Follow the Light

                “My blessed Lord, God and King, I bow my head and humbly seek Your guidance in my life. This life on earth has many joys and blessings, but it is also a life of work, hardships and suffering, sometimes drenched in tears. I know You never promised it would be easy, but You did promise that You would never leave us, that You would be with us forever, and that gives me a light to follow even in the darkest places.”

                “Yes My child, follow the light I have given You and guide others to do the same. I am the light and that light is made of love, the same love out of which I created My beloved people. That is why you feel that deep longing to return to the light and one day, you will return; all My beloved will be invited to return to the light.

                “Your time on earth is meant to prepare you for that eternal life, so that you can dwell in that light. If not prepared, you would simply be incinerated in the light as it would be too much for you, just as in Moses’ time, those who looked upon the light of God’s face would not live. I Am is preparing His beloved to look upon the light and to be united as a bride to her bridegroom, to live as one with His beloved. This is why I sent My Son Jesus in the form of a man so that My beloved people could look upon the face of God and live – and not only live but live united as one in deep love, in deep communion as I Am is in the Son and the Son is in the Father and the Holy Spirit: all three in one. I want all My beloved to dwell in this blessed union with Us forever, but My people need to be prepared for that union. Their time on earth prepares them and that preparation is full of the joys and blessings you speak of, but it is also full of the work, hardship, suffering and tears you mention. It is all part of My plan and in the end, the light will envelop us all and we will be as I have always intended. The joys and blessings you speak of will pale in comparison to the eternal joys I have in store for all.

                “So embrace your life on earth my child, with all I send you because you are being prepared for something greater. Delightfully wear your joys and sorrows and endure any suffering with happiness as you follow that light I give to all to follow. Continue to lead others into that light, singing with joy, drenched not in tears, but in the understanding that I love you more that you could ever imagine.”

               

Train Like an Athlete

                “My Lord, my God, love of my life, I long to be with You, to be one with You as You have always intended. You generously give me glimpses of what this union will be like through Communion, Adoration and contemplative prayer and for these graces, I am very grateful and humbled, yet through these moments, I also recognize my weakness and inability to remain in deep union with You for very long. Sometimes it is like holding my breath under water: at first I am strong and able to remain alert and focused but eventually, I become distracted by my body’s need to breathe air and I can no longer remain under water. I don’t want to resurface, but I must and though that first breath of air brings relief, I immediately want to take in more air so that I can be submerged again.”

                “My child, my dear little fish, yes, being one with Us is a bit like being submerged in water but replace the water with pure love. When we are one, that is what you breathe and what you exist within. That love becomes everything around you and within you. You will live completely in it and your body will crave nothing else. It is how I made My people.

                “On earth, you must train like an athlete to take in and give out nothing but love. Your earthly bodies can only survive on love alone in this way for shorter intervals. Train like an Olympic swimmer who can stay under water with fewer breaths while you are on earth. The more you train on earth, the better prepared you will be for heaven and eternity with Me and My intense, permeating love. Do not be discouraged when your soul becomes distracted during My moments of grace on earth. Stay focused and keep returning to Me and you will be more and more able to subsist on love alone. I am always by your side, loving and encouraging you to be in My presence, wherever you are because I too long to be with you as one.”

Stand up and Defend the Lord

                “Oh my Lord, my God, my loving Creator, I lay my life at Your feet and I place my heart in Your loving hands. I give You all of me to do whatever You wish. Take my loving soul and caress it into Your image. Make me a vessel of Your love and send me out among Your people to share that love, that precious gift for all, and may I always be able to stand up and defend my love for You.

                “As I age in this world, I see the power of the world and its enticing, yet damning ways. I see Your people, many blind, innocent and ignorant, sucked into the mud of the world, tricked by the lure of hedonism – if it feels good do it; minimalism – what is the least I can do to get what I want; and individualism – what’s in it for me? These are just three of the many traps laid out to entice and draw Your beloved people away from You and Your love. Oh my dear, dear Lord, it makes me cry to see people fooling themselves that they are successful or happy on their own by their own merits. It is a terrible thing to see the blessings You bestowed on people go unrecognized or ignored.

                “I see that our country, which was based on freedom, has become a country of people enslaved by their desire to be free to do whatever they want no matter how it affects others. They are fooled by the lies of the world that this freedom they seek will bring them joy and satisfaction. Instead, this ‘freedom’ has brought them mental disorders riddled with despair, loneliness, anxiety, fear, bigotry and reversed intolerance of Your good teachings. I cringe when I hear yet another voice cry out, ‘I’m offended’ by something that honors You like ‘one nation under God’ in the pledge of allegiance or ‘in God we trust’ on money. Originally, these were subtle ways to acknowledge You and Your gifts. These small statements meant to praise You now offend people? What about me? Why can’t I stand up and say ‘I’m offended?!’ If a family member is mistreated or disrespected, it is normal and even expected that we will stand up to defend them. So why is it frowned upon to stand up for my Almighty Father, Creator, King and Lord and defend Him? People are dying for standing up for the Christian faith in other parts of the world. What about here in America? Are the American people strong enough to stand up for You, our Lord, no matter the cost? The religious freedom that our country was based upon is being seriously attacked to where it is becoming a crime to live in a way that worships and honors You because someone might be ‘offended.’ Oh my dear Lord, how far will You let Your wandering children roam?

                “Help me find the courage to stand up and defend You. Grant me the graces to love all Your people as You do and the perseverance to share Your message of love and hope for an eternity of living in pure love and joy with You to all people, even those who reject You. Grant me the wisdom to walk through this world on Your paths and not to be bogged down by the mud of the world’s false promises. Grant me the humility to always seek counsel and help from You in everything I do and remind me that I am nothing without You. Help me always to trust in Your ways and to remain a vessel of love in Your hands. Fill me with gratitude that the words thank you ever remain on my lips. Shine Your great mirror upon me that I may see myself through Your eyes and that the image I see be a reflection of You. May I freely choose to belong to You and to defend You at all costs, and in that choice, may I recognize my true freedom. Oh my Lord, I lay my life in Your loving hands.”