Going up the mountains brings you to a great place to pray, for everything you see raises your heart to God! I will try to post some photos to show you what I mean!!
I was praying up the mountains for several people who asked for my prayers, by chance all ladies. For instance one woman has been persistently asking me to pray for her husband who is dying of cancer. Anyway I have been praying a while and was very touched by their problems and concerns, things that often have to do with relationships and I was asking God about the hardness of such things , which seemed to me really terrible. Anyway Our lord pointed out His mother standing at the foot of the Cross, as He lay dying and I was shown a picture of the two hearts, the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It seemed to me I was shown that the hearts were different, the heart of Mary pierced by a sword and the heart of Jesus pierced by a lance and surrounded by thorns. It seems to me , in this Jesus showed to me that the nature of suffering for men and women are often different and that men and women are endowed with different powers in suffering, that women have great power to wait, to endure, to carry special burdens that come to them through their role of nuturing. I have seen this in my own life with women in my family. My mother, for instance had ten children, seven boys and three girls and knew intense suffering and pain in her life. Her husband and three of her sons were imprisoned, two of them been beaten badly, her house was often raided by the British Army, during the war here she never knew if her sons of her husband might come back alive often risking been killed ,simply for being a Catholic. She took a severe heart problem when she was just forty with a young large family and later suffered from cancer. Yet as I recall her , I see such great strength, such power to endure and we see this too in Mel Gibson's film, 'The Passion of the Christ, with Mary at the foot of the cross. My God Mother Chris suffered terribly too, she contracted a form of gangerene when young and suffered multiple amputations, she was raised an orphan in a bad situation and her only daughter treated her much lass well than she might. My mother told me of her pain. Sometimes she screamed so hard she awakened folks in the next farms. Yet there was about her a peace, a serenity, a gentleness and loving kindness...a sheer strength which was breath taking. It seems to me that men and women , when we get to heaven do so not just like angels but as men and women, that even our souls as men and women our different. We see this for instance in the Assumption. So Jesus explained to me that I was looking at the suffering of women as a man, that I was not recalling the great strength for such suffering that God has given them for such terrible situations which might overcome men. I don't know if this makes any sense to you who read this, but, anyway this is one of the things I was praying about.
Padraig, The mountains are breathtaking. Yes I do think men and women react differently to crosses. It takes years of practice though to become patient in suffering. Women I thing have more empathy and can feel the suffering of others whereas I dont believe men feel others suffering as much. Mary
I think too that as women we are used to things taking time, takes time to have the baby fully develop in the womb ready to come into the world, takes time to teach them the things they need to know as they grow, and patience, so we adjust more easily to enduring the suffering that comes our way...except for some days!javascript:emoticon('')
I think for those who engage in prayer for some time, that there sexuality becomes more adjusted. So for a man he becomes gentler, more sensitive, more intuitive and nuturing for instance. Saint Teresa of Avila on the other hand, who lived in a time when women were treated as chattel one time remarked , 'When I recall I am a woman, my wings droop'. She was a very great Contemplative and she behaved like a great general, with great courage and verve racing round Spain founding convents, evincing great manly virtues as did say Saint Catherine of Siena and Saint Joan of Arc. I think prayer brings great balance. When I think of Our Blessed Lady I think of someone of great courage and strength and when I think of Jesus I think of someone who is very gentle , the Lamb of God.....I think it is only through prayer that we can acheive this great potential.....
I'm glad to hear it because if it was you I'd have to develop a complex or something. I must have messed-up somewhere in the posting.
