The path of the Warrior

Posted on April 20, 2020 by veilofveronica

 

Saint George and the dragon

Saint George slays the Dragon

Hurry and come, all you neighboring peoples, assemble there! Bring down, LORD, your warriors! Joel 4:11

I want to begin this post with a confession.  This isn’t something I am proud of, but I feel it is a story I must tell because of the clarity of mission it gave to me.

Like all of you out there I have had many struggles in the past few weeks.  For me, the struggles are not about the virus, though I believe in prudence when it comes to dealing with that.  Satan is always looking for the weak spot in your defenses, so if you have no anxiety about a virus, he looks for another opening.  Satan is relentless in trying to convince a person of all their failures.  I was being attacked relentlessly with the thought that I had not done enough to prepare my family for the times we are in.  I kept questioning whether my children and even my spouse, had souls prepared for this time, perhaps expecting a level of spiritual maturity that took me a lifetime to achieve and that I myself am still working on.

I have been blessed to have many of the churches in my area open for prayer, some of them doing daily adoration and confession while still following all of the safety parameters laid out by the state.  I went to adoration and noticed the church had a new Monstrance and the top of the Monstrance has a crown, a Royal Crown, fit for a King.

Monstrance with crown

I began my prayer, like I sometimes do, questioning God.  I was asking him about my family and their preparedness, and this is where I did something I am not proud of.  I told God that I should have spent all my time in prayer for my family and not been praying so much for Priests.  (I was having a weak moment y’all).

I can only describe what happened next as a gift of the Holy Spirit.  It’s the one we never really talk about.  Fear of the Lord.  All I can say is that as I looked at that Monstrance, the interior image in my head was of the Lord sitting in His throne, with all of His glory, His regal head adorned with a glorious crown, and when I said that, He stood up out of His throne and towered over me.  Fear overcame me.  I could feel His wrath at my statement.  I felt about an inch tall.   He called me Susanna, which felt like when a parent uses your two names and you know you’re in trouble, only it wasn’t my two names, it was the Latin version of my name.  The words that came out of His mouth were, “How dare you.” He went on to explain to me that when the God of the Universe asks you to do something, in this case, pray for Priests, and you do it in obedience, that how dare I think He wouldn’t take care of my family.   He explained that prayers for Priests are so essential to the domestic church that I cannot possibly understand the enormity of their efficacy.   I apologized to God and he forgave me.  And it gave me clarity of mission.  We must pray for our Priests like we never have before.

In the days that followed the Lord kept speaking to me about the abuse in the Liturgy, but also about angels.  These angels are here to help us do the will of God, and to protect us, and to give glory to God.  I kept getting an image in my head of Seraphim surrounding Priests at the altar with a wall of fire.  This wall of fire keeps the demonic away from trying to attack the the Priests who bring us the sacrifice.  But when abuse in the Liturgy takes place, the defenses are weakened.  It became apparent to me how we need to pray for our Priests in order that their hearts, and ours, have reverence and awe for the Lord and what is taking place on the altar.  I wrote a prayer as a result.

Prayer of Protection of the Mass and Priests

O Lord Jesus in this time of tribulation send Seraphim to surround the Priests at the altar with the Fire of God’s love which no demon can penetrate.

Protect and guard our Priests who bring us this sacrifice.  Let no abuse enter the Eucharistic Sacrifice.

Send legions of angels to help each Priest to do your will.

Ignite their hearts with the flame of love through the faith of the believers they serve, each part of the Mystical Body in union with the will of the Father.

Lift doubt from their hearts and pour the gift of faith over them dispelling unbelief.

Place a fortress around all Priests protecting them from death, pestilence, plague, persecution, ridicule, calumny and false accusation.

Make transparent all sin so that it may be purified and only perfect love remains.  

Save us Lord, your church.

Purify us Lord, your bride.

Raise up leaders who walk in your authority.

Cleanse us Lord. 

We ask for your mercy.

We trust in you.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

This is how we walk the path of the Spiritual Warrior.  Though I was ashamed at my questioning of God, I am not upset that I was rebuked by Him.  It was a mercy and a needed discipline.  It refocused me on how to fight the demonic intelligently.  My false expectations and worldly way of thinking pointed out by the Almighty Himself.  When we are obedient to His will and what He asks us to do, blessings pour out exponentially.  I will never question him about praying for Priests again.

There is one other thing I want to address in this post; and that is spiritual jealousy.   Of late, with talk of perhaps having small Masses with 5 people or less.  I have seen many people lamenting and complaining about who will get to receive Our Lord.  Of course, all of us miss Him, and I as much as anyone else want desperately to receive Him.  But in these conversations I have seen poison arrows flung at those who have been able to receive at times, and tons of worry about favoritism.  I have heard some say they would abstain from receiving in solidarity with others who cannot.  Let me tell you something, worrying about favoritism is a worldly worry and taps into Pride.  God wants our union with Him and the Eucharist is the place where grace comes for exactly that.  If ONE faithful person is able to receive in reverence and in a state of grace it pours extensive grace over the rest of us.  If that one person receives and offers it for all of us who cannot that is way more powerful than abstaining and praying for us because Christ’s full presence is in that act.  Envy is an insidious sin.  I will rejoice over anyone is allowed to receive and strengthen the rest of us.  Please do not fall prey to spiritual envy.

Be blessed.  Stay Safe.

I hope you had a beautiful Divine Mercy Sunday.  If you feel inclined, here is my talk from last year on Divine Mercy.

 

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The Breath of God And The Desecration of God

Posted on April 16, 2020 by veilofveronica

incense below monstrance

The incense stays in a line below the Monstrance not raising up during Adoration

April 6, 2020

 

For the worship of idols not to be named is the beginning and cause and end of every evil. – Wisdom of Solomon 14:27

 

I hope everyone had a Happy and Holy Easter.  This quarantine has been interesting for me.  I have no anxiety at all currently, which a few years back would have seemed impossible.  I thank God, my deliverer.  I think the one emotion that wells up inside the most is a deep deep sorrow.  I miss Jesus in the Eucharist.  So much so that I had a day where the Lord showed me how I had treated Him in the distant past, years ago, before I truly knew Him, and I wept with sorrow.  He showed me the lack of reverence, the talking in the sanctuary in His most Holy Presence, the nonchalant attitude in receiving Him, the particles of Him that dropped on the ground to be trampled.  I was horrified.  Thankfully I was able to get to confession.  I needed the grace of the Sacrament of Confession to lay that sorrow at the feet of Christ and step out of my shame.  And God began to speak to me about the First Commandment and how we as a church and Christian society had forgotten it.

My friend Ashley sent me this quote a few days ago from Scott Hahn which came from a podcast, the paranthesis are to give his previous context;  “When you take something Holy and Sacred and you reduce it to the good or great (temporal good or great) that’s the meaning of the term desecration.  It’s how we profane the gift of covenant.  It’s how we spurn the mercy of God.  But God loves us too much to leave us there.  So he stoops down to where we are and attempts to lift us up to make us more like him (divinization). ” It captures everything I was shown and the sorrow I felt.  The Eucharist has become a temporal good.  The Mass reduced to a community good.  The sacred worship of our Holy God and Father has been desecrated.  We have profaned the gift of covenant.

And I looked at the current situation we are in.  God is stooping down.  This is a discipline for our own good.  The Mass has been removed so that He can reorient us back to true worship and renew the covenant between God and us through the Eucharist.

Many may find my words stark and harsh and hurtful.  I can only tell you what I have felt God speaking to me, you have to discern if it rings true.  There’s plenty of blame to go around.  It’s the Priests fault, it’s the Bishops fault, it’s the Pope’s fault, certainly it’s not my fault.  Remember, you get judged for your sin, not the Priests or Bishops.  And in trying to levy blame we miss seeing the one whose fault it truly is, Satan.  He was a liar and a thief from the beginning.  He has relentlessly attacked the one thing that brings heaven to earth, the Priesthood, which brings us the Eucharist.  I want to share with you something I wrote in my journal, with some parts redacted.  As always when I write in my journal I write as if God is speaking to me.  If Holy Mother Church were to come out and say what I have written is wrong, then the church is correct and I am wrong.  I really didn’t want to post this, but I felt compelled.

April 14, 2020

Beloved Lily of the Father,

(Redacted)

A persecution is coming.  The release of a bioweapon is meant for one purpose, the destruction of souls by destroying the Priesthood.  The evil one does not want my presence at Mass.  For those he could not turn against doctrine the assault takes place through fear.  Fear of physical well being rather than fear for your soul.

The evil one was already successful in corrupting the Rite of Baptism.  Do you not know that the breath of My Priests is my breath?  That the salt is the wisdom that gives a relish for the sweetness of my Divinity?  Teaching the Gospel, preserving the soul from the corruption of sin?  That the Priest can exorcise unclean spirits?

The effort successful to remove the physical breath of God from the initiation into my Kingdom paved the way for the assault on the Eucharist – on my Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity brought to earth through the hands of the Priest.

In the name of love and safety you will be told no Consecration, no physical breath of God, the Priest cannot breath on the host.  

All is about breath.

Breathing the very breath of God into the host, into the people.  Satan steals your breath, kills your communities, and destroys your faith.  Science becomes your God.

Satan will not stop because he wants the Eucharist gone from the table.

I AM amazed at the lack of faith of my Shepherds which has permeated the liaty.  Only a remnant few truly believe.

(Redacted)

Pray for your Bishop and his strength and for the strength of all Bishops.

(Redacted)

Whether the Mass gets totally decimated will be up to the Bishops.   

This purification will be short.  My will is to bring you to union with Me.  I don’t need the Mass because I AM perfect, but you need the Mass because it unites you to me.  

Brave Bishops keep the remnant fed.  To whom much is given much is required.

Mass will be hidden.  You are hidden in Me.

Do not be afraid.  I made you for these times.  I called you by name.  Do not embrace false security.  My house was built on the cornerstone of Me, the foundation of the Apostles and prophets.  

You are secure in me.   You are surrounded by a legion of angels.  I AM the God of TRUE LOVE, THERE WILL BE NO OTHER GODS BESIDES ME.  I love you.  You are mine.

Psalm 19

Your Divine Spouse

I want to be clear that after writing this I can say I know our Sacraments are valid, but what has happened is that where the Priest used to align his bodily actions with the words to show the greatness of our God, somewhere along the way some of this stopped.  I am ignorant as to how and why all of this happened and I actually don’t even like writing about it.  And as for me, all I can say is that when Mass is allowed again I will drop to my knees to receive Him.  I hope and pray I will be allowed to receive on the tongue in the most reverent way possible with no chance of particles hitting the floor.  I hope and pray that my interior disposition never ever turns Jesus into a temporal good.  I cannot control what will happen, I surrender that to God.  I can control my actions, may they always be aligned with the will of God.

Many may read this and this I am some sort of anti-Vatican II person.  I am not.  There was nothing that was written there that I am aware of that should be interpreted in a way to desecrate the Lord.  All interpretation should be for the Glory of the Most Holy.  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God almighty.

After all of this happened to me this week, the Lord began to speak to me about the Priests and their protection.  I will be writing about that in an upcoming post.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Gary Ast, my cousin’s husband.  He leaves behind his wife and 9 children and 7 grandchildren.  Please pray for them as well.  He passed away from COVID19 on April 8.  Praise be to God that he received Anointing and an Apostolic pardon.  My cousin Father Joel, a Father of Mercy, gave a homily in which he included the story of Gary’s passing and the account of the heroic Priest at his side.

And if you haven’t already, it is worth watching Dan and Stephanie Burke tell their story of recovery from COVID19.  Dan runs the Avila Institute and he has an underlying lung disease so his recovery truly is miraculous.

Stay safe and praise God in all things.

 

 

 

 

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Jesus Waited

Posted on April 6, 2020 by veilofveronica

A rainbow appears over the Monstrance on Palm Sunday 4/5/20 at Saint Philip Catholic Church in Franklin, TN invoking the awe, wonder and reverence of the Eucharistic Lord.

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. John 11:5-6

 

During the 5th week of Lent we heard the story of the raising of Lazarus.  It’s an odd story because we see that Jesus was sent word that Lazarus was ill, and the Gospel tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus,” but instead of going to them he waited two more days.  Why, if Jesus loved them, would he wait two more days before going?  The scripture tells us in the previous line, that it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of Man may be glorified.

We can all perhaps think to ourselves, well Jesus is going to raise him from the dead, so that is how the Son of Man will be glorified.  And that is true.  But it isn’t the full story.  I pressed God on this in my prayer, “Why did Jesus wait?”  My friend Ashley had told me part of the reason, and that is, it was more important to Jesus to do the will of the Father, than it was to go be with his friends.  Jesus was always obedient to the will of the Father first and foremost above all else.  So in obedience He waited.

“But God,” I said, “why did the Father want him to wait? Why did the Father want Martha and Mary to suffer Lazarus death?”  And then it hit me.  There was something that was holding Martha and Mary back from total abandonment to God.  There was something that Martha and Mary were attached to that God wanted to purify them of and it was only through experiencing the death of their brother that they would be purified.  I don’t know what their attachment was, it could have been Lazarus himself, but whatever it was, the death of Lazarus made them totally surrender to God.  And so, it was because Jesus loved them that he waited.  And Jesus wept because this suffering was the only way they would totally trust God alone and have no other idols.  And the Son of Man could be glorified, in them.  We later see Mary’s total abandonment when she anoints the feet of Jesus with costly perfume and dries them with her hair, much to the dismay of Judas who is steeped in sin.  Mary has given Jesus everything.

The other day I had a conversation about the Stations of the Cross.  My friend wanted to know about the 15th Station – the Resurrection.  Being the lover of tradition that I am, I gave her a lesson on how there are only 14 Stations of the Cross as set by Pope Clement XII in 1730 to commemorate the Passion and Death and that the Resurrection was not part of the Stations.  I told her it wasn’t really until the last 50 years or so that we saw this 15th Station pop up because some people wanted to end the Station of the Cross on a happy note.  And we continued our conversation about this and why the original stations would not have included the Resurrection.  Jesus himself waited.  He waited 3 days before the Resurrection.  He didn’t skip past the suffering.  He let them sit in it.  It was God’s will for them.  Why?

We are meant to sit in it.  We are meant to pause.  The Saints and holy people tell us one of the greatest tragedies is that people do not meditate on or ponder the Passion.  They skip straight to the Resurrection in an effort to be comfortable with the story and then miss the depth of what He did.  And we miss the deepest wounds inside of us being healed.  It’s in the depth of those wounds, the ones that often keep us from God alone, the depths of our sin, the depths of our unforgiveness, the depths of our idolatry, that God wants to go to to heal us.  It is in the Passion and death, and in pondering that, that we see the lengths that God goes to in order to heal us and set us free.  When we skip straight to the Resurrection we aren’t abandoning ourselves and our crosses to God.  We need him to wait because it’s good for us.

When I ponder the Passion, I weep at the suffering, and I want to repent of my sin.  I want to hand over every idol I have to God.  I want to repair the damage I have done.  Without the Passion, I don’t know if I would, in fact I know I wouldn’t.  When I look at the Passion and I see the love Jesus has for me, I weep in sorrow, I repent, I make reparation, and I invite Christ in me.  I become a conduit of His love, so that the Son of Man can be glorified.  The suffering is the only way I would see it because I have been blinded by the world.  The suffering wakes me up and unveils the depths of God’s love for me.

And so here we are in the middle of a pandemic.  And I find myself thinking this pandemic will lift when we fall prostrate before the Lord and change the way we live.  When we begin to reverence sincerely with the awe and wonder the Eucharist that has been taken from us; when we stop murdering our unborn children; when our leaders become transparent about the sexual abuse and the unchaste lives often promoted in our seminaries; when they stop covering up and stop caring more about the world than they do our souls; when we stop the damage to the family unit; when we love our fellow man like Christ does; when we bow down in humility at the God who loves us and wants to prosper us, that’s when this will end.  When we realize all the goodness of God alone and stop putting everything else before him.  He is the Lord our God, who is LOVE, and we shall have no other Gods besides Him.  When we have other Gods besides Him, we suffer but in the suffering we often realize all the gifts He has given us and we get to choose, will we turn back and TRUST, or will we walk the path to destruction.  The choice is ours to make.  If we turn back, his mercy is ours, he gives it freely.  Until we repent of these things, he waits; waits for us to trust Him.

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, I trust in you.

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Meditation on the Holy Face

Posted on April 6, 2020 by veilofveronica


Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

Gazing Upon The Holy Face

BY: ASHLEY BLACKBURN

Look upon the Holy Face of Jesus

O how he loves you

How he has been waiting for you

He sees you

He sees your loved ones, those you are most worried about, those you lift up in prayer to him

He sees your station in life

He sees your situation, all you have been through, and all you are going through right now

He sees you in your entirety

He sees all that you are, all that you’ve done, and all that he hopes for you to do

His eyes are the eyes of gentleness,

of kindness,

of forgiveness,

of perfect charity

Behind his gaze is Our Heavenly Father who is all powerful, all knowing and all loving

Coming from his Most Holy Face is the Holy Breath of Christ

The same breath that he shared with you upon your creation

The same breath he shared with you at your Baptism

The same breath he strengthened you with at your Confirmation

This Holy Breath of Christ is what sustains you now and always

Allow him to breathe upon you now

Close your eyes and breathe in the Holy Breath of Christ

Invite the Holy Spirit in

This Spirit that lives and moves between you and Jesus

Take a deep breath in

Allow it to completely fill your lungs

And then imagine the breath of Christ flowing throughout your entire body

healing your wounds

restoring your hope

Now talk to Jesus from this place

He already knows your heart’s deepest longings, for he placed those longings into your heart

Speak to him as your best friend

Be honest with him in this moment

Then reverence the silence as you wait for his response

=== Silence ===

Your faith is a gift from God

In exchange for trust in him, He gives you the gift of faith

Trust even in the darkness

Even in the uncertainties

Even in the pain

Speak these words now: “Jesus I trust in you”

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Heal us O Lord – Staring at the Serpent – A prayer against Corona Virus Disease

Posted on March 31, 2020 by veilofveronica

Christ with Crown of Thorns

Christ Crowned by Carl Heinrich Bloch

They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.  The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”  So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived. Numbers 21:4-9

 

I was pondering the first reading from today March 31, 2020, known as the serpent on the staff.  Of course we all know this is a prefigurement of Christ on the Cross.  And it got me thinking about the situation with the Corona Virus or Covid19 today.  In this story we see the Israelites rebelling against God and it is that rebellion that brings their demise.  The Lord saves them by having them stare at the very thing that bit them.  I believe we are in a similar situation.  Time and again the further we remove ourselves from God, the more we bring down destruction upon ourselves and even the innocent get lost.

As I was pondering this, it occured to me that what saved them can save us too.  An action asked of them by God.  In Moses’ obedience to God the people were saved.  It is in our obedience that Christ saves us too.  In obedience to the will of God, the Saints have always meditated on His Passion and parts of His Passion.  It is in His Passion and death we get drawn into His heart and understand the depths of His love for us.  His love heals.  Perhaps if we meditate on the part of His passion where He endured a crown, like we are now, His Crown of Thorns, and look at it He will draw us closer and we will know who saves us.  I began to search to see if there was a devotion to the Crown of Thorns, a devotion that could perhaps, by our meditating upon it, save us from this wretched disease by drawing us closer to Him.

It turns out there is a devotion to the Crown of Thorns.  A devotion written in 1876 by a Passionist Father.  I decided with the help of my friend Ashley Blackburn to write a prayer in the hopes that the Lord would hear our pleas.

A Prayer against Corona Virus Disease to be said while meditating on the Crown of Thorns.

O Lord Jesus, hear us as we cry out to you. We have turned away from your Holy Face. We have separated ourselves from You by sinning against you.  Just as the Israelites complained against God in the desert and were bitten by the seraph serpents, we ask you save us as they were saved. 

Lord, we are being plagued by the Coronavirus, the “crown” disease that steals our breath; the very breath that you gave us and that sustains our life.  O Lord Jesus Christ, you suffered the Crown of Thorns during your passion and death on the cross, we implore you to protect and heal anyone who looks upon your Crown of Thorns so that they may be made pure of heart.  May your Suffering Crown be lifted up at this time, may your Holy Spirit come into our hearts to convict us of our sins, so that we may, with contrite hearts, seek your forgiveness and mercy.  Restore us to a place of piety.  Hide not your merciful heart from us.

Heavenly Father, renew our spirit and fill us with the breath of your Holy Spirit.  Help us belong to what is above.  We ask that anyone who meditates upon your Crown of Thorns and looks upon the suffering you endured for us be protected and healed from the effects of this disease and be reconciled to your most Sacred Heart.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Don’t let the storm Distract you from His Holy Face

Posted on March 23, 2020 by veilofveronica

peaceful place susan

 

So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord save me.”  Matthew 14:29-30

 

Fear is a beast.  It can make people act in ways they never would.  So for the Christian, it is imperative to not be distracted by the storms and keep your eyes on Christ in order to maintain your interior peace.  Keeping your eyes on Christ keeps you from drowning.

It’s hard right now to maintain this peace with the constant flow of media in our faces.  If you are watching endless news and counting Corona virus deaths, then you are watching the storm instead of Jesus.  It’s okay to maintain a sense of what is happening, but eating from the tree the knowledge of good and evil will leave you in a state of panic and fear.  Now is the time to fill up on the Word of God.  God is in control.  He is the giver and taker of life.  In that you can Trust, and have no fear.  Just get yourself right with Him.  Turn off the noise that distracts you and raises panic.

I read an article the other day by Sonja Corbitt called Redemption Happens in the Dark.  It was probably the best thing I have read to date about this storm we are in.  In it she outlines how God has worked in the dark using Scripture.  It is a thing of beauty.  If you have been keeping up with the daily readings, they are speaking to us for these times we live in right now.  God is calling you back to Him.  God is calling you to repentance.

I don’t know about you, but hunkering down in my home with my family has shown me all of the idols I have in my life.  These are idols that need to be purged, from slothful comfort, to vanity, to pride, one by one the Lord is showing them to me and knocking me over,  bringing me to my knees,  humbling me.   And I am grateful for it.  Yes, I said I am grateful for it.  I want anything that keeps me from Him removed from my life.  Lord purify me.  Purify my family.   Make us who you want us to be because I trust that it is greater than anything we could imagine.  Even a virus can be used to work all things for the good of those who love Jesus.

The church is walking a Passion.  I do have to say the greatest ache in my life was having the Eucharist removed.   The Sacraments taken away from us in this hour of immense need.  But as a friend of mine used to say, “these things must come.”  We have, as a church, been violating our covenant with God which brings curse.  From molestation, to cover up, to liturgical abuse, to abuse of the Eucharist, to bowing down to idols, and laying in bed with communist governments, God is fully aware of our sin.  He is making it transparent and he is dealing with it Himself.   Servant of God Louisa Piccarreta said over 100 years ago the following;

Deserted churches, and without ministers. Continuing in my usual state, my always lovable Jesus made Himself seen so very afflicted, and I said to Him: ‘My Love, why are You so afflicted?’ And He: “Ah! my daughter (Luisa), when I allow that churches remain deserted, ministers dispersed, Masses reduced, it means that the Sacrifices are offenses for Me, that the prayers are insults, the adorations irreverences, the confessions amusements, and without Fruit. Therefore, no longer finding My Glory, but offenses, nor any Good for them – making no use of them, I take them away. But this tearing ministers away from the Sanctuary means also that things have reached the ugliest point, and that the variety of scourges will multiply. How hard man is – how hard!”  Volume 12 February 12, 1918

This has all been predicted and should give us great pause.  It is a chastisement.  It is a cleansing.  But not because God is mean and unloving, because He is the opposite of that and He sees how the choices we have made have brought destruction.  He wants to bring us life abundantly.  For you personally he wants to pour gifts over you and He will use many means to purify your soul so that you can receive these gifts to the fullest.  Trust in that.

When Mass was cancelled it felt as though Jesus was falling the first time, and I suspect we will see a rapid succession of our Passion as a church.  This is not meant to scare you.  It is meant to strengthen you.  Remember what happened after the Cross?  Resurrection.  God knows we are weak and he can lift us up and do the impossible.  We must hand everything to him.  Our fear, our jobs, our health, all of it.  Examine your conscience and if you still can get to confession.  If not, make a heartfelt Act of Contrition with the resolve to get to confession whenever you can.  Do not look to your own false expectations of what God should be doing and instead just Trust Him.  Trust that He loves you more than you can fathom.

Let go of hatred and rage, even that directed towards our authority.  We must forgive everything as Jesus did, trust that he takes care of the sin, and we must fight Satan with all that we have.  Do not give into the poison arrows of fear he is flinging at you.  Renounce and rebuke it.  Use your Sacramentals, your holy water, blessed salt and holy oil.  And pray.  Pray every single day.  In this time of the absence of Sacraments, Prayer is the most powerful remedy at your disposal.

Prayer of Command

In His name and by the power of His Cross and Blood, I ask Jesus to bind any evil spirits, forces and powers of the earth, air, fire, or water, of the netherworld and the satanic forces of nature.  By the power of the Holy Spirit and by His authority, I ask Jesus Christ to break any curses, hexes, or spells and to send them back where they came from, if it be His holy Will.  I beseech thee Lord Jesus to protect us by pouring Thy Precious Blood on us and our families, which Thou hast shed for us and I ask Thee to command that any departing spirits leave quietly, without disturbance, and go straight to Thy Cross to dispose of as Thou sees fit.  I ask Thee to bind any demonic interaction , interplay or communications.  I place (Name a person, place or thing) under the protection of the Blood of Jesus Christ which he shed for us.  Amen.  – Deliverance Prayers for Use by the Liaty

 

I leave you with a beautiful Mass from yesterday March 22, 2020 by Father Mike Schmitz.  His homily begins at the fourteen minute mark.

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A call to Prayer

Posted on March 19, 2020 by veilofveronica

Mary Magdelene the Penitent

Mary Magdalene by Kathleen Carr

And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him”  John 20:13

At the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville, TN the crucifix depicts John and the Blessed Virgin standing at the foot of the cross and Mary Magdalene is in a heap at the foot of the Cross.

Cathedral

I have to admit this is how I feel right now.  Mary Magdalene who had been possessed by 7 demons, had been freed from them into a life of joy.  So when they took Him from her to crucify Him, of course she would be in a heap.  She didn’t leave or run away, she stayed, but the sorrow of what they had done leaves her on the ground.

I sobbed this week when Mass was taken away.  In my past, I was tormented by demons speaking into my life before Jesus delivered me.   For me it was an oppression, but the voices were deafening.  And my Savior delivered me.  And now I can’t receive Him.   I did weep in a heap on the ground.

Through all of this Christ has told me not to judge.  Though many of us have seen this coming, and we cried out to people to convert, he tells me not to judge them.  It is no coincidence to me that earlier this week on March 17, 2020 the Gospel was about the unmerciful servant.  It ends by stating;

I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart. Matthew 18:32-35

Those torturers are the Spirits of Fear, Depression, Anxiety, and Rage.  Satan is doing his best to make us live in that space.  A space where our hearts remain hardened and we live without charity.  I could get stuck here.  Stuck in the bitterness.  But Christ wants us to forgive everything.  He is dealing with the sin.  He sees the abuse in worship, the molestation of children, the cover up, the rampant immorality in society, the church living the way of the world, and what it has done to our souls.  He wants me to focus on the enemy with enmity and to love other people without judgment.  He is drawing us back, and we will all be humbled.  We are not in control.  Our posture should be prostration before the Lord.  Our action to pray without ceasing and to live in faith and charity.  Do not let your hearts be hardened, lest you be like the virgins without oil in their lamps.  The wise virgins could not give oil from their lamps to the foolish ones because Aquinas says their lack of oil was the disposition of the heart that was not open to the theological virtue of Charity gifted by God.

But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.  While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’  But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.  Matthew 25:9-13

We must always live in charity and love.  And we must fight intelligently.  All of our Holy Hatred must be aimed at Satan.  We must confess and purge ourselves of sin and we must love others.

The Holy Father has asked everyone to pray a Rosary today at 9:00 p.m. Rome time.  That is 4:00 p.m. Eastern, 3:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Mountain, and 1:00 p.m. Pacific.  Let us heed his call.  Mary Queen of the Universe is a powerful intercessor.

Mary Queen of the Universe

Edwin Havas oil on canvas 1991 – Mary Queen of the Universe

And let us also not forget that today is the Feast of Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church and Terror of Demons.  Consecrate yourself to him.

Consecration Prayer

O Glorious Patriarch and Patron of the Church!  O Virgin Spouse of the Virgin Mother of God!  O Guardian and Virginal Father of the Word Incarnate!  In the Presence of Jesus and Mary, I choose you this day to be my father, my guardian, and my protector.

O great Saint Joseph, whom God has made the Head of the Holy Family, accept me, I beseech you, though utterly unworthy, to be a member of your “Holy House.”  Present me to your Immaculate Spouse; ask her to adopt me as her child.  With her, pray that I may constantly think of Jesus, and serve him faithfully to the end of my life.  O Terror of Demons, increase in me virtue, protect me from the evil one, and help me not offend God in any way.

O Spiritual Father, I hereby consecrate myself to you.  In faithful imitation of Jesus and Mary, I place all my concerns under your protection.  To you, after Jesus and Mary, I consecrate my body and soul, with all their faculties, my spiritual growth, my home, and all my affairs and undertakings.  Forsake me not, but adopt me as a servant child of the Holy Family.  Watch over me at all times, but especially at the hour of my death.  Console and strengthen me with the presence of Jesus and Mary so that, with you, I may praise and adore the Holy Trinity for all eternity.  Amen.

Joseph in adoration

Lastly, encourage all to pray;  regardless of denomination.  Pray 3 Our Fathers at 3 o’clock today wherever you are for an end to this virus.  If you for whatever reason, you miss praying at the appropriate time, pray anyway, and ask God, who is outside of time, to unite your prayer with other believers.  We are being made uncomfortable.  Give thanksgiving for all that you have and don’t cease to praise God.

Pray, pray, pray without ceasing.  Stay safe and be at peace.

I leave you with a song made for this time.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:7

 

 

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Consecrate yourselves to Saint Joseph and call on the Mercy of God

Posted on March 18, 2020 by veilofveronica

St-Joseph-and-Jesus

As Almighty God appointed Joseph, son of the Patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to save grain for the people, so when the fullness of time was come and he was about to send on earth his only begotten Son, the Savior of the world, he chose another Joseph of whom the first had been a type, and made him lord and chief of his household and possessions, the guardian of his choicest treasures.  Blessed Pope Pius IX

 

Over the past several years, with my prayer group of friends the Lord has poured over us about the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph.   We knew from scripture and from approved prophecy we could be headed for tumultuous times.  I believe those times have arrived.  Over these past several years of praying with this group of wonderful people the fruit was many written prayers;

The Litany and novena to Our Lady Healer of Families

The Litany to the the Divine Child, Sacred Heart of Families

The Litany to Saint Joseph Anchor of Families

The Prayer for our Children

The Prayer for our Spouse

The Prayer for Priests

The Prayer for Illumination of Conscience

The Prayer of the Beloved to the Holy Family

And time and time again the Lord has pointed out the Spiritual Importance of Saint Joseph.  How he was the Terror of Demons, and Full of Grace.

It was no surprise to us that Father Donald Calloway was led by God to write the book on the Consecration to Saint Joseph. 

A lot of my friends and I have been doing this daily prepping for tomorrow when we will consecrate ourselves.

Today I received this message from my friend Ashley.  If ever anyone I know had the gift of wisdom, it is her.  I post what she wrote here;

March 19 is the feast of St. Joseph. Let us consecrate ourselves to St. Joseph tomorrow, even if you haven’t done the 33 days preparation.  We should do this as a household,

with whomever we are in a home with on March 19.

God is turning our hearts back to our families. To live simply much like the Holy Family lived.  To allow the Holy Spirit to dwell amongst us in our own homes.  To bring our focus on the Divine Child Jesus, who lives in our midst and whom we adore, just as Mary and Joseph lived in the constant presence of the Lord and in Holy Adoration with each gaze upon their Son.
We are also being called to reach out to those who live alone,  those nearest to us,  our neighbors.  Bring the light of Christ to them during this very lonely time in their isolation.  We don’t need to panic because God is the God over all of these things, but we do need to be awake as Scripture tells us.  Without anxiety we must live in the present moment and let the Lord take care of the future.  If more comes at us, a weakened or collapsed economy, communication going down, social unrest, we must be living sanctuaries who know how to reach out.  It will be the community nearest to you that you will need to uplift and support.
The Lord also wants to speak to us about fear.  Fear of the Lord is good.  It is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  But irrational fear, one that makes us panic, is a spirit and comes from the wrong Kingdom.  It is from the devil.  Examen the fear in your heart.  If it calls you to reverence to God, if it calls you to prayer and fasting, if it calls you to reach out to those in need, it is from God.  If the fear causes you to act irrationally, if it causes you panic and to close in on yourself, if it leads you to do things that aren’t in charity, then it is from the devil tempting you.  We must be daily examining our fear for it is a spirit heavy in the air.  May we dispel all irrational fear and humble ourselves before the God we fear above all else.  He will shield us under His wings if we let him and the devil will be crushed under foot.
Stay home. Cling to the cross at this time.  Pray and fast.  Steep yourself in Sacred Scriptures daily.
Peace – Ashley
As I read what she wrote, I knew it to be true.  I think of Poland too, the daughter that rises up, as my friend Leah sent me this picture of the Polish lying prostrate from 2015 – this is the position we should all be in;
Poland lying prostrate
Let us turn to our Spiritual Father, Saint Joseph and consecrate ourselves to the one who guarded the bread of Life who came to earth.  Let us bow down to our creator and invoke his mercy in reparation for our sins.  God will not abandon us who cry out to Him, but He will purify us and bring us back to what matters most.  Be at peace my friends, God’s plan is greater than anything you have ever seen.
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The Chalice of Saint Joseph and the Divine Will

Posted on March 16, 2020 by veilofveronica

Tree of Life Sun Mary

Photo courtesy of Bridget Touhey

 

Saint Joseph loved Jesus as a father loves his son and showed his love by giving him the best he had.  – Saint Josemaria Escriva

 

As we all hunker down amidst this pandemic we sense the loss of control and we wait and pray.  I was talking to my friend Ashley and we were pondering those who rested in the Divine Will.  Ashley referred to Joseph as the chalice.  My friend Leah spoke to me about humility.  These things struck me.

I also was pondering the fact that the death rate for this virus is higher in men than women, and how children are less affected.  I asked the Lord what this meant spiritually speaking?  Then he spoke to me again about the Blessings of the Father.   We must be like little children.  While I agree with all precaution taken, hunkering down in our homes, the one thing I question too is the canceling of Mass – the one place a miracle takes place daily.  The Presence of His Body Blood Soul and Divinity miraculously on our altar.  I don’t say this as a judgment of anyone.  The fear is real and the virus is real and people need to be prudent in judgement and care of others.  I say it to remind you that our God is bigger than the fear and the virus.  I have seen him perform giant miracles.  He isn’t just the calmer of storms he is the keeper of it.

I write what pops in my head as letters from God or the Blessed Mother.  I offer all obedience to Holy Mother Church in all my writings  and do not claim them to be anything other than the result of my prayer. If the church came out and said what I have written is wrong, then the church is correct and I am wrong.  Know that as you discern what I have written.

March 16, 2020

Beloved Lily of the Father,
When plague comes upon my people it is a clear call to repentance.  Worry not about your body but instead get your soul in right order.
My Kingdom awaits on earth as it is in heaven if only my people would heed my call.
You are the Mystical body with Christ as the head.
From the beginning you were meant for union with the Divine Will.  In all humility that is achieved.
I AM the Lord your God.  You shall have no other gods besides me.
I AM the creator of all things.
I AM love.
The science which you idolize is subject to me.  I AM the one who created the laws of the universe.
My Divinity can do the impossible.
In Knock Ireland there silently appeared Our Lady, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Apostle with the Lamb and a cross on the Altar.
Woe to those who remove the sacrifice of my Son.
Saint Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John all rested in my bosom, in my Divine Will.
The Blessed Virgin is the Monstrance through which I sent my only Son into the world to save and sanctify you.  Be a Monstrance.
Saint Joseph was the guardian and protection of her and my only Son.  Guardian of the Universal and Domestic Church.  A chalice whose cups overflows with blessing.
Consecrate yourselves to him and through him the Blessings of the Father can be restored.  A cooperation of the Mystical Body. Consecrate your Dioceses to him.
Saint John represents the restoration of the Priesthood. Through him that rested in my bosom because of his brotherhood with Christ, the Priesthood can be restored.
I AM the God of revelation and restoration.
Rest in the Divine Will.  
The sacrifice restored.
I call my people to repentance.
Restore the Blessings of the Father.
All authority in heaven comes from me.  Return to me in cooperation with one another.
I will make you prosper.  I will pour grace upon grace over you.  
I will illuminate you and take you to union with my will.  Surrender.
I AM WHO AM.
Psalm 121:7-8
God the Father

I love the picture above that Bridget took.  It looks like the Blessed Mother standing on the sun (in union with the Divine Will) The tree looks dead, but I know our God is a God of resurrection and life who wants to restore us to union with the Tree of Life.  The rays out on the side reflective of a chalice that holds the Divine Will.  The whole Holy Family and the Priesthood encapsulated by one picture.

God wants us operating together.  Jesus is the head of the Body.  All of the communion of Saints subjected to him.   When we cooperate, grace explodes.  Our Priests need Saint John.  Our People need Saint Joseph.  Be at peace going forward and rest in the bosom of the Father.

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The Crowning of Thorns

Posted on March 12, 2020 by veilofveronica

Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple cloak. And he said to them, “Behold, the man!” John 19:5

I write what pops in my head as letters from God or the Blessed Mother.  I offer all obedience to Holy Mother Church in all my writings  and do not claim them to be anything other than the result of my prayer. If the church came out and said what I have written is wrong, then the church is correct and I am wrong.  Know that as you discern what I have written.

I wrote this while praying about the effects of the Corona Virus.  Corona means crown and it has been described as having red spikes like a crown.  I have felt like we were in the beginning stages of the Passion of the Church for quite awhile now and I asked God to speak to me about this crown of thorns.  The following is what I wrote in my journal – for your discernment.

March 11, 2020

Beloved Lily of the Father,

The Passion of the Church is underway.  On August 11, 2018 I told you that you were at the second station.  Today I talk to you about your crown of thorns.  Do not worry about what can happen to your body, it is your soul that matters.  Be not afraid.  The pace is about to pick up and come in waves – like dominos falling.

Be like little children.

I have been speaking to you about Saint John the Apostle who is walking with you;  the difference between John and the others.  The others were waiting for the Kingdom of God.  John knew it was already here.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.  He surrendered everything, including his expectations of me, before I died on the cross. So few can claim this.  So few understand.  Enoch, Elijah, Mary, Joseph, John.  Living in the Divine Will.  You were chosen for these times.  Surrender all of who you are, even what you expect.  Now.   

Accept that which you cannot control.  Let no one compel you to sin.  You will see my unfathomable mercy and my justice operating together.  For many their world will be ripped out from under them because of their false expectations of who I AM.  My ways are not your ways and my thoughts are not your thoughts.  Still, even in this, they will be purified by my justice – but they will be saved by my mercy, like Peter and Thomas.  Be like little children open to the grace that is pouring out.  You will be amazed. 

When you are afraid bring yourself to me.  Where you are weak ask me to fill you up.  Pray without ceasing.  I can move mountains.  There is nothing you are going through that if surrendered to me I can not lift up and make beautiful.  I AM the God of your ancestors.  I walked with them in the garden.  I restore the blessings of the Father and bring about restoration.  You are not alone.  You are protected.  You are safe.  Do not fear the explosion; it will be one of grace.

Our Lady of Victory covers you in her mantle.

 

Ephesians 1:3

-Your Divine Spouse

 

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