...Suddenly,
he heard the voice of Christ, who asked him: "My son, how old am I?" Father John replied, "Lord, You're 33 years
old!"
"And
you?" Jesus asked.
"I'm 50," Fr. John answered.
"I'm 50," Fr. John answered.
Then the
Lord continued: "Why haven't you ever thanked Me? I gave you 18 more years to
live. At 33 I had already died."
"Yes, Lord. I'm sorry. Forgive me for never having appreciated these extra 18 years of life You gave me."
"You have spoken well about me John, but you do not know me. Taste Me." (Father John reported that Jesus stressed the words 'Taste Me'.)
"Lord, what do You mean by telling me this?"
"Yes, Lord. I'm sorry. Forgive me for never having appreciated these extra 18 years of life You gave me."
"You have spoken well about me John, but you do not know me. Taste Me." (Father John reported that Jesus stressed the words 'Taste Me'.)
"Lord, what do You mean by telling me this?"
"My son, I didn't consecrate you to be a worker. I didn't consecrate you to be an administrator. I consecrated you to be ME. Be Me!"
Father John was dumbfounded when he heard the way Jesus said "Be Me!" Jesus added: "While I was suffering, I felt abandoned, rejected, condemned, and nailed. It was a very painful situation. Now, you know."
...Father
John understood a reality that concerns all of us. Before, he was performing one
thousand and one works for God, where prayer was dangerously missing. Through
his dereliction of a handicapped person, the Lord made him understand that He
was expecting from His priest that he would perform the works OF God, rather
than FOR God. That is to say, the works that God Himself had prepared for him to
realize according to his Divine design.
From Fr. Jacques Philippe:
"This book gives us an opportunity, through a diversity of stories, to see
mercy at work in a living and personal way. Mercy is not an abstract idea,
it is a reality that has deeply changed and transformed the lives of so many
people. The various chapters illustrate how God's benevolent and gratuitous love
can burst forth in a human existence and, where sometimes all seemed lost, lead
to true resurrections. The strength of this book does not come from speeches,
but from living testimonies...
"We love
freedom. And yet, somewhat surprisingly, our world does not fully understand the
liberating force of forgiveness. We aspire to freedom, but don't always do what
is necessary to achieve it! To be truly free, we must forgive. As long as I
haven't forgiven someone who has hurt me, I will be stuck in my past, and will
remain dependent on this enemy whom I blame and toward whom I feel anger and
bitterness. The grudge will take a place in my heart which will prevent me from
being free and living to the full. Forgiveness is sometimes difficult; it may
seem impossible. Forgiveness is a grace that must be begged for humbly in
prayer, and sometimes it takes a lot of time to get there. However, it is
absolutely necessary. Whoever does not forgive will never heal completely from
the wrong he has suffered and from the wounds that have been inflicted on
him.
"In
modern society, we take great care of people who have been victims, supporting
them, enabling them to express their pain, to shed light on their suffering, to
ensure that they also find the truth and justice to which they are entitled.
This is a good thing. However, perhaps we sometimes forget to convey to the
victims that they cannot completely recover from their past unless they decide,
one day, to forgive. This is not a natural decision to make, it takes courage,
but it is necessary in order to find peace, healing and freedom.
"The
ultimate source of all forgiveness is in God, in the infinitely merciful heart
of the Father."
Dearest Gospa, what patience you have
with us. Do not get tired of us. Please continue to visit us! What would we do
without you? Those who reject you would joyfully welcome you if only they knew
you.
Sister Emmanuel +
(Translated from French)
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