mercy

Charismatic! Part VII

Posted on by

 

THE point of this entire series on the charismatic gifts and movement is to encourage the reader to not be afraid of the extraordinary in God! To not be afraid to “open wide your hearts” to the gift of the Holy Spirit whom the Lord wishes to pour out in a special and powerful way in our times. As I read the letters sent to me, it is clear that the Charismatic Renewal has not been without its sorrows and failures, its human deficiencies and weaknesses. And yet, this is precisely what occurred in the early Church after Pentecost. Saints Peter and Paul devoted much space to correcting the various churches, moderating the charisms, and refocusing the budding communities over and over again upon the oral and written tradition that was being handed on to them. What the Apostles did not do is deny the often dramatic experiences of believers, try to stifle the charisms, or silence the zeal of thriving communities. Rather, they said:

Do not quench the Spirit… pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy… above all, let your love for one another be intense… (1 Thess 5:19; 1 Cor 14:1; 1 Pet 4:8)

I want to devote the last part of this series to sharing my own experiences and reflections since I first experienced the charismatic movement in 1975. Rather than give my entire testimony here, I will restrict it to those experiences one might call “charismatic.”

 

Continue reading →

The Coming Revelation of the Father

Posted on by

 

ONE of the great graces of the Illumination is going to be the revelation of the Father’s love. For the great crisis of our time—the destruction of the family unit—is the loss of our identity as sons and daughters of God:

The crisis of fatherhood we are living today is an element, perhaps the most important, threatening man in his humanity. The dissolution of fatherhood and motherhood is linked to the dissolution of our being sons and daughters.  —POPE BENEDICT XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger), Palermo, March 15th, 2000 

At Paray-le-Monial, France, during the Sacred Heart Congress, I sensed the Lord saying that this moment of the prodigal son, the moment of the Father of Mercies is coming. Even though mystics speak of the Illumination as a moment of seeing the crucified Lamb or an illuminated cross, [1]cf. Revelation Illumination Jesus will reveal to us the Father’s love:

He who sees me sees the Father. (John 14:9)

It is “God, who is rich in mercy” whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is His very Son who, in Himself, has manifested Him and made Him known to us… It is especially for[sinners] that the Messiah becomes a particularly clear sign of God who is love, a sign of the Father. In this visible sign the people of our own time, just like the people then, can see the Father. —BLESSED JOHN PAUL II, Dives in misercordia, n. 1

Continue reading →

Footnotes

Conferences and New Album Update

Posted on by

 

 

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

This fall, I will be leading two conferences, one in Canada and the other in the United States:

 

SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND HEALING CONFERENCE

September 16-17th, 2011

St. Lambert Parish, Sioux Falls, South Daktoa, U.S.

For more information on registration, contact:

Kevin Lehan
605-413-9492
Email: [email protected]

www.ajoyfulshout.com

Brochure: click here

 

 

 A TIME FOR MERCY
5th Men’s Annual Retreat

September 23-25th, 2011

Annapolis Basin Conference Centre
Cornwallis Park, Nova Scotia, Canada

For more info:
Phone:
(902) 678-3303

Email:
[email protected]


 

NEW ALBUM

This past weekend, we wrapped up the "bed sessions" for my next album. I am absolutely thrilled with where this is going and am looking forward to releasing this new CD early next year. It’s a gentle blend of story and love songs, as well as some spiritual tunes on Mary and of course Jesus. While that may seem like a strange mix, I don’t think so at all. The ballads on the album deal with the common themes of loss, remembering, love, suffering… and give an answer to it all: Jesus.

We have 11 songs left that can be sponsored by individuals, families, etc. In sponsoring a song, you can help me raise more funds to finish this album. Your name, if you wish, and a short message of dedication, will appear in the CD insert. You can sponsor a song for $1000. If you are interested, contact Colette:

[email protected]

 

Conquering Fear In Our Times

Posted on by
 

Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple, by Michael D. O’Brien.

 

LAST week, the Holy Father sent 29 newly ordained priests into the world asking them to “proclaim and witness to joy.” Yes! We must all continue to witness to others the joy of knowing Jesus.

But many Christians do not even feel joy, let alone witness to it. In fact, many are full of stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of abandonment as the pace of life quickens, the cost of living increases, and they watch the news headlines unfold around them. “How,” some ask, “can I be joyful?”

 

Continue reading →

Benedict, and the End of the World

Posted on by

PopePlane.jpg

 

 

 

It’s May 21, 2011, and the mainstream media, as usual, are more than ready to pay attention to those who brandish the name “Christian,” but espouse heretical, if not crazy ideas (see articles here and here. My apologies to those readers in Europe for whom the world ended eight hours ago. I should have sent this earlier). 

 Is the world ending today, or in 2012? This meditation was first published December 18th, 2008…

 

 

Continue reading →

In the Days of Lot

Posted on by


Lot Fleeing Sodom, Benjamin West, 1810

 

THE waves of confusion, calamity, and uncertainty are pounding upon the doors of every nation on earth. As food and fuel prices soar and the world economy sinks like an anchor to the seabed, there is much talk of refuges—safe-havens to weather the approaching Storm. But there is a danger facing some Christians today, and that is to fall into a self-preservationist spirit that is becoming more prevalent. Survivalist websites, ads for emergency kits, power generators, food cookers, and gold and silver offerings… the fear and paranoia today is palpable as insecurity mushrooms. But God is calling His people to a different spirit than that of the world. A spirit of absolute trust.

Continue reading →

Like a Thief

Posted on by

 

THE past 24 hours since writing After the Illumination, the words have been echoing in my heart: Like a thief in the night…

Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,and they will not escape. (1 Thess 5:2-3)

Many have applied these words to the Second Coming of Jesus. Indeed, the Lord will come at an hour that no one but the Father knows. But if we read the above text carefully, St. Paul is speaking about the coming of the “day of the Lord,” and what comes suddenly are like “labor pains.” In my last writing, I explained how the “day of the Lord” is not a single day or event, but a period of time, according to Sacred Tradition. Thus, that which leads up to and ushers in the Day of the Lord are precisely those labor pains that Jesus spoke of [1]Matt 24: 6-8; Luke 21:9-11 and St. John saw in the vision of The Seven Seals of Revolution.

They too, for many, will come like a thief in the night.

Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Matt 24: 6-8; Luke 21:9-11

Recollection

Posted on by

 

IF you read Custody of the Heart, then you know by now how often we fail to keep it! How easily we are distracted by the smallest thing, pulled away from peace, and derailed from our holy desires. Again, with St. Paul we cry out:

I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate…! (Rom 7:14)

But we need to hear again the words of St. James:

Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. And let perseverance be perfect, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  (James 1:2-4)

Grace is not cheap, handed over like fast-food or at the click of a mouse. We have to fight for it! Recollection, which is taking custody again of the heart, is often a struggle between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. And so, we have to learn to follow the ways of the Spirit…

 

Continue reading →