Like and Subscribe your way to Spiritual Exhaustion

Posted on July 3, 2025 by veilofveronica
Our Lady of Light

Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel 1 Chronicles 21:1

A few years back I wrote and told you all about how I had seen a goat-headed demon and he had said to me, “I will wear you out”. I had another vision in prayer of a demon pummeling me in the old chapel at my parish. The other day I went to my friend and mentor, Jansen Bagwell, because he is an expert in deliverance. I relayed to him a lot of things I am going through, including these past interior experiences. Jansen told me it was God who revealed those interior visions to me and that the Lord was showing me the intentions of the demons. By letting me know their intentions I can fight more intelligently.

I came home to ponder all that Jansen said and I was also reading Deliverance Ministry by the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services Doctrinal Commission. The book said that spiritual bondage doesn’t just happen to individuals, sometimes it can happen to entire nations, sometimes it can be through systems of operation. The book defined Spiritual Bondage as an inner demonic influence by which a person’s will is bound or constrained to some degree, such that the person is unable to freely choose the good in certain situations. Spiritual bondage involves some degree of consent to demonic influence, whereas oppression does not necessarily involve consent. 

And I thought of how I had become exhausted, but that it wasn’t just me. Person after person I spoke to were feeling the same effects. The intentions those demons had for me are the larger intentions the demons have for anyone who really wants to choose Christ. If Satan can’t convince you to mortally sin, he can manipulate the systems you use to get a back door of consent to influence your life and wear you out. I realized our systems have incited us to number the people who follow us, and even for those of us who don’t buy into that way of thinking, we are constantly bombarded with everything we turn on to “like and subscribe” so as to monetize even the holiest of things. And while we may genuinely not want to be influenced by this, the fruit shows us an electronic exhaustion and an attachment to reputation by numbers that has seeped into hearts.

God didn’t want David to number his people because by doing so David was relying on himself and his own military strength rather than on God’s Providence. Saint Augustine’s commentary on the psalms said, “when you begin to count your forces, you begin to trust in yourself, rather than Me.”

The result of David’s numbering was a choice of chastisement. He chose the 3-month plague. Does anyone see a parallel to COVID 19? And yet since then the world has gotten more frenzied not less. We turned toward technology to save, and our relationships suffered while we were locked out of God’s houses of prayer. At least David repented. That we should do the same. Lord have mercy on us.

Fast forward to today and it is plain to see that people don’t know who the real enemy is. The online world has further torn us apart, and even the “good” things out there, from the prophecy we see posted online, to the meditations, to the podcasts, there is an electronic exchange that seems to be stealing our souls. It’s a corruption that has seeped in, involving a level of consent. I sit here telling you this and knowing that I am typing this on a blog that wants to show me stats while at the same time my inbox gets bombarded by people who want me to use the platform to advertise. I have thus far refused because I really do want you to have one place to come to where an ad doesn’t pop up in your face. It’s exhausting. And please understand, I don’t begrudge anyone wanting to make money to care for their loved ones. That’s not why I am writing this. I think technology is a tool that is can be used for good, but what I see happening more often is a lack of real relationship and a distraction from what is actually Godly, even if the work we are doing appears Godly. The system is being usurped by demons, and we find ourselves in bondage.

My friend Rob Marco told me he bought a typewriter a little while back. He said he fell in love with the art of writing again. He said,

“There was something cathartic and real about the clackety-clack of the typeslugs hitting the page; the physical work involved in banging out paragraphs; the amazing fact that I could produce words without electricity anywhere, and didn’t have to worry about being hacked or remembering a login password or uploading it to the cloud. It does one thing and it does it well. There is no distraction, because if I don’t write, the machine just sits there like a boulder on the table waiting for me. I am not being sold something, reduced to that of a consumer. Rather, I can be a producer, should I choose to do the work. The page I pull off is real, inky, intentional but full of mistakes and typos – and real. It exists…..”

Rob wrote that in relation to a commentary on Latin Mass. But he hit on something that has affected everything, from the Liturgy to the minutia of the daily grind. Our identity is being stolen. Our worth is being questioned. With the advent of AI we need not even write anymore. We don’t even know if the videos we watch are real since AI can reproduce our images and our voices. And as the enemy trains our minds how to think, our bodies become consumers who don’t really produce. The humanity is gone. How many of you have a voice that tells you that you are worthless? It gets louder with each subscription to someone else’s fame. But that voice is a lie and so is the fame. There is only one who needs to see you and only one who is good.

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. Mark 10:18

Can we plant a garden without filming it? Does everything we produce need to be seen? Do we have prayer time that doesn’t involve headphones filled with someone else’s imagination? Is our reality real? or is it virtual? There is an electrical exchange that is happening, and it is hampering our ability to know God.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me John 10:27

This electronic exchange is purposeful and planned, and we have consented to the numbering. It is stealing our light. That is not to say that good and true Evangelization hasn’t also happened using these electronic tools, but I what I am issuing is a warning. It is an age old warning;

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night.  But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

1 Thessalonians 5:5-8

Be children of the light. It is okay to use the systems we have but see them for what they are. Do not let them distract you from knowing Jesus is your Lord. Do not let pride creep in and check your interior motivation when using these tools. Do not think you can rely on yourself or these systems to save you. If you think you can then your mind has already been marked with a beast.

Keep heaven in mind always as your goal, your salvation should ever be at the forefront. Ponder what it would be like to be without all this stuff. If it was taken away, would you still love and seek God and know that He is good?

God is good, He loves you. Like and subscribe to that ideology and life will pour abundantly.

P.S. I am in the middle of reading a phenomenal book called Padre Pio and You by Mary O’Reagan. I hope to write a longer review when I am finished, but so far the spiritual wisdom held within the book has been a lifeline to me. I just wanted to mention that.

If you would like to purchase our new book Consecration to the Holy Family please click here or here

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Perseverance

Posted on June 23, 2025 by veilofveronica
Rebels cast out of Heaven – Gustave Dore – 1866

 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

I think we are entering into the time period which many of us has long thought would happen. The escalation in the Middle East and in the world shows that the storm is coming at us full speed. I am not here to comment on politics or give my opinion into the vast array of opinions. Over the years when I have asked the Lord what is it you want me to speak? I consistently heard the Lord tell me to direct all eyes to Him. He points me to a bigger view of salvation history which helps keep anxiety at bay if you can see from a God’s eye view instead of getting caught in the minutiae of the daily dominos that fall.

Today, I was struck by a passage from The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Agreda. In chapter 7 she elaborates on the disposition of Lucifer that led him to fall. She states;

They (the angels)received a more explicit intelligence of the being of God. One in substance …and they were commanded to adore and reverence Him as their creator and highest Lord infinite in his essence and attributes. All subjected themselves to this command and obeyed but with a certain difference. The good angels obeyed through love on account of the justice of it, offering their love and goodwill, freely admitting and believing what was above their intelligence and obeying with joy.

Lucifer, on the other hand, submitted himself because the opposite seemed to him impossible. He did not do it with perfect charity, for he, as it were, was divided in his will between himself and the infallible truth of the Lord. In consequence, it happened that the precept appeared to him in a measure difficult and violent, and his fulfilling of it was wanting in love and in the desire to do justice. Thus, he exposed himself beforehand to the danger of not persevering.

Although grace did not leave him on account of his remissness and slowness in the accomplishment of these first acts, never the less, his bad disposition began with them, for they remained within him a certain weakness and laxity of virtue and spirit and the perfection of his nature did not shine forth as it should.

She goes on to say that this disposition put him in danger of falling. And we all know the story that He did fall.

You’ll remember that my Spiritual Director once told me that the Saints in heaven do God’s will joyfully, fully and immediately. This is what God is calls us to do. This is how He can elevate our nature, when we are docile to His will, especially when it’s hard. It is the path to perfection.

This is why it is so imperative for us in our Spiritual Life to be in constant communication with God through prayer and to check our interior disposition often. Are we split between our own will and God’s? Have we exposed ourselves to the danger of not persevering?

Recognizing these things within ourselves is key. Are we doing what we are doing for love of God? If we are, God will perfect our nature to shine forth. If we are not, we are in for great purification.

Though the world looks scary and the surrender of my will may appear to me difficult and violent, the bigger danger, the one that happens if I do not persevere in the belief of the goodness and love of God, is that my soul gets lost. I asked the Lord daily to increase charity within me. In this year of hope, I do not want to get lost in the swamp of darkness of other men’s hearts. I want to be tucked securely into the Sacred Heart.

I pray, help me Lord to love like you love. Give me your heart with which to love because mine is deficient. Create in me a clean heart, O God.

We have no idea what tomorrow holds but we can persevere. We can shine light in the darkness.

Psalm 27

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me
    to devour my flesh—
my adversaries and foes—
    they shall stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,
    my heart shall not fear;
though war rise up against me,
    yet I will be confident.

One thing I asked of the Lord,
    that will I seek after:
to live in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord,
    and to inquire in his temple.

For he will hide me in his shelter
    in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
    he will set me high on a rock.

Now my head is lifted up
    above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
    sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
    be gracious to me and answer me!
 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, do I seek.
 Do not hide your face from me.

Do not turn your servant away in anger,
    you who have been my help.
Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,
    O God of my salvation!
 If my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will take me up.

Teach me your way, O Lord,
    and lead me on a level path
    because of my enemies.
 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,
    for false witnesses have risen against me,
    and they are breathing out violence.

I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

If you would like to purchase our new book Consecration to the Holy Family please click here or here

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Saving Jesus

Posted on June 2, 2025 by veilofveronica
Christ giving the keys to Saint Peter – Peter Paul Rubens 1614

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:18-19

With the election of our new Pope, I have found myself once again pondering Saint Peter and the fact that Jesus chose him to lead the church, when out of all the Apostles he is the one who seems to fall the most or who Jesus corrects the most in the scriptures.

Just a cursory glance at the scriptures and I can think of at least 4 and possibly 5 corrections or rebukes that Jesus hands out to Peter. I want to focus on two of those instances though all of them have this common thread. Peter was corrected in Matthew 16:21-23;

From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

And John 18:7-11;

Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.”Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these people go.” This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”

In both of these instances Jesus is trying to do the will of the Father and Peter is a hinderance. But from Peter’s perspective he is trying to save Jesus from harm. His faith is so strong that Jesus is the Messiah, but his perspective is off about what the Messiah is coming to do. For Peter, he is saving Jesus. How can you not just love Him and His zeal for Christ? And isn’t this something we have all struggled with? It’s the delicate balance of knowing when God is telling you to act, and when God is asking you to stand down so he can act. The word I would use to describe Peter is tenacity. But unfortunately, his tenacity got the better of his discernment.

It takes a great listening to the Lord and even then, we see Peter, who listened directly and still didn’t get it. Yet his boldness is endearing, and the Lord knew his heart. Jesus just had to strip him completely of any ego that believed he could save Jesus. St. John Chrysostom tells us that the Lord’s rebukes weren’t to shame him, but to show him grace so he would grow into the Rock upon which the church was built.

It makes sense to me that Jesus chose Peter to be the leader of the church. Here is a man whose heart yearns to guard the truth. When Peter finally realizes, after falling hard, that Jesus saves, he did grow into the leader that Jesus saw all along and Pentecost brought all the gifts that heaven could bring upon Peter.

But there is a lesson in this for all of us. In our society today it is often confusing, especially on the ground in our parishes and in the world. When do we speak up and defend Jesus with everything we have, and when do we acquiesce to something that, for all intents and purposes, is evil so that God can purify us and bring something greater? It is a question I ponder often.

We see in the book of Jeremiah that the Lord sometimes does tell us not to act. Judah has become so steeped in idolatry that God tells Jeremiah to stop praying and interceding for them. God says;

As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Jeremiah 7:16

Judah experiences a tragic downfall because of their sin and idolatry. They had been repeatedly warned for over 400 years. Saint Augustine saw God’s long-suffering patience for Judah as a model of divine mercy. But justice finally had to come. It is the consequence of persistently breaking covenant. I see this in our world today, our persistence in sin. For now, the Lord has kept asking me to pray so I do. I wonder how much long-suffering the Lord will endure, how much Our Lady will weep?

But for Judah they fell. And yet we know that Jesus is the lion of Judah. He came from the line that fell. The hard fall produced good fruit. God’s ways are better than our ways if only we have the foresight to see.

Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals. Revelation 5:5

Though Peter wasn’t idolatrous in any way, he did need his idea that he was the savior of the Savior purged. And this purging for him also came through falling. The goal is always humility before the Lord. Peter was humbled and wept. And Jesus’ allowing him to fall broke open his heart so he could receive the Holy Spirit.

I have said before that I try to view life through the lens of the life of Christ, especially the Passion. It helps me to discern because God gave us the scriptures and a guidepost. Jesus’ life, passion, death, resurrection, ascension and sending of the Spirit, the story we know, helps us to discern what is happening now wisely. And by focusing especially on the Passion we have clearer eyes to see when we should act and when we should not. All of it gives us indication of when to speak, when to be silent, and when to be obedient even if things look dire. I check my intent and my ego often because I know from experience that falling hard can be difficult to get up from. But even if this happens, get up and believe. Pray without ceasing. Ask God daily if you are doing what He wants you to be doing and then just trust that because you love Him, he will work all for your good no matter how messy it is along the way. Just ask Saint Peter.

If you would like to purchase our new book Consecration to the Holy Family please click here or here

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The Field Hospital

Posted on May 16, 2025 by veilofveronica
Confessional at Siroki Brijeg

I see the church as a field hospital after battle. – Pope Francis

My husband and I traveled to Bosnia- Herzegovina to the little town of Medjugorje where the Blessed Virgin has allegedly appeared since 1981. This is my second trip to the region, but it was my husbands first time. People have many opinions about the place including me and I will expound on that further in this post, but it is worth noting that on September 19, 2024, the Vatican granted Medjugorje the NIHIL OBSTAT, which is the highest level of approval the church can give, according to the new norms established by the Vatican in May of 2024.

“The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the assent of Pope Francis, grants approval for devotion linked to Medjugorje, recognizing the abundant spiritual fruits received at the Sanctuary of the Queen of Peace without making a declaration on the supernatural character of the Marian apparitions.”

It has been 7 years since I last set foot in the small little town nestled between two mountains. There were many things that I remember that felt exactly the same, while other things that were different. There’s something about the cool breeze under the trees in the outdoor area that exudes peace and makes you want to pray. That has not changed. Neither has the phenomenon of the sun dancing. My husband saw it too. He believes me now. The sun is quite something in Medjugorje, even in the pictures you take.

This photo I took on May 14 looks quite like the Monstrance they display in evening adoration.

My friend Leah took this one the same day;

And I couldn’t help but think of Our Lady of Guadalupe, like receiving a sign for those of us from the Americas.

Even the rays of sunlight seemed to hit just in the right place;

Me and Jason climbing Cross Mountain
Sun at Medjugorje May 12, 2025

I experienced healing from the caring for and death of my mother last year while climbing cross mountain and reciting the stations of the cross. You all may remember how difficult it was to watch my once strong mother be decimated by dementia and left as a shell of the woman she once was. It was at the 10th Station that the flood of tears came remembering how I had to care for her by bathing and changing her, and even how she waited and passed after my siblings and I went to sleep – as if to be alone when she left us.

Tenth Station – Jesus is stripped of his clothes

We adore you O Christ and we praise you, because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

…People stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. (Ps 22, 17-18)

Enduring being undressed

I endured being stripped of my clothes, being deprived of my most intimate things. I let it happen that they ignored my sense of shame and invaded my privacy.

You want to have at least some tiny sphere for yourself, some area that belongs to you only, that must not be invaded by anybody else. You want to have something that nobody must see, otherwise your dignity would be offended. You are prepared to guard it and to hide it from anyone else’s eyes. You are convinced to have a right to it. You want to keep it at all costs as your most intimate possession and you are ready to fight for it. But there is a moment when there is no chance for you to save anything for yourself. There are situations when you must let everything go, there will be nothing left to you yourself. You are deprived of everything. You have to get through this cross. Give everything to God. We, my Father and I, will remain your most intimate and untouchable sphere. It is not only a cross when your body is violently stripped of clothes, it is much more painful when your soul is stripped. Your sins removed the cover long ago and you are ashamed.

Accept this cross, and nobody will be able to degrade you. Allow your Father to give you new clothes. Sacrifice your privacy, he will transform it into perfect innocence. In vain you will strive for innocence. Admit being too weak to attain it.

This is the tenth cross – the cross of man’s disregarded sense of shame, the cross, of man’s longing for innocence, the cross of man’s fear that anybody might learn his guilt.

Accept this cross and you will meet me. Your fear will dissolve. Admit being weak, admit being what you are: a man degraded by sin. If you admit that nobody will ever harm you.

Look around you, dear children, and you will see to what extent sin has already seized power on earth. Therefore, pray that Jesus may win (Medjugorje message from Our Lady – September 13, 1984)

10th Station of the Cross – Cross Mountain – Medjugorje

After the recitation of this station I let go of the grief, the guilt, the sorrow. Things were as they should be for my mom. God was in the mess and her cross was united to His. I truly believe she lived her purgatory on earth.

Which brings me to the next thing about Medjugorje. The place truly is a field hospital. That was my favorite thing that Pope Francis said and it shaped my perspective on how to reach out to people. May his soul rest in peace. It was an honor to be in Medjugorje when the election of Pope Leo XIV happened. The bells were ringing loudly.

But back to the Field Hospital: There is one thing in Medjugorje that sticks out more than anything else. It is the lines for Confession. There is a plaza area next to the church and it is where confession is held. People come from all over the world to confess their sins, and the Priests line up around the area and put what language they speak in front of them. The sacredness of it made me get goosebumps as if I could see sins being lifted away by heaven. Pope Benedict XVI referred to the place as the World’s Confessional.

You will see all kinds of people in Medjugorje. This may make some people raise an eyebrow, but for me, it made me see the battle weary. I saw the mess of war with powers and principalities that was brought by the destructiveness of the sexual revolution and the abuses of the Eucharist in the Mass. I saw the need for the field hospital. In fact, one day I saw a man dressed as a woman sitting on the ground and sobbing in confessional plaza. Conversion was happening. I could visibly see it. Though I know he had a long road ahead, his bleeding was being tended to. I pray that his conversion becomes complete.

People often ask why the messages of Medjugorje are so simple and repetitive. They think it doesn’t make sense, but to me it makes perfect sense. In a society that is so far from God, that is so addicted, and so molested in thought, the sharp knife of simplicity and repetition of the message of love, cuts through the demonic battle armor of hard heartedness and reveals the wounds that require a medic; the medic of confession which is the beginning of conversion. It is the place of the Alpha. I pray all is guided to the Omega and perfect love reigns.

For those of us who have long lived our Catholic faith fruitfully, we may feel we don’t need the place or the messages, but I can tell you there is a whole world of people out there who do. From the drug dealer turned Priest, to the Wall Street banker turned Priest. The fruits of the place are bringing living water to a church that is so thirsty and had been drying up.

In no other apparition site that I can think of does it offer not only confession but the reparative hike up a mountain top to commune with the glory of God. It takes effort and willingness and prayer. Your cleansed soul can repair and unite the suffering to Christ. And you leave different than you came.

Jason prays at the Cross at the top of Cross Mountain

I noticed this time as compared to last there were many more people receiving on the tongue and kneeling for communion as if the past 7 years had drawn them closer and given the gift of piety because the belief in the Eucharist is so strong. Even my husband, who has deep faith, left with a renewed sense of purpose and a resolve to strengthen his prayer life.

It was suggested by Father Leon, the English-speaking chaplain, that our Lady desires us to pray the full Rosary and all her mysteries from the heart and that if enough of us did this peace would reign. People say they don’t have time, but as Medjugorje seer Ivan pointed out, time is not our problem, love is.

It is worth listening to Fr. Leon’s entire testimony because Our Lady spoke to him of a time when almost all Catholics would walk away from the faith, but the prescribed antidote is available in the 5 stones of Medjugorje.

As I wind down from the trip and unpack everything, I pray for all of you out there. I pray that you find the peace that surpasses understanding, that your wounds may be healed, that your relationships are reconciled, and that you fully know the love of God. Please, please pray for our Priests. They need it.

Foot of the Cross on Apparition Hill – Photo by Leah Fish

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:20

If you would like to purchase our new book Consecration to the Holy Family please click here or here

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Gird Your Loins

Posted on April 27, 2025 by veilofveronica
Paschal Candle

Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. Ephesians 6:14

I hope everyone had a blessed and happy Easter and Happy Divine Mercy Sunday. I know it has been a while since I have written anything. My prayer of late has been more silent. Though I used to feel heaven pour over me, this past year most of what I hear the Lord speak to me is a single word, “wait“. So I pray, I hope, I wait. The sufferings of the past and present have drawn me closer, but in this time of aridity I feel as if I am in a cocoon, awaiting a day to break free into a butterfly. We are on a precipice of major change. With the passing of Pope Francis, I feel this more than ever. Eternal Rest Grant unto him O Lord.

On the Monday of the Pope’s passing I went to Mass at our Cathedral. During Mass I felt the Lord speak to me about 1 Samuel 8. This is the passage where Israel requests a King like the other nations. It is when they entered into the Body Politic. I felt the Lord say to me at Mass that day, “I will rule over you directly”. Now, I don’t know exactly what this means, and it is not a commentary on the next Pope, or the election of the Pope. It was more like a sword of the Spirit piercing my heart and calling me gird my loins for battle. Hold fast to the belt of truth for we are about to enter into a new epoch. It is an epoch where man will be attempting to glorify himself without glorifying God and without recognizing the Blessed Virgin Mary as God’s ultimate glory of creation. He spoke to me of Mary as the Mediatrix of All Graces and as co-redemptrix and He told me to “make it known”. Making this known speaks of the greatness of God and what He wants for His creatures. She is the pinnacle of creation.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:1-4

Whenever I read this passage of scripture I think of Mary, the first home of God among mortals. But more than that, I see how He wants to dwell in all of us. Mary is the tabernacle of God. She houses the Eucharist within her. Like Mary, we are called to be living sanctuaries in whom the Eucharist dwells.

The powers that be in the secular world and the devil himself would love to banish the Eucharist and woe to those within the church who cooperate with this. This is what I keep a look out for. I look for those who want to remove the Eucharist more than I look at any other of the many storms in the world. And while I think prophecy is a good thing and I believe whole heartedly we should pay attention to it, I sometimes think it can distract us and keep us looking in a wrong direction; a direction that looks to save the body but neglects the soul because fear becomes a focal point. Love should be the focal point.

God is love. 1 John 4:8

The preparation I have felt called to has always been about preparation of the heart, which manifests itself not in the stockpiling of food and water (though I think having food and water on hand can be a prudent thing to do) but in a preparation of my home to be a true domestic church. To have a home with real relationship with God and with my family. A place where hearts are known and seen. A place where people’s gifts are cultivated and not torn down. A home that houses the Bible, and the Rosary in prominent places. A home that has a place for prayer, a Mass kit if the Lord has called you to have one, blessed candles, holy water, and a devoted heart. A place where if worship were gone from our parishes, worship could still take place because the Father would still be honored by meditating on the Life of the Son.

I view life through the lens of Jesus’ life. I ask the Lord to show me how the life of Christ parallels what is happening now. God will reveal it to you if you ask. Our homes should reflect the Life of Christ. For if the world tries to snuff out the light of Christ, we need to be the light of Christ ourselves in the darkness. This is why we gird our loins. To have girded loins means we are steadfast and confident in God no matter what the future brings. It means we have eyes to see and ears to hear but most of all, it means we have purged ourselves of any motivation but love of God. No matter the suffering we must love.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18

I truly believe the era we are beginning now will bring down a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit and will reveal the God’s Glory in the Spouse of the Spirit, The Blessed Virgin Mary, even as things around us can look dire. But with our feet shod in the Gospel of Peace, we will stand firm. Have faith. God has won the Victory!

Our Lady Queen of Peace statue inside of Saint Mary Major also known as Our Lady of the Snows – Feast August 5

P.S. My husband and I leave for Medjugorje in about a week, please pray for our safe travels.

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The Problem Isn’t Time: Ivan Dragicevic, Medjugorje Seer

Posted on April 3, 2025 by veilofveronica
Ivan Dragicevic at Saint Philip in Franklin, TN kneeling to speak to Our Lady

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

We were privileged to have Ivan Dragicevic, one of the alleged Medjugorje Seers, at my parish this past Tuesday, April 4, 2025. All I can say is everyone was touched with hope. I bawled my eyes out during the Mass prior to his talk that honored Our Lady. It was like all the past years of suffering vanished in a collision of heaven on earth that brought peace, the Queen of Peace. We recorded Ivan’s talk. It is worth a listen, especially if you need to be uplifted.

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Consecration to the Holy Family

Posted on April 2, 2025 by veilofveronica

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-18

Hello Friends,

I am sorry it has been awhile since I have posted. I have talked much in the past to you about how most of the prepping we need to do is in our hearts. With that in mind, I am happy to tell you that Ashley Blackburn and I have completed another book called, Consecration to the Holy Family.

This book is a 25 day consecration that is designed to pray for growth in virtue for all family members, mom, dad and children. It can be prayed alone or as a family. It came from a labor of love and has the nihil obstat and imprimatur from the Diocese of Nashville. I hope you will consider purchasing it.

I also hope to be writing more soon. God Bless you all,

Susan

P.S. I have also made our previous book, The Queen’s Triumph, more easily accessible, especially for those overseas.

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Healing

Posted on March 11, 2025 by veilofveronica
Sistine Madonna

As we enter this season of Lent, it is worth pondering the Doctrines of the Blessed Virgin Mary who did not shy away from suffering for Christ and is known as Mother of the Church.  The reason for this is because she is the gateway for us to see the culmination of God’s healing of mankind.  She exemplifies the wholeness that was meant for us in the Garden of Eden.  While Catholics often get accused of worshiping Mary, the veneration we give to her is because of what God has done for her.  She is the pinnacle of humility, hope and holiness, so much so that she is in complete harmony with the Trinity, and it is why she is given the title Queen of Heaven. We honor her because God honors her by gifting her with His glory.   

The Doctrine of Mary’s Immaculate Conception teaches us that when the angel Gabriel greeted her as “full of grace”(Luke 1:28) this was a title, a name given to her as who she is.  One cannot be full of grace and full of sin.  After all, for the Divine to house himself in her womb, no sin could be present, or it likely would have killed her like Uzzah was killed when he touched the ark of the covenant (2 Samuel 6).  The church teaches us that Mary was saved by the grace of the cross before the cross happened, that is, she was saved at her conception.  This is known as prevenient grace.  This can happen because our God is that big. He can save outside of time.  For us, our God gave us the grace of baptism to restore us to his Kingdom.  His cross heals us and restores us to his Kingdom, whether outside of time like it was for Mary or inside of time when we each get baptized.

The church teaches that Mary is an ever-virgin, this is because her body and soul were both reserved for God alone. Joseph respected and knew this.  She is a tabernacle of God.  He was conceived in her heart before he was conceived in her womb.  Though Mary is singular in her purity, we are each called to purity of heart.  Our hearts can be purified through the reception of the Eucharist.  That is, we can have God in us physically, his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.  We go to Confession for mortal sin prior to receiving the Eucharist because we want our hearts to be pure when we receive Him.  We don’t want to be houses of duplicity, full of sin while trying to receive grace, for this cannot happen. Saint Paul tells us this will bring judgment upon us (1Corintians 11:29).  Mary had a pure heart, mind, soul and body.  She thought no evil of anyone, spoke no evil of anyone, and acted no evil towards anyone. She was and is a whole and healed human person.  We should desire this healing for ourselves.  It is why we are asked to keep the commandments because the commandments are about loving God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind (Matthew 22:37) which enables us to love our neighbors as ourselves, something this world desperately needs.  When we do this, we conform our minds to God, and we become conformed to Christ and He is so in us that we have peace that surpasses understanding. It is peace in the middle of sorrow and suffering.

The council of Ephesus in 431 defined Mary as the Mother of God.  This is because she is the mother of one person, Jesus Christ, who has two natures, both human and divine.  Jesus is not two people and did not switch back and forth.  We honor Mary’s motherhood because the nature of mother is self-sacrificing.  A mother gives totally of herself, in both body and soul to a child.  There is nothing closer to the cross of Christ than Motherhood.  Mary, as the Mother of God deserves to be honored for the sacrifice she made in the plan of God.  Mary is known as the Sorrowful Mother as her heart was pierced with sorrow walking the Passion with her Son, seeing Him crucified and trusting in God anyway.  She believed God was good and that God would heal even if she didn’t know exactly how.  She believed God’s promises to the core of her being. She united her suffering to her Son; his power made perfect in her weakness, her docility, her humility, her trust.  She was rewarded with what is promised to all of us at the end of time, the Resurrection of the Body.

Mary’s glorious assumption is the culmination of God so alive in her that she rose to heaven Body and Soul.  The ultimate healing has already happened for her and will happen for us at the end of time if we choose Christ.  Our God is so loving and amazing He gave us her to look to and ask for intercession on our pilgrim journey on earth.  In Christ we see the triumph of the Resurrection.  In Mary we see His glory and willingness to share it. 

Though not yet doctrinal, I also believe Mary is the mediatrix of all graces. God wants His grace to flow through His creation. Make no mistake, the grace comes from God, but she, being the crowning pinnacle of creation is the conduit Christ chose to bring Himself and the grace into the world. The grace He gave her comes to us through her. This also makes her co-redemptrix as Christ the redeemer gave her a share in the Redemption of mankind. This is His Mystical Body working in harmony. It takes nothing away from God to say this, in fact it shows how much bigger He is than we think because He shares His gifts with His creation. Love commissions love.

When we pray the Hail Holy Queen we acknowledge all these things. We say of Mary that she is – our life, our sweetness, and our hope. She is all of these things. Mary is the beacon, the lighthouse that guides us to the heart of the Trinity where we have life abundantly, bitterness turned to sweetness, and steadfast hope of in the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.

Mary stood at the Cross of Christ weeping but trusting.  Jesus gave her to John the Apostle; a gesture that signals he gave her to us.  He rewarded her yes to living in the will of God by making her, His creature, the crowning glory of His Creation.  I believe a New Pentecost will pour out upon us. It will come upon us as the Epoch of the Holy Spirit and His spouse Mary Immaculate. While we will see the crumbling of corruption and sin, which will seem a great suffering, we must, as Mary did, keep our eyes on Christ and be conformed into His image. It will be a great healing. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!   

Salve Regina

Salve, Regina, mater misericordiae;
vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve.
Ad te clamamus, exsules filii Hevae.
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
in hac lacrimarum valle.
Eia ergo, advocata nostra,
illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte.
Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui,
nobis post hoc exsilium ostende.
O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.

V. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
R. Ut digni efficamur promissionibus Christi.

Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui gloriosae Virginis Matris Mariae corpus et animam, ut dignum Filii tui habitaculum effici mereretur, Spiritu Sancto cooperante, praeparasti, da, ut cuius commemoratione laetamur; eius pia intercessione, ab instantibus malis et a morte perpetua liberemur. Per eundem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

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I Go Before You Always

Posted on February 8, 2025 by veilofveronica
Christ in Glory with Saints and Odoardo Farnese (1598–1600) by Annibale Carracci

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

A few weeks ago I wrote about being Protected from Deception and the story of Jesus walking on water from the Gospel of Mark. I want to expound on this a bit, this time with the added details that Matthew adds about Peter and his walking on water.

As you know, the Gospel of Mark spoke about their hardened hearts and I explained how being with the miracle worker could actually make them prideful. Being with Jesus, they were “winning”, and winning didn’t make them grow in love, or even rely on the Father more, instead it made them feel courageous and strong of their own accord. They were on a spiritual high that made them feel like they were kings instead of knowing well the King Himself and relying totally on Him. Why do I say this? Let’s take a look at Matthew’s version of the story, and Peter in particular;

Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves for the wind was against them. And he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I, have no fear.”

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” 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.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-33

So the first thing I noticed in this translation is that it said Jesus made them get in the boat to go before him. It struck me that that seems reversed. Shouldn’t the Lord go before us always, the way he did for Joshua? Why would Jesus make them get in a boat that he knew would put them in peril without him?

We know from Mark’s Gospel that their hearts were hardened. We know Jesus does not do anything that the Father does not will. This scary situation needed to happen to soften their hearts and make them to understand Jesus is not here to make us feel good or make us win while others lose. He came for us to have life, and life means to be perfected in charity. This is one of many situations where they do not recognize Jesus. We don’t recognize Jesus when we are hard of heart.

When Peter says the word, “Lord, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” It reminds me of something else in Scripture;

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Matthew 4:3

The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Jesus didn’t succumb. Here it is Jesus who led Peter out into the boat and when Peter sounds like Satan… if it is really you... the temptation isn’t for Christ, but Peter’s own temptation to be God. Jesus did go before him. He underwent the test first. In His human nature He knows how this feels, but doesn’t fall. But Peter having witnessed all the miracles is puffed up in the glory of his own pride. While He knows Jesus is a miracle worker, He also thinks something of himself may be making these things so. He thought himself special. We all want to feel special. But being special isn’t why God came. He came to share His glory, which is a gift, not something we can grasp. The lack of faith and reliance on himself that Jesus saw in Peter’s heart took place before he even stepped a foot out of the boat. Jesus already knew the wind would distract him because Peter’s heart was not on solid ground. He was still working in his own ego.

Jesus in His might and glory allows Peter to walk on water, but also allows him to fall. This is a God who knows exactly what Peter needs to be purified of self. Peter must cry out, “Lord, save me”, and it is here that the Lord has softened his heart and rightly ordered it. Peter is bold in even knowing walking on water is a possibility for him, and it’s what makes him a great leader because he sees the possibility, but his reliance on himself too often is what makes him fall again and again.

Friends, I tell you all this because this is the temptation for us. We think ourselves Godly, but we don’t always give God the credit, nor do we think big enough of God. We boast when we are winning and we fail to be rightly ordered towards love. God answers a prayer and we gloat rather than giving thanksgiving and keeping our eyes on Jesus. This is more apparent every day in the media. Men in particular fall into this temptation, not that woman don’t, we definitely do, but women are more used to being vulnerable, so they can more readily recognize they are not the Savior. There were many women at the Cross, but only one Apostle. We should pay attention to this. We need to be vulnerable to God. We need to humble ourselves before him.

Our entire walk is a preparation for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Time belongs to God and ego, impatience and imprudence hinder our holiness. We need to learn to wait with an open heart, to suffer well and to grow in charity. God’s glory is a gift, don’t reject the gift by thinking you did something special to earn it. Realize that it is God alone who matters, who loves you, who saves you, and He will go before you always.

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Rest

Posted on January 22, 2025 by veilofveronica
Jesus and John at the Last Supper, by Valentin de Boulogne

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. Genesis 2:2-3

Last Friday, January 17, 2025, the first reading at Mass was from Hebrews 4. Saint Paul exhorts;

Let us be on our guard while the promise of entering into his rest remains, that none of you seem to have failed. For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did. But the word that they heard did not profit them, for they were not united in faith with those who listened. For we who believed enter into that rest, just as he has said:

“As I swore in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest,”

and yet his works were accomplished at the foundation of the world. For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this manner, And God rested on the seventh day from all his works; and again, in the previously mentioned place, They shall enter into my rest. Therefore, let us strive to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall after the same example of disobedience. Hebrews 4:1-5, 11

As I pondered this meaning of rest, I thought to myself, that sure sounds nice. And God whispered, “rest is living in the Divine Will.” And it was like a lightbulb went off in my head. While I may be thinking of lying in bed and getting a sound sleep, God is speaking of a time of His work perfected in our souls. It means we have surrendered to His dominion in our souls. Think of the Apostle John, who even though everything is crumbling, rests his head on Christ’s bosom. The number seven indicates the manifestation of the Spirit. God’s work is completed when His Will resides in us. This is a time when we listen only to Him and keep our eyes only on Him. Rest in the Spirit of God. We were made for a time such as this. We await a New Pentecost and an ushering in of an era of Peace.

No, we will not be sleeping. In fact, just the opposite, we will be awake, so as to see the signs and follow the Will of God because of what is about to take place on the earth. But we should not have a disposition of fear, because the Spirit of the Lord will be upon us. Be not afraid.

This past Sunday, January 19, 2025, I was in Mass praying with my eyes closed. In my eyelids I saw illuminated the number 11 and then the word Emergency. I didn’t know and still don’t know exactly what this means. But as I have pondered this, I know a few things. When I see an 11, I always pray because scripturally it means two things, one is that things are falling apart. Think of Judas’ betrayal and the leaving behind 11 Apostles. It means God’s judgment is coming. It means focus on the Passion. But it also means the rising up of great men and women, as happened after the betrayal. It means God is getting ready to pour out so we can rise up. Emergency, to me, means that it is urgent to have your heart right with God. If you do, you have absolutely nothing to fear.

“Keep to the ancient way and custom of the Church, established and confirmed by so many Saints under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And live a new life. Pray, and get others to pray, that God not abandon His Church, but reform it as He pleases, and as He sees best for us, and more to His honor and glory.” —St. Angela Merici

Let us pray together to the whole communion of Saints for God’s Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Speaking of Great Saints, my friend and blog follower, Mary O’Reagan, has written a book about being a spiritual child of Padre Pio. I hope you will check it out.

If you would like to purchase the Family Healing prayer book, The Queen’s Triumph, I co-authored with Ashley Blackburn, please click this link.

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