Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Geared for battle - pt. 1

The Lord gave me a word this morning that I'd like to share:
"No weapon fashioned against you shall prevail."  

This passage is from Isaiah 54 and a powerful truth it is. For those who love God no weapon can destroy them. "This is the lot of the servants of the Lord, their vindication from me, says the Lord." Satan has no power over those who love the Lord. An example of this is suffering. Satan would use the suffering that he brought into the world against us. For a soul in a state of grace, the very weapon that Satan tries to use to destroy us is turned back on him and becomes a weapon for his defeat. Jesus sanctified suffering during his passion. If there was one thing that all humanity had in common it was this: because of our fallen nature we all were sinners and suffered. Pain was universal and no one was excluded from it. But Satan in his pride failed to see the humiliating nature of his own defeat.
The same creatures (us) that he so looked down upon and despised would become powerful weapons through the victory of Jesus Christ....the triumph of the Cross. To the degree of our abandonment to God we become mighty weapons in the hands of the great I Am. Who says God can't aim straight with crooked arrows?! He certainly can! We are all crooked arrows to some degree but God makes all things possible. Jesus himself came to show us the way. One of the conditions of discipleship is this, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." (Mt. 16:24) Our crosses are comprised of our daily duties and whatever God sends our way even if it's an illness or a disease. Wielded in Christ our cross becomes a powerful weapon against Satan's attacks and even helps our brothers and sisters in the Lord. 
You may be wondering why I am posting this so soon after being healed from a serious disease and I'll try to explain.
Hidden beneath the Myasthenia Gravis was a great gift. What Satan mocked as a curse became a sword of light in the hand of the Lord. Just as the world looked upon the suffering of Jesus "He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and we held him in no esteem", like this, those who suffer a lot are often looked down upon. The world cannot understand the mystery of the cross and the mystery of suffering. We will probably not understand it's full significance and power until we meet the Lord. My illness brought me closer to God than anything else in my life. Many years ago, after the Lord brought me before His Mercy, I was determined to accept whatever the Lord sent my way. The Lord stoked up such a fierce fire in my heart that nothing, absolutely nothing, could put it out. Yes, I suffered imperfectly but I united every single minute of it with his sufferings and was blessed greatly through this. Beyond measure. To this day I am stunned at the graces the Lord poured upon me once I stopped fighting His Will and immersed myself in it instead. Miracles, graces, love, mercy, gifts upon gifts flowed down upon me. The Lord gave me many hints of what was going on beneath the surface and I will speak about this in a later post.

Right now I am praising the Lord for my healing because...this too is His Will. Whatever the Lord sends....

Praise be to God, forever and ever!

10 comments:

  1. Mary,
    Your post makes me think of what Fr Corapi gives as a response to the question of why suffering? he wrote his whole doctoral dissertation on it but his short answer and the best one for us to know is that God permits suffering to bring out a greater good.
    Thank you for sharing with us what God shares with you. I am glad you were blessed to see the good your suffering could be used for and even gladder that this particular one was healed for you.
    God Bless!

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  2. Your story is wonderful and I'm so grateful you are sharing it. God is AWESOME!! Fr. Larry Richards says it best (from the Bible): I love you and you are precious in My sight. God says that to each of us - we just need to BELIEVE it.

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  3. Thank you both for your comments :) God is good and we are precious to Him, each and every one of us.

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  4. Suffering is a powerful thing when given to the Lord.
    St. Theresa of Avila once said that when we embrace our cross it ceases to be a cross. I see that in you. Praising God for His great goodness in your healing!

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  5. Thank you Mary, its good to read about your great faith in Him and how blessed and healed you have been.
    That verse, Isaiah 54...
    Years ago my daughter Daniella contacted Bacterial Meningitis. She was 21yrs old and very ill. The doctor called me aside and told me she could be deaf, blind or left with severe brain damage. I told him my daughter would have nothing wrong with her.
    I wrote out that scripture verse and placed it above her bed on the hospital wall for all the staff to read. "No weapon or word formed against me shall prosper." God is faithful...Jesus was The Word who became flesh. Mary accepted The Word and became incarnate with Jesus..so I knew The Word was POWERFUL. Today Daniella is 39yrs old and the mother of 3 children. She loves and serves the Lord as a healthy perfect example of his healing, through His "The Word." God bless your day.

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  6. Crystal Mary,
    Wow! What a powerful witness to the goodness and faithfulness of God! And what a testimony to your own faith! I got shivers when I read this. I've heard of Meningitis and know how serious it is. Nothing is impossible for God! Thank you for sharing this story. When I read stories like this it never ceases to amaze me how much God loves us.

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  7. Thanks Lynn! I agree, suffering is powerful. People don't always understand this. I know that you do because of all you have been through. God bless you, my friend!

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  8. Satan has no power over those who love the Lord! Amen to that!!!

    "The Lord stoked up such a fierce fire in my heart that nothing, absolutely nothing, could put it out." Our Lord loves a grateful heart and your gratitude is a powerful witness to us all!

    God bless you Mary.

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  9. At the Mass in celebration of Pope Benedict's fifth anniversary Bishop Slattery gave one of the most outstanding sermons on suffering and hope that I've seen. I included his entire sermon at my post http://www.sufferingwithjoy.com/2010/05/05/the-heart-of-personal-holiness/. He said all things so much better than I ever could and I thought you might enjoy reading it. With all the evil going on in the world, I am so heartened by your miracle because it shows that in spite of the monumental sins of man God is still blessing us abundantly. The soldiers of the Church Militant need some R&R every now and then and it is such a joy to see God blessing us. I feel blessed in the blessing you received.

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  10. I praise the Lord with you, Mary.

    God bless.

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