Front picture Spirit Daily

Have you seen the front picture in, 'Spirit Digest?

 

I missed this post but as they say timing is everything.
Samia and I went to hear Michael Brown yesterday. His message wasn't anything I didn't already know but more of an underscore of things that the spirit was bringing to the forefront.

He started his talk with accounts of near death experiences (NDE) and related that all who had come back had strikingly similar reports. They reported that "we all live forever" and that we die in full consciousness. They were totally aware of what was happening and surprised to see their bodies lying there while they were standing out of them.
They said they came into this incredible Light, that they were overwhelmed by the sense of Love and recognized all the people they had loved even those who they hadn't met but were related to. That it was beautiful beyond human description and the things that mattered most in this place were not those things they had held in high esteem on earth. The things that mattered there were how much you loved, how much you helped others, how selfless you were and then he stared to talk about the importance of forgiveness.
He said he had a friend in Belfast and that's when Samia got the elbow in the side!

Here is the story he quoted:

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The Virgin Appears In Prison
The Medjugorje Sentinel, by Padraig Caughey

In 1982, when I was 26 years old, I was captured by the British Army and thrown into the Curmlin Road Jail. Belfast, in the North of Ireland. At the time, I was extremely bitter and full of hate, not believing in God at all, and very angry at the Catholic Church, which I considered pro-British. The years of rage and violence during the Troubles had taken their toll on me, and I was increasingly suicidal. The only thing that stopped me from killing myself was the knowledge that it would bring great pain to my family.

One night as I entered my cell. I found lying on the floor, a news- paper photo of Padre Pio, bearing his stigmata. I do not know how it got there, as neither myself nor my cell-mate were believers. Anyway, as I looked at the marks of the Passion on Padre Pio's hands, I thought, "The old fool did it with a screwdriver!" I wondered how he had never gotten blood poisoning or been caught cheating during such a long life. That night as I was going to sleep, I said in despair, "Padre Pio, go to God, and ask Him to prove to me that He really exists in the space of one 'Hail Mary.' If He does not, I will know for certain that He does not exist, and I can go ahead and kill myself."

Our Lady Appeared! As soon as I had said, "Hail Mary," my eyes flooded with tears in rivers down my face, for there, standing at the end of my bed, in great glory, was the Mother of God Herself. Extraordinary holiness, beauty, majesty, purity, motherliness, love, and kindness... indescribable! She said, "Now you believe."

I could only nod, and say, "Yes, I believe,"

Then She said, "Faith, without love, is vain. You must forgive; do you forgive?" Then I saw before me, picture forms of all whom I had hated, while Mary's voice gently kept asking me, "Do you forgive, do you forgive, do you forgive?"... as each picture passed before me.

She then said, "Now is there anyone, anyone at all, to whom your bear hate?"There was no one; I forgave them all. It was as though the weight of the universe was lifted from my soul.

For the first time, Mary smiled. "Now you have faith, and now you have loved; but now you must pray, for prayer is the food of faith. Pray... pray the Rosary," and She held a set of beads towards me.

I was embarrassed, and said, "I am sorry. I have forgotten how to say them."

Then Mary said with great firmness, "I, Myself, will teach you," which She did. I cannot tell you the joy I felt. It was as though I was reborn. I found it hard to say the Rosary at first, but then I came to love it.

Eventually, I ended up saying it all the time. The way that Mary taught me to pray the Rosary was not at all as we prayed it when I was a child. Her way was slow and thoughtful... so meaningful to me, and such a joy to feel truly in the presence of Jesus and Mary while it was being prayed. When I left prison, I entered a Cistercian Monastery for three and a half years. I am certain, that for the rest of my life, I will never forget Our Lady's visit, and always thank Padre Pio, Our Lady, and God for that wonderful night in prison which changed me and saved both my life and my soul.

After his talk I approached Michael to give him Padraig's regards and to tell him that we all enjoy his Spirit Daily site and he whispered " Are you going to tell Padraig that I'm quoting him"? I laughed and told him I certainly was and that I was sure that Padraig would approve! I invited him to visit the site. I hope he does.

 

Well Gail,

I just spent the most terrible night of my life and am very lucky to be alive! I went up the mountains with my new tent and camping equipment and heavy wind, rain and mists set in. My sleeping bag and tent were socked, I did not put it up right and I spent the night freezing and scared skinless that the tent would fall down and leave me alone in the mountains at night . At one point I began to shake uncontrollably with the cold and knew exposure was setting in . At first light I abandoned everything tent and equipment and headed down the mountains as fast as I could. it was so bad that the dog knew and did not want to leave the tent I had to drag her. I ended up lost and ten miles out of my way but in the nick of time my brother texted me and came up the mountains and picked me up in his car. When I got to his house I fell on the ground after a hot showerand slept for several hours. I just got home and am heading of to bed again for goodness knows how long, I am exhausted.

But up the mountain I had the most wonderful experience of the presence of my arcangel guardian and when I thanked Jesus He told me, 'But we need you around for a while.

I was thinking about you praying all night in the tent and just thought how wonderfully the jig saw of your spiritual life is all coming together. Sometimes when I share things with you about your future I wonder if it is all just my imagination..but the way events are moving it is more and clear it was always just the lain unvarnished truth, which is wonderful to behold.

Michael Brown is wonderful .Its amazing how God has taken him by the hand. Thank you for sharing things like this really cheer me up and I feel like I need cheering up, how stupid I feel for trying to camp up those wild mountains on my own! Oh well...but it was so kind of Jesus to keep me around a while..now I see why I made you a moderator I must have somehow seen this coming...

PS.

On the way down the mountain I and the most wonderful comforting realization. Sometimes I fret about whether or not my entire spiritual life is an illusion and sometimes I am seriously tempted to close down the forum in case i am deluding people in case it is simply an exercise in ego and self agrandizment. But in the fierce cold and winds Jesus pointed out to me that my thoughts were all of Him and were all the way down also that I had spent my entire night in prayer kneeling. I hadn't reliased this, prayer becomes so much a part of life that we no longer notice. But as I walked along the road I saw a bench put up for gentleman who died in 2009. I prayed for him in Purgatory and a short time later he chased along the road to thank me. I feel so sorry for Protestants no one prays for them. Imagine he has been in there from 2009, please pray for him.

 

Padraig... sounds like a rough night (although blessed too)- I am glad you came through it all OK. Praise God!

I will say a prayer for your friend from the road down the mountain.

 

Padraig, what a scare you had. . . and what a lesson. God is so good to tend to you and your protection. You have to recognized that you've had two very close calls lately it might be time to apply a prayer of intense protection before you even lift your head off your pillow.
All praise to our Lord for bringing you out of that situation and to safety. "Jesus He told me, 'But we need you around for a while." Very good news!
Prayers for your new friend too!

 

Surely a real love and charity for the Holy Souls is a great sign of an authentic Catholic spirituality. Padre Pio used to say they came in an endless stream up the slopes of his friary to ask him for prayers. In fact more of them than the living.

Apart from praying for poor sinners in danger of hell there is no greater act of charity. Also ; like the angels they are always grateful and pray right back of us. His purgatory is not the worst;some purgatories are truly terrible, like hell but without the eternal part.

 

Michael Brown spoke at length about purgatory again recommending the book THE UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT OF PURGATORY ( my Lenten read).
But he said when we pray for them to extend it too all those from the beginning of time and to send out a deep love to all who have ever crossed our paths, living and deceased. That when we do that we offer great forgiveness and it helps every one....because we are all connected.

 

Oh how exciting! I love your story Padraig! What a story of rebirth! Our Lord and Lady are so very good. They saved me today from myself. God needs me around too--for a little longer. I find when I get really angry, all hell breaks loose! I just get angrier now but less often. I didn't used to get this angry. Then I realize I'm being attacked and spend so much more time cleaning up by apologizing etc. Spirit of anger--be gone! FORGIVE, FORGIVE, FORGIVE!

 

You know, that could be literally what's happening!

Thank you Jesus for saving another one!

 

Padraig, you are a lot like St Francis - your planning is awful but the results are somehow amazing. It must be your acceptance of God's Will in all circumstances (a little "perfect joy" in the mountains). I think you make heaven laugh.

 

LOL, you are spot on Daniel!

 

I have the devout practice Gail of praying for the soul that is deepest in purgatory, their sufferings must be awful.

I used to try too to pray for the souls in hell, hoping to ease even their pain, but was told prayerfully to stop at once. They are in a place of Justice, not mercy in a fire which even charity cannot extinguish or even lessen the flames. We must fear hell very,very much indeed. I think we should all of us strive our best to avoid purgatory too, especially the deep part.

 

Hi Jimmy.

Well since you ask I will try to explain a little more, but some things are hard to put into words.

I was walking along a very wet and windy Irish mountain road overlooking the lake formed by the Silent Valley reservoir, water and mountains all around ,frozen and soaked to the skin.the Silent Valley reservoir, a
very beautiful place indeed:



Because it is so lovely people are allowed to pay for benches for their dead loved ones and each of them has a little brass plaque giving their names and date of death.

As I passed by one such plaque to a guy who died back in 2009 I prayer for his soul. I thought nothing else about it and had walked on about 40 yards when I had a feeling that someone was behind me. I turned round and this guy materialised right out of nowhere right beside the bench. He was I think about late middle age dressed quite ordinary in a shirt, suit and tie and he didn't walk but kinda gilded very quickly towards me. I wasn't frightened at all as I knew he was a Holy Soul from purgatory and of course they really are holy and will do no harm. They just want praying for. He didn't speak as we know speak but I knew what he was saying anyway. He was grateful for my prayers, very grateful as he has no one else praying for him and begged for more.

As he was close I would say , yes he looked human but not human at all kinda like a black and white movie, also around him was a kinda doorway and round him I could see purgatory beyond him, so in a real way although he had kinda left purgatory he was still in it. He didn't hand around after I promised prayer but went at once promptly and completley one second there, the next not.

 

When I first came to the church I was immediately drawn to the Holy Souls and I recognize that many on this forum are drawn to them as well.
I try very hard to avoid Purgatory, unfortunately some times I just don't cooperate!

 

Some purgatories are not so bad, Gail. When my brother and sister-law died in a car smash I saw them standing in Church looking towards the altar longingly in prayer side by side, that's not so bad.

 

So then in light of the statement of "as he has no one else praying for him"...what happens when we pray "and especially for those who have no one to pray for them"? I was counting on covering this man and whoever else needed prayer.

 

Yes Bi pray for him and all our dead Protestant sisters and brothers, rejecting the Churches teachings on Purgatory was a terrible, terrible error.

 

MS , I find forgiveness is not a one off but a great constant, I realise now that we all have to just keep forgiving and being forgiven till the day we die.

 

Good thanks, I over looked that part of Protestantism.