Amid all the confusion and chaos ensuing in the world, there is one place to escape it all . . . contemplative prayer. Taking Jesus along the hallways of our inner thoughts is like a warm blanket on a cold night. Comfort and safety are the first descriptors that come to mind. At times, I may only visit one room, let's say the Relationship room, in brief moments of quiet. But, walking through life's ups and downs with Him are kind of awesome . . . and at times a little scary. But I know the Truth, and as the saying goes, the Truth will set you free. Letting go of all my earthly worries allows Christ to work through me . . . bringing calm and love to my family and friends with the graces He allows.
In today's Gospel (John 3:7B-15) the message is clear . . . don't be confused about the Truth:
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus answered and said to him, ‘How can this happen?” Jesus answered and said to him, “You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this? Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony. If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
In Volume Five, Jesus shows us the "caol áit" (this means 'thin veil' in Gaelic . . . thanks to Father Darragh for the beautiful reference years ago) between heaven and earth and how staying united to Him gives you the strength to combat any obstacle:
"Brothers and sisters in the world, please allow Me to fill your heart with heavenly gifts. There is no reason for you to live apart from My Kingdom. If you wish it, you can live your life on earth joined to us in heaven. You must practice living in faith, it is true, but like anything else, faith becomes a habit when you practice it, so much so that soon you do not even know you are exerting yourself. That is what I wish for you now and I am going to assist you by rewarding your tiniest acts of faith with supernatural gifts of faith. In this way you will only need a small bit to begin your union with heaven. What benefits can be gained by union with heaven? You will no longer have as many gaps in your peace. You will view all of your life as transient and valuable. Whether you suffer pain or experience joy, it will all be the same to you, as long as you are united to Me and to heaven."
Lay apostles, how have you been touched by this apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King? If you have been involved for a while, I'm sure you have read and reread the Volumes. If you are a newbie, I'm thrilled for you to begin your journey getting to know Jesus, Our Lady and all the saints you are about to meet. Since I made the commitment to live the rest of my life as a lay apostle, God has showered me with graces and blessings. Yes, there are many wonderful blessings in my life. But He has gifted me with the fortitude I need to stay focused on getting to heaven despite earthly "interruptions" in my peace. Pull out a Volume if you have one and start reading. Or, click on a link to the right of this blog post. All the Volumes and Heaven Speaks booklets are free to download. Today is the day to make a change. Go ahead, do it now.
Thank you, Lord, for so many heavenly gifts in my life. Although some were meant to teach me a lesson, I am forever grateful for every one of them.
God bless,
Bonnie
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