Thy Daily Bread

Artwork by Sue Abbe

2010-10-09T14:07:00.001-07:00

This is some of the artwork my friend Sue Abbe has done over the years. Sue is known as Hopper on Thy Daily Bread forum..

Medjugorje: the Truth Lies not Just in Faith but in Logical Reason as Well

2010-03-24T08:36:00.001-07:00

By John Christenson

By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.
Matthew 7: 16-20

The internet is abuzz these days with talk about the impending fate of Medjugorje. Catholic news sources, blogs and forums alike are especially abuzz this past week or so concerning the many recent developments surrounding this ongoing phenomenon. Why all the buzz? Well, for the most part this began only a few months ago with surprisingly favorable mention of Medjugorje by then visiting Christopher Cardinal Schonborn from Austria who spent several weeks in Medjugorje last December and early January. But with more recent developments of late such internet chatter has grown leaps and bounds. For most following the Medjugorje events we can probably all agree that pending decisions of some nature are certainly in the air.

Shortly after the Cardinals visit, and despite Bishop Ratko Peric’s decision years earlier to condemn the purported Medjugorje apparitions ruling them to be false out of what appears to be sheer personal and biased opinion a new commission was appointed by the Vatican to overlook and investigate the purported Medjugorje apparitions. No doubt this was somewhat of a cataclysmic surprise to Medjugorje opponents though they would unlikely ever admit it. But how could it not be? The Bishops sole ruling was their big ace in the hole. This favorable move by the Vatican came despite the adamant refusal by die hard Medjugorje opponents to accept it and embrace it. Mere detractors who have been clearly piggy backing off the Bishop’s personal opinion for years, insisting that because of his seemingly unchangeable stance the verdict was indeed already in long ago and simply could not be argued…

Yet, just as they sounded the trumpets from their pedestals that the door was now shut, locked & chained, and the key thrown into the deep sea of deception, suddenly the door in what appeared to be defying all odds miraculously flew wide open again and Medjugorje opponents had to now quickly go to work to try to conjure up some other means to debunk the purported apparitions. Well, truth be told, there simply is no other ace in the hole. So, with no other means to debunk the Medjugorje happenings they’ve not given up on the Bishops long time stance despite these new developments. Could it be Pride? O’ but how would I look in front of all my peers after all these years of working tirelessly to debunk Medjugorje should the Vatican rule in it’s favor?

Bishop Peric had already spoken out against Medjugorje many years earlier claiming it to be nothing more than an elaborate hoax at best. These die hard Medjugorje opponents today, regardless of the facts, are relentless in their ongoing mission to debunk the apparitions even going as far as to claim that anyone and everyone, including the good Cardinal himself who refuses to honor Bishop Peric’s decision is in fact in direct disobedience to the Church.

Well, now we need to take a step back for a moment and look at the bigger picture here in order to fully understand what exactly is going on before anyone quickly buys into the continual rhetoric of any Medjugorje opponent. It has been a long time argument that if anyone pays any heed at all to the Medjugorje message or even leans slightly towards any kind of personal belief that Our Lady is truly appearing in this little Bosnian town, that this is direct disobedience to the Majesterium of the Catholic Church. Why? Because several years ago, echoing the sentiments of his predecessor Bishop Pavao Zanic, the current Bishop Peric concluded that the purported apparitions in Medjugorje, a town that falls under his Diocesan jurisdiction of Mostar were false and further went on to argue that they were the elaborate invention of the Franciscans who oversee St. James Parish and many of the Catholic Parishes and institutions in the surrounding area. Well, anyone who knows anything about private revelation knows that the Bishop of the particular Diocese that oversees the Parish or location where the visionary or visionaries are purporting to be receiving heavenly revelations and/or apparitions generally has the authority to rule whether the purported private revelations are authentic or not. So the case was closed.

This has been the major fuel for Medjugorje opponents. Among an onslaught of twisted facts, half-truths, and even outright lies the one ace in the hole Medjugorje opponents did actually possess was the fact that the Bishop of Mostar himself was convinced that there was nothing spiritually phenomenal occurring in Medjugorje and that at least for a time seemed to have the power to discern and decide it’s fate. And thus, as far as those who stood by the Bishop were concerned the case was closed regardless of any evidence that clearly proved otherwise. The fruits did not matter. The miracles did not matter. The conversions did not matter. The Bishop had spoken and so the case was closed.

Yet truth be told, contrary to what Medjugorje opponents would love to have people believe, little known was the fact that the Vatican actually stepped into the picture as early as 2006 and removed the Bishops authority to rule on the purported apparitions... That’s right.. A higher authority ruled over the Bishops Mitre yet little is ever heard of this even in Catholic news circles today. The reason for the Vatican stepping in? Well, to begin with, because Medjugorje reaches far beyond the diocese of Mostar. Medjugorje envelops the entire Church. Medjugorje has become a world wide phenomenon embraced by countless of thousands of faithful Catholics, not to mention has spawned numerous conversions... But this is neither the only reason nor the main reason. Another reason may simply be because the Bishop clearly showed a sense of bias and narrow minded opinion towards the phenomenon right from the beginning.

The current Bishop of Mostar is a secular priest. The Franciscans who tend to the faithful flock around St. James Parish are not. They are of a religious order that has long had to deal with the unwarranted rivalry of their secular brethren and fellow diocesan confreres. The Diocese of Mostar was created 100 years almost to the day before the purported apparitions began. For at least the first 60 years under the Bishopric of two Franciscan Bishops the Franciscans steered the Diocese of Mostar. Today, the Diocese of Mostar is not under the influence of the Franciscans but is secular. In between all of this has been a sense of dissension between the two groups. A rivalry that has went on long before the apparitions began but has undoubtedly played a major role in the Bishops decision to renounce the apparitions.

What is important to note, and what clearly indicates to anyone who has ears and is attentive to what is truly going on, is that in overstepping the Bishops ruling and further creating a new commission to investigate Medjugorje, the Vatican informed the Bishop that he was no longer permitted to voice his personal opinion in an authoritative manner concerning the ongoing investigation. Medjugorje opponents have never been able to truly grasp this and accept the Vatican’s right to authority overriding the Bishops authority. Opponents generally tend to ignore such facts in their attempts to debunk Medjugorje.

"Dear children! Today I desire to thank you for all your sacrifices and for all your prayers. I am blessing you with my special motherly blessing. I invite you all to decide for God, so that from day to day you will discover His will in prayer. I desire, dear children, to call all of you to a full conversion so that joy will be in your hearts. I am happy that you are here today in such great numbers. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Medjugorje Message, June 25, 1990

So now today, once again our Catholic world is abuzz with new talk. New chatter that is clearly favorable towards the likeliness that most in the Vatican actually share a high regard and personal fondness for the fruits of conversion truly recognized as clearly coming out of Medjugorje despite Bishop Peric’s personal opinion. Cardinal Schonborn’s favorable expressions… Recent talk of the Diocese of Mostar being split in two, something never heard of before in Church history… It is possible that this move opens the door for favorable approval or at the very least, as suggested by one blogger, the possibility that Medjugorje in the not too distant future may receive shrine status, at the same time cushioning the sense of humility Bishop Peric would undoubtedly experience should he be reigning Bishop at the time of this announcement. Also, a commission panel, absent the Bishop of Mostar being put in place to investigate Medjugorje… And now the Papal Nuncio himself is heard speaking favorable about Medjugorje.. These are the current headlines buzzing through the Catholic internet world these days. What lies ahead concerning the fate of Medjugorje? Perhaps only a short time will tell…

Interesting term in itself by the way when you really stop and think about it… I mean, concerning the fate of Medjugorje.. It’s this question of fate that has the undivided attention of anyone and everyone who knows anything about Medjugorje these days. With all the recent Catholic media hype and internet chatter it’s become perhaps quite exciting for lack of a better term, especially for the many Medjugorje faithful who see all of these recent developments as a positive sign. O’ what exciting times indeed we are living in… To the very heart of the Medjugorje believer such favorable fate is truly inevitable. We just don’t know when. For those who truly believe that it is indeed Our Blessed Mother who has been appearing in Medjugorje the past almost 29 years it is also believed and accepted that Medjugorje’s fate lies in the hands of God and that it is through both faith and reason that we pretty much already know the outcome in our own hearts… That in time the Church will indeed embrace the Medjugorje message and recognize these purported apparitions by it’s fruits.. For those of us who are diehard Medjugorje fans it’s not a matter of if but when.

Well, in all fairness, it’s fate likewise also lies solely in the hands of God for those who are opponents of Medjugorje. Believing that the apparitions are false, Medjugorje opponents are also waiting for the Holy Spirit to guide the Church into making a decision. Only for them, the decision they await works in their favor, not ours. That is, that the Church will condemn the apparitions sending us die hard Medjugorje faithful fleeing in the other direction rather than approve them.. Not gonna happen. First of all, I am obedient to the Church above all… But then, it’s so easy to say this when I believe without a doubt in my mind and in my heart that the Vatican verdict in due time will be favorable.

So believers who look to the Medjugorje message each month are waiting for the Church to rule in favor, and opponents who share in the disbelief are eagerly awaiting Church condemnation… Well, hopefully we all believe and worship the same God, turn to the same Holy Mother for consolation in our Rosary prayers the good Catholics that we are, and hopefully we all obey the same Majesterium of the Church. Furthermore, hopefully we all recognize and believe that the Holy Spirit truly guides our Church in it’s discernment and decision making process. So now we are reaching an imminent sense of long awaited impending decisive word, either confirmation or condemnation soon to come out of Rome. There is an ever increasing and vibrantly active spirit among those who have a final say in whether or not the Church will condemn or approve Medjugorje..

Scripture tells us, we will know a tree by its fruits… For the Medjugorje opponent who casts stones at both the visionaries and their Franciscan spiritual directors, as well as at the Gospa who we truly believe to be Our Lady, the fruits are rotten. If only they could present truthful facts in their arguments against Medjugorje their claims might actually hold some weight. But after 28 years that hasn’t happened yet. Everything they’ve waged against Medjugorje has either been outright lies or at the very least twisted facts and half truths.. Well, naturally on the other hand the argument over the past 3 decades by the Medjugorje faithful who have held steadfast in faith and our resolve to trust that indeed this is Our Blessed Mother appearing, has been the countless number of messages, messages that contain no heresies mind you, and which together form a continual school of prayer teaching the Medjugorje faithful student to live the Gospel each and every day… So yet the major fruits are the numerous conversions that have come to fruition as a result of these apparitions.. Not just converts from other faiths coming into the Catholic Church but also new births of conversion within the hearts of many cradle Catholics who had fallen away from their baptismal faith, me being one of them… I join a countless multitude of faithful.

No doubt it’s still a wait and see process.. However to me it just seems a given that at the end of the day when all is said and done, it is the very fruit of Medjugorje that will undoubtedly be the deciding factor in all of this. Other elements such as discerning if the messages contain heresies certainly play a decisive role, no doubt… However, with all the theological arguments either for or against these events, the one vital contributing element that simply cannot be argued or debunked is ones personal testimony. No theologian can say, “Your conversion does not exist” when in fact it certainly does. Myself, I have been experiencing the fruits of conversion as a result of the Medjugorje message for six years now… I pray that my conversion continues and that I am continually drawn ever closer and closer to the Son who this Gospa brings to me each and everyday. The same Son who redeems each and every one of us repentant sinners who confess the name of Christ as Lord… And when you listen to the countless of millions who also share a personal testimony of conversion no theologian can argue this otherwise. That is just a fact.

Angelic cloud formation

2010-03-16T20:26:00.000-07:00

Angelic cloud formation over Windsor/ Detroit

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Prayers For Haiti

2010-01-31T05:34:00.000-08:00

I want to help and I feel that I can help! Look, here's the thing... Unlike many capable adults who perhaps would love to come forwards to volunteer but simply cannot because they are 'bound' to home, work, relationships, etc... my situation is a bit different.. Yes, I have 2 teenage children who I love dearly and thus could not or should not be gone for a very long period of time, however, weeks down in Haiti would be feasible... I am self-employed with very little work that seems to only come in here and there in spurts and never enough to even say I have steady work.. I live at Don Bosco Home and have responsibilities here.. However, a replacement to help out here while I am gone should be easy to obtain if this be God's will, He will provide..

I want to help! And I feel God pushing me to go help! I have 20 years experience in hands on building that can be extremely useful down there once the clean up and restoration begins... As for my health? Well, the other day was a wake up call that I simply need to take better care of myself... Diet, routine, and exercise.. Whether I am doing it here in Canada or down in Hiati there should be no difference.. And as for my eyes? I'm no blinder now then I was two months ago or even a year ago, and if I do end up blind, well, then we cross that bridge when we get there and again, I see no reason why I should allow that to prevent me from helping where I can help...

The way I see it, if everyone in the world said, "Well, I have this going on, or I have that going on" and thought this way, no one would be down there at all trying to help.... If Mother Teresa worried about "this or that" she would have never went to Calcutta.. This is where I am at with it... This is where my heart is.. To go and help where I can help... Most people have strict ties that bind them to 'home' and cannot simply go down there no matter how much they may want to... I have nothing stopping me from going, at least for a 'duration' and I really feel called to go help...

"Where is Jesus in agony in our own time?
In the division of our world into belts of prosperity
and belts of poverty ... this is Christ’s agony today.
Our world is made of two rooms:
in one room, things go to waste,
in the other, people are wasting away;
in one room, people die from surfeit,
in the other, they die from indigence;
in one room, they are concerned about obesity,
in the other, they are begging for charity.

Why don’t we open a door?
Who don’t we sit at one table?
Why don’t we realize that the poor
can help the rich?
Why? Why? Why are we so blind?

Pope Benedict XVI during Meditation at the 9th Station along the Way of the Cross, Lent 2006

So after seeking spiritual direction, praying much about it, and sharing this desire with those I am close to, it just really felt right that I should look into the possibility of offering to help in the relief efforts.. I contacted a local organization called Hearts Together For Haiti a few days after the devastating earthquake that changed Haiti and perhaps a greater part of the world forever... and now I anticipate that this opportunity that has come along to help will undoubtedly change my life ...

I feel at least a bit apprehensive about what I will see when I arrive in Haiti next month. As I see the images on the news coming in of the devastation my heart just goes out for these poor souls trying to survive. Another earthquake, a 6.1 further shook the little bit of buildings still left standing a few days after the initial 7.0 tremor, further hampering rescue and relief efforts, and further shaking the faith of the people. Please Lord, have mercy on your precious children. Give us hope Lord... Grant us the resolve to maintain faith through it all...

We struggle to wrap our little minds around what has happened. It's unfathomable. Never in our life time has the world witnessed such a catastrophe centered in one specific location.. Not since Hiroshima and Nagasaki.. The 2004 Asian Tsunami left a quarter million dead in about 14 different countries spread out along the entire coast of the Indian Ocean. But this.... this horrible undoing of peoples lives is all centered on one island and in one nation, and in one city.. No official death toll yet. It's too early to tell.. There is just too much chaos and devastation to even try to keep proper records of those missing. The impact center of this horrific tragedy was home to nearly 3 million people. If only 1 in 10 died as a result of Tuesday's earthquake that would put the death toll at over 300,000... Still, we just don't know...

Those who survived are in dire need of the worlds help.. Our help!! Who can they turn to? Who can help them? We can! I can!

And while I feel a bit apprehensive, though I'm not even sure that is the correct word, the feeling that overpowers any apprehension I may have is a feeling that no matter how helpless I may ever feel in any situation it could never possibly compare to the feeling of helplessness the poor and suffering peoples of Haiti must be feeling at this time.. So as I prepare to go to Haiti mid February I've sat down this past week and have written a song expressing my feelings.. a song that is a prayer, a plea for help, for God's mercy to reign upon us, humanity, all of us children of God...

Dangers of the New Age

2009-12-11T04:34:00.000-08:00

By John Christenson

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth.”
(John 14:15-17)

During my first year, while enrolled at the University of Windsor, a new terminology kept creeping into the conversation from time to time that I had never heard before – and even in various lectures. The term was ‘New Age’ and the year was 1991.

Feeling as though I was missing out on some sort of new trend that everyone else seemed to be enjoying, I made my way to the campus book store and sought out the section on this New Age Movement everyone was raving about. Remember the slogan for the National Inquirer, ‘Inquiring minds want to know’? Well, the New Age section was filled with an array of literature so diverse in its topics that it seemed impossible for one single person to offer a conclusive definition of the New Age Movement.

To this day, the struggle remains to offer a short and concise answer when someone asks “What is New Age?’ Well, the short answer at best is that it is believing in energy… to be even more precise it is worshiping energy as a god. It is karma, with touches of eastern mysticism, some Native American beliefs, and the occult all rolled into one. It is complete heresy and unfortunately it is being embraced literally by millions today, including a large number of Roman Catholics. And of those Catholics many were once devout and faithful Catholics.

The New Age Movement reaches far delving into unending fields of erroneous beliefs. Far removed and in direct opposition to the Catechism, the New Age Movement covers an extremely large diverse field of spiritual and mystical practices. Wicca, pagan, magic, the occult, Druidism, Baha’i, Scientology, astrology, ufo-ology, horoscope reading, palm reading, tarot reading, psychic reading, crystal powering, channeling, séances, voodoos, Goth, Reiki, Harmonic Convergence, reincarnation, spiritual humanism, Syncretism, Karma, and even Satanism itself, are all open forms and practices of the New Age Movement. There is now even a movement which bases its doctrine on the television series ‘Star Trek’. You don’t have to be into all of them to be in error, just one will do..

The sad reality is that the New Age also embraces hand chosen parts and portions of Christianity and particularly Catholicism.. And that is the real danger for many Catholics today unaware of it’s snares. It is this simple; if we do not know our Catechism and even more importantly, if we do not know and understand Scripture we are extremely vulnerable to these snares.

Many of these forms of ritualism stem from ancient paganistic cultures or Eastern religions mixed with modern philosophies and ideologies which give way to abstract and alternative forms of worship. Historically, while religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism themselves are not of the New Age Movement, this present day craze borrows from, no, actually rapes them of their philosophies, rituals and practices. The whole agenda behind the New Age Movement is to lure those faithful to Christian Doctrine away from Christ. The hidden deceit is that the potential New Ager is duped into believing he or she can delve into the new age and still have their Jesus. That is the lie… And many are falling for this lie..

It has succeeded, to a degree, in embedding these abstract principles and erroneous ideologies into the very heart of their most likely candidates; the faithful. The end result of this, the ultimate goal of Satan, is apostasy. For that is when we reach the time when no one wants to belong to the Church that Christ gave us. In the end no one will wish to be obedient to that Church… that is, obedient to one specific doctrine of truth, absolute truth, bestowed upon us through the Word made Flesh, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

“See to it that no one captivate you with an empty, seductive philosophy according to human tradition, according to the elemental powers of the world and not according to Christ.”
Colossians 2:8

In many respects, what is horrifying for anyone who has a sound understanding of Church Doctrine is to watch Catholics, in many cases souls close to us such as our loved ones, fall into the snares of error and heresy. For the potential New Ager themselves on the surface the whole notion appears to come from God, because often it uses godly things to seduce its potential followers. However, at the very core of the New Age Movement is a diabolical influence embedded in what humanity ignorant of wisdom generally perceives as the spiritual, thus automatically and often erroneously attributing such various ideologies as being of God.

The old saying ‘the Devil is in the details’ has never proven more true as it has in the New Age Movement. The New Age Movement often preys on those who are intrigued by the strange, the eerie, the paranormal, the magical, and the mystical. It is far removed from the true spiritual. While ‘the mystical’ itself is well documented and a proven way for the Holy Spirit to communicate with humanity passing down God’s wisdom unto man, as we have witnessed throughout the history of the Church with Her own true mystics, mysticism has also been manipulated outside the Church as a means of the Devil to grab the Faithfull’s attention and focus further away from God, in lieu of self fulfillment & self-enlightenment, yet unbeknownst to the naïve & curious towards the dark forces of evil.

“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36

Ever been to a Psychic fair? If not, please don’t! I’m not suggesting here by any means that you go. The point is, if you have went in the past you will know that it is far too common that you see a lot of Catholicism mixed in with the occult. Many self proclaimed physics today often don a garb of Catholic culture. It’s actually very common to see a familiar image of the Blessed Mother or Sacred Heart of Jesus in a physic or mediums shop or home… Or to see a set of Rosary beads neatly placed atop a dresser or inn table. That is, because the physic uses props to lure in potential clients. If a person see’s that the physic is Christian, and more so particularly Catholic they are more likely to embrace what is being sold to them and less likely to be suspicious if the little old lady behind the crystal ball comes across as pious, holy and in tune with God.

"In the year 1864 Lucifer, together with a great number of devils, will be loosed from hell; little by little they will abolish the faith, and that even in persons consecrated to God; they will so blind them, that without a special grace, these persons will take on the spirit of these evil angels; a number of religious houses will lose the faith entirely and cause many souls to be damned. Bad books will abound over the earth, and the spirits of darkness will everywhere spread universal relaxation in everything concerning God's service: they will have very great power over nature; there will be churches to serve these spirits."
Part of the La Salette message

But why Catholics? Well, first of all, Catholics are not inclusive to such seductions. Christianity as a whole tends to be the target audience here. However, the reality is that us Catholics are often more likely to be intrigued by the charm of superstition. We are also far more susceptible to the lies than many of our Protestant brethren who have learned Scripture quite well and know how to defend themselves against such deception. As Catholics, we really need to brush up on our Catechism and on Holy Scripture. New Orleans is a good example of this, as also, various places in Europe where like New Orleans, mixing Catholicism with folk lore superstitions and other heresies have been part and parcel of ones culture for many centuries. In many cases, it is simply that we have inherited the heresies through past generations.. For example, coming from Europe, I have a great-grandmother who was known to read tea leaves. In learning this through family discussions if I am not told that this was wrong, how can I possibly know the difference?

Many years ago, when I was away from the Church I was invited by a relative to visit a local physic. There was an advertisement in the local newspaper to have your palm read for $5.00.. Well, I thought, how could it hurt to check it out right? If I’m not satisfied I’ll have lost out on $5.00.. Not a big deal I thought.. So we went to this physics home and this lady asked us to enter through the backdoor which we did. We went around the side of the house to the back and the medium greeted us at the back door and brought us down into her basement… A finished basement. The room was decorated with Catholic pictures and statues, a statue of Our Lady on the table, one of St. Joseph in one corner of the room, a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on one wall, one of the Holy Family on another… and then there was the New Age stuff.. a Crystal ball on the same table the statue of Our Lady sat, tarot cards spread out, incense burning, and the lights drawn dim just to set the mood. Let me tell you, it made for a very creepy shrine! I remember making a comment about the very nice picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the medium replied, “Oh yes, I’m Catholic.”

The danger today is that many of the laity are not familiar enough with the doctrine of the Church to safeguard themselves against the influences of evil perceptions, lies and errors, which the Devil has set out to use to deter the faithful from being faithful. That doesn’t just go for the dangers of the New Age Movement.. That can also be said of all the various forms of heretical influences.. Outside of the liturgical offerings at Mass, often we fail to absorb the sacred Word because we simply go about our business and forget that we are Catholic hearts. Bearing this in mind, how can we be vigilant of such seductive errors that lie in wait to captivate our thoughts and grab our attention away from truth? How can we safeguard ourselves against heresy if we haven’t a clue what truth is in the first place? If all we do is spend one hour a week at Church, leaving the Godly and the spiritual behind us as we walk out the door after Mass, how can we expect to grow in faith, strong enough to be resistant against the influences of evil? If we are not even doing this, then truly we must ask ourselves; where does this leave me? The answer is that it leaves us stranded on a desert island without the Word of God, which is ultimately a true spiritual necessity of life… And on that island we stand alone vulnerable to attack and unable to defend ourselves.

The New Age Movement is attractive and appealing to begin with. It appears to offer what the people want… what they are looking for… that is, what they believe they really need. It further appears to offer what organized religion can not offer- two sides to the doctrine. That is, the freedom to dabble and engage in anything of the spiritual realm freely regardless of whether it is good or evil. Thus, it attempts to blind truth at the same time claiming to be truth. Baffling, isn’t it! In fact, the entire time that I was into the New Age Movement, I didn’t even know it. Set chocolate in front of a child just before dinner time and leave the child alone in the room can we expect that the child will be wise enough to know not to touch it?

“Dear children! Today again I am calling you to prayer to complete surrender to God. You know that I love you and am coming here out of love so I could show you the path to peace and salvation for your souls. I want you to obey me and not permit Satan to seduce you. Dear children, Satan is very strong and, therefore, I ask you to dedicate your prayers to me so that those who are under his influence can be saved. Give witness to your life. Sacrifice your lives for the salvation of the world. I am with you, and I am grateful to you, but in Heaven you shall receive the Father’s reward which He has promised to you. Therefore, dear children, do not be afraid. If you pray, Satan cannot injure you even a little bit because you are God’s children and He is watching over you. Pray and let the Rosary always be in your hand as a sign to Satan that you belong to me. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Our Lady of Medjugorje, February 25, 1988.

The devil knows our weaknesses and God gives us freewill.. In between the two, there needs to be education… An education that safeguards us from the dangers of heresy. How do we achieve this? By remaining steadfast in faith.. Reading Scripture, seeking spiritual direction from someone solid in their faith, preferably a priest, attending Mass and paying attention during Mass, seeking good solid friends steadfast in their own faith, picking up the Catechism, apologetic books, and of course being prayerful at all times.. These and much more are the elements of our faith that will set a strong foundation of faith for each of us.. The Church can not be blamed for our own spiritual mess if as children we were taught the Catechism but as adults we rejected it. The onus is on us..

Is Another Portion of One Of St. John Bosco's Prophetic Dreams Unfolding Right Before Our Very Eyes?

2009-10-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

By John Christenson

The night before Pope Benedict XVI became Pope he gave at least what I felt was an earth shattering Homily which went virtually almost unnoticed by most of our 1 billion Roman Catholics simply because the media for the most part decided to skip over this homily in covering all the aspects of the new Pope.. What's the significance of just one Homily from a priest entering into his papacy after all? The fact that he gave this Homily the night before his election, again at least to me, indicated that the Holy Spirit was at work here putting into place an intricate part of God's plan for His Church.. A Church that continues to suffer attacks from many directions..

I remember reading this Homily on-line just a few days after. It was about the dangers of relativism.. and I found the Holy Father's words so intense that it became the inspiring foundation for my own spiritual writings.. Until then, I had never heard the word relativism before yet the dangers of relativism was what had been eating away at me for quite sometime.. I blamed relativism for the most part, and still do, for so many people falling away from the Catholic faith.. Before I go any further, here is the Homily then Cardinal Ratzinger gave the night before he was elected Pope that I am referring to..

“How many winds of doctrine have we known in recent decades? How many ideological currents? How many ways of thinking? The small boat of thought of many Christians has often been tossed about by these waves- flung from one extreme to another: from Marxism to Liberalism, even to Libertinism (following one’s own inclinations: free thinking), from Collectivism to radical individualism; from agnosticism to syncretism (attempting inconsistently to unify or reconcile differing schools of thought); and so forth. Everyday new sects spring up, and what St. Paul says about human deception and the trickery that strikes to entice people into error comes true; (Ephesians 4:14) Today, having a clear faith on the creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas, ‘relativism’ that is, “letting oneself be tossed here and there, carried about be every wind of doctrine”, seems the only attitude that can cope in modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definite and whose ultimate goal consists solely of ones own ego and desires.”
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, April 18, 2005.

Pope Benedict XVI has now been our Holy Father for nearly 5 years.. He has worked extensively and tirelessly, not just the past 5 years as a Pope but long before as a priest, a Bishop, and a Cardinal side by side with our beloved Pope John Paul II, standing firm against Doctrinal heresy and error as well as working towards reconciliation among divided Christians and peoples of all faiths .. What better advocate could there possibly be to steer the Vatican Vessel and keep it safe from the continual attacks of other surrounding ships as we tread through turbulent seas into a new millennium securely anchoring the Vatican Ship in the end between the Holy Eucharist and the loving Mantle and guidance of Our Blessed Mother who is the beloved spouse of the Holy Spirit..

St John Bosco's Prophetic Dream of the Two Pillars
(Source; http://www.miraclerosarymission.org/bosco.html)

"Imagine yourself to be with me on the seashore, or better, on an isolated rock and not to see any patch of land other than that under your feet. On the whole of that vast sheet of water you see an innumerable fleet of ships in battle array. The prows of the ships are formed into sharp, spear-like points so that wherever they are thrust they pierce and completely destroy. These ships are armed with cannons, with lots of rifles, with incendiary materials, with other firearms of all kinds, and also with books, and advance against a ship very much bigger and higher than themselves and try to dash against it with the prows or burn it or in some way to do it every possible harm."

"As escorts to that majestic fully equipped ship, there are many smaller ships, which receive commands by signal from it and carry out movements to defend themselves from the opposing fleet. In the midst of the immense expanse of sea, two mighty columns of great height arise a little distance the one from the other. On the top of one, there is the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with this inscription: Auxilium Christianorum - "Help of Christians"; on the other, which is much higher and bigger, stands a Host of great size proportionate to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: Salus Credentium - Salvation of the Faithful (Believers).

"The supreme commander of the big ship is the Sovereign Pontiff. He, seeing the fury of the enemies and the evils among which his faithful find themselves, determines to summon around himself the captains of the smaller ships to hold a council and decide what is to be done.

All the captains come aboard and gather around the Pope. They hold a meeting, but meantime the wind and the waves gather in storm, so they are sent back to control their own ships. There comes a short lull; for a second time the Pope gathers the captains around him, while the flag-ship goes on its course. But the frightful storm returns. The Pope stands at the helm and all his energies are directed to steering the ship towards those two columns from whose summits hang many anchors and strong hooks linked to chains.

"All the enemy ships move to attack it, and they try in every way to stop it and to sink it: some with books and writings or inflammable materials, of which they are full; others with firearms, with rifles and with rams. The battle rages ever more relentlessly. The enemy prows thrust violently, but their efforts and impact prove useless. They make attempts in vain and waste all their labor and ammunition; the big ship goes safely and smoothly on its way. Sometimes it happens that, struck by formidable blows, it gets large, deep gaps in its sides; but no sooner is the harm done that a gentle breeze blows from the two columns and the cracks close up and the gaps are stopped immediately.

Meanwhile, the guns of the assailants are blown up, the rifles and other arms and prows are broken; many ships are shattered and sink into the sea. Then, the frenzied enemies strive to fight hand to hand, with fists, with blows, with blasphemy and with curses.

"Suddenly the Pope falls gravely wounded. Immediately, those who are with him run to help him and they lift him up. A second time the Pope is struck, he falls again and dies. A shout of victory and joy rings out amongst the enemies; from their ships an unspeakable mockery arises.

But hardly is the Pontiff dead than another takes his place. The pilots, having met together, have elected the Pope so promptly that the news of the death of the Pope coincides with the news of the election of the successor. The adversaries begin to lose courage.

"The new Pope, putting the enemy to rout and overcoming every obstacle, guides the ship right up to the two columns and comes to rest between them; he makes it fast with a light chain that hangs from the bow to an anchor of the column on which stands the Host; and with another light chain which hangs from the stern, he fastens it at the opposite end to another anchor hanging from the column on which stands the Immaculate Virgin.

At this point, a great convulsion takes place. All the ships that until then had fought against the Pope's ship are scattered; they flee away, collide and break to pieces one against another. Some sink and try to sink others. Several small ships that had fought gallantly for the Pope race to be the first to bind themselves to those two columns. Many other ships, having retreated through fear of the battle, cautiously watch from far away; the wrecks of the broken ships having been scattered in the whirlpools of the sea, they in their turn sail in good earnest to those two columns, and having reached them, they make themselves fast to the hooks hanging down from them and their they remain safe, together with the principal ship, on which is the Pope. Over the sea their reigns a great calm." (end of dream...)

Now personally, I believe that the two Popes spoken of in St. John Bosco's prophetic dream about the two pillars are Pope John Paul II & Pope Benedict.. In fact, I don't even feel it's necessary to critique this dream in how it applies to the current situation of our Church.. The attacks have been plentiful.. However, so are the fruits of conversion.. I further believe that an intricate portion of this prophesy has began to unfold right before our very eyes this past week.. And that is, the portion of the dream that foretells of a moment when the attacking ships will begin to collapse paving the way for reconciliation as the Holy Father securely fastens the Vatican Vessel between the Holy Eucharist and the loving protection of Our Blessed Mother..

Last week the Holy Father made an announcement paving the way and opening the door for reconciliation that has grabbed the attention of a rather large portion of the Church of England.. And now today, on another blog which interesting enough is the reflections of a Salesian priest written in the spirit of Don Bosco, (See Spiritdaily: Bulgarian Orthodox want quick reunion with Vatican) we learn the news that the Bulgarian Orthodox Church also wants to speed up the process of reconciliation with the Vatican.. These are very interesting times! Yes, I believe we are seeing history unfolding right before our very eyes.. May we not let it slip past unnoticed this time...

Dear Children! I am calling you because I need you!

2009-07-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

Dear children! I am calling you because I need you. I need hearts ready for immeasurable love-- hearts that are not burdened by vanity-- hearts that are ready to love as my Son loved-- that are ready to sacrifice themselves as my Son sacrificed Himself. I need you. In order to come with me, forgive yourselves, forgive others and adore my Son. Adore Him also for those who have not come to know Him, those who do not love him. Therefore, I need you; therefore, I call you. Thank you.
Our Lady to Mirjana, July 2, 2009

By John-boy

First of all, What beautiful words from Our Blessed Mother! What a beautiful and awesome feeling it is to have our Blessed mother tell us that She needs us! If that doesn’t bring a smile to our faces then I really just don’t know what else ever could! Aside from perhaps being greeted by Jesus and Our Blessed Mother at the moment of our death.. Thus, a happy death.. What an extremely warm, loving, caring and compassionate feeling to have Our Lady actually tell us “I need you!” Does it get any better than that?

“As Mary Herself said, parishioners and
pilgrims are very important in Her eyes; in fact,
without us, She could not do any of what God
gave Her to do in this historical period.”
Fr. Slavko Barbaric, during an interview with Kresimir Sego, taken from the book, Be My Witness..

Ever since the early days of the Apparitions in Medjugorje, particularly when the world came to learn that 10 secrets would eventually come to unfold at certain appropriate times in the future, or I should say at least that portion of humanity who are willing to listen and heed Our Lady’s call to conversion, people have often speculated, “Are the secrets about to begin?” And as each month comes and goes with a new message from Our Lady in what has become for many a school of prayer as Fr. Slavko Barbaric often referred to Medjugorje as, we often find ourselves looking to each new message to see if there is any hints about such an approaching period of time on the horizon.. And we really ought to be careful about speculation.. Especially if it takes us away from the real purpose of the message which is to draw us closer to God in our relationship with Him.. Hopefully, when we look to each new message, we do so not so much to know what is going to happen but with a desire to grow in faith, hope and love drawing ever closer and closer in our relationship with God, for it is for this very reason that Our Lady has been coming to us for so long..

Now one of the things I find very important when trying to absorb Our Lady’s monthly message is contemplation and prayer.. okay, actually these are two things.. however, in trying to get a handle on what Our Blessed Mother is teaching us, I am one who believes that these two aspects of our faith journey really go hand in hand and in wanting to absorb Her words in the proper sense the way She means them to be perceived we really ought to utilize both prayer and contemplative thought before quickly assuming She means this or that… Common sense and a realistic outlook helps to keep things in perspective without going overboard in a way that pulls us away from the true message.. And of course, it also goes to say that the message can be slightly different for each individual depending on what we are each going through and what consolation or guidance we may need to hear at any given moment in our personal daily journey.. However, there is always an over all message to the message that is intended for everyone to heed.. and in this case, it is simply that Our Lady needs us…

For various reasons perhaps personal to each individual this most recent message has really caught the attention of many.. and perhaps in a way slightly different than in the past.. For that matter, I suppose the same can be said about several of Our Lady’s most recent messages.. Has anything substantial actually changed that makes the Medjugorje message any different than in the past 28 years? I don’t know.. For some it seems that it has.. And perhaps that is a good thing because Our Lady just might now have our undivided attention even that much more..

There is even a strong feeling among many faithful lately that the 1st secret is about to occur.. To be honest, for my own personal reasons I happen to share in this sentiment.. However, I can be off the mark just as much as the next person.. So, again, in order that we remain firmly grounded in the healthy direction Our Lady wishes to lead us in, truth be told, we still do not know when the secrets will begin and nothing has changed in that we really ought not put too much emphasis into speculating about the when’s, where’s and how’s concerning the secrets given to our dear brothers and sisters in Christ the children of Medjugorje.. We will know when it is God’s will for us to know and not one hair of a second sooner.. That is just a fact.. We have no control over such matters to begin with.. we never did.. and no, nothing has changed at all in that regard.. and besides, speculating about things that Our Lady has not revealed to us nor that God does not want us to know at this present time can really be unhealthy spiritually speaking simply because it takes us further away from the more important things we really ought to be concentrating on such as how am I living the Medjugorje message today in my own daily walk?

There is however, in my humble opinion, one very important matter in which we probably ought to be speculating about concerning the 1st secret.. A kind of speculating that can prove beneficial in order that we better prepare ourselves when these foretold events do eventually begin.. or at the very least, perhaps we should be giving this some deep soul-searching & pondering from time to time while we pray the Rosary each day.. again, so that we may be better prepared.. and that is, in what way will I respond to those around me when the 1st secret does come to pass?

When the 1st secret is announced and as the event begins to unfold it will be our call to tend to and console those who are troubled, confused and anxious.. We will need to be calm instruments of God's peace, something that can only be obtained through the grace of God.. See, the reason I am addressing this issue the way that I am is because I have some very serious concerns about a particular movement I see today that I believe is the direct result of some purported messages floating around that in essence are actually working against the Medjugorje message even though the purported messengers claim otherwise.. Some of them even claim their connection with heaven began at Medjugorje, thus, using Medjugorje as a platform to gain support for their claims.. There is a movement that exists today that basically says this, “because of certain events that will unfold in the near future, we need to prepare ourselves to go into hiding.” Or things to this effect.. This is fear based.. it causes fear and even worse, it really invites people to become selfish .. That’s right, I said selfish.. The opposite of giving.. of caring.. of compassion.. of charity.. of loving.. of being Christian..

Here is why I say this.. If you look closely at everything Our Lady has been teaching us over the past 28 years, She seems to be killing two birds with one stone to sort of speak.. On one hand, She is teaching us how to be better Christians.. She is teaching us how to live the Gospel in our daily walk of life.. Well, what is it to be Christian? To be Christian is to be unselfish, to be charitable towards our neighbors.. to look for Christ in all our neighbors, even and especially our neighbors who to us might seem the farthest from being Christlike.. Still, it is our call to love others as Jesus loves us.. On the other hand, knowing that there will eventually come a time when the 10 secrets do actually begin to unfold, She has also been preparing us for this next period of time.. So the past 28 years have been a special school of prayer where we have been learning to live the Gospel each day of our lives as well as a course in how to respond to the needs of others when ‘others’ come running up to us saying, “Help me, what do I do?!” Responding to the needs of others with love and an open heart is not something solely exclusive to when the secrets begin, but something we really ought to be living each moment of our lives anyways..

Now, let’s be realistic here for a moment… If I am getting all worked up, worrying in fear about a time of chaos, storing up tons and tons of preservatives in my basement, perhaps even arming myself with guns and ammunition to protect my family when all hell breaks loose, all the while believing that I am doing all of this in the name of God because I truly believe God has been speaking to people and warning us of this purported horrible undoing of mankind, what am I really doing here? Think about it for a moment.. What am I really doing in preparing this way? What I am doing is nothing more than looking out for ME and forgetting the rest of humanity.. And this is Christian?

Yes, I understand that in Scripture there are prophesies pertaining to end times persecution.. And so now, many of these self-proclaimed messengers are sounding trumpets of doom and gloom saying, “Be prepared! For the time has come!” And in sounding these trumpets we are being told that we need to be prepared to go into hiding.. refuges, or safe havens as they often call them.. Yet, look at this most recent message from Our Blessed mother and tell me that this is what She is saying? Really? That She is calling us to be prepared to get down right greedy and selfish? Heavens no! I don’t think so… Quite the opposite my dear brothers and sisters, Our Blessed Mother is saying “get ready to love! I need you to love!”

Even when you turn to that part of Scripture where Jesus foretells of a time of persecution, He too is telling us to be ready to stand firm in that same love rather than to be ready to run and hide in more ways than one.. “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will be saved.” Matthew 17: 33 and also, “Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I Myself shall give you wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to refuse or refute.” Matthew 21: 14,15

The real message is about love.. and it is about tending to the needs of others with that love, a love that truly comes from God.. The Medjugorje message is not about secluding ourselves from others especially in a moment when there will be so many in desperation looking for guidance and answers.. Now if we are all hunkered down in our basements hiding from the world, who then will be available to help all these children of God in their moment of much needed consolation and compassion? We are talking about our loved ones.. family, friends, co-workers, our children’s teachers, our neighbor down the street, our hair dresser, our bus driver, and so on… If you work in a hospital or perhaps a nursing home can you even begin to fathom abandoning all these patients to fend for themselves all alone while you go run and hide in your basement or some refuge in the woods? Would it really be Christian to abandon the rest of humanity in those initial moments the secrets begin? How could any of this actually be God’s will? How could any of this reflect what Our Lady has been teaching us for so long now?

Changing the topic a bit, some have argued that it is because the Medjugorje messages have gone on for so long that they no longer believe in the validity of Medjugorje. We are now seeing a time when even some who were once faithful followers of Our Lady’s Medjugorje message now no longer pay much if any heed to the Medjugorje message and the events that surround Our Lady’s continual appearance there.. Although I would have to say that this is not common place by any means but actually really far and few between to be honest.. Sad to say, yet even a fewer among the few have made it their personal mission to try and debunk what is occurring in Medjugorje.. For those who do so, and I am speaking on a personal level here, for while we are free to choose either way at this time whether or not we believe in the validity of Medjugorje I personally feel that it is a very unfortunate tragedy of those who choose not to believe because to me they have really ‘missed the boat’ to sort of speak when it comes to what Medjugorje is really all about..

Perhaps those who once believed but no longer believe have not yet realized the magnitude of Medjugorje in that Our Lady is slowly teaching us over time which in essence is how to not just know but actually live the Gospel each day of our lives.. Yes, we are slow learners when it comes to walking and living our Christian faith.. And often, we need to be continually reminded over and over again what it is to be a faithful child of God because we simply forget far too easily just how to be that faithful Christian God calls us to be.. Love God, love others.. over and over again.. we need to practice this.. Love God, love others.. and again, Love God, love others.. Our Catholic Faith and how we are called to practice our faith works much the same.. Otherwise, we would simply go to Mass each Sunday and receive the Eucharist without the liturgy and a Homily to reflect on.. The whole concept behind this is to refresh and refresh and keep refreshing the process of growing in our Christian faith.. And it's really been this way for many many generations.. long before Medjugorje..

Yet, so many of our Churches have closed.. our pews seem more and more empty as time passes by.. So many of God's children are falling away from the Church.. As Cradle Catholics, we were often sacramentalized but we were never really evangelized.. For many of us, we just didn’t get it.. We heard the Word but it fell on deaf ears.. and so, for many, it is not until we experience a powerful conversion like Paul that we begin to invite God back into our hearts the way God wants to be in our hearts.. And this is where Our Blessed Mother comes in.. Our Lady, for 28 years now has been coming to Her precious children continually drawing us back to Her Son Jesus as often as we tend to veer off the narrow path in our daily walk of faith.. In essence, She is evangelizing us in a very powerful way.. but She is not just evangelizing us, Our Lady is literally taking us by the hand and leading us straight to the very Heart of Her Son Jesus, in a way that no other human being possibly can.. And like any loving and concerned mother would do when Her children begin to stray from the ‘safe’ path, where there are many roaring lions out and about ready to devour, Our Lady keeps taking us by that hand and gently guiding us back along that safe path, a path that leads us straight to Her Son Jesus… She does this each month when She gives us a new message so that we may continue to grow in faith, hope and love.. However, on our part we always have free will.. So She simply invites.. and She invites.. and then She invites us again..

Yet, as we continue to grow in this school of prayer Our Lady has been guiding and instructing us along the past 28 years, we also know deep down in our hearts that the way things are and have been will not always be… That indeed, a time will come when the secrets will be announced, events will begin to unfold, and the world as we know it will begin to change right before our very eyes.. This is just a fact.. For those who heed Our Lady’s call to conversion and follow the Medjugorje message the fact that 10 secrets will one day come to pass is very much a reality, just as much as the whole concept of Medjugorje and everything about it the past 28 years is in fact a reality..

As much as we ought not spend too much time pondering what’s going to actually happen when the secrets do eventually occur, I mean in terms of speculation.. those unanswerable questions such as, "where will it happen?" and "on what date will it take place", for focusing too much in such a manner is not necessarily healthy spiritually speaking.. .. However, there is perhaps a common sense and healthy speculative pondering that should prove beneficial in the long run when the secrets do eventually come to pass.. And that are the answerable questions.. Such as, how will I respond to those around me regarding their own needs in the state they are in at that time when they turn to me and say, “I’m confused, please, please help me! What do I do?” How will I take care of those who come to me wanting to know what to do? Remember, people might not seem to have been really listening to you in the past whenever you spoke about Medjugorje, but when that time arrives they will certainly suddenly remember.. and it will be then that those same individuals who perhaps in the past simply rolled their eyes whenever you spoke about Our Lady’s love will most likely come running to you saying, “Hey! You know about Medjugorje! Please, please tell me what I need to know. Tell me what I need to do!”

When the 1st secret comes to pass, for those who do not know the love of God this will be a very difficult moment for them.. Perhaps there will be extremely confused individuals, struggling to make sense of what is happening.. There will be remorseful individuals, coming to realize how far off track they have been.. and there will be frightened individuals who need to know that God loves them and wants them to come back to Him.. Perhaps as of now many do not seem to be listening, but when the 1st secret unfolds that will undoubtedly change within an instant.. Personally, I am one who believes we will see hoards and hoards of fallen away Catholics flocking back to the Confessionals.. line after line, of people knocking on the local Parish door wanting to see a priest, "Please Father! I need to see you!" Very symbolic indeed that we should even see lines and lines of confessionals in Medjugorje on a continual basis, don't you think?

For those who have been continually ignoring Our Lady’s invitation to conversion there will be sense of chaos and confusion.. Confusion comes from the devil and it is very difficult to avoid confusion if we do not have God at the center of our lives.. that is just common sense.. and that is why Our Lady has been coming to us for so long.. to help us break through that confusion and be prepared, so that we can help others in their own state of confusion.. She has been preparing us.. Perhaps those who until that moment have been away from God will experience a strong and complete sense of being lost, an inner personal earthquake if you will suddenly takes place from within one’s being.. “Oh God! What have I done!”

And perhaps within an instant there will be thousands of Saul’s becoming Paul’s.. That’s the good news! That’s the beauty and wonder of the warning God will give us.. Just as you often see people walking around like zombies after a devastating earthquake with blank stares and a sense of “What just happened” on their faces, so too, we will more than likely encounter a lot of people around us, perhaps even family members, co-workers, friends and such, with that same look on their faces and confusion in their hearts as they come to us saying, “So what do I do? How do I make this better? How do I correct this?”

Considering all of this, is this why Our Lady seems to be preparing us in this manner when She says She needs, “hearts that are ready to love as my Son loved” I mean, She has basically been saying this for 28 years.. and nothing in this single statement seems any different than before.. however, combined with the entire message, and the general feel of Her most recent messages it just seems as though we are being prepared in a different way now, perhaps in a way that appears more urgent than in the past.. as one close friend mentioned recently, “it feels like this is the final leg of the race.” This same friend also said, “Those of us who do believe in the authenticity of Medjugorje need to be a beacon of light to those who do not believe in God......even if Medjugorje did not exist, we still need to be a beacon of light to the world.” And so, regardless of when the 1st secret occurs there is a strong sense of being prepared.. but not in the sense some have been claiming.. re- stocking up on canned goods, lot’s of canned beans in case there is a gas shortage.. But rather preparing ourselves and being prepared to truly assist those feeling confused and left in the dark when it all begins...

“I have told you this so that joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:11-13

“Dear children! I am calling you because I need you.” Our Lady needs us? Yes, She needs, “hearts ready for immeasurable love-- hearts that are not burdened by vanity-- hearts that are ready to love as my Son loved.” That is a pretty powerful request when you think of it! Then She continues with the ultimate request of all by saying that She need hearts, “that are ready to sacrifice themselves as my Son sacrificed Himself.” Again, repeating the words, “I need you.” Jesus sacrificed Himself in many ways yet in one very powerful and glorified way.. The ultimate sacrifice was His passionate death.. He laid down His life for each of us.. In all the ways He continually gave of Himself this continual act of sacrifice can be summed up in one single statement, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for another.”

Martyrdom is the ultimate act of love for God. Martyrdom is to sacrifice our life for obedient love of God. Now I am not suggesting that Our Lady is saying we are all about to be martyred.. However, that is always a possibility, at least for some in some parts of the world.. Remember, martyrdom is nothing new to our Christian faith.. However, perhaps what I am suggesting is that we are all being called to be prepared for spiritual martyrdom.. In other words, be ready to stand up for your faith because these are certainly times when being a Christian, and more particularly being a Catholic tends to be seen as a bad thing rather than a good thing by many in today’s world.. Especially with our dear beloved Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, bless his heart, coming out with a new encyclical about charity that is really addressing some vital issues the world faces today, and considering how many conspiracy theorist’s are already jumping all over him accusing him of endorsing a new world order and one world government we really need to be prepared for an onslaught of such verbal persecution.. We need to pray for our Holy Father, probably more so now than any time before since his papacy began, and we need to be ready to stand firm and steadfast in our faith, trust and obedience to God and to His Church..

And finally, Our Lady is calling us because She needs us to be Her prayer warriors.. and so prayer is the key element to all of this at hand for whatever the future holds.. And so we continue to do exactly what Our Blessed Mother asks us to do... pray, pray, pray... May there be mass conversions when the secrets begin... and may we be the instruments of God's peace and love Our Lady is calling us to be.. She needs us... and we certainly need Her..

Hail Mary, full of grace
The Lord is with Thee,
Blessed art Thou amongst women
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death, Amen..

Here we are Mother, please lead us!

Behind Closed Doors, There Lies a Gift For You..

2009-06-25T08:57:00.001-07:00

By John-boy

"Dear children! I invite you to open the door of your heart to Jesus as the flower opens itself to the sun. Jesus desires to fill your hearts with peace and joy. You cannot, little children, realize peace if your are not at peace with Jesus. Therefore, I invite you to confession so Jesus may be your truth and peace. So, little children, pray to have the strength to realize what I am telling you. I am with you and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Our Lady of Medjugorje, January 25, 1995

Behind closed doors lies one of the most beautiful gifts God wants to give us.. Yet, often we are afraid.. What is probably the most difficult stumbling block any person encounters along their journey in life is the humility of confessing our sins.. the humble acknowledgment that I have sinned, that I have not always acted the way that I should.. That personal recognition that it is true, I fall short of the glory of God..

For many laity, visiting the confessional sits near the bottom of the priority list when it comes to putting our faith to practice.. I stayed away from the confessional for over a decade out of sure pride.. And like so many, I had all the excuses.. “Well, why do I have to confess my sins to a priest? Why can’t I just do it alone in prayer?” Yet, in this little room no larger than a broom closet is a most beautiful gift just waiting for me to receive..

That huge obstacle, that really difficult stumbling block, that really uncomfortable room with the little red/green light above it's door that I tend to shy away from called confessional calls out my name.. “Come to Me you who labor and are burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is one of the greatest gifts the Church gives to us.. This precious Sacrament is the footing to our salvation.. It is in the confessional that we experience the saving grace of Our Lord the most..

The priest does not judge us.. the priest will not say “shame on you.” No, he consoles us in our remorse and helps us to encounter once again the merciful Christ our Redeemer in the most intimate way just as we encounter Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist.. The priest is there to serve us.. to lead us the faithful flock to Christ..

When we enter into the confessional we enter heavily burdened with sin.. we are dirty.. we are filthy.. we are heavily burdened.. riddled with guilt.. we have offended our God at various moments in our daily walk.. and those offenses are weighing us down whether we realize it or not.. we want to be free! and so we are in great need of a wash down.. O' Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus, as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You... Jesus pours His most precious Blood over us.. The only way we can be free of this filth is through the mercy of Christ our Redeemer.. It is in the confessional that we take the plunge and literally fall into the merciful and loving arms of our Savior.. And just as the priest gives you the blessing and says “I absolve you of all your sins. Go in the peace of Christ” Jesus is standing right there saying, “I forgive you. Your sins are no more.”

"Dear children! Today I call you to prepare yourselves for the coming of Jesus. In a special way, prepare your hearts. May holy Confession be the first act of conversion for you and then, dear children, decide for holiness. May your conversion and decision for holiness begin today and not tomorrow. Little children, I call you all to the way of salvation and I desire to show you the way to Heaven. That is why, little children, be mine and decide with me for holiness. Little children, accept prayer with seriousness and pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Our Lady of Medjugorje, November 25, 1998

Walking the Tight Rope between Refusing to Justify Sin and Being Careful Not to Judge Others

2009-05-15T05:57:00.000-07:00

By John-boy

“Political figures supporting pro-abortion legislation should be requested from the pulpit and from the Bishop not to present themselves for Communion. That it is an offense not only to God but to the rest of us who are trying to follow the Divine Law.”
Fr. Groeschel, on politicians who advocate abortion receiving Communion..

Personally, I agree with Fr. Groeschel and I have the utmost admiration for his speaking up in the light of truth.. Fr. Groeschel reminds all of us that if we are in a state of mortal sin we should not approach the Altar during Mass to receive Holy Communion. While my sins are something personal between me, my confessor and God in the confessional, a rather sad dilemma here is that the sins of Catholics regularly spotlighted in the media often become known to everyone.. especially, if that Catholic is a politician who is obliged to let the people know where he or she stands on moral issues. On one hand you almost have to have a sense of sympathy in that their lives are no longer personal between them and God as it is for a quiet layperson, yet at the same time recognizing that the politician knew before getting into politics that their morality would be made known to the public. As Christians, we cannot condone sin yet we cannot judge either.. It becomes a real tight rope to walk sometimes..

While listening to Fr. Groeschel speak, I noticed that he put emphasis on the words, “should be requested from the pulpit and from the Bishop...” in referring to political figures receiving Communion. I believe that it is very important as mentioned in the above opening paragraph to be always mindful that while we can never condone sin, we can also never judge. Fr. Groeschel was considering the Catechism, the fundamental teachings of our Catholic faith when he made this statement. He is not merely speaking from personal opinion but actually in obedience to his call as a priest to lead the faithful flock in truth.. I do not believe for a moment that he is casting any judgment on a person but simply calling to mind the need for each of us to be obedient to the teachings of the Majesterium of the Church. Though what he is saying was in response to politicians who support certain legislature that oppose the law of God let us not forget also that what he is saying applies to each and every one of us as Catholics just the same.

It is for this very reason that if I am in mortal sin, I should not be coming forward to receive Communion. And recently, one Sunday morning at Mass I found myself in such a situation as humbling as it is for me to admit.. Perhaps sharing my own testimony here will help others to understand the importance of remaining obedient to Church teachings. And believe me, this was by far not only the most awkward moment I ever experienced during Mass but my most saddest and heart wrenching moment.. I can only hope I never have to go through that again.. That is to have to sit back in the pew and watch everyone else around me go up for Communion knowing that I could not join them because of the state of sin I was in at that present moment. It broke my heart. But then, I must also remember that it is because I pierced Someone's Heart who is very dear and special to me that I was in this predicament in the first place..

Just after the Consecration was complete, as the priest lifted up the Holy Eucharist and announced, “Happy are those who are called to the table…” I shuddered with complete and utter sadness for the state of mortal sin I was in at that moment. There was no denying the awareness of remorse I now felt for the Holy Spirit had made it known to me the state of sin I was in.. yes, at that moment the Holy Spirit had convicted me of my sinfulness.. I would not be among my fellow brothers and sisters who were about to come forward to the Table to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist. The consequence of my sins tore deep into my very heart.

"Dear children! I invite you to open the door of your heart to Jesus as the flower opens itself to the sun. Jesus desires to fill your hearts with peace and joy. You cannot, little children, realize peace if your are not at peace with Jesus. Therefore, I invite you to confession so Jesus may be your truth and peace. So, little children, pray to have the strength to realize what I am telling you. I am with you and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Our Lady of Medjugorje, January 25, 1995

The entire congregation, I included, responded with the words, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive You but only say the word and I shall be healed.” Yet, an intricate part of that healing process meant first receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to receiving Holy Communion. The Lord indeed does desires to heal me.. It is His desire to heal each and everyone of us. That is the will of an all merciful God Who we turn to in our deepest state of wretchedness. I am a Roman Catholic… and as a Roman Catholic by faith, by reason, and by submissive obedience to the Majesterium of which in full consciousness and aware of the freewill I do possess, I fully consent to this obedience and authoritative power the Church holds. It is a must that I perceive this way for this is the awareness and understanding in the light of truth that the Holy Spirit gives to us so that we may grow in faith nearer to God rather than further away from Him..

I solemnly and wholeheartedly believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist.. The Eucharist, my brothers and sisters in Christ as you already know, is not merely a symbol of our Catholic faith but Jesus the Bread of Life Himself.. The Eucharist IS Jesus truly present. So, I must be obedient to the Majesterium of the Church whether it is comfortable to perceive this way or not. Yes, it is the will of God that I come to Him.. but it is also His will that I approach Him in obedience according to the Church of which He has entrusted His authority to..

"Therefore, if you bring your gift to the Altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the Altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift."
Matthew 5: 23

I was in a state of mortal sin. No one but God and I alone knew this to be true in that moment. I could have easily rose from the pew and approached the Altar to receive Communion and no one would have known any different.. But I knew.. and God knew.. And I knew in my heart that it would be unjust of me to do so.. a double sin.. For my very soul, stained with the filth of selfishness, a consequence of my recent quest to self-gratify prevented me from joining my brothers and sisters at the Table.. At least for the time being.. It would not have been just in the sights of a God Who is both mercy and justice for me to have come forward at the Banquet Table the state of sin I was in… I was to take the proper steps and confess my sins, then come back and receive my Lord for I knew in my heart that attempting to sneak through the back door was not something pleasing to God..

“The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guest’s he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence.”
Matthew 22:10-12

In Matthew chapter 22, Jesus tells the Parable of the Wedding Feast of which the kingdom of heaven can be likened to. A king had summoned his servants to round up special guests for a special feast but those guests invited declined. Furious, the king summoned the servants to round up all they could find in the streets, the good and bad alike.. According to the footnotes that accompany this Scriptural quote provided in the New American Bible, the wedding garment refers to the act of repentance…where we become pure again through the Sacrament of Reconciliation..

So, in the case of politicians and other high profile figures whose sins are often made known to the world I must be careful to advocate against the permitting of sins in today's society yet at the same time be attentive to my own that I do not cast stones.. so in this being the case with public people it becomes a concern and a call for each of us to be vigilant of our own keep, because a door is now left open making it far too easy for us to fall into the trap of judging them..

“Stop judging that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.”
Matthew 7:1,2

Often, as a Christian who is Pro-Life, the moment I begin to speak about the issue that weighs heavy on my heart I risk being accused by others, sometimes even by my own fellow Christian brother or sister of being judgmental. And sometimes that is the case.. that wrongful judgments have been waged.. So how do I stand up for justice without casting judgment on my brother or sister when I see sin being progressively advocated in the world around me? I do not like what I see as I see injustices such as the passing of laws that allow abortion become acceptable more and more in today’s society.. How do I as a Christian, called by God to advocate for life, stand up for the rights of the innocent and unborn child? How do I keep the balance between refusing to condone sin and refraining from judging this or that politician?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.”
Matthew 5: 43,44

The only logical answer seems to be love the sinner but despise the sin.. or vise versa, despise the sin but love the sinner.. How do I do this? I am to love those who oppose me. I must love those who stand up against what I stand for? Yes, I must love the sinner even when I despise that sinners agenda. I must love my persecutors.. I must love those who 'appear to be indifferent to God's Law'.. there is the trap right there that I begin to fall into if I am not vigilant of my own keep..

The sinner is our brother. The sinner is our sister. The sinner is me.. I am the sinner. Do I desire to be loved? Even in all my sinfulness? Of course I do.. In all the years I was away from God and His Church, as well as in all the time I have since returned has it ever pierced my heart when people shunned me or mocked me or ridiculed me for not seeing things their way? Of course it did.. I was still a child of God with feelings.. and it still did not feel very comfortable to have another person cast stones at me..

My conversion is the result of the Holy Spirit Who gently convicted me of my sinfulness.. that word 'gently' is extremely important.. My conversion is not the result of the devil accusing me.. nor is it the result of other people throwing my sins in my face.. It was always in those circumstances that I drifted further away from God.. So standing up and pointing the finger at others accusing them of their sins does no good to help bring them closer to God.. Yet, again, I also cannot condone sin.. I cannot simply turn a blind eye when I see a law that is being passed or the potential is there for a government to pass a law that will permit sin and more sin to occur viewed by many as a false justice in the society of which I am a part of…

My response, when I see the potential for such laws to be passed must first and foremost be one of prayer.. and if I feel called by God to advocate for God’s will in the society I live in, in the instance of abortion- to advocate for life, then I must always maintain that prayerful heart all along the while I advocate for life.. For without prayer as a means to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit Who is all Truth, and without a solid foundation built on Truth I have taken it upon myself without God to conquer an injustice..

I want to be loved. I do not want to be judged or condemned by you. I do not want to stand accused by you. I want you to accept me for who I am even with all my faults and my inadequacies.. I also want to be just in the sights of God.. I cannot judge you.. I also cannot condone your sins if you believe that your sins are just.. do not judge me for it does you no good in your walk of faith to bring you closer to God.. but also, do not condone my sins should I attempt to justify them.. because then, you do me no good either to help me to get to heaven..

It is the Holy Spirit Who convicts us of our sins. Unlike the devil who accuses us, the Holy Spirit convicts us that we may see truth with spiritual eyes.. the devil on the other hand wishes to keep us in guilt and lead us into despair. We must be clear on the very extreme difference between these two occurrences.. The Holy Spirit is our friend, our Advocate, “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it.” John 14: 16,17 The devil is our accuser, who prosecutes us before God for his own gain in an attempt to obtain our soul and drag us to hell..

So as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to be advocates to one another to help one another make it to heaven. No, not in the sense that we should convict others of their sins.. that is for the Holy Spirit to do, because though we are called to follow in Christ's footsteps, we ourselves are not God.. So advocates of Truth, but not judges.. We are not our brother or sisters judge.. we need to understand the difference between the two… I cannot judge you.. I cannot tell you where you stand before God.. even the most hardened sinner I cannot judge.. but condone the sin? No, that I also cannot and should never do..

Praying that all politicians, all those in powerful positions, who see abortion and other sins as acceptable, that they begin to change how they perceive truth.. that they welcome in God's Truth, which is the only real truth.. that they begin to see the dangers in endorsing sins .. that their hearts and minds be transformed and they begin to soften more and more to welcome in the same God who knocks every day on each and everyone of our hearts as well.. may we also be receptive to God when He knocks on our hearts..

Peace to all my dear brothers and sisters in Christ..

Prayer for the Conversion of Lapsed Catholics

2009-04-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

(Painting: The Prodigal Son, by Liz Lemon Swindle)

Prayer for the Conversion of Lapsed Catholics
By John-boy

Lord Jesus, ever since You graced us with a journey of conversion of our own You continually call us to be humble servants and prayer warriors, Evangelist’s spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth .. And at the foot of the Cross You gave us Your Mother to be our Blessed Mother.. The beautiful Lady of many apparitions throughout history who continually invites us to pray for the conversion of poor sinners.. especially those who like myself at one time have fallen away from their baptismal faith, the Roman Catholic Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.. Lord have mercy..

And though I am most certainly a sinner and thus not even worthy to undo the straps of You sandals, I come before You meek and humble in prayer and petition this very day, beseeching Your most bountiful and infinite mercy to fall upon not just me and not just those dear to me who I am most concerned about, but upon all Your precious children once faithful flowers who for whatever reason have since fallen away from their baptismal faith.. the same faith Your Spirit graciously welcomed them into.. Christ have mercy..

Guide them dear Lord back into Your most Sacred Heart for they are Your precious children, little lambs, precious flowers, in most need of experiencing Your Love and Your Mercy in the Sacraments given us through the tender hands of Your priest’s.. these precious flowers once knew and recognized their Lord in the Sacraments of the Altar much like St. John the Baptist who recognized his Lord even in his mother’s womb.. Lord have mercy..

Now they hunger and thirst for Your most Precious Body and Blood temporarily unable to truly see You with Catholic eyes as they once did not long ago.. and as they once praised You and worshipped You together with all of us in union with You, One Bread and One Body it is with great hope that we turn to You Lord asking this favor that one day these precious flowers, these little lambs will return to the same Church that gave them their footing early on in life.. Christ have mercy..

As we see our Churches empty we often find ourselves asking where Lord have all the precious flowers gone? Our eyes swell with tears yet we cling to Your unfathomable mercy and place our trust in Your divine plan.. Please Lord Jesus we beseech You to fill Your beautiful garden the Roman Catholic Church that You have given Your Blessed Mother, Our Mystical Rose, the unique role to tend to once again with the precious and beautiful flowers that once graced and bloomed Your Garden long ago.. please Lord, we beseech You to bring them back into Your Most Sacred Heart and the Most Immaculate Heart of Your Mother Mary who becomes our Most Holy Mother to love us and to guide us along the way to salvation.. Lord have mercy..

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Sincere

2009-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

In Medjugorje, Our Lady began this Lenten season on Ash Wednesday which evidently happened this year to fall on the 25th of the month of February with a very simple and straight-forward message, "Dear children! In this time of renunciation, prayer and penance, I call you anew: go and confess your sins so that grace may open your hearts, and permit it to change you. Convert little children, open yourselves to God and to His plan for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

And it should be of no surprise that Our Lady’s message is once again a call to conversion echoing the call of John the Baptist to make way for the coming of the Lord, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said, “A voice of one crying in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.” (Matthew 3: 2,3) I say that this should be of no surprise because in essence this is exactly what Our Lady has been doing for nearly 28 years; calling us to enter into the very Heart of Her Son Jesus.

During Lent Our Lady gave Her precious children four messages to reflect on. The first one was a direct call to conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation as well as a vivid reminder to be ever prayerful and penitent. I couldn’t help but notice during this reflection that in the next three messages a certain word kept appearing. That word is sincere or in the case of the last of the four messages insincere.

On March 2, 2009, Our Lady Said, "Dear children! I am here among you. I am looking into your wounded and restless hearts. You have become lost, my children. Your wounds from sin are becoming greater and greater and are distancing you all the more from the real truth. You are seeking hope and consolation in the wrong places, while I am offering to you sincere devotion which is nurtured by love, sacrifice and truth. I am giving you my Son."

On March 25, 2009, Our Lady said, "Dear children! In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. Little children, may He draw you closer to His Heart so that you may become open to eternal life. I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call."

On April 2, 2009, Our Lady says, “Dear children, God's love is in my words. My children, that is the love which desires to turn you to justice and truth. That is the love which desires to save you from delusion. And what about you, my children? Your hearts remain closed; they are hard and do not respond to my calls. They are insincere. With a motherly love I am praying for you, because I desire for all of you to resurrect in my son. Thank you.

Now that we are nearing the conclusion of this Lenten season and I find myself reflecting back over the past few weeks. I find myself reflecting on my own response or lack thereof to Our Lady’s call to conversion. I find myself (without truly knowing) pondering just how I might stand before God at this present moment. I am examining my conscience. How sincere am I?