How Deep Is Your Love?

Anyone around in the 70's can identify the movie my blog title came from. Who didn't love John Travolta as Vinny Barbarino in Welcome Back Kotter? So when he made it to the big screen in Saturday Night Fever, well, it was a must see. This song, sung by the Bee Gees, was one of my favorites. Listening to the words now, in 2013, they have a whole new meaning for me. Especially these lines:

I believe in you
You know the door to my very soul
You're the light in my deepest darkest hour
You're my saviour when I fall
And you may not think
I care for you
When you know down inside
That I really do
And it's me you need to show
How Deep Is Your Love

The thing is, Jesus knows us and loves us so deeply, it really is hard to comprehend at times. He is there for us when we fall, when we are happy, when we are scared, when we are trying to cope. Stop running away from Him, especially when you feel surrounded by darkness. This is the time to draw closer to Him through prayer and intimate conversation. Tell Him anything and everything. He will show you how deep His love is.

Todays Gospel (Matthew 13:18-23) encourages us to know Christ well, creating a strong base on which to grow:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Hear the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the Kingdom without understanding it, and the Evil One comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

In Volume Ten, Jesus says exactly what I needed to hear today:

My dearest little serving souls, how I love you. You serve so diligently and do not realize at all how grateful is your Jesus. My gratitude could flow over you in such a way that you would experience it in your humanity. But if that were to happen, the merit from your service might be decreased. So I keep that to Myself and place it in the most special place in heaven, your place. It will be here waiting for you when you arrive. All of your crosses, each one, obtain merit for your soul and salvation for others. The more unpleasant the cross, the more merit and salvation obtained. You do not see Me, but you believe in Me. I do not speak these words to you, but you know that these are My words. Children, I am working silently in your beautiful souls all through each day, all through each night. The gratitude is there in My presence. The gratitude is there in your peace. The gratitude is there in the quietness of your soul. You are not restless and unhappy like souls wandering without Me. You are learning not to harbor unnecessary fears."

Lay apostles, the minute a cross becomes heavy, I tend to look at humanity instead of Jesus. But I am learning and the time lapse is getting shorter. Now is the time to hold on tightly to His Hand. Trust He is working out things to be most beneficial to you in the long run. Pray for me, Jay and all lay apostles. Pray we each stand strong and tall when the spiritual muscles we have been preparing are put in use!

Thank you, Lord, for whatever the lessons is You are trying to teach when crosses become heavy. Help me to have a joyful and thankful heart at all times.

God bless,
Bonnie

I Get Knocked Down, But I Get Up Again

I heard the song "I Get Knocked Down" on the radio the other day. Boy does that song bring back memories of my former boss Davis!  I had been in oncology clinical research and very successful recruiting patients on a pain study for a new drug/delivery system called Actiq. At study completion, I was impressed with the results my patients were experiencing. A team of Medical Liaisons was forming to prepare for the drug's approval. I was hired to cover the Southeast U.S. After extensive training, our team was ready to teach the pain world about the oral transmucosal delivery system. Then the bad news, we didn't get approval and had to jump through some more hoops for the FDA. Now back to the song. All the Medical Liaisons were gathered in SLC to plan our strategy for launch when it occurred. Sitting in the meeting room, Davis comes in and begins blaring the famous song by Chumbawumba, 

I get knocked down, but I get up again

You're never going to keep me down.

I think this became our group's theme song for awhile. We finally did get approval, and had a very successful launch of Actiq. Not one of us gave up hope. We had an amazing team of focused individuals willing to put the time and effort it took to provide cancer patients in pain with a fast acting alternative to pills. Life can knock you down, but faith will always get you back up again!

Todays first reading (2 Cor 4:7-15) is all about not giving up when you're feeling beat:

Brothers and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body. For we who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since, then, we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we too believe and therefore speak,  knowing that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and place us with you in his presence. Everything indeed is for you, so that the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.

In the booklet Heaven Speaks About Depression, St. Paul shows us how to retain hope:

"You see, we had joy in hope but we did not always have joyful experiences on the earth. The very thought would make us shake our heads. We marvel sometimes at the depth of suffering that is possible while you are in exile, away from heaven. Our joy came in Christ and in the hope, well placed, that Jesus Christ lived and died and rose from the dead. Do not hope in earthly souls. They will let you down hard. They cannot help it. They have their own pains and struggles. Hope in Jesus, only. If you do this, you will not be disappointed."

Lay apostles, life can be so difficult at times, especially when you are trying your hardest to live the words of Jesus. Always remember what St. Paul states above . . . have hope in only Jesus. Disappointment comes easily when placing all hope in anything other than Christ. He never disappoints . . . 

Thank you, Lord, for teaching me through the Volumes that trusting You and hoping in You will always lead me toward heaven.

God bless,
Bonnie

I Hear You, Lord

Loss of hearing is a genetic reality for me, on my father's side. Dad was in his 40's when he donned his first pair of hearing aids. Some might think this a sad thing . . . but for my dad, a man with four daughters and a challenging wife, it was a Godsend. I didn't really catch on to the "scratching" behind the ear thing until I was a little older. Then it became apparent . . . when it got too loud, off went the switch. Well, as we all aged, his hearing became worse. Complete loss in one ear and 70% loss in the other. Didn't seem to bother Dad at all. And he had a great sense of humor regarding his deficit. Sometimes we would see him sitting in his chair, smiling when we looked his way. Another clue he was in his happy, silent world. At end of life, a miraculous event occurred. Dad stopped wearing his hearing aids a few weeks before his death. One night after our usual bedtime routine, I said something to him in my normal tone (which he never would have heard without hearing aids). Without reading my lips (he was facing away from me), he responded to my comment. You can imagine my surprise. I didn't make a big deal about it, just let anyone coming to visit him know not to be fooled by his lack of hearing aids. He was listening.

The Gospel from 24Jul13 (Matthew 13:1-9) reminds us to listen to the words of Jesus, never taking for granted what they mean:

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

In Volume Four, Jesus asks us to hear and choose Him:

"Believe Me when I say to you that you will never have peace, true peace, while you are separated from Me. And your eternity must be considered. You will spend eternity in one of two places, dear little soul. You must give this serious thought and determine where you would like to reside. You say you do not believe in God or you do not believe that God would send people to hell forever. I tell you today that it is not I, the only God there is, who condemns souls to hell. It is the soul himself who chooses to reside in hell. Do you know why the soul chooses hell? Because there are like-minded souls there. A soul who aligns himself with darkness does not choose heaven because that soul would not be comfortable in heaven. You must understand that you can be angry with God but God is not at fault. You can blame God for all that is wrong with your world and perhaps this will work for you on earth. I assure you though, on this day, that this will cease to work for you at the moment of your death. At that time there will be only yourself to blame as the truth is inescapable. You will be facing the one, the only, and the true God and attempting to tell Him that He does not exist. How do you think this will go for you? It will not go well, dear soul, and that is why I am speaking to you now. I want you to divert from this path that leads to damnation. You are choosing against Me now and I am asking you to stop. I love you. There are many Christians in this world who love you and My love will flow through them to you. I want you for My Kingdom. I need you to serve Me. You are capable of the highest goodness. You are capable of bringing many souls to heaven for Me. Some of My greatest friends were far worse sinners than you. Please come back to Me. I love you and I can heal you and cure you. My forgiveness is yours."

Lay apostles, do you choose to disregard the words of Jesus when they aren't convenient or would cause you to make choices you really don't want to make? We can keep fooling ourselves into believing God isn't watching, but He is, 24/7. I am far from perfect in remembering this fact, but try to make decisions with Him in mind. 

Thank you, Lord, for the ability to hear You. Continue to help me listen better, my actions reflecting Your Words. 

God bless,
Bonnie

We Are Family

At my mother's 70th birthday party, the DJ played a song I will always remember as a shining moment when I think of her. The song was "We Are Family" by Sister Sledge. Having all my sisters present, we grabbed my mother and started dancing to this wonderfully upbeat song. Once we were up dancing, having a good time, our friends and family began to join us. 

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

We are family
I got all my sisters with me
We are family
Get up everybody and sing

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. Whether related by blood or circumstances, we must not forget the lesson in todays Gospel (Matthew 12:46-50) . . . through Christ, we are family:
 
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you.” But he said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

In Volume Ten, Jesus vividly describes His love for His Family:

"Consider how important each soul is to Me. Consider Me, Jesus, in the form of My humanity. As I suffered anguish in the Garden, I was tempted with every form of temptation. Let us say that the enemy offered Me every soul on earth but one. For stepping away from the chance of saving this one soul, I could escape the cross. Add to the consideration that this one soul might reject Me and be lost anyway. Would I be tempted? Would you? Now consider that this one soul was yours. What do you think I would say? I assure you, My beloved, I said NO. Do not hold back from Me, little servants. Do not sidestep the Divine Will. Your family needs you and I need you."

Lay apostles, we must treat others with the love and mercy Christ shows us. Even when we reject Him, He continues to have hope for our souls. So why wouldn't we give others the same? Christ was rejected often, and ultimately, died for even those who did the rejecting. So today, look past the rejection and see before you a child of God. Makes it a little easier to accept when looking through the eyes of Jesus.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of family. Despite all the dysfunction, I am so blessed to have people to love and who love me.

God bless,
Bonnie

 

Feeling the Presence of Christ

Some days, I'm just not feeling it. I'm either too tired or just plain lazy. And I'm really good at convincing myself it will be ok if I just skip it one day. Alas, one day turns into two, and well, you know about the snowball effect. One week and I have not made myself exercise. I do consider watching Colton three days a week a workout, but now that he's a walking/running fiend, I find myself lacking in the workout department. I have a barrage of videos waiting for me to plug into the DVD player. I have the great outdoors (although quite humid and hot here in Florida) to do something to get my blood pumping. It's all there for me, right in front of my face. I just tend to look past it as if invisible. It's like Jesus in todays Gospel . . . He is there 24/7, yet we tend to call out His name only in times of desperation . . . when all else fails or things aren't going the way we expected. We must strive to be consistent with our prayers and conversations to and with Him. Feel His presence. Even if you aren't feeling it, believe it. He is waiting for you to speak His name. As for me, I think I see a kickboxing DVD with my name on it . . .

In todays Gospel (John 20:1-2, 11-18), Jesus reminds us to stop "weeping" and start believing:

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he told her.

In the Monthly Message from October 2006, Jesus reminds us to not become overwhelmed with the work He has for us:

"My children, I am with you. Your God, your Creator, speaks this message in so many ways. In every daybreak you must hear My voice saying,‘I am with you.’When tempted toward despair because of crosses and hardships, you must hear My whisper saying,‘I am with you.’ When you look at the work you must do and find it overwhelming, allow Me to move you gently into it with perfect assurance that ‘I am with you.’ Dearest apostles, so brave, I am with you. I do not tell you that you will be overcome. I do not tell you that you have been given work that is impossible for you to complete. Those messages do not come from Me. Instead, I tell you that you will persevere and ultimately triumph. Our mission of mercy does not falter, even though the steps of my little apostles sometimes falter. This mission pushes through the world with a steadiness that defies all attempts against it."

Lay apostles, there are times when a task seems too difficult to achieve. As Jesus says above, bring your concerns to Him and nothing will be impossible to achieve. 

Thank you, Lord, for reminding me I can do anything I put my mind to. Give me the strength of body and mind I need to fulfill what You ask of me. 

God bless,

Bonnie

 

Retrieving What is Lost

Editing a large Word document for a friend's business last week, my MacBook Pro began giving me error messages when it tried to AutoSave. Every time the multiple error messages occurred, I would close the Word document and then reopen . . . only to find it didn't save any of my changes!  My Mac had been running a little slow lately, so I figured I needed to clean it up with the Disk Utility app. It repaired a few issues, and within minutes, I was back to editing. Got about 1/3 of the way through the document, and BAM! Same error messages. Went to Disk Utility again, and this time it said it couldn't repair the disk. Went into the Recovery Hard Drive (had to Google this, not my area of expertise!) and after running the Repair Disk, got the scariest error message EVER: Disk Utility stopped repairing "Macintosh HD" Disk Utility can't repair this disk. Back up as many of your files as possible, reformat the disk, and restore your backed-up files."  Let's just say I'm terrible at remembering to back-up my computer . . . and almost went into a full-blown panic. My Mac guy Tim was in New York on business, so after a few texts with him, had to take it to someone locally. Let's just say I was told he knew everything about Macs. Turns out  (after a few hundred dollars) not exactly the truth. Thank the Lord Tim took my computer a few days ago to try to restore my old hard drive. My advice . . . if you have a Mac, make sure you have a Mac expert  attempting any repair. Prayers please, for a restored hard drive!

In todays Gospel (Matthew 12:1-8), we learn following Christ is the only way to restore our souls:

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”


In Volume Seven, St. Gertrude warns us to stay focused on Christ, not the world:

"Dear brothers and sisters, along with detachment you must practice humility. You have words from heaven, but what will you do with these words? Will you understand that God is calling you to be an apostle? Truly, that is the case. Have you answered that call? You will be first in heaven, my friends, but you must allow yourself to be last on earth. You have been given great spiritual food, along with many spiritual graces. You will not want to waste these graces by continuing to march to the tune of the enemy. Step out of that group that follows the world and follow us, your heavenly friends. We are humble because we compare ourselves to Christ. Compare yourself to Him and you will also feel humble. When you are humble, He can make you great. It is not hard to understand if you are detached from the world."

Lay apostles, life as you know it can change in an instant. Are you prepared? Reinforce your soul and imbed Christ deep into your heart. Read the Volumes. Let Jesus restore you when life throws you a curve ball. He sure saved me over the last few weeks!

Thank you, Lord, for the lessons of trust and patience. And, the importance of backing up your computer on a regular basis!

God bless,
Bonnie

Dr. Mark Miravalle on Private Revelation

Beautifully done, Dr. Miravalle! 

Click here to play video