Lenten Vision

                “Dear crucified Lord, I fall at the foot of Your Cross and lift my aching heart to You. Lord, I know You are not gone, but the image of Your broken body nailed to the Cross breaks my heart and makes me cringe knowing that my sins are in those nails as well as all of humanity’s. Dear Jesus, Your piercing eyes scan the crowd and then look right into my soul. What do You see? Does it make You cringe or give You joy, comfort and love?

                “I feel the deep longing in my heart that leaps to join Yours. Can You see that or is there anything blocking that view? What have I placed upon myself that hinders our loving connection? You pierced my heart with Your sword of love years ago and the only healing remedy is to join our hearts together through that wound and the wound in Your blessed Sacred Heart. My soul groans to be healed, like a dying person’s raspy labored breath. What have I placed in the way of my salvation? What infection slows the healing of my wanton soul?

                “Lord, I pray as we begin this Lenten season, that You will take my vision and all my senses and join them with You on the Cross. Let me search the crowd and myself with Your eyes from upon the Cross. Let me love what You love and despise what You despise. Take me to the depths of my soul through Your eyes and show me what to keep and what to discard. May all that remains be a clear path to join our wounded, loving hearts. May we be one; may all of us be one in this way - one body, one holy Catholic and apostolic Church.”

Living as a Holy Soldier

                “My Lord, my God, I love You with all my heart and soul. I pray that everything I do and say and am is for Your glory. Lord, I want to be a humble holy soldier, ready and able to fight for You, to protect all those who love You and all those who live their lives for Your glory. What must I do to be a good holy soldier with a humble and contrite heart?”

                “A good holy soldier must first be disciplined and well-ordered. My holy soldiers must be completely focused on Me and not their own interests. They cannot be pulled one way or the other by their personal passions. Like an athlete who trains his body, the holy soldier must rigorously train his soul to be detached from the world and completely attached to Me and My will. Through daily prayer and examination of conscience, the holy soldier can identify his strengths and weaknesses. Through Confession and the help of a spiritual director, the holy soldier can receive My grace and direction to move ahead in the spiritual life. Just like athletes, holy soldiers may fall and become injured, but I can heal them, strengthen them and set them back on track. The holy soldier must be disciplined with his time and commitments. There is no room for wasted time. Every moment counts and must be used to reinforce the holy soldier’s soul, to protect My Holy Spirit deep within each of you.

                “Evil hunts my holy soldiers and never rests. A good holy soldier can be shot through the heart at any time by evil’s snipers. They must be vigilant in keeping their defenses fortified. Be always on guard and stay away from temptations that would lure your soul to the world. This takes discipline on a daily level.

                “I have many graces to give My holy soldiers to help protect them and to keep them strong, but My holy soldiers must come to Me frequently to ask for them. The holy soldiers must never think they are strong on their own. They must have humble and contrite hearts. They must not let their pride harden their hearts for then my graces will only rain over them and not in them. When they come to Me, I can strengthen My holy soldiers to astounding levels. Just look at My saints, they were able to do supernatural things and to endure inhuman circumstances. Their hearts were open and humble, ready to receive all I could send them.

                “The holy soldier must completely trust in Me and in My plan. There is no room for doubts, hesitation or questions. The holy soldier must be ready to do all that I ask, for as long as I ask, in the way that I ask, simply because I ask it. That level of trust and compliance comes from deep love. That deep love led My most holy soldier to be nailed to the Cross. Imitate Him in His love, His trust, His humility, and My holy soldiers will be joined intimately to Me (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) forever.”