By their fruits you shall know them

“Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”  Mt 7:20

When you hear of people, especially family and friends who are close to you, who have told you about their experiences while in Medjugorje - do not doubt but believe.

When you hear of the many people coming back to the Church and to the Sacraments because of Medjugorje - do not doubt but believe.

When you hear of the many Priests who have been called to their vocations due to Medjugorje – do not doubt but believe.

My conversion came even before I visited Medjugorje. It was on a trip to a horse show in Ocala, FL when my husband was telling me about a place where the Blessed Mother was supposed to be appearing that he had heard about from a friend.  We talked about this all the way to Ocala from where we lived which was about two hours away.  Just as we got to Ocala, we were passing a Catholic Church on the way to the showgrounds.  Noticing that people were just going into the Church, my husband decided that we should go.  I fought him as I did not want to go, but after much persuading, I decided to join him.

As I sat listening to the Homily given by the Priest, I sat in amazement hearing him speak about exactly what my husband was telling me on our two-hour trip there – all about the Blessed Mother appearing in a place called Medjugorje!

If that were not enough to get my attention, the Priest asked everyone to pray the prayer that was in the bulletin.  As I was leaving the Church, I felt compelled to take one of the bulletins, and opening it I read the prayer to the Holy Spirit (“Breathe on me breath of God”) that he requested we pray.  Even though I read this prayer only one time, it was imbedded in my heart and I never forgot it.

Well, we did go to Medjugorje a few years later, but it wasn’t that I had to go there to believe – that happened well before then.  I never had any doubt about Our Mother’s presence there, and I will thank Her for all eternity for bringing me to Her Son.

And what do I owe to this august Queen?  What do we all owe to Her?  We owe Her our life – the true life in God.  She has come to bring us back to life in the Divine Will.  So, open your heart and listen to those who have been converted because of our Lady’s visit to Her children, and thank Her – do not doubt but believe.

“Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them.”   Mt. 7:20

Lynne B. Dec. 27, 2016

The Third and Fourth Watch

(Sometime in 2007 during Adoration)  I heard within my interior, “You are in the third watch.”

(Ron L. told me, “The third watch is the midnight watch – it is before the dawn.  Most of the time the enemy would attack then because most are asleep.”)

Shortly after this I was lead to read:

Exodus 14:  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord swept the sea with a strong east wind….

The Egyptians followed in pursuit:  all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and charioteers went after them right into the midst of the sea.  In the night watch just before dawn, the Lord cast through the column of the fiery cloud  upon the Egyptian force a glance that threw it into a panic; and he so clogged their chariot wheels that they could hardly drive.  With that, the Egyptians sounded the retreat before Israel, because the Lord was fighting for them against the Egyptians.  Then the Lord told Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and their charioteers.”  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea flowed back to its normal depth. The Egyptians were fleeing head on toward the sea, when the Lord hurled them into its midst.  As the water flowed back, it covered the chariots and the charioteers of Pharaoh’s whole army which had followed the Israelites into the sea.  Not a single one of them escaped.   But the Israelites had marched on dry land through the midst of the sea, with the water like a wall to their right and to their left.

The Dawn

“To the Priests” from the Marian Movement of Priests, Our Lady says:

“I am the dawn which precedes the day.”  (#252)

“I am the dawn which is arising to announce the great day of the Lord.” (#344)

“I am the daybreak which precedes the sun; I am the dawn which begins the new day.” (20)

From the Book of Heaven, The Divine King Appeals to His Children:  “She (Our Lady) is traveling amongst the people of the Nations disposing and preparing them to receive the dominion of the Kingdom of My Will.  It was She who prepared the people for Me so that I could descend from Heaven to earth.  And now, I am entrusting to Her the task of disposing the souls of our people to receive a Gift so great.” (The Gift of living in the Divine Will)

 Vol. 24 – May 26, 1928:  “And just as the Holy Virgin put an end to the night hours of the patriarchs and prophets and formed the dawn to make the Sun of the Eternal Word rise, so will this one form the Dawn to make rise the Sun of the Fiat Voluntas Tua on earth as It is in Heaven.”

Vol. 35 – Sept. 26, 1937:  “…just as nature has its day in human life, during which all the actions of life are performed, in the same way my Divine Will forms Its Day in the depth of the creature who lives in my Will.  As the creature begins to form her acts in It, calling It to her as her own Life, she starts her day, forming a most shining Dawn in the depth of her soul.  This Dawn gathers its Power, renewing in the creature the Power of the Father, the Wisdom of the Son, the Virtue and Love of the Holy Spirit.  So she starts her Day together with the Most Holy Trinity, which descends in the most tiny acts and hiding places of the creature in order to live together with her, and to do whatever she does.  This Dawn is the first rest of God within the room of the soul – it is the beginning of the eternal Day in which the Life of the Supreme Being starts together with the creature.”

The Sea and the Wall

Vol. 13 – July 20, 1921:  “…when my love will make arise the Era of my Will – the new Era of maximum benefit for creatures – then will the seas and rivers of my Volition overflow; and as their gigantic waves rise, they will sweep everything into My Will – but no longer hiddenly; rather, Its roaring waves will make themselves seen by everyone and will touch everyone.  And those who want to resist the current will run the risk of losing their lives.”

Vol. 7 – Feb. 12, 1906:  “…but the wall of the soul who lives in the Will of God is a wall so high and deep that neither its depth nor its height can be found… since this wall is in the Divine Volition – that is, in God – God Himself keeps it, and there is no power that can defy God.”

Vol. 19 – Aug. 8, 1926:  “It happens as between the sea and a little stream which is separated from the sea only by a wall; so much so, that if the wall were removed, the sea and the little stream would become one single sea… My daughter, the sea is God…the wall that separates them is the human nature, which makes one distinguish God and the creature, the overflowings, the waves which rise continuously to unload themselves into the little stream, are my Divine Will that wants to give so much to the creature, that the little stream, being filled and swelled up, may overflow, may form its waves, swollen by the wind of the Supreme Will, and may pour back into the Divine Sea, only to be filled again.”

Vol. 19 – Aug. 14, 1926:  These knowledge’s will be an immensely high and strong wall, more than the terrestrial Eden, which will prevent the enemy from entering in order to molest those who, conquered by It, will pass to live in the Kingdom of My Will.”

Rev. 15:2:  “And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.  And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb…

Rev. 16:15:  “Lo, I am coming like a thief!  Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!”

THE FOURTH WATCH (The new era – the era of peace)

MT 14:[21] And the number of them that did eat, was five thousand men, besides women and children. [22] And forthwith Jesus obliged his disciples to go up into the boat, and to go before him over the water, till he dismissed the people. [23] And having dismissed the multitude, he went into a mountain alone to pray. And when it was evening, he was there alone. [24] But the boat in the midst of the sea was tossed with the waves: for the wind was contrary. [25] And in the fourth watch of the night, he came to them walking upon the sea.

[26] And they seeing him walk upon the sea, were troubled, saying: It is an apparition. And they cried out for fear. [27] And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good heart: it is I, fear ye not. [28] And Peter making answer, said: Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee upon the waters. [29] And he said: Come. And Peter going down out of the boat, walked upon the water to come to Jesus. [30] But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: Lord, save me.

[31] And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? [32] And when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. [33] And they that were in the boat came and adored him, saying: Indeed thou art the Son of God.

The fourth watch – (the time following the third watch)

“Seeing Him…”  “they cried out in fear…”  - “It is an apparition” 

“…when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. [33] And they that were in the boat came and adored him, saying: Indeed thou art the Son of God.     (The boat – the Catholic Church John Bosco’s dream, the wind - persecution)  Those who enter into the Catholic Church after the warning will come to believe and those who remain in the Church will adore Him.

 “…seeing the wind strong, he was afraid: and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying: ‘Lord, save me.’” (persecution of the Church)

[31] And immediately Jesus stretching forth his hand took hold of him, and said to him: O thou of little faith, why didst thou doubt? [32] And when they were come up into the boat, the wind ceased. [33] And they that were in the boat came and adored him, saying: Indeed thou art the Son of God.

Book of Heaven, Vol. 13 – July 20, 1921:  “…when my love will make arise the Era of my Will – the new Era of maximum benefit for creatures – then will the seas and rivers of my Volition overflow; and as their gigantic waves rise, they will sweep everything into My Will – but no longer hiddenly; rather, Its roaring waves will make themselves seen by everyone and will touch everyone.  And those who want to resist the current will run the risk of losing their lives.”

Twelve-hour night time division
(Roman night watch division was adopted after Roman occupation began in 63 BC)

THE NIGHT WATCH IN THE 1ST CENTURY AD

Sundown to 9PM	First watch
9PM to midnight	Second watch
Midnight to 3AM	Third watch *
3AM to sun rise	Fourth watch

---

^*  A trumpet call, known as the cockcrow signaled the end of the 3rd and beginning of the 4th watch.

So stay awake, because you do not know when the master of the house is coming: evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn.  Mark 13:35

Above taken from:  http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/charts/jewishtimedivision.htm

Above added 10/20/15

Lynne Bauer

More on the Fourth Watch from Msgr. Charles Pope:

Jan 09, 2014

Why Did Jesus “mean to pass by” his Disciples when He was walking on the water?

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

In the Gospel for daily Mass on this past Wednesday we read from Mark Chapter 6. It is the familiar story of Jesus walking on the water after having multiplied to loaves and fishes earlier that day.

There is to our modern ears an odd turn of phrase that takes place about midway through the gospel. It says: About the fourth watch of the night, [Jesus] came toward them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them… (Mark 6:48)

This seems odd. Why would Jesus approach them walking on the water, (astounding miracle that it is), and simply mean to pass on by?

The problem is, we think that it means that he will not to stop, but will keep walking passed them. But actually this is not what it means.

This expression of God “passing by” is common in the Theophanies of the Old Testament. For example, when Moses was up on the mountaintop, The text teaches us in Exodus, that he revealed himself to Moses by “passing by.” The text says:

Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (Exodus 33: 18-23)

Another example of this is in the appearance he made to Elijah who was hiding in a cave after his flight from Jezebel. At one point, God called him out of the cave so that he could “pass by” The text says,

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. (1 kings 19:11-13)

Some other example of this “passing by are:

1. When John the Baptist saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!” (Jn 1:36)
2. Now hearing a crowd going by, [the Blind Man] began to inquire what this was. They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”… (Lk 18:37-38)

Hence, for Jesus to “pass by” is not for him to walk past us in hiding. Rather, it is just the opposite, it is for him to reveal himself to us and summon us to Faith. This is also the case in the Old Testament texts where God “passes by” not to hide, but reveal himself and summon us to faith.

Some may argue that these phrases should be translated differently so that we can better grasp their meaning. Why not just say “He came toward them to reveal himself to them” ??

Perhaps there is some merit in this. But I would counter that more mileage is sometimes gained by the text causing us to ponder, and pray. Consider that in “decoding” this text we have looked at four other passages. Further, we have deepened our appreciation of what it means for God to “pass by.”

The Brown Scapular

THE BROWN SCAPULAR

Our Lady promised to Saint Simon Stock on July 16, 1251 that "Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire." Our Lady has revealed:

"Wear the Scapular devoutly and perseveringly. It is My garment. To be clothed in it means you are continually thinking of Me, and I in turn, am always thinking of you and helping you to secure eternal life."

"It shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger, and a pledge of peace."

The devils revealed to Francis Yepes, the brother of Saint John of the Cross, that three things especially tormented them. The first is the Holy Name of Jesus; the second, the Holy Name of Mary, and the third, the Brown Scapular of Mount Carmel. "Take off that habit," they cried to him, "which snatches so many souls from us. All those clothed in it die piously and escape us."

Our Lady told Saint Dominic: "One day through the ROSARY and SCAPULAR I will save the world." The Most Holy Rosary and the Holy Scapular of Mount Carmel go hand in hand. One can not be without the other.

NOTE: One must be enrolled in the Confraternity of the Brown Scapular by a priest with authority to do so and wear it continually to enjoy the benefits of the Brown Scapular.

During the time of Saint John Vianney "The Cure of Ars" a girl went to a dance in which worldy music was played, and Thank God she had her Brown Scapular on. There was this boy who was dancing with every girl except her. She later went to confession to the Cure of Ars and he told her, that boy was a devil in human form and he avoided her because she was wearing her Brown Scapular.

Miracles of the Brown Scapular
From the booklet "Garment of Grace"
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Lawrence A. Deery
Imprimatur: Most Reverend Timothy J. Harrington Bishop of Worcester March 9, 1990

Old Testament History: Devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel (the Madonna of the Scapular) goes back far before the time of St. Simon Stock - even before the time of Our Blessed Lord; it goes back all the way to the 8th century B.C. It was then that the great prophet Elias ascended the holy mountain of Carmel in Palestine, and began there a long tradition of contemplative life and prayer.

It is amazing to realize that centuries before Christ was born, Holy Elias and his followers had mystically dedicated themselves to God's Mother- to-come, Mary, Queen of Mount Carmel. Nearly three thousand years later, that tradition of prayer, contemplation, and devotion to Mary continues to live and prevail in the Catholic Church.

Our Lady Appears to St. Simon Stock: Our Blessed Mother gave the Brown Scapular to Saint Simon Stock in 1251 and said "Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire!"

Miracles of Grace: On the very day that Our Lady gave the Scapular to Saint Simon Stock he was called by Lord Peter of Linton: "Come quickly Father, my brother is dying in despair!" Saint Simon Stock left at once and placed his large Scapular over the man, asking Our Blessed Mother to keep Her promise. Immediately the man repented and that night the dead man appeared to his brother and said "I have been saved through the most powerful Queen and the habit of that man as a shield."

Two great founders of Religious Orders, Saint Alphonsus of the Redemptorists and Saint John Bosco of the Salesians both wore the Brown Scapular and many years later after their deaths, the sacred vestments in which they were buried were decayed-dust! BUT THE BROWN SCAPULAR WHICH EACH WAS WEARING WAS PERFECTLY INTACT.

One day Venerable Francis Ypes's Scapular fell off. As he replaced it, the devil howled, "Take off the habit which snatches so many souls from us!" Then and there Francis made the devil admit that there are three things which the demons are most afraid of: the Holy Name of Jesus, the Holy Name of Mary, and the Holy Scapular of Carmel. To that list we could add the Holy Rosary and Saint Joseph.

A French priest was on his way to Mass and remembered that he had forgot his Brown Scapular. He knew he would be late if he went back but he could not envision offering Mass at Our Lady's altar without Her Scapular. Later he was offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and a young man approached the altar, pulled out a gun, and shot the priest in the back. To the amazement of all, the priest continued to say the prayers of the Mass as though nothing had occurred. Upon examination the bullet was found ADHERING TO THE LITTLE BROWN SCAPULAR which the priest had so obstinately refused to be without.

In 1845 the English Ship "King of the Ocean" found itself in the middle of a wild hurricane. A young Irishman, John McAuliffe took of his Brown Scapular, made a Sign of the Cross with it over the raging waves and tossed it into the ocean. At that moment the wind calmed and only one more wave washed the deck, bringing with it the Scapular which came to rest at the boy's feet.

The Protestant minister, Mr. Fisher saw what had happened and him and his family were determined to enter the Catholic Church as soon as possible and thereby enjoy the same protection of Our Lady's Scapular.

In May of 1957, a Carmelite priest in Germany published how the Scapular saved a home from fire. An entire row of homes had caught on fire in Westboden, Germany. The pious inhabitants of a 2-family home, seeing the fire, immediately fastened a Scapular to the main door of the house. Sparks flew over it and around it, but the house remained unharmed. Within 5 hours, 22 homes had been reduced to ashes except for the house that the Scapular had been fastened to. Hundreds of people came to see what Our Lady had done.

A Jesuit missionary in Guatamala tells of an incident in November of 1955 in which a plane carrying 27 passengers crashed. All died except one young lady who took hold of her Brown Scapular and called on Mary for help. She suffered burns, her clothing was reduced to ashes, but she survived and her Scapular was not touched by the flames.

In the same year of 1955 in the Midwest a 3rd grader stopped in a gasoline station to put air in his bicycle tires, and at that very moment an explosion occurred and the boy's clothing was burned off, but he survived and his Brown Scapular remained intact.

Mr. Sisto Mosco of North Providence, Rhode Island, is a veteran of World War II and tells of an incident in which he was on the battleship U.S.S. Nevada in the Pacific. He tells "I always wore the Scapular because I was brought up close to the Church, and kept it on me all through the war" ... "The ship was loaded with dynamite. A suicide plane hit the deck, real close to where I was positioned. The blast blew open the bolted steel doors of the compartment. I alone was left uninjured after the explosion. The rest were all dead or seriously mangled. I was the only one untouched and I attribute it to the wearing of my Scapular."

In the United States at the turn of the century in a town of Ashtabula, Ohio. A man was cut in two by a train and was wearing the Brown Scapular. Instead of dying instantly he remained alive and conscious for 45 minutes, just enough time for a priest to arrive and administer the Last Sacraments.

One day in 1944, a Carmelite missionary in the Holy Land was called to give the last rites. The Arab bus driver dropped the priest 4 miles from his destination due to the dangerously muddy roads. After 2 miles the priest slipped into a muddy pool and started sinking to his death. He kissed his Brown Scapular and cried out "Holy Mother of Carmel! Help me! Save me!" A moment later he found himself on solid ground and said "I know I was saved by the Blessed Virgin through Her Brown Scapular. My shoes were lost in the mud and I was covered with it, but I walked the remaining two miles praising Mary."

Saint Claude de la Colombiere handles the case where someone asks "What if I desire to die in my sins?" Saint Claude answers "Then you will die in your sins, BUT YOU WILL NOT DIE IN YOUR SCAPULAR." Saint Claude tells the incident of a man who tried to drown himself three times but was rescued against his will. At last he realized that he was wearing the Brown Scapular. Determined to take his life, he tore the Scapular from his neck and leaped into the water. Without Mary's protective garment he accomplished his wish, and died in his sins.

OPEN OUR EYES LORD

OPEN OUR EYES LORD 

Excerpts from the Gospel   Jn 9: 1-41

 As Jesus passed by he saw a man blind from birth.
His disciples asked him,
"Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered,
"Neither he nor his parents sinned;
it is so that the works of God might be made visible through him.
We have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day.
Night is coming when no one can work.
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
When he had said this, he spat on the ground
and made clay with the saliva,
and smeared the clay on his eyes,
and said to him,
"Go wash in the Pool of Siloam" —which means Sent—.
So he went and washed, and came back able to see...

 ... And do you believe in the Son of Man?"
He answered and said,
"Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?"
Jesus said to him,
"You have seen him,
the one speaking with you is he."
He said,
"I do believe, Lord," and he worshiped him.
Then Jesus said,
"I came into this world for judgment,
so that those who do not see might see,
and those who do see might become blind."

Book of Heaven, Vol. 38, Nov. 13, 1938

Now, you must know that Its kingdom will be formed and founded on the truths I have manifested. The more truths I manifest, the more sumptuous, beautiful, majestic and superabundant in goods and joys this kingdom will be. My truths will form the regime, the laws, the food, the fierce army, the defense and the very life of those who will live in It. Each of my truths will have its own distinct office: one will be the Master; one the most loving Father; one the most tender Mother who carries her daughter on her lap to protect her from every danger, rocking her in Her arms, feeding her with Her love, clothing her in light. In sum, every truth will be the bearer of a special good.
See how this kingdom of my Will will be; I have been talking so much about It. I feel sorry when you are not attentive enough to write everything, because you will cause an additional good to be missing, since creatures will enjoy according to their knowledge. Knowledge will reveal the life, the light and the good for them to possess. It is almost impossible to possess a good without knowing it. It would be as if they had no eyes to see, no intelligence to understand, no hands to work, no feet to walk, and no heart to love. On the other hand, the first thing knowledge does is to give them eyes, to prevent them from being like the poor blind. It lets them look, understand and desire the good and the life it wants to give them.

Book of Heaven, Vol. 30, May 15, 1932

“My daughter, you should know that although I burn from the desire to see my Divine Will reign, I cannot yet give this gift; first the truths that I have manifested, (with) creatures knowing them, they will have the great good to form the sight in order to be capable of understanding him and hence dispose themselves in order to receive a gift so great. One can say that now (they) lack their eye in order to see and the capacity in order to understand him. And therefore first I have manifested so many truths on my Divine Will, and as creatures will know these truths of mine, thus will they form the orbit where to put the pupil inside and animate it with sufficient light in order to be able to look at and understand the gift, that more than sun will be given and entrusted to them. If I might want to give it today, I would do as if I might want to give a sun to a blind one; poor little one, with the whole sun given she would be always blind, nor would her fate change nor would she receive any good, rather she would have a sorrow to hold a sun for gift and to not even see it nor receive the beneficial effects of it. Instead one who might not be blind, how many goods would she not receive [with] holding a sun for gift at her disposition! It would be her perennial feast and would put her in the condition of giving light to the others, and she would be surrounded and loved by everyone in order to obtain the good of the light that she possesses. Whence to give the great gift of my Divine Will, that more than sun will change the fate of the human generations, today it would be to give him to the blind, and to give him to the blind would be to give them useless gifts, and I don’t know how to give useless things. Therefore I wait with divine patience and delirious that my truths make (their) way, prepare souls, enter in them and form the eye animated with sufficient light, that [creatures] can not only look at the gift of my Fiat, but [have] the capacity in order to enclose him in themselves, so that he forms there his kingdom and extends his dominion. Therefore patience and time make things done as is appropriate and as our Sovereignty merits in the work.

"You are gods"

Jesus says, “You are gods.” (Jn. 10:34) How is this possible?

At baptism, we become “partakers of the divine nature,” (CCC 1265 or 2Pt.1:4) or as St. Athanasius states that we are, “becoming by grace what God is by nature.” The Catechism quotes St. Athanasius to explain this teaching, “For the Son of God became man so that we might become God,” (460) and furthermore it explains, “The only-begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed our nature, so that He, made man, might make men gods.” (CCC 460)

For most of us, the concept that “You are gods.” (Jn. 10:34) or that we are being “divinized” is difficult to grasp so let us first look at Jesus’ baptism when the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and the Heavenly Father says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) Likewise, the Holy Spirit also descends into our souls at baptism, and we, too, become His sons and daughters as the Psalmist states, “You are ‘gods’; you are all sons of The Most High.” (82:6)  The Heavenly Father’s words also apply to us as when St. Faustina hears Him say, “You are My delightful dwelling place; My Spirit rests in you.”  (Diary 346)

Our Lady of the Divine Indwelling

St. Paul reminds us that we are temples of God, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?” (1Cor.6:19) and “For this reason, those in whom the Spirit dwells are divinized.” (CCC 1988) Divinization also means that the Holy Spirit makes us, “a new creature.” (CCC 1265) However, it is not just the Holy Spirit that dwells in our souls, but it is also the Holy Trinity.   The Catechism explains that baptism is the “entry into the life of the Most Holy Trinity,” (1239) and we become “the indwelling of His Presence in us” (2781).  

Trinity

St. John Paul II enlightens us that “‘Divinization’…occurs through the admission into the intimacy of the Trinitarian life”, (Novo Millennio Ineunte no. 23) as when the Holy Trinity speaks in the soul of St. Faustina, “‘You are Our dwelling place.’ At that moment, I felt in my soul the presence of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I felt that I was the temple of God. I felt I was a child of the Father,” she said. (Diary 451)

St. Faustina says, “Divinize me so that my deeds may have supernatural value,” (1242) but she remains a meek and humble student of the indwelling Presence. She accepts to be molded regardless of her sins and frailties.  Jesus explains to St. Faustina what He can do despite our faults and failings, “Your heart is My constant dwelling place, despite the misery that you are.  I united Myself with you, to take away your misery and give you My mercy.” (Diary 723)  She learns to worship the Holy Trinity within her soul so well that the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to her explaining the divinization going on in her soul, “You are a dwelling place pleasing to the living God; in you, He dwells continuously with love and delight. And the living presence of God, which you experience in a more vivid and distinct way, will confirm you, my daughter, in the things I have told you.” (Diary 785)

Divine Mercy and St Faustina

St. Faustina continues to plead with God, “Divinize me that my deeds may be pleasing to You,” (Diary 1289) so the Blessed Virgin Mary gives her instruction on how to live continually with the indwelling Presence, “My daughter, strive after silence and humility, so that Jesus, who dwells in your heart continuously, may be able to rest. Adore Him in your heart; do not go out from your inmost being. My daughter, I shall obtain for you the grace of an interior life which will be such that, without ever leaving that interior life, you will be able to carry out all your external duties with even greater care. Dwell with Him continuously in your heart. He will be your strength. Communicate with creatures only in so far as is necessary and is required by your duties.” (Diary 785)

Divinization is difficult to understand due to the way we view ourselves, “we hold this treasure in earthen vessels,” (2Cor.4:7) but Instrumentum Laboris instructs us that the “Eucharist is the summit of the Church’s life, since communion with the Lord leads to the sanctification and “divinization” of the person.”  Similarly, to help St. Faustina comprehend, Jesus tells her that as she sees Him outside so He is within, “I am dwelling in your heart as you see Me in this chalice.” (1820)  But, why is all this relevant or important to us now?  Because “The hour is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth.” (John 4:23)

“Yes, the hour is coming very soon when there will be no physical Church to worship in” (Pope Benedict XVI - Light of the World pgs. 16-17):

“This passage in chapter 4 of John’s Gospel is the prophecy of a worship in which there will no longer be any temple, but in which the faithful will pray without an external temple in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and the truth of the Gospel, in communion with Christ; where what is needed is no longer a visible temple but rather the new fellowship with the risen Lord.  That always remains important, because it signifies a major turning point in the history of religion as well.”

Inner Light – Source Unknown

Finally, believe and understand that He wants to divinize us not by the “counterfeit divinization of eros,” (Pope Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est no. 4) as when the serpent says, “you will be like gods,” (Gen.3:5) but by being humble, intimate, and living temples of God as when Jesus states, “We will come into him, and make Our dwelling in him.” (Jn. 14:23) Therefore, in these turbulent times trust and have confidence that His loving indwelling Presence is always with us day and night to divinize us as Jesus tells St. Faustina, “You are my dwelling place and my constant repose.  For your sake I bless the earth.” (Diary 431)

ST FAUSTINA PRAY FOR US!


writer unknown

The Triumph of the Immaculate Heart

"IN THE END MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH"

Fr. Gobbi on the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary:


“Our Lady spoke of the ‘triumph’ of her Immaculate Heart. Strangely, she used this word – ‘triumph’ – in a century in which everything possible would be done against ‘triumphalism’ in the Church. Our Lady uses the word ‘triumph’. She does not use ‘joy’, she does not use ‘comfort’, she does not use ‘consolation’ – but ‘triumph’. Triumph is not only fullness of joy; triumph is a joy that comes from a great victory – this is triumph. When the great Roman condottieres won, they entered [the city] to receive their triumph; therefore, the triumph of the Immaculate Heart implies the idea of a great victory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.


But I ask myself: this is the Heart of a Mother. Where can the Immaculate Heart of Mary – the Mother – obtain her triumph? Only in the triumph of her Son. If the Son does not triumph, the Heart of the Mother does not triumph. Since the triumph is the culmination of a great victory, only when Christ obtains his great victory will the Immaculate Heart of Mary triumph. And Christ will obtain his final and great victory with his return in glory. So now I understand why, in her messages, Our Lady says: “The triumph of my Immaculate Heart will coincide with the return of Christ in glory.”


There is a mystic, Luisa Piccarreta, whose cause for beatification is in progress, who wrote great works about the Divine Will. When I was in Mexico, I was given some of these writings which relate to numerous aspects described in our book [To the Priests…]. I was impressed by them – I should read the exact text to you, but I don’t have it with me today. It says that every two thousand years there has been a great renewal. Two thousand years after creation there was the deluge of water. Two thousand years after the deluge of water, there was the deluge of blood: the redemption. After two thousand years there will be the deluge of fire – a spiritual fire, I think – and finally, the Kingdom of the Divine Will will come upon earth, because every creature will fulfill the Divine Will in a perfect way.


And so, I think that this return of Christ in glory will be able to bring the Kingdom of the Divine Will into the world, and each creature will be able to do the Will of the Father in a perfect way, and the Father will be glorified by these children of his who say ‘yes’ to his Will; and Christ will bring about his Kingdom – a Kingdom of holiness and of docile obedience to the heavenly Father.

Brother priests, this [Kingdom of the Divine Will], however, is not possible if, after the victory obtained over Satan, after having removed the obstacle because his [Satan’s] power has been destroyed*…this cannot happen, except by a most special outpouring of the Holy Spirit: the Second Pentecost.

Elijah and the Blessed Virgin Mary

3 Kings 18:[41] And Elias (Elijah) said to Achab: Go up, eat, and drink: for there is a sound of abundance of rain. [42] Achab went up to eat and drink: and Elias went up to the top of Carmel, and casting himself down upon the earth put his face between his knees, [43] And he said to his servant: Go up, and look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said: There is nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times. [44] And at the seventh time, behold, a little cloud arose out of the sea like a man' s foot.   (From the Douay-Rheims Bible - In The New American Bible this Scripture is in 1 Kings 18)

“Elias went to the top of Carmel…” (Our Lady of Mt. Carmel)

“a little cloud arose out of the sea…”  on the Immaculate Conception – “All Three Divine Persons competed among Themselves:  the Father poured out an immense sea of power; I, the Son, poured out an infinite sea of wisdom, and the Holy Spirit, an immense sea of eternal love, which merging into one, formed on single sea; and in the middle of this sea the conception of this Virgin was formed, elect among the elect.”

“"like a man’s foot…”  I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.  Gen. 3:15 “In the Carmelite tradition, Elijah and Mary are brought together most closely in the image of the cloud that forms over the sea.”  (From a Carmelite blog - Flos Carmeli http://floscarmeli.stblogs.org/archives/2006/03/elijah-and-mary.html)

“This means that the greatest saints, those richest in grace and virtue, will be the most assiduous in praying to the most Blessed Virgin, looking up to her as the perfect model to imitate and as a powerful helper to assist them.

I said that this will happen especially towards the end of the world, and indeed soon, because Almighty God and His holy Mother are to raise up great saints who will surpass in holiness most other saints as much as the cedars of Lebanon tower above little shrubs.  These great souls filled with grace and zeal will be chosen to oppose the enemies of God who are raging on all sides.  They will be exceptionally devoted to the Blessed Virgin.”    (“True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, St. Louis de Montfort)