'Taken out' by the enemy

A friend of mine has a great-grandson now, a splendid little chap, and I noticed how bright his eyes are. Not only because they are brand new; but it’s as if the light shines from within out into the world; this is seen in the newly Baptised.

Similarly it is seen in the passion and idealism of youth. Often though the promise of youth gives way to the mediocrity of middle-age, compromises made, troubles mount up, and overwhelmed by the cares of this world we can easily be ‘taken out’ by the enemy of our souls with his menu of false gods and quick fixes. So many men fall into alcoholism, pornography, adultery, gambling, etc. and it’s a growing trend.

There are many reasons for this but what is central I think is forgetfulness. In our age particularly we have forgotten that we have an enemy and that the devil is devoted 24/7 to our eternal destruction by whatever means he can use. By ourselves alone we are quite powerless against such a being. We also forget that we were never designed to live independently from God.

We cannot live independently anymore than a baby in the womb can without its mother providing all the nutrients it needs to grow and arrive safely into the world. Our Prayer life is rather like an umbilical cord connecting us with God. Our time on earth might be likened to gestation in the womb, growing as we are fed. At death we are delivered into heaven.

We really need to get back to prayer, so we can be open to God’s grace which is sufficient for the days’ troubles. Our reliance on God and growing relationship with Him, only achievable through daily prayer, is the only thing that can keep the enemy of our souls at bay and enable us to triumph.

Suffering Behind Every Door

 We visited some friends in a town where a recent typhoon gave rise to extensive landslides on the mountain roads and many deaths as a result. The biggest loss was when 30+ people ran into a 5 story concrete government building, ironically for safety, and the whole mountainside slid off, destroying the structure and bringing it down on top of them. The townsfolk were in shock and many in mourning. 

Where nature’s fury had done its worst, the gentle hand of God was there in its wake. Only a few days had passed and most of the townsfolk were involved in helping to find the dead and cleaning up the town. The men dug, the women brought them food and water. There were Novena prayers in the homes of the dead in the evenings attended by many; and there was no recrimination; there was worship and praise, thanksgiving and prayers for mercy for their loved ones. As they pulled together in necessity, the mercy of God soothed the weariness of their hearts. 

It is a praying community, used to clinging to God in good times and bad and this is their anchor and strength. 

It was quite a privilege to be present to witness this.

Healer of Souls

This week the relic of the Incorrupt heart of St (Padre) Pio was at Manila Cathedral on its way around the country.  Crowds, too numerous to count braved the weather in long queues to venerate the relic.

He is very much loved; a saint for our times as he was such a contradiction to the ways of the world.  It seems that his incredible gift of being able to read souls was matched only by his capacity to suffer; with both the stigmata and enduring the constant attacks of the devil. Perhaps that was the price of such a gift in that he had to suffer in order to set his penitents free from bondage, to obtain for them the gift of conversion.

One wonderful story, told by a lady who confessed to him, was about a hidden sin she had. She went to confession to him and after she had finished he asked if she had anything else she wanted to tell. She said ‘no’ and he asked her to return the next day. She confessed other sins and was asked if there was anything else ; again she responded ‘no’ and was asked to return the next day. On the last day, he mentioned the date and time when she had an abortion, and then he told her what her aborted son would have been had he lived, the destiny that was lost when his life had been extinguished. That revelation showed her the gravity of the sin and she was repentant and reconciled with God.

St. Pio reveals to us the gentleness and mercy of a God so much offended but always willing to forgive at the slightest opening of a repentant heart.

The wonderful thing about our saints though is that their mission does not end in death, it is ramped up a notch; the miracles abound all the more when they are born into heaven.

The Wall

Occasionally, stories from the Underground Catholic Church in China make it through the bamboo curtain to give us a glimpse of their valour and devotion. One I heard years ago was about a missionary who visited China and stayed with a Catholic family in a rural area. In the middle of night, he heard everyone moving around and asked what was going on. “We are going to the Wall” they answered and he accompanied them as they crept out of the house and made off across the fields to a clearing in a forest.

Many other people had gathered there, coming from all directions, some climbed trees and kept watch in case anyone had been followed by the authorities. One person then approached an old wall (perhaps part of a derelict building) and removed a brick to reveal the Blessed Sacrament.

All knelt in silent adoration for a holy hour, replaced the brick and went home.

No one knows just how much they have suffered at the hands of the atheist Communist government over the last few decades; persecutions are varied, from economic sanctions like fines and loss of work, to harassment by Police and neighbours or torture, imprisonment and martyrdom. The regime has been quite consistent in its desire to control every aspect of the lives of its people and to single out the menace of religion for particularly brutal attention.

When Neville Chamberlain attempted to avoid conflict by signing the Munich agreement with Hitler, I imagine he was sincere, if a little naive as the full horror of Nazism had not yet been revealed but the recent agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese Government over the apointment of bishops is quite incomprehensible: their character is already known.

The faithfulness of the Underground church is an incredible witness to the rest of the Catholic world; let’s hope and pray that the church they love can prove worthy of their sacrifices for it and stand with them now.

Return to Holiness

After the assassination of Martin Luther King, at a meeting while the people were still in shock, a chap gave a speech where he first stated that ‘our leader is not dead’ and then that ‘Martin Luther King was not the leader of the civil rights movement’. The crowd groaned thinking it would become a leadership struggle amongst opportunists and the whole thing would fall apart.

Then he went on to say ‘Our leader is the one who parted the Red Sea, who led the people out of slavery, who was born in a stable, who was crucified, died and rose from the dead.’ He is our leader.

In times of crisis, as our church is now facing a global flood of sex scandals and abuse cases and a revelation of the growing extent of homosexual paedophile predators within our church and seminaries which is utterly bewildering to the faithful; we need to focus on the one who is in overall control, rather than those whose past negligence, complacency and evil deeds have brought the church to this point.

Our prayers are needed to purge the church of this great evil that has taken root and even become a dominant subculture in some places. Anyone who has had an enema knows it is an unpleasant necessity.

Whilst the obscene actions of so many must fill us with disgust I believe the Lord is relentless in bringing about the transformation of His church, ‘to be without spot or stain’ and so will continue to send His church messengers to lift the lid on what is inside, until there is a change of heart and a return to holiness.

We can remain confident that whatever enemies the church has (even within its ranks) that ‘the gates of the underworld will never hold out against it’.

Walking forward in faith...a story from Mexico

In 1964 Fr Rich Thomas was appointed to El Paso in Texas. Around 1969/1970 he was profoundly touched by God and started charismatic prayer meetings in the parish. During one prayer meeting in 1972 they read the passage in Luke 14:12-14 which says, When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relations or rich neighbours, in case they invite you back and so repay you.

Now when you have a party, invite the poor for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again. The prayer meeting decided that on Christmas day that year, 1972, they would give a Christmas lunch to the poor who lived and worked in the dump in Juarez, which was just across the border in Mexico. The poor people in the dump used to separate the rubbish into various types, cans, bottles, cardboard etc and then sell it to a co-op which would in turn sell it on. They lived in the dump and worked 7 days a week for $5. 

The prayer group had prepared food for 125 people on Christmas Day. When they got to the dump Fr Rich and the group discovered that they had two labour unions . One union could not go into the others area. Eventually Fr Rich got them to come to one area for the food. Three hundred and fifty people turned up so Fr Rich explained that there was not enough food for everyone but they would share what they had. All 350 had enough food, the dump people took some food home and then came back to take more home, they returned and took more home again. There was still lots of food left over, so much that Fr Rich and the prayer group took the leftover food to three orphanages. 

It is not the only time a miracle happened in the dump in Juarez, that miracle of multiplication of food was repeated there many times, e.g. on another occasion when they didn't have enough cartons of milk for everyone when they came to the end of handing out cartons, everyone had a carton of milk. After the miracle on Christmas Day 1972 a beautiful Christian community grew up in the dump and many wonderful events have taken place since then.

A song for David ... a story from Medjugorje

Since 1988, Medjugorje has become a spiritual lifeline to our family. David, our second son, was born April 17, 1981, on Good Friday, a few weeks before the apparitions began in Medjugorje; a significant day, as from them onwards his life would pivot closely around Good Friday. David was born with a hare lip and during the early months and years of his life it became apparent that he had multiple problems, including paralysis affecting his left hand side and, more seriously, a diagnosis of severe aplastic anaemia, a rare bone marrow disease. Children with this disease seldom survived beyond their teenage years, alternating between endless blood transfusions to stabilise their condition to keep them alive in the short term, and then experiencing brief periods of remission.

In 1988 we had returned from Lourdes. My husband Bryan, although an agnostic, travelled to Lourdes with us. He enjoyed his week but spiritually he returned the same, much to my frustration. However, God has his own timing and ways of accomplishing his plan in our lives. I then decided to pray a nine-day novena to Our Lady for Bryan and surrendered him totally into her maternal care. During the novena I came to hear about the apparitions taking place in Medjugorje. Excitedly I shared the information with Bryan and said that I would love to visit the place.A few days later Bryan asked me where exactly Medjugorje was in what was then Yugoslavia and expressed an interest in going there one day. I was totally surprised by this sudden interest and had still not completed the novena I was saying for him. I continued to pray and then decided to book a surprise pilgrimage to Medjugorje for Bryan. I made the arrangements in faith, and then informed him. To my amazement he was delighted and six weeks later I packed his case. Before I shut the suitcase I remembered that I had bought some Rosary beads in Lourdes as a gift for Bryan and had put them in a drawer until I felt it was a suitable time to give them to him. I quickly found the brown wooden beads and placed them on top of his clothes. 

Whilst Bryan was away, our son David had a profound spiritual experience. Because of his poor health he had been allowed to make his First Holy Communion a few months before, at the age of seven. As usual, one evening, at the same time the apparitions took place in St James Church, I lit a candle and placed it in the centre of the kitchen table. I gathered my three children with Hannah, the youngest, on my knee, and began to pray the Rosary with them.I didn't particularly feel in the mood for prayer that evening. I was exhausted at the end of the day and just wanted to put the children to bed. As we began to make the Sign of the Cross, David became rather excitable and seemed absolutely fascinated with the candle. Mummy, mummy, just look at the candle. It's flashing three lights! he exclaimed. We all looked at the candle and it was no different to any other evening it had been lit. We began to pray, and as I glanced up I noticed that David, normally such a fidget, had his eyes gently closed and sat perfectly still without joining in. 

After prayers he continued to sit quietly before eventually opening his eyes. He's gone, he pronounced simply. David, who's gone? I asked. Jesus is gone. After the three flashes of light from the candle, I saw a mist. As the mist cleared, Jesus was standing beside the candle. Do you mean a Child Jesus or a Daddy Jesus, I asked. A Daddy Jesus. He wore a white robe and had wounds on his hands and feet. He then spoke to me and said, You are to pray the Rosary for you are a son of Mary. Jesus then showed me the world of Medjugorje. It was like a moving picture. I saw a church with two high steeples. I then saw Jesus standing beside my daddy. Daddy was wearing a necklace around his neck with a cross. When he comes home he will be leading the Rosary in our family. 

David's prophetic words came true. Bryan had a profound conversion experience in Medjugorje. As he stood listening to Vicka, one of the young visionaries, describe her experiences with the Blessed Mother, he just knew that she was speaking the truth. When he returned home, he was wearing around his neck the brown Rosary beads I had packed in his suitcase. David just pointed to the necklace that he had seen. Bryan was received into the Catholic Church exactly one year later, on the Feast of St Therese of the Child Jesus. Bryan took David to Medjugorje two years later. He was, by this time, quite a sick little boy. He had a wonderful time. He especially loved climbing the big mountain by torchlight. It was the last holiday that David had.

He died from a brain haemorrhage on April 9, 1991. Mummy I don't want to be attached to this drip on my birthday. The Lord heard and answered his prayer. He was in heaven for his tenth birthday. The following year his birthday fell on  Good Friday.

The power of silence ......... a story from Poland

(from St Faustina's diary)

Silence is a sword in the spiritual struggle. A talkative soul will never attain sanctity.

The sword of silence will cut off everything that would like to cling to the soul. We are sensitive to words and quickly want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it is God's will that we should speak. A silent soul is strong; no adversities will harm it if it perseveres in silence. 

The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God. It lives almost always under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. God works in a silent soul without hindrance.

Jesus said My daughter, when I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you; namely, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in my footsteps. Be silent when they do not want to acknowledge your truth, because it is then that you speak more eloquently.

Setting the prisoners free

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak..."I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply. "What are you gonna do with them?" I asked. "Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time." 

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?" "Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them. "The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!" "How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's . In a flash, the boy was gone.

The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!!"

And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.

Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!" "How much?" He asked again

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life." Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price. 

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit

A crown of Roses ... (from the Secret of the Rosary)

The word Rosary means Crown of Roses that is to say that every time people pray the Rosary devoutly they place a crown of 153 red roses and 16 white roses upon the heads of Jesus and Mary. Being heavenly flowers these roses will never fade or lose their exquisite beauty. Our Lady confirmed her approval of the name Rosary in the following way:

The chronicles of St Francis tell of a young friar, who had the praiseworthy habit of praying the Rosary every day before dinner. One day, for some reason or another he did not manage to say it. The refectory bell had already been rung when he asked the superior to allow him to say it before coming to the table, and having obtained his permission he withdrew to his cell to pray.

After he had been gone a long time the Superior sent another Friar to fetch him, and he found him in his room, bathed in a heavenly light facing Our Lady who had two Angels with her. Beautiful roses kept issuing from his mouth at each Hail Mary; the angels took them one by one, placing them on Our Lady's head, and she smilingly accepted them.

Finally two other friars who had been sent to find out what had happened to the first two saw the same lovely scene, and Our Lady did not go away until the whole Rosary had been said.

The rose is the Queen of flowers, and so the Rosary is the rose of all devotions and it is therefore the most important one.

The life of Blessed Hermann (of the Premonstratensian Fathers) tells that at one time when he used to pray the Rosary attentively and devoutly while meditating upon the mysteries Our Lady used to appear to him resplendent in breathtaking majesty and beauty. But as time went on his fervour cooled and he fell into the way of saying the Rosary hurriedly and without giving his full attention. Then one day Our Lady appeared to him again-only this time she was far from beautiful and her face was furrowed and drawn with sadness. Blessed Hermann was appalled at the change in her and then Our Lady explained:  This is how I look to you, Hermann, because in your soul this is how you are treating me; as a woman to be despised and of no importance. Why do you no longer greet me with respect and attention meditating on my mysteries and praising my privileges ?

Prayer changes hearts and minds

My name is Lee and I am a single mother. Four years ago, one year after high school graduation, I discovered I was pregnant. I had always been very much against abortion and had even volunteered at a local crisis pregnancy centre. However, finding myself in this situation, I panicked. Without telling my family members, I decided to have an abortion my reasons being completely selfish. I scheduled an appointment for an abortion, which was a two-day process. The first day consisted of tests and counselling, the second day was the actual "termination of the pregnancy". This appointment was very easy to obtain. I needed no parental approval or medical forms. All they asked of me was two separate money orders

The night before the first appointment, I became very uneasy about my decision. By morning I had completely changed my mind. I found out later that on that same night my mother (who had become suspicious of what I was doing) was intensely praying for protection in my womb! 

After this, I was seriously considering adoption. At five months pregnant I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ, and shortly thereafter the Lord made it clear to me that I was to become a mother. Two months later, on February 14, 1992, I gave birth to two beautiful, healthy twin boys. Being a mother has caused a dramatic change in my life. 

I have now thrown aside my sinful lifestyle for the glory of walking with the Lord. I am constantly aware of areas in my life that need changing in order to be an example of Christ to my children. I love being a mother, and I am so thankful to God that he used such precious gifts in order to bring me to my knees. God is sovereign!! Jer. 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope.

Keep it simple ,,,,,,,,,,Heavenly advice

(from The secret of the Rosary)

Our Lady appeared to St Dominic and said "My son, do not be surprised that your sermons fail to bear the results that you had hoped for. You are trying to cultivate a piece of land which has not had any rain. Now when Almighty God planned to renew the face of the earth He started by sending down rain from heaven-and this was the Angelic Salutation. In this way God made over the world."

"So when you give a sermon urge people to say my Rosary and in this way your words will bear much fruit for souls" St Dominic lost no time in obeying and from then on he exerted great influence by his sermons.

Another time Jesus appeared to him and said "Dominic, I rejoice to see that you are not relying upon your own wisdom and that, rather than seek the empty praise of men, you are working with great humility for the salvation of souls". 

"Many want to preach thunderously against the worst kinds of sin at the very outset, failing to realise that before a sick person is given bitter medicine he needs to be prepared by being put in the right frame of mind to really benefit from it ..before doing anything else, ...try to kindle a love of prayer in people's hearts and especially a love of my Angelic Psalter (the Rosary) ."

"If only they would all start saying it and would really persevere, God, in His mercy, could hardly refuse to give them His grace. So I want you to preach my Rosary"

Healing the broken hearted .....a story from America

The small church was crowded. All around me people worshiped a god that I didn't believe existed. Why was I there? My neighbor asked me to come. To be honest, I thought they would leave me alone if I did. I wasn't sure what to expect. I had attended services with my family a few times, but it was more of a ritual or a way to celebrate holidays. What I hadn't anticipated was the wetness pressed against my eyelids as I clenched them shut. My motto? Never them let them see you cry. I wasn't about to break down in front of people I didn't know. I wasn't crying because I felt the presence of God or that I sensed his love for me. I fought tears because I was mad, so angry that I shook inside. How dare the preacher stand there and talk about the love of God. It was easy for him and people like him to spout off about a God who existed, who had a purpose for every person. Well, maybe their God had taken a personal interest in them but he didn't live at my house.

The mother I am about to share with you is the not the mom I have now. You see, she had an encounter with God, and he brought her out of the darkness of emotional pain and healed her. In order to share my story, I have to share a little bit of hers as well. My mom left home at 16 years old, pregnant and newly married to a boy . She lost her first baby to cystic fibrosis when the toddler was less than two years old. She had her second child at 18 and left her husband at the age of 21. He came to visit her one night and forced her to have sex. She discovered two weeks later she was pregnant. I was that baby.

Growing up, I never knew what to expect. Would it be the mom who brought home sweets to surprise us, or the woman who spouted horrific things as she ran out the door and threatened to kill herself? There were humiliating punishments, harsh words, and tearful requests for forgiveness.

Please don't get me wrong. It wasn't always bad in my home, but when it was it was loud and chaotic and frightening. One day my mom chased me through the house, brandishing an umbrella as she screamed at me. I ran out the door and into the rain. I was wearing a T-shirt and jeans and no shoes. The cold rain pelted me as I ran down Latimer Street. I pushed through the wetness, pumping my arms as I ran as fast as I could. Finally I stopped, bending down to catch my breath as my tears meshed with the raindrops. I slowly turned around and walked home, sat on the curb, and wept until my throat closed. I was stuck. I couldn't run away. I had no money, no place to go. I was 13 years old. Where could I go?

I started smoking at the bus stop, pushing boundaries with my teachers, and drinking with my best friend. My attempts to be tough must have appeared hilarious to others. I was skinny to a fault and looked younger than my age. Being tough didn't come natural. My heart was gentle and I hated conflict and fighting, yet every single time I let my guard down someone hurt me. Angry words all sharp and pointy, a knife in my soul. That's when the hardness crept in. Never let them see you cry. Never give them a chance to know you care.

One day it all came to a head. My mom pulled us around her in her bedroom. She put a gun to her head and threatened to shoot herself. I was scared, but not because I thought she would die, but because under my breath I whispered, just do it. Who was this person I was becoming?

Two years later I stood in the little church. The pastor sang, strumming on the guitar as people knelt at the altar. He loves you, he said.He has a plan for your life. Yeah, right. I pointed my chin at the sky, my eyes closed, and I challenged this God of which he spoke. If you are real, I whispered, and I don't believe you are, but if you exist and you know me and you love me like he says, I need to know. 

I expected nothing, yet I received everything as a tender touch reached past my hardened heart. I've had trouble explaining this moment to people over the years. Did you see God? No. Did you feel God's presence? Yes, but so subtle and deep inside of me, touching areas that I had closed long ago to anybody, that I knew it was God. Tears broke and streamed down my cheeks and for the first time in a long time I wept. I felt as if He had wrapped me in a warm blanket, enclosing me in his love. I stumbled from the church. I ran home and told my mom. 

Did everything magically change? No. My circumstances were still the same, but everything was different on the inside of me. 

Today I am a mom, an author, a speaker, and a wife. . Today I am still running after the same God that touched my life when I was 15. I always tell my teen audiences that one day I'll be an old woman running after God with my walking frame. You see, he's done a million things for me. He's been with me through difficult times, but my love for him will always be wrapped around that first moment when he reached down to an angry, hurting, skinny 15-year old teenager and silently whispered that he loved me. I still can't help but whisper back, I love you too. 

(the rest of her family became Christians too)

She shall crush thy head...more rosary stories.

(from the Secret of the Rosary)

Blessed Thomas of Saint John was well known for his sermons on the Most Holy Rosary, and the devil, jealous of the success he had with souls, tortured him so much that he fell ill and was sick so long that the doctors gave him up. One night when he really thought that he was dying, the devil appeared to him in the most horrible form imaginable. There was a picture of Our Lady near his bed; he looked at it and cried with all his heart and soul and strength: "Help me, save me, my sweet, sweet Mother!" No sooner had he said this than the picture seemed to come alive and Our Lady put out her hand, took him by the arm and said:"Do not be afraid, Thomas my son, here I am and I am going to save you: get up now and go on preaching my Rosary as you used to do. I promise to shield you from your enemies."

When Our Lady said this the devil fled and Blessed Thomas got up, finding that he was in perfect health. He then thanked the Blessed Mother with tears of joy. He resumed his Rosary apostolate and his sermons were marvellously successful. Our Lady blesses not only those who preach her Rosary, but she highly rewards all those who get others to say it by their example.

Alphonsus, King of Leon and Galicia, very much wanted all his servants to honour the Blessed Virgin by saying the Rosary. So he used to hang a large rosary on his belt and always wore it, but unfortunately never said it himself. Nevertheless his wearing it encouraged his courtiers to say the Rosary very devoutly. One day the King fell seriously ill and when he was given up for dead he found himself, in a vision, before the judgement seat of Our Lord. Many devils were there accusing him of all the sins he had committed and Our Lord as Sovereign Judge was just about to condemn him to hell when Our Lady appeared to intercede for him. She called for a pair of scales and had his sins placed in one of the balances whereas she put the rosary that he had always worn on the other scale, together with all the Rosaries that had been said because of his example. It was found that the Rosaries weighed more than his sins.

Looking at him with great kindness Our Lady said: "As a reward for this little honour that you paid me in wearing my Rosary, I have obtained a great grace for you from my Son. Your life will be spared for a few more years. See that you spend these years wisely, and do penance." When the King regained consciousness he cried out: "Blessed be the Rosary of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, by which I have been delivered from eternal damnation!"

After he had recovered his health he spent the rest of his life in spreading devotion to the Holy Rosary and said it faithfully every day. People who love the Blessed Virgin ought to follow the example of King Alphonsus and that of the saints whom I have mentioned so that they too may win other souls for the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. They will then receive great graces on earth and eternal life later on. "They that explain me shall have life everlasting life." [1] Ecclus. 24:3

A link to the confrasternity of the Holy Rosary :- if you would like to join the oldest prayer group in the world:-  http://rosaryconfraternity.org/the-confraternity/enroll-in-the-confraternity/

Escape to Victory...(an extract) ..a story from England

I was baptised as a Jehovah's Witness on January 6th. 1972. I had already been going out on the door-to-door ministry that Jehovah's Witnesses are known for, very difficult to do when you are a shy person. I wont go into what they do deeply just that you have to attended 5 meetings a week, 2 of which are 2 hours long, go on field ministry regularly and put a report in at the end of each month saying how many hours you had done.

In July 1974 I got married to a Jehovah's Witness girl, by October 1975 we had a son, eventually we had 7 children. It was a very routine way of life. I was working, attending meetings etc everything centred around the Jehovah's Witness way of life. The Jehovah's Witness is centred on the organization. The view is that the Watchtower is God's only means of communication to man the only true religion on earth, God's only means of salvation on earth if you are not in the Watchtower then you will die at Armageddon! To question the organisation is to question Jehovah himself and no one did that or you where out. In time I started to feel something feel something was wrong. At meetings when scripture was used I began to realise that many of them just did not fit what was being said from the platform. Scriptures taken out of context made to fit the Jehovah's Witness teaching. I would read the surrounding verses and realise that sometimes they were saying the opposite of what was being taught. Also the Jehovah's Witness teaching sidelines Jesus Christ, Jehovah's Witness teaching is that Jesus is the archangel Michael not part of a Trinity which they see as a pagan teaching. But in my reading of scripture all I saw was Jesus Christ by who we were saved and not being part of an organisation and doing the works it said we had to do to be saved. Only fear kept me in the Jehovah's Witnesses. 

Now by 1995 I was struggling at home to make ends meet, having 7 children, a home and the expense of all that started to prove to much. My job was not paying all that much so I started using credit cards and a loan to pay for everything and got deeper and deeper into debt. By April 1996 I didn't know where to turn and suffered a breakdown. I went to the Lake District via Blackpool, spent about a week there just walking over the hills. Then decided to kill myself, so I took about 30 tablets, paracetamol, aspirin and drank a bottle of brandy. This was in the evening sitting on a hill overlooking the valley at Windermere, thinking how beautiful it was. I gradually lost consciousness, and then woke up next morning feeling awful... Later spending 6 weeks in hospital no Elder would spend time with me. They may bring my wife but did not want to stay and talk., but I saw the ministers of other patients visiting them. Eventually I was put on anti-depressants and sent home. This is now May 1996. I was very rarely visited by anyone except Elders, the rest of the congregation would be advised to stay away, I was a danger. Their answer to my problem consisted of I should go out on the door-to-door work more and attending the meetings. People I had known for years stopped speaking to me. (Then he left JW) I still wanted to worship God but didn't know where to go or what to do. As a Jehovah's Witness you are taught that all other religions are apostate, satanic, demonic etc. (Then He found a Christian church) The place was so alive and everyone so friendly. The singing was marvelous such joy in the songs and the congregation singing them. Though the shouts of Hallelujah and Amen and speaking in tongues was a bit unnerving at first. I couldn't believe the amount of prayer also, but it was so heartfelt with feeling. The sermon bowled me over. I thought Yes that's how the word of God should be spoken its alive! (he was later baptized) The Lord through the Pastor has told me not to worry about the rest of the family He will deal with them in time. 

(the elders, even turned his family against him, couldn't see his own wife and children anymore.)

By their fruits you will know them !

Expect Miracles...a story from America

Each Sunday in our church we pray for the sick. People come forward when the invitation is given for prayer.

One morning recently one of our ladies, Debbie, came forward asking for prayer for her sister who had a brain tumour and was facing an operation the next Tuesday morning. The tumour had been diagnosed and clearly scanned showing how big and where it was exactly. As I began to pray, I was impressed to pray for Debbie. I prayed that God would give her strength and faith to face this trial with her sister. I also prayed that God would help her sister go through this difficult operation on Tuesday. Finally I prayed that God would heal her sister with this tumour. There was no outward manifestation of any kind.

Debbie called later that week with outstanding news. Just before the operation was to begin they x-rayed her sister's head again. All they could find was a small area where the dye was left where the tumour had been. The dye had been put in her system to show the place and size of the tumour a month before. The tumour had vanished. We give praise to Jesus for another wonderful miracle and his healing power. Debbie's faith was released and Jesus met her and her sister in a special way. It makes it so much easier to pray for people when faith rises. The congregation is expecting something to happen now!

A weapon against evil...more Rosary stories

 (from the Secret of the Rosary St Louis de Montfort)

While Saint Dominic was preaching the Rosary in Carcasone, a heretic made fun of the miracles and the fifteen mysteries of the Holy Rosary, and this prevented other heretics from being converted. As a punishment God suffered fifteen thousand devils to enter the man's body.

His parents took him to Father Dominic to be delivered from the evil spirits. He started to pray and begged everyone who was there to say the Rosary out loud with him, and at each Hail Mary Our Lady drove out one hundred devils out of the heretic's body and they came out in the form of red hot coals.

After he had been delivered he abjured his former errors, was converted and joined the Rosary Confraternity. Several of his associates did the same, having been greatly moved by his punishment and by the power of the Rosary.

The learned Franciscan, Carthagena, as well as several other authors, say that an extraordinary event took place in 1482: The Venerable James Sprenger and other religious of his order were zealously working to re-establish devotion to the Holy Rosary and also to erect a Confraternity in the city of Cologne.

Unfortunately two priests who were famous for their preaching ability were jealous of the great influence they were exerting through preaching the Rosary. So these two Fathers spoke against this devotion whenever they had a chance, and as they were very eloquent and had a great reputation they persuaded many people not to join the Confraternity.

One of them, bound and determined to achieve his wicked end, wrote a special sermon against the Rosary and planned to give it the following Sunday. But when it came time for the sermon he never appeared and, after a certain amount of waiting somebody went to fetch him. He was found dead, and evidently had died alone without any one to help him and without seeing a priest.

After convincing himself that death had been due to natural causes, the other priest decided to carry out his friend's plan and hoped to put an end to the Confraternity of the Rosary. However, when the day came for him to preach and it was time to give the sermon God punished him by striking him down with paralysis which deprived him both of the use of his limbs and of his power of speech.

At last he admitted his sin and likewise that of his friend and immediately, in his heart of hearts, he silently besought Our Lady to help him. He promised her that is she would only cure him he would preach the Holy Rosary with as much zeal as that with which he had formerly fought against it. For this end he implored her to restore his health and speech which she did, and finding himself instantaneously cured he rose up like another Saul, a persecutor turned defender of the Holy Rosary. He publicly acknowledged his former error and ever after preached the wonders of the Most Holy Rosary with great zeal and eloquence.

"The Rosary is the 'weapon' for these times." Padre Pio

To enroll in the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary , the oldest prayer group in the world.. click link:-

Enrol in the Rosary Confraternity

The Value of the Hail Mary... short stories

One day Saint Gertrude had a vision of Our Lord counting gold coins. She summoned the courage to ask Him what He was doing. He answered: "I am counting the Hail Mary's that you have said; this is the money with which you can pay your way to Heaven."

The holy and learned Jesuit, Father Suarez, was so deeply aware of the value of the Angelic Salutation that he said that he would gladly give all his learning for the price of one Hail Mary that had been said properly.

Blessed Alan says that a nun who had always had a great devotion to the Holy Rosary appeared after death to one of her sisters in religion and said to her: "If I were allowed to go back into my body, to have the chance of saying just one single Hail Mary - even if I said it quickly and without great fervor - I would gladly go through the sufferings that I had during my last illness all over again, in order to gain the merit of this prayer." This is all the more compelling because she had been bedridden and had suffered agonizing pains for several years before she died.

Our Lady also taught it to Blessed Alan de la Roche and said to him in a vision: "When people say one hundred and fifty Angelic Salutations this prayer is very helpful to them and is a very pleasing tribute to me. But they will do better still and will please me even more if they say these salutations while meditating on the life, death and passion of Jesus Christ - for this meditation is the soul of the prayer."

One day our Lord said to Blessed Alan, "If only these poor wretched sinners would say my Rosary often, they would share in the merits of my passion, and I would be their Advocate and would appease the justice of God."

Blessed Alan relates that a man he knew had tried desperately all kinds of devotions to rid himself of the evil spirit which possessed him, but without success. Finally, he thought of wearing his rosary round his neck, which eased him considerably. He discovered that whenever he took it off the devil tormented him cruelly, so he resolved to wear it night and day. This drove the evil spirit away forever because he could not bear such a terrible chain. Blessed Alan also testifies that he delivered a great number of those who were possessed by putting a rosary around their necks.

"Would you like me to tell you a 'secret'? It is simple and, after all, is no secret: Pray, pray much. Say the rosary every day." Pope John Paul II

How I Discovered Inner Healing by Judith MacNutt

The silence in my office was broken only by the long deep sighs of my newly assigned patient, Elizabeth. She had been admitted to the psychiatric unit of the hospital after being rushed to the emergency room following a serious suicide attempt. She had spent months stashing away sleeping pills and then, in a clear, calculated way, wrote a farewell letter to her mother (who had never been able to show her the love she needed), drove down to the ocean, consumed a large quantity of pills and alcohol and then waited.

Within a few hours she was discovered and rushed to our facility for treatment. My encouragement and human care failed to retrieve her from the pit into which she was slipping. Even to speak was too much effort for a woman so wearied by years of turmoil and pain. Instead of words, her sighs and silence spoke volumes. Her hopelessness filled every corner of the room, and slowly it began to infuse my spirit, too. As I counselled her, Elizabeth revealed numerous sickening events in her fractured past. Her father had raped her; her mother had failed to protect her; she had suffered through countless broken, abusive relationships; and then, the final tragedy, her baby son had died.

I had always successfully managed to separate my spiritual life from my clinical profession. But now, after years of observing wasted lives, I realized nothing short of a miracle would make any difference. Something had to be done about Elizabeth and all of the countless others who were crushed and barely existing on the edge of life. Lord what can I do? After waiting for what seemed like hours, a warm, loving presence entered my room, and I sensed God's love and deep concern for Elizabeth and all the others for whom I had been praying. Then came God's strong, steady, loving response. Bring them to me...pray for their healing...I will restore them. The Lord then directed me to read Isaiah 61:1, The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the broken hearted....

Suddenly everything became so obvious; a veil had been lifted from my mind. It was not what I had to do, it was what God wanted to do. These broken, desperate people were God's children, God's creation, the ones for whom Jesus had died. Of course God wanted to heal and redeem them. I was being called upon to journey with them, and the Lord would gently, lovingly rebuild everything that had been destroyed. That night, I contacted several devoted Christian friends who committed to pray for Elizabeth. Returning to the hospital the following morning after much prayer, I asked to see Elizabeth. She was markedly changed! Her depression had lessened considerably, and she wanted to talk! Although her speech was slow and halting, she began to reveal her innermost fears, disclosing much more than the factual list of traumas she had presented before. She said she felt differently and shared something she had experienced the preceding night. She described how she was awakened around 11:00 p.m., precisely when I and my Christian friends were praying. She became aware of a light in her room, although all the lights were out, except for a hall light filtering through her open door. The light (which she recognized as coming from Jesus) enveloped her, spreading warmth and healing love throughout her body and spirit. For the first time in her life, she felt protected and loved. This presence remained with her all through the night, strengthening and ministering to her. Though her outward situation remained unchanged, her heart and deep mind were being healed. As her daily therapy progressed, the walls of pain and isolation slowly eroded. In time she relived each memory while the Lord's healing power transformed and released her. Everything the Lord had promised me was now becoming a reality.

Elizabeth was soon released to outpatient therapy where she continued in her newfound freedom. During the first week I started praying for them, several other patients displayed such marked improvement that I could only attribute their change to the power of God. What an exciting and life-changing discovery this was for me as a therapist! The implications were revolutionary. Therapy alone was not enough; healing prayer had to be included. After many years of individual and group counseling with people who exhibit varying degrees of emotional health, I have come to believe that a deficiency in love is at the heart of most of our trouble. The greatest longing of our hearts is to be in union, to love and to be loved. God has created us in His divine image, and He desires union with us; therefore our hearts cannot be at rest until this desire for union with God is satisfied.

My Immaculate Heart will Triumph........... a story from Spain

(from the Secret of the Rosary by St Louis de Montfort)

In 1481 our Lady appeared to the Venerable Dominic, a Carthusian devoted to the holy Rosary, who lived at Treves, and said to him: "Whenever one of the faithful, in a state of grace, says the Rosary while meditating on the mysteries of the life and passion of Christ, he obtains full and entire remission of all his sins."

She also said to Blessed Alan, "I want you to know that, although there are numerous indulgences already attached to the recitation of my Rosary, I shall add many more to every five decades for those, who free from serious sin, say them with devotion, on their knees. And whosoever shall persevere in the devotion of the holy Rosary, with its prayers and meditations, shall be rewarded for it; I shall obtain for him full remission of the penalty and the guilt of all his sins at the end of his life.

"And let this not seem incredible to you; it is easy for me because I am the Mother of the King of heaven, and he calls me full of grace. And being filled with grace, I am able to dispense it freely to my dear children." St. Dominic was so convinced of the efficacy of the Rosary and its great value, that when he heard confessions, he hardly ever gave any other penance.

Father Jean Amat, of the Order of St. Dominic, was giving a series of Lenten sermons in the Kingdom of Aragon one year, when a young girl was brought to him who was possessed by the devil. After he had exorcised her several times without success, he put his rosary round her neck. Hardly had he done so when the girl began to scream and cry out in a fearful way, shrieking, "Take it off, take it off; these beads are tormenting me." At last, the priest, filled with pity for the girl, took his rosary off her.

The very next night, when Fr. Amat was in bed, the same devils who had possession of the girl came to him, foaming with rage and tried to seize him. But he had his rosary clasped in his hand and no efforts of theirs could wrench it from him. He beat them with it very well indeed and put them to flight, crying out, "Holy Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary, come to my help."

The next day on his way to the church, he met the poor girl, still possessed; one of the devils within her started to jeer at him, saying, "Well, brother, if you had been without your rosary, we should have made short shrift of you." Then the good Father threw his rosary round the girl's neck without more ado, saying, "By the sacred names of Jesus and Mary his holy Mother, and by the power of the holy Rosary, I command you, evil spirits, to leave the body of this girl at once." They were immediately forced to obey him, and she was delivered from them.

These stories show the power of the holy Rosary in overcoming all sorts of temptations from the evil spirits and all sorts of sins, because these blessed beads of the Rosary put devils to rout.

Persevering Prayer..a story from France

Blanche of Castille, Queen of France, was deeply grieved because 12 years after her marriage she was still childless. When St Dominic went to see her he advised her to pray the rosary everyday to ask God for the grace of motherhood, and she faithfully carried out his advice. In 1213 she gave birth to her eldest child Philip, but he died in infancy.

The Queen's fervour was not dulled by this disappointment; on the contrary she sought Our Lady's help more than ever before. She had a large number of rosaries given out to all members of the court and to people in several cities in the kingdom, asking them to join her in entreating God for a blessing that this time would be complete. 

Thus in 1215, Saint Louis was born-the prince who was to become the glory of France and the model of all Christian Kings.

Turning sorrow into dancing...a story from America

John grew up in an abusive home and said he thought of suicide during his formative years. When of age, John joined the military and excelled. In Vietnam he killed many enemy soldiers and was wounded himself on several occasions. He received many decorations during his military career.

In his late 30's, he left the military and said his family life became dysfunctional. He confided his personal problems with a Christian friend who told him to call on Jesus during his time of need and He would help him.

On one particular day, John decided to end his life and so drove his wife and young daughter from their home. John then took an overdose of barbiturates and drank a lot of rum. John said he felt the spirit of death come to him. At this point, out of his innermost man, John called out to Jesus for help. (Romans 10:13) The next moment, he rose to his feet sober and felt many demonic spirits depart from him.

When his wife and daughter returned home, his young daughter asked her mother who the man in the living room was. The mother told her daughter it was her father. John said his very countenance had so changed he appeared different to the young girl. John told his wife and daughter Jesus Christ had saved him, and had manifested Himself in a beautiful, powerful light. A short time later, John related his experience to a Holy Ghost minister. The minister laid hands on John and began to pray. John said the bone in his leg, which had been shot apart and healed poorly, straightened instantly.

Additionally, he was given a vision while under the power of the Holy Spirit. In the vision, he beheld an island in the sea. On the island, he saw Holy Angels ministering to multitudes of people through music. In the whitecaps of the waves striking the island were the joyful faces of people. John said he went to a pawn shop and purchased a guitar. He learned to praise the Lord in song. I asked John to sing a gospel song for me. As he began to play and sing, I felt the anointing of the Holy Spirit flow down over my head and ears like warm oil! Praise the Lord forever!!!

Divine Mercy made mine ..a story from America By Elizabeth Ficocelli

Our Council of Knights recently organized a Divine Mercy prayer program in honor of Pope John Paul II's 25th anniversary as Pontiff. It was a pleasure for me to attend and celebrate what I consider to be the two greatest gifts our Church has received from Poland: a strong and faithful Vicar of Christ and the message of Divine Mercy, which has touched my own heart in a very special and profound way I first became aware of the image and story of Divine Mercy about eight years ago, when I read the diary of a simple Polish nun, the recently canonized Faustina Kowalska. This woman was blessed to receive many supernatural gifts from God, above all, the responsibility to transcribe messages directly from Jesus Himself. In St. Faustina's writings, Jesus pleads for the return of sinners and implores our trust in His unfathomable mercy. His lamentations are so beautiful and persuasive that when I read them my heart was moved and I began to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet on my Rosary.

Not long after, I had the good fortune to discover a video that detailed the life of St. Faustina. I felt it would be a wonderful blessing to share with our scripture group, and a great opportunity to teach our friends how to pray the chaplet. To prepare for the event, I decided to pray the Divine Mercy novena and make a confession on Divine Mercy Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) for a complete pardon of sins as promised in the words of Jesus.

Just when everything was falling into place so perfectly, the unthinkable happened, and I committed the most regrettable sin of my life. In a moment of weakness largely attributed to many sleepless nights with a newborn, I raged against my four-year-old. For a few fleeting seconds, I wanted to hurt him -- and I did. Horrified, my world turned upside-down. I was shocked and devastated at my unbridled outburst, and filled with deep shame and regret. How could this have happened, I dismayed, now, during the holiest time of year?

Even the forgiveness of my husband and son could not console me. I wondered how I could ever face God after what I had done, but I knew it was imperative. So, with heavy heart, I went to Confession. I cried as I have never cried before in Reconciliation, as I related to the priest what had happened. Although he was sympathetic and understanding, the absolution still felt hollow and empty. My heart was broken and it seemed no penance could ever be enough to take away my pain.

As I was leaving the confessional, however, an amazing thing happened. The moment I opened the door, I felt a sudden and very tangible sensation as if someone were pouring a bucket of water over top of me. I felt washed clean, tingling all the way down to my toes and at the same moment feather-light, like the weight of the world had just been lifted off my shoulders. I had never experienced anything like this before.

Instantly, I recognized that I had just received a miracle from God -- I was experiencing firsthand His Divine Mercy. This was not mere words on a page, but living and true mercy, and it was amazing and powerfully healing. God saw how broken, humbled and genuinely contrite I was, and He was welcoming me back with open arms -- me, a poor sinner, who could not forgive myself.

The words of Jesus, as given to St. Faustina, held new meaning for me: "Know, my daughter, that My Heart is mercy itself. From this sea of mercy graces pour out upon the whole world. No souls that come to Me depart without being comforted. All misery vanishes in My Mercy" This incredible experience has taught me some very important lessons. First, I am acutely aware now of how frail I am -- how frail we all are -- and how quickly salvation can be jeopardized. Second, I also understand in a new and meaningful way that God's forgiveness, regardless of the sins we commit, is ours simply for the asking. Third, God has revealed to me how light can come from darkness. Sharing my story with others has helped many return to Confession and experience Divine Mercy for themselves.

Although it has been eight years since my "confession miracle", the memory of it is as fresh in my mind  and my body -- as if it happened yesterday. I know today that every time I make the Sacrament of Reconciliation, I am granted that same unconditional and Divine Mercy, even if I only 

experience it with the eyes of faith.

The message of Divine Mercy is and always will be a special part of our family. The image of Our Lord with those red and white rays streaming from His heart is displayed in our home and it is why the last words on our children's lips during their nightly prayers are, "Jesus, I trust in you."

Unite with the heavenly host ...a story from France

(from Secrets of the Rosary)

Father Dominic, a Carthusian, who was deeply devoted to the holy Rosary, had a vision in which he saw heaven open and the whole heavenly court assembled in magnificent array.

He heard them sing the Rosary in an enchanting melody, and each decade was in honour of a mystery of the life, passion, or glory of Jesus Christ and his holy Mother. Fr. Dominic noticed that whenever they pronounced the holy name of Mary they bowed their head, and at the name of Jesus they genuflected and gave thanks to God for the great good that he had wrought in heaven and on earth through the holy Rosary. 

He also saw how our Lady and the Saints present to God the Rosaries which the Confraternity members say here on earth. He noticed too that they were praying for those who practice this devotion. He also saw beautiful crowns without number, which were made of sweet-smelling flowers, for those who say the Rosary devoutly. He learned that by every Rosary that they say they make a crown for themselves which they will be able to wear in heaven.

This holy Carthusian's vision is very much like that the Beloved Disciple had, in which he saw a great multitude of angels and saints, who continually praised and blessed Jesus Christ for all that he had done and suffered on earth for our salvation. And is not this what the devout members of the Rosary Confraternity do?

It must not be imagined that the Rosary is only for women, and for simple and unlearned people; it is also for men and for the greatest of men. As soon as St. Dominic acquainted Pope Innocent III with the fact that he had received a command from heaven to establish the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, the Holy Father gave it his full approval, urged St. Dominic to preach it, and said that he wished to become a member himself. Even Cardinals embraced the devotion with great fervor, which prompted Lopez to say, "Neither sex nor age nor any other condition has kept anyone from devotion to the Rosary."

http://rosaryconfraternity.org/ to join the oldest prayer group in the world !

A Miracle in Bogota..a story from Columbia..

Brother Araguen, a catechist teaching in the thick jungles south of Bogota, was suffering from tongue cancer and taken to the city for an operation. He dearly hoped to save his tongue so that he could continue his work.

The doctors began by doing only a partial ablation, but the cancer developed and appeared to require a total ablation. The night before the operation, Our Lady appeared to the brother and touched him. He was cured immediately.Continue teaching catechism," she said, "and recite the Rosary with the children. Do not tell anybody about what has happened until you have spoken to the doctor." 

The next morning, the brother refused to be anaesthetized, so the doctor was called in, who spoke to him about the importance of prolonging his life, even at the price of losing his tongue. But the brother explained to him that the cancer had disappeared and the doctor noted that the excised part of the tongue had been entirely and perfectly reconstituted. 

A bronze plate at the Jesuit College in Bogota commemorates this event and Brother Araguen lived many more years, singing the praises of Our Lady and extolling the power and the importance of the Rosary, while teaching catechism to children.

‘Forgive Them’

‘Not forgiving is letting your enemies live rent free inside your head’ was a phrase I found very irritating the first time I heard it, as I had squatters living in my sparsely furnished penthouse at that time. 

One was an old woman, who in more enlightened eras would certainly have been burned at the stake; the other her submissive insidious side-kick whose treachery would give Judas a run for his money whilst showing rather less regret. The more we trust, the greater the opportunity we give people to harm us and the more deeply their betrayal wounds us. 

To forgive is a must. Its importance to the Christian life is enshrined in its conditional mention in the Our Father, ‘forgive us our sins, as we forgive’. And yet it can be so very difficult. 

Often reconciliation is neither likely or desirable if the other party is toxic or abusive and so it’s a solo journey but with God as our guide and prayer to light the way. Perhaps firstly it’s good to acknowledge that we are hurt, that whatever happened was wicked, and that it does matter. Examining the motives or mindset of others after the events won’t get you very far, nor will letting anger fuel your search for justice or revenge. 

Ultimately the key is to pity those who hurt you, to have compassion for their wretchedness. And it is only then that you can truly forgive and pray for them and for their good (rather than conjuring up a fiendish James Bond style death for them). Perhaps you will see them in heaven.