother, and the glory of Heaven.

Bernadette,  like many of her age, was subject to tuberculosis, which settled into one of her legs, in the bone, where it caused excruciating pain, which she tried hard not to show to anyone else. But she was a sister, a nun, in a convent, and the truth would not be hidden, and it was the occasion of a conversion of one of the nuns who had been persecuting Bernadette.

That nun repented when she realized she had been persecuting Bernadette, and became Bernadette's helper until her death.

I shudder to think of everyone laid low by the chastisement, considering the nature of the event. Then everyone will know, and see. People will repent and change the course of their lives. After having once seen Our Lady, those to whom She appeared were never the same.

Exactly what the chastisement will be is hard to make out, although in part it will be a destructive even that will strike the whole earth at the same time, similar to previous catastrophes, but impossible to deny or ignore by the most petulant denier of the faith. All will come to faith, and to some it will be the most traumatic event in their life; they will not be the same afterward. Some will even die from the rigours of the event. Thus, the whole earth, and all of every person on earht, will know the truth, that Jesus is Lord and is present always and everywhere. How I wish sometimes that Heaven would be revealed to everyone, as well, and perhaps my ardent wish will be fulfilled.

But before that moment when so much will be reconciled, so much forgiven and so many confronted with the reality of Heaven and earth, that a great conversion of hearts of all people will take place. After that, whether the earth is a scorch and thrown-down ruin, the Lord will be visible and no one will want to offend Him again.

When they realize what He has done, everyone will be occupied witht he Will of God and illuminated by the great truth of who God is and what He has done for us who have sinned.

Sin a monstrous crime, but for the sake of our souls, its nature is hidden except to some to whom God wishes it not to be hidden. Thus some have been chosen to bear the wounds of Jesus, in the midst of the great hiddenness, while everyone else are occupied with the necessity of a next meal and a night's rest and sleep.

To be deprived of sleep is a great hardship in itselt. which is why so many are sleepless. God watches over everyone, especially those who suffer a particular way and offer it to God.

I remind you of simple facts because Heaven is built upon simple facts, thus the simplest among us understand in their own way, things others cannot be aware of.

Perhaps if we keep the vision of the passion of Jesus clearly in our minds, we can avoid the commission of sins and relieve the burden of the Lord who longs that we all be free of sin and standing at His side in bliss, like the St. Bernadette's of the world.

Exchange

 I have a lot to offer, as a human being, but it seems as if what I have to offer is not needed by anyone. While it is distressing to feel that way as a humn being, God does not enjoy feeling worthless any more than anyone else. It is a sign of our times, that it should be that way, but it is exactly that way.

If people are distressed by messages made by seers have spoken lately, they should meditate very deeply on that moment.

God will show Himself to anyone sincerely loving Him, and He is attracted by the good things we do, especially if it is unselfish and giving, because unselfishness and giving are precise definition of who and what God is.

God has been giving people warnings for a very long time. It was not His transgression that caused us to be expelled from Eden and to suffer death, it was us. That there have been so many wars ought wake us up. War seems to be something engrained in human beings as they are these days. It is equally true that little children do not engage in hate, wars, crimes or violence, it is grown up humans. 

So before the winter comes and the snow starts flying, let us plan to warm to God and bloom in loving Him, because the remedy for our sin is His love. The crucifixion is the starkest  expression of love God has ever made, and every sin pales before His love. 

My heart is open to saving souls and suffering for it, but only God can make it happen in a way that is not demeaning, though whatever happens to us as a result of our willingness to suffer so something meaningful can be offered God is likely going to be demeaning.And before we cry out against injustice, we should examine whether it is us or God that is being demeaned. I can tell you that in the comparison, it is God who has certainly been demeaned a thousand fold more than us.

There is nothing we can say meaningully than "My Lord I love Thee". Let our actions be our statement of love for Him. He tells us to love one another - we should love one another, not worry about reckoning ledgers of who transgressed us or how deeply they may have offended us. We are entirely too fixated on judgements against other people, otherwise war would be something unknown. 

If being so identified with Christ, I have bloody wounds, then so be it; let me be humiliated and my feelings hurt, if that is something efficacious to heal the wounds of the world. Love one another, and you need not be afraid of chastisements. If there is to be a "rapture", know that it is those left behind who may offer something even more precious and substantial toward God, and offer a sacrifice that may truly be worthy. Unselfishness allows God to draw close to us, while selfishness does the opposite.

Let us be more aware of the exchange of our love with God and His love with us.

Solidarity

 

No one gave Jesus a rose on His way to the cross;
we can bring Him one consisting of our love and solidarity.

I watched a video which stated that the universe had no beginning. It took me aback. The holy Spirit told me that the universe indeed had a  beginning, and it has an end. It was punctuated by the life of Christ the Lord, because He came into it  in a particular way, taking on our fleshen life and suffering death.

In a couple months, we will celebrate the coming, or Advent, of Jesus into the world through birth into a human life.

That life had an end in torture, disfigurement and the suffering of crucifixion. May our ends be kinder than that. 

In that life and death was the revelation of the truth of God's love for us, a truth given each of us to discover for outselves and respond and react to it. 

We are asked to believe and trust and affirm, that truth given us, that God loves us, and has loved us always. We must ratify the truth and respond affirmatively and decisively in solidarity.

Politics is part of life, even in spiritual matters. Either we believe and affirm the Lord or we don't. If He asks us to take up His cross in some way, we must still accept or refuse, and take our stand on His side or not.

The seasons of Lent and Advent both ask us to affirm what He asked of us, and to confirm what we said one way or the other. The world may well hold us to account; do we accept the powers of the earth as our soverign and legitimate ruler, or not. each of the martyrs made their statement and surrendered their lives, not their faith. 

The world may grow to be more and more filled with death, suffering and destruction, but what will still  matter most  importantly, will be our affirmation of Jesus, and our decision to remain His friend.

In asking us to follow Him, we choose to be peace for those most troubled, certain that He will give us peace to contain and share with others. The world is certain of the things it thinks will bring us peace; we are the statement that Jesus is Lord. Those who join us in conviction will know peace, and anyone who chooses anything of this world for peace, have been cheated by lies. Those who are thieves are also liars, and their morality is not capable of standing up to the judgement of God. Those enlightened by the presence of Jesus are peace to His people, and to ourselves. Only good and holiness will give that peace, because it is imperishable. 

The universe as we know it is coming to an end, and something wonderful and new is about to be revealed like a splendid dawn.

Observations

 

That I hurt is no mystery to me; where I hurt can be a source of speculation. Sometimes I can figure out why I am hurting by thinking though my day's activities. Then it becomes plain why I hurt. But it can be a test of humility. Then there are days I wonder why He took the pain away, just when I had made a place for it like a stray kitten. To think I can offer consolsation in  making myself available. When i think about the "who" in the discussion is interesting too.

The sun has just finished rising past the mounrains and the clouds, and I may soon need to draw the drapes to block the sun. The sun rises out of the east, and later out of the far southeast. Then, as the seasons change, the sun will rise again from the northeast. The planet will never stop its  motions, and neither will the rest of heaven. It is  no   mystery why so many religious became astronomers as well, since the motions of celestial objects recur over time and life procedes forward through winter and spring.

One can live life in a dread of anticipation or delight, depending on what presents itself. Advent is not far off, nor is Lent. Prepare; make stright the way of the Lord !

Waiting

 

I have never enjoyed waiting. These days, all indications that something ordered online will be shipped fast are basically spurious. Items ordered  may linger in transit within a few miles of your location, and the item sits waiting to be "processed" when it could be turned over to the person who ordered the item.

Medical  items are no different. It still takes 10 days when it should be deliverable in two days at most, given that the addressee lives within the city limits.

Waiting for the "chastisement" is similar. The only way to deal with its approach is to be longing in the heart of your being with all you've got, for the Lord Our God. There is no comfort in any earthly thing.

To desire anything less is just a disappointment.

Nevertheless, He sees to it we receive small joys that can tid us over. Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, had the angels to encourage Him.

What He lacked, the Father gave Him so He could say His "Yes", for our sake. It leaves us with the obligation to say yes to Him, if He asks.

And if we reflect, He has said "Yes" to us all our lives, even when it was most obvious we didn't deserve it.

So I let the pain wash over me, and crash over me like a might wave; for His sake, and for the sake of sinners, it is over and I persist.

The thought of other generous souls saying "Yes" to Jesus is a consolation.

Land

 Which was the greater miracles, the healing of the paralytic in Peter's house, or the reconciliation and forgiveness of Peter and Matthew? Without forgiveness, none of  us will see the world as it is or will be when our eyes open to see heaven and earth the way Jesus wishes we might. With forgiveness. comes enlightenment, power and great joy and love. What a pity to throw it all away for a mere emotion concerning land that will never be restored..

Aggravation

 

A lady on Facebook posted it, it is 
not my work. I display it here
because it deserves to be seen.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Microsoft is so desperate to enrich itself, it will dismantle itself, thinking that throwing all the changes at us will dazzle us with their expertise. I would be impressed if what they did fixed all the bugs and malfunctions. I really have had it with stuff that isn't working.

One of my favorite modes of fixing problems was to create a system image which I could restore at a future date. I had one that captured my system all in one functional piece without the bugs and malfunctions; I badly needed it a few days after creating it, but when I went to go to use it, it would not work. I was left with a hung computer and black screen. The only thing that allowed me back into the system was holding down the power button until it shut it self down. There is also a system called system restore that will restore windows and its drivers and so forth, but it won't restore your apps - they get erased and you get to reinstal them and then customize them according to your taste.

I have since fromatted the drive the backup was on because it was useless, left incapable of functioning by Microsoft's tinkering.

Another glitch was a sound driver which shut down the sound system until you adjusted the volume or the sound was used and I got a loud pop. Using the Control Panel in Device Manager, I right cliked on the drivers listed and chose to click on the driver i wanted which I knew would work properly without the loud pop every time a sound was emitted.

But most mysteriously of all, yesterday, the security icon in the sytem tray began displaying a yellow badge for some unknown reason. Clicking the icon to see what was needed got me a notice that someone had changed my access to the security app so I could not change anything. 

Well, the sound works properly, I have not made a new system image yet, so I don't knmow if that system will work or not, but at least the system can restart and a rescue thumb can be used to reset the computer if I want. About the only way the system will ever act normally again is if I reset the system down to the bare metal and start from scratch. I have backups of my programs and data, but it is very time consuming and a huge aggravation that I frankly, resent very much. In spite of the rule that I should always forgive people, that doesn't mean I have to like what they did, and I hope they find out the hard way, just how much aggravation they have caused by having to live through it themselves.

Forgiveness

The brazen serpent was a healing thing God sent
into the midst of the Israelites to be a means of
forgiving their idolatry.

I was watching "Jesus of Nazareth", and was struck by the fact that Jesus cast the demon out of the possessed man. He was glad to do it. Nobody else could have, nor was it the usual thing to happen in ordinary life.

Then I was struck by how unusual it was that anyone could address demons with such authority as to cast them headlong to the ground by the mere invocation of their name. No one did that sort of thing; it never happened.

We are in such times ourselves, and yet there is plenty of work for exorcists. Padre Pio is said to have cast out a demon from a woman. The man possessed by the demon was cut off from his fellow human beings by his misfortune the same as the woman whom Padre Pio freed.

Some such cases undoubtedly were cases of mental illness, but not all. There are many throughout history that we could say were possessed. Some led millions down into the pit of hell by their teachings and the political systems they invented. The years that have been wasted by such people, were marked by horrors and unspeakable acts.

Keep your mind and heart occupied; do not let them wander ungratefully and unnocupied or they will be full of insinuations of evil trying to separate you from Jesus.

If your thoughts are not fixed on Jesus they are not fixed on God, and are attracted by evil, and evil never has your best interests at heart.

If a man who loves alcohol gets his way, he will spend his time drinking instead of at least part time on jesus. If evil can arrange it, he will see to it that the man drinks his fill and then some, and falls ill or dies from his excess. The same is true of any other vice you can name.

If your mind wanders around unfocused, you need to focus it on something good. Do some good deed for a person, see that the hungry are fed, strike up a conversation with a loneley person. These things do not lead to sin, neither do they focus the heart and affections on Unruliness.

In all things we are capable of messing up the good deeds we try to do; it is a simple law of humanity that we are weak and ignorant and need the strength of God's love in our life to try to be like Him.

Surely if you try long enough, you will come across a moment you did good and you can be glad that you had something to show for your time on earth.

So if you are pastor, and have spent 12 years studying theology and philosophy and how to minister to your people, why should you hate forgiving their sins? If you at least were int he confessional absolving people of their sins, you have been doing something which pleases God and when you stand before Him as the Judge, you will be able to say :I forgave my people's sins".

Extraordinary

 This day is extraordinary and my life is made to be so as well.
Every year, the sun begins descending over the end of the building so I am in the shade, and the light is reflected off everything before me, mellow and clean and clear.

While people are busy building bombs, and tanks and battleships, I rest, enjoy the peace and thank God in my heart for the sensation of His grace flowing through me, so that the joy that comes from it is like the a waterfall, hurtling down at breakneck speed from the tallest heights of the mountain. 

The silence in the midst of all the tumult rests me, and I surrender to it, to the cross, to the nails and toil of soul that is life.

You may enjoy the silence and the peace that come with being alive and turning to God to fulfill His will.

He delights in filling you up, with cold cups of deep spring waters that have journied as clouds half way around the world to fall where you stand, making rainbows in His firmament.

From my vantage point on the cross, I may enjoy your delight as you sit near me listening.

Unbelieavable

Let us hold it together as if it is our life  because it is.

Assasination seldom solves the problem. Generally it degrades the situation, and people suffer more. Our people are already suffering enough; they don't need any more. 

Hurricane season is upon us, and already snowfall is predicted in the near future on the East Coast of the US.

There is much that needs to be preserved. The tradition of selecting our leaders and representivitves is a cherished one. Deneratiing that tradition and throwing out the Constitution and government is not desirable, and neither are the perpetrators of treason.

Need I remind people of the price we have always paid to preserve our government and ideals? The price was human life, human blood and grave sufering and death. We have not fought as we did to preserve what we deemed good and splandid.

Now is not the time to disencfranchise citizens or overthrow our government, its Constituion or its traditions. The people who seem to dream of such nightmares have nothing to offer the citizens of this country but hatred and violence.

Citizens do not hunt each other down; we do not need to, although the eagle which has always been a national symbol, has to struggle to find something to eat in the vastness of the nature in which is belongs.

The people who will not allow the people their say at the ballot box have nothing to offer. 

I hope I have given you some things to think about that are worth your attention and intelligence.

Prophecies

After watching a video concerning the prophecy of St. Padre Pio  of Pietrelcina of the Three Days of Darkness, I reiterate my caution concerning prophcies. Scripture itself cautions us to be careful in approaching prophecies since they can be imitated by the evil one and lack the light of God or any motion of the heart toward love.

It does not require much imagination to realize that events in our lives are approaching terrifying depths. Every day, anymore, it seems someone is dropping rocks onto cars passing overpasses, people are being shot and stabbed in buses and mass transit vehicles, and children obtain automatic weapons to take to class to use in the mass killing of their classmates.

To me, such events are a kind of darkness as real as any obscuration of the sun. It is already sufficient to realize that prayer brings spiritual strength and reassurance and even protection, as well as offering the promise of God to take care of those He loves.

As far back as 1917, the Blessed Mother warned humanity of the tide of darkness that was overtaking humanity and the planet itself. 

I wonder, as well, what apartment dwellers in the heart of cities are supposed to do who live where candles are forbidden as a fire hazard? While it is possible to gather non-perishable items for meals, there likely wont be electricity and therefore communications will be down.

Accompanying or preceding the three days, storms and earthquakes and strange and violent phenomena are prophecied. These things are already known to be imminent, and in recent years, weather patterns have abruptly shifted from more benign patterns to sudden unpredictable violence of unprecedented strength and power. Youtube is full of volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, floods and vast wildfires. Whether these are part of the prophecy I don't know. Some things mentioned point to very strange occurrences that have not been seen or experienced before. People are urged to approach God asking for forgiveness of sins. That will be difficult to obtain if priests are not available or are not disposed to make the sacraments available. Nevertheless, we can ask to be forgiven because He can hear us even if priests are not listening or are ignoring their ministry. Besides that, we can pray for the forgiveness of the sins of OTHERS. We can even unite our suffering to that of Jesus as St. Padre Pio did, accepting even 50 years of their pain and suffering for the good of the souls for which he prayed and which he enjoined to the cross of Christ.

A return to the sacraments is requested by Our Lord, and that necessarilly means someone must make the sacrments available.

In any event, we are urged to turn away from habitual sins and to seek communion with God personally. Keep in mind, that people have ignored the sacraments and spiritual readings and penitential acts, consecrations or dedication to God. This has directly caused changes in wide spread weather patterns and the threat of great earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in places known to be threatened by such events.

We can offer our sufferings for atonment of sins to satisfy the justice of God, by making mercy and love available where they would not be othersise.

By reading holy books and the Scriptures, we can be reminded of the mercy God has already shown, and promises to make available for those who turn to Him.

God promises to take care of the needs of His people, forgiveness of  sins, and mercy on judgement day.

As much as I may fear death as a human being, I fear more, falling short of the mercy of God and losing my soul forever. Our prayers can quell the tide of unpredictable random violence, making our cities safe again.

I relate these things again in order to urge people of the necessity to seek God while He may be found and while we still draw the breath of life. I urge people to offer their suffeings however small, for the reparation of sin, and to obtain the promises God has made regarding the three days of darkness. 

I repeat that God answers and pays attention to our prayers and is glad to grant what we need when we ask becauuse of His love. He blesses people who pray for the relief of others, with provision of what is needed to sustain life, including reasurrance of final salvation. There is no reason to live afraid of God to the point we despair of any good coming from approaching Him. He listens to our prayer and is aware of unspoken cries.

As far as Heaven is from us, Jesus knelt in prayer in agony of the anticipation of His crucifixion, keenly aware of the same distance. There were saintly people in history who comforted Him in  His passion the night He was betrayed and carted off to those who wished to kill Him. Jesus knows what that distance feels like, and it is like a three days of darkness. All of us experience darkness in our lives when hope seems to have abandoned us and solutions to our problems seems very distant. We are asked to keep the candle of hope burning in our hearts, to reassure the Lord of our love even if we are in the blindness of darkness. He can see us whether we see His light or not, and His love persists around us whether the light of day falls on us or not. 

Do not give up. Keep on trying and do not give up. Always apologize for your sins and ask for forgiveness so that you may have it, and succeed when it seems impossible.

If you read the lives of the saints or the Scriptures, you will find God making His promises to you as one of His children. In the lives of the saints, you can be inspired to benefit the children of God by providing grace and divine light through your faith in Him.

Do not believe that your prayers have no power; that is not a thought from God, ut from the evil one. I prayed for my brother and sister to have a place to lvie and to find what they needed when it really seenmed hopeless, but He heard my prayer. In my own case, He heard my own prayers for the same thing, and I am living in the answer to my prayers. It seemed impossible, and my sins to grave to have any chance that my prayers would be heard. The light of day reveals a brighter and more penetrating light than the sun. We all have access to the same God to whom I prayed and from whom I obtained what was needed on behalf of others. I may not have the wounds that Padre Pio did even as much as I desire them, but that does not mean that Padre Pio or some unknown saint in the world today does noot bear those wounds so  I may join my prayers to them for other people. We must try.

+

Sometimes it happens, that something which moved us profoundly over times

 succumbs to the weariness of time, and it seems no longer to be as important as it did. It is the same as having forgotten to change the dreassing on a wound. Every wound needs a dressing to keep it free of infection or worse.

In the case of the Heart of the Lord, His wound is permanent. The remedy for our lack of enthusiasm is to turn again to Him and ask His Heart to enkindle our love again so that we might apply the dressing of our love to His Sacred Heart, even knowing it will never go away, nor will it ever suffer infection; we suffer infection and soreness and pain and weariness and weakness, and He is always dressing the wound of our love, so that it may be cleansed and made well again. The greatest joy lies in the love of that Heart wound in which we rest in our weary moments.