Here is her story Jane...I really enjoyed her story. She is now working at a great job for the diocese. The part that I referenced starts at position 24:00 on the video. She explains it so much better than I did.
continue.. As a once believer of Medj, when I was there, I didn't have that 'miraculous sensation'. but others did/do. I did feel the presence of God, because I opened my heart as much as I could possibly do. With Garabandal. Well, if it wasn't through the fear of going to Hell through the video, I wouldn't have changed my life. Did I recieve any graces in Garabandal? "Yes" I would be a liar if I said otherwise. The first time in Garabandal, I recieved a sensational feeling of something at the Pines, where I had tears running from my eyes. I searched for this sensation. I wanted that feeling of it all being true. Lourdes is an amazing place, same with Fatima. But these two 'true' apparition sites didn't have the same affect on me as Garabandal. Why? Because I didn't open up with all my might as I did in Garabandal. Bernadette is my confirmation name. So Lourdes is special to me. And believe me it is special. I don't mean to take anything away from the miraclulous and Holy place it is. This is a place I would recommend to everyone! We are nothing but lost children who need to feel the touch of Our Heavenly Mothers mantle. Is this true? But make no mistake. Mary comes to us to bring to Her Son. She would want nothing else. Today, I can find the feeling of Mary and Jesus in the Holy Mass, because I want to. Search and you will find. My journey has been quite short but has gone through many channels. I do not believe I am always right. I am open for discussion on proving me wrong. I am not always so smart on many things, and I know I have been very gullable in the past. But I do not want to follow something that comes from evil. So now I stay close to Mary and especially Jesus in our Holy sacraments. I figure if I stick with what Church approves, I can not be led astray. Jimmiyiz, so in a short answer to your question. Today, I can feel the greatest presence of God in our daily mass. But I have to search for it, we can't always expect the Lord to do all the running.
Thanks for the thoughtful reply Jane. But I am having a hard time understanding a little bit of what you said. You said it did change your view of the Mass and Sacraments at one time but not now. To me it sounded like your pilgrimages to the Shrines did change your views as a whole even now except now you have moved on to something deeper as you describe but I see it as those pilgrimages are what contributed to your depth now. So it seems they did play an important part then and also now. This affirms what the girl says in the video above. Maybe I am mis-understanding what you meant though. I edited my response on that video above in case you missed it. At least listen for those couple minutes or so that I point out above and see what you think. Thanks again.
Thankyou Jimmyiz, I just watched it. I could have done the same sort of testimony. We seem to have gone right of the subject of the thread. So in the respect to St Faustina and Jesus in His Divine Mercy, maybe we should try and stay on the subject here. Satan has said he doesn't want us to know of Jesus coming in Mercy. This is the experience St Faustina had.... From St Faustina's Diary... 1405 November 30, 1937. When I was going upstairs this evening, a strange dislike for everything having to do with God suddenly came over me. At that, I heard Satan who said to me, "Think no more about this work. God is not as merciful as you say He is. Do not pray for sinners, because they will be damned all the same, and by this work of mercy you expose your own self to damnation. Talk no more about this mercy of God with your confessor and especially not with Father Sopocko and Father Andrasz." At this point, the voice took the appearance of my Guardian Angel, and at that moment I replied, "I know who you are: the father of lies [cf. Jn. 8:44]." I made the sign of the cross, and the angel vanished with great racket and fury. and.... 1167 Satan has admitted to me that I am the object of his hatred. He said that "a thousand souls do me less harm than you do when you speak of the great mercy of the Almighty One. The greatest sinners regain confidence and return to God, and I lose everything. But what is more, you persecute me personally with that unfathomable mercy of the Almighty One." I took note of the great hatred Satan has for the Mercy of God. He does not want to acknowledge that God is good.
I wish I had seen what you edited before I watched the whole lot. Oh well, never mind. Sorry if I didn't sound clear. Story of my life. I think these shrines can make you open your heart to God. But I believe we can do the exact same thing in the Holy mass. That is what I was trying to get out. I would highly recommend anyone to go to Lourdes as a first choice then Fatima as a second choice. But that is just my point of view. If you want me to talk about it more, can we do it on another thread, please? "Jesus, I trust in You."
Sorry to get this thread side tracked. It just kind of flowed into it. If you saw the whole video then you got what I edited. The edited part is there now...haha. Thanks.
I felt the need to repost this. Satan hates people knowing of Jesus coming in His Mercy, so... Satan, I hope this hurts.... From St Faustina's Diary.. 1405 November 30, 1937. When I was going upstairs this evening, a strange dislike for everything having to do with God suddenly came over me. At that, I heard Satan who said to me, "Think no more about this work. God is not as merciful as you say He is. Do not pray for sinners, because they will be damned all the same, and by this work of mercy you expose your own self to damnation. Talk no more about this mercy of God with your confessor and especially not with Father Sopocko and Father Andrasz." At this point, the voice took the appearance of my Guardian Angel, and at that moment I replied, "I know who you are: the father of lies [cf. Jn. 8:44]." I made the sign of the cross, and the angel vanished with great racket and fury. and.... 1167 Satan has admitted to me that I am the object of his hatred. He said that "a thousand souls do me less harm than you do when you speak of the great mercy of the Almighty One. The greatest sinners regain confidence and return to God, and I lose everything. But what is more, you persecute me personally with that unfathomable mercy of the Almighty One." I took note of the great hatred Satan has for the Mercy of God. He does not want to acknowledge that God is good.
I have a great love for Saint Faustina and what she taught us about Jesus' Mercy through Jesus. It's these very apparitions of Faustina that keep me from going too far in the fear of God or damnation. I trust in His mercy but do not presume on it.
I remember when I first read this while reading St Faustina's diary..."My child you please me most by suffering". It stopped me in my tracks. I was so upset. I stopped reading the diary cause I just couldn't imagine Jesus saying such a thing. It just seemed so cruel. I eventually worked my way through it because of the redemptive suffering aspect of it and continued reading to the end but even to this day when I see that quote it makes me cringe.
God's mysteries. How can we know His ways. But.. Don't we make big sacrifices to what we try and achieve? I remember seeing my husband doing some 'back breaking' work to build a retaining wall on our property. The pain when giving birth. We later sit back and look at our rewards. Someone once said to me "I just can't understand why God the Father would allow His Son to go through the Passion." Is it possible to know God's ways completely? Sometimes we just have to trust that He knows best and don't even question. But how many saints have said their suffering for Jesus, they wouldn't swap it for anything? "Jesus, I trust in You."
Yes I understand the redemptive suffering more now. Maybe it was the wording or something that just stopped me in my tracks. It just sounded cruel to me when I first read it but I wasn't looking at it in it's whole context at the time. I just saw those words and gasped.
While Jesus tells us in the Gospel "Whatever you do for the least of these brothers, That you do unto me." Jesus still had to remind St Faustina what He had once said. Many of the other nuns weren't that nice to St Faustina. Bit hard to fathom, but true. I suppose we all need a reminder every now and again. 285 1934. Once, when I returned to my cell, I was so tired that I had to rest a moment before I started to undress, and when I was already undressed, one of the sisters asked me to fetch her some hot water. Although I was tired, I dressed quickly and brought her the water she wanted, even though it was quite a long walk from the cell to the kitchen, and the mud was ankle-deep. When I re-entered my cell, I saw the ciborium with the Blessed Sacrament, and I heard this voice, Take this ciborium and bring it to the tabernacle. I hesitated at first, but when I approached and touched it, I heard these words, Approach each of the sisters with the same love with which you approach Me; and whatever you do for them, you do it for Me. A moment later, I saw that I was alone.
For me finding God wasn't a feeling at all. My true faith was when I was numb and didn't feel a thing and I had to decide if I believed all that Christ said or didn't say. To me, true faith is that small silent stillness in the soul that knows that God is there and that God loves us in everything. It is that small stillness in the soul that causes us to strive so that others may know Him. It is that small stillness in the soul that helps us to see Mother Mary for who she is.. It is that same still silence that causes me to listen to some prophecies and to run from others.
So right Mary's Child. I know we differ but that's exactly why there have been times reading Locutions to the World I have felt a 'blooming' in my heart. The same feeling as I watched our new Pope Francis the other night. I don't understand it, I can't argue with reasons why it's so, but what I DO know is... it's a good thing.
I hear what you are saying Freedom, but what if the prophecies are proved to be incorrect, such as ... It will be a long conclave. What then? Sorry, this is a general question, I do not believe for one moment that I have all the answers to my faith so please forgive me if I come across this way. If some messages are true and they are the ones that resonate in your heart, could this be the reason? There are so many prophecies now, and so many signs of how things are going in the world around us, that it wouldn't be too difficult to imagine you heard or saw someone talking to you. I am not saying that all set out to be false, some are and others ( and again I am generalizing here ) it is a figment of their over active imaginations which they truly believe are divine.
Actually I don't think it's prophecies that resonate with my heart. This time last year I started reading Locutions to the World and I was blown away by the passages from Mary, I'm thinking about those for conversion, when I was in two minds and undecided about whether to rediscover (cradle catholic) or just let it die. For me it's not the projectors, a time and a place, that matter to me. It's the sentiment, the prose that cause my heart to swell and my veins to tingle. It's a good feeling. I don't, don't, don't care about the prophecies, long conclave, short conclave, they're mere details. We have a new Pope, a surprise Pope, a Pope whose humility and spirituality was laid bare to everyone watching last night. I've been following the press and with Sodano's homily opening the conclave in mind we could have very close to having a Pope much more inclined to assuage the more political aspects of the papacy. Now it appears that is not the case. Mary raising up her Pope? Quite possibly.
i know that we differ on some things. But what we don't differ on, is our love of the Sacraments, Mass, Prayer, Gospels, and Reconciliation... We do not differ on the core essence of our faith. It is ok for us to feel differently about various prophecies as long as we are doing all that Christ asks of us, or at least trying our best to.
And what does Christ ask of us? "To follow Him." To listen to Him." Remember Thursdays Gospel reading.
