Ocean of Mercy

One of my hide-outs in the Philippines is Tablas Island; we were there last week to be immersed in beauty, rowing a banca (small fishing boat) towards blazing sunsets in the evenings and morning prayers floating in the crystal clear Sibuyan Sea as dawn broke.

Standing in the sea up to my waist, a small creature approached encircling my legs eager to take a bite. I let him try and then shooed him away and began to write as I realised it was time to relate this story; one of the sailor Webb Chiles’s survival stories I had logged earlier this year.

His boat sank off the coast of Fort Lauderdale 33 years ago at 3 o’clock in the morning and he was left floating in the ocean, in the darkness, waiting patiently for the sea to take him; all desire of survival spent. As he waited he felt something on his left thigh; it was a small fish taking a nibble. This small and seemingly insignificant creature catalysed an attempt for him to swim for shore.

For several hours then he swam, battling fatigue, thirst and waves, until he saw a light.

An anchored trawler was nearby and he shouted for help and was brought aboard. He had travelled more than a hundred miles north by then to Sebastian inlet, swept along by the gulfstream. An astonishing rescue story in itself but the outcome was far more extraordinary when you think about it.

What a gift! To receive an extension of life beyond that moment; in those 30 plus years since then he met the love of his life, circumnavigated the globe a couple of times, wrote books and had a great many of the joys, sorrows and adventures that make for life that could so easily have been missed or lost.

It’s not the ocean that is benevolent though, but the One who watches over it and us, who knows the day and the hour of our departure and holds the rudder of our life’s journey (gently), continually wooing us with the offer of the ocean of His mercy and the intimacy and union that flows from that to our eternal destiny beyond this mortal coil.

He sent Jonah a whale that taxied him back to shore! The rest of us may have to sail, row or swim!

 Webb Chiles Blog page

 

A quote from St Faustina's Diary 'Divine Mercy in my Soul'

Jesus: Be not afraid of your Savior; O sinful soul. I make the first move to come to you, for I know that by yourself you are unable to lift yourself to me. Child, do not run away from your Father; be willing to talk openly with your God of mercy who wants to speak words of pardon and lavish his graces on you. How dear your soul is to Me! I have inscribed your name upon My hand; you are engraved as a deep wound in My Heart (Diary, 1485).

Our Lady's Message from Medjugorje October 25th 2025

 Latest Medjugorje Message, October 25, 2025

Marija during an apparition

“Dear children! 

The Most High in His goodness gave me to you to lead you on the way of peace. Many have responded and are praying, but there are many creatures who do not have peace and have not come to know the God of love. 

Therefore, little children, pray and love, create prayer groups to encourage each other to the good. I am with you and am praying for your conversion. 

Thank you for having responded to my call. ”

Latest Message from Our Lady (medjugorje)

“Dear children!

May this time for you be a time of prayer for peace.

Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Turn to me with all your heart ... Philippines

 

There is a bible verse which gives a rather wonderful promise to nations who are in trouble as ours is; be it from poor leaders, corrupted beyond our comprehension, (and a Chinese fleet lurking offshore for reasons yet to be revealed.. )

“if then my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chron 7:14)

An exorcist, Fr Ripperger, was interviewed recently and asked to talk about the nature of the corruption currently under scrutiny in the Philippines and there was some interesting commentary. Firstly confirming that there is clearly demonic or diabolical influence , not merely greed or dishonesty and that is certainly important in fully identifying the problem and who or what we are up against. His second point is that God uses such things to chasten His people, to call them to repentance, so that they can be worthy of good leaders and the healing of their land.

When we frame it in this way; it becomes clearer as to what will and will not produce the desired result.

For decades the expression “people power” has been used to rouse the crowd, march, campaign, protest, demand, and give vent to understandable anger, nowadays coupled with a good flurry of social media posts. This may briefly give an illusion of power; but it is an illusion and it’s a godless and perhaps even a blasphemous illusion. To explore a little deeper let’s consider the product of the numerous “people power events” over the last few decades:-

Number of Corrupt Senators jailed ?

Amount of Stolen money recovered from them?

Number of Corrupt Congressman Jailed ?

Amount of Stolen money recovered from them?

Number of other government officials jailed ?

Corrupt Businessmen jailed ?

Amount of Stolen money recovered from them ?

Any change what-so-ever ?

The truth is that ‘power exhausts those who don’t have it’. The corrupt (and their diabolical masters) merely laugh at the protests because they are untouchable by those means, they can pretend to investigate, chastise each other with speeches, and then go back to business as usual until the next time, decade after decade, generation after generation, century after century.

If the nation wants change; then it must look to God; firstly by seeking purity of heart (or personal holiness) and a purity of intention. The first part involves repentance especially from those seeking to lead; and especially the church in a Catholic country. Is there anything wrong ? Any reason that the only Catholic country in the world is the most corrupt ? Is there any desire or commitment to depart from its own corruption or sin... any cover-ups within that need to be dealt with? Any ways it is compromised ? or its members are compromised ?

That is the beginning and frankly the only path to change in government is to become worthy of good leaders or a good country is when the church and people want it for themselves too. God listens to hearts that are humbled and are genuine not the noisy or arrogant. We need God’s power and to acknowledge that of ourselves we have none and have a sincere desire to change and surrender it to God. Then the demons will tremble and the nation’s institutions can be exorcised fully. ‘Don’t put your trust in princes.. (Ps 146:3)

Medjugorje International Relief 2025 Report

Link to :- Medjugorje International Relief 2025 Report 

Interview with Fr Carlos Martin (Exorcist) ..

 

Who Dares Wins

 

The recent Ukrainian ‘Operation Spider web’ which targeted airbases and military hardware across Russia in a simultaneous drone attack over several time zones deep behind enemy lines without loss of life was a sharp contrast with how the rest of the war was being waged in the trench warfare in eastern Ukraine aka ‘the meat-grinder’ where every foot of territory gained is measured in lives lost. 

It’s reminiscent of the way in which the allies turned around the desert war in North Africa with the creation of the SAS and its first synchronised raids on German and Italian airbases, a new methodology comprising meticulous attention to detail, covert manoeuvring, split second timing. All the damage was done before the adversary knew what was happening. 

We can certainly draw parallels here too with how humanity handles itself in dealing with the spiritual world around us. If situational awareness of the world we live in is absent then people are essentially walking into machine gun fire, like the trench warfare, being constantly taken out by the enemy of our souls with temptations, weaknesses, and misunderstanding of every kind. This results in helpless victims of an unseen war raging around them. And the world is becoming more broken, damaged and deranged as a consequence. 

There is however another way. Perhaps best demonstrated by our own version of the SAS; the contemplative monks and nuns all over the world and across the centuries know their enemy; their lives and prayer and intercession for us is targeted to do great violence to the enemy camp. They succeed in disrupting his plans and dismantling the apparatus he builds, by applying the power and authority of Jesus. 

Perhaps we are at a stage in human history though, where we cannot leave everything up to the few specialists behind the monastery walls and the heavenly angelic armies. The days we are living in, require something of us too; firstly to be aware of what we are up against or to be more precise who we are up against and to engage in the struggle ourselves too. We need to push in to prayer rather than simply being dismayed by what we see unravelling in our world… to be part of the solution. Put aside the enticing distractions or what gives relief and exchange them for intercessory prayer for what is needed instead. And this will surely tip the balance or move the needle in the right direction. 

Who Prays Wins!