Racism

At its worst when people don’t even realise they are being racist. To condemn a whole race for actions they can’t prevent/foretell is large scale racism and to some degree it is done with ignorance, passion for a cause, or uncaring, uninformed ‘joining in’.

This is happening with Israel. The actions carried out by the Israeli government in Gaza need to be questioned and understood. We are seeing horrific violence in response to a callous and brutal attack on innocent people. It is right to ask the Israeli Government to stop this and explain their actions. It is not right to condemn all Israelis, however.

There is a great increase in anti semitic feeling. We can see it with Eurovision, supermarket protests – where you are told to avoid Israeli produce – and there are many other examples. The expression of hatred for ‘Israelis’ can be seen locally and internationally. Can anyone say that every single Israeli is behind the Gaza actions? On the contrary, many are questioning the actions of Netanyahu, but this isn’t being reported.

I hope more people speak out against this. Fear is stopping them and we should always stand up to racism and face our fears.

The Bible is clear about God loving his chosen people. I hope that they can find a way to have peace in the Middle East, especially in Gaza. May the Israelis be allowed to live their lives in peace too.

God bless,

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Our beautiful Pope

I was very sad to hear of the passing of our Pope. You could see in his face and by his laboured breathing how much he had suffered and was still suffering. It is good that he is now out of pain and I am sure that he has his reward in heaven. We are so blessed that he served us so well and gave us such a good example of how to lead a humble, loving and self-sacrificing life.

I hope that the next Pope will follow his great example and may the Cardinals allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit in selecting a successor.

God bless,

God’s Armour

Every day I pray this prayer of protection:

I put on God’s armour to resist the devil’s tactics, I stand my ground with truth buckled around my waist and integrity for a breastplate. I carry the shield of faith to put out the burning arrows of the evil one wearing on my feet the eagerness to spread the gospel of peace. I accept salvation from God to be my helmet and the Word of God from the Holy Spirit to use as a sword.

St Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians 6:11 talks about God’s armour and we do need to pray for His protection especially when we are going through difficult situations and experiencing a lot of negative thoughts and feelings.

We are under attack especially when we are doing God’s work and need to turn to Him and invoke his help.

God bless you and keep you safe!

Make Me a Channel of Your Peace

Hopefully you have come across this beautiful hymn, if not do look it up as it is sure to be online, both the lyrics and the music.

The reason I mention it is that I was singing it in Church the other day as I have done so many times in the past but for some reason the words meant more to me. It was almost as though I hadn’t really heard or understood them before.

Something made me think about it more deeply and this verse particularly:

O Master grant that I may never seek so much to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love with all my soul

It may be that this may strike a chord with you too. How many times do we ask for something for ourselves in prayer, do we tell God how unhappy we are, how unloved we feel, how we need people to love and console us and wonder why we are suffering?

It is something to think about as it could be life changing – rather than focusing on our own needs and worries to focus on others’ pain and suffering. I don’t think it will be easy but I do believe if more time can be spent asking God to help others rather than ourselves it will result in our being happier, more at peace and closer to God.

God bless,

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Stations of the Cross Rosary

I pray the Stations of the Cross rosary every Tuesday and Friday and I have found it useful spiritually when praying the sorrowful mysteries to add more stations to the decade for the Crucifixion.

Starting with the Carrying of the Cross, the first ten Hail Marys follow the first ten stations:

  1. Jesus is condemned to die: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

2. Jesus takes up his Cross: Hail Mary, full of grace……

3. Jesus falls for the first time: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

4. Jesus meets his mother: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his Cross: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

6. Veronica wipes Jesus face: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

7. Jesus falls for the second time: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

9. Jesus falls for the third time: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

10, Jesus reaches Golgotha and is stripped of his garments: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

Next after the Glory Be and Our Father (also the prayer Our Lady gave us at Fatima: O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell; lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy) we have the Crucifixion Decade for the rosary which is where I have added Jesus’ words as extra ‘stations’:

  1. Jesus is nailed to his Cross: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

2. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do: Hail Mary, full of grace

3. The good thief says to Jesus: Remember me when you come into your Kingdom and Jesus replies: Tonight you will be with me in paradise: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

4. Jesus says to His mother: Mother, behold your son: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

5. Jesus says to John: Son, behold your mother: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

6. Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani – My God, My God, why have you forsaken me: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

7. I thirst – Jesus is given gall on a sponge on a hyssop stick – It is done: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

8. ‘Father into your hands I commend my Spirit – Jesus dies: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

9. A centurion pierces Jesus side and blood and water gush forth from his heart, the fount of His divine mercy – his body is taken down from the Cross and laid in his mother’s arms: Hail Mary, full of grace…….

10. Jesus body is embalmed with myrrh and a burial shroud is placed around his body and a separate one around his head and he is laid in a newly-hewn tomb: Hail Mary, full of grace

I hope that this helps you to pray the Stations of the Cross and the last two Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary in a deeper way. God bless

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Challenging your fears

One of my biggest fears has been flying. I have others, but this is the big one. So when an opportunity to fly to Singapore and join a ship to cruise around Australia came up, my first instinct was to say no way. I looked at the details and was sad that I would miss out on so much but I wanted to be in my comfort zone and feel safe so I just dismissed it. Very slowly, different pieces came together that would make up the possibility of being able to take the time out and do the cruise. All of my excuses were broken down one by one. Who would look after the house, my pets? How could I get permission to delay starting a new job? How on earth could I fly so far when the most I have managed is 7 hours of excruciating anxiety flying to Dubai? How could I be so far away from home?

Answers just came and it dawned on me – very slowly- that I was gently being pushed to tackle all of these worries and take the holiday. Offers to look after the house and pets, my job agreeing to delay the start date, finding an airline that broke up the journey into stages with stays at hotels to make it all seem shorter. Finally I was out of excuses and as I said, the feeling that I was being encouraged to make this trip was overwhelming.

I would call it a leap of faith when the cruise was booked. It was a late booking and so there wasn’t much time to think about it so I plunged into all of the preparations and tried not to dwell on how I would cope. The day of departure arrived and I was sort of excited but faced two lots of 7 hour flights with a short lay over between. I could only try not to think about it and just go forward and do what I had to do to board the flights and keep going.

I’m writing this because during all of the time I was in the air I felt a calmness that was really different for me. I don’t and never will like flying, but I found I could cope. Being in such a beautiful far away place as Singapore was so enriching, as was all of the Australian placed we visited. I felt so freed from the burden I had carried with me for so many years that made me feel I had to stay close to home to feel safe and not put my life at risk. Life is all about risk. Many people have suggested staying in your comfort zone isn’t a healthy, happy way to live and I discovered this was absolutely right. This was the trip of a lifetime, but it was also a release from a prison I had created around myself.

All of this was possible because of my trust in God to see me through, keep me safe and bring me home. I felt it was God who was pushing me to take this trip so that I could see that I was restricting my life too much and it is not a good way to live.

If you are reading this and feel the same, give this to God and ask for his help to set you free. There should be no limits to what you can do and if you do it in faith and by trusting God, all will be well and you will become a newer and freer person.

God bless,

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Prophecy 84

Summary: God has a plan for each of us and we need to walk with Him in faith to fulfil our destiny, He will restore us to wholeness and renew our spirits, through seeking and finding God we shall discover the gifts he has placed within us and use them in our walk with Him.

I have a plan for each of you, just come to Me, rest in Me and believe. Walk with Me in faith for it is only through this that you shall discover My constancy, My faithfulness, My compassion. Each step taken shall dissolve your hardness, the layers laid down in your life through the enemy’s lies, the insecurities and fears, the doubts and prejudices will all be dissolved, taken into My light, refining your very soul, each small step increasing your likeness to Me, fulfilling your destiny, helping your walk with Me.

Your heart shall be open to the conviction of the spirit, identifying all that is not pure or of Me, asking you to surrender them unto Me so they may be replaced by righteousness, restoring you to wholeness, your spirit being renewed with all damage eliminated, completely healed, perfecting your connection to Me, the Lord of infinity. For it is I who loved you from the very beginning, your creator, your true Father, He who protected you in your mother’s womb and shed such tears of joy when you were born, perfect in every respect, everything as I had planned.

At your conception I gave you the birth right and endowed you with many precious gifts, none greater than the opportunity of being with Me, for it is through your connection with Me that the talents I have given you are quickened and brought to life, so seek Me, find Me and be with Me and I shall help you unfold the mysteries of your life, help you discover the gifts that are buried deep inside and teach you how to use them in your walk with Me and fulfil your part in My grand design. Amen.

Prophecy 83

Summary: step out in faith and abandon yourself to God’s ways, He does not look at our past only at the future, step out in your raiments of salvation and be at peace, be part of His white army ready to be mobilised for the salvation of souls.

Be at peace, be at one with Me and walk forever in the light, for from here belief manifests itself in truth and perfection. Believe and step out in faith, ignore the feelings of fear that rise in the flesh, laugh and cry forth “It shall be so!” It is this abandonment to My ways that is such cause for joy in the heavenly realms. It is such trust, such abandonment which shows you are united with Me, with the Father’s will, forever faithful and obedient in your desire to serve others for our glory. The humility which develops from such selfless service only serves to bring you closer to Me, closer to the unity which enables you to stand before the Father’s throne, pure and justified, upright in righteousness and wisdom. This gift of salvation, this sanctification, is borne from the Father’s love, His infinite grace and Mercy. For it was through His pain, the torment of watching His pure, undefiled Son enduring such torture and agony, overwhelmed by darkness and hate. This we endured out of love for you, a boundless, perfect love which has no memory, no recollection of your past, looking only forward to the future, the hope and the glory you shall enjoy both in this world and the next through the pure and faithful service you offer to us from this day forth.

Prophecy 82

Summary: many see God only as a concept, but we can love, speak and know Him – he feels, suffers and loves, do not measure by worldly standards, contemplation, devotion adoration are what God seeks, we should love Him as we love our husbands, wives and children. Come to God with an undivided heart.

Many claim to walk in My light, but their hearts are not aflame with love for Me. They claim to have faith, they claim to have knowledge, yet they are still dead in trespass and sin. They know Me only as a concept, not seeing Me as one who can feel, who can suffer, who can love. They spend their time on what they consider My work to be, yet ignore My constant presence, regarding Me of having little practical use, of being ethereal and intangible, one with whom you cannot associate, one with whom you cannot speak, one whom you cannot know or even love. They spend no time in seeking Me, no time in discerning My will, but measure all things by worldly standards. Such people have neglected their true purpose, abuse the gifts they have been given and spend their efforts to seek the favour of mankind. What I ask is where is the contemplation? Where is the devotion? Where is the adoration? How can they expect to share in the rewards of My glory when they do not even know who I am? I want more than pious affection; I want to be loved as you love your husband, as you love your wife, as you love your children. Yes, be united with Me, let Me make you strong, allow Me to lead you in victory, knowing that I am your strength, your haven in times of hardship and trial, knowing that I love you with a perfect heart, ever constant, ever sincere. So, My child, do not give yourself over to anguish and soul searching but rest assured in My arms, certain that I am with you at all times. Such peace and freedom belongs to all who come to Me with an undivided heart. It is these hearts, hearts such as yours, which are most treasured in heaven for you shall ascend with Me to the heights of the Kingdom, trusting yourself to My hands, forever moving forward, ever focused on Me, on love, oblivious to the many pressures and events which tempt you away from My embrace, the embrace for which so much was sacrificed, the love that willingly and without hesitation offered itself for you, the love which constantly suffers rejection and abuse. Yet this pain loses its significance in the love I hold for you, for in My sacrifice I have fulfilled all that I have ever wanted, to know you, to love you, to be united with you for all eternity. Amen.

Prophecy 81

Summary: when we are in a dark place although God will always be with us, we need to rely on our faith to help us, we can emerge victorious, we rarely see the blessing we are to others in the small acts that we do, but God sees the true effects.

Do not fear when darkness surrounds you for this is your testing time, the time when your faith becomes a reality, a personal possession. It is the time when you cannot see, when you cannot feel My presence. It is the time when you must walk through your afflictions relying only upon the faith you have in Me, reliant upon the surety that I would never abandon one of My beloved, that I would never forsake so much as a solitary hair on your head, for you are the prize for which I have given so much.

It is in such times of spiritual darkness that you will face an insurmountable obstacle, beyond all your natural strength and ability, your self-dependence will desert you, leaving you with nothing but faith with which to solve your dilemma. This is the time you will desire Me only, your sole source of comfort and solace. So come to Me, come to the source, the source of your very life and be issued afresh with My grace, with this unhindered grace. Your faith shall be as a river flowing towards the sea, no obstacle hindering its progress, even disappearing under mountains only to re-emerge later, broader and stronger than before. Yes, it is possible for you to emerge from your time of darkness and trial. Not as a feeble trickle but victorious with even greater grace, the power of the Most High flowing through you. Yet you must not retain any of this gift for yourself for it is to be issued forth into the world as surely as a river must flow into the sea. Yes, through you shall flow all you receive, for it is not given to achieve worldly glory but so you may grow in My image, living a life of humble service giving all that is received to others. Nor shall you decide who is worthy to receive such grace, for My Father’s folly is greater than the deepest human wisdom, for it is He who orchestrates the overall plan of salvation. It is He who sees the true effect of each action, rarely allowing souls to see how great a blessing they are to others, how other lives have been spiritually renewed by their actions. So always trust in Me, let My Spirit guide you in the ways of righteousness and faith and you shall always emerge in glory from spiritual gloom, your faith woven into your character, protecting you from all corruption, keeping you pure and holy, a perfect delight to the Father. Amen.