“Where Faith Costs”

I have a photo of four Chinese Evangelists on my computer. They are all middle aged, ordinary looking chaps who have spent 47 years between them in prisons and labour camps held by the Chinese Communist government because they believe in Jesus. 

They are the product of a movement of the Holy Spirit in one of the nations most hostile to the Gospel message. And now, many in what is referred to as the House Churches (as they have no physical church buildings) have begun to send evangelists beyond China’s borders into the most untouched regions of the world still held captive in the grip of  Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism. As they put it in an excerpt from the book ‘Back to Jerusalem’ :- 

“The Lord has been training Chinese Christians  for the past 50 years through imprisonment, torture, suffering and hardship. Thousands have been treated brutally in prison, thousands more have been sent out across the country as evangelists with nobody to rely on but God himself. They have seen numerous miracles and have come to a deep trust in Jesus that could not have been learned in any other way than through hardship and suffering….We have become soldiers of steel, tempered in the furnace of affliction. We do not fear what people can do to us.” 

If we contrast this with Churches in the free world we see a dismal picture; even in our own denomination we see  nit picking on religious practices like where your hands are during the Our Father,  where to receive communion ,  or whether we should revert back to the Latin Mass (or the silent minority who would like it in the original Aramaic) But how about the lost, does anybody care about them anymore ? 

How the western churches need a portion of this Spirit to revive their drooping fervour; but I wonder if any can pay the cost …perhaps Jesus will also supply the appropriate training to those with a heart for Him.

Exorcist Reveals the Truth About Spiritual Warfare (Fr. Vincent Lampert)

Ep 44 - Satan's 5 Generals

Ep 44 - Satan's 5 Generals: Ever wondered how Satan organizes demons? Did you even think there was an organization to all the chaos? To know your enemy, you must study him. Thankfully, there a…

Why does Jesus Heal People now ?

My wife and I were at a market stall buying dried fish from a vendor in her 80’s, when she asked us if we remembered her. She had attended a talk my wife gave on healing prayer the night before in the church in the remote mountain town we visited. We had given out small bottles of blessed oil (a sacramental) and then Eppie gave her talk instructing the participants on how to approach the Lord for their healing. 

The conditions being , purity of heart and purity of intention. So firstly repentance of our sins and being reconciled with God and others; then purity of intention, or the ‘why’ you want to be healed, because you are needed, by family or others who rely on you. The lady from the market had been troubled by shoulder pain for some time, often being unable to sleep properly, and having placed blessed oil on herself, and prayed for her healing had made an instant recovery. We later learned of another group of friends who had gone to the hospital the next morning to pray for a sister who had dreadful skin problem (possibly leprosy) for some time and she too was healed  within a few days all the sores and puss dried up and her skin returned to normal. 

In the Gospels and Acts of the apostles healing is seen to be a very common and normal thing for Jesus and his followers to do; to restore His children to health; but something much deeper is taking place too. 

There is a turning to God in repentance, the restoration of health follows, an awareness of His living presence within us and in the world, and finally intimacy and union with Him in our prayer. This is the objective, a much closer, more vital dynamic and intimate walk with the living God.

"I AM TORMENTED IN THESE FLAMES"

“Nicholas, man of God, look at me,” cried a soul to Nicholas of Tolentino. The young Augustinian priest had just begun to fall asleep when the voice surprised and alarmed him. The soul identified himself as Friar Pellegrino of Osimo, who Nicholas knew when that friar was alive.

“I am tormented in these flames,” Pelligrino lamented. “God did not reject my contrition and instead did not destine me to eternal punishment, which I deserved due to my weakness, but to purgatorial punishment, in virtue of His mercy.”

Then he begged Nicholas to “celebrate a Mass of the Dead for me, so that I may be freed from my torments.” But Nicholas could not because he was assigned to say the monastery’s community Mass.

“Then at least come with me … see our suffering … pity these unfortunates who await your help…If you celebrate Mass for us, most of these people will be liberated,” Pelligrino again pleaded. Nicholas was then shown a great sea of souls of all ages, sexes and conditions, stretching across the land.

Nicholas prayed all night. In the morning once the monastery’s prior heard his story, he gave Nicholas permission to immediately say the Masses for the Dead. Seven days later, Pelligrino appeared again — this time, accompanied by a victorious multitude also freed.

After that occurrence in the late 13th century, Nicholas spent his years praying and offering Masses for the souls in purgatory. He freed countless numbers. During one Mass, Jesus appeared, thanked him and showed him the souls his Masses had released.

In 1884 Pope Leo XIII declared St. Nicholas of Tolentino universal patron of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Nicholas’s experience wasn’t a one-time event. Nor was it for other saints along the centuries as they, too, heard or saw souls in purgatory pleading for their help.

No one goes to Heaven impure

"When a person dies, they do not go straight to heaven, unless they are Saints on Earth. You are doing a great evil to your love ones, if you don't pray for them. Do not say, my relative is in heaven now! No they are not. If they are Catholic and died with confession they went to Purgatory. It is your obligation to make sure that person receives the last Sacraments, and your obligation if you truly love them, to pray so they may get out of the fires of Purgatory soon.

A Holy Mass once a year, its cruel! Once a Month is not any better. Think of your time, how will you like people to pray for you? Remember one second in Purgatory feels like years.  Pray and say many Masses for your love ones. No One goes to heaven not pure. I come to tell you that they suffer in Purgatory, that they weep, and that they demand with urgent cries the help of your prayers and your good works.

I seem to hear them crying from the depths of those fires which devour them: "Tell our loved ones, tell our children, tell all our relatives how great the evils are which they are making us suffer. We throw ourselves at their feet to implore the help of their prayers. Ah! Tell them that since we have been separated from them, we have been here burning in the flames!" "

-- Saint John Marie Baptiste Vianney

Wild at Heart Series 4 Sam's story

 

Love Reaches Everywhere .. Mary's Meals

 

“Messengers from Eden”

These days I have become increasingly intentional about carving out more time for God because it’s so easy to lose it when we give the world and its ways the car keys and let it drive us.

As I explore my adoptive country, I now use the ferries mostly to go between the islands; so rather than a one- hour journey at 900 miles per hour in an aluminium tube at 30 thousand feet, my most recent trip was 60 hours at a steady 19 knots with no WiFi, mostly no cell service, an audio book about eternity and my rosary beads.

It was wonderful and as each day unfolded I was surrounded with messengers from Eden as reminders of who we are and our destiny. On the seas, aside from the vessel I was stood on, there were no man made objects to be seen; everything else pointed to heaven. The sun rose over calm endless seas, the sky and clouds moving toward a far horizon, blazing sunsets and thunderstorms displaying the majesty of God and his creative energy. And the moon and stars are a finale. All new every morning and as my soul settled into it I could feel the ache in the heart at what we lost in Eden and a great hope for what was yet to come in eternity, when all things are made new (Rev 21:5 Then the one who sits on the throne said, "And now I make all things new!")

I heard a speaker ask an awkward question once after he quoted a scripture from Peter 3:15 ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have’. And then he asked, “when was the last time someone came up to give in the supermarket, grabbed you by the arms and demanded to know the reason for your hope ? I have never been asked either. We don’t often think about what it is we hope for. Forgiveness, a not too unpleasant death perhaps, but eternity is a long haul, what then ? Often times we feel that life has passed us by, missed opportunities or maybe no opportunities, unable to follow a particular dream or develop a particular talent, the many losses we take as we see loved ones die or friendships end. Well the good news is we get everything we lost back, better then ever, perfected and permanent and a mansion in heaven !

We will do everything we were born to do, and whilst our minds cannot contain such thoughts it will be good, it will be worth the wait, worth the current and future sufferings. What awaits us is Eternal Joy when the voyage is over.

Wild At Heart Series 3 ..Leo's story

 

Wild at Heart Story 2 Pablo's Story

 

Wild at Heart Story 1 Mark's Story

 

"Prologue" | Wild at Heart: The Series

 

Wild at Heart .... Resilient ... Part 5

 

Wild at Heart ... Resilient ... Part 4

 

Wild at Heart ... Resilient ...Part 3

 

Wild at Heart .... Resilient... Part 2

 

Wild at Heart ... Resilient .. Part 1

 

Wild at Heart ... Get Your Life Back .... Part 6

 

Wild at Heart .... Get Your Life Back .... Part 5

 

Wild at Heart ... Getting Your Life Back ... Part 4

 

Wild at Heart .... Get Your Life Back .... Part 3

 

Wild at Heart ... Get your Life Back ..Part 2

 

Wild at Heart ... Get your life back .. Part 1

My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me

The early Catholic church seems to have had a very dynamic beginning; the acts of the apostles are filled with very interesting examples of how the Holy Spirit worked in partnership with them. For example telling Phillip to catch up with the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot and make that first African convert; or Annanias being instructed in a vision to visit Saul and pray for his healing. They heard His voice and followed instructions. This was the essence of building the kingdom in union with God. One sees this process in those early centuries, over and over again. 

Nowadays we seem more comfortable with assigning such intimate conversation with God as the domain of canonised saints; something to be avoided whilst at the same time assuming our own ideas are more than likely God’s will and all is therefore going according to plan. I wonder though if a renewed focus on really listening for the voice of God is needed in our rather uncertain and troubled age. 

I heard a story about a Ukrainian Pastor during the 2014 invasion of Eastern Ukraine by the Russians. As the Russian militias approached his city; using the church minibus, he evacuated his wife and family to a safe area. Then he paused and asked God, “should I go back?” He answered ‘yes’ and so he returned to begin evacuating the rest of the inhabitants. As the second group filled the minibus he paused again to ask God for instructions and was told by Him to take a different route this time because his previous exit now had a Russian military roadblock in place. He followed and took a new route and the next group were evacuated safely. And so it went on; each journey began with seeking the guidance of God for each step; and each time they went according to His instructions and avoided contact with the invading army. A total of 10,000 people were evacuated in the end. 

It’s rather like the way King David conversed with the Lord in preparing for battle; always different; no formulae or principle to be followed, just the Holy Spirit. 

Of course the pastor above did not suddenly begin this practice as war began; he and his flock were already listening to God in their daily life and work: listening for the ‘still small voice’ had become a regular practice for them, they were thus well prepared when trouble arrived. Perhaps it is time for our church to do likewise; as trouble is never far away; we must fill our flasks with oil and be ready.

THE BAD DEATH by St. John Vianney

If you ask me what most people understand by a bad death, I will reply: "When a person dies in the prime of life, married, enjoying good health, having wealth in abundance, and leaves children and a wife desolate, there is no doubt but that such a death is very tragic." King Ezechiel said: "What, my God! It is necessary that I die in the midst of my years, in the prime of my life!" And the Prophet-King asks God not to take him in his prime. Others say that to die at the hands of the executioner on the gallows is a bad death. Others say that a sudden death is a bad death, as, for instance, to be killed in some disaster, or to be drowned, or to fall from a high building and be killed. And then some say that the worst thing is to die of some horrible disease, like the plague or some other contagious malady.

And yet, my dear brethren, I am going to tell you that none of these are bad deaths. Provided that a person has lived well, if he dies in his prime, his death will not fail to be valuable in God's eyes. We have many saints who died in the prime of their lives. It is not a bad death, either, to die at the hands of the executioner. All the martyrs died at the hands of executioners.

To die a sudden death is not to die a bad death either, provided one is ready. We have many saints who died deaths of that sort.

St. Simeon was killed by lightning on his pillar. St. Francis de Sales died of apoplexy. Finally, to die of the plague is not a dreadful death. St. Roch and St. Francis Xavier died of it.

But what makes death bad is sin. Ah, this horrible sin which tears and devours at this dread moment! Alas, no matter where the poor, unfortunate sinner looks, he sees only sin and neglected graces! If he lifts his eyes to Heaven, he sees only an angry God, armed with all the fury of His justice, Who is ready to punish him. If he turns his gaze downwards, he sees only Hell and its furies already opening its gates to receive him. Alas! This poor sinner did not want to recognise the justice of God during his life on earth; at this moment, not only does he see it, but he feels it already pressing down upon him. During his lifetime, he was always trying to hide his sins, or at least to make as little of them as possible. But at this moment everything is shown to him as in the broad light of day. He sees now what he should have seen before, what he did not want to see. He would like to weep for his sins, but he has no more time. He scorned God during his lifetime; God now, in His turn, scorns him and abandons him to his despair.

Listen, hardened sinners, you who are wallowing now, with such pleasure, in the slime of your vice, without casting even a thought upon amending your lives, who perhaps will give thought to this only when God has abandoned you, as has happened to people less guilty than you. Yes, the Holy Ghost tells us that sinners in their last moments will gnash their teeth, will be seized by a horrible dread, at the very thought of their sins.

Their iniquities will rise up before them and accuse them.

"Alas!" they will cry at this dread moment, "alas! Of what use is this pride, this vain ostentation, and all those pleasures we have been enjoying in sin? Everything is finished now. We have not a single item of virtue to our credit but have been completely conquered by our evil passions."

This is exactly what happened to the unhappy Antiochus, who, when he fell from his chariot, shattered his whole body.

He experienced such dreadful pain in his entrails that it seemed to him as if someone were tearing them out. The worms started to gnaw at him while he was still alive, and his whole body stank like carrion. Then he began to open his eyes. This is what sinners do -- but too late.

"Ah," he cried, "I realise now that it was the evils which I committed in Jerusalem that are tormenting me now and gnawing at my heart."

His body was consumed by the most frightful sufferings and his spirit with an inconceivable sadness. He got his friends to come to him, thinking that he might find some consolation in them. But no. Abandoned by God, Who gives consolation, he could not find it in others.

"Alas, my friends," he said to them, "I have fallen into a terrible affliction. Sleep has left me. I cannot rest for a single instant. My heart is pierced with grief. To what a terrible state of sadness and anguish I am reduced! It seems that I must die of sorrow, and in a strange country, too. Ah, Lord, pardon me! I will repair all the evil that I have done. I will pay back all I took from the temple in Jerusalem. I will present great gifts to the temple. I will become a Jew. I will observe the Law of Moses. I will go about publicising the omnipotence of God. Ah, Lord, have mercy on me, please!"

But his illness increased, and God, Whom he had scorned during his life, no longer had ears to hear him. He was a proud man, a blasphemer, and despite his urgent prayers, he was not listened to and had to go to Hell.

It is a grievous but a just punishment that sinners, who throughout their lives have spurned all the graces which God has offered them, find no more graces when they would like to profit by them. Alas! The number of people who die thus in the sight of God is great. Alas! That there are so many of these blind people who do not open their eyes until the moment when there are no further remedies for their ills! Yes, my dear brethren, yes, a life of sin and a death of rejection! You are in sin and you do not wish to give it up? No, you say. Very well, my children, you will perish in sin. You will see that in the death of Voltaire, the notorious blasphemer.

Listen carefully and you will see that if we despise God always and if God waits for us during our lives, often, by a just judgment, He will abandon us at the hour of our death, when we would like to return to Him.

The idea that one can live in sin and give it all up one day is one of the Devil's traps which will cause you to lose your soul as it has caused so many others to lose theirs. Voltaire, realising that he was ill, began to reflect upon the state of the sinner who dies with his conscience loaded with sins. He wished to examine his conscience and to see whether God would be willing to pardon him all the sins of his life, which were very great in number. He counted upon the mercy of God, which is infinite, and with this comforting thought in mind, he had brought to him one of those priests whom he had so greatly outraged and calumniated in his writings. He threw himself upon his knees and made a declaration to him of his sins and put into his hands the recantation of all his impieties and his scandals. He began to flatter himself on having achieved the great work of his reconciliation. But he was gravely mistaken. God had abandoned him; you will see how. Death anticipated all spiritual help. Alas! This unfortunate blasphemer felt all his terrors reborn in him. He cried out: "Alas, am I then abandoned by God and men?"

Yes, unhappy man, you are. Already your lot and your hope are in Hell. Listen to this godless man; he cries out with that mouth sullied with so many profanities and so much blasphemy against God, His religion, and His ministers.

"Ah," he cried, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, who died for all sinners without distinction, have pity on me!"

But, alas! Almost a century of blasphemy and impiety had exhausted the patience of God, Who had already rejected him.

He was no more than a victim which the wrath of God fattens for the eternal flames. The priests whom he had so derided but whom, in this moment he so desired, were not there. See him as he falls into convulsions and the horrors of despair, his eyes wild, his face ghastly, his body trembling with terror! He twists and turns and torments himself and seems as if he wants to atone for all those previous blasphemies with which his mouth had been so often sullied. His companions in irreligion, fearing, lest someone might bring him the last Sacraments, something which would have seemed to them to dishonour their cause, brought him to a house in the country, and there, abandoned to his despair ...

When Death Comes Early

Death in old age, whilst still leaving sorrow in its wake, seems reasonable. We reflect on lives well lived, a ‘good innings’ in cricketing terms. 

Sometimes though it seems to arrive too early. When a young person dies, when parents have to bury their child and there is an empty seat at the table; it is more difficult to process. 

I heard a story once about just such an incident where a 17 year old girl died. She was beautiful, clever, a joy to be around, loved by all, God-fearing and virtuous with what seemed a bright future ahead of her. But her life was snatched away in a heartbeat, in a fatal accident. 

Everyone was devastated by the loss, especially her mother. She was heartbroken and despite being a firm devout believer, she couldn’t let go. It is seldom that God answers the question ‘Why?’ 

In this instance though He gave her a rather wonderful favour and consolation. Her daughter visited her in a very vivid dream. She appeared to her more beautiful than ever before and told her that she was now with God. Then she explained to her the reason she had been taken so early. The time she died was the last point at which she would have gone to heaven. Had she lived beyond that time she would have taken decisions which would have led her down an entirely different path and her immortal soul would have been lost. This way she was saved and they would see each other again. 

This transformed the Mother’s view entirely; she could rejoice now in the knowledge that her daughter was safe, happy and that they would meet again. 

We don’t see as God sees; only He has the big picture and we can trust Him to deliver everything on time in our best interests as we are united to Him in life, in prayer, in surrender and in trust. If we can apply the same belief to our sometimes unanswered prayers, then we can avoid frustration and instead redirect any disappointments into thanksgiving for whatever disaster was averted and little by little our prayers will converge with His wishes and we can remain in the flow of His spirit.

 

 

Judgement Day

There was a 4^th century Saint; - Ephrem who preached about Judgement Day as if it were unfolding before his eyes. He wept as he delivered it, paused to regain composure and continued, such a poignant moment it will be for us all and worth keeping before our own eyes:- 

“The King of kings will descend from heaven, from the throne of glory, to take His seat as Judge, and will call all the inhabitants of earth before His judgment-seat. Alas! a clap of thunder makes us tremble now; how then shall we bear the clang of those trumpets which shall wake the dead? As soon as the sleeping bodies in the bosom of the grave shall hear this sound, life will animate them once more.” 

All will rise again in one and the same moment, without a single hair being wanting to them ; they will collect together and stream towards the place of judgment ; for the heavenly King issues His commands, and the stricken earth and the agitated depths of ocean give back their dead; Then he described the fire which enkindles the whole world ; the angels who separate the sheep from the goats ; the sign of the Cross shining with light, which is carried before the King ; man kind in fear and confusion ; the just overflowing with joy, and the wicked a prey to despair ; the heavenly hosts glorifying the thrice holy God with their songs of praise ; heaven opened, and the Lord surrounded by such glory that neither heaven nor earth can support it. 

Ephrem then unfolded before their eyes the Book of Life in which all our thoughts, words, and works are written. Then each man will be called up to undergo a severe examination, and will not dare to lift up his eyes to the Eternal Judge, whose divinely just decree awards to each one life or death, heaven or hell. my dearest brethren! how many tears ought we not to shed day and night in expectation of this fearful judgment? At the mere thought of such things my limbs stiffen. 

..then will each Christian be examined whether he has the seal of holy baptism and the treasure of the faith ; each Christian will be asked whether he has lived according to his renunciation of Satan and his works, not only one or two of his works, but all in general. Oh, blessed is he who has faithfully kept his promise! Then is announced that woeful sentence which parts men for ever from one another: bishops from bishops, priests from priests, deacons and lectors from their companions in orders; children from their parents, brothers from their sisters, friends from their friends. After the separation has taken place, the reprobate will call upon the elect with unspeakable lamentation, and will say: 

Farewell ye saints and servants of God! farewell ye prophets, apostles, and martyrs! farewell ye parents, children, and friends! farewell for ever thou most Blessed Virgin, Mother of God! All ye have prayed for the salvation of our souls but we would not be saved. Farewell saving Cross! farewell Paradise, thou field of delights, thou everlasting kingdom, thou heavenly Jerusalem! Fare well ye blessed! Farewell to bliss! We shall see you no more! We are sinking into an abyss of pain and torments; we have no more hope of salvation for ever 

Now is the time for us to seek mercy and gain it for our loved ones through prayer.  Life is short.

What will Heaven be like ?

 

Manila (or indeed any city) is not my soul’s natural habitat and so periodically I make my escape, usually to the Cordillera mountain range in the north where I have a selection of hide-outs, towns and villages, clefts in the rock where I can find restoration after the assaults of city life. I chose a familiar one this week where I could just rest without going into explorer mode. My chosen inspirational material was a book about heaven.

We don’t hear much about heaven. Some say we will be singing a lot …. but somehow after what we have and will still have to go through to get there, there must be something a whole lot better than just singing! 

We may think of redemption as being Jesus putting right everything we did wrong, re-writing our life stories through His saving sacrifice such that everything was as it should have been lived out, down to the smallest detail. Then heaven must be that we reign with Him as the men and women we were created to be, every heart’s desire fulfilled, every creative urge running to its end. And yet there is not much in our current situation to suggest this. There is only the occasional glimpse or a flash back from the Eden we lost but still see around us like bread crumbs to keep us on the trail.

I have a friend who has a fish farm in the middle of a crater lake. The houses around the lake have no electricity so at night the sky is lit up with a beautiful array of stars, also reflected on the still surface of the water. Another hideout I frequent is often visited by an eagle who circles above the peaks as I watch in the valley. This week it was a rainbow I saw above the rice fields as a powerful storm moved in towards the town and breath-taking sunsets! How beautiful heaven must be in all its glory. 

Often life seems utterly tragic and far from glorious but even in its brokenness we see the promise. I met an old lady with Alzheimer’s this week, who had only two memories left. She was perhaps in her 90’s, and told me about her childhood when she went to stay in the dormitory of the Belgian nuns who opened the first school in their town up in the mountains. She was in the first intake, first in her family to go to school and the first to become Catholic. Her memory was a happy one and very detailed. And on a loop, she must have told me 10 times but she was enjoying it so much that I stayed and listened again. The other memory was how much she loved God, she spoke of Him with such affection and joy, also several times. I imagine she will be seeing heaven before too long and she will be fully restored, her youth and beauty, her mind and memories, all her hardships and disappointments erased, all things perfected. And then the real adventure begins. An eternity of joy where she can do all she ever wanted to do and was created for. This is also our hope and His promise.

What is Evil ?

 

Why did God create evil? The answer struck me to the core of my soul!

A professor at the university asked his students the following question:

- Everything that exists was created by God?

One student bravely answered:

- Yes, created by God.

- Did God create everything? - a professor asked.

"Yes, sir," replied the student.

The professor asked :

- If God created everything, then God created evil, since it exists. And according to the principle that our deeds define ourselves, then God is evil.

The student became silent after hearing such an answer. The professor was very pleased with himself. He boasted to students for proving once again that faith in God is a myth.

Another student raised his hand and said:

- Can I ask you a question, professor?

"Of course," replied the professor.

A student got up and asked:

- Professor, is cold a thing?

- What kind of question? Of course it exists. Have you ever been cold?

Students laughed at the young man's question. The young man answered:

- Actually, sir, cold doesn't exist.

According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is actually the absence of heat. A person or object can be studied on whether it has or transmits energy.

Absolute zero (-460 degrees

Fahrenheit) is a complete absence of heat. All matter becomes inert and unable to react at this temperature.

Cold does not exist. We created this word to describe what we feel in the absence of heat.

A student continued:

- Professor, does darkness exist?

— Of course it exists.

- You're wrong again, sir. Darkness also does not exist. Darkness is actually the absence of light. We can study the light but not the darkness.

We can use Newton's prism to spread white light across multiple colors and explore the different wavelengths of each color. You can't measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into the world of darkness and and illuminate it. How can you tell how dark a certain space is? You measure how much light is presented. Isn't it so? Darkness is a term man uses to describe what happens in the absence of light.

In the end, the young man asked the professor:

- Sir. does evil exist?

This time it was uncertain, the professor answered:

- Of course, as I said before. We see him every day. Cruelty, numerous crimes and violence throughout the world. These examples are nothing but a manifestation of evil.

To this, the student answered:

- Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist for itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is like darkness and cold—a man-made word to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is not faith or love, which exist as light and warmth. Evil is the result of the absence of Divine love in the human heart. It's the kind of cold that comes when there is no heat, or the kind of darkness that comes when there's no light.

The student's name was Albert Einstein.

“You don’t know you’re born!”

 

There was a TV series years ago, based on events in Bosnia and the experiences of the UN peace keeping force which highlighted the contrast between real suffering and what often passes for it. The scene would be familiar to those in the military I think; a soldier having completed his tour of duty returned to civilian life and was pushing a shopping cart around a supermarket in a daze as he tried to adjust to this new reality. In one isle was a mother and child; the latter was having a tantrum and holding the mother to ransom over a toy she ‘needed’. 

The soldier found the scene quite unbearable, sickening to watch, as he told them how trivial this was by recalling a recent memory and said “I have seen people who were on fire”. 

Of course the natural selfishness and sense of entitlement often displayed by children is usually eliminated eventually by good parenting and the onset of gratitude for being so fortunate. 

Many years later a news story caught my attention. At the very beginning of the ISIS invasion of Iraq a town was invaded and all the Christian families were evicted at gunpoint with just the clothes on their backs. One patriarch was interviewed on the news as he sat with his entire family, wife, children, grandchildren and other relatives in a tent in a makeshift refugee camp. He was crying as he lamented his losses, his farm, vehicles, cash, crops and livestock and he exclaimed “we used to live like Kings, now look at us” 

Two weeks later, as ISIS got a taste for their work, the narrative changed from evictions of Christian families to martyrdoms. There was a big change of perspective for the early survivors, as they realised that they still had each other and the opportunity of starting again.

Acceptance and gratitude to God for what we have in the moment will help us to guard our hearts, retain our composure and be at peace despite setbacks.

Prepare for D-day

 

I watched part of the BBC coverage of the 80th anniversary of D-day in Normandy. 

When the Ukraine’s President Zelensky met with the last few veterans and spoke with them you could see something pass between them. The old veterans had once stood where Zelensky and his countrymen now stand, in the heat of battle, against terrible odds, determined and resilient but facing an uncertain future and outcome. The veterans have tasted the victory after a long struggle and great losses; the Ukraine longs for a time of peace after victory which they can commemorate.

Wars are not always won by might or strength of numbers though as the allies can testify to. Two very beautiful miracles in WW11; one was the Dunkirk evacuation where the weather conditions were absolutely perfect (extremely rare for that area) with calm seas to assist the small boats, and total cloud cover which hindered the Luftwaffe from bombing the vessels and forcing them above the clouds where the RAF were waiting for them.

The other was the Battle of Britain; outnumbered 4:1 by German fighters; even with the best aircraft and more motivated pilots the odds were really too much to expect victory. Unless of course there is an unseen factor at play; which there was. Intercession. For the entire duration of the air battle, groups of intercessors prayed day and night for the RAF for some heavenly air cover and they got it!

I recall at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine as the Russian tanks approached Kyiv, many people of different denominations across the globe, as they watched things unfold on the news, were also consistently in prayer to stop their progress and push them back into Belarus. We prayed every night as a family here. And this has always been the key; to seek God’s intervention at key moments from the Old Testament days to our own. Many of Our Lady’s apparitions point us to this. In Fatima we were told to pray to prevent WW11, alas that went unheeded. 

In our day, we see conditions similar to previous times: Russia invading Ukraine and also the Chinese sabre rattling near Taiwan and swamping the West Philippine Sea with uninvited militia vessels. With consistent prayer we can disrupt whatever plans and schemes are being cooked up by evil men and watch as the Lord’s plans are fulfilled. Best to begin now though and not wait until it’s too late!

St Anthony, The Eucharist and a mule

St. Anthony of Padua lived during the 13th century and possessed a great zeal for the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. One day Saint Anthony heard of a man in Rimini named named Bononillo who did not share the same belief. In fact, Bononillo openly mocked people who believed that Jesus was truly present under the appearances of bread and wine.

St. Anthony tried his hardest to convince Bononillo with the proofs of scripture and argument, but discovered that the man was as stubborn as a mule.

Then St. Anthony received an inspiration. He challenged the wealthy merchant, “If the mule you ride adored the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, would you believe in the truth of the Blessed Sacrament?” Bononillo agreed, but decided to raise the stakes. Bononillo would starve his mule for three days and then bring it to the town square. Saint Anthony would bring the Blessed Sacrament to that same square. The mule then would be put in front of a pile of hay and St. Anthony would stand a few yards away with the Blessed Sacrament. What happened next would decide the victor.

To prepare for the event, St. Anthony fasted for three days, and Bononillo in turn told everyone in the town. Bononillo was convinced that the mule would think nothing of the Eucharist and ravenously eat the pile of hay.

On the day of the test, Bononillo brought his mule and placed the hay under the mule’s nose. St. Anthony came and stood a distance away with the Holy Eucharist. Defying all odds, the mule turned his head and walked over to Saint Anthony. When the mule was close, the animal bent his front legs and kneeled in adoration! When Bononillo saw this miraculous change of events, he immediately knelt down and professed his belief in the truth of the Real Presence.

What this short story tells us is that Eucharistic presence of Jesus is something miraculous and supernatural. It is a gift that Jesus gave to his Church, one that reason alone cannot explain. Faith is required to hold to such a fantastic belief. It reminds us that what we witness each Sunday (and every day) is beyond our understanding.

The Catechism affirms this fact and declares, “That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that ‘cannot be apprehended by the senses,’ says St. Thomas, ‘but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.’ For this reason, in a commentary on Luke 22:19 (‘This is my body which is given for you.’), St. Cyril says: ‘Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie'” (CCC 1381).

St. John Vianney put it perfectly, “If we really understood the Mass, we would die of joy.”

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Revealed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich

 Aug 15, 2022 by Anna Policarpio

Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, an Augustinian nun, stigmatist and ecstatic who lived in Germany from 1774– 1824,  gives us a splendid biography on the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary based on her visions from Our Lady. In the passage below, she narrates the beautiful vision that she was given of Our Lady's Assumption to Heaven:

"A short time before the Blessed Virgin’s death, as she felt the approach of her reunion with her God, her Son, and her Redeemer, she prayed that there might be fulfilled what Jesus had promised to her in the house of Lazarus at Bethany on the day before His Ascension. … When she begged Him that she might not live for long in this vale of tears after He had ascended, Jesus told her in general what spiritual works she was to accomplish before her end on earth. He told her, too, … the Apostles and several disciples would be present at her death, and what she was to say to them and how she was to bless them.

"After the Blessed Virgin had prayed that the Apostles should come to her, I saw the call going forth to them in many different parts of the world. … I saw all, the farthest as well as the nearest, being summoned by visions to come to the Blessed Virgin. The indescribably long journeys made by the Apostles were not accomplished without miraculous assistance from the Lord. …[Blessed Anne Catherine describes the Roman numerals she sees in her visions.] … Then I see X and III and then two full moons as they are shown in the calendar, that means that the Blessed Virgin died thirteen years and two months after Christ’s Ascension into Heaven.

"Afterwards I saw the Apostles and disciples once more standing round the Blessed Virgin’s bed and praying. Mary’s face was radiant with smiles as in her youth. Her eyes were raised towards heaven in holy joy. Then I saw a wonderfully moving vision. The ceiling of Our Lady’s room disappeared, the lamp hung in the open air, and I saw through the sky into the heavenly Jerusalem. Two radiant clouds of light sank down, out of which appeared the faces of many angels. Between these clouds a path of light poured down upon Mary, and I saw a shining mountain leading up from her into the heavenly Jerusalem. She stretched out her arms towards it in infinite longing, and I saw her body, all wrapped up, rise so high above her couch that one could see right under it. … I saw her soul leave her body like a little figure of infinitely pure light, soaring with outstretched arms up the shining mountain to heaven. The two angel-choirs in the clouds met beneath her soul and separated it from her holy body, which in the moment of separation sank back on the couch with arms crossed on the breast. My gaze followed her soul and saw it enter the heavenly Jerusalem by that shining path and go up to the throne of the most Holy Trinity. I saw many souls coming forward to meet her in joy and reverence; amongst them I recognized many patriarchs, as well as Joachim, Anna, Joseph, Elisabeth, Zacharias, and John the Baptist. The Blessed Virgin soared through them all to the Throne of God and of her Son, whose wounds shone with a light transcending even the light irradiating His whole Presence. He received her with His Divine Love, and placed in her hands a scepter with a gesture towards the earth as though indicating the power which He gave her.

“Would we rather have God’s gifts and troubles or God Himself and peace of mind?”

 

I have noticed of late that many people’s woes stem from ‘Needing’ what they want but not wanting what they need. It creates a lot of tension, pressure, disappointment and often broken relationships. Sometimes it seems that God gives in to the whims of His children (and sometimes not) but which is really the greater blessing? 

We can feel at times that some people are jumping the queue when it comes to blessings, that our prayers are stuck in God’s spam folder somewhere and in a spirit of false comparison we feel a bit left behind. But if you take a long view what is revealed may be quite unexpected. 

An acquaintance of mine, a prayerful man to begin with, was given the opportunity to have a business in his chosen field. He did everything in prayer, from applying for contracts, to suppliers, to staff; each meeting or letter he wrote would be under God’s guiding hand. He did well. From being an employee he was catapulted to success, multimillion Peso contracts flowed in like a river and profits with them. At what point things changed I don’t know. He acquired property, vehicles, houses, luxuries, holidays and entered into ventures without seeking God’s guidance and things started to fall apart. Bad payers squeezed the cash flow, unexpected tax bills, and his integrity in money matters was compromised. During that time, periodically he turned back to God, who bailed him out; then he would repeat his folly and back to repentance and so on. It’s an old story of lacking the character to rule the kingdom. Perhaps it’s part of his learning curve. 

Others face economic calamity, pray for a restoration of past glories and instead realise that there is a gift within losses; the discovery of the benefits of simplicity. That having God is enough of itself without being adorned with gifts and blessings to make life comfortable. 

Would we rather have God’s gifts and troubles or God Himself and peace of mind? 

St Rita of Cascia

 

Rita: Daughter, Wife, Mother, & Widow

High in the hills of the republic of Cascia, in a tiny Umbrian village called Roccaporena, Antonio and Amata Lotti were well-respected peacemakers. In 1381, they welcomed their only child, Margherita. In the local dialect, her name meant “pearl," but she was known simply as Rita. Baptized in the church of Saint Augustine in Cascia, Rita became acquainted with the local Augustinian nuns of Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery and was attracted to their way of life. But her parents arranged a marriage for her in order to provide safety and security, and so Rita obediently married Paolo Mancini with whom she had two sons.

In the troubling political climate of the times, there was often open conflict between families. Paolo was the victim of one such conflict, and he was murdered when their sons were still young. The expectation of society at the time was that the boys should avenge the murder of their father to defend the family honor. Rita, however, influenced by the peacemaking example of her parents, pledged to forgive her husband’s killers. She faced a steep challenge, however, in convincing her sons to do the same. Tradition has it that she often pointed out to them the image of the crucified Christ and the fact that he forgave those who killed him. Within a year, however, both sons succumbed to a deadly illness leaving Rita not only a widow, but also childless. Following these tragedies, Rita placed her trust in God, accepting them and relying on her deep faith to find her way. After eighteen years of marriage, Rita felt called to a second but familiar vocation: to religious life in the Augustinian convent.

Rita: the Peacemaker

But the sisters at Saint Mary Magdalene Monastery were hesitant and refused her request. However, Rita was not discouraged, convinced that she was called to the contemplative community. She returned and asked for entry again, but the sisters even more firmly refused, citing that although Rita had forgiven her husband’s killers, her family had not. There were members of the rival family in the convent; her presence would be detrimental to community harmony. And so, inspired by her three patron saints (Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, and Saint John the Baptist), Rita set out to make peace between the families. She went to her husband’s family and exhorted them to put aside their hostility and stubbornness. They were convinced by her courage and agreed. The rival family, astounded by this overture of peace, also agreed. The two families exchanged a peaceful embrace and signed a written agreement, putting the vendetta to rest forever. A fresco depicting the scene of the peace embrace was placed on a wall of the Church of Saint Francis in Cascia, an enduring reminder of the power of good over evil and a testament to the widow whose forgiving spirit achieved the impossible.

Rita: the Augustinian Mystic

At the age of 36, Rita finally was accepted into the Augustinian convent. She lived a regular life of prayer, contemplation, and spiritual reading, according to the Rule of Saint Augustine. For forty years she lived this routine lifestyle until Good Friday of 1442, fifteen years before her death, when she had an extraordinary experience. In contemplation before an image of Jesus that was very dear to her, the Jesus of Holy Saturday or, as it is also known, the Resurgent Christ, she was moved by a deeper awareness of the physical and spiritual burden of pain which Christ so freely and willingly embraced for love of her and of all humanity. With the tender, compassionate heart of a person fully motivated by grateful love, she spoke of her willingness to relieve Christ’s suffering by sharing even the smallest part of his pain. Her offer was accepted, her prayer was answered, and Rita was united with Jesus in a profound experience of spiritual intimacy, a thorn from his crown penetrating her forehead. The wound it caused remained open and visible until the day of her death.

Toward the end of her life, Rita progressively weakened physically. Several months before her death, she was visited by a relative from Roccaporena who asked if there was anything she could do for the ailing woman. Rita at first declined, but then made a simple request to have a rose from the garden of her family home brought to her. It was January, the dead of winter in the hills of Umbria, but upon her return home the relative passed Rita’s family garden and found to her astonishment a single fresh rose in the snow-covered garden on an otherwise barren bush. She immediately returned to the convent where she presented the miraculous rose to Rita who accepted it with quiet and grateful assurance. For the four decades she spent in Cascia’s convent, she had prayed especially for her husband Paolo, who had died so violently, and for her two sons, who had died so young. The dark, cold earth of Roccaporena, which held their mortal remains, had now produced a beautiful sign of spring and beauty out of season. So, Rita believed God brought forth, through her prayers, their eternal life despite tragedy and violence. She now knew that she would soon be one with them again.

Rita: the Saint

Rita died peacefully on May 22, 1457.  An old and revered tradition records that the bells of the convent immediately began to peal unaided by human hands, calling the people of Cascia to the doors of the convent, and announcing the triumphant completion of a life faithfully lived. The nuns prepared her for burial and placed her in a simple wooden coffin.  A carpenter who had been partially paralyzed by a stroke, voiced the sentiments of many others when he spoke of the beautiful life of this humble nun in bringing lasting peace to the people of Cascia. “If only I were well,” he said, “I would have prepared a place more worthy of you.”  With those words, he was healed; Rita’s first miracle was performed. He fashioned the elaborate and richly decorated coffin which would hold Rita’s body for several centuries. She was never buried in it, however. So many people came to look upon the gentle face of the “Peacemaker of Cascia”' that her burial had to be delayed. It became clear that something exceptional was occurring as her body seemed to be free from nature’s usual course.  It is still incorrupt today, now in a glass-enclosed coffin, in the Basilica of Saint Rita in Cascia.

The Permanent Presence of God

 

I have been attending an online Catholic Bible study lately and am finding it fascinating just how many parallels there are between the old and new testaments and the Church today. One thing, a couple of weeks ago, was when the Israelites constructed the Tabernacle to house the Ark of the Covenant. And God’s presence was always there with His People, day and night. 

Of course we take it for granted nowadays; every chapel, church and cathedral has its own tabernacle housing the Blessed Sacrament and so the living God is always with us too. 

What happened next was that His presence was not static. He moved. And when He moved the people moved with Him. In the Old Testament case they moved into the promised land, into enemy territory. Not just for a stroll but to conquer it, to take possession of it by overthrowing its rulers. One spectacular scene is the destruction of the walls of Jericho. Rather unconventional warfare, the Israelites marching around the city and then blowing trumpets!. With the presence of God in the Ark at the lead, God won the victory; all they had to do was follow. 

I have heard tell, that there used to be frequent and widespread Eucharistic Processions in England and other European Countires. I wonder what would happen if we let Him lead us out again; into the parishes, towns and cities? Into our modern day wilderness: spaces emptied of faith and hope. Would He conquer there too, given the opportunity? I have seen testimonies of Eucharistic processions; of conversions taking place, or change of Heart and return to the church by some where the walls around their hearts have been torn down by the Lord as He passed by in the streets or cast them a glance as the monstrance was elevated above them. 

Rather than the fortress mentality which leaves churches locked and bolted most of the time with Jesus imprisoned inside; perhaps we could view the hostile surroundings more like Caleb and Joshua did, not without difficulty, but conquerable with Jesus in the lead... just a thought.