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\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n IS<\/strong> the battle in your spiritual life intensifying? As I receive letters and speak with souls throughout the world, there are two themes which are consistent:<\/p>\n Yesterday, as I walked into the church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament, I heard two words:<\/p>\n Deliberate sin.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/p>\n IN WEAKNESS<\/p>\n I felt those words come from Our Blessed Mother, who is preparing her army as this time in The Bastion<\/a><\/em> comes to an end. Standing over us, and among us, as a strong protector and Mother, I hear her saying:<\/p>\n I know you are weak. I know you are tired, my little children. But you must not let your guard down. What I speak of here is “deliberate sin.” Do not allow yourselves to be led astray and to choose the path of sin. It will lead to your destruction. Have recourse to my heart in times of temptation. Call your Mother! Will I not run to my children when they are in danger? Call to me, and I will gather you to myself, and the dragon will not be able to touch you. But you must firmly resolve to choose life, and reject the path of sin.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n What our Mother is telling us is that she knows we are prone to sin from weakness.<\/em> While these venial sins are not insignificant, we should not be discouraged, but rather, throw ourselves into the Ocean of Divine Mercy. Listen to these powerful words of comfort from Mother Church:<\/p>\n Venial sin does not break the covenant with God. With God\u2019s grace it is humanly reparable. Venial sin does not deprive the sinner of sanctifying grace, friendship with God, charity, and consequently eternal happiness.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span> \u2014CCC<\/span><\/span><\/em>,<\/span><\/span> n1863<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Satan wants to convince you that, because of your weakness and sin, you are not fit for the service of our Blessed Mother and Christ our King. But this a lie. Perfection is not the quality our Lord is looking for, rather, humility<\/em>. He always chastised the Apostles on two accounts: their lack of faith or their lack of humility. Peter, who deeply betrayed our Lord, showed in the end that he had both faith and humility, and thus Jesus made him the shepherd of souls and rock of the Faith. <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Thus, if you look around, you will see that The Bastion is crowded with many great sinners; men and women who deserved the “wages of sin,” but who have\u00a0 been redeemed by the Lord of Mercy because of their faith and humility. <\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n SPIRITUAL WARFARE<\/p>\n Still, it is a great battle, a great struggle in this life. So Jesus gives us direction on how to deal with spiritual warfare through St. Faustina:<\/p>\n My daughter, I want to teach you about spiritual warfare. Never trust in yourself, but abandon yourself totally to My will. In desolation, darkness and various doubts, have recourse to Me and to your spiritual director. He will always answer you in My name. Do not bargain with any temptation; lock yourself immediately in My Heart and, at the first opportunity, reveal the temptation to the confessor. Put your self-love in the last place, so that it does not taint your deeds. Bear with yourself with great patience. Do not neglect interior mortifications. Always justify to yourself the opinions of your superiors and of your confessor. Shun murmurers like a plague. Let all act as they like; you are to act as I want you to. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Observe the rule as faithfully as you can. If someone causes you trouble, think what good you can do for the person who caused you to suffer. Do not pour out your feelings. Be silent when you are rebuked. Do not ask everyone’s opinion, but only the opinion of your confessor; be as frank and simple as a child with him. Do not become discouraged by ingratitude. Do not examine with curiosity the roads down which I lead you. When boredom and discouragement beat against your heart, run away from yourself and hide in My heart. Do not fear struggle; courage itself often intimidates temptations, and they dare not attack us. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Always fight with the deep conviction that I am with you. Do not be guided by feeling, because it is not always under your control; but all merit lies in the will. Always depend upon your superiors, even in the smallest things. I will not delude you with prospects of peace and consolations; on the contrary, prepare for great battles. Know that you are now on a great stage where all heaven and earth are watching you. Fight like a knight, so that I can reward you. Do not be unduly fearful, because you are not alone.<\/strong> \u2014Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul<\/em>, n. 1760<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Our Mother knows that the dangers today are like no other generation. Pornography is two mouse clicks away; materialism pounds at our mind’s door; sensuality drips from the majority of advertisements, programming, and movies; and the light of Truth that would guide nations into true spiritual freedom is growing dimmer and dimmer. And so, she calls to her children, numbed by the constant bombardment, to cry out to her, to grasp her hand, to flee beneath her mantle. And if you are listening, you will hear her direct your soul to the Great Physician who will heal your wounds, bandage them, and strengthen you in the battle. Yes, she will direct you to the Confessional, to the Word of God, and to the Holy Eucharist. Jesus is, and always will be, the answer to our souls aches and heart’s yearnings.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n GET UP!<\/p>\n\n
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