Yes Heidi, well done; it is a very distressing condition. What was most distressing for me was that even saying an affirmation like that did not seem to work. Of course, when I say that I set about healing myself, I realise that this is evidence of my old way of thinking - for it was not me that "healed myself", but God's grace. We are the branches, Jesus is the Vine, God the Father is the Vine Dresser. We can do nothing if we are not in Jesus. I'd like to say a little bit more about this process. I do think that Consecration to the Blessed Virgin was very important in the healing although all of the things I mentioned helped I am sure. After some time it was as if I became hidden in the inner sanctum of the enclosed, walled garden of the Blessed Mother. There were times when I was like a child who placed their hands over their eyes. And the terrible world that I was aware of would disappear. And I was safe. But then, like a child, I would part my fingers to peep out and see if that terrible spectacle was still there - and it was, as treacherously loud, hellish and obscene as it had been from the start. I would close my fingers again and retreat into the garden very discouraged about whether I could ever be healed. It was like saying to someone, DO NOT think of an elephant. Well, of course, the first thing one does is think of an elephant! Over time, that urge to spread my fingers and test what was really out there, left me, and I had peace in Mary's garden. Peace to pray and meditate and contemplate the sacred mysteries. That does not mean I am not subject to temptations, but through God's grace and Mary's intercession, a crushing affliction has been removed from me. I have more to say on this whole subject, which modern psychology might classify as and obsessive-compulsive type of disorder (OCD). Perhaps it is more about raising questions than saying something definitive, but I may get back to this. First however, it struck me that St. Teresa of Avila had things to say which are important. In her book Interior Castle, she describes the process of the soul approaching and uniting with God. She says we go from the court yard into the Interior Castle. There are 7 rooms or Mansions in the Castle. She says many are not given the grace by God to enter all of these Mansions, but that it is helpful to know about them anyway. Incidently, she urges us not to be envious of those who have been given greater graces than we have - as usually, suffering comes with grace. At the centre of the Castle is the Royal Chamber. She says that the light from the Royal Chamber does reach into all of the mansions, but it does not shine as brightly in the outer mansions. Of those souls in the outer courtyard, she says these are in mortal sin. "If these souls do not strive to understand and cure their great misery, they will be changed into statues of salt ... unable to turn their heads to look at themselves, just as Lot's wife was changed into salt." One enters the Castle through prayer and reflection. "Souls who do not practice prayer are like people with paralysed or crippled bodies - even though they have hands and feet, they cannot give order to those hands and feet." Another, very interesting thing she says about prayer is: "A prayer in which a person is not aware of Whom he is speaking to, who it is who is asking of Whom, I do not call prayer however much the lips move." Many times I find myself lapsing into prayer without being aware that I am speaking to a person, be that Jesus, the Father, the Holy Spirit, the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph etc. On the subject of entering the 1st Mansion, she says: "Finally they enter the first lower room, but so many reptiles get in with them that they are prevented in seeing the beauty of the Castle and from calming down." In my case, it was as if a huge dragon had entered into the first mansion with me. Thanks be to God for His Mercy in rescuing me.
I always refer to official translation of the messages, i can't build on something that was never said by our lady
Thanks andree, sorry for not replying to your post and the same for so many others. I am not wishing to elicit sympathy, but just so you know the reason - I have other afflictions which have not been lifted from me. I suppose these are my 'thorns in the flesh' that St. Paul talks about. The result is that I live a lot of my life in a kind of twilight zone due to extreme tiredness. Sometimes it is lifted and I am able to get my thoughts together and finger type them. At most times however, while I have many things I would like to elaborate or reply to on the forum, I simply don't have the energy to. I suppose it is invaluable to have such a Cross to unite with the sufferings of Jesus for the salvation of souls including my own. That is very interesting about the aboriginals and their peaceful nature. I do wonder if unbaptized people have the indwelling Holy Spirit to some degree? There is some Theology here that I do not have a good understanding of. As I understand it, people are comprised of 1. Body 2. Soul and 3. Spirit - with the Spirit being tabernacled in the Soul, and the Soul being tabernacled in the Body. But I remember Fr. Seraphim (who sadly passed during the Covid pandemic, RIP) saying that when God creates a living thing, He places a little bit of His Spirit in the living entity. I wonder if this Spirit relates to the Person of the Holy Spirit in any way? I wonder if all people have the Holy Spirit indwelling, but when Baptized with water and fire they receive a more powerful annointing? Anyway, it is a bit of a mystery but maybe not important to know such things. In talking about the Divine Will (yes I am aware of the issues and opinions on it), Frances Hogan says that all creatures 'contain the Divine Will' (otherwise they would completely cease to exist); however, that is separate from the 'Gift of the Divine Will' - which one must ask for and learn about. Perhaps in this context the indwelling Divine Will is the same as Fr. Seraphim's 'piece of God's Spirit' which dwells in creatures. However, I think Frances said that the 'Divine Will' also resides in inanimate objects too (?). In any case, it is interesting to wonder about why the aboriginals are so peaceful. Is it related to God's spirit in them. I'm afraid my thinking has been contaminated by scientific materialism. I still have not come to a conclusion on what genetics has to say about human behaviour. Roy Schoeman has some interesting things to say on evolution. He is very skeptical of the neo-Darwinist theory of evolution. I have a strong feeling that to try to explain human behaviour in terms of evolution and genetics leads to atheism, or at the very least - a very weakened 'God of the gaps'. Thank you so much for your kind reply.
After looking for more info on Deidre Manifold, I came across her book with an added appendix, written by a Canadian, Cornelia R. Ferreira. It's titled The New Age Movement:The kingdom of Satan on earth It's an interesting addendum to what Deidre M. outlined in her synopsis. Here's a link for those interested: http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/ferreira/new-age91.htm
Thank you. This is very informative. I post the following as to my knowledge it has not been posted before. An obituary of Mrs Manifold when she died at either 98 or 99 in 2013. Deirdre Manifold RIP (Link to original) May 31, 2013 Deirdre MANIFOLD (1914 – 2013) The Galway author and activist Deirdre Manifold died in mid-March last. She came to national prominence due to her five-year relationship with enfant terrible of Irish Literature, Patrick Kavanagh. Later on in life she became a Religious activist from her base in Salthill, Galway. Deirdre Courtney was born in 1914 near Tuam, one of seven children (including stepchildren). Her father, a stone-mason had worked in Cincinnati in the US for twenty-three years and later met his Irish wife there. The family were pretty well-off and on return from the US, her father invested in a hill-farm in Tuam. He had been away from farming too long, however, and was unable to run it efficiently. Her mother ran the house but died when Deirdre was about nine years old. She attended the local Convent in Tuam. After completing her Secondary education she moved to Dublin to first work with Iarnrod Eireann and then in the Civil Service. She found it difficult adjusting to City life. After a number of years in Dublin, she hadn’t met many people she’d much in common with and male friends were limited. She and a lady-friend joined the Legion of Mary and became dedicated members. She had admired Patrick Kavanagh from afar through his writings in the Irish Press. Deirdre, being deeply religious, appreciated the mystical themes in Kavanagh’s writings. She never thought she’d meet him but was introduced to him through a friend at the end of 1949. They’d both experienced a hostile City – she was less than half his age but they hit it off like soul-mates!. They first met at the old Adelphi Café and continued on their first date to see the Cary Grant film ‘Every Girl Should be Married’. She subsequently accompanied Kavanagh on his many sojourns in Dublin. She told how she’d accompany him on his pub excursions to the likes of McDaid’s, The Bailey and the Baggot Inn but this cannot be independently verified. They spent five years together but Deirdre tried to keep their relationship private as she felt it would compromise her Legion activities. In the early 50’s Deirdre and Kavanagh began spending more time together. She took exams, got into the Civil Service and gained promotion there. During this time Kavanagh was finding it harder to make ends meet. Throughout their relationship she often subsidised him from her modest salary in the Civil Service – her ‘starvation wages’, as she called them. She was instrumental in making approaches to get Kavanagh involved in the Cultural Relations Committee to represent Ireland abroad but Frank Aiken turned it down. On reflection she felt there was a lot of tragedy about Kavanagh. There was no assistance for artists in those days and he wasted a lot of time penny-less and trying to eke out a living around the street of Dublin. In mid-1954 she and a friend went on a short holiday to the Dingle peninsula, where they stayed in Kruger Kavanagh’s. She met her future husband, Limerick car-dealer, Willie Manifold there. He was a cultured man and they married three months later in 1955. She then, of course, had to leave the Civil Service because of the marriage ban at the time. The Manifolds settled into married life in Limerick. They lived there for a good number of years and reared a young family. The family then moved permanently to Galway where they ran a car-hire business from Quay St. Her husband, Willie suffered from poor health, however and Deirdre spent a lot of time looking after him. This in time led the Manifolds to exit the car-hire business. They later secured a contract with CIE to transport handicapped kids to school in mini-busses. In late 1975 Deirdre found herself at the centre of a highly-publicized controversy when she convened a public rosary crusade in opposition to the Family Planning Assoc. locating in Galway. She was an influential opponent of contraception and she opened a ‘natural’ or Billings Clinic in her city-centre premises in the Spring of 1975. Amongst those supporting the family-planning clinic were Michael D. Higgins, then a UCG lecturer, and Eamon Gilmore, a graduate student ! After the death of her husband in 1982 she took on the challenge of writing . Her books were mostly of a religious and economics nature. She knew Legion of Mary founder, Frank Duff and followed his advice ‘Take up a challenge, do your best and leave the rest to God’. There was a lot of opposition to her first book ‘Fatima and the Great Conspiracy’ (Galway, 1982), mainly from right-wing Catholics which hurt her greatly. This book was translated into French and Polish. After this she wrote Karl Marx: True or False Prophet (Galway, 1985) which was translated into French. Various editions of a book called ‘Towards World Government – New World Order' were published between 1985 and 2004. She also wrote a novel on the Irish War of Independence, ‘Towards Utopia’ (Galway, 1998). Her books were self-published by her own Fίrinne printing outfit. They weren’t widely distributed, however. Her son, Joe died in 1990 after returning from a post in the US. In later years the family moved from Dalysfort Road to live in Rockbarton North, Salthill. Religion had always been an intrinsic part of Deirdre’s life and she regularly hosted a Latin Mass service on Sunday afternoons at her Salthill home. She was an avid reader and was subscribed to periodicals like Classic Family News and Hibernia. Her favourite Kavanagh book was Lapped Furrows, a copy of which she had in her sitting-room. We did a number of interviews with her while researching ‘Deirdre’s Passions’, a short film on her life and found her to be intelligent, alert and a self-confident writer. She became disillusioned with Politics and her beloved Church. She was very much a pioneer in her honest thinking and protestations in early 80’s Ireland. This writer queried her renowned picketing at controversial films and anti-Catholic publications. Her answer was to quote Edmund Burke ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing’!. We join with Galway in mourning one of it’s great daughters! She was predeceased by her loving sister, Babe (Margaret) Courtney a few weeks previously in March 2013 and she is survived by her extended family. Ger Considine,,Galway.
"And they were all of them, deceived" LOTR Having never heard of "theosophy" before (mentioned in the addendum to Deirdre M.'s book), I did some digging into what it is, mostly in Wikipedia though. It appears to me that this could be the "smoke" that entered the Church. The crack(s) thru which it entered, imho, had been there for a very very long time. Theosophy appears to have replaced theology in our day. Holy Popes saw the smoke from a distance and I think, tried their best to drive it out. But trying to catch and toss out smoke would be kind of like trying to catch a bank of fog. Another word for theosophy, imo, is modernism. My guess now is that those who wittingly participated in blowing this smoke into The Church are presently working to undo the most difficult of Roman Catholic beliefs, that of the Holy Trinity. Belief in the Real Presence has already been decimated. This is where St. Patrick is so important now. He really was the Apostle of the Holy Trinity. His prayer/breastplate mentions every evil we are faced with now. St. Paul said we should put on the Armour of God; exorcists are now saying St. Patrick's Breastplate has been a help in their ministry. For myself, since Our Lady has been emphasizing penance, I'm going to the great Desert Fathers for help. It's hard not to wonder now if they weren't doing penance for the people of our day... ~Some snippets of what I came across with links. A person could write thousands of pages on this evil.......and how we have all suffered and are still suffering greatly because of it. Our Lady will crush its head; I pray that She'll allow us to join our heels with her heal when the time comes....... theosophy, occult movement originating in the 19th century with roots that can be traced to ancient Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. The term theosophy, derived from the Greek theos (“god”) and sophia(“wisdom”), is generally understood to mean “divine wisdom.” Forms of this doctrine were held in antiquity by the Manichaeans, an Iranian dualist sect, and in the Middle Ages by two groups of dualist heretics, the Bogomils in Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire and the Cathari in southern France and Italy. In modern times, theosophical views have been held by Rosicrucians and by speculative Freemasons. The international New Age movement of the 1970s and ’80s originated among independent theosophical groups in the United Kingdom. https://www.britannica.com/topic/theosophy Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Ukrainian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism, it draws upon both older European philosophies such as Neoplatonism and Asian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy About Helena Blavatsky- See:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helena_Blavatsky https://www.spiritdaily.org/lucistrust.htm https://spiritdaily.org/blog/uncategorized/occult-america https://spiritdailyblog.com/news/the-bizarre-case-of-sarah-winchester The American social situation from which the Theosophical Society emerged was one of great upheaval, and the religious situation was one of challenge to orthodox Christianity. The forces that had surfaced in spiritualism included anticlericalism, anti-institutionalism, eclecticism, social liberalism, and belief in progress and individual effort. Occultism, mediated to America in the form of Mesmerism, Swedenborgianism, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucianism, was present. Recent developments in science led by the 1870s to renewed interest in reconciling science and religion. There was present also a hope that Asian religious ideas could be integrated into a grand religious synthesis. — Bruce F. Campbell, 1980[88] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy Christian theosophy, also known as Boehmian theosophy and theosophy, refers to a range of positions within Christianity that focus on the attainment of direct, unmediated knowledge of the nature of divinity and the origin and purpose of the universe. They have been characterized as mysticalphilosophies.[1] Theosophy is considered part of Western esotericism, which believes that hidden knowledge or wisdom from the ancient past offers a path to enlightenment and salvation. The three characteristics of theosophy are listed below. Theosophy: Divine/Human/Nature Triangle: The inspired analysis which circles through these three angles. The intradivine within; the origin, death and placement of the human relating to Divinity and Nature; Nature as alive, the external, intellectual and material. All three complex correlations synthesize via the intellect and imaginative processes of Mind. Primacy of the Mythic: The creative Imagination, an external world of symbols, glyphs, myths, synchronicities and the myriad, along with image, all as a universal reality for the interplay conjoined by creative mind. Access to Supreme Worlds: The awakening within, inherently possessing the faculty to directly connect to the Divine world(s). The existence of a special human ability to create this connection. The ability to connect and explore all levels of reality; co-penetrate the human with the divine; to bond to all reality and experience a unique inner awakening. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_theosophy Ritual The Theosophical Society did not prescribe any specific rituals for adherents to practice.[3] However, ritualized practices have been established by various Theosophical groups; one such group is the Liberal Catholic Church.[3] Another is the meetings of the United Lodge of Theosophy, which has been characterized as having a "quasi-sacred and quasi-liturgical" character.[87] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy The Liberal Catholic movement refers to those churches whose foundation traces back to the founding bishops of The Liberal Catholic Church. The Liberal Catholic movement is one of the most recognized Old Catholic groups in the United States.[6] Movement background The founding bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church was J. I. Wedgwood who was ordained as a priest in the Old Catholic movement on July 22, 1913 by Arnold Harris Mathew (whose membership in the Union of Utrecht was terminated in 1910). https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Catholic_Church According to the principle of ex opere operato, certain ordinations by bishops not in communion with Rome are still recognised as being valid by the Holy See and the ordinations of and by Old Catholic bishops in the Union of Utrecht churches has never been formally questioned by the Holy See until the more recent ordinations of women as priests.[55] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Catholic_Church James Ingall Wedgwood (24 March 1883 – 13 March 1951) was the first Presiding Bishop of the Liberal Catholic Church. Wedgwood was a former Anglican, a member of the Theosophical Society and a member of a co-Masonic order. His work on the Liberal Rite, as well as his efforts to establish a progressive church, are his greatest legacies. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._I._Wedgwood
Pt 2: the Liberal Rite is the most widely used liturgical form found within the Liberal Catholic Movement. It is also the primary liturgical rite used by various denominations within the greater Liberal Catholic movement. It is slso known as the Mystical Mass and the Wedgwood/Leadbeater Mass. Like other liturgical rites, the Liberal Rite has grown and evolved over the past century. In explaining how the Liberal Rite was developed, Bishop Wedgwood states:[1] "We set to work to eliminate the many features which from our point of view disfigure and weaken the older liturgies. References to fear of God, to His wrath and to everlasting damnation were taken out, also the constant insistence on the sinfulness and worthlessness of man and the frequent appeals for mercy. The services were made as clear and free from repetition in their structural sequence as possible. And every opportunity was given to the congregation to join in the worship with all the resources of mind and will and emotion and self-dedication they were able to command. The sentiments put into the mouth of the worshiper are such as those who are filled with the spirit of devotion and service can honestly and sincerely utter.... It stresses the idea of co-operation with the Divine Father rather than that of supplication, and being outward-turned in the service of God and His world soon enables a man to realize something of the boundless resources of his own being. They are his by right and not simply by grace." A total of five editions of the Rite exist today. 1917 - Private printing booklet with the Liturgy of the Holy Mass (18 pgs). ....... In 2004 the GES of the LCC (new synod) announced that they would issue a new 6th edition of the Liturgy which would "introduce invocations to Our Lady at the Ordination...of the Holy Orders", and introduce gender inclusive language. Also to be changed will be an invocation to Our Lady at the Healing Service, and the Shorter Form of the Eucharist will be taken from the 1967 edition.[3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_Rite
There is so much knowledge and guidance for us to draw upon. Yet in today's hectic hustle and bustle, we are prevented from doing so by the demands placed upon our time by this busy world. So, we push this important guidance/learning/study (even prayer) aside, saying, "I'll look into it later..". But in all honesty, we rarely do. They say the devil's greatest trick is to convince people that he doesn't exist. Well, surely his 2nd greatest trick must be his ability to convince people that there is plenty of time!! There isn't !
Thanks for this information. I'm going to look this lady up. I'd say she must be a saint by now. God bless her. I remember the old Ireland of the 70s and early 80s. We were so innocent and holy.
Hi dear people of God of the MoG forum, You remain in my prayers Please keep me in yours. Just a short note. The following video brought me to tears, because the Lord has been leading me to feel and pray for others who seem to have no hope and this video touched me. This video is for InVeritatem and all those who find themselves confronted by the sins of their past, constantly struggling with the why, and not being able to forgive themselves for their past sins. I hope this video touches you with the love that I felt. God bless you all. Amen
Thank you josephite. You are right, this is profoundly deep and consoling. I think it will indeed help to reboot and rejuvenate my prayer life. It gives one a new mission or apostolate, that of praying for specific groups from the belly of hell. I have been reading the Medjugorje seer Mirjana Soldo's autobiography, entitled My Heart Will Triumph. It strikes me that there are many nougats and gems of wisdom throughout the whole book. Simple wisdom but sanctifying wisdom nonetheless. In Our Lady's message of Jan 2nd, 2016, She said "My beloved children, may the words of my Son and His love be the first and last thought of your day". In keeping with the message of the above video posted by josephite from Fr. Seraphim of the Orthodox Monastery of all Celtic Saints on the Isle of Mull, Scotland, Our Lady of Medjugorje said to Mirjana that when we pray - we do not need to pray for what we ourselves desire; because "God knows everything that is in our hearts, and He knows what is best for us .. eternally speaking. We should pray instead for our brothers and sisters. Every time we pray for someone who does not believe, we essentially wipe a tear from Our Lady's face." It seems Our Lady emphasised to Mirjana the theme of non-believers and the importance of praying for them. On p189 Mirjana says Our Lady referred to non-believers as "those who have yet to experience God's love". Of them Our Lady said, "They are my children too and I suffer for them because they do not know what awaits them if they are not converted to God." On another occasion Our Lady told Mirjana what her mission was: "to pray for those who do not believe- those who have not yet come to know the love of God. ... Do not call them unbelievers, because even by saying that, you judge them. You should think of them as your brothers and sisters." It seems to me based on Fr. Seraphim's advice, that praying for non-believers when one is oneself in a state of spiritual dryness and desolation may bring special graces and a special efficaciousness to one's prayers. Quite reassuringly, Mirjana says that we are all (herself included) non-believers: "In a way, I think we are all unbelievers. No one can truthfully say 'I'm a good believer and I'm doing everything that God wants'." On p208 Mirjana says that Our Lady said "You cannot consider yourself a true believer, if you do not see Jesus Christ in every person you meet." Here are some more random nougats which impressed me upon reading Mirjana's book: As pointed out by member Sam on another thread, Our Lady stresses the need for us to be converted. In 1985, She said, "I have been calling you to conversion for the last four years. Be converted before it may be too late." Mirjana says that She "urged people not to wait for the sign. When the sign came, she warned, it would be too late for many to convert." At the start of Chapter 15, Mirjana give a quote from Our Lady: "What I started in Fatima, I will complete in Medjugorje. My heart will triumph." Another thing I found interesting was that Our Lady seemed to exhort us to focus on the things of Heaven (just as Jesus did), and that in doing so this would help us to do the Will of God here on earth. Rather than the other way around, i.e., focussing on earthly matters and works in the hope of one day seeing Heaven: On November 2nd, 2008, Our Lady said, "Dear children, today I call you to a complete union with God. Your body is on Earth, but I ask you for your soul to be all the more often in God's nearness." Mirjana says on p148 that, "When you come to know Heaven, you learn to accept the will of God with all your heart." On March 18th 2003, Our Lady said, "My children, without God you can do nothing; do not forget this even for a moment." On March 2nd, 2016, Our Lady said, "Free yourselves from everything that binds you to only what is earthly and permit what is of God to form your life by your prayer and sacrifice ..." Our Lady said that people should only worry about how to change themselves, and often reminded the seers that, "My children, your life is only a blink in contrast to eternal life." There are many, many other gems in Mirjana's book but I will close with Mirjana's quote from Fr. Slavko: "The first and last intention of our prayers needs to be for the grace to love God and our neighbour with our heart. If our heart is not steeped in and completely permeated with divine love, nothing we do will have any value, nor will we be happy. The one who prays for the grace to love prays for happiness and peace for himself, for his family, and for all mankind." Praying for you all.
That is something I do pray and something to pray for each day, to see Jesus Christ in each person I meet-including on the internet! Lots of bits of wisdom in the whole post. Thank you InVeritatem!
Thank you InVeritatem, For these wonderful quotes. They are very edifying For some reason the following came to me while writing my reply to you, hopefully it has relevance to you..... I believe the Lord is inviting all remaining faithful Catholics to position themselves near the helm of His boat. "The Catholic Church" We are being called to draw near to the seat of Peter and not to languish in the comfortable cabins beneath the raging storm. We are called to the helm 1) So we can witness first hand what tempests await. 2) So we can pray more fervently together and put into action those acts needed by our pastors for their encouragement. 3) So we hear Our Lords voice more clearly, which repeats in the wind, "steady as she goes" 4) So we can pray with greater specificity for the graces needed by our pope. God Bless
Oh Mario, Thank you for your kind words and prayers. I miss you too. Much is happening. Hopefully in the future the Lord in His goodness will allow me to have a more fuller input into the forum than what has transpired over the last few months. Its all in His hands! I pray a rosary each day for all the members of the MoG forum and their families, as I believe we are a family; I also believe that I am still part of that family. Thank you for your prayers they are much needed. God bless you and all the members of the MoG forum.
Thank you, Josephite, for your rosaries and for your great words of knowledge about our position on the Barque.
