The Most Terrifying Answer to a Prayer.

There is great evil in the world.  One need only turn on the news and see that.  As such I have cause to pray much about what I see on the news.  When I see death, I kiss the crucifix and ask for mercy for a soul before the judgement and when I hear of great evil acted from one soul to another, I ask for conversion of that most blackest of heart that did the evil.

I don't usually get a direct answer to these prayers.  I don't even know the results of my prayers, and nor do I want to.  One day, God will show me all, I am happy to wait till then. However, during one prayer I realized that I was taking the very act of being able to ask God for mercy for someone for granted.  For even the ability to pray is a gift from God.

I will not name the soul I prayed for, out of respect to God and His child He created..  But there was a great evil act done on the earth, and although I was grieved for the lost, I was also grieved for the soul that did the evil.  As I saw the news on the t.v., I picked up the crucifix and was beginning to kiss it and begin my prayers when the Lord stopped me.  

"No."  

I stopped....and I trembled.  

Never had I been stopped in praying for anyone, and many times I have been greatly encouraged, but stopped, told 'no'...never.  Did I know it was Him, most assuredly.  The Father has a voice like a thousand oceans breaking on a thousand shore while thunder from a million heavens roars overhead. When you are given a small presence of your Creator, it is not anything you ever doubt later. 

As I trembled, I thought about what this meant.  No.  He said, "No."  It only meant one thing, and that was quite terrifying.  With this one "No"., I understood the whole meaning of what this soul was facing at their judgement. 

 God wanted and would have His judgement upon this soul. This was the most terrifying thought of all.  For God has infinite love and mercy for us, but He also has infinite justice, and His justice will not be perverted, He will execute His justice perfectly, and even if at our own judgement we were condemned to Hell, we would have to agree with the perfect justice of God and say it was right and just that we go there. 

With the evil done by this soul I knew that the chances of him facing hell was great, and with the "No" from God, I was even more terrified.  Because who would tell God He is wrong and get another judgement? No one.   God is infinitely merciful, but because He is perfectly just, His justice is perfect.

"God cannot act wickedly, the Almighty cannot pervert justice."  Job 34:12.

We must never forget that every thing we think and do here on earth we are sowing seeds for all eternity.  The will of God IS perfect, the justice of God IS perfect, and we all must reap what we have sown. 

"One Day Your Eyes Will Be Glad To See Me..."

John's Story: 

I died.  I went through the darkness to the light and was before the throne of judgement.  Looking around I saw my Guardian Angel, instantly recognizing him, although this was the first time I had ever laid eyes upon him.   I turned to my left and saw a hideously deformed creature that had nothing by hate and evil in his eyes, especially directed at me.   For the first time since I had breathed my last breath, I was afraid.  There was someone else there also, a woman, I didn't immediately recognize.  I knew where I was, I was at my judgement, and that scared me even worse. 

I hadn't lived the best life, I wasn't really nice to people, kind of selfish really, even in my own family.  Even when I was near death I didn't want to give anything to anyone, not even very many kind words.  Being given a time to die was a great gift, because, although I wasn't a perfect saint, I did have a chance to repair some damage I had done in my family and with God, but as I breathed my last I wondered if it would be enough?

Standing before the Throne of God, I could feel all of my sins in the light of that perfect love that is God.  I cannot even tell you how painful this was.  Every thing I had ever said, done or thought was before the Holy God, and how black was my sin.  Yes, some sin was not there because it had been repaired, but not all.   This is when the demon stepped up and made quite a list of my sins before God, claiming me for his kingdom because of them.  

You can't understand how painful it is to have sin on you and go before a Holy God who you know loves you so much.  The pain is so terrible, you just want to run from God with your shame of sin that is on you.  Even though I knew the demon was right, I wanted God's mercy but didn't know if I could have it.  

Then a voice spoke,  "Lord, will you be merciful to his soul? Lord, please spare him."  I looked around and saw the woman pleading to God on my behalf.  She was crying, begging God to spare me from hell.  Wait, how can that be, I thought there were no tears in heaven?  

Then galaxies collided as God spoke to me, "She is not in heaven, she is on the earth, pleading for you."   I got up the nerve to ask, "Lord, who is this woman?"  The Lord did not speak but showed me who she was.   I had met her in passing at a gas station, I had bumped into her, and even though it was my fault, I called her stupid and clumsy and as I bent down to pick up my keys that I had dropped.  I heard her whisper, "One day by the grace of God your eyes will be glad to see me."  No one else heard her but myself. I just thought she was crazy and went on my way never to think of her again. 

My thoughts were racing, "Why would she intercede for me, I was cruel to her, why would she do that for me?"

The Lord answered my thoughts, "Because she loves Me, and because of her love for Me, she also loves those I love, which includes you." 

Silence.  It seemed like eons passed.  

Then the Lord answered the questions that I still wanted answers to.  

"Because of her love, she has asked for the grace to plead for souls at their judgement that would otherwise face hell even though she is still on the earth.  She offers her tears in supplication to Me so that souls will not be lost."

It was at this moment that demon was sent away empty handed, and I felt God's mercy wash over me because of this woman's love for God, I realized what she said was right.  My eyes where glad to see her. 

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The story you have just read is a fiction, but the prayers are real.  We should pray constantly, and one great way to do it is in your normal routine.  You go to the grocery, there is an old woman ahead of you looking for her checkbook.  Instead of getting frustrated, say a prayer for her, "Lord, please be merciful to this woman at her judgement."  

The judgment is the last stop.  At this point, the soul does not have any more chances to repent, but that doesn't mean that God cannot show mercy.  We must fight for our brethren till the last possible moment so that God may show a soul mercy.   

If you saw someone hanging off a cliff, and you knew you could help them, wouldn't you?  Would it matter if you knew them or not?  What rejoicing you would have with this person after they were safe!  Later would come the exchange of names, etc.  

God is not bound by time, and even though we are, we can take God's timelessness for our brothers and sisters and seek God's mercy at their judgement.  This is no guarantee that the soul will not face Hell, for God has the final say, but we must make every effort and ask God's mercy always. 

What Really Happens at the Holy Mass.

This is where I am happiest, at the Holy Mass.  Now I will tell you what really happens at Holy Mass.

The Lord told me some time ago, "I want you to go to Holy Mass everyday."  I thought, "O.k., I can do that."   At the time I was only going to Holy Mass once a week, an occasional day Mass but I mostly just prayed in front of the Blessed Sacrament.  I didn't understand, but I obeyed.  Going to Holy Mass everyday required some coordination, I would have to get up earlier and find a Mass along the way to work.  Also, the Mass would have to be close enough to work that when it was finished I could still get to work on time.  I found several different permanent options, and a few back up plans if for some reason I couldn't get to my regular daily Mass.

It took about a year of going to Holy Mass daily, but then things started to change.  This was no longer an obligation, but a joy!   God started to open my eyes to what was really going on in the Holy Mass.  I was astonished at what I learned.  

• The Holy Mass is the greatest event that ever happens on the earth.
• The Holy Mass is the greatest victory on the earth.
• Without the Holy Mass the world would cease to exist.
• The Holy Mass is where the love of God and Earth meet, or literally Heaven on Earth. 
• During the Holy Mass the love of God comes down in sheets! (I feel it!) 
• Each Holy Mass offered has some benefit for every person still living on the Earth.  Not just Catholics, but all.  The amount of this benefit is according to the grace and mercy of God and known only to Him.
• The Holy Mass is a great benefit to the souls in purgatory, and releases many souls.
• The Holy Mass received with reverence gives us a love for things that are Holy and of God.
• The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered to God defers a right and just judgement against us that we would have otherwise suffered, and has done so since the Last Supper. 

  

Now, think what a Priest really is.  A Priest, is not just for Catholics, but by God's grace, he is a Priest for the whole world and the Holy Mass and the Blessed Sacrament is God's house of light, calling all to Him.  May he never shun lightly offering this gift to God which only he can do for us. 

A Priest offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to God stands between all of us and the fires of Hell, which we all have deserved at one point in time by our sins.   The things that help us avoid hell, are the Confessional, the Holy Mass and Blessed Sacrament.  This is not forced, but only offered to us as a gift.  (How I wish more would take advantage of these most precious gifts for the sake of the judgement that all must face!) 

If you truly understood what the Holy Mass truly is, you would RUN to confession, and want to do what is right before God so that you can receive well that which is most Holy.  The Holy Mass and most Blessed Sacrament ARE NOT YOUR RIGHT...they are God's gift and should be treated with an eternal gratitude.  If you knew what was in a Catholic Church and what was really happening at a Holy Mass, you would enter Church on your knees, with contrition of heart.

Go to Holy Mass daily!

Back From The Edge

Back From The Edge

Many of us never know how close we have come to going to hell.  I found out today just how close I really came to being in the place of eternal torment. Really close. 

When my husband was alive I had come back to the Catholic Church and I prayed my Rosary and loved to spend time with our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.  After my husband died, everything hurt, and I mean everything.  Little things like going to the grocery store or watching t.v. was painful, and yes going to church was painful too because everywhere I was, I could feel his absence.  (He never went to church with me, but I prayed for him much there.) 

Well, after his death, I was hurting so bad, that I just didn't care about anything, myself included.  All I wanted was to not hurt just for a little while.  I worked 50 hours a week, because I knew if I kept busy the 'demon' of sadness was kept at bay.  (There is a physical law that you can't think of two things at the same time, so the busier I was, the better.)  In addition to using work as a distraction from the pain I was experiencing, I also sought out unhealthy relationships with men.  I stepped into mortal sin.  I made every excuse for my behavior, saying that God would understand, and what I was doing wasn't so bad.  But I was lying, to myself.  The part of me that had loved to go to Mass and pray her Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament was screaming, "What are you doing! You know better!"  

After three years of this I was beginning to wonder if this was going to be my entire life, and if I could continue to live in this constant pain.  Then one day, there was no extra work available and I took a day off.  I waited for the sadness to come.  It didn't.  I was quite surprised.  My demon must have been on an extended coffee break.   For the first time I knew something that I hadn't known in three years:  Hope.   For the first time I had hope that there could be a life without this constant sadness.

There was still the problem of my sin though.  Then on the way to work one day I heard the sweetest female voice say to me, "Pray a Rosary for me."  I knew who it was, I didn't need to question.  I said to her, "Gosh, a WHOLE Rosary?" She said, still ever so sweetly, "Just give me a decade."  I said, "Ok." and prayed the decade.  Well, that was all it took, with that one decade, I started praying the Rosary daily again.  I tell you the truth, if you are in consistent mortal sin, you cannot pray the Rosary and still sin, you will either give up the sin or give up the Rosary.  This was my truth also.   The rest of the story of how I came home (it wasn't overnight, but our Mother's Holy Rosary did it) is a rather long one, so I won't tell it here.  

But what I will tell is what God showed me about how close I came to facing God's judgement while in mortal sin.   God can judge a sinner at ANY TIME He wishes, and in praying the Stations of the Cross, God let me know just how close I came to that judgement while I was still in mortal sin and not confessed. 

The fourth station of the cross is where Jesus meets his Mother on the path of the Cross.  In our Church, if you look at the station, it almost looks as if the Blessed Mother is pleading with her Son.  When I came to this station to pray it, God showed me something.  God showed me that it was the Blessed Mother who had pleaded to our Lord for me when I was in my worst sin.  Then I was to understand that when I heard that sweet voice asking me to "Pray me a Rosary." was my last chance to repent.  What would have happened? I don't know, maybe I would have died in my sins.  But I tell you the truth, if I HAD died in my sins, I would have faced my personal judgement before God and because my sins were of a grave nature, I would have been in hell for all eternity, I know that for sure.  I know that because this was what was the knowledge given to me.  

How close to the edge of the cliff was I, ready to fall into hell? Really close, almost hanging on by a thread.  But God was merciful and sent me His Mother to call me back from the ledge.  If your own child got too close to a fire, would you scream and maybe make the child react and fall the wrong way towards the fire or gently distract it from the danger with a sweet and gentle voice to draw it away from the danger?  

She is a loving Mother, and when I was close to danger, with her Son's permission she came to me and lovingly pulled me away from the fire (literally!).  I beg any of you who are reading this to examine your own sins and reconcile with God....now.  Do not turn God away if you hear His voice. 

Go to Holy Confession!

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Act of Contrition

(My personal prayer)

God forgive me of my sins, I regret each one as a separation from you.  Look in my heart and know it is full of love for you and a desire to pursue the path of perfection.  Help me pursue this path of perfection by keeping my heart, soul and body pure.

Amen

War

I am at war.  Although I may not look like it, trust me I am in a great war that never ceases around me.  I fight a battle everyday for the souls in purgatory and the lost souls that fall into hell everyday.  The loss of souls is one of the greatest tragedies in the universe.  Because God's justice is perfect, lost souls are in hell of their own volition.  There is nothing more heartbreaking to realize that this sentence is for all time.  Those that are falling into hell right now will still be suffering there 1 million years from now, and 100,000 x 100,000 million years and so on..

Stepping on the battlefield for lost souls  is one of the most treacherous things you can do in relation to the status of your own salvation.  The reason for this is that you can't do anything for God.  You aren't doing God any favors by your prayers, even if 1000 souls where to be released from Purgatory with your prayer, you didn't do it, God did.   You just asked that the battle be waged, God is the one that did everything.  But in the warriors walk you are at constant risk of the same pride of the demon, thinking that what you may do in prayer is 'needed' by God.  I assure you, it is not.  Your prayer and supplication is for your brethren and for your advancement in holiness while on the earth.  Even your personal holiness should not be for you.  

When we seek to be holy or a saint, that is still seeking something for ourselves, but we should seek to be holy so that we can go before God and plead for others who are lost.  The motivation for this should always be out of love for God and love for others.  One of the greatest prayers that you can say is "Not for me Lord, not for me."  Nor should you seek that anyone see the war you are engaged in.  This is a silent work done alone just between you and God for others.  

Even in the gifts God gives sometimes we should seek less.  Don't seek to know the result of your prayer because if you knew what God was doing, then again you are subject to pride.  It is by the lack of knowledge that we attain great faith.  Sometimes even the gifts God gives we should seek less of them.  Don't seek visions and dreams, but ask God to give you less of these, for they too can be a source of pride.  By many graces we think we are special before God and rise ourselves above others when we should be a servant to all.  Ask God only to give you enough to keep you motivated in prayer. 

Engaging in the battle for souls is one of the greatest purification process you can ever partake of.   For if you pray for a lost soul with great love without seeking recompense for yourself, God will open His heart to you and He will hear your prayers.  This is when the demon's harvest of souls is greatly decimated. So much so that he will have no reason to hide from you.  Many times the evil one has tried to scare me from my work with different physical manifestations and has expressed great anger while I was engaged in prayer.  

Once in Saint Michael Catholic Church I was praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament and I clearly heard hooves stomping on the beams above me.  I ran out of the church.  A few days later when I came back, again I was praying and the Lord said to me, "Where I am you are not to run."  I've been scared a couple of times since, but I didn't run, because He told me not to.   

Courage in face of this hidden malice is something that can only come from God.  God is the one that gives courage, for fear is not of Him.  If we strive after this courage for the cause of the lost, God will give it to us.  

 Slowly as you continue to take the battlefield more and more, you realize how powerless the demon is in the face of God.   That doesn't mean he won't continue in his efforts, but you are affected less and less.  I think Saint John Vianney spoke of almost getting used to it, this is because you know that unless God allows it, the demon cannot hurt you.  

The Battlefield

First He let's you know the battle before you, how dire the situation really is.  Many now are on the path of destruction.  The scope of the problem is overwhelming.  Yet as one created in the image of God we have the great gift of intervention for our brethren.  

Does a soldier take the battlefield assured of 100% health at the end of the battle?  No.  Warriors know that the possibility of wounds or even death are a possibility.  But those who step on the battlefield take the risk because the victory is worth all that we must suffer to attain it.  

Even to our last breath and our last drop of blood we must fight for the lost...their souls are worth it. 
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“Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your kin, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:14

The Cliff/Why Every Priest Should Be A Saint

I'm standing near the edge of a cliff.  The land is barren with no vegetation.  The edge of the cliff is jagged.  I look over the edge and see a drop that takes my breath away.  This is the eternal pit that if you fall in, you never come out of.  The fall into this darkness is for miles and miles.  At the bottom of this pit are horrors that I will not mention here.  

I look to my right and a mile wide along the edge of the cliff there are people standing at the edge ready to fall in.  Behind them, packed very tightly are thousands of souls behind the ones on the edge and they are so tightly packed that they cannot move even their arms easily.  They cannot run from the horror that awaits them as there is something constraining them, keeping them in place.  Occasionally one or two will break free of the bonds that are holding them and run away from the path of destruction.  

Then I see the most horrible thing.  People were being added to the back of this horrible line and the addition of more people somewhere in the distance was pushing the line forward, and pushing those in the front of the line....off the cliff.  

Their screams were horrific, for within them was complete hopelessness.

As the first ones on the row fell my heart broke, and caused me to draw my breath in with fear.  I strongly desired to see these souls be saved, but I was only one, and I had no ropes or any means to pull them away from their destruction.  I screamed to them, warning them of the fate that lay ahead, because many in the center of the throng could not see the destruction that awaited them.   I begin to pray my Rosary, offer the Stations to God so that souls would not fall into the pit.  Slowly, I see that some are breaking free of the bonds and changing the course that they were previously on.  There were free of this horrible fate.  I had done nothing for this effort, for God had done all, I just asked.  For God is moved by the heart of love for Him and when we love the souls that He loves.  If we love God, we must love those He loves.  

So by love of God and love of those He loves, God saves.  In the world that is more sinful than Sodom and Gomorrah, and so many souls are on this path of eternal destruction to worry about rules is like asking the man with a bullet wound to the chest to first fill out the forms before you will treat him.  Love them, get them in the hospital of the soul, (Christ's Church and the Holy Mass), and by your love you will change their hearts.  Just love them, and God will do the rest.  How easily we forget that we are only to present the truth, it is the Holy Spirit that brings it home every time.  How little we think of God if we think we must wag our finger at a sinner.  Just love them, for God is a big enough God that He can change the blackest of hearts to the most holy of Saints. 

Why Every Priest Should Be A Saint: Back At The Cliff.
I am praying and begging God to save souls, to convert the most blackest of hearts, and some are breaking free but still many are going over the cliff. I see a Priest who,like me, is outside of the throng of souls and he was seeing what was happening.  By the expression on his face I could tell he wanted to avert these souls being lost.  He too like me was praying and begging God that souls not to be lost.  He also was offering the Holy Mass and preaching to turn souls away from their fate.  I began to notice that his prayers gave a greater harvest of souls than mine did.  There was no jealousy, this made me very happy.  This Holy Priest by his calling from God and his effort with prayer was able to call at least 100 more souls away from the pit than I could.  

God is not a respecter of persons, He loves His Priests as much as He loves any of us.  He is not a respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of the Priesthood which He established.  When a Priests hands are anointed, it is God's honor that is placed in the hands of the Priest, and God will always respect what He has placed there.  For if the heart of the Priest is aligned with God out of love to save souls, what a harvest of souls can be saved!  

Why do you think the demon hated St. John Vianney so?  Because the demon knew that God not only heard the prayer of His priest,  but because of the love in the Saints heart for God and for souls not to fall into hell, God waged great destruction on the demon and countless souls where saved.  This destruction on the evil one was so great that it did not profit the demon to hide any longer and he made himself known on several occasions in order to dissuade the Holy Priest from his efforts to save souls.   The demon became so angry that he even told the Saint, "If there were three such priests as you, my kingdom [in France] would be ruined."  

Think of that...just three.  Three holy Priests could save a whole nation. 

Every Priest should be a Saint, because if a Priest is a Saint, he can save far more souls that one layperson with a rosary every could.

Bad Confessions Mock God and Damn Many Souls

Do you know what you are doing when you walk into the confessional?  Such a grace is present there that it cannot be adequately put into words.  The confessional is one of the greatest gifts God gives us to reconcile us to Himself and to have the possibility to attain heaven.  Walk quickly to the confessional when you err, but only with the true intention in your heart to amend your life and never hurt God again.  You cannot use the confessional as your own 'fire' protection, and then continue your life the same way you did before you walked into the confessional.  Don't you know that the confessional is the fire of heaven?  The same fire that Elijah called down and burned the wood that was soaked in the water, for there is nothing it cannot change.

I went to Holy Confession to Father Bob at St. Matha's Catholic Church..  Father Bob laid his hands on my head at the end of my confession and gave me absolution.  The next day I was at St. Michael praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in front of the Crucifix and studying the five wounds as I prayed.  As I studied His hands nailed to the cross and what He must have suffered I heard our Lord say to me, "Those are the hands that absolved you of your sins yesterday."  

It is Christ, through the Priest that lays His hands and absolves you of your sins, how do you think you can 'hide' your sin?  Isn't this mocking God and the confessional? Jesus knows your heart, He knows what you did, but only you can begin the healing of that sin by SPEAKING IT with a repentant heart in the confessional.   Hidden confessions in the heart are most likely to hide vile sins and to block true repentance, because when you SPEAK IT, you release it and it cannot be hidden in the heart.  You have free will, God will not make you confess your sins, but if you truly want heaven, you must confess your sins, ALL of them, no matter how vile.  The Priest's desire is the same as our Lord's, that you be put back on the path to Him, not to judge you here, he knows that we shall all face our own judgement in due time.

I tell you the truth, if we walk into the confessional to use it as a temporary 'cleansing' with no intention to amend our lives of the most vile sins then we are playing into the hands of the devil.  The demon takes the greatest delight in those that hide sins for fear of what the Priest might think of them.  When we seek Holy Confession we are driving the demon out of our lives and he knows it.  The confessional is the constant reminder to the evil one of where he shall be for all eternity, for if he is present with a soul at the time of that souls absolution the pain the demon endures during absolution is like the lake of fire he will know for eternity.  This is why it is also like a 'mini' exorcism, for this is too painful for the demon to endure and he must flee.

Let us say you are my friend, I love you, but I come up to you and slap you in the face.  You are hurt, but I say, "I'm sorry." and you forgive me.  After all is forgiven, I slap you again in the face.  But I say I love you and ask your forgiveness.  You forgive me.  For the third time I slap you all the while while I say I love you.  A fourth and a fifth till a hundred times I slap you, but ask for your love and forgiveness.  Obviously, I have no intention of amending my behavior, but I most surely desire your forgiveness and your love, not only desire it, but EXPECT IT.   If we do not change our behavior, although God still loves us, we do not truly love Him.  God is not required to forgive you and give you heaven, it is because of His love and justice that He has loved us and seeks our repentance.  This is why Confession is a "GIFT".

Don't be afraid of the Confessional.  Ask God to show you where you have sinned and what you need to confess.  Ask Him to open your mind and your heart to make a true and pure confession.  Tell Jesus everything you did through His Priest, and seek to change your lives.  We think this is so hard, but again we have such help in the Holy Mass and the Holy Rosary.  Go to Holy Mass everyday and you will fear sin greatly.

Mercy: Only While We Live

God's Justice.  As God is complete in all that He is, we are not able to take away or add to His measure.  Since this is so, then God is whole. If God is perfect then His attributes must also be perfect.  God is one, God is the divine Trinity, the three divine persons in one God.  God is pure, and His purity must be perfect, with nothing lacking.  God is just, and His justice must also be perfect.  So God is pure, just and perfect.  As a result, if God's justice is perfect then His justice must not allow any one who is impure, vile or sinful into his presence, for this would not be just and it would be torture for the soul stained by sin to behold the beatific vision of God.  

God is also mercy, and His mercy, because He is timeless is for all time God's mercy must also be infinite.  The fact of God's infinite mercy has lead souls down the path to the conclusion that no matter what they do, God's mercy is infinite and God will not allow them to go to Hell.  Even Martin Luther fell down this path saying, "Be a sinner and sin boldly."... "No sin can separate us from Him, even if we were to kill or commit adultery thousands of times each day." (from the Letters of Martin Luther)  

Not so.  

Read this very carefully... God is not bound by time has infinite mercy, which means that He can show mercy for all eternity to His children that live and breathe on the earth.   He can show mercy 10,000 years from now if there are souls living on the earth.  HOWEVER, we, as creatures bound by time can only be recipients of that mercy in relation to our judgement WHILE WE ARE ALIVE IN THE FLESH.   Two hundred years from now we will not have access to the mercy of God that is reserved for the living, for we will not be alive.  

When we die, then eternity seals the soul and it is presented to God for judgement.  Once the flesh is dead there is no more chances for God's infinite mercy, there is only the judgement.    The soul is before the throne and the book of that souls life is opened.  All that that soul said, did, and thought in its life upon the earth are presented to God.   As a result souls are either allowed into heaven, purgatory or hell, AFTER THEIR JUDGEMENT. While you are in the presence of the perfect justice of God, there will be no argument with God, you will know that whatever sentence you receive it will be the correct one.  

So heaven, the beatific vision of God is forever, for God is a God of life and He cannot take back the gift of life.  The flesh is a temporary life, the soul is the eternal life.    And in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, His flesh was given as an oblation to the Father for our sins, yet because Jesus was God, the life He gave for us matched the gift of the oblation to the Father - infinite. Infinite life with Him, or without him. 

So where you are in the next life is most definitely determined by what you do in this one, and where you shall be shall be either a pleasure or a torment, for all time.   If we knew how scary the judgement of God is upon our souls, we would spend our entire lives working out our salvation in the fear and trembling that Paul speaks of. 

I will tell you the truth.  One day I was praying the Stations of the Cross, I was offering them for the souls in Purgatory.  The Holy Souls were so happy to have me do this, I could hear them say, "Someone is going to offer the Stations for us!"  As I prayed the stations, I came to Station 13, where He was taken down from the cross.  I always ask for the blood and water that came from His side to cover whatever I am praying for at this station.   So I asked the Lord to let the blood and water from His side cover the souls in Purgatory.  The Lord stopped me and said, "No, that is only for the living." 

We are all on the road to death and the judgement and God's mercy is available to us ONLY while we have breath.  Please take advantage of the mercy of God.  The sixth promise of those that pray the Holy Rosary is "....He will not experience the anger of God nor will he perish by an unprovided death*...." So Please, pray the Holy Rosary, examine your conscience and I can't say it enough..."Go to Holy Confession!" 

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*Unprovided death= death either sudden or otherwise that the soul has not properly prepared to meet God by reconciling with God and as a result is possibly in danger of eternal fire. 

Where Does Evil Come From?

Where does Evil Come From?

In the beginning God Said, "Let there be light."  And there was light.  God creates with His word, and when He gave the angels free will He also gave them this ability to create out of their words, although to a much lesser degree. 

God is all good, there is no darkness in Him.  However, having infinite knowledge of all of His creation, He knew of evil as a concept (because God knows all things), but at this time evil only existed in the mind of God as a concept, a potentiality.  When he gave the angels free will they two had a knowledge of what rebellion was, and again evil was just a concept.  This knowledge was given for otherwise their will would not be free because they would have no other choice but the good God.  To truly choose God freely, they were given knowledge of "another way" and the fearful freedom to choose.  Again, this was only a concept in the mind of God and the angels, at this time evil did not yet exist.  

God did not create evil, even though He knew about it.  By his pride and arrogance when Lucifer rebelled against God, his words were, "I will not serve."  Lucifer spoke rebellion and evil into existence by these words. (This is why obedience of mind and heart is such a powerful weapon against the evil one.)  Rebellion and all that is evil is the sole creation of the evil one.    

Then Michael the Archangel spoke, "Micha'el! Micha'el!" or "Who is Like God!"  By this St. Michael spoke in defense of God out of love for God.  He had no fear of what the other angels would think!  By the power of God, Saint Michael was given the voice that would cast Satan out of Heaven.  By the words of Saint Michael every faithful angel in heaven was put to our defense if we would so call upon them.  These angels would protect and defend God's creation in complete obedience to God, which includes us.  

This is why when Jesus encountered demons, the first thing He ever said to them was, "BE SILENT"  He was taking away the demon's power to create any more destruction by his speech.  First He silenced them, then He expelled them.  

Didn't Jesus warn us about our speech?  "It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles that person; but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one."  Matthew 15: 11   

Think about that.  What comes out of our mouth, if evil, defiles us.   Of course it does! Isn't that what happened to Lucifer?  He spoke rebellion, and by doing so, his heart and his whole being was made evil by his speech.  He didn't become 'partially' evil, no, he was made wholly evil and no part of him could remain in heaven.  All of this from just four words..."I will not serve." 

What do you speak?  Do you curse regularly?  Do you laugh and joke when something bad happens to someone that you know, delighting in someone else's misery?  Or do you gleefully tell everyone around you someone else's misgivings.   We must be VERY CAREFUL with what we speak.   Speech is to inform, encourage, uplift and instruct...doesn't that sound like what Jesus did?   

We will reap every word that we have sown in our lives, whether evil or good.  One of the greatest evils one can speak is to deny God's existence or destroy someone's faith by your words.   Some of the greatest good that you can do with words is to teach the Gospel and/or seek forgiveness from God.  (The Act of Contrition in the Confessional is done with speech ~ not silently.) 

We should never be afraid of what is evil, God has all power over any evil.  Evil was not within his range of creation, but it is always within His domain to hinder or stop it according to His will, our faith, prayer*, and of course His mercy.   
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*This is also why spoken prayer can be so powerful. 

Using Your Guardian Angel Effectively

One of God's greatest gifts to us is our Guardian Angel.  He is assigned to us at our conception, and is with us throughout our whole life.  But our Guardian Angel is more than just to protect us various mishaps or evil persons that seek to hinder or even do damage to us.  To know how to effectively communicate with and receive from our Guardian angel all that God wishes us to have, then we have to know more who our Guardian Angel is. 

Who Is He?
The Guardian Angel's back is never turned to God.  In truth, they really don't have 'backs' as such.  The Guardian Angel always has a face turned to God and always has a face turned to you.  The Angel does not turn from God to face you, nor does he turn from you to face God, it is a constant communion, the God with the Angel and the Angel with You.  As a result, there is a constant communication from God to your Guardian Angel for what is best for you in your path to the Father.  The Guardian Angel is always before the throne of God adoring God at all times, and from this constant adoration you are given strength and encouragement and benefit from this direct line to the throne of God.  This is not a free pass into heaven though, for even though we have this grace throughout our life, no angel can by their worship subject what God has given us in our own free will.  For many will face the eternal death of fire of their own free will, Guardian Angel or no.  Free will is truly the only thing we possess and the thing we will be held most accountable for.  It is truly our scariest possession for our free will has both grave and wonderful consequences. 

The Job
A Guardian Angel has three jobs, "Lead, Protect, and Defend."  

Lead:  Our Guardian Angel constantly points to the Throne of God and the path to Heaven as the right way to go.  The Angel constantly puts in the sinners path the image of the Cross of the Lord or other holy words, books, or images to prompt the sinner to choose God.  If the sinner has repented and is on the path of purification then the Angel will direct the soul to what it may need most to obtain the greatest holiness it can.  This can mean that little feeling to not speak when we have a great line to something someone may have said, even if what we may say may not be deemed very spiritual.  Little vices of the soul are put to instruction, by many different methods.  Your angel's job is to help you on your path to holiness, never forget that.

Protect:  Once I stopped at St. Martin de Tours to pray.  It was late by the time I left.  The security guard walked me to my car.  He began to show me pictures of his children.  I was impatient and wanted to leave, but didn't want to seem rude, so I talked with him for a while. When I left and turned on Broadway, a car going about 70 mph ran the red light on a cross street and flew past in front of me.  I knew that if I had not bee delayed those few minutes I would have been in a horrible car wreck.   

Another time I met a man at Church, he had never been to a Catholic Church before so I gave him a little catechism and he sat with me at Holy Mass.   He said some things that concerned me but expressed an interest in the faith.  I said I was willing to meet him for Holy Mass at the Church in his area (Dixie Hwy) and help him learn about the Faith.  The minute Holy Mass was over, I got a phone call calling me away.  Any attempt that he made to communicate with me to meet for Mass after that was garbled or full of static.   This happened several times.  I got it, I was being protected.    I prayed for the man and let it go, and have not heard from him since.  This is a very important lesson, when it is obvious we are being protected, don't run headlong into what you are being protected from! 

Defend:  Our Guardian Angel defends us, as God allows, in ways we shall never truly perceive until we are before the Throne of God.   This is the Guardian Angels last job is to accompany us to the Throne of God for our own personal Judgement.   With God there is no "defense" as there is in a court of law, for the Justice of God is perfect.  You will have no great speeches before God in your defense, for nothing is hidden from the Great I AM, He knows your rising, setting, and the secret designs of your heart for every action and thought.  Your Guardian Angel is not there to defend you against the judgement of God, but to defend you against the attacks of the devil.    Yes, the demon will be there at your judgement seeking to drag you to His kingdom for all eternity.  

Using Your Guardian Angel Effectively.
1.  Pray and ask that your Guardian Angel guide you so that God's will is fulfilled in everything that you say and do today.  
2.  Thank your Guardian Angel for what he does for your at every moment, even if you do not perceive it.  
3.  Ask your Guardian Angel to join you in prayer, (especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament!) especially if the need in the prayer is of a grave matter.  
4.  Remember that your Guardian Angel is not beyond doing tasks that are in the will of God at your bidding.  Send your Guardian Angel (briefly) to those that are in the most desperate need or are on the darkest path.  

Before the Fall...."That Could Have Been Me."

Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky."  Luke 10:18 

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We know that the devil's sin was pride that caused him to fall for all time.  Let us examine this.  Lucifer is an Angelic intelligence.  Before the fall he was constantly before the face of God, so he knew God, and he knew all God's attributes.  Lucifer knew that God's justice was perfect, if God said it was so, it was right and just. Lucifer new that the will of God was perfect, that if God willed something it was perfect and right.  Lucifer knew God and he knew the love of God.  Yes, God loved Lucifer, His light bearer.

The angels have free will just like we do, the danger came when in being God's light bearer, that Lucifer saw himself as having the attributes of God.  He thought because he bore the light, he was the light.  Lucifer also thought God could not do without him.  Lucifer was the light bearer, only he could do this job for God, no one else could!  Therefore if only I can do this, then MY will is what is primary, not God's. (Mistake #1: Thinking that we can do or give anything to God or add to his measure or that God would lack something without us, He would not.)

So if I am the only one that can do this task for God then, I must be like God too!  He needs me!  Since I know God and I know God's love, then because He loves me and only I can do this job for Him,  THEN NO MATTER WHAT I DO, HE WON'T PUNISH ME.  (Mistake #2: Assumption of a permanent state of Salvation.)  If we know Christ, we know that we fail Him and seek reconciliation daily, sometimes even hourly if needed.   It is very true that we must truly work out our salvation in fear and trembling!

The evil one's job is the same as it was in the Garden of Eden.
1.  Tell us that God is a liar, that what God's word says doesn't apply to you. (You won't be punished! You won't go to Hell! God loves you!)
2. That sin is actually good, and by your sin you will attain something.  By your sin you exercise your will as superior to God's will.
Example:  You live in common law, commit abortion, or use birth control and you say to yourself, "God understands."  You are basically saying that your will is above God's, and that God should be subject to your wants and desires.  I tell you the truth, those that do not repent and humble themselves before God will have the devil for permanent company.

The Annunciation is one of Lucifer's Greatest Torments

Then came the war in heaven and Satan's ultimate fall.  Oh and how great the fall considering what he knew of God!  As Lucifer knew the infinite God, Lucifer's fall is infinite as well, and is irrevocable.  I have wondered what the light bearer's job would have been in God's kingdom, I wonder if one of Lucifer's worst torments is that looking upon Gabriel giving the greatest message ever given to a human being, he says to himself, "That could have been me." 

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"Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”  Luke 10:20

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Pray the Angelus Daily.

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. 

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen. 

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary . . . 

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary . . . 

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray: 

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.  

Demons Don't Carry Identity Cards.

I was skimming the channels and happened upon some of those "Ghost" shows where they talk to the dead. The only problem is that they DO NOT KNOW who or WHAT they are talking to. DEMONS DO NOT CARRY IDENTITY CARDS!

 The 'spirit' took on attributes of a person's mother that had recently passed.  The 'spirit' even knew the Mother and Daughter's 'secret' word that they had chosen in advance of the Mother's passing.  Well that must be proof that was the Mother, right?  NO.  Let me explain.  Demons are constantly around us trying to trip us up so that we lose our salvation, they will DO ANYTHING, let me repeat: ANYTHING including taking on the shape, voice, smell, and even provide secret code words in order that you will seek the paranormal (their playing field) and as a result putting you at risk of losing your salvation.  How did the 'spirit' know the code word? Simple, the demon assigned to the Mother or Daughter was present when they decided on the secret word.  How better to get them entangled in the supernatural and keep them there with seances, etc than to provide such 'evidence'. We cannot forget their whole purpose is to keep you away from God and His truth, what better way than to keep people seeking after what is not of God.

WHO GHOST HUNTERS ARE SPEAKING TO: 

When you seek out spirits by seance, ghost hunting, evp's, etc, you usually have three choices of what you are speaking to:

1.  Demons ~ These are demons pretending to be your loved one to keep you distracted and turned away from God.  (Think about a baby and a rattle or a shiny object, kind of the same thing).  Ever heard of 'shadow people'?  Darkness is of the demon.
2. Demonized Humans ~ humans that have been condemned to hell but have taken the goals of the devil and seek ruin of souls on the earth, even their own family members.  That last one is hard to hear, but a condemned soul hates God, and their is no love in Hell.  They hate even those they have left on the Earth and will seek their destruction also.
3. Purgatorial Soul ~ A Purgatorial Soul that needs prayer.  We have much evidence that God allows some souls in Purgatory to reach out to us for prayer.  This is a great responsibility.  If you encounter such a soul (I have), be awed, because you realize how much God loves this soul and wishes it's release from Purgatory.  Not that we can do anything for God, or do God favors, but by our prayers, we are purified in order to attain heaven.,

I beg you, don't watch these shows, or do anything they do because you may literally be playing with hellfire.

THERE ARE ONLY TWO RESPONSES TO SPIRITS:
1.  Expel them in the name of Jesus
2.  Pray that if they are a soul in purgatory that God be merciful to them.

NEVER ENGAGE THEM, do NOT look them in the eye, speak to them or ACKNOWLEDGE THEM in any way.

When the demon fell like lightning from heaven the communication between God and Lucifer CEASED.  We should not speak to the one that chose to be God's enemy.