G'day everyone, I'm a new member.. obviously from Australia (East Gippsland, Victoria to be exact). I'm a 55 yr old never-married lady who suffers from severe social anxiety (in fact, I had selective mutism as a child ). Kidney disease runs in my family & I've had a transplant since 2011. I've been a long time lurker here. I think I first joined about 10-11 yrs ago but never posted... I've lost that email address anyway. I guess I've finally joined because I know we're in the End Times & probably close to the Warning. I have to warn you I'm not a Catholic so I hope I'll be welcome here... but I'm not one of those Protestants who thinks Catholics aren't true Christians or that they "worship Mary". In fact I think Catholicism is the truth. I've said the Rosary & Divine Mercy Chaplet and I'm devoted to Our Lady. My mother taught me about God & Jesus as soon as I could understand so I guess I've been a believer since I was a toddler (which is over 50 years ago). A Catholic lady told me I must be "one of Our Lady's special people". I believe in the Real Presence (though never taken it). And I said the Divine Mercy Chaplet while holding my father's hand as he died (he wasn't a believer). My other fave saints are St Francis of Assisi (because I'm a huge animal lover) & St Faustina. In 1976 my Presbyterian mother died & had an NDE & vision of Jesus, which ended up leading me to the Divine Mercy devotion & the Catholic Church. What my mother saw & was told was similar to the Divine Mercy.... so when I first heard of the Divine Mercy, I absolutely knew it was true. So I'm really glad my mother found out about the Divine Mercy devotion just before she died & she saw the DM Image. She never became a Catholic as Dad would never have put up with that but she'd been saying Rosaries... especially at night when she couldn't sleep because of pain. After she died, she appeared to my sister wearing a white gown & in her hands were rosary beads. I've been encouraging my Protestant relatives to put the Divine Mercy image on their doors for protection (like the Father Chris Alar video instructs). And I sent them Christmas cards with the DM Image on it. The message Jesus gave my mother in 1976 was similar to the Divine Mercy message... so I'm able to tell other Protestants about it without them getting upset that it's a Catholic message . It's sort of like I've got a foot in the Protestant world & a foot in the Catholic world... so I can speak to both groups (but sometimes have to be careful what I say... like mention purgatory to Protestants ). I hope to get round to becoming a Catholic one day... after the Warning perhaps (but that will probably mean the Warning will be more painful for me). I guess my severe anxiety gets in the way of me doing anything. Plus I was told that Catholics don't think animals go to heaven, which really broke my heart. That's been a bit of a stumbling block to me as I don't want to stop believing I'll see my pets in heaven as they've always been my best friends (& why I've been vegan for the past 26 years). Anyway, God bless you all, Donna
My mum was a Christian all her life & able to see into the spiritual realm & she often knew things in advance. This ability runs in my family but thank God I don't have it. I've been told that it's called "Second Sight" and that it can run in Scottish families (we're of Scottish, Irish & English ancestry)... but I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not. But after her brother Rob died in a plane crash in WW2, she saw his death in a dream & when she woke up he was standing by her bed and he said to her "Don't worry Sis, I'm alright". Later, they got the telegram that he'd died. And much later, a friend of Rob's who saw the crash described how it happened & it exactly matched Mum's dream. One time I went to a charismatic service at my local Catholic Church... I actually went with a small group of Pentecostals who believed that Catholic evangelist Philip Maloney is "Spirit filled". Philip told us a story about the inventor of the Aussie board game "Squatter", Bob Lloyd. Philip said when Bob was a boy during WW2 he prayed for his older brother who was serving overseas. But the brother got killed and Bob got so angry at God because he’d prayed so hard for his brother yet the brother still died. But even during Bob's anger, God still gave Bob comfort and allowed the brother to appear to Bob and say “Don’t worry. I’m okay, Ticker” (the brother always called Bob "Ticker"). That sounds the same as my mum's message from her brother Rob “Don’t worry Sis, I’m alright”. Sadly you can't tell a lot of Protestants a story like this because they always think that every spirit which isn't Jesus or an angel is a demon... so they don't believe the saints or Our Lady or relatives from heaven or purgatory, etc. can appear to anyone on Earth. But testing the spirits is always a good idea.
This is my local Catholic church, St. Mary's. Built in 1913 & the tower was added in 1936. It has painted ceilings & is very beautiful.
A very lovely church. That is some story and your other post as well. I am sure you will be welcomed here and everyone can help each other. I know the famous Catholic "healer" Alan Ames is from Australia. Very much a night to remember.
What's holding you back from talking to a Priest and following your heart to becoming a Catholic? Receiving the Eucharist is soul changing.
You are about the 3rd Protestant in the last 6 weeks I have come across, who like things about the Divine Mercy; and that is interesting. I met a fundamentalist (Baptist-type) who while still apprehensive about Catholic teachings and faith, said she liked the Divine Mercy chaplet.
Yes it is quite a story... just wait till I tell you the details of my mother's NDE... it'll blow your socks off
I have talked to a priest in the past but I ended up chickening out. I do have severe social anxiety & sometimes get panic attacks in crowds. And I don't always feel comfortable talking to men (I was abused as a child but I know not all men are abusive)... & the idea of Confession scares me a bit too. My sister is like a sort of guardian to me as I have mental illness... & I don't think she'd be happy I became Catholic (although she also believes in some Catholic visions too like Fatima, Garabandal & the Divine Mercy). Plus I think the Church teaches animals don't go to heaven... & that's one teaching I have a big problem with. I know animals aren't equal to humans but I believe they're like our little brothers & sisters... so I don't want to believe I'll never see my pets again. Do I have to believe that animals don't go to heaven to become a Catholic? I guess the Warning is getting close (maybe this year?) so I might have to think about it again soon.
How marvelous, DonnaMay! I'm glad you've introduced yourself. Mutual support is so essential these days! I will keep you in my prayers regarding your struggle with anxiety! John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Philippians 4:6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Yes, God must be leading us to the true Church. I know of some Anglicans who say the Divine Mercy Chaplet. And Protestants are learning about Garabandal & the Warning now too. Sometimes I watch Protestant pastor Paul Begley on Youtube, and recently he talked about the Garabandal prophecies on his show. His wife Heidi had a dream in mid-November about the Pope visiting Russia. Paul & Heidi must've researched it to see if anyone else had a prophecy or dream about that, and that's when he learned about Garabandal. I guess God gave Heidi that dream so they could find out about it. Sadly some people in the comments didn't believe in apparitions of Our Lady... but at least they've now heard about Garabandal.
Well Donna, I don't know how my message got stuck in the middle of yours! More technology goofs! But will repaste what I said, Find a Religious Nun to talk to about it. I would seek a contemplative . . . You are being called. They could help you on your path. It doesn't take a warning to fly to the heart of Jesus, it takes a leap of Faith. We all have issues because we are all human and not perfect, so don't get down on yourself!
Donna May, You are very welcome here and it's lovely that you are on the path of prayer. Everything will happen in good time and you will make the leap into the Catholic Church when you are ready. It's nice you are sharing with your non Catholic friends and maybe that's what you are meant to do at this point.
This is how my mum's NDE & vision happened. Her name was Bonie (named after the Robert Burns poem "Bonie Jean"). She was born on Candlemas 1924 & died on Shrove Tuesday evening 1988. She was a very kind & compassionate lady... & loved animals too. And she taught me from a young age to always tell the truth, which is why when the teacher asked "who was talking?" I'd put my hand up if it was me... then I realised by watching other kids that wasn't the thing to do But I've always tried to live my life by her standards. Kidney disease runs in our family (uromodulin kidney disease) very strongly. Mum had it, me & my 2 sisters have transplants, Mum's sister Heather had died of it at age 40, and now my eldest nephew (age 49) has been diagnosed Both Mum's kidneys failed in May 1976 when she was 52 & she actually died. She told me that while she was dead she saw what looked like a beautiful parkland through a doorway but she wasn't able to go through the door because a large hand pushed her back out & a voice told her it wasn't her time yet & that she still had things to do. While she was in the renal ward at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, a Catholic priest was doing his rounds and he sat & spoke with her. He talked with her about the End Times & the Book of Revelation. A few people think my mother's vision was a hallucination (kidney failure patients can have hallucinations) and because a priest spoke to her before it happened, they think she had an hallucination based on what the priest had said to her. But I told them maybe that priest knew something.... maybe God told him to have a talk with my mother because of what she was about to experience, and they replied they never thought of that. After she came back from her NDE, she had an incredible experience in her hospital room. She was laying in bed trying to sleep & felt someone tapping her on the shoulder (I think her right shoulder). She turned over in bed thinking it was a nurse and got a surprise because in the corner of the room was Jesus. There were 4 beds in the room but the 3 other patients in the room were asleep. Jesus was standing in the opposite corner of her room with a Cross behind Him. But she couldn't see Him clearly... she couldn't see His Face... was it because she wasn't worthy to see His Face? Or the lights from His Cross were so bright? I don't know. It happened at exactly midnight on a Friday night, 21st May 1976... or being midnight, was it the early hours of Saturday 22nd May? She said He spoke directly into her mind. I guess people call that telepathy but not sure what the Catholic term for it is... a locution? But she was having a vision at the same time. She said it seemed like He spoke for about 10 mins but the hands of the clock on the wall didn't move at all from 12 midnight during the whole experience.... I've never understood that. My eldest sister suggested God put the whole world on pause... but I said He wouldn't do that for one person. Maybe Mum was outside time somehow or Jesus talked super fast Mum said Jesus was standing in front of a thick wooden rough-hewn Cross (not on it but standing in front of it) and the Cross had rays of light shining from the 4 ends of it onto the centre of her forehead... which sounds like that Cross which St Faustina talked about in her Diary "Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time." Jesus spoke directly into Mum's mind, telling her things about His Mercy, the future of the world & of her family. He said something about a Dragon (China? Or the devil?) & about the "yellow race" attacking Australia. But you say "yellow race" these days & people say that's racist... but Mum said that was the exact term He used. But didn't Maria Esperanza say "the yellow races will stand up"? We guessed it meant China... maybe helped by another Asian country. And Mum was also told that the next punishment of the world will be with fire. She told me He took her through the Bible and explained many things to her. He said a lot of Churches are teaching the wrong thing... they focus too much on God's punishing side and they don't emphasise His Mercy enough. She was asked to tell people about God's Mercy & forgiveness. He asked her write a book & to travel round giving talks. But sadly she didn't accept the mission because she didn't think anyone would believe her... I guess she didn't realise that visions & NDE's are more common than we knew back in 1976 (well, us Protestants anyway ). She told me she actually said to Jesus "people will think I'm nuts" I don't know if she spoke aloud to him or replied to him in her mind. She told me that if she'd accepted the mission, Jesus would've come back to her to tell her more & tell her what to write in the book. He told her that even though she'd declined the mission, He'd still give her those extra years of life.. but the next time He appeared to her it'd be to take her. He said she'd be given a warning to get her life in order before He came to take her. She almost died in May 1986, ten years after her 1976 NDE, when she lost a lot of blood one day during dialysis.... so we think that was her warning that He was coming for her soon. I think if she'd accepted the mission, He probably would've healed her completely... because she wouldn't have been able to travel to give talks being so sick. After her vision ended & Jesus disappeared, the hands on the clock on the wall began to move again. She told me that on the radio the next morning there was a news report which said that astronomers in Canberra had seen a strange ray of light shining through space towards the north of Melbourne about midnight (same time as my mother's vision).... but they couldn't find the source of the light. BTW, the Royal Melbourne Hospital is in the north of Melbourne. That night one of her kidneys started working again & the next morning the renal specialist Professor Priscilla Kincaid-Smith (1926-2015) walked into her hospital room & announced "A miracle happened through the night" and Mum replied "I know". Mum was talking about seeing Jesus but the Professor was referring to one of Mum's kidneys starting to function again. Mum didn't tell any of the doctors about her experience in case they thought she was crazy. They'd probably just put it down to an hallucination anyway because people with kidney failure can have those (Mum told me about a lady in her ward who kept seeing furniture that wasn't there). But Mum did tell one of the nurses about it... the nurse was a Catholic & told Mum she believed her story. The nurse also told Mum there was something different about Mum's pupils the next day... they were opaque (I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not). I remember visiting the hospital with one of my sisters, not long after it happened. I was nine and a half at the time. So I assume that was the very room it happened in. I remember standing at the foot of her bed while she told us what had happened, and I remember believing it immediately. It wasn't till we came back home in 1977 that she started giving me more details about it. I remember her telling me about a vision of a fight in the sky during the End Times... and I asked her if there was anything we could do to help God win the fight ... I guess pray. Sadly that kidney ended up failing again about 15 months later so she had to do dialysis for the rest of her life until her death in 1988 aged 64. Maybe those ten & a half years she spent on dialysis were her purgatory on Earth? In Feb 1988, she travelled 3 hours from our home in Bairnsdale to Melbourne for carpal tunnel surgery but sadly she died of a massive heart attack. She died in the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the same place Jesus had appeared to her 12 years earlier & I sometimes wonder if she died in the very same hospital room she'd had that experience in. That night my sister was having a lie-down & saw Mum standing by her bed wearing what looked like a white nightie & holding rosary beads in her hands and she thought "what's Mum doing here? She's supposed to be in hospital". And that was even before my sister found out Mum had died. And when I first heard of the Divine Mercy devotion, I believed it & was drawn to it because of its similarities with what Mum had experienced... 1) Mum had been told to tell people about God's Mercy. And 2) Mum saw a Cross with rays of light coming from it & shining on her... like the Cross St Faustina described. Maybe Mum was given that experience to help draw her & me to the Divine Mercy? I wonder why she wasn't told to become Catholic... but maybe she was meant to talk about God's Mercy to Protestants who might not have listened to her had she been Catholic. She didn't write the book or give talks to audiences... but she used to tell people about it when she chatted with them & they'd usually say they believed it. Now I keep people telling her story. Well, I hope this has blessed you all.
And this is a diagram Mum drew on a notepad of what she saw during her 1976 hospital vision. She drew it for me while retelling the story in the 1980's.
