The Path of Perfection

Posted on January 9, 2018 by veilofveronica

Carracci-Purgatory

Carracci – Purgatory

“All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” Catechism of the Catholic Church 1030

This morning I had a discussion online with a Protestant Minister.  She identified herself as a Priest, and she was admonishing my friend for praying for his deceased mother (on the Anniversary of his mother’s death, I might add).  She said his mother was dead and prayers won’t help her.  My heart sank as I know the biggest mercy God allowed for us was Purgatory, and the biggest heartache is all those in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them.

She prodded me to tell her where in the bible was the verse on Purgatory.   Since I know the Protestants have removed the deuterocanonical books of the bible,  I didn’t quote 2 Maccabees 12:46, which says, “Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be absolved from their sin.”  I instead decided to quote from Matthew for her.

Now someone approached him and said, “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”  He answered him, “Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.  If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments. He asked him, “Which ones?” And Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;  honor your father and your mother’; and ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 19:16-19

Here, the man wants to know how to get to heaven.  Jesus simply tells him to keep the commandments.  Have you ever wondered, what would have happened if the man just walked away?  He would have left with the certainty that he would gain eternal life.

But the man prodded more;

The young man said to him, “All of these I have observed. What do I still lack? Matthew 19:20

Jesus didn’t answer back and say, “nothing, that’s it, you’re good.  Have a nice day.”

Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Matthew 19:21

The verse goes on to tell us; “When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.” Matthew 19:22

Now ask yourself this question, if that man had died right then and there, what was his assurance of Salvation?  It appears there are two paths.  One of following the law in love, and one of total perfection.

If he had died, still attached to the sinful desire of his many possessions, do you think he was going to hell?  Jesus had already appeared to tell him that he was doing good and could gain eternal salvation, so why the second part? Why, the “if you wish to be perfect?” 

Because we will either be perfected in this life or the next.  Jesus tells us forgiveness can be had in the next life.

“And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”  Matthew 12:32

In Matthew Chapter 5, we see Jesus explain the path of perfection this way;

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.  For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? and if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:43-48

So few people, except the Saints, ever strive to live the perfection Jesus describes here in this life.  Because perfection in this life requires a lot of sacrifice and suffering because of the desires of this world.  But we would do well to remember that the Church Suffering are the Souls in Purgatory.  One way or another we will be perfected.  Nothing imperfect can enter the Presence of God.

I told the Protestant Minister that we are all part of the Communion of Saints.  We have a duty to pray for one another.  And that Purgatory was a place of perfection where we could pray for those in the Church suffering to be perfected.  That it’s a process of purification, more than it’s a place.  The Protestant Minister could not accept this.  She continued on the path of Salvation by faith alone and that works cannot get us to heaven.  I pointed out that God asks for our cooperation.

See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.  James 2:24

I said that we are saved by his grace, but we are judged by our works.  For every “no” we say when God asks us to do something, we will be judged for it.  For everything He asks us to unattach ourselves from that we don’t, we will be judged for it.  We will be perfected.  This is not a punishment, this is the greatest mercy ever gifted.  Being perfected in God so we can enter in to His full glory.  What a grace that he gave us a way to perfection.

But we can strive for that perfection here in this life.  It is what Saint Paul spoke of when he said;

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church… Colossians 1:24

We cooperate with God.  In this way, we too share in redemption.

In the end, the Protestant Minister and I had to agree to disagree.  Though she did agree that nothing imperfect could enter heaven.  This disconnect comes with our cooperation in the plan of Salvation.  She doesn’t think we need it, other than faith alone.  The problem with this is even the devil has faith.  I mean, his very existence depends on God still allowing it, the devil knows God is real.  The devil believes in Jesus, but he certainly didn’t cooperate with Him.   This kind of thinking, where we don’t have to cooperate leads to acceptance of all kinds of sin because if God has covered all of it, and we don’t have to cooperate in the plan, then why worry about sinning? And I think much of this boils down to a misunderstanding of the Sacramental life.  Most Protestant theology only accepts the grace of Baptism, but many reject Confirmation and Eucharist.  It leaves a giant hole.  In a future post this point will be outlined, as to why the Sacramental life is so important.

In the meantime, pray for the Suffering Souls in Purgatory!

“Eternal Father,
I offer You the most precious blood
of thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said
throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal Church,
for those in my own home,
and in my family. Amen.”

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Meditation on the Sorrows of Mary

Posted on January 5, 2018 by veilofveronica

seven-sorrows-virgin-mary

To St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Our Lady directly reveals the amazing graces granted by her Son for all those who daily pray seven Hail Mary’s while meditating on her seven dolors and tears:

1. “I will grant peace to their families.”

2. “They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries.”

3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”

4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”

5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”

6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother.”

7. “I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”

 

Part of an excerpt from my journal January 5, 2018 **

Beloved Child,

All of these feelings you feel, I have felt.  I am human like you.  But I never let my feelings be used by Satan to give into the temptation to not trust God.  I always trusted.  That is the key.  I knew the Father loved me so there was no question but to trust Him.

Great trials lay ahead for God’s faithful.  But I am here because God wills it.  Through my sorrow you can see how to trust.

I was a refugee who had to flee my land and go to a foreign place knowing no one but Joseph, not even speaking the language.  But I trusted and God provided.  Knowing my baby Son’s life was in danger, but God was our protector so in the fullness of time He would be revealed.

When my Son was lost, I felt those feelings of anxiety, but I did not let it shake my trust in God.

Even walking the Way of the Cross, meeting Him at Calvary, standing at the foot of the Cross, and receiving His body in my arms.  I remembered the prophecy of Simeon, that a sword would pierce my soul, as I saw it pierce my Son’s side on the cross.

Oh the sorrow! But Simeon had foretold that my Son was a light to reveal God to all the nations, so even as I laid Him in the tomb, even in my intense sorrow, I trusted.  I trusted because I saw LOVE HIMSELF in my Son.  And I knew that love conquers all.  Love is a feeling and a choice.  Trust LOVE.  Love and Truth go hand in hand.

In the days, weeks, months and years ahead, you will face fierce tribulation.  Without my Son, it would seem unbearable.  But you have HIM.  Marked by your baptism, sealed with the Spirit at Confirmation, secured in your willful consent.  Your heart beating with His, beating with mine.  Sacred.  Immaculate. Beloved.

Remember to trust even if it feels like there is reason not to.  Don’t let your feelings be used by the devil.  The Father in heaven truly wants to prosper you and not harm you.  True Freedom rests in trusting…..

 

Be not afraid.

Isaiah 40:31

  • The Immaculata – Your Mother

 

** Author’s note

I write what pops in my head as letters from God (and sometimes Mary if I am speaking to her.) I wrote this as a reflection of what I thought Mary was saying to me.  I was taught to journal this way by my Spiritual Director. He said as long as it doesn’t stray from Scripture and the magisterium of the Church, I can write what pops in my head while I am praying.

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Purity and the Domestic Church

Posted on January 5, 2018 by veilofveronica

angel-cliff-children2

This piece I wrote was originally written on August 11, 2016 and posted over at the Next Right Step.  Though parts of it I had actually written to my own local school on March 17, 2016.  I wrote the article because of my own personal journey and in response to the Vatican Sex Education Program, which I understand is now being revised due to concerns. The Next Right Step site is closing down this Sunday, so I am re-posting it here so I have record of it.

It’s funny, looking back now, to know parts were written on the Feast of Saint Patrick and I finished it for the Next Right Step on the Feast Day of my two Namesakes, which I didn’t know back then.  It was only this year that I realized Saint Susana and Saint Claire had the same Feast Day of August 11, and I was actually led to that revelation by Saint Philomena who kept popping up in prayer (and my friends prayers), and who also shares that Feast Day.  I was also at the time in the middle of my own battle about sex education locally.  It was the biggest test of my faith I have ever undergone, having to fight the powers that be in my own community, and having anxiety going to Mass because of all the judgment.  But in the end, knowing my Savior in the Eucharist and His love for me at every Mass overwhelmed the anxiety I felt in being judged by others.  And I believe this is also because the Communion of Saints, Patrick, Susana, Claire, and Philomena were walking with me and my family, interceding and praying for us, even though I didn’t know it at the time.  Though the situation did not turn out as I had would have wanted, recent developments in the media have let me know God is watching, and the exploitation of females needs to stop, which was my main concern with the battle we fought.  Trying to teach my son to respect the dignity of women and not exploit it, for his own soul and the soul of any woman he comes across.And I know God is good all the time.  And it is in forgiveness that my family is healed.

Here is my post from back then;

Purity and the Domestic Church

By Susan Skinner

Charlie asked me to write up a piece on the Vatican Sex Education program.  He told me that I had some genuine expertise in this area.  I do not feel that I do.  In fact I feel wholly inept, except in one area and that one area is Motherhood.   As the Mother of  three  young children my husband and I are daily battling a culture that brings lust, sex, and “hook ups” into the world of my children every day.  My 14 year old can’t go to the Mall without seeing a half-naked Victoria’s Secret model, or a man in his underwear at Abercrombie and Fitch.  Let’s not even get into the social media where I struggle every day to maintain parental control.  I have to talk to my kids every day about these images we see all around us.  I have also seen friend’s marriages ruined by the readily available pornography.  It sometimes feels the wolf is at the door but through prayer and catechesis with my family, we are keeping the wolf at bay.

The respite in my life has always been my church.  The church has always been clear on matters of sexuality and morality.  The rights of the parents, in the eyes of the church, has always been inalienable.

“At the same time I feel it important to reiterate that the overall education of children is a “most serious duty” and at the same time a “primary right” of parents.   This is not just a task or a burden, but an essential and inalienable right that parents are called to defend and of which no one may claim to deprive them.” Paragraph 84,  Pope Francis – Amoris Laetitia

I was so thankful to have this guiding light for my family through these tumultuous times we live in.  The church’s rules are not to suck the fun out of life, but are a guide that can lead to great and joyful living.  When we love God with our whole heart, our response is to keep His commandments.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” John 14:15 

My husband and I chose Catholic Schools for our children in an effort to help catechize them.  We sacrifice and pay large tuition in order to be able to do so.  We did this because we felt safe, and we trusted that what is being taught aligns with our Catholic values at home.  While some experiences with the Catholic school system have been great, I have unfortunately also personally found out not every school is aligned with our values.  And it is a heart ache to have to battle the Catholic Institutions when they should be a refuge from the world.  Still I keep my eyes on Christ.

Further disheartening was seeing the sex education curriculum that came out of the Pontifical Council on the Family.  If I had time to, I could dissect each part of this curriculum.  I could tell you why it’s inappropriate to show a woman’s chest with XXX on top of it, or why bringing a biology teacher into a mixed class to teach anatomy (see link above), is inappropriate, but it begs the question, whose right is it to teach our children on matters of sexuality regardless of the content?  If the church really wanted to help teach the children about sex education why wouldn’t the curriculum be formulated for the parents to teach their own children with the school in a secondary supportive role?  We are being asked it seems, by our own church members, to abdicate our rights.  The family is the domestic church.  This is where we should start if we want to help people.

I was heartsick when I first saw this sexual education curriculum.  What have we done?  Long gone are the days when a parent could expect that their child would discover the beauty of sexual union on their wedding night.  The culture bombards them with sex and pornography.  Sex is portrayed everywhere divorced from its Sacramental purpose, and devoid of truth and beauty.    Children don’t even know what a mortal sin is, and this new curriculum doesn’t appear to want to mention it.  Instead of responding with truth and beauty this curriculum embraces the culture and provides graphic photos that I already have to address every day and they bring it in under the guise of providing “information.”

My Spiritual Director once told me the litmus test for anything we do… anything we teach, read, watch, is – if the Blessed Mother were standing in the room with you, could you show her what you were doing without feeling shame?  I believe it would be hard to look at the Blessed Mother and tell her as a church, we have infringed on parental rights, and we are showing pictures of teenagers grind dancing because we know it’s in the culture.

Why are we caving into the culture?  The message of the Gospel should not be watered down.  If there is anything at all in this curriculum (which I believe there is), that could lead even one child into mortal sin, then the church has failed in Catholic Education.  The salvation of souls is our goal, and our educators are at risk of their own souls if they lead a child to sin.

“If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.”  Matthew 18:6 

We have invited the culture into the classroom.  A culture which teaches depravity and mediocrity.  I am here to tell you that the only way to change the culture is to aim for the ideal.  No one would ever said that when St. Francis set out to reform the church that he was realistic in his goal.  He sought God’s ideal.  The same goes for Mother Teresa.  We have lost our sense of the wondrous works that God can provide if we only aim for them.  We have also lost our sense of modesty, a tragedy to me since we have Saints like Agnes and Maria Goretti who went to their deaths defending it.

Our children are dying.  They are literally dying due to a culture that feeds them death, and they are spiritually dying because their souls are not being fed truth.  We need to feed them truth and beauty.  We need to show them that our church offers a better way of living that leads to peace and joy in our souls.  Many of our children have all the material wealth they could possibly want, and yet, they still feel alone, they get addicted, they see the sin offering of the culture and more and more often, they choose that path.

We have the answer, and yet the best we can do as a church, is seemingly put out a curriculum that invites the culture in, and takes away the role of the parent.  God help us all, and we wonder why our world is in the state it’s in.

So to all the parents out there, I urge you, do not abdicate your rights.  Do not let the school system take what is yours.  If you do, you will likely not get those rights back anytime soon.  Do not be afraid. Teach your children truth and beauty.  And to the educators out there, partner with the parents, don’t dictate to them, otherwise you are no better than the mandate to the Little Sisters of the Poor.

Lastly, pray the Rosary every day.  The Blessed Mother can cover us and our children over with her Mantle.  We can change the culture, but we must live the Gospel. We have nothing to fear because the gates of hell shall not prevail, and our God is a God of great love.

We can teach our children better.

If any of parents out there have come across a Catholic Institution that is violating Doctrine and you need assistance in getting it corrected, please contact the St. Joseph Foundation Canon Law.  They are an invaluable resource.  They are funded by donations, so please also consider making a donation to this invaluable organization.

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Prophecy and Prayer

Posted on January 3, 2018 by veilofveronica

war in heaven

“Only after the Last Judgment will Mary get any rest; from now until then, she is much too busy with her children.”
–St. John Vianney

I shared in my January 1 post my journal entry from December 18, 2017.  A conversation I had with some people and one of the readers here in the comments has prompted me to write further on the subject.  The December 18 journal entry I wrote came after praying and reflecting on the Star of Bethlehem.  And it was like God said, “you missed it, just like Herod who had to ask the wise men about the signs in the sky.”

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him….Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.” Matthew 2:1-3 and 7

This year people were looking leading up to the day of the September 23 alignment but when nothing happened of significance on the earth on that actual day in our short sightedness we just moved on.  If the Magi had just looked at the star and not continued to follow it afterwards they would have missed the King.   But because wise men were wise they continued following and it wasn’t a single moment, but an unfolding “in the fullness of time.”

The Psalms state: The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.

Psalm 19:1-4

I have repeatedly written in my journal “look to the skies”.   God has already written the story and he reveals it to us with His creation because he is outside of time, as he showed me on New Year’s Day.  Our Prayer’s are like a solar flare, changing the way things are.

solar flare

God has revealed many things in His creation.  He also revealed the Passion with signs in the sky.

 “It was now about noon and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon because of an eclipse of the sun. Then the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.” Luke 23:44-45

But still, only those who had eyes to see recognized it, and they had to proclaim that to the people that they had seen what had been prophesied.

“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed to them, “You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.  These people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel …..

And I will work wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord, and it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of the Lord.” Acts 2: 14-16 and 19-24

God has written this story throughout time, from the beginning of all Creation and he announces things in His creation.  Why would we think He would stop now? In 2015, we had a star of Bethlehem moment in the sky.  From where I was watching it, a literal great storm was on the horizon.  Interestingly the Star of Bethlehem moment in 2015 came immediately after the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage here in America.

When I look at when Jesus came to earth, Israel was not so strong, it had been diminished from the once great nation it had been because they did not listen to God.  America is part of this picture with all the ways we have turned away from God, but the larger picture is actually the church.  The church is splintered, heresy spreads, acceptance of immorality and sin, in the name of mercy. etc.  It has even infiltrated the Catholic Church.  So he sends His mother to reveal “in the fullness of time” how we should live in the Divine Will as she does.  She will heal the church Family.  She is Our Lady Healer of Families.  Because Mothers always work to build the family home.  That’s WHAT MOTHER’S DO.   We saw this in the sky on September 23, 2017.

 Satan has been busy the last century.  But God will fight for us.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  – John 10:10

During the early 20th and 21st centuries, the thief stole our fertility, convincing the Protestant Churches in 1930 after the Lambeth Conference to accept artificial contraception.  The thief came to kill, convincing America in 1973 to kill our children through abortion.  The thief came to destroy, destroying families, and he started with divorce,  no-fault divorce in 1970, and it culminated in 2015 with marriage re-defined.

There is one last piece of destruction that Satan wants to impose on us.  That is the destruction of the Priesthood.  There are two ways God gives us life, one through woman in bearing children, and the other is Divine Life in the Eucharist.  He convinced woman to kill her children.  Now he must attack the Priesthood.  It is the one thing standing in his way.  The Catholic Church has defended all of these things and been stalwart in defense of human dignity.  The attack will grow fierce, velocity speeding up, but we need not fear, because our Mother is here.  Announced in the skies.  And on the evening of January 1, as I looked at the Brilliant Supermoon, the moon that reflects the sun, and represents Mary reflecting Jesus, I could feel the love Our Mother has for us as she draws us ever closer to her Son.

So what should we do?  We should do what Mary did.  Let go and let God and be a power house of prayer as Mary was and still is, always interceding for us.  Go to confession and confess your sins.  Forgive those who have offended you.  Pray for you to have a right relationship with God.  Pray for the Church.  Pray for the Pope.  Pray for the Holy See.  Pray most especially for Priests who do not proclaim truth in love.  Instead of getting angry, instead of adding to the vitriol, just pray.  And let God fill us with the Holy Spirit so much so that you can see the fire of His Divine Will erupt forth like a Solar Flare.

 

 

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Letting Go and Letting God – Reflecting on Theotokos

Posted on January 2, 2018 by veilofveronica

Theotokos-Helper-in-Childbirth-icon-005634__41585.1492625932.500.659

What happened to Mary turns our attention to Jesus Christ, the only Mediator of salvation, and helps us to see life as a loving plan with which we must cooperate responsibly. Mary is not only a model of the call, but also of the response. Indeed, she said “yes” to God at the beginning and at every successive moment of her life, fully complying with his will, even when she found it obscure and hard to accept. – Pope Saint John Paul II

My Friend Ashley wrote this beautiful reflection yesterday on the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God.

Theotokos

by: Ashley Blackburn

We honor Mary on this Solemnity, who is the Mother of God. Mary has been elevated precisely because she gave all of herself to God, who in return gave all of himself to her. Full of Grace, she received to the fullest. Not because she was loved by God anymore than any one of us, but because she loved God more fully, thus opening her heart more fully to receiving His grace.
In all of Sacred Scripture, we never hear of Mary exercising her control over a situation, but we do hear over and over of her waiting, trusting and pondering in her heart. At the Annunciation we see her allowing the Holy Spirit to act, receiving from God the gift of the Savior. Immediately following she doesn’t fret at Joseph’s initial response to her news of being pregnant, she instead waits and allows the Angel to convince Joseph in a dream of the good news in which God was asking the two of them to participate in. At the Nativity the events surrounding the birth of Jesus made things very tough on the Holy Family, but it is in these events that we see Mary give up control of making the situation better. She instead allows God to act through it. And the result of her trust in the Divine Will of God brought about this beautiful story of the birth of Christ that can be seen now as a glorious chain of events, revealing how God works in all things.
Later on we see Mary freely let go of her son as he set out on his public ministry after the Wedding at Cana. What it meant for Mary that Jesus perform this first public miracle, is that he would be gone from her side forever. Instead of holding on to her Son, she let go, knowing the world was in need of a Savior too.
At the foot of the cross, the ultimate sacrifice, Mary was there to witness it all. She journeyed alongside her son, never once trying to control or change the outcome. She instead handed it all over to God, trusting, praying and contemplating all that she was witnessing and experiencing.
Lastly, after the resurrection, there is little to nothing documented of what Mary did, other than that she was present in the Upper Room. But it is through this omission of action that we are left pondering perhaps one of her greatest lessons for us, which is what she didn’t do. Mary didn’t condemn the apostles, Jesus’ closest friends, for not being there at the foot of the cross when he needed them the most. She instead interceded for them in the Upper Room leading up to the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Here we see her once again placing it all in God’s hands, trusting in his providence and allowing the Holy Spirit to freely act.
So what does this mean for us today? Well, one of the lies Satan is whispering in our ears is that we are in control, we can do it ourselves, we have no need for a Savior. In all circumstances and for all mankind, we would do well to give of ourselves more fully to God. This does not mean that we all are being called to sell everything and go be missionaries, or that we are all being called to the religious life. But what it does mean is that in whatever place we find ourselves God is calling us to give up control, to trust in His plan, to listen to his voice through prayer and then go and do what He is asking of each one of us.
When we look at the life of Mary, the first Apostle, we learn how to allow God to work more fully in our lives. Some may dismiss her on the basis that she was born without original sin. How could we ever live up to that or imitate her if she was sinless? But what we forget is that God in his infinite mercy gave us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in which we are wiped clean of our sins over and over again. Knowing us and loving us, even in our sinfulness, He allows us to return time and time again to receive His healing touch and we are truly made clean.
So let us “be not afraid” of living a life of holiness. Let us trust in God’s plan for us. Let us listen in the silence as He whispers His Divine Will for us deep into our hearts. Let us step out of the darkness, receiving God’s forgiveness over and over again in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And let us set out bravely onto the path that God is asking us to walk as we give ourselves over to His divine plan.
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Prophecy, Timelines, and a New Year

Posted on January 1, 2018 by veilofveronica

Rev 12

 

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. Galatians 4:4-5

As you all may know one of my charisms appears to be the gift of prophecy.  I would call myself a reluctant prophet.  I do not have angels appear and speak to me, nor do I hear a voice outside my head, I just feel God speak to me in my interior and I record what I am told.  I am told all kinds of things.  The issue becomes trying to discern what is mine and what is God’s so that’s why I would call myself a reluctant prophet.

Often I “hear” God tell me time is “short”, or He will use the word “soon” and in my limited human mind that means to me something very different than what I believe it means to God.  I had a conversation with Him about it.  I said, “God you keep saying soon, and short, what exactly do you mean?”  It was in this moment that in my head he showed me a vision of a history book… he took me to a page that said, “World War II was from 1939-1945.”  He said, “that seems long to you, 6 years of war.”  I agreed.  Then he backed me out of the book and showed me a linear timeline of all of human history.  And he said, “it seems short to me.”  Indeed it did.

Last night just after 1:00 a.m. I went to bed and began to pray and I again asked God about time.  He showed me the sun, as if it was time.  I know that sounds weird so I will try to explain.  We think of time as a linear trajectory.  For God, what He showed me, was that it’s like a big giant ball that He can see all at once.  He is in it, and He is outside of it looking at it.  He can see all the movements and prayers.  It was also like He showed me a solar flare as a change on the timeline caused by prayer.  When people are praying they cause eruptions to come off the sun and change what it looks like for a moment.  And again, He sees all of this at once.  Throughout time this sun is the source of life, but it can also burn you or blind you if not properly respected.  This is why I often see the Trinity as represented by the sun, though we know He is the Creator of it.

And then God told me it isn’t proper respect to try to gain knowledge of timelines.  It isn’t our place.  It makes us try to grasp that which isn’t ours to grasp putting us in the place of the creator.  So when it comes to prophecy nothing we can guess about, “when” will ever be super accurate until the moment we look back on it.  The prophets in the bible had several hundred years go by before anything came to fruition.  The job of the prophet is not to predict the future.  The job of the prophet is to tell you to stay awake.  To not lose hope.  To live a right life.  To love God with your whole heart.  The glory of God will be revealed, and it is His glory, we can trust in His Providence amidst the chaos.  God has a plan.  A better one than ours.  The prophets had souls that were illuminated because of prayer.  I would assume the wise men were men of prayer too since they were wise and wanted to pay homage to the Jewish King.  They proclaimed the King; the one who would rescue us from our sin.  The one born of a woman, who would crush the serpent’s head.

All of this contemplating did have me look back on some things.  And all of the sky imagery did too… so I will now share with you a portion of something I wrote in my journal on December 18 and handed to my Spiritual Director.  I do not share this so you will “know the future,” I share this so you will have hope.  Because hope lies when you plant yourself firmly in Jesus Christ;

December 18, 2017

Beloved,
The heavens tell of the Glory of God.  The voice of the heavens goes out through out the earth.
Do you not recognize it?  Just as the Jews did not?
The skies announced my coming to the Magi.  Do you think they landed at Bethlehem the day it was announced?  No because my timing is not your timing.  They had to follow where I led them.
The skies announced my crucifixion.  The earth shook.
Do you not see?
The skies announced her.  The woman clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet and a crown of twelve stars.
Just another passing day to most but the voice of the heavens has gone out to all of the earth.  She has arrived. Her Immaculate Heart will Triumph.  And to those of you that see you must be like John the Baptist preparing the way for the new era.
Time is different from my perspective.  Be in my NOW.
Announce the Good News.
Be not Afraid.
Stand Firm.
I AM fighting for you.
So be still, waiting to move when you hear my voice.
I KNOW MY OWN AND MY OWN KNOW ME.
…..

Psalm 19:1-4
Your Divine Spouse
God often uses celestial imagery and the Psalms speak of this.  But people did not recognize the Aurora Borealis as a sign that was predicted in Fatima until years later.  We can look back and see it, but not forward.  I am not sharing the latter half of what I wrote because I believe the temptation is to speculate and guess what will happen next.  There is no need to do that.  What will happen next is what you choose in your heart each moment.  This is about trusting God wholeheartedly without knowing what comes next.  That’s what faith is.  And faith is the currency in God’s kingdom.  When we have faith we seek God’s will.  When we seek His will, we can do His will.  When we do His will we bring the Kingdom of God to earth.  This is accomplished when we pray without ceasing.  I hope everyone has a very happy and blessed New Year.  And on this Feast of the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, may you all know her Immaculate Heart will Triumph.

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The Incarnation, the Eucharist and the All Male Priesthood

Posted on December 24, 2017 by veilofveronica

Murillo Annunciation

Annunciation by Murillo 1660-1665

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

As I sat and contemplated the incarnation, God becoming man, to undo what Adam and Eve had done, I could not help but think of the Priesthood and the role of men and women in the church.

“he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and named them humankind.” Genesis 5:2

 I used to think that women should be able to be Priests.  After all, women should be able to do anything a man can do.  Equal rights for all!  The church, in my mind was old and antiquated, and I have heard very recently reporters saying this same thing.  But then I had a conversion of heart.  My conversion was not about the Priesthood, my conversion came during suffering and through prayer, and I came to know God personally.  This personal relationship made me love God with my whole heart, and made me want to follow his laws, including those that stated woman can’t be Priests, precisely because I loved Him.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  John 14:5

 Saint John Paul the II wrote in Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (1994) that, “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.”  Saint John Paul II went on to cite Paul VI who said: “The real reason is that, in giving the Church her fundamental constitution, her theological anthropology—thereafter always followed by the Church’s Tradition—Christ established things in this way.”

In other words, Christ Himself, who was in many ways counter-cultural, did not make women Priests, so the church has no authority to do so.  Could it be that Christ Himself made a mistake by not making women Priests?  I don’t think so, Jesus doesn’t make mistakes.  Jesus ate with sinners, and broke the rules of his Jewish culture, but this was one He did not change.  He kept the Priesthood male.

We know that Christ valued women.  Some of His greatest disciples were women.  Just look at Mary Magdalene, who is known as the Apostle to the Apostles.  Look how he treated the woman at the well and the adulterous woman.  We are all equal in the eyes of God.  But are we the same?

“The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.”…. So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” Genesis 2:18 and 21-23

 It seems men and women are complimentary to one another.  Bone of bone, and flesh of flesh, but created differently.  A woman being a helper in no way implies she is less than.  In fact we should all be helpers to one another.  But she is different.  Even in the design of our bodies we are different.  When God commands them to be fruitful and multiply, the woman receives seed from the man.  He gives it with his body, she receives it with hers in the marital act.  Each says to the other, “This is my Body given up for you.” The giver and the receiver.

When we look at Christ and His church, we also see the marriage analogy.  Many have pointed out that just as Eve was borne out of Adam’s side, so too was the Church borne out of the side of Christ on this Cross.  He is the bridegroom and the church is the Bride.

But beyond that, what else can we see?  Women are the bearers of new life.  With our very bodies, which we sacrifice in pregnancy, children spring forth from the love we have received from our husbands.

But where else do we receive life? Christ brings us divine life that we can receive every week at Mass.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” John 6:53

 This divine life comes from the Eucharist, the very DNA of God.  These consecrated men, whom God chose, and who Christ Himself passed the tradition on to, give us God to receive.  In this way, men give life.  And we, the church, Christ’s bride, receive this life, this DNA of God.  It is not something to be jealous of, it is something to be thankful for.  Just as a man cannot birth a child, so a woman cannot consecrate the Eucharist, not because they are not equal, but because they are different.

When we try to grasp that which is not ours to grasp, we do what Adam and Eve did, grasping at the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  Grasping at what is not ours to grasp leads to destruction.  As a woman, and a working mother, I hold no envy or ill will towards the men that bring this gift of God at each and every Mass, instead I am profoundly grateful that they said yes to God’s call and love us enough to be servants with their very bodies which they have given to become Consecrated Men.  The fact that I cannot become a Priest in no way means I am not valued in the church, and I see this so clearly when I look at our female Saints.

The gift of Life comes from God, but not without our cooperation. It comes in the form of the Eucharist through the cooperation of the priest with the Holy Spirit. Likewise, it comes in the form of Children, through the consent of the woman. Both require sacrifice.  Both require love.  Both require our cooperation.  And even though different, the joy from each is profound.

Divine Life was breathed into Adam who was created from the Dust of the Earth.  So too, from the dust of the earth, and the “work of human hands” is Divine Life breathed by the Spirit onto the gifts at Mass because of the words the Consecrated Man proclaims.

Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7

 Woman was birthed from the side of man, and generations of children come from her, generations of people created in His image and likeness.  Perhaps no one understood this more than Mary.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him…” Luke 1:46-50

She sacrificed her body, her reputation, her future, and so much more to bear the Son of God into this world. Likewise, she stood at the foot of the cross as He sacrificed Himself so we could receive Him.  At the announcement of His conception Mary said “yes.”  In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said “yes.” They undid the “no” of Adam and Eve.  Different sacrifices, same love, which is united to the will of the Father.  One gave life to the Incarnation, the other gives divine life to us everyday at Mass.  She is our Mother.  He is Our Savior.  Redeemer and Co-Redemptrix.

We all actually participate in this, men and women alike, but each have a different role. We are fully aware that God created men and women physically complimentary, but we have also been created mentally, emotionally and spiritually complimentary. This is not so we would make a competition out of our gifts and try to rank one as more important than another, but that our gifts would be of aid to one another, giving where the other is lacking and receiving where we are in need. If we each, men and women alike, live out what we are meant to be, then as Saint Catherine of Siena says, we will “set the world on fire.”

It was a woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with oil, women who walked the Passion with him, and women who prepared the spices after his burial. It was the apostles, all men, who were sent out two by two, who were given the authority to forgive sins, and who were present at the last supper.

At Pentecost we see very clearly the complimentary roles of the woman, Mother Mary, and the Apostles in the mission of church.  In the Upper Room, the Holy Spirit breathes on them and the men were given life to go out and start the church.  Mary was also there praying and interceding on their behalf. As their Mother, she played an important and complimentary role in the mission of the Church. Each of these are equally important in the eyes of God and they are not to be ranked in human terms.

True equality between women and men has nothing to do with the material equality we so often feel resentment over.  True equality actually has everything to do with who we were created to be through the eyes of God. The complimentary nature of men and women is reflected in the very design of God’s creation. Furthermore, it was validated by the mission of Jesus Christ and implemented through the handing on of the Holy Spirit.

Let us be grateful for the men who love God enough to say “yes” and bring us His body and blood.   And let us be grateful for Our Mother Mary, who in following the continual call of the Heavenly Father, shall be called Blessed for all generations.  Let us be grateful for one another, equally loved with different gifts.

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The Lord will fight for you (just do your part)

Posted on December 13, 2017 by veilofveronica

The_Crossing_fo_The_Red_Sea“The Crossing of the Red Sea” by Nicolas Poussin

By:Ashley Blackburn

Exodus 14:13a,14

But Moses said “ Do not be afraid, stand firm… The Lord will fight for you and you have only to keep still”

I recently heard a podcast of a homily by Fr Mike Schmitz and he talked about this passage from Exodus.  He spoke a little about the events surrounding Moses’ saying this to the Hebrews.  Moses had just led them out of Egypt and out of slavery.  The Hebrew people were standing at the edge of the Red Sea and behind them they saw Pharoah and his army, which was the most powerful entity they had ever known, chasing them down.  As they stood there, with this situation at hand, they yelled at Moses and told him that they would have been safer if they would have just stayed slaves in Egypt.  They were convinced that that would have been better off there than in this situation they now found themselves in.  

Doesn’t this sound all too familiar? When we face moments where it looks as if there is no hope, no way for us to win, no way for us to survive, don’t we too listen to the lies whispered in our ears?  The Hebrews were being told a lie, one that they believed. We know they believed the lie because we hear them grumble at Moses and tell him they were better off in slavery.  This thought is not one that comes from God, our creator, who made us with free will and loves us so much that he would never enslave us.  This thought came from Satan and it infiltrated the minds and hearts of the Hebrews because they were facing a moment that seemingly had no hope, no way for them to win, and no way for them to survive.

But it was at this moment that Moses says some pretty profound words, “Do not be afraid, stand firm… The Lord will fight for you and you have only to keep still.”  If we break these words down, we will see the beauty and truth of these words, which were relevant for the Hebrews back then, but also for us today.

The first part is DO NOT BE AFRAID. There are 365 “Do not be afraid” verses from the bible. These words are important to every generation, and so too for us today in a world filled with fear, anxiety, and distrust.  Satan continues his mission of spreading lies and he is no doubt whispering in our ears, just as he whispered in the ears of the Hebrews so long ago.  He seizes the moment in times of struggle, in times when we can see no light at the end of the tunnel, by convincing us of the lie that we should be afraid, angry, anxious, etc.  But Moses reminds us DO NOT BE AFRAID, not even with the most powerful enemy at your back and a vast sea ahead.  We must not let our situation swallow us up.  Instead we must hand it over to God, trusting in his power and allowing Him to work in our lives.  This step of handing it over to God is not an easy one.  It is not one that takes away our fears or anxiety, but it is of utmost importance. Spiritually, you have given to God what is His to save, while you are placing your trust in his saving power.  One phrase that I find helpful in practicing this step is saying “Jesus I Trust in You” over and over again.

The next part is STAND FIRM.  I love this one because it is real.  It reminds us that by handing our problems over to God doesn’t mean that he will necessarily take them away completely or immediately. So when Moses tells the Hebrews to STAND FIRM, he is reminding them to be strong in their commitment to trusting in the Lord.  The struggles may remain, or they may return, but either way, we must continue to trust no matter what.  In all reality, trust is really a humbling of ourselves. It is ceasing our attempts at trying to fix things and allowing God to step in.  We must remember that God has the whole story.  We see only a portion and thus our attempts at finding solutions is limited. But God sees the full picture and so trusting in Him will always bring about the best and most lasting solution to any of our problems.

Then Moses says,THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU.  What a beautiful thing!  Our God who is all loving and all powerful reassures us that HE will fight for us.  It is almost as if a weight has been lifted and the pressure is off.  Why would we NOT want God, with all his power and glory, to fight our battles for us.  He is actually the most powerful entity, more powerful than Pharaoh and his army, more powerful than any struggle we are going through. Truly believing in this can do a world of difference in our lives because it switches the roles; God as powerful Savior and us as the “saved”.  Often times we find ourselves trying to control things and when that doesn’t work out, we begin to lash out, just as the Hebrews did.  Wishing ourselves out of our circumstance, out of our struggle.  But it is through this exact situation, this very predicament, that the glory and power of God was revealed to the Hebrews.  And it is the same with us!  It is precisely IN our current struggle that God is there, ready to reveal his power and glory. If only we would trust in his saving power and allow Him to fight the battle for us.

The last part is YOU HAVE ONLY TO KEEP STILL.  This is perhaps something we can learn from Our Blessed Mother. Not much is said about Mary in the Gospel accounts, but there is one very profound statement that is repeated and it refers to how she reacts to situations… She ponders things in her heart… she keeps still.  Good or bad, whatever the situation at hand, Mary ponders in her heart what the Lord has done, what He has revealed, or what He might reveal in the future. This keeping still is Moses’ final instruction for the Hebrews.  He didn’t want them to miss the miracle of the parting of the Red Sea… LOL, like that is something one could “miss”.  But it is true in the sense that we could miss God’s part in the miracle.  Many miracles happen every day, both big and small.  But how often do we see them and recognize them as miracles?  How often do we slow down and reflect on the work of God in our lives?  Keeping STILL is such an important command because it opens our eyes to see and opens our hearts to ponder, as we wait, watch, and ready ourselves for the glory of God to be revealed to us in our own lives.

So today, in your struggle and suffering, do not be afraid, stand firm trusting God, THE LORD WILL FIGHT FOR YOU, just keep still in the moment and be patient, because God is a good God all the time and He personally holds you in the palm of his hand.

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A Better Man

Posted on November 24, 2017 by veilofveronica

The_Denial_of_St._Peter_-_Gerard_Seghers_-_Google_Cultural_Institute

The Denial of Peter – Gerard S Eghers

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.” John 19:25

The past couple of weeks I have had a song stuck in my head.  The Song is called Better Man, by Little Big Town.  I found this strange for a couple of reasons, one is that I don’t much listen to secular music anymore, as I find it fills you with the wrong things, and the second is because the song is seemingly about divorce and it makes me sad.  But the melody is hauntingly beautiful, and speaks to so much of what many women have felt.  In watching the news lately it seems there has been accusation after accusation in both Hollywood and in the Political realm of how men have belittled the dignity of women. (Don’t worry men, this post will not be a man bashing post, just a post to remind us of the dignity of us all.)

These series of events had me contemplating greatly the role of men and women, the state our society is in and how lust may actually be the deadliest of the seven deadly sins.  I also noticed the Spirits of Fear and Hatred  that seem to really be overtaking people these days.  Fear is a giant beast, what do we need to counter that?  Trust.  Even in the midst of all of this stuff we must trust.

As if on cue, God knows exactly my thoughts and what I need (as He does for you too).  I signed up for a retreat called, “Walking with Mary,” that was led by a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia Congregation.  All these swirling thoughts of women, men, lust, fear, hatred, came to a head for me at this retreat as My Gentle Loving Mother, the Immaculata, spoke to me in the silence of my heart in this beautiful place called Bethany.

On Saturday evening we went to adoration.  I was speaking to God in my heart about areas where I need to forgive and all of the sudden a huge storm began outside.  The wind was fierce, the trees were blowing, rain was pounding the windows.  I took my eyes off of the Monstrance and I looked out the window at the raging storm.  Christ immediately said to me, “Keep your eyes on me.”  It was the same words the Priest had spoken in the homily that morning.  I looked back at the Monstrance and immediately the electricity went out.  It was eerie.   The generator and emergency lights kicked on, but it was a palpable peace and calm inside, with Christ at the center, and a raging storm outside.

I almost started to cry.  As the retreat continued and we talked about what Mary had to teach us, I saw that she, who leads us to her Son, has the answer to our woes.  Even the woes we have about the state of men (and women) in our society.  She is the map, the key, to growing closer to her Son.

This past year one of the things that I struggled with in the battle I fought was how come, more often than not, it is the women who are more spiritual than the men? I noticed how it can be harder to get men to stand up publicly against immorality. (Note, I say this as a general statement, knowing there are many good men out there.)  I thought about how there were many woman, and only one man at the foot of the cross.  My loving Mother answered me.  Here are excerpts of what I recorded as her speaking to me (I am including some of it, though not all of it, because it was so personal);

Beloved Child**,

…You felt left alone because of men.

Do you think I said anything to all of my Son’s Apostles who left him alone at the foot of the cross?  No, I prayed and interceded for them.  I did not have anxiety about seeing Pilate again because I knew who my enemy was.  I crush my enemy’s head.

….The heart of a woman that is compassionate and not political.  The heart of humility and obedience that does not seek power.  A heart that seeks purity and for the innocence of children to be protected. God has given you these gifts.  God (asked you to do something) and in obedience you did.  Do not let anger interfere with receiving these gifts.

… God wants you to pray for and uplift the men with a heart of compassion.

I only had one man stand at the foot of the cross with me.  One man who rested in the bosom of the Lord.  He is the only one who did not die a martyrs death, because standing at the foot of the cross, he was already a martyr.  This is why I (ask that you pray for Priests).

…I interceded (for the Apostoles and for Priests) so (they) can stand at the foot of the cross.

The grace I dispense (to priests) through the prayers of the faithful and the pouring of the Holy Spirit  will enable (them) to withstand persecution, to Stand at the foot of the Cross, glorified by God for an era of peace.

….Conform your will to my Sons, pray for your husband (and brother Priests).

…You rest in the Sacred and Immaculate Heart. (Trinity of Hearts)

The Immaculata

It was here that I felt an epiphany.  I remembered how I prayed to Mary to intercede for my husband to be the Spiritual Head of Our House, and she answered me.  It was my husband who stood next to me when we fought the battle we fought.  Our prayers for our men have efficacy.  She had made my husband a Better Man (and me a better woman).

I thought about how if I had seen my Son crucified and abandoned by his friends I would have been angry at his friends, but she was not.  She was with them in the upper room when the Spirit poured out, so that they could be Better Men.  And Better Men they were!  Fearless, even unto death.  How much more was accomplished by the Prayers of Our Heavenly Mother, than would have been accomplished if she had raged.

I thought about who she would have had to run into in the streets, maybe Pilate, maybe Caiaphas, who wanted Jesus to die, but Mary didn’t rage in anger.  She didn’t put the men down, she prayed.  She interceded.  She led by example for the rest of us.

Peter who had denied Jesus.  Thomas who had doubted Him.  Mary was with them all.  She walked with them.  And they became Saints.  It is here that we can learn to Consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart because of her unity with the Divine Will, she can dispense the graces to those we love.  We must pray for our husbands and sons, but most especially for her Priests who, in the coming years will face more persecution, and will need the strength to stand at the foot of the cross.

Let us embrace our roles as male and female.  Let us pray and uplift one another.  Let us, in the face of persecution,  stand at the foot of the cross, so that we can usher in an era of peace.  In these storms, whether personal or global, walk with your Mother, and keep your eyes on Christ.

** Author’s note

I write what pops in my head as letters from God (and sometimes Mary if I am speaking to her.) I wrote this as a reflection of what I thought Mary was saying to me.  I was taught to journal this way by my Spiritual Director. He said as long as it doesn’t stray from Scripture and the magisterium of the Church, I can write what pops in my head while I am praying.

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Covenant and Covenant Principles

Posted on November 16, 2017 by veilofveronica

 

Adam touching God

Adam and God – Michelangelo

 “for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26-28

As you all know, I have been learning from Jansen Bagwell about Kingdom.  He has now taught us a little bit about Covenant and Covenant Principles.  I really hope Jansen writes a book because this is about how to live the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.  It is so much more than “self-help,” this is how to walk in God’s Grace.  Because we can recognize that Satan, and not people, is our true enemy, it helps us to forgive.  Forgiveness brings healing.  Healing and forgiveness restore our covenant with God.  Below I will outline Covenant as Jansen taught us, followed by the most important part, which are the Covenant Principles.  Living by these Principles, I believe, will help you have happy, healthy relationships.  The goal for you is to keep your part of the Covenant with God.  Please know, I am not a covenant expert.  Covenant can take many scholars and years to totally study.  This is my rudimentary understanding of the notes I took while learning from Jansen.

Covenant is law in God’s Kingdom– everyone must adhere (it is more than a contract)

Steps of Covenant;

1.Counting the Cost of Covenant

-this is like engagement.  We are weighing out the commitment.  It can be likened to going through RCIA.  We are deciding if this is an agreement we want to enter into.

2.Exchange of outer garments.

– Once we have decided to enter covenant, we exchange outer garments with the other person.  We put on their clothes, they put on ours, as a sign of the covenant.  This shows an exchange of identity.

– When in covenant with Christ we take our identity and give it to Him in order to receive Him (be clothed with Him).

Scripture references: Philippians 2:5-8; Samuel 18:1-4; Romans 10:9

3.Exchange of Belts

-Belts represent victory and strength.  Think of a boxer winning the title belt.  When we are in covenant with God we get the better end of the deal because we only receive strength.

Scripture references: Samuel 18

4.Exchange of Weapons

-The exchange of weapons is also the exchange of enemies. Our natural enemy is other human beings.  The covenant enemy is Satan.  We exchange enemies when we enter covenant with God.  He takes on our human enemy so we no longer have to worry about them, and we realize we are fighting powers and principalities. When we forgive our natural enemy the Holy Spirit can step in and convict him of his own evil.  The weapons we fight with are not worldly weapons. The Holy Spirit can tear down strongholds and fortifications of the enemy.  Strongholds come from fiery darts of suggestion.  We must identify the lie, but instead many times we reinforce the lie.  God has given us a charism to fight the new enemy.

–Demons are trying to condition us how to think. When we are in covenant with God, we must use our charisms to identify the lies of the enemy and not be trained to think by the enemy but by God.  This means praying and listening to the still small voice.

Scripture references: Romans 12:12, 2 Corinthians:3

5. Walk of Death

-The two groups in covenant would cut an animal in two and walk in between it. This cutting the animal in two symbolizes infinity.

-As they walked in between the animal they would speak incredible blessings on one another.

-They also spoke of violation of covenant and would speak incredible curses, should the covenant be violated. These curses were the opposite of the blessings.

-We actually see covenant enacted in a lot of mafia pacts, and gang pacts.

-You cannot have covenant without the shedding of blood.

-Jesus is the miraculous answer. His blood shed, so we no longer have to.

-He is the covenant – He restores us to covenant with God. Now through baptism.

-We see the first shedding of blood after the fall. God kills an animal to clothe Adam and Eve.  Prior to this they would not have seen blood shed. After the fall they clothe in leaves, which are passing and fleeting.  The shedding of the blood of the animal clothes them in something lasting.

Scripture References: Genesis 3:21, Jeremiah 34:17-20, Genesis 15:9-19, Deuturonomy 11:26-29, Joshua 8:33-35

6.The Covenant Mark

-Those entering into covenant would cut their wrist. This would leave a scar or a brand on the wrist marking the covenant.  (This is why we shake hands, it was a way to see the mark of who you were in covenant with).

-The cut on the wrist would bleed and they would drain their blood into a single chalice.

-Jesus is the final cutting, marked on his wrists, and feet, on the cross.

-We get marked now at Baptism and Confirmation with the covenant mark.

Scripture references: Ephesians 1:13, Ephesians 4:30, Isaiah 65:2, Genesis 4:15, Isaiah 44:5

7.Covenant Meal

-This was a private meal for only the two leaders by themselves. It was pre-prepared.  The cup of their own blood from the covenant mark was drank from.  Because Jews could not drink blood, they drank wine.

-They would drink it and break bread and say, May my body be torn in two before I violate this covenant. This is why for us, we should not receive Eucharist if we have mortal sin on our soul.  Mortal sin is a violation of covenant.  Even though we are still marked in Covenant by Baptism, the mortal sin is a violation of it.  Reconciliation restores you to covenant.

-Jesus took them into covenant at the last supper.

-Deliverance is restoring the covenant that has been violated.

-We partake in this covenant of Christ at the Eucharist.

Covenant Principles

These Principles aren’t law but they help keep you having healthy relationships with others and help to keep you in Covenant with God.
When you are in covenant with God, you are also in covenant with His people.
You must remember that people are not your enemy, Satan is.
When we walk in Covenant relationship we value people because God Values people.
These principles are particularly valuable in marriage.
In deliverance ministry the goal is to try to get people back in covenant with God.
1. The First Word Principle
Scriptures: Malachi 3:16 and Matthew 18:15
Commitment: You will be the first person to hear about any problem I have with you.
Question: Have I gone to this person with my problem.
(This helps stop gossip)
2. The Four Day Principle
Scriptures: Proverbs 28:14, John 11:39, James 3:17-18
Commitment: I will not allow any problem I have with you to go unresolved for more than four days.  If, within that length of time, I have not come to peace about the issue, I will communicate with you.
Question: How long have you been troubled about the problem?
(giving several days can help you access if you really do have an issue,  sometimes we realize the other person may be right, but it should not extend beyond 4 days because of anger that can fester which can lead to violation of covenant.)
3. The Final Word Principle
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13:6-7, Ephesians 4:15-16
Commitment: I will believe and act upon the last words we spoke concerning our relationship and live as if you will do the same.  If anything changes on my part I will tell you.
Question: Did you forget or disregard what we last spoke to one another concerning our relationship?
(Do what you say you’re going to do.  This is particularly good for spouses.)
4. The Faithfulness Principle
Scriptures: Acts 9:26-28
Barnabas told the Apostles of Paul’s testimony, to break down any offenses the Apostles may have toward Paul
Commitment: Faithfulness to our relationship outweighs the importance of any offense between us.  I will not allow any problem to override the principles by which we live.
5. The Burden-Carrying Principle
Scriptures: Galatians 6:1-2
To fulfill the law of Christ we must help carry each others burdens.
Commitment: I will commit to help you in every possible way in carrying your burdens.
6. The Corporate Struggle Principle
Scriptures: Romans 12:4-8
Paul to the Romans, shared that their struggle is a corporate struggle but the gifts of God are to build up the Body of Christ again.
Commitment: Your enemy is my enemy…and I will help defend you against every attack or assault, by using my Spiritual Gifts.
(this is a good ministry principle, for example, we will feed the poor. )
7. The Friendship Principle
Scriptures: 1 Samuel 20:41-42
Jonathan tells David that they have made a covenant with each other out of friendship.
Commitment: I will be honest and not expect you to interpret my actions or my motives.  It is my responsibility to approach you if I need help.
I truly believe if we all lived this way, and abide by the Covenant Principles we would be much much happier.  The vitriol we see in social media and out in the streets would cease to exist.  We would know that people are not our enemies, Satan is.  We would direct ourselves to not listen to Satan’s fiery darts of suggestion.  My hope is that by publishing what Jansen taught this will help those of you out there bring the Kingdom of God to earth.

 

 

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