Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium of Oviedo

As many may already know the Shroud of Turin has gone on exposition from April 19, 2015 to June 24, 2015.  This does not happen frequently.  This exposition is in honor of the 200th celebration of St John Bosco ending on his feast day.  For those interested in learning a bit more about what this image teaches us about the Man in the Shroud I've put together some sites which I've found helpful.

Here is a good site where you can examine the shroud in closer detail:

Examine the Shroud  

http://www.shroud.com/examine.htm


Also I came across a good video where Donald Nohs, who has spent much of his life studying and meditating on the shroud, gives a good presentation on the sufferings represented in the Man of the Shroud.

Discovering Jesus in His Holy Shroud

http://www.shroud.com/examine.htm


I found another interesting website where there is a description of the man of the shroud as a Forensic Pathologist would have made an examination of the evidence.  It has some illuminating insights and observations which I would not have picked up on by myself.

An Autopsy on the Man of the Shroud
http://www.shroud.com/examine.htm

There are also a couple of good sites which talk about the Sudarium of Oviedo which is believed to have covered the face of Jesus after he died on the cross and prior to his burial and being wrapped in the shroud.

The Sudarium of Oviedo

http://www.shroud.com/guscin.htm

Another site has a bit more scientific details and descriptions on the Sudarium.

Stains on the Sudarium of Oviedo

http://www.shroud.com/guscin.htm


And here is a good image of the how the overlay of the image of the man in the shroud is believed to coincide with the Sudarium.

The Power and Origin of Prayer

In the previous blog it ended with the transformative power of prayer and how we are all being called through Mary to pray more and more even to have a continuous spirit of prayer with God. Here I want to focus on the power effected by prayer and it's origin.  Jesus tells Luisa in the Volumes that if it weren't for prayer the earth and all on it would be destroyed due to the sins and iniquities committed.



“The iniquities that rise from the earth to Heaven are so many, that if prayer and souls who are victims before Me were missing for a quarter of an hour, I would make fire come out of the earth and inundate the people.”Vol.  2, August 2, 1899

“The river of iniquities is so great as to reach the point of preventing the redemption of souls, and prayer alone, and these wounds of mine, can prevent this raging river from absorbing them all into itself.”
Vol. 2, October 30, 1899

 

In fact Jesus states that it is impossible for him to refuse a long and faithful prayer.  Again this is seen in the Bible with the persistent neighbor asking for bread from his neighbor.

⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
⁹ “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke11: 5-10

Our Paternal goodness is so much that it proves impossible to us to not grant the purpose of a long sacrifice and a prolix prayer.
Vol. 30, March 27, 1932

But surprisingly it is not those prayers where we feel inspired and in ferver which is most moving to God but the ones we pray when we feel ourselves cold and in the desert.  Not that I sure anyone who has ever spent anytime in a spiritual desert would relish the thought of ever going back but it shows that pray, whether we feel anything or not holds great value. (You can read more on the purpose for this Spiritual desert in How Dry I Am.)

“My daughter, when the soul prays with fervor, it is incense with smoke; on the other hand, when she prays feeling cold, but without having allowed anything extraneous to Me to enter herself, it is incense without smoke.  Both of them are pleasing to Me, but the incense without smoke pleases Me more, because smoke always causes some bother to the eyes.”
Vol. 11, March 16, 1913           



But even in these battles of the spirit Jesus promises that he never places a soul in danger by doing so but allows things and situations according to the person's strengths for the good.  However all of this depends on the soul remaining united to God in prayer.  Without this communication with God's love they will go looking for their consolations from other creatures and ultimately fall.

“Do not afflict yourself so much; know that I will never allow them to tempt you beyond your strengths.  If I allow this, it is for your good.  I never put souls in battles so that they may perish; first I measure their strengths, I give them my grace, and then I put them in.  And if some souls fall, it is because they do not remain united to Me by means of prayer; no longer feeling the sensitivity of my love, they go begging for love from the creatures, while I alone can satiate the human heart.

Vol. 1  Jesus wants to make the soul richer and more beautiful and unite it more intimately to himself, so he invites it to sustain a terrible struggle against the demons.
 

Even the creatures of the earth teach us to pray to drive off evil temptations.  How animals will try to avoid confrontations and how fiercely they will fight when cornered and what a noise they will make.



Even the wildest animals repeat to us:  “See, O man, how wild you must be for all that is not God.  See, when we see that someone is approaching us, with our roars we strike so much fear that no one dares to come close to us any more, to disturb our solitude.  You too, when the stench of earthly things - that is, your violent passions – are about to make you muddy and fall into the abyss of sins, with the roars of your prayers and by withdrawing from the occasions in which you find yourself, you will be safe from any danger.” 
Vol. 2, March 13, 1899 



Now how many promises has our Lord made to the saints concerning certain prayers, devotions and novenas?  There are enough to astound in their scope and promises.

There are the promises made for the Chaplet of Mercy given to Saint Faustina.

There are the 12 promises made to Saint Margaret Mary for the Devotion to the Sacred Heart.

There are the promises made concerning the First Five Saturdays made by our Lady.

And how many novenas and prayers:  Listing of Catholic Novenas,   Catholic Prayers and Litanies.  There are enough to fill books.


Although these prayers all have great, even amazing promises they are all prayers of petition in one way or another.  The reason for this is due to the fall of man.  Prior to original sin Adam did not feel the need of prayer as we understand it now.  Only after sinning did man, now a slave, become in need of everything having to pray and beg God in order to obtain something.

The human will renders man a slave; it causes him to be in need of everything.  He feels strength and light missing in him continuously; his existence is always in danger, and whatever he obtains is by dint of prayers, and with difficulty.  So, the man who lives of his will is the true beggar.  On the other hand, one who lives in Mine has no need of anything; he has everything at his disposal.  My Will gives him the dominion of himself, and therefore he is the owner of strength, of light – and not of human strength and light, but of divine.  His existence is always secure, and since he is the owner, he can take whatever he wants, nor does he need to ask in order to receive.  This is so true, that before Adam withdrew from my Will, prayer did not exist.  It is need that makes prayer arise; but he did not need anything, he had nothing to ask for or to impetrate.  So, he loved, he praised, he adored his Creator; prayer had no place in the terrestrial Eden. 

Prayer came, it arose, after sin, as an extreme need of the heart of man.  When one prays, it means that he needs something, and because he hopes, he prays in order to obtain. 
Vol. 20, November 16, 1926




Jesus himself says that while on the earth he only taught one prayer, the Our Father.  One prayer which contains everything.   (For more reading focusing on the Our Father see:  The Promise of the Our Father, Reason We Must Pray for the Kingdom, The Three Daily Breads, and The Yeast of the Divine Will.)



And if I taught one prayer, it was no other than this – that the Divine Will be done on earth as It is in Heaven; but it was the prayer which enclosed everything.
Vol. 16, January 4, 1924



Jesus in placing himself at the head of this prayer has assured that the Kingdom of the Divine Will will come and with it man will no longer need to pray prayers of petition in order to beg favors but will be able to live in the Divine Will, the source of all.



“My daughter, as Adam sinned, God made him the promise of the future Redeemer. Centuries passed, but the promise did not fail, and the generations had the good of Redemption. Now, as I came from Heaven and formed the Kingdom of Redemption, before departing for Heaven, I made another promise, more solemn, of the Kingdom of my Will; and this was in the ‘Our Father’. And so as to give it more value, and to obtain It more quickly, I made this formal promise in the solemnity of my prayer, praying the Father to let His Kingdom come, which is the Divine Will on earth as It is in Heaven. I placed My very Self at the head of this prayer, knowing that such was His Will, and that, prayed by Me, He would deny Me nothing; more so, since I prayed with His very Will, and I asked for something which was wanted by my Father Himself. And after I had formed this prayer before my Celestial Father, certain that the Kingdom of my Divine Will upon earth would be granted to Me, I taught it to my Apostles, that they might teach it to the whole world, so that one might be the cry of all: ‘Your Will be done, on earth as It is in Heaven.’ A promise more sure and solemn I could not make.
Vol. 23, February 5, 1928




Jesus wants everyone to pray the Our Father to pray that the Kingdom of the Divine Will come, pray that each may be transformed in order to be readied to receive such a great gift.  And to make it more certain he prays with us and in us.

“My blessed daughter, you should know that when the creature prays incessantly to obtain a good, she acquires the capacity to possess that good, and possessing it she will hold (the) virtue to make it possessed by the others.  The prayer is as disbursement of the coin in order to buy the good that she wants, the prayer forms the respect, the appreciation, the love that is needed in order to be able possess it.  The prayer forms the void in the soul where to be able to enclose the wanted good, otherwise if I wanted to give it to her, she will not have where to put it, and then you can not give me greater glory, than to ask me that my Will be known and reigns.  This is my same prayer, it is the longing and the heartbeat of my Heart, they are my ardent anxieties, and you should know that my love is so much, that I want to make my Will known, that not being able to hold it back it flows over you, and I make you say:  your Fiat come, your Will be known.  So that it is I that prays in you, it is not you, they are my outlets of love, my loving vents, that feel the need to unite me with the creature in order to not be alone to pray for such a good, and in order to give more value to this prayer, I put in your power my works, all the Creation, my life, my tears, my sufferings, so that it not be a prayer of words alone, but (a) prayer confirmed by my works, life, sufferings and my tears.  Oh!  How sweetly your refrain sounds to my hearing, your loving sing-songs in which is made my echo:  come your Fiat, your Will be known, and if you might not do this, you would suffocate my prayer in you, and I would remain embittered and I would remain alone, alone to pray.  But I must still tell you, you should know that I feel the need to re-trace all my works and sufferings in order to ask me that my Will be known and reign; who has known him and loves him in sight of the great good, can not abstain from asking repeatedly that everyone knows and possesses him, therefore think that I am with you and I pray together with you, when you feel that you can not do less than to pray for the triumph of my Will.”

Vol. 33, July 15, 1934 



Such a great good which is to benefit humanity requires many, many to pray for it, to long for it, to create a space for it in themselves.  The chosen people of God prayed for the Redeemer but it wasn't until Mary prayed with a soul united to the Divine Will for the Kingdom of the Redemption before God that the needed number of prayers were complete to bring about the great good of Redemption upon the earth for the benefit of all.  Luisa is the first to pray with a continuous act of Divine Will petitioning God for the Kingdom of the Divine Will to come down and be manifest upon the earth. 


Yet, you should be consoled, your interior is a continuous speaking before the Divine Majesty, and a continuous act. And a speaking ever unceasing before God, wanting the Kingdom of my Divine Fiat, brings with itself the certainty of victory. So, either you have won or you are about to win. A continuous doing and speaking acquires the nature of a winning power before God, and it is as if God would lose the resisting strength, while the soul acquires the winning strength. An exchange takes place: God is disarmed and the soul is armed with divine weapons, but the Supreme Being is not given to being able to resist. Does that asking Me continuously for the Kingdom of my Eternal Will seem trivial to you? - going around through the whole Creation, and, over and over again, in all the acts I did in Redemption, as well as in the seas of the acts of love and of sorrow of the Sovereign Queen of Heaven, to ask for my Kingdom? You seek nothing for yourself, and you go round and round, asking over and over again that my Divine Will be known, and that It dominate and reign. Not a shadow of what is human enters into this, nor any personal interest; it is the holiest and most divine prayer and act; it is prayer of Heaven, not of the earth, and therefore the purest, the most beautiful, the invincible one, which encloses only the interest of the divine glory. Until now no one has prayed Me with such insistence. My Mama did pray Me with such insistence for the sake of Redemption, and She was victorious; but for the Kingdom of my Will – no one until now with such insistence as to conquer a God.
Vol. 22, August 12, 1927



But now we each must also pray to make a space within ourselves for such a great good as well.  We must do our parts to fill in the desired number of acts needed to bring about this Kingdom.  We must seek this Kingdom with the spirit of  continuous prayer and with single minded purpose we must storm the gates of Heaven.


⁶¹ Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” ⁶² Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:61-62


¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
Mathew 11:12



“My daughter, continue on – do not want to stop. You must know that everything has been determined by the Supreme Being – prayers, acts, pains, sighs, which the creature must do in order to obtain that which We Ourselves want to give her, and which she longs to receive. So, if these are not performed, the longed for Sun does not rise from Us in the midst of the long night of the human will, to form the day of the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat. This is why many times it happens that many acts and prayers are done, and nothing is obtained; but then, because of another little sigh and prayer, one obtains what he so much longed for. Was it perhaps the last act to obtain the deed of grace? Ah, no! It was the continuation of all the acts and prayers; and if one sees that he obtains through that last act, it is because that one was needed to complete the number established by Us.
Vol. 24, May 20, 1928

The Importance of Prayer

Ever wonder why in the messages of Medjugorje from our Lady she almost constantly asks for prayer and fasting.  I think that people often get a bit tired of hearing the same message over and over hoping for something new wondering why she keeps repeating the same thing when we know this one already. Just by doing a quick search of her messages for "pray" I came up with 1,337 different messages.  It was while reading the Poem of the Man God that I first came across something which started to make me think differently about prayer.  It's where Jesus brought the twelve apostles to a place to pray and fast for their formation as apostles.  Here is his explanation for doing so.

     "I have brought you here to speak to your spirits, to nourish your spirits, to make you spiritual.  I shall not speak many words.  I have told you so many in approximately one year that I have been with you!  Enough of that.  If I should have to change you by means of words, I would have to keep you ten years... one hundred years, and you would still be imperfect.  It is now time that I make use of you.  And to make use of you, I must form you.  I will have recourse to the great medicine, to the great weapon:  to prayer.  I have always prayed for you.  But now I want you to pray by yourselves.  I will not yet teach you My prayer.  But I will tell you how to pray and what prayer is.  It is the conversation of sons with the Father, of spirits with the Spirit, an open, warm, trustful, quiet and frank conversation.  Prayer is everything:  it is confession, knowledge of ourselves, repentance, a promise to ourselves and to God, a request to God, all done at the feet of the Father.  And it cannot be done in a turmoil, among distractions, unless one is a giant in prayer.  And even giants suffer from the clash with the noise of the world in their time of prayer.  You are no giants, but pygmies.  You are but infants in your spirits.  You are deficient in your spirits.  You will reach here the age of spiritual reason.  The rest will come later.

The Gospel as Revealed to Me, by Maria Valtorta, pg. 34.  (Formally known as the Poem of the Man God.)

So a couple of things I've noticed here; even being in the presence of Jesus for a year and hearing him speak and teach it was not enough by itself to effect a dramatic change in the apostles and their prayer mainly consisted of opening themselves up to conversation with God.  They did not pray the "Our Father" he does go on to say that they would gather together three times a day "...to pray with the old words of Israel and to break our bread, then each of  you will go back to his grotto, in front of God and of his soul..." pg. 35, but mostly their prayer was a form of meditation without route recitation.  This started an exploration on the subject and the power of prayer for me which has gone on now for some time.  Here is what I've found in the Volumes. 


Jesus enlightened Luisa that vocal prayer maintained a correspondence with God but only combined with interior meditation does it draw God to an intimate conversation with the soul.

Since He was still not coming, I kept saying:  ‘My good Jesus, do not make me wait so long.  This morning I don’t feel like getting upset and looking for You so much, to the point of tiring myself.  Come once and for all, quickly quickly – as simple as that.’  And in seeing that He was not coming, I kept saying:  ‘It shows that You want me to get tired and even reach the point of getting upset; otherwise You do not come.’

While I was saying this and other nonsense, He came and told me:  “Would you be able to tell Me what it is that maintains the correspondence between the soul and God?”  And I, but always through a light that came from Him, said:  ‘Prayer’.  And Jesus, approving of my answer, added:  “But what is it that draws God to intimate conversation with the soul?”  I did not know what to answer,  but immediately the light moved in my intellect, and I said:  ‘If vocal prayer serves to maintain the correspondence, certainly interior meditation must serve as nourishment in order to maintain the conversation between God and the soul.’ 

Vol. 3, September 1, 1900



Furthermore it is in the ongoing effort of the soul to remain in continuous prayer that draws the Divinity to intimate conversation with the soul manifesting now one thing and now another to her expanding her knowledge of God.

“What I recommend to you is a spirit of continuous prayer.  The continuous effort of the soul to converse with Me, whether with her heart, or with her mind, with her mouth, or even with a simple intention - renders her so beautiful in my sight, that the notes of her heart harmonize with the notes of my Heart.  I feel so drawn to converse with this soul, that I manifest to her not only the works ad extra [external] of my Humanity, but I keep manifesting to her something of the works ad intra [interior] which the Divinity did in my Humanity.  Not only this, but the beauty that a spirit of continuous prayer makes her acquire is so great, that the devil is as though struck by lightning, and remains frustrated in the snares He lays in order to harm this soul.”

Vol. 4, July 28, 1902



Luisa was also requested by Mary to pray and here she receives a lesson from her on the most effective prayers to move the Heart of Jesus.

I felt the Queen Mama near me, and She told me:  “My daughter, pray.”  And I:  ‘My Mama, let us pray together, for by myself I don’t know how to pray.’  And She added:

           “The most powerful prayers over the Heart of my Son, and those which move Him the most, are for the creature to clothe herself with everything He Himself did and suffered, since He gave everything as gift to the creature.  Therefore, my daughter, surround your head with the thorns of Jesus, bead your eyes with His tears, impregnate your tongue with His bitterness, clothe your soul with His Blood, adorn yourself with His wounds, pierce your hands and feet with His nails, and like another Christ present yourself before His Divine Majesty.  This sight will move Him in such a way that He will not be able to deny anything to the soul who is clothed with His own insignia.  But – oh! how little do creatures know how to make use of the gifts which my Son gave them!  These were my prayers upon earth, and these are my prayers in Heaven.”

Vol. 11, June 15, 1916 



So prayers which renew the sacrifice of our Lord before God are the most effective in moving the Heart of Jesus.  But also prayer must be done in an attitude of humility or it will not even be listened to by God.



No prayer is listened to by my ears, and moves my Heart to compassion, if it is not perfumed by the fragrance of humility. 
Vol. 3, January 12, 1900

I seemed to see Him in such great suffering as to arouse compassion.  Throwing Himself into my arms, He said to me:  “My daughter, break the fury of my Justice, otherwise….”  At that moment, I seemed to see divine Justice, armed with swords, with darts of fire, such as to strike terror; and also the fortitude with which She can act.  All frightened, I said:  ‘How can I break your fury if I see You so strong as to be able to annihilate heaven and earth in one simple instant?’  And He:  “Yet, a suffering soul and a most humble prayer make Me lose all my strength, and render Me so weak as to let Myself be bound by that soul as she pleases.” 

Vol. 4, October 17, 1900



Even though Jesus said that prayer "...cannot be done in a turmoil, among distractions, unless one is a giant in prayer..." he also says that there will be times when the distractions and disturbances will be too great to recollect oneself in prayer.  But this is where humility comes into play again.  Jesus says that one should accept these disturbances confessing that one deserves these pains and then offer them up to God as a sacrifice which will then draw down new graces and charisms and will drive the devil away.

Don’t you know that I am Spirit of Peace, and the first thing I recommend is that you do not disturb the peace of the heart?  When in prayer you are not able to recollect yourself, I do not want you to think of this or that – of how it is, or how it is not – because in doing so, you yourself call the distraction.  Instead, when you find yourself in that state, the first thing to do is to humble yourself, confessing that you deserve those pains, and placing yourself in the arms of the executioner, like a humble little lamb that licks his hand while he kills it.  The same for you:  while seeing yourself beaten, disheartened and alone, you will resign yourself to my holy dispositions, you will thank Me with all your heart, you will kiss my hand that strikes you, recognizing yourself unworthy of those pains.  Then, you will offer to Me that bitterness, anguish and tedium, praying Me to accept them as a sacrifice of praise, of satisfaction for your sins, and of reparation for the offenses that they give Me.  If you do so, your prayer will ascend before my throne as most fragrant incense; it will wound my Heart, and you will draw new graces and new charisms upon you.  In seeing you humble and resigned, all plunged into your nothingness, the devil will not have the power to get close.  And here is how, where you thought you were losing, you will make great gains.”
Vol. 1  The soul experiences that it cannot do anything without Jesus and that everything it does is all due to him.  Jesus, the true spiritual director, teaches the soul what to do in various situations.

And how often have I experienced and I've heard others say that Jesus often seems to like to wait until the last moment.  More so Jesus tells Luisa that for all the things that he wants to give to us it is necessary that we "earn" these things through a set number of prayers, acts, pains and sighs.  If the set number is not complete he can not give.  So although it often seems like the last moment before we are answered it is more so Him waiting for the set number of acts and prayers on our part before He can answer us.  Just as it says in the Bible:



⁵ And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷ And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
⁹ “So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke11: 5-10


So Jesus reaffirms in the Volumes:

“My daughter, continue on – do not want to stop. You must know that everything has been determined by the Supreme Being – prayers, acts, pains, sighs, which the creature must do in order to obtain that which We Ourselves want to give her, and which she longs to receive. So, if these are not performed, the longed for Sun does not rise from Us in the midst of the long night of the human will, to form the day of the Kingdom of the Divine Fiat. This is why many times it happens that many acts and prayers are done, and nothing is obtained; but then, because of another little sigh and prayer, one obtains what he so much longed for. Was it perhaps the last act to obtain the deed of grace? Ah, no! It was the continuation of all the acts and prayers; and if one sees that he obtains through that last act, it is because that one was needed to complete the number established by Us.
Vol. 24, May 20, 1928

Now just as it says above that when one wants to receive they must preform a set number of prayers and acts to obtain that divine gift in the case of a universal good which is to be given to many so too are there a set number of acts and prayers which must be done by a set number of people.  These prayers and holy desires dispose people to a holier life, a more spiritual life just as Jesus used "the great medicine, the great weapon" of prayer to transform the apostles.  As it was for the Kingdom of the Redemption so is it for the Kingdom of His Divine Fiat.

Now, my daughter, the Kingdom of Redemption and the Kingdom of my Divine Fiat hold hands, and since It is also a universal good, such that, if they want so, all can enter into It, it is necessary that many know the news about It, and that It be conceived in the minds, in the words, in the works and hearts of many, so that, through prayers, desires, and a holier life, they may dispose themselves to receive the Kingdom of my Divine Will into their midst. If the news is not divulged, my manifestations will not act as trumpeters, nor will the knowledges about my Divine Fiat fly from mouth to mouth, forming the conception of It in the minds, prayers, sighs and desires of creatures. My Divine Volition will not make Its triumphant entrance, coming to reign upon earth.

Vol. 25, January 13, 1929



And here we have the reason for Mary's incessant call to prayer in the messages of Medjugorje.  She needs us to be transformed into a holier life through prayer and fasting in order to bring about the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart.  And what greater Triumph is there for Mary than to see the full and complete Reign of the Kingdom of her Son, of the Divine Fiat, the Divine Word living and reigning within each and every creature on earth hence bringing about the full Kingdom upon the earth.

"Dear children, do not be of a hard heart towards the mercy of God, which has been pouring out upon you for so much of your time. In this special time of prayer, permit me to transform your hearts that you may help me to have my Son resurrect in all hearts, and that my heart may triumph. Thank you."

Our Lady's message for April 2, 2007


Fiat

25 Secrets on Spiritual Warfare given to St. Faustina

Hope they don't mind but I found a nice post which summarizes Jesus' advice given to St Faustina on how to conduct herself in her daily life and battles and I wanted to share it.  I think I need to print this one up and stick it on my wall as a reminder.

 

25 Secrets to Spiritual Warfare   http://catholicexchange.com/jesus-st-faustina-spiritual-warfare-25-secrets

 

 

Jesus to St. Faustina on Spiritual Warfare: 25 Secrets

By Kathleen Beckman  http://catholicexchange.com/author/kbeckman



Here are the secret whispers of Jesus to his little bride Faustina on how to protect herself from the attacks of the devil. These instructions became Faustina’s weapon in fighting the good fight.
Jesus began, “My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare” (1760). (The Lord’s words are in bold text; my comments follow.)

1. Never trust in yourself but abandon yourself totally to My will.

Trust is a spiritual weapon. Trust is part of the shield of faith that St. Paul mentions in chapter six of Ephesians: the armor of God. Abandonment to God’s will is an act of trust; faith in action dispels evil spirits.

 

2. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in my name.

In times of spiritual warfare, immediately pray to Jesus. Invoke His Holy Name that is feared in the netherworld. Bring darkness into the light by telling a spiritual director or confessor and follow his instruction.

3. Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart.

In the Garden of Eden, Eve bargained with the devil and lost. We have recourse to the refuge of the Sacred Heart. In running to Christ, we turn our backs on the demonic.

4. At the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor.

A good confession, a good confessor, and a good penitent are a recipe for victory over temptation and demonic oppression—without fail.

5. Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds.

Self-love is natural but it should be ordered, free of pride. Humility defeats the devil that is perfect pride. Satan tempts us to disordered self-love to lead us into his pool of pride.

6. Bear with yourself with great patience.

Patience is a secret weapon that helps us to keep our peace of soul even in the great storms of life. Bearing with oneself is part of humility and trust. The devil tempts us to impatience, to turn against our selves so we become angry. See yourself from God’s view. He is infinitely patient.

7. Do not neglect interior mortifications.

Scripture teaches that some demons can only be evicted by prayer and fasting. Interior mortifications are weapons of warfare. They can be small sacrifices offered with great love. The power of sacrificial love evicts the enemy.

8. Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor.

Christ is speaking to St. Faustina who lives in a convent. But we all have people in authority over us. The devil aims to divide and conquer so humble obedience to authentic authority is a spiritual weapon.

9. Shun murmurs like a plague.

The tongue is a powerful vessel that can do great harm. Murmuring, gossiping, is never of God. The devil is a liar who stirs up false accusations and gossip that can kill a person’s reputation. Shun murmurs!

10. Let all act as they like; you are to act, as I want you to.

To mind one’s own business is key in spiritual warfare. The devil is a busybody attempting to drag everyone down. Please God and let the opinions of others go by the wayside.

11. Observe the rule as faithfully as you can.

Jesus is referring to the rule of a Religious Order here. Most of us have made some vow before God and Church and we should be faithful our promises—i.e. Marriage vows and baptismal vows. Satan tempts to infidelity, lawlessness and disobedience. Fidelity is a weapon for victory.

12. If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer.

Being a vessel of divine mercy is a weapon for good and for defeating evil. The devil is about hatred, rage, revenge, and unforgiveness. Others have hurt us all at some time. What good can we do in return? Returning a blessing breaks curses.

13. Do not pour out your feelings.

A talkative soul will more easily be attacked by the devil. Pour out your feelings to the Lord only. Remember, the good and evil spirits hear what you say aloud. Feelings are fleeting. Truth is the compass. Interior recollection is a spiritual armor.

14. Be silent when you are rebuked.

Most of us have been rebuked at some time. We have no control over that but we can control our response. The need to be right all the time can lead into demonic traps. God knows the truth. Let it go. Silence is a protection. The devil can use self-righteousness to trip us up also.

15. Do not ask everyone’s opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him.

Simplicity of life can drive out demons. Honesty is a weapon to defeat Satan, the Liar. When we lie we put a foot in his camp and he will try to seduce us all the more.

16. Do not become discouraged by ingratitude.

No one likes to be taken for granted. But when we are met with ingratitude or insensitivity, the spirit of discouragement can weigh us down. Resist all discouragement for it is never of God. It is one of the devil’s most effective temptations. Gratitude in all things wins the day.

17. Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you.

The need to know, and curiosity about the future is a temptation that has led too many people into the backrooms of psychics, witches, etc. Choose to walk in faith. Decide to trust in God who leads you on the path to heaven. Resist the spirit of curiosity always.

18. When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart.

Jesus delivers the same message a second time. Now He refers to boredom. Earlier in the Diary he told St. Faustina that the devil most easily tempts idle souls. Beware of boredom, a spirit of lethargy, or acedia—the noonday devil. Idle souls are easy prey for demons. Be about the business of God.

19. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us.

Fear is the second most common tactic of the devil (pride is the first). Courage intimidates the devil—he will flee in the face of persevering courage that stands on Jesus, the rock. All people struggle, God is our provision.

20. Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you.

Jesus instructs a Sister in a convent to “fight” with conviction. She can do so because Christ accompanies her. Christians are called to fight with conviction against all demonic tactics. The devil tries to terrorize souls, demonic terrorism—resist! Invoke the Holy Spirit throughout the day.

21. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will.

All merit lies in the will because love is an act of the will. We are completely free in Christ. We must make a choice, a decision for good or evil. What camp do we live in?

22. Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things.

Christ is instructing a Religious here. But, we all have the Lord as our Superior. Dependence upon God is a weapon of spiritual warfare because we cannot win on our own. Proclaiming Christ’s victory over evil is part of intentional discipleship. Christ came to defeat death & evil. Proclaim Him!

23. I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles.

St. Faustina suffered physically and spiritually. She was prepared for great battles by the grace of God who upheld her. Christ clearly instructs us in scripture to be prepared for great battles, to put on God’s armor and resist the devil. Be vigilant and discerning always.

24. Know that you are on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you.

We are all on a great stage where heaven and earth are watching. What message is our life giving? What radiates from us—shades of light, darkness or grey? The way we live attracts more light or more darkness. If the devil does not succeed in pulling us into darkness, he tries to keep us in the category of the lukewarm, which is not pleasing to God.

25. Fight like a knight, so I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.

The Lord’s words to St. Faustina can become our mantra: Fight like a knight! A knight for Christ knows well the cause that he fights for, the nobility of his mission, the King who he serves, and with blessed assuredness of the victory, he fights to the end, even at the cost of his life. If a young, uneducated, simple Polish nun, united to Christ, can fight like a knight, every Christian can do the same. Trust is victorious.

Quotes from the Diary of St. Faustina are copyrighted by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, Mass.

Prayer to Wisdom to Knowledge to Truth to True Peace and Happiness

 Wow, check out Our Lady's annual message to Mirjana!

“Dear children, with a full heart I am asking you, I am imploring you children: cleanse your hearts of sin and lift them up to God and to eternal life. I am imploring you: be vigilant and open for truth. Do not permit for all that is of this earth to distance you from the true cognition of the contentment in the communion with my Son. I am leading you on the way of true wisdom, because only with true wisdom can you come to know true peace and the true good. Do not waste time asking for signs of the Heavenly Father, because He has already given you the greatest sign, which is my Son. Therefore, my children, pray so that the Holy Spirit can lead you into truth, can help you to come to know it, and through that knowledge of the truth that you may be one with the Heavenly Father and with my Son. That is the cognition which gives happiness on earth and opens the door of eternal life and infinite love. Thank you.”

Our Lady's annual message to Mirjana, 2015


So much in this one little message!  Sin blocks the truth from being seen.  It's like clouds blocking the sun from the earth or like a little child with his eyes shut and his face in a corner thinking he can't be seen.  The sun is still there shining, the child can be seen.  We are the ones to block the truth from entering into our hearts.  It's only when we accept that we can't do things on our own and humbly lift our hearts up in prayer to our Heavenly Father that we allow him to work in our souls and teach us what lessons he knows we most need.  And what do these lessons lead to?  They lead to an ever greater knowledge and understanding of who we are and who God is so that we might become "one with the Heavenly Father and with my Son."  And this is the only way to true peace and happiness on this earth and in the eternal life to come.


 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Psalm 51:6


God desires that truth reside in us but we must be open to it.


The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding.  His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10

Wisdom and understanding and knowledge go hand in hand and true wisdom and understanding does not come from the earth because with true wisdom comes true and lasting peace which only comes from Jesus.  We can't reach truth on our own but only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we be guided  into the truth.  And it is through this knowledge that we can then "be one with the Heavenly Father and with [the] Son."

Sound familiar?

Sounds like living in the Divine Will to me....and all the knowledges revealed through all the Volumes.

Death of Fr Gustavo

I've just learned of the death of Fr. Gustavo, the spiritual father of the Community Sons of the Divine Will to which I owe my formation and have gained my foundation in the knowledge of Luisa Piccarreta and Living in the Divine Will.  It is Fr. Gustavo's silhouette which can be seen over the heart of Jesus in this miraculous photo taken during the point of consecration during one of Fr's celebrated masses.

He reportedly died March 7, between 11 and 11:30pm. 

"Fr. Gustavo Morelos was born in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico on February 7, 1928 and was baptized in secret during the persecution of the Church in Mexico.

Eager to devote his life to Christ, he entered the religious community of the Christian Brothers at age eleven.

In 1954, he traveled to Rome to study at the Pontifical Universities of the Gregorian and the Angelicum. He was ordained a priest on March 14, 1959 at the Pontificio Colegio Pio Latino Americano in Rome."
notes on Fr. Gustavo    http://www.zoominfo.com/p/Gustavo-Morelos/476951745

Fr. Gustavo became a spiritual child of St Pio while studying in Rome and visited him often.  He received the inheritance of gloves worn by St Pio after his passing and soon after received the gift of being entrusted with many of the Volumes of the Divine Will.  Fr. Gustavo also became a confidant to the children of Garabandal where he strongly advocated the release of the correct message of the Virgin Mary.
An Interview with Fr. Gustavo     http://www.garabandal.org/vigil/J_A_1988/Father_Morelos_1988.shtml

Fr. Gustavo's life was focused on Living in the Divine Will and the coming of the Kingdom of the Fiat as revealed through Luisa Piccarreta.  Anyone who has felt called to live this life of Divine Will owes a certain amount of gratitude to Fr. Gustavo.

May Fr. Gustavo now enjoy his full reward and may he pray for all us to reach the fullness to which we are each called by God to live in His Most Holy Divine Will.



"Gustavo Elfego Morelos Tejeda, 87, of Saint Cloud, passed away on March 7, 2015 in Saint Cloud, FL.
He was born on February 7, 1928 to Felipe and Maria in Mexico.
Visitation will be held on March 14, 2015 from 5:00-9:00 PM at Porta Coeli Funeraria y Crematorio, 2801 E. Osceola Parkway, Kissimmee, FL.34743
Burial will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico "
Obituary, Viewing and Funeral arrangements

http://www.portacoelifh.com/obituaries/Gustavo-Morelos-Tejeda/#!/Obituary