I met him years ago through a friend out at Steubenville. I was an adult guest among female undergrad students who I knew and was welcomed to join in their prayer meeting. Father Scanlan was overseeing it. Everyone was drawn into the discussion. At some point, it was my turn to share something based on the topic at hand. I told the story of a day, while driving up to the Bronx that I mistakenly said to my husband concerning a particular family member, “I’ll see it when I believe it!”, instead of the other way around. Well, there was so much truth in that speech blunder, that I was really convicted by it in that moment and to this day. But, getting back to Father Scanlan, when I told this to the group of young women, he had the exact same ah-ha moment and expounded on it. That’s when I really knew that the Holy Spirit had something to do with it all! It’s a memory I really enjoy having had.
I would only add, and repent our sins. Our Lady of Akita's last visit urged us to repent and spiritually wear sackcloth and ashes.
I physically wear sackcloth and ashes. I have taken everything out of my wardrobe that has any colour in it and disposed of it. Including footwear. I wear black, shades of grey, a little cream, and a little white. I tell people I am in mourning. But it is permanent. I will never wear colour again. "Put on Ashes". Same with my underclothes. my sheets and bed coverings Also my hair. I no longer colour it and it is going grey. And finally I do not eat or drink anything sweet any more. So everything is savoury or dry. No more candy or cake or desert or sweet beverages. I started down this path with Sister Agnes and then something truly ghastly happened in my family just before New Year 2021 and I declared a perpetual state of mourning for myself over it.
Lumena, What a beautiful penance you are doing for God. You are certainly living Sr Agnes (Our Lords) request.
Oh, Lumina, I am so sorry for your sorrow, sister. But, I feel that way too. When I heard that Our Lady came again to Sister Agnes, and told her to be in mourning, I knew in my heart that this was the fulfillment of Fatima. The cup is way too full. All we can do is repent and offer our sufferings, physical, emotional, spiritual to the foot of the cross of her Beloved Son, Our Saviour. And continue to pray with our Mother. God bless you
This is powerful Lumena. I am so sorry about what happened in your family at the new year. May Our Lady strengthen and sustain you. Prayers for you today.
We must be men of prayer, women of prayer; pray, pray, pray...and obey This talk touched me and has convicted me. I was getting this sense before I opened up this exhortation, and I only needed two minutes into it to be firmly convinced. Next month at this time I'll be at a family reunion in Arizona. I will not touch base until around St. Patrick's Day. Now if I happen to post, your immediate response should be strong enough to make me feel guilty and quickly resume my hermitage! Safe in Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
This is very powerful. I want to ask you a question but I really don't want you to take it the wrong way. I am wondering about joy. Do you have joy even in the midst of this penance? I have noticed that often with people who have deep faith that even when they are in mourning there is still a deep sense of joy about them which they radiate despite their sorrow.
Family trials are terribly sorrowful. I admire the holy path to penance that you have chosen, and I know that Our Lord will bless you with great graces.
My heart goes out to you - rest assured our Beloved Lord understands your mourning in the same way he mourned due to the betrayal of Judas. When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray Me.” Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Judas-Betraying-Christ
I think I did have some joy (even after Sister Agnes's new message came to us last October) but it was joy in the physical place God had led me to live, joy in the beauty of the surroundings. I still have that. I look out the window and the sight I see causes me to feel blessed. I think the day joy went out of my life was the day Taylor Marshall posted a video which informed us about the presence of the Pacha Idols at the Vatican and also of the despicable poster of the bare breasted woman suckling an animal in the Church of Santa Maria Transpontina. It was right at that time the true gravity of our situation became apparent. And as it turned out, that is precisely when the Angel returned to Sister Agnes to give her a new message for all of us. I think I feel a kind of relief at the knowlege that God is punishing and will punish mankind. Our lives changed dramatically in 2020 and they continue to be forever altered. I am thankful for that, strange though it may seem, because it has forced at least some to really seek the Lord or turn back to Him.
Thanks for your reply. I too feel a certain sense of relief that justice has begun. You've inspired me with the kind of penance you've been drawn to do. Another, very silly, question: do you still eat fruit? I think my digestion would pack up and go home if I stopped eating fruit!
Read a good quote from an orthodox elder that might be helpful for anyone worrying about their children at the moment : "Don't talk to your children about God, talk to God about your children." Thought it was a good quote.
I think perhaps the greatest Sign of the Times are events within the Church herself. It is jaw dropping and for someone who love Mothers Church heart breaking, a real Trial. But God gives the grace for the need. I found the Serenity prayer a great help. We are only poor humble lay people. We can pray but that is about all we can do. If we were priests, Bishops or Cardinals it would be different. But we are not. For the rest that is coming we shall just have trust that God will grant us the grace of the occasion. At the moment people have replaced God with Government. Government is their God. But God will show people that they have a false God by allowing Rulers to fail. This by wars, Economic failure, political unrest, physical events, plagues and so on... Just as in the Church He teaches us by permitting a Pope to fail.
Thank you Adoremus. No I dont eat fruit. I gradually stopped over time and I got to the point that the only fruit I really was tempted by was Mangoes. But now I dont eat those either. (If someone offered me a bowl of rasberries with ice cream and whipped cream I would be tempted. But I dont feel as though I would seriously give in to it.) I eat quite a few vegetables cooked in a stew/ chille which is my staple food. Re the event in my family, I had to do some research on it to understand it. Then I was able to see very clearly that the event was caused by one of the "errors of Russia" which had been spread to our country and understanding it in that light finally gave me a certain sense of peace.
