The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:7-11
This past Sunday’s reading I was struck by the Second reading from Saint Paul in a way that I never have been before. The reading said this;
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking to you Gentiles.
Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,
I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous
and thus save some of them.
For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,
what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.
Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,that he might have mercy upon all.
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
What struck me is how, even when we reject God, he is always working to extend His mercy and save, save even those who reject Him. He is fathomless mercy.
This is because love is always giving. True love, Godly love, gives, always looking for one a receiver to pour into. This pouring is holy and sanctifies a soul. I was pondering this reading as I went into the chapel to pray. I was suddenly struck by the story of Sodom and Gommorah. I thought about how Abraham was interceding for people, and how God kept telling Abraham he would relent if a certain number of righteous people were found. God looks for receivers of love. Abraham was one such soul. Abraham loved and interceded.
Then he said, “Oh, do not let my lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place. Genesis 18:32-33
The Lord’s description of these cities was like this;
Then the Lord said, “How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me, and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20-21
And I thought about those words, how grave their sin! The Lord heard the outcry, the lack of love. And I knew that there was no love, love had been rejected, en masse, by the people in these cities. We see this happening in our own society today. Since God is love, when a place is devoid of love and love has nowhere to go, destruction ensues. We know this did actually happen.
But God is always looking for those who will receive His love;
So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had settled. Genesis 19:29
For the sake of Abraham, God remembered. Love looks for those who are willing to receive it. He is always chasing us. Destruction falls when love has nowhere to go.
Which brings me to today’s Feast. It is the Queenship of Mary. Mary is one who received, in perfection, all of the love of God. It is why she is Queen of the Universe.
Our Salvation needed our cooperation. God is Love in and of Himself and He pours love outward from Himself because that is what love does. The Father poured this love in its fullness, through the Son and the Spirit who are one with Him, into the Blessed Virgin. She is singular in her perfection of the reception of God’s love. She is also the archetype of the church. It is for love of Our Lady, and the Church, who is open to all, that God invites us into His love which saves us, redeems us, and restores us. But we must accept the truth of what love is. We must know in our soul and our body what love is.
When we abuse our bodies, be it sexually, as was the case with Sodom, with food, with drugs, by denying the reality of the body, or with things that don’t recognize the dignity of who we are made to be, destruction befalls the body. When we abuse our souls by neglecting the things of God, destruction befalls the soul.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10
Destruction comes when love is no longer recognized and minds become twisted from the barrage of lies flung at us daily. We become like animals. Violence is the result.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles. Romans 1:22-23
Each member of the church that allows God to purify and surrenders to this purification becomes a vessel of love. But none surpass Our Lady. She is, in a human person, the vessel of God’s perfect love united to the Uncreated Immaculate Conception (the Holy Spirit), which is united to the Trinity. She is Mother of God. God’s love for her is so great. God’s mercy for us is so great that He created her. Her cooperative yes is filled with the love of God. She is the culmination of creation and there is a union between her and God that is beyond what our human minds can grasp. God wants to extend to all of us, through her, the mediatrix of all grace, this love He pours out. The church through her Sacraments pours out the Love of God. Our Lady through her intercession pours out the love of God. When we receive and give this love things around us change.
We know this because we see it in the Saints. Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Bernedette and their cooperation have left a mark on France. Countless have been brought into the love of God because of them.
When we look at the state of America we can easily fall into despair, but don’t, let love have a place to go. Believe that God’s love can change you and trust that you’re where your supposed to be, even if it’s in the middle of suffering. Make Mary your Mother and be a light in the darkness because love covers a multitude of sins.
If you would like to hear an interview with me and Ashley Blackburn about our new book The Queen’s Triumph, on Battle Ready with Father Dan Reehil on Radio Maria USA, you can listen here.
Veil of Veronica 
Beautiful and profound reflection, and on this amazing day! This is so true, it’s easy to get caught up in the diabolical swirling all around us, but God put us here now and the best we can do is to be that light, to Love all. Yes, even “them”, after all we’re all “them” to Him 🙂
Thank you Susan🙏🏼 this was a beautiful reflection … with spiritual eyes we are finding ourselves clinging to the one thing that we know…. God is love…and God loves us more than we will ever understand. Your last paragraph especially was poignant God bless you… we all are we are we are supposed to be ✝️
It’s interesting that you speak of that part of Genesis; I was just “talking to the Lord” about that today in my prayer time! Surely, there are enough of us asking for the Holy Spirit to come “renew the face of the earth”! It feels so painful to continue as we are now; painful for the whole world, and painful when I look at what loved ones are going through. Just writing this brings tears to my eyes. Come help us Mama Mary, and happy feast day!
It is painful
Rev. 2: 1-5
* “To the angel of the church* in Ephesus,* write this:
“‘The one who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks in the midst of the seven gold lampstands says this:
2
“I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate the wicked; you have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and discovered that they are impostors.*
3
Moreover, you have endurance and have suffered for my name, and you have not grown weary.
4
Yet I hold this against you: you have lost the love you had at first.
5
Realize how far you have fallen. Repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
see this audiovideo from sweden :
Du har skickat
Du har skickat
Why does demonic possession happen and what do exorcists do about it?
In a revealing episode of @catholictalkshow seasoned exorcist Father Carlos Martins provides a rare and enlightening glimpse into the secrets behind possession and the role of a Catholic exorcist.
Contrary to popular belief, the job of an exorcist is not to cast out the devil. Rather, it’s to determine why the devil is present, to work with the victim, and to rescind the rights granted to the demonic presence.
“The job of the exorcist is to find out why the devil is there, what rights has he gained, and it’s then his task to work with the victim at rescinding those rights,” Father Martins explains.
Exorcism severs a toxic relationship with the devil and forges a new, wholesome relationship with Christ.
“Exorcism is very much about severing one relationship, a toxic relationship with the devil, and forging another one, a wholesome one with Christ,” he says.
Father Martins also discusses the concept of covenants with evil and the role of the individual’s will in possession.
“What you’ve got is a covenant made with evil. In terms of possession, you have a decision that has been made [about what] brought the devil into his or her life,” he continues.
Father Martins shares that baptism offers protection from the devil by making the Holy Trinity part of our spiritual family. However, he also points out exactly how possession works:
“The devil can possess through the committing of one single mortal sin. In other words, he gains those rights.”
Ultimately, the battle against the devil is the Lord’s, and exorcists are merely agents of Christ.
“I don’t fear the devil. I respect him, but I don’t fear him. At the end of the day, it doesn’t rest on me. I am not the savior of the world; the Savior is Christ,” Father Martins says.
Check out the latest episode to hear Father Martin’s number one line of defense against demonic influence!
Du har skickat
poslusaj svedanku pedagogicu demona gori ti zalipila da mora reci MUSKO POLNI ORGAN MUSLIMANKU TJERA MA NI MUNJENA ONA SE SVA TRESE JE STRAH DEMONA !
“Each member of the church that allows God to purify and surrenders to this purification becomes a vessel of love.”
I feel this quote is very active among the Body of Christ right now. I can see many obstacles/ strongholds that are being torn down in my own life and family. This is a huge movement of grace. Something I attempted to remove myself for years, now disappearing. It has not been easy, but humility and full surrender ,like Our Lady, is the only answer to being transformed in Christ.
The Holy Spirit is a winnowing knife chipping away all that keeps us from union with him. Revelations 21:5 keeps repeating in my mind during this end of an age…” Behold, I am making all things new.” One soul at a time. Thanks for reflection is was excellent:)
Thank you.