Encouraging Words for Teen ACTS Retreat, June 29 - July 1, 2018

6/29/18   3:58 a.m.             

“Oh, My Children!  I have a tender love for you.  I was thinking about you the whole time I was in such pain for you during My Passion and Death on the Cross.  I was overflowing with love for you, like a fountain of Living Water.  I was breathing New Life into you as your sins melted away in My Precious Blood.”

“I reached out to your very precious soul, and pulled you close to Me.  I filled you with My Light, and banished the darkness from your mind.  I rescued you from yourself.  I placed you on solid ground, on My Love for you that will never fail.”

“Oh, yes, My Child, I love you!  Come to Me.  Come, let Me hold you.  Rest your head on My Heart.  Hear My Heart beating for you.  I love you, My Child, I love you.  I bless you, My Child, I bless you!  Halleluia, Halleluia, Amen!”

Call to be Missionary Disciples

Jesus calls each of us to be a missionary disciple.  What does that mean?

Jesus tells us what it is like to be a missionary disciple.  “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.  Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give…Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave.  As you enter a house, wish it peace.  If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.”  Matthew 10:7-8,11-13

“The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  To me, the kingdom of heaven is something that can be experienced here and now, “at hand.”  It is God’s love, joy, and peace in our hearts.  It is definitely believing in God’s Love, Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy!

Jesus says to, “Cure the sick.”  Knowing that you are loved by God will automatically put you on the road to healing.  Believing in His Goodness, Kindness, and Mercy for you, will give you hope to overcome your illnesses – spiritual, mental, psychological, and physical.  Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  (John 4:14)  Jesus is the source of living water that brings healing to your heart and soul.  When you invite Jesus to come into your heart, and to be the Lord of your life, then He becomes a spring of living water, running over, to cure you, and the sick around you.   Jesus Himself gives all of us eternal life when we believe in Him.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  (John 3:16)

Jesus calls us to, “raise the dead.”  We are to love and have mercy and compassion on those around us who are spiritually dead in their sins.  We are to raise up, and lift up their hearts, in prayer, to our Lord.  We are to beg God to rain down His precious Blood and Living Water upon their hearts, so that they will turn from their sinful ways, and live a new life for God.

Jesus tells us to, “cleanse lepers.”  It is easy to want to stay away from the people in our lives that we don’t like.  It takes courage to pray for them, and even more courage to reach out to them.  Jesus says, “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that [I] told you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives do I give it to you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”  (John 14:26-27)  Ask the Holy Spirit to be with you and guide you.  Allow yourself to be an instrument for God to use.  Cleansing a leper can be as simple as inviting someone to go with you to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where Jesus is present through the priest, to forgive and to heal.

Jesus exhorts us to, “drive out demons.”  Any thought that pulls you down, and does not reinforce and verify God’s love for you, is not from God.  Guard your heart and soul.  Always say, “yes,” to God’s love in your heart and soul.  Say, “no,” to thoughts that cause you to harden your heart.

  Saint Paul says, “What will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?...No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:35, 37-39)  Saint Paul goes on to say, “Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.”  (Romans 12:21)  Driving out demons can mean encouraging a person to trust in the Lord, instead of doubting; to banish fears with the love of God; to replace anxiety with faith in God, etc…

Jesus says, “As you enter a house, wish it peace…”  A “house” can also mean a person’s heart and soul.  When you are with someone, you can wish them the peace of our Lord.  Saint Paul says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)  You are not only a house, but a temple!  Even Jesus referred to His own Body as a temple.  He told the Jews, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up…he was speaking about the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-21)

Love is calling you.  Love is calling you to be a missionary disciple.  Do you hear it?  Believe in God’s Love for you!

My prayer is…

that the Lord’s Loving Will be done in my life today

that I may love Jesus

with all of my heart

that I may love Jesus

with all of my soul

that I may love Jesus

with all of my mind

that I may love Jesus

with all of my strength

that I may see God’s love for me today

and share His Love with others

Amen!

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Mark 12:30-31a

My Love

2/7/05    3:22 a.m.    Monday

“Oh, My Children!  You are so precious to Me!  I love you so very deeply.  My Heart goes out to you!  I invite you to open your heart to Me.  Allow Me to love you.  Let yourself go in My Hands.  I am the One who created you.  I am the One who designed your very soul.  I gave you your heart for one purpose – to love Me.  The love that we share can’t help but to spill over and touch the hearts of everyone around you.  My Love is contagious!!”

“My Love is a very special kind of love.  It is selfless.  It is holy.  It has power to change lives.  It has power to heal.  It has power to strengthen.  It has power to nourish through My Holy Word.  It has power to move mountains through faith.  It has power to free a person from sin.  It has power to shed light on the darkness in your heart, to expose it and expel it.  My Love is the basis for every virtue.”

“My Love comes from Me, and I offer it to you, that you may have My Awesome, Powerful Love dwelling inside your heart.  I love you, My Children.  I desire you to have My Love rooted firmly in your heart.  I desire you to have the desires of My Heart, to follow through with My Holy Will, to act upon My Holy Word.  I desire you to dwell in Me that I may dwell in you.  I desire for you to be filled with My Holy Spirit, to be filled with My Holy Love, to walk in My Holy Ways.”

“You are so precious to Me.  I love you, I love you, I love you!  Allow Me to give you My Love.  Allow Me to so fill you with Myself that you can’t help but to love as I love, to act as I act, to be as I Am, to be full of Me.  I desire to be One with you.  I love you!  I desire to unite Myself with you so that My Love will radiate throughout the whole world!  I love you, My Children.  I bless you, My Children!  I bless you with My Love!  Halleluia, Halleluia, Amen!!”

I Am the Light

2/13/18      3:39 a.m.

“Oh, My Children!  I am the Light.  I am the Light that shines in your darkness.  I see the way for you.  I know the way for you.  I lead you by the hand.”

“I am never too far away from you.  I hold your soul in existence.  I know your every move, your every thought.”

“I am enamored with you.  I am in love with your heart and soul.”

“I created you out of love.  I called you into being.  I have a special purpose for you, one that only I know.”

“I will tell you more and more as you draw near to Me.”

“I hold your heart in My Hands.  You, whom I love.”

“Have no worries.  Trust in Me.  Have no fears.  Believe in My Word.  Believe in My Words of Love for you.”

“Cling to Me in your darkest hour.  I will cling to you.  I will be with you every moment.  I will warm your heart, and light your path with My Love.”

“I love you, My Children, I love you.  I bless you, My Child, I bless you.  Halleluia, Halleluia, Amen!!”

Purple Roses

                

                Mary, my holy Mother of God, has been waking me up in the middle of the night to pray for the forty young women of grace in our parish.  One night, her sweet presence was very strong.  She invited me to enter inside her Immaculate Heart.  I asked her for the grace to do this, since I am so unworthy.

                Mary spoke to my heart.  She said, “I clothe you in my Spouse, the Holy Spirit.”  I saw, in prayer, with the eyes of my heart, how she placed a light blue, transparent mantle, or robe, over me.  There were beautiful roses of grace on the bottom edge of the robe.

                Then Mary brought to me her Son in the form of a Holy Eucharist Host.  She gave me a spiritual communion!  In prayer, in my mind, I ate the Body of Christ, the Body of my Lord Jesus!  Praise God!

                Then I saw, with the eyes of my heart, forty Holy Eucharist Hosts imbedded into my robe.  Mary asked me to pray forty Hail Mary’s, which I did.  For each Hail Mary prayer that I prayed, Mary gave one of the Hosts, a spiritual communion, to one of the forty young women of grace!

                I noticed that there were forty gorgeous pink roses on the bottom edge of my robe.  Mary asked me to pray forty more Hail Mary’s so that she could give a rose of grace to each of the forty young women of grace.  I did!  I love being obedient to Jesus through Mary!

                Then Mary put forty small white daisies into my robe and asked me to pray forty more Hail Mary’s for each of the forty young women of grace.  With each daisy, Mary gave purity, humility, docility to the Holy Spirit, and holiness, to each of these precious daughters of God!  Praise God!

                I could see, with the eyes of my heart, that Mary’s mantle was covering all forty daughters of God.  I saw all the forty Hosts, forty pink roses, and forty white daisies in the bottom edge of her mantle, praise God!

                Then Mary presented me to her Son, Jesus, and He placed a blue-gray nun’s habit over the robe of the Holy Spirit I was wearing.  I could see, with the eyes of my heart, that the robe of the Holy Spirit was like an inner liner for the nun’s habit.  I could see the edges of the Holy Spirit robe under the nun’s habit, and the edges had roses of grace on them.  How beautiful!  Thank You, Jesus!  Thank you, Mary!  I love You, Jesus!  I love you, Mary!  Praise God!!

                In the middle of the next night, Mary called me to pray again.  This time, in prayer, Jesus held me in His arms like a little girl.  He invited me to enter inside His Sacred Heart.  I asked Mary to intercede for me for the grace to do this, since I am so unworthy!

                Jesus brought me to God, my Heavenly Father.  I felt very humble and small, and emptied of myself, and filled with Mary’s Immaculate Heart, and Jesus’ Sacred Heart.  My greatest desire was to do God’s Holy Will every moment of my life.

                God, my Father, blessed me with a halo, like the angels wear!  The halo helps me to know God’s loving Will!  I asked Mary to intercede for me so that I would always know God’s Will, and always be obedient to God’s Will.  Praise God!!!

                This morning, five days later, I prayed the Joyful Mysteries of the holy rosary in front of my “Our Lady of Guadalupe” statue in my bedroom on the tile floor.  Before I began the rosary, in prayer, I repented of my sins at the foot of the Cross.  I saw with the eyes of my heart, Jesus, standing in front of me.  He picked me up like a little girl, and held me to His Chest, and hugged me, and loved me.  I cried.  I was so sorry for my mistakes and my sins.  Jesus just loves me, and forgives me!

                Jesus drew me into His Love and His Peace, into His Sacred Heart.  I asked Mary, my holy Mother of God, to intercede for me for the grace to enter into Jesus’ Sacred Heart, since I am so unworthy.  Jesus walked beside me and held my little hand.  He brought me to see Mary, His Holy Mother.  As we were walking, I noticed the smell of roses.  I looked down, and we were walking on beautiful dark purple roses.  I could only see the heads of the roses since they were packed tight against each other.

                I understood that the deep purple roses were for the forty young women of grace!  The purple color comes from the fusion of the blue grace from Mary’s mantle, that she wears, and the red Precious Blood from Jesus’ Sacred Heart.  The purple roses represent the fusion of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  It is the union of the Love of Jesus and the Love of Mary!

                Mary is blessing each of the forty young women of grace with this beautiful Love of Jesus and Mary!  These forty purple roses also represent these forty daughters of God filled with the love of Jesus and Mary!  Praise God!!!

Purple Baked Goods

                It all started with a group email request from my dear friend for purple baked goods.  She was facilitating a Young Women of Grace retreat Friday and Saturday at our parish, and needed to feed these hungry teen-agers, ages twelve to eighteen.  I had fanciful thoughts of experimenting in my kitchen with red and blue food coloring.  That was my will, but God had other plans for me, and I ultimately swung by the bakery at my local grocery store, instead.  I walked into our main church office on Friday morning to drop off the cookies I bought, and I learned that there were forty of them – forty young women!  Wow!  What a great turn-out!

                Having done my duty, I thought my obligation was finished.  Little did I know, my involvement with these forty young retreatants was so not over!  Later that afternoon I decided to check which time slots were still open for our once-a-month, twenty-four hour Eucharistic Adoration.  I noticed that there was a big opening from 2:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m. on Saturday morning!  I debated signing up for either one, or two hours, and wondered how I was going to leave my home without disturbing my husband and son.  I have never committed myself for two hours before…I finally decided to take a leap of faith that God would pave the way for me, and keep me awake that second hour!

                Ah!  I love Eucharistic Adoration!  I sat in God’s holy presence, His unconditional love, and ocean of mercy for over an hour, just soaking Him into my heart and soul.  No words.  Just love.

Then a fellow parishioner entered the daily chapel to pray also.  I still had forty-five minutes, so I decided to pray my rosary, the Joyful Mysteries.  I was praying the rosary the way Saint Louis de Montfort prayed it, with the short phrases in the middle of each Hail Mary, to stay attentive.  While I was praying, I was thinking about the forty young women of grace.  When I got to the third mystery, the “Nativity of Our Lord,” Mary, my Holy Mother of God, spoke to my heart.  She wanted me to do something for her.

First, Mary showed me four of the young women, wearing blue-grey nun habits, so holy!  Their backs were turned to me, so I couldn’t see their faces.  Their love for God was like a breath of fresh air!  Then Mary showed me how she was sheltering all forty of the young women with a corner of her Heavenly Mantle, protecting them from all evil and all harm.  Mary spoke to my heart.  She said, “Bring them to me... be a mother to them.”  I realized that Mary spiritually placed them under my charge, to pray for them always!  I was also aware that I needed to humble myself under Mary’s loving guidance, and be completely dependent upon her.  That is the only way for me to know when, and how, to bring these precious daughters of God to Mary, and nurture their faith.

The rest of my rosary prayers became very special.  For the third mystery, the “Nativity,” Saint Louis de Montfort’s phrase after saying, “Jesus,” in each Hail Mary is, “born into poverty.”  I saw how Jesus was being born into their hearts, one heart for each bead on my rosary.  When I got to the tenth bead of the decade, I realized I needed to pray thirty more “Nativity” beads, because there were thirty more daughters of God needing prayers for Jesus to be born into their hearts!  My hands backed up three times over the ten beads to fit in three more decades.

For the fourth mystery, the “Presentation of Jesus in the Temple”, Saint Louis’s phrase for each Hail Mary is “…Jesus, sacrificed.” I prayed forty Hail Mary’s for each of the forty daughters of God, for their sacrifices to the Lord that they will make during their lifetimes.

  For the fifth mystery, the “Finding of Jesus in the Temple,” Saint Louis’s phrase for each Hail Mary is, “…Jesus, Saint among saints.”  I prayed forty Hail Mary’s for Mary to make each daughter of God a saint!

 This is my prayer for each of these very special young women of grace:

Mary, Sweet Mary, my Holy Mother of God, I humbly and lovingly place these young women inside your Immaculate Heart.  Mary, Holy Virgin, please bathe them in the Wound in your Son’s Sacred Heart, in His ocean of divine mercy and love!  Mary, Queen of Angels and Saints, please offer them up to Jesus’ most holy and precious Blood.

Jesus, my beloved and merciful Savior, I humbly and lovingly ask that You please allow Your most holy and precious Blood to fall upon the hearts, minds, and souls of these chosen daughters of Yours.  Jesus, meek and humble of heart, please consume them in the fire of Your love; baptize them in Your Holy Spirit of Love; be born into their hearts and souls, that they may be born into Your love; and dwell in them, that they may dwell in Your love.

Mary, our Blessed Mother, please help these blessed daughters of God to see God’s love for them today, and every day!  Amen!