Click on THE HIDDEN WAY
Beloved Hidden Flower of My Mother’s Immaculate Heart, Peace, for I am with you in all things. I speak now on those words which instruct you clearly in the Way of the Cross - My Way and your path to Eternal Life. "BLESSED ARE THEY WHO SUFFER PERSECUTION FOR JUSTICE’ SAKE, FOR THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN."
I want to have all of My children focus their hearts on the two words ‘suffer persecution.’ How often I have expressed to you the beauty of all suffering joyously accepted with supernatural joy for My Name’s sake.
To those whom I choose to give much suffering My help in there, for suffering is contrary to your human nature, and thus the human will rebels against it and seeks any means to escape from it. But the will of your immortal soul, enlightened and sustained by grace does not shrink from suffering, it embraces it with open arms in imitation of Me as I hung upon the Cross. The soul desires to resemble Me and, by grace, knows that before it can enter into glory, the suffering of this life must precede the glory.
In your world today which considers itself socially and politically advanced, you fail to recognize that countless people suffer every day because you are so very far from living in a merciful, just, holy and charitable manner. Is this not then the same as in My Own time? What has changed? Your style, your methods of dealing with all people who are considered unacceptable by society’s standards? And what are your standards of acceptance? Who sets these standards?
I will tell you and I do so with great vehemence so you will hear Me! Satan sets your standards and as his blind slaves you live immoral lives in every aspect. Thus, those who do not follow the way of the world, the path to hell, are scorned, rejected, abused, neglected and, finally, dismissed by the world as a whole, by society in general.
Persecution takes many forms in your complex world, which is another device of the evil one and another sign of these end times. Persecution is not exclusive to a manner by which the mortal life of the body is quickly ended by a violent means. Yes, many are My martyrs who are killed daily through the hideous abomination of abortion; many those whose mortal lives are ended through willful neglect, particularly the elderly who are no longer respected. Many are the martyrs who daily come home to me as victims of the cruel, unjust usury of a medical system controlled by satan. I Who Am have allowed you to learn of the marvelous creation of the human body. I have given you knowledge to assist in treatment of many bodily afflictions. And what have you done? O! Cursed be he who knowingly and willingly places himself as god and manipulates life, manipulates death, neglects even one of My little ones who suffers because you to whom knowledge has been given sell your knowledge like a harlot, and commit the sin of usury! Woe! Triple woe, for it is you who also persecute Me by your abuse of My little ones.
"Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." Consider the words ‘For justice’ sake.’ I would like to have you look far beyond your legal and social systems through which and for which so many of My children suffer.
Look beyond your man-made world to your Eternal home. I Who Am, am Justice. "For Justice sake", that is, "blessed are all who endure every manner of persecution for My Name’s sake."
If you knew how vast is the number of souls who daily pick up their crosses from Me, in Me, through Me, and for Me, you would more clearly understand the signs which mark these end times. Blessed are you, My children, who seek to adore and reverence Me in the Tabernacle, and are refused entry into My church. Blessed are you who lavish all honor on Me, your God, particularly at Holy Communion, and suffer all manner of scorn from those who choose to make Me common and reduce Me to a static symbol.
Blessed be you, O My children, who pray and are mocked by your world for being dependent upon a myth! I Am! I am not a myth, and woe to all who lead even one of My little ones down this road of lies from hell. You shall answer to Me!
Blessed are those who are denied proper care because they are poor, of another race or creed. Blessed are all who, suffering in body, receive no medical help because they are poor, or will not abide unholy remedies.
Blessed are all who daily are rebuffed in the workplace, the home, the community because their souls will not stoop to immorality, self-righteousness, judgmentalness, uncharitableness, and any manner of vulgarity.
Blessed are those who, being pure of heart, live in My Will and strive to follow My Way, for at every turn you are met with opposition barely disguised as bias, prejudice, bigotry. Blessed are you, My children, for you do not defend yourselves nor fall into the trap of lowering yourselves to a base level.
I do solemnly tell all the world: Now are the days when it shall become the law wherein all be required to bow down and worship the antichrist. The world shall become so fully debase as to make it appear as if satan’s victory is won. Then shall all My faithful remnant be tested. They shall be persecuted by all the world, and all shall suffer in body, in heart and in soul. But do not be afraid! Suffer all things for Me, clinging to My Cross. Call upon My Holy Name and raise up your eyes to Heaven. I shall be your strength and courage. The Holy Spirit shall speak for you, and My Holy Mother shall obtain great graces for you through the powerful intercession of her Immaculate Heart.
I do solemnly tell you that My persecuted faithful remnant shall have such Divine help that my adversary will tear himself apart in anger, while the victims of satan’s plot shall marvel at My faithful remnant who, sustained by Me, shall be true lights in the time of darkness.
Heed My words. Trust Me, Who Am, and live as I Will for you. This is what I ask, this is why I Come!
NEXT WEEK: Lesson/Meditation #67:
An example by analogy may clarify this. A man calls his wife from work and says, "Honey, I’m going to be late coming home fro work tonight. I have to work until midnight at the office, so don’t prepare supper for me." Now she’s a good wife and he’s a good husband and they have a good marriage. He has proven himself to be very trustworthy and she has the greatest confidence in him. She does not doubt for a moment that what he says is true. She doe snot think he is going to be running around with his secretary at the local bar or motel. She believes in what he says because she believes in him. She believes in the revealed statement because she believes in the revealer. To the extent that she believes in him, to that extent she believed in what he says.
The parallel is obvious. To the extent that we believe in Jesus (and there are many degrees of that), we believe and adhere to what He tells us. You really can’t have one without the other. If you see how closely they are related, then you have a measuring stick by which to determine how deep our own faith is. You are thereby able to apply what Paul says in Romans 12:3 "Judge yourself by the amount of faith God has given you." We can take a spiritual inventory, as we did with the gift of faith; we can judge ourselves on how much of the virtue of faith we have (cf II Corinthians 13:5).
A faith inventory will enable us to calibrate our spiritual maturity. If we end up disappointed by this investigation, let it spur us to move higher. Don’t become discouraged. You may find you are a mess. Ask the Lord to bless the mess you are, but do not allow it to immobilize you. Allow it instead to refine you in your faith.
In John 5:39, Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees, "You search the scriptures" - the Word of God, the content of secondary faith -"because you believe they will give you eternal life, but those very scriptures point to Me" - the content of primary faith. There are over a thousand prophecies in the Old testament that point to Christ as the Messiah. The Word of God gives you eternal life only because the Incarnate Word gives you eternal life (I Thessalonians 2:13). The scribes and Pharisees emphasized secondary faith while de-emphasizing primary faith. They had found the doctrine target, but not the person target, of their faith.
Next Week: Loving the Revealer part two
The Pope delivered his warning at his weekly Angelus audience-- which he made from his summer resident on Castel Gandalfo, where he followed his usual custom of spending a few days of rest after Christmas.
"The family is the foundation and safeguard of a truly free and responsible society," the Holy Father said. Therefore, he continued, it is essential to recognize the importance of strong family life, and in turn to recognize the dangers that the family is now facing from the forces on many sides: "poverty, hunger, homelessness, and a point of view hostile to the gift of life and sometimes even favorable toward the elimination of life through abortion and euthanasia." He also pointed to "individualism which ignores and instrumentalizes others and which is the origin of so many of the forms of loneliness which afflict our society today." In an apparent reference to the advocates of homosexuality, he also mentioned "the even graver menaces that touch directly upon the structure of the family" and would change its role within society.
The small blast occurred early Saturday morning while the La Merced church's five priests slept in the nearby rectory. The church built in 1792 and located in Old Havana is a popular tourist stop. A spokesman said no one had claimed responsibility for the explosion. Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana said he was troubled by the incident, but added that he wasn't worried about the Holy Father's safety during the January 21-25 trip.
The Communist Cuban government had already increased promised levels of security for the papal visit following a series of hotel bombings earlier this year that were blamed on Cuban-American exile groups. One of the priests at La Merced church, Father Angel Renes, gave a live interview Christmas Eve with US government-controlled Radio Marti, but church officials said they did not think it was connected to the explosion.
Speaking to a gathering of Cuban youth, Cardinal Ortega said that the most important change to be wrought by the papal visit would be an increase in faith. "Don't let yourselves be swept away by political or economic considerations," he said. He added that most important effects of the visit are already being felt with an increase in interest among Cubans in their Catholic faith.
The formerly officially atheist government has made many concessions to the Church since President Fidel Castro agreed to the papal visit in November 1996. The Church has been allowed to hold outdoor Masses and celebrations, Castro reinstated Christmas as a public holiday this year for the first time in nearly three decades, and state-run media published a full papal message to Cuba just before Christmas.
God, Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus Christ crucified, Your Divine Son, I beg You to grant me the grace to serve You in this life according to Your Holy Will.
God, Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth, Your only-begotten Son, I beg You to have mercy on me at the hour of my death and to receive my soul. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
