‘Taken leave of their senses’

The greatest gift of God is surely His mercy. I love the stories of salvation we read in the Gospels which illustrate the process or journey from misery to joy, from the depths of depravity to a clean slate, from betrayal to loyalty. 

Like with prodigal son where it says ‘when he came to his senses’.. (Luke 15:11-32) barely a word of his well rehearsed confession spoken and he was lifted up again. Or the sinful woman who “stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears”. Not a word spoken at all, just an abundance of tears. (Luke 7:38). St Peter followed suit when Christ looked at him as the cock crew and ‘he went out and began to weep bitterly’ (Luke 22:62) And this is the formulae, sorrow for sins, tears of repentance which welcome forgiveness and a new (changed) life. 

It works. I believe each person has this opportunity to grasp that moment of grace, initiated as it is by the Lord Himself. Often, as in the biblical examples it is preceded by sin, self destruction and hitting the bottom. There are many tear- stained prison cell floors; cries in the shooting galleries of drug users and everywhere else where there is pain, suffering and bondage. And beautiful life-giving conversions take place. 

Alas there is a movement within society and even within the churches which seeks to do the exact opposite- a counterfeit kingdom you might say, where ‘having taken leave of their senses entirely’; they would like to avail of or offer a generic, easy and cheap alternative. Redemption without sorrow for sin, without tears, without repentance and worst of all without change. They demand acceptance, inclusion, and perhaps have an eye on domination, without a change of heart. 

Civil laws can change, like enabling divorce and the simultaneous decriminalisation of abortion and homosexual acts for example (in 1967) but the response of the church cannot follow suit. And yet in America a group of gay and lesbian ministers, Methodists and Episcopalians, ‘blessed’ an abortion clinic. Both churches have or are debating blessing same-sex unions as well in their churches and it seems likely that the truth will be the first casualty (Romans 1 26:27) Even in our church there is ‘sympathy’, perhaps brought about by guilt at being harsh in the past. 

  

Surely we must not sell anybody short on these or any other important topic, people deserve nothing less than the truth and should be offered nothing less than the full saving grace and transforming power of salvation through repentance; no one can give anyone permission to sin.

Like Lazarus...a story from Medjugorje

In 1987, my wife Dianne and her mother went to Medjugorje. For a year after the trip, unknown to me, Dianne fasted and prayed for my conversion. I was about as anti-Catholic as you could get. I had been raised Catholic but fell away in my teens and my total lack of spirituality was a really big problem in our marriage. Dianne knew that if she even tried to talk to me about any religious topic, I would be out of there! By a quirk of fate, which is a story in itself, she managed to get me on a plane to Medjugorje the following year. I was thinking about a divorce and going to Medjugorje was sort of an appeasement to her before I left her for good.

While in Medjugorje on the second day, I re-injured an old back injury that I incurred in a motorcycle accident 16 years earlier. I had none of the prescription drug with me needed to relax my back and Dianne and I both knew I would be confined to bed for at least a week, which was the entire rest of the nine day trip! After all of the prayer and fasting she had done, Dianne was horrified that her chance of using Medjugorje to convert me was probably ruined before it got off the ground.As soon as I reached the villa we were staying at, I just kicked off my shoes and went to bed without supper. I was in intense pain and totally crippled and spasmed like a pretzel. I managed to go to sleep and cannot remember anything until the next morning. 

I woke up the next morning and realized that Dianne had allowed me to oversleep. It was breakfast time and I was several minutes late already. I stood up and immediately realized that I had no pain or limited movement at all. For the first time in 16 years I could move my head fully to the left. For the first time in 16 years, I had absolutely no pain at all in my back. Even without the current spasm, my back always hurt in varying degrees, day and night, 365 days a year. I could not believe the way I felt! I walked up to the breakfast room and all eyes were on me as I walked into the room. I felt like Lazarus walking from the grave. Someone asked how I felt and I relayed to them that not only was the intense pain and spasm gone, but the constant residual pain and immobility were also gone for the first time in 16 years. They all applauded and praised the Lord. Unknown to me, they had prayed that night for my recovery so that my Medjugorje experience for a conversion would be a success. I did not believe in healings, especially for someone who was an unbeliever like me! Their faith overcame my total lack of faith! 

Needless to say, my Medjugorje experience was off to a truly great start! Many things happened on that nine day trip that I could spend months talking about. We saw rosaries turn gold, we saw the miracle of the sun, we saw other physical healings, we saw spiritual healings (which I also received two days later) and many, many other wondrous events. Before the trip I was always in back pain and my neck was always stiff. Today, nine years later, I have not had a single pain ever again in the area of the damaged disc. I can lift, bend, etc., as well as any twenty year old and I am now age 50! 

I know there will always be discussions about any ongoing apparition. It is human nature to doubt the supernatural. It is also Satan's intent to downplay anything from Our Lady or her Son. 

I feel like Saul of Tarsus after he changed to Paul after his little road event. I thank God that He did not call me from this earth before I had a chance to start turning my life around and I now know I belong to him for whatever he wants of me from now on. God uses places like Medjugorje to wake up the dead, which is what I was.

To Die Like an Angel .. A story from Calcutta

One evening we went out and rescued four people off the streets. One of them was in a desperate condition. I told the sisters, "You take care of the others. I will care for this one who is worse off." I did everything for her that my love could do. I put her into bed, and I saw a beautiful smile light up her face. She squeezed my hand and only managed to say two words, "Thank you." And then she closed her eyes.

I couldn't help but ask myself there beside her body, "What would I have said if I had been in her place?" My answer was very simple. I would have said that I was hungry, that I was dying, that I was cold. Or I would have said that this or that part of my body hurt or something like that. But she gave me much more. She gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.

You will do even greater things ! ..a story from Eygpt

(from Histories of the monks of upper Eygpt..4th Century AD)

The monks of the upper Nile lived as hermits, devoting their time to contemplation & fasting, meeting only on Sundays for Mass. They had a reputation for holiness and were sought out for guidance and their intercessory prayers these stories are about one of them; Abba Aaron.

Now it happened that one day two Nubians were walking together on their way to Aswan. One of them had only one eye. His friend said to him come on, lets receive a blessing at the hands of this great man. The one-eyed man said he isn't a great man; if he really is, let him open my eye and while the words were still in his mouth, his eye which had been blind regained its sight, but his good eye became blind !. 

When his friend saw what had happened, he was utterly amazed, and said to him, Didn't I tell you that he is a very great man ? The one-eyed man said its no great loss, for one eye has been shut while the other has been opened. However lets go to him; perhaps he'll give light to the other eye So the two of them came to the holy man Abba Aaron. My father said to the Nubian, who was not a believer, since you think its no great loss, why are you here ?

Immediately he became very fearful and reverent, saying open my eye And immediately he was able to see with the other eye. And the two believed, and went away joyful, and they proclaimed throughout the whole country the miracle which had taken place.

Now it happened that on another day ,a certain Nubian came out from the mountain with his son to drink water from the river, and when his son put his hand into the river to scoop up some water, a huge crocodile seized him, dragged him under and fled. His father threw himself to the ground and cried out and wept bitterly, for besides that son he had no other.

Now as the man ran up the mountain crying out, he cut himself against the sharp edges of the rocks and severely injured himself. When I saw how heartbroken he was, I told my father. He got up and came to the door and gestured to the Nubian with his hand to come to him. And when he had come, Abba Aaron saw the wounds on his body, and he wiped away the blood that had run over his body and took him inside his home. He brought him in by force and made him sit down. 

Now when he had questioned him about what had happened (he could not understand what the Nubian was saying to him), my father said to me, Rise, see if you can find anyone on the road. Call him. Perhaps you can find someone who knows how to speak with him When I went out I found a man from Philae who was going to Aswan riding a donkey. I called to him and said to him, do you understand the language of the Nubians ? He said, yes. I took him to my father. Now when the man saw the Nubian and the wounds all over his body, he was astonished and said to him, How were you wounded ?. And the Nubian told him what had happened. The holy man Abba Aaron took a piece of wood and gave it to him, saying, take it and throw it into the river where the crocodile seized your son. And he went and did as Abba Aaron had told him. 

Now it happened that when he threw the piece of wood into the water, a huge crocodile appeared and cast the little boy up on the shore and he had not been injured in any way ! And his father took him by the hand and brought him to the holy old man. And when the Nubian saw the miracle he shouted with joy and hugged Abba Aaron and kissed him. Now the interpreter went to Philae and did not go to Aswan that day; instead, he went about proclaiming the miracle that had taken place, he went home glorifying God and proclaiming what had happened. All of those who heard glorified God and the holy man Abba Aaron until this very day.

Fire in the throat..a story from Italy

Our friends at Vocepiu in Milan (Italy) have been putting out cassettes and CDs to spread the Word of God since the 70s. We collaborate a lot with them for Medjugorje, so we like to share the many amazing testimonies we find. It's so good to touch the power of God together! Recently they told us the story of a very surprising event that took place in 1997.

Their fraternity visited Israel on a pilgrimage. On the last day, while they were praying in front of the Cross at the Holy Sepulcher, Maria Luisa clearly heard a voice in her heart saying, 'Do something for my Passion!' These words deeply touched her and upon returning to Milan, she decided to make a musical CD on the Passion of Christ. Extremely gifted in music, she decided to mix excerpts from the Bible with orthodox chants, messianic Jewish hymns and Gregorian chant. For the speaker who read the Biblical passages, her attention turned to her uncle who had a voice that resounded the love of God. She reserved a half hour to perform the recording at Miro-Productions Studio in Milan, but that morning her uncle fell ill and could not do the job. Maria Luisa determined not to give up the project. The studio time was pre-paid so each minute counted; and it wasn't very cheap! She had to find another speaker immediately! She decided to check out the business right next to Miro Studios called Mediaset Studio and ask for a voice. 

As she walked into the reception area where there was an information desk, Maria Luisa knew that she was in a different world, an altogether different class. The couches dripped with luxury, the paintings on the wall were refined and perfectly hung. There were glass tables and fancy desks and she thought, What am I doing here, this is not at all the type of place where I'll find what I need! In the immediacy of her problem, she saw no other option, so she proceeded to the elegant looking woman behind the polished marble desk: I am looking for a man who has half an hour free to record the reading of a text... At that instant a very sophisticated man came down the stairs of the agency. He looked like a perfect ladies man, used to charming others and obviously quite satisfied with himself. He drew near to Maria Luisa to find out more about her need that he overheard. He said he had 20 minutes before dubbing a voice for Television and for a Coca Cola advertisement. He seemed proud to say that he worked for such prestigious names. He introduced himself as Alfio. When Maria Luisa made clear that the recording was not for commercial purposes and he couldn't earn any money from it, to her surprise Alfio still agreed to do the recording. Maria Luisa remained deeply perplexed, wondering how this man could possibly enter the spirit of the Passion and get the right intonation to read the Word of God! She tried to tell him about this question, but Alfio, assured of his professional talents, simply raised his hand to calm her fears.

They went to the recording studio. Alfio took the text and adjusted the micro in front of him. The first verse chosen by Maria Luisa was on the Suffering Servant: There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, one of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem. (Isaiah, 53:2-3)

Alfio read the first 3 words and stalled. He asked for a glass of water because, he said, he had something in his throat. He started again and had the same problem! Three times in a row he had to stop, helpless, and his eyes slowly filled with tears. Maria Luisa realized that there was something going on: Alfio could not read because he was having an overwhelming experience! On the third try, Alfio burst into tears, his sobs became uncontrollable.But who is this man? Alfio asked with a broken voice. Who was treated in such a way? It's Jesus, Maria Luisa answered! Who is Jesus?

The recording stopped. Alfio could not calm down. He wanted to know everything about this man. So Maria Luisa began to tell him about Jesus and Alfio bombarded her with more questions. He picked up his mobile phone and cancelled all his appointments for the day. He stayed more than four hours reading all the texts and listening to Maria Luisa's explanations. Overwhelmed and in a state of shock, he concentrated on each word, and asked Maria Luisa to repeat everything to him. He wanted the story of Jesus from the beginning. The Word of God had seized him completely!

At the end Alfio asked our friend, How about you, why are you doing this work? Who do you think will be interested? Maria Luisa answered, Well When I began this work, I told the Lord that if only one person would be converted thanks to this CD, it would be enough for me. Alfio then declared, I am that person!

The following days, at the office, Alfio started telling everyone about Jesus. He just could not help it. How could he keep quiet? He could not find anything else to talk about. But very soon people around him thought he was mentally disturbed. Alfio was fired! He remained jobless for 6 months before finding something in his specialty again. Immediately after his conversion, Alfio returned to his wife and daughter and resumed living with them. Since then, 10 years ago, they attend Mass together every morning.

Who knows the unbelievable power of the Word of God! Jesus visits us even at moments we do not expect Him. A single Biblical verse was enough to change this heart radically!

Those who are forgiven much, love much ..a story from Korea

Recently I visited Fr. Raymond Spies in Anyang. He told me that, when one goes to Naju, he should not go just to see the Blessed Mother's tears and tears of blood but to reform his life based on her messages. I would like to introduce one soul who has become a new person thanks to the messages from the Blessed Mother of Naju.

I first learned about Naju through the Blue Army in 1987. It was before the Chapel was built. I wanted to do some good work and guided one poor soul to Naju. She was a 17 year-old girl by the name of Theresa. She quit school during her senior year in the junior high school (9th grade) and began leading a dissolute life. She not only smoked and drank but was into narcotics also. She was suffering from severe hallucinations. She became a prostitute. Her parents spent every day with tears and pains. People were avoiding her and deserting her as a delinquent person. I brought her into my house, thinking that she was Jesus or the Blessed Mother.

After we came back from a visit to Naju, we were reading the messages together. She asked me what sacrilegious communion (mentioned in the message on June 5, 1988) meant. I explained it in detail and asked her to examine herself. She said that sometimes she hid some of her sins during Confession because of shame and received Communion sacrilegiously. She shed tears of repentance. She has been reading the messages every day and makes frequent confessions. Before, when I asked her to pray the rosary together, she was trampling the rosary down. Now, she prays fifteen decades for the conversion of sinners. She is changing every day through the messages. She says that everything has changed 180 degrees.

Before, she almost went to jail several times for stealing, but now she refuses to take gifts of money, saying that she is afraid of committing sins if she had money. She does not watch TV or video any longer. She says that she promised to the Lord and the Blessed Mother not to watch TV or video. She is leading a life of offering up beautiful roses to the Lord and the Blessed Mother by making sacrifices and reparations, saying that she had more sins than anyone else. She is making strenuous efforts to practice the Blessed Mother's messages. She prays the rosary fervently for the teenage girls who are committing sins as prostitutes without knowing that they are committing sins. She says that she will spread the Blessed Mother's messages to those girls, too.

Gabriella Chang, Inchon

Being Blessed by giving..a story from Eygpt (Desert Fathers)

A monk had a brother living in the world who was poor, and so he supplied him with all he received from his work. But the more the monk supplied, the poorer the brother became.

So the monk went to tell an old man about it. The old man said to him, If you want my advice, do not give him anything more, but say to him, Brother, when I had something I supplied you; now bring me what you get from your work. Take all he brings you, and whenever you see a stranger or a poor man, give him some of it, begging him to pray for him.

The monk went away and did this. When his secular brother came, he spoke to him as the old man had said, and the brother went sadly away. The first day, taking some vegetables from his field, he brought them to the monk. The monk took them and gave them to the old men, begging them to pray for his brother, and after the blessing he returned home. In the same way, another time, the brother brought the monk some vegetables and three loaves, which he took, doing as on the first occasion, and having received the blessing he went away

And the secular brother came a third time bringing many provisions, some bread, and fish. Seeing this, the monk was full of wonder, and he invited the poor so as to give them refreshment. The he said to his brother, Do you not need a little bread? The other said to him, "No, for when I used to receive something from you, it was like fire coming into my house and burning it, but now that I receive nothing from you, God blesses me.

Then the monk went to tell the old man all that had happened, and the old man said to him, Do you not know that the work of the monk is of fire, and where it enters, it burns? It helps your brother more to do alms with what he reaps from his field, and to receive the prayers of the saints and thus to be blessed.

The Pilgrim Road

The other day I had a test-drive in a lazy-boy chair; the soft leather aroma filled the air as my bones sunk into the sumptuous foam. It raises your legs as it reclines, and has an array of remote controls:-like Captain Kirk’s chair on the bridge of the Star Ship Enterprise. Unfortunately for the salesman, I suddenly remembered Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men fighting for survival in the Antarctic ice floes a century ago and called to mind a Japanese saying that “luxury is a menace to authentic manhood”.

The current generation of men seem bent on making life soft, convenient, safe and comfortable. Philosophies akin to the American dream point to an earthly paradise and rest after labour with the unspoken suggestion that a cure for sickness, old age and death can’t be far away now. Life’s meaning has become focussed on success, wealth and ease and the avoidance of all woes and challenges. Any obstacle or adversity or departure from the carefully crafted comfort zone is met with horror and ultimately disappointment. 

As a pilgrim people passing through life on the journey to our ultimate goal and destination, we have the opportunity to achieve a different kind of success. I read an insight that changed my thinking about my own trials and sufferings; that the difficulties we encounter are really a way that God initiates us into an authentic Christian manhood. He wants to see us reach our full stature as men and as sons and so will put us through whatever is necessary to achieve that. Even those things which happen to us, which can only be regarded as evil, can be transformed by grace (and time) and become our glory; “We know that all things work for good for those who love God”(Rom 8:28) We can resist this process or embrace it; but it will be lighter if difficulties are accepted as if from God’s hand because then we can prayerfully work through them in partnership.

Viewed from this perspective, and looking back on my own life, from childhood to the present, I can see how my heavenly Father led me through different challenges, trials and adventures; many I rather enjoyed, others are filed under ‘hideous abominations’ but in either case I grew through them, learned and relearned lessons, was hurt and healed and taken together it’s the hardships that form our characters the most. In time they are remembered fondly because of the fruit they bore and ultimately this toil is part of heaven’s price, and as we endure to the end our thrones await us!

Your Sins are Forgiven .. a story from America

Let me introduce myself and tell you a little about me. My name is Thomas and I was born into a Catholic family in 1956 and presently live in Northeast Ohio. I am a steel worker, (since 1989) and I presently live on the grounds of a Catholic National Shine as a Hermit of sorts. I rent a vacant retirement apartment from the Shrine and help in various ways. It really is quite beautiful and peaceful.

It was a real struggle for me to leave my prior worldly lifestyle to accept the invitation by the Rector of this Shrine to move out here. Since coming to live at the Shrine, I have had many wonderful spiritual experiences or awakenings, if you will. It is a literal Sanctuary where the evils and temptations of the world dare not encroach! It is my little slice of Heaven on Earth! I have consecrated my life to Jesus as slave and servant of the servants of God, whoever they are! 

Once married, (although not in the eyes of God, but just legally), I have been divorced since 1987. I never remarried. At the time of my divorce, I was a Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy. I spent 13 years in the Navy, but left so I could get custody of my three daughters upon my divorce. Later, my mom told me that while I was in England, (before my divorce) she was vacuuming the floor and she had an overwhelming burden to stop and immediately pray, Mary, bring him home now! I was in Southern England, drinking and drinking and when I would sober up, I would drink some more. My wife and children had returned early to the states and I was to remain another year in the UK. My marriage was in trouble, but I was oblivious! When my mom intuitively sensed trouble for me, my wife and our daughters, she prayed. I was home in three days on some sudden military temporary errand and I never returned! My life was about to be turned every which way but loose. 

You see, even though I was your basic heathen, drunkard, atheist; I felt the unmistakable presence of a Heavenly Mother, Par Excellence, arranging or rather, re-arranging my life so that I could be the custodial parent for the girls. I stopped drinking and went through the ugly process of the divorce. I started experiencing a strange thing that repulsed me at first, but that invisible Mom would not permit me to do what I had an urge to do RUN! Someone, or something was messing with a very private part of me my soul! Someone was speaking to my soul, convicting me of the miserable life I had been living, and calling me to renounce these former ways and follow a new path. Someone was telling me to Do whatever He tells you. And so, I began to see in my minds eye, whole thoughts, some in the form of personal helps, some in the form of poetry, many surrounding the theme of Love a new kind of love I had not known. Unconditional Love for everyone, even my Ex-wife. A very strange change for me! Like some kind of nut, I began leaving notes all over the house, on the mirrors, the refrigerator, the doors..Love, Love or Love Unconditionally 

One thing led to another, and I was guided to the little closet we Catholics call The Confessional; and as I began, Bless Me Father, for I have sinned, its been 20 years since my last confession I burst into tears, telling Jesus, (even though I was with this Priest), I have sinned , my God, I turned my back on You and lived only for myself! It was my literal experience and living out of the Prodigal Son, seeing the miserable state I was in, returning Home to my Father! When this Catholic Priest spoke the words, I absolve thee in the name of Jesus Christ, it really was Jesus telling me, Your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more. Thus began my new life and is how I eventually wound up here at this Shrine after raising my three daughters, now a steel worker living a celibate life of service to Jesus and His Heavenly Mother who refused to let go of me during my darkest days. I have had a lot of time to study Comparative Theology and Religion. I have accumulated way too many books, tapes and papers. Prepared for something of an Apostolate, not for the sole purpose of promoting the Catholic Church, but for the main purpose of bringing souls to Jesus Christ through a ministry of love, unconditional love.

The Angels Prayer .. a story from Portugal

One day in the autumn of 1916, the shepherds of Fatima took their herd out to graze. After their meal, they went to pray precisely where the Angel appeared to them the first time.

While they recited the prayer that the Angel had taught them

(My God, I believe, I adore, and I love You! I beg pardon of You for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love You!),

their faces to the ground, a light appeared above their heads. The children saw the Angel again who this time held a chalice in his left hand; the Host rested above it with drops of Blood dripping down into the chalice. Leaving the chalice and the Host suspended in the air, the Angel prostrated himself on the ground next to the children and repeated this prayer three times:

 "Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly and offer You the most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the earth, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference with which He Himself is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of You the conversion of poor sinners."

Then standing up, the Angel took the chalice and the Host into his hands and gave Holy Communion to Lucy, and the Blood of the chalice to Jacinta and Francisco, saying: "Take and drink the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ, horribly outraged by ungrateful men. Make up for all their crimes and console your God." He then prostrated himself one last time with the children and repeated the prayer to the Holy Trinity (above) three times.

‘Who is Missing and what have we lost?’

The stalwarts of the prolife movement continue the fight for life on many frontlines these days and yet we still don’t see the big picture.

I heard a discussion the other day which made me jump; it was not focussed on the numbers aborted or the horrifying array of methods or the blindness and callous hearts of the people involved. It asked the question ‘who is missing from our world?’ 

In every age and nation, God has always provided what (and who) was needed at any given moment in history. Whilst everyone has their own unique role, the destiny of some is far reaching in their impact. Scientists like Alexander Fleming who discovered Penicillin, social reformers like Florence Nightingale who formalised the nursing profession, or statesmen like Churchill holding back the tide of Nazism and of course our own Saviour.

There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that during a discussion between Hilary Clinton and Mother Teresa, the former asked why she thought there had been no female President of the United States; to which Mother Teresa responded “she was probably aborted”.  

Perhaps many of today’s problems remain unsolved, like cancer, AIDS, wars, etc. not because the solutions were not sent to earth but because the ones to provide them ended up in a bucket in an abortion clinic instead of fulfilling their destiny.

Whether we realise it or not, our societies are impoverished to an ever increasing extent; we have no way of evaluating it but we are all unknowingly suffering the consequences of it.

As Ireland stands on the precipice, with its abortion referendum looming, I hope the people will remember those who gave them the gift of life, the sacrifices they made for them, the love extended to them and vote to 'protect' the next generation, many of whom may otherwise not see the light of day.

Relentless Love...a story from America

Nicky was only 3-1/2 years old when his heart turned to stone. As one of 18 children born to witchcraft-practicing parents from Puerto Rico, bloodshed and mayhem were common occurrences in his life. He suffered severe physical and mental abuse at their hands, at one time being declared the Son of Satan by his mother while she was in a spiritual trance.

When he was 15, Nickys father sent him to visit an older brother in New York. Nicky didnt stay with his brother long. Instead, full of anger and rage, he chose to make it on his own. Tough, but lonely, by age 16 he became a member of the notorious Brooklyn street gang known as the Mau Maus (named after a bloodthirsty African tribe). Within six months he became their president. Cruz fearlessly ruled the streets as warlord of one of the gangs most dreaded by rivals and police. Lost in the cycle of drugs, alcohol, and brutal violence, his life took a tragic turn for the worse after a friend and fellow gang member was horribly stabbed and beaten and died in Nickys arms. As Cruz reputation grew, so did his haunting nightmares.

Arrested countless times, a court-ordered psychiatrist pronounced Nickys fate as headed to prison, the electric chair, and hell. No authority figure could reach Cruz - until he met a skinny street-preacher named David Wilkerson. He disarmed Nicky - showing him something he'd never known before: Relentless love. His interest in the young thug was persistent. Nicky beat him up, spit on him and, on one occasion, seriously threatened his life. Yet the love of God remained - stronger than any adversary Nicky had ever encountered.

Finally, Wilkerson's presentation of the gospel message and the love of Jesus melted the thick walls of his heart. Nicky received the forgiveness, love and new life that can only come through Jesus. Since then, he has dedicated that life to helping others find the same freedom.

He reaches today's youth because they relate to his background, trust his peer authority, and respond to the message of hope he delivers with both passion and conviction. As one kid said after an outreach into his neighborhood, All I knew was he was an O.G. (original gangster) and he was having this big meeting tonight.

These kids are young, hardened criminals who dont respond to parents, teachers, or the jail system. They receive a glorified message of gang activity everyday in rap music, television, and films. They need to hear a different message - and they need to hear it now! They come to our invasions looking for an alternative to the hopeless cycle of drug abuse, alcoholism, and violence. We must offer them an alternative source of security than the one they find in the gangs. They won't surrender to authority figures that have let them down all their lives. But, believe it or not, they will respond to a message about God if it comes from others who have survived their same living hell. - Cruz

A missionary Journey ..... a story from Vietnam

When the Americans came I saw a lot of people die; at night we would get under the bed as the helicopter gunships raged above us, I saw many dead bodies every day. When I was a young man I did not know much about politics or really understand the war. I felt very sad that many innocent people died and we did not understand why the war was happening in our country.

When I was growing up, the church meant everything to us. People came to the parish for sanctuary, for help, for prayer and safety. The local priests made a great impression they were very caring men whom the people loved. After the communists took over, I could not study any longer, so I went to work in a labour camp. If you had no job and were a Catholic you were forced to work. We dug canals 8 hours a day I worked at this hard labour for 2 years. The food was poor and there was no medical care, but it was the same for all of us   you had to work for them-you had nowhere to run.

I left Vietnam in 1980, everybody wanted to get out. My escape was organised secretly and cost $2000 for a place on the boat. When I first saw the boat, I thought it was too small, not the right sort of boat for the sea, it was more of a river boat. I asked the man in charge how many it could take and he said 30, but in fact there were 77 of us on board. I will never forget the words of my mother as I said goodbye to her for the last time. She said  Here take this rosary and pray. You dont have much money but trust in God We set sail from Cantho, South Vietnam, in the dead of night.

After 3 days the engine broke down and we just drifted in the south China sea. We had no maps, no compass, nothing at all. The man who organized our escape had given scant attention to food or water for us and before long we were hungry, thirsty and very tired. We steered the ship in the opposite direction to the sun. We thought a foreign ship would see us and have pity. Some got so thirsty that they drank their own urine or squeezed rain water out of blankets they left out overnight. People looked after each other. We knew we were going to die and wanted to die with dignity and respect. We drifted for 17 days without food or water. We prayed all the time. The children kept asking for food. There was a lot of weeping and crying. I kept my hope alive by praying, in the morning, afternoon and evening and even more when the sea turned violent as it often did. I thanked God for my 22 years of life, for my family and asked for the forgiveness of my sins.


There was a young married woman on board who gave birth to her baby (I helped deliver the baby) and I pray to the Lord, Lord, I dont want the baby to die on the first day of his life. I promise you if we survive, I will be a good man Two hours later a British cargo ship, came out of nowhere and rescued us. I knew then that God answers prayers !


(Eventually arriving in England, Michael Ho, became a priest, currently based in Coventry, UK)

Melanie forgives her mother ..a story from Australia

Now in her early twenties, Melanie grew up not knowing why she was always angry with her mother and at times didnt want to live. She left her home in Malaysia and came to Australia to attend university but never found happiness.

Eventually she asked her mother why she felt this way and what her mother said shocked Melanie to her soul; Because of problems in her marriage Melanie's mother wanted to abort her when she found out she was pregnant. Melanie said they both cried when she told her, but her feelings of rejection and worthlessness grew to a painful degree from that time.

During the final rally at a Christian Congress, a lady called Cheryle  had shared a vision of a baby in a mother's womb with the placenta being removed and the child being set free. Cheryle said that God was healing someone from the womb. Moved by what she heard Melanie finally asked for prayer when the call was made. As soon as the prayer began I felt a powerful love touching my heart and I knew it was God. She said. I had never known love before and it completely overwhelmed me. Melanie said that Gods embrace had given her the ability to forgive her mother completely. Failing to hold back tears, she told her story for the first time as Cheryle comforted her. 

Melanie was set free by Gods grace and was able to offer mercy to her mother. After the Congress Melanie contacted her mother and told her for the first time that she loved her. When her mother heard Melanie's forgiveness and words of love, her mother broke down in sorrow. As Melanie shared what God had done for her and how much she loved her mother no matter what she had tried to do, over twenty years of guilt vanished from her mother's heart in a flood of tears. By Gods grace and unfathomable mercy Melanie's mother found a new daughter and Melanie found a new mother that day as the grace of forgiveness flowed with healing love. Both are now healed and reconciled.