John, I am so sorry for the hurt inflicted on you by the body of Christ. We are in such a difficult time right now, there is so much division. I believe in your sincerity and sensed the truth of what you spoke of immediately when I read your words. Do not be discouraged, it is the the enemy who seeks to discourage us! I pray that every soul who sincerely loves The Lord God with all of their hearts and soul seek discernment in all things. We must ask the Holy Spirit to anoint and enlighten us daily and perhaps hourly to discern. May God be with you John, my prayers will be with you and your family. In Christ, Jane
My Christian Friends I am sorry that I reacted hasty to the comments that were being stated. I was upset because it is not that they are rejecting me, but the gentle Voice from Heaven that is trying to help them. I ask for your forgiveness if I have offended you and others. I went ahead and removed my posting because it was UN-Christian of me to allow myself to get upset and angry. Your brother in Jesus, John
John, I have also deleted my comment which, believe it or not, was not in any way intended to call into question your credibility or sincerity. I do not have any problems with you or your messages. My comment was only intended to reflect the fact that there is a lot of private and personal information out there on the internet and I know that many people would rather not have so much info about themselves available to the public. Was it not stated here on the forum previously that all past articles found online relating to you portrayed you in a very favorable light? So I would have no reason to suspect that you were trying to hide or cover anything up, but merely that you might have been concerned for your own or your family/acquaintances' privacy now that you have become more of a public figure. Please accept my apology for a sloppy and poorly explained comment! God bless you. To the other members of the forum: May I point out that I am NOT one of those that have been quick to pounce on or condemn John, or, for that matter, any other messenger that has come onto this forum. It is unfortunate that I was the one named in John's (thankfully now deleted) reply. A lesson to just keep my mouth shut in future!
Please don't keep your mouth shut Adoremus. The problem with communicating on the internet is that we only get one piece of communication, written word, which leaves a lot of what makes communication effective out like, inflection, facial expressions, tone, etc. I understood exactly what you meant to do in your original post and did point that out personally to John, but can see why others could also get confused at first gaze. I am glad that this all calmed down and I don't feel any harm has been done from it for many of us have learned a bit more about ourselves in it. I was telling Kathy yesterday that I have felt this overwhelming emptiness and darkness in the world and my own life these past 3 days now and I was in a foul mood myself and could not shake it all weekend. I feel the enemy is close right now whispering and accusing the faithful because time must be short so his desperation has set in a bit. We must stand strong even in our foul mood times and persevere through and try to remain on the straight path. It is so hard to sometimes for the accuser is much more cunning than us and there are times when Jesus does allow us to feel Him away even though he is not. It has happened to so many saints and mystics as well and they persevere through and so must we. I recommend all read Elizabeth Kindelmann's diary and you will see how often she was attacked and left in the dark and truly struggled with it.
Hello Adoremus, The Lord always seems to turn a tough situation into a wake-up call. Almost immediately after posting my frustration, I received many encouraging emails from my brethren from the Forum. I ask that you accept my apology for the overreaction on my part. I am very sorry if I have offended you and the others on the Forum. My intention was not to cause problems, but for us to open our eyes. The world is completely entangled in sin and Our Lady needs our help; we are all called to bring unity to God’s people, setting an example for the rest. There is too much division and arguments. We need to focus our prayers, sacrifices and spiritual gifts from God on helping our Apostolic Church and Our Lady take the message to all of mankind. I became upset because it is not that they are rejecting me, but the gentle Voice from Heaven that is trying to help us. I ask for your forgiveness. The bottom line is that it woke up some of us, and removed some of the fog that all of us have on our spiritual journey. Let us join together in prayer for the soul of mankind. Yours in Mary and Jesus, John Martinez, Jr. johnmartinez1952@austin.rr.com
John, thanks for the reply. And Adoremus thanks for your reply, but I didn't think John asked Google to wipe his info for any reason as it would make no sense to do that as it wipes out the backround of validating who he says he is and has been for the past years. Here's the reason I posed the question. I have started to fill my wife in about our group here and about the messages from Deacon John, from Charlie, from Mark Mallett, from what we all sense. So on Saturday night my wife and I discussed things in details. I told her "this man is for real" (meaning John) and I went to show her what I looked up when John first began to share his messages. When we first "met" John, I sensed in my heart that what he was saying is true, but I wanted to go and do some due diligence and look him up and see if he indeed was a Deacon from a parish in Texas and I found that yes, there were links and stories validating that John was indeed who he said he was. I asked the question because on Saturday night I googled him again to show my wife "see, this guy is really who he says he is and has for years been working in this ministry and that, speaking here, etc". But when I googled him Sat. night, nothing showed except for his messages posted here and on After The Warning. This startled me, it did not scare me, but it hit me a like a ton of bricks. Why? Because I sensed immediately that "someone" or "something" wiped all that information from the internet. Why did they do that? By no means would I think that John asked this to be done, it defeats his purpose of spreading his message. What if someone today finds John's messages for the first time? And then they go to do what I did 2 months ago when I first heard of John, and they look him up and find . . . nothing. That startles me, to say the least. I actually had a hard time going to sleep Saturday night thinking about who did that and why. And the power and access this person or entity has that can and did wipe that info. Does that make sense why I posed the question? I was looking for you all to validate that first, the info used to be there (that I didn't dream that up) and second, validate my thoughts on who may have done that and to what purpose. So, John, please do not be upset, but be aware there is a force that is trying to discredit you and it's not us. I for one believe you. But who and why would someone go and wipe that info and to what purpose? I have my thoughts on it, and it kept me from sleeping well Sat. night when I found out.
FP, that is exactly what I thought you meant when you asked the question and then I went it did the same thing and was startled that what I had read about Deacon John from the past was now gone and instantly thought something wicked has put a dark cloud over John's past to deter us and others from him. I would say the evil plan worked for a short time but now the light of the Lord has shown through and cleared this up rather quickly.
So Andy, you also googled John in the past and saw the information that I saw, information that is now gone? I really want to know your answer to to assure me that I'm not dreaming this up that information that used to be there is now gone as it seems so surreal and startling that something wicked has been done and the only reason I can think of is they are trying to discredit John. I have always been amazed at what Google has done and the information they possess to quickly link you to anything you want to know. But I also feel a dark side to Google and what they are up to and who is in control of them. John, I am praying for you and please continue to spread your message. I am spreading it to trusted friends in my community, a few of us gathered last Friday for a rosary and then I shared some things from you and others, things we have been discussing here. A few expressed shock and looked at me like I had 3 heads, but others also feel the same thing coming and were glad I broached the subject as they too are feeling it, but didn't want to talk about it publicly.
My Friends and Buddies, I thank you guys for supporting Our Lady and myself. We all know that “satan” wants to destroy us and all others who have been given a task for the Lord, but he cannot. He has tried to have me killed several times and has not succeeded. He has tried to take everything from me (Business, family, work etc.) and has succeeded sometimes, but he will not destroy me because I belong to God. When I consecrated my life to the Lord and Our Lady, the Lord spoke, “Not a bone will be broken”. For over 34+ years I have been on the front lines of Spiritual Warfare and my protection have always been from Our Lady and the Holy Spirit. I have been taught by Our Lady to attack “evil” immediately. Once it has been exposed it no longer has any power over you. Scripture tells “the Truth will set you free”. Pilate asked Jesus “What is Truth” … Pilate did realize that he was looking at “Truth” … Jesus Christ is the Truth. Satan has always been lurking around me but cannot get close to me. Satan cannot read minds, he can only guess. At the beginning of my mission, “satan” was trouble with whom I was and why did I have the spiritual protection of God. He was always guessing of John Martinez, Jr. Around 1984 I was talking to my wife on the phone; suddenly there was a horrific static on the phone … I could not hear my wife’s voice. I hung up the phone and she called me back. Her voice was very emotional and shocked. She said, “Johnnie, did you hear that evil voice that was on the phone…. I said No! The Evil voice screamed at you and told you that he was going to destroy you”. This surprised me at the beginning, but now it has become the norm in my spiritual and physical daily life. For many years I had been followed by three Demonic entities; 1) a large Arch-demon named “Destroyer” 2) an entity with a black hooded garment carrying a large black stick.. The demon of “Death” and 3) a large black dog with red evil eyes whose mission is to devour me. Regardless as to where I went they were always there. One early morning as I was waking up I saw them with the corner of my eye. One of them spoke to the other two and said “let us go he is waking up”. I spiritual fought these jokers for over 30+ years. In the name of Jesus Christ I have always been able to rebuke them, but they keep coming back. Satan has always wondered why God was protecting me. He knew that there was a reason, but kept on guessing. This is the reason that I could not share what I was showed and taught for 34+ years. Since I started to share the teachings given to me from Our Lady and the Holy Spirit for over two months or more, the Lord has put them at bay and are not allowed to get close to me. I can still see them at a long distance, thus my spiritual battle is a normal daily event. It is only through the love and Grace of God that I overcome these attacks. I can do nothing on my own, but in Jesus Christ all things are possible. This is the first time I have shared this with anyone other than my Spiritual Director. I learned that once “Evil” is exposed it no longer has any power over you. I love and thank you all for your prayers for me and please know that I pray for all of you. Your friend and brother in Jesus Christ, John View attachment 2174 View attachment 2175 Bishop Thomas Flanagan – First Spiritual Director Monsignor Enda McKenna (Current Spiritual Director), my wife Maria and myself
Yes, I understood this was what FP meant as well but before jumping to conclusions that something sinister was afoot I wanted to suggest a possibly more benign explanation, hence my infamous post!
Adoremus, do not worry about it, but something sinister is afoot. I was astounded Sat. night and didn't mean to cause a commotion but wanted to shine a light on it for my fellow members here and also to have you verify what I was thinking, as the only reason this would be done would be to discredit Deacon John. And there's no reason for evil to discredit him unless he's carrying and speaking the Truth and is an opponent who evil wants to silence/discredit as he's spreading an important message. Incredible message that is hard to grasp? Yes. But the fact that his info has been wiped is startling but also validates his message, in my opinion. The shame is that now future people that hear his message will not be able to find his history and verify who he is and who he has been for 34+ years. But we know the truth, at least.
John - Servant of God Email: johnmartinez1952@austin.rr.com Commentary #4 Personal Contemplations on the Remnant And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 12:17 At the beginning of my spiritual journey I first heard the word “remnant” among new, spirit-filled Christian Roman Catholics who shared with me their thoughts on who and what would constitute the “remnant”. Interestingly, a “remnant” is a small piece of something left over from the original. It is identical to the original, but in a smaller proportion. When someone is sewing and makes clothes out of a large piece of cloth, the small left over material is called the remnant. That made sense. Holy Scripture has a number of remnants through time, mentioning “remnant” over 540 times in the Bible. Although remnants could be looked upon as worthless scraps, and many times are, God assigned high value to those of His people whom He had set aside for holy purposes, those He labels as “remnants”. Many of the emails that I am receiving make references to the “remnant”. The emails are coming from all over the world; thus, it is clear that these multi-faceted “remnants” are coming together, each piece forming the wedding dress for the Bride of Christ, His church. It is Our Lady and the Holy Spirit that are the seamstresses. We, as the Body of Christ, are being integrated, united by the Holy Spirit, our Blessed Mother and our personal efforts and responses to the calling of God. . We truly are the beautiful, multi-faceted, assorted remnant bound together by our faith and love in Jesus-sewn lovingly by our Blessed Mother through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Our mission is to bring the whole world to the Holy Person of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Perhaps the best place to start to define the remnant is to look at the original church depicted in Acts-a church that was still pure and unblemished. Then, we can accurately compare it with the churches and doctrines that we see today, and now find a contemporary church or group of believers who most closely resemble the early believers of the original church in their actions, beliefs and lifestyles. Scripture speaks of the Remnant Church; it is referring to a small percentage of God’s people at the End of Time that has clung to the purity of this original, pure belief system, faith and doctrines as the early Roman Catholic Church. This Church (Body of Christ) will consist of people who have totally given their lives to God and accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. This has been the mission of Our Blessed Mother since she accepted the message from Gabriel the Archangel. “Let it be done to me according to thy Word”. Luke 1:38 “And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace" ("highly favored one") The Lord is with you." Luke 1:28. Luke 1:41-42 "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women..." Luke 1:42 It is Our Lady and the Holy Spirit currently preparing the Refuges and ultimately, after the tribulation, we will all come together as the Remnant Church. The Remnant church will be the saints (yes, we are the saints) as described in Revelation ... “here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.' Revelation 14:12 'If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.' John 15: The Holy Trinity has given complete authority and power to Our Lady for the preparation of the Church for the coming of Her Son. It is the Holy Spirit and Our Lady who are preparing the Bride. (The church). The spirit and the bride say come” Revelations 22:17. Mary’s holy and powerful influence is undeniable. We remember the last words of Mary in the Gospel at the wedding feast at Cana; “His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you." John 2:5. Mary sees a need and appeals to Her Son to satisfy it. He does it. Every Christian is being called to clearly choose Jesus and to spread the message of salvation. It is we, the remnant, who will be welcoming Jesus. Before this occurs, however, the Holy Spirit will endow his gifts to anyone who asks with a sincere heart. You do not have to worry as to what to do or say. The Holy Spirit will give you the boldness, the grace, the words and wisdom to proclaim salvation in Jesus to those he directs you to reach. The Spiritual Remnant in the Bible: Holy Scripture describes a number of “remnants” or “elect” that God chooses for singular purposes and for a deeper, closer relationship with Him. In Romans 11:1-4, Paul recounts Elijah's complaint and God's subsequent response found in I Kings 19:11-18. From this exchange, the apostle concludes that a remnant still exists, "a remnant according to the election of grace" (verse 5). This spiritual remnant is what several New Testament writers term "the elect," those who have been called and chosen by God through grace. These "elect" have received what Israel did not: spiritual redemption, salvation, a relationship with God and so forth. There are other remnants—Noah and his family were the remnant saved out of the millions on the earth before the flood (Genesis 6). Only Lot and his two daughters survived the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a very small remnant (Genesis 19). When Elijah despaired that he was the only one left in Israel who had not bowed down to idols, God assured him that He had reserved a remnant of 7,000. Today, the nations of modern Israel have a combined population in excess of 470 million and one of the questions we may ask is: “what will be the size of the remnant in Israel”? Now, we want to focus on just one of the remnants—the one that applies to Christians, the spiritual remnant. This is a small group of God-fearing people who survive the persecutions inspired by Satan in the near future. Those who prevail are promised wonderful blessings and rewards for their faithfulness. End Time Remnant Church: The Remnant Church is something that many Christians, both Roman Catholics and non-Catholics, don't often ponder. Most Christians trust that their belief alone in Jesus makes them part of the true church of God, whether or not they are truly walking with the Lord. Is this correct? Does God have a true remnant people during these end times? Who is the remnant church talked about in the Bible? Throughout Holy Scripture, God has stated that He would keep a people for Himself, a sincere people who would obey Him and not wander from His truth. The following verses are evidence of God’s intentions and desires pertaining to His elect or remnant: 'Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.' Isaiah 1:9 'And it shall come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.' Isaiah 10:20 'And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.' Jeremiah 23:3 'Isaias also cried out concerning Israel, though the number of the children of Israel to be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.' Romans 9:27
Roman Catholic Church and the Remnant: What I have spiritually experienced through the teachings of Our Lady and the doctrine and teachings of our Roman Catholic Church is that in the “Fullness of Time” all Scripture is going to be fulfilled. There are currently many distortions and artificial prophecies that explain why there is much confusion and misunderstanding concerning the “Remnant” and other end time developments. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." Isaiah. 2:2-4 "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Rev 11:15 These are just a few of the many prophecies to be fulfilled when Jesus returns to this earth to take over the kingdoms of this world. This will be a time of justice and judgment on the earth. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire. Rev. 19:20. Satan himself will be chained in the "bottomless pit" for the duration of the Millennial Kingdom. Rev 20:1-7. The nations of the earth will be judged by the Lord Jesus Christ, and some will be admitted into the Kingdom, while others will not. Mat. 25:31-46; Joel. 3:1-2. Once all wickedness has been defeated, the Lord Jesus Christ will rule over the earth in righteousness from the Throne of His Glory in Jerusalem. He will be the King of all kings, and all nations will be subject unto Him. Friend, the Kingdom will come and the King of kings will reign. Vision/Locution of the Remnant After all the turmoil outside the Refuge, in an instant, I felt complete silence inside the Refuge. I sensed a presence of peace and love all around me. I was taken up in the sky, and I saw all the remnants coming together throughout the world. I, like many others, know that the diverse remnants, in different lands, languages and cultures, were protected by the love of God and guided through the shield of Our Lady and the Holy Spirit. I had always assumed the remnants would be very tiny, but I saw thousands of God’s children (families, individuals, the young and the old, priest, pastors and people from all walks of life, coming together from all parts of the world). The numbers shown to me could possibly be in the millions; I do not know, but yet, compared to over six billion people in the world today, the number really was relatively small. Who were the remnant? The remnant consisted of the chosen people that had repented and accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts. They were the ones that listened to the message spoken by Our Lady for centuries; they had been obedient to the calling of Our Lady and Our Lord Jesus. It was through their prayers, sacrifice and through their sharing the message of salvation that the world had been cleansed of all sin and the “banquet” was being prepared. Their persistent faith and trust in God had been rewarded. At this time in history, the remnants are coming together, organized and guided by Our Lady and the Holy Spirit. We are not alone! The Holy Spirit is touching the hearts of many diverse but like-minded brethren throughout the world. We are a world-wide family, of one mind and spirit; distance is inconsequential. The Lord has opened the spiritual eyes of many, and we must wake up and do battle using the Armor of God (Ephesian 7: 1-10). We are a now a holy and united community of warriors for God as was St. Michael when all of Heaven became silent. St Michael’s battle cry of “Who is like unto God”? that made Satan tremble now reminds him of the gallant clash when the bright Archangel answered the call of the rebel angels. As a remnant, we are fully equipped with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We are all being called as a family of God to battle evil in this world. In reality, Satan has very little power. We give him power by fear and by ignoring that God has furnished us with all that is needed to combat evil-chief among these gifts is the name of Jesus Christ that can rebuke the evil and darkness around us. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke. Very wise words! How do we fight Evil? As the chosen people of God we are called to simplicity: to prayer, an active faith and to place all of our trust in God. Urgently, all of us need to be in the state of grace---which means immediate and frequent confession, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and going to daily Mass as much as possible in order to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. It also means prayer, lots of earnest, honest, humble prayer, every day. This can be done silently, as possible when driving, or it can mean finding space and time in our lives for the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It only takes 20 minutes or so to say one set of mysteries of the Rosary, and the heavenly protection it gives us is immense. By invoking the very holy Blessed Virgin Mary as our protector, the demons cannot enter through our senses as easily as they could before. Whatever our particular shortcoming, heartache or weakness may be---whether it be gluttony, lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, or slot---or a trouble or heartache such as our children fallen away from the Church, pray that God will send us the grace to overcome each limitation. Once God realizes that we are sincere and steadfast in our love for Him, and not just paying him lukewarm lip service, our vices, weaknesses and issues will be resolved or vanish, and we will increasingly seek the good and the light. Now, we must urgently pray as a community of God for the wisdom and strength to face what is before us, and for the grace to accept the gifts being sent to strengthen and prepare us. “Dear children, also today, I desire, in a special way, to call you to pray for peace. Pray, dear children, for the plans, for my plans for peace. Decide for peace and fight against evil and sin. Dear children, I pray together with you and I intercede for all of you with my Son. Thank you also today for having responded to my call.” August 11, 2014 –Our Blessed Mother-Apparition in Medjugorje Let us fervently ask Our Lady and the Holy Spirit for the guidance, insight and power we need. All of Heaven is on our side, and we have been given spiritual authority, as the Holy Remnant of God, to do spiritual combat. As God’s Holy Remnant, we are now called to battle for the soul of our children, family, friends and the whole world. Your brother in Christ, John
Question and Answers: We need to simplify all that we hear and receive from all Christian interpretations. I will answer questions that have been asked of me: Q. Is there going to be a Rapture? A. No Q. Is God going to chastise the world for the sin in the world? A. Yes Q. When will this occur? A. I do not know when or where. Only God the Father in heaven knows. Q. How can I prepare for the tribulation? A. Simple! Come before God with a sincere heart and ask for His forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Q. Will my family be saved from the horror (tribulation) that is coming? A. It can! Our Blessed Mother has given us messages and instructions to convert, pray and reach out to your family and prepare yourself spiritually before God. Q. How will God protect me and my family? A. Our Lady is preparing Refuges all over the world for those that seek salvation and God’s protection. Q. Why am I having so many problems and everything seems to wrong? Is God punishing me? A. God is not punishing you. All of God’s children are under a tremendous spiritual attack because Satan knows that the end is near and wants all people to turn away from God. We must stand firm and know that we are not alone. God is with us and has asked Our lady to be our Protector during these evil times. Q. Is the chastisement the end of the world? A. No. It is the beginning of a New Era of Peace for the children of God. Q. When will the warning take place? A. I do not know. It has not been revealed to me. Our Lady has said that it will come out of Medujgorge. Addendum: Roman Catholic Position on Private Prophecy The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches that the acceptance of private prophecies is optional: The Church allows freedom in accepting or rejecting particular or private prophecies according to the evidence for or against them...The minatory prophecies which announce calamities, being for the most part conditional, may or may not be fulfilled. Many private prophecies have been verified by subsequent events, some have not; others have given rise to a good deal of discussion as to their genuineness. Most of the private prophecies of the saints and servants of God were concerned with individuals, their death, recovery from illness, or vocations. Some foretold things which would affect the fate of nations, as France, England, and Ireland. A great number have reference to popes and to the papacy; and finally we have many such prophecies relating to the end of the world and the approach of the Day of Judgment (Devine, Arthur. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Prophecy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York). Yet, it needs to be understood that Roman Catholics believe that their private prophecies are highly important: Private revelations (i.e. apparitions and locutions with or without prophecies) are those which have been recorded since the days of Christ. Revelations which were recorded up to the days of Christ are known as public, biblical, or scriptural revelations… Many Catholic devotions are based solely on private revelations: the Rosary, the Sacred Heart, and the Scapular are cases in point. More recently, devotion to Our Lady of Fatima was accepted and encouraged by the Church. (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p.9).
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke. Very wise words!" Yes, very wise words and one of my favorite quotes and I firmly believe this! Just show me the way and what needs to be done and you have a willing servant here, Lord.
John - Servant of God Email: johnmartinez1952@austin.rr.com Commentary #5 Personal Contemplations How Do I Get My Children Back to God? “The human infant is by far the most helpless of all young mammalian life and consequently requires an inordinate amount of care if it is to be nurtured successfully” (R.K. Harrison, ed. Revised Edition. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1992. p. 302). It all starts with us---the parents. We have allowed our children to experience areas that are dark, sinful and conducive to evil. We wanted to give our children what we did not have as children, and in turn, we have injured their souls. In doing so, we have opened the door to darkness, and they have now walked into the immorality, corruption and ungodliness of our decadent culture. I have received many emails from parents that that are deeply grieved and suffer acutely for their children. Some have lost control over their children or experience rebelliousness, defiance and rejection from them. Sadly, all of us grieve for the condition of this world that grabs our children only so it can extinguish the flame of God. We have given our children a freedom and opportunities that have backfired on many of us. We have given them to the world which belongs to evil. We allow them to spend countless hours on demonic video games, watch hours of violent television, listen to ungodly music, and “practice” for marriage by trial “living” arrangements. . Many are experimenting or using spiritually damaging drugs or alcohol, and we parents do not have a clue what our children are doing. We do not spend enough time parenting them, sometimes not giving them role models of a vibrant prayer life and of holy, positive relationships at home. We allow them to miss Mass on Sunday and to forego the Sacraments. Sadly, many ungodly patterns have become established in our children, and now they are set in concrete. What does Scripture tells us about our children? One of the Ten Commandments says: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you” Exodus 20:12. This commandment must be taken seriously, not only because it is a matter of Old Testament revelation, but because the obligation to honor parents is one that is almost ridiculed in our current cultural climate. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” - which is the first commandment with a promise - “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” Fathers, do not infuriate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. Ephesians 6:1-4 A son should hear his father's instruction and not forsake his mother's law. Proverbs 1:8 Under the Old Testament, a stubborn and rebellious son, who would not obey his parents, was to be stoned. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 Jesus set the example for children by being subject to His earthly parents. Luke 2:51 Disobedience to parents, like other sins, causes those who practice it - and those who justify others who practice it - to be worthy of death. Romans 1:30,32 Children should obey their parents. Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20 A son should hear his father's instruction and not forsake his mother's law. Proverbs 1:8 Under the Old Testament, a stubborn and rebellious son, who would not obey his parents, was to be stoned. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 Jesus set the example for children by being subject to His earthly parents. Luke 2:51 Disobedience to parents, like other sins, causes those who practice it - and those who justify others who practice it - to be worthy of death. Romans 1:30,32 Children should obey their parents. Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20 The Root of the Problem My wife Maria has always worked with troubled youth. As a teacher and psychologist, she has seen and heard it all. What is her assessment of the situation with our kids? We are fighting a terrible battle---one that we are increasingly losing.
The combatants are drugs, alcohol, medication, TV, movies, video games, songs, music, and demonic media messages of “coolness”. We have a toxic cocktail of appalling role models that portray wickedness as normal and “cool”. We have also created an obsolete, overwhelmed and increasingly irrelevant school system. To make matters worse, our culture is totally supportive and even glamorizes the worst evils (abortion, illicit sex, pornography and continual escapism). God is presented as a fairytale, a fable, a myth, and Christianity an outdated, troublesome belief and value system. Increasingly, we have seen good parents (yes, even with our own family) struggle to impart strong Christian values while trying to not totally isolate their children from normal activities and experiences. In terms of where to draw these delicate boundaries, parents are as confused and stressed as our children. We all agree on one thing----we certainly have serious problems! Testimonies from Youth and Children: 05/18/2009 You can't bring your daughter back to God. Only the Holy Spirit can do that. I was also raised in a God-fearing family. I walked away from God and began to live a very unhealthy and dangerous life style. I started having relationships with women and defined myself as a lesbian. Through it all I know my mother loved me. She called me regularly just to keep in touch. I knew she would be there for me in an emergency even though I kept pulling away from her mostly because I was ashamed of what I was doing and I knew it would upset her. My mother showed me by example what a loving God we have. She lived her Christian life and I watched her. After praying for me for 25 years, I was convicted of the sin of lesbianism and I started going back to church. Now we have a very close and intimate relationship. She never stopped praying for me or being there for more. I love her so much for all her sacrifice. Deb 05/12/2013 I am 15, and I am an atheist myself.... Everyone thought I was rebelling at first, but I wasn't. I truly just don't believe in God. Some people aren't cut out for the belief. As for the drinking, that isn't because of her lack of god. She obviously has a more serious issue that should be addressed. And she probably doesn't want you bothering her about her faith if she is a struggling alcoholic. It's annoying and does more damage than good. Danielle How do I bring my child back to God? First, we individually, and as parents, must pray, repent of our sins, ask forgiveness, ask God to change our lives and with a sincere heart turn our lives to God. It is very important that we ourselves reconcile with God; He is the only answer to all of our problems and situations. We need to invite the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother into our hearts and ask for His gifts and for Her direction with our families and our children. Surrender and guidance are key, for He is the only One that can change the impossible. I know it may be very difficult to first simply repent and seek God, but this is what I believe that the Lord is telling us. We have loved our children with all of our hearts, and now we need to love them with agape love, with the love of God--- which is unconditional. Sometimes, this is very difficult to do. We need to understand that we must, above all, pray for our children, and not necessarily try to change the life they live (especially with older children), but pray and give them to God and to our Blessed Mother. Ask God to deal with their hearts, and know that we cannot convince them with our human logic, arguments or human force or pressure. Staying true and acting on our faith in God is so crucial. We see many parents drop off their kids at CCD on Sunday for one hour or more. They might think they are completing their Christian upbringing, but they are not. They give their responsibilities as parents to others. Children are smarter than we might think. They look at us, the parents, as examples. Do we spend time with them and share about God? Do we go to Sunday Mass with them as a family? Do we teach them at home, by word and behavior, about God? Do we give others the responsibility that is ours? Have we as parents had a negative influence on our children? Do they see us as sincere, genuine and vibrant in our faith? Do we speak of God and act in unholy ways? If so, this is the place to begin-our own behavior! It could be that our kids went off to college and came back not believing in God-liberal professors with their own agenda turned their thinking away from believing in God. The young person may question everything, and our values do not make sense to them. They built walls between you and them when it comes to talking about God. We need to become spiritual prayer warriors for our children. When we approach them, pray before you speak---pray that we don’t say anything to further drive them away, or to add a wedge between them and our Lord. Pray that our words may be His---peppered with His “communication skills” and His transforming love. Let us also pray to set healthy, Christian boundaries for our children—to say no to influences that will harm their souls as well as their bodies---no matter how tough. Let us pray that we will have the courage to speak truth to them, but also the discernment and patience to wait, to be silent and listen to their thoughts and their stories. We have to learn to do everything in and through the love of Christ with our kids Let’s become committed, fighting-mad prayer warriors for our children! We can never give up or give in! God and our Blessed Mother can do more than we could ever imagine in this very important battle for the soul of our children-one that we cannot and will not lose.
