"And yet, while it refers specifically to Gethsemane, it also points ahead to the later history of Christianity. Across the centuries, it is the drowsiness of the disciples that opens up possibilities for the power of the Evil One. Such drowsiness deadens the soul, so that it remains undisturbed by the power of the Evil One at work in the world and by all the injustice and suffering ravaging the earth. In its state of numbness, the soul prefers not to see all this; it is easily persuaded that things cannot be so bad, so as to continue in the self-satisfaction of its own comfortable existence. Yet this deadening of souls, this lack of vigilance regarding both God’s closeness and the looming forces of darkness, is what gives the Evil One power in the world." Jesus of Nazareth by Pope Benedict XVI
There is a common thread running through a number of online articles and videos over the past few years and I have no doubt it's the working of The Holy Spirit. The word is "wake up". I have posted about this numerous times but I wanted to link to others who are getting this same word also so people will understand the seriousness of this message. It's not only Catholics who are hearing this - it's running across all Christian denominations.
For your discernment:
Wake Up! Be Converted!
He Calls While We Slumber *
Be Sober and Awake *
Watch and Pray
Wake Up!
Wake Up, Catholics
The Day of the Lord
A Spiritual Wake Up Call
Awaken From the Sleep of Unbelief
America! Can You Hear God Calling?
Wake Up, America!
Wake Up Call
Wake Up
Wake Up, America
Discerning the Times
Wake Up Church *
A Call to Anguish *
A Wake Up Notice
America's Last Call
The Last Hour
This is only a short list from hundreds that I weeded through. My question is this:
Are they all wrong? Or is The Holy Spirit sounding a worldwide wake up call?
In the Psalms David asked the Lord to wake up his soul which is something we all need to do.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
Blessings
I placed asterisks next to a few. I recommend reading (or listening) to them. A Call to Anguish is by the late David Wilkerson - if this one fails to move hearts I don't know what will. It brought me to tears. He is so on the mark.
ReplyDeleteHi Madeleine,
ReplyDeletePraying the Psalms is a great way to wake up the soul.
God bless!
Mary, what you say is right.
ReplyDeleteBut the world is full of people walking with their eyes closed.
God bless you.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteMy first time visiting your site. Thank you for all the references to
the call to 'wake up' that seems to be threaded through many sources in the last for years. Actually, I can remember years ago even as a young Christian, this warning being heralded even then.
Who would ever have imagined our
culture would drift so far from God?
Blessings and +
Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for these links. I have only skimmed them for now, but the common thread is clear.
We need to stop hitting the snooze button or actually sleeping through the alarm.
Hi Victor,
ReplyDeleteYes, if there is one thing I am certain of it's that God is trying to wake us up and shake us out of our apathy. It's as clear as a bell to me. Some of us are sound asleep (spiritually) and some of us are just dozing but very few souls are fully awake.
God bless you, too.
Hi Caroline,
ReplyDeleteI think it's been going on for a long time but is ramping up in intensity because people won't wake up. The call continues to get louder and louder and soon the alarm will go off.
We really have drifted far from the Lord as a culture and we are reaping the fruits of it. Sadly, so are our children.
God bless.
Mary we need more people with a voice like yours.
ReplyDeleteI can only speak for the area where I live. Some of the priests around here are just not doing enough to "wake up" the congregation. They just don't seem concerned enough. The sermons are usually full of nice words to make one feel comfortable and at ease with one self.
I wish you were here to give them a piece of your mind!
God bless.
Hi Karin,
ReplyDeleteI tried to use a variety of sources to show how it crosses the denominational lines. I even added the political artwork of Jon Mcnaughton (thank you). There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of people who are getting this message from the Lord. I linked to two of Mark Mallett's because he definitely has a strong gift. Two of David Wilkerson's also. I added the Call to Anguish because the presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong. Listening to it is a good way to find out whether we are asleep or not I think.
Victor,
ReplyDeleteWe get that here in the Northeast US a lot too - feel good sermons, so that people can walk out of the church thinking all is well in the world. Not all the churches but a good percentage. One of the videos I linked to said "The world has impacted the churches instead of the churches impacting the world." Powerful words.
What I also found interesting about the sources you linked to was the varied time line~some very recent but not all. I plan on watching the video tomorrow (I'd like to be physically awake when I do.)
ReplyDeleteMy post is finally up~as is usually the case when I write about this topic, it went in a few unexpected directions.
Karin,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist placing some of the older ones in - it points to God's amazing patience :)
Looking forward to reading your post!
I so appreciate you Mary, thank you. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteThank you for doing all the legwork. I read the first two and then watched the video with preaching by Wilkerson. Definitely something to think about. Not sure I'm ready to sign up for anguish. I was really trying to get the teaching of Jacques Philippe's Searching for and Maintaining Peace and seeking to bring on anguish seems to cut against the grain of peace. At same time seems the saints that dwelled most on the Passion of Our Lord developed a real hate for committing sin themselves. There is so much hope in the teaching of the Divine Mercy. I think yes some people are moved to passionate action when they anguish with the burdens of the heart of God, but there are also other routes. Anyone not praying faithfully and seeking after the Lord with great fervor does need to wake up. I do not want to be spit out of the Lord's mouth because of lukewarmness.
ReplyDeleteHi Grace,
ReplyDeleteThank you. I appreciate you, too :)
Hugs to you too, my friend!
Hi Colleen,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading one of Jacques Philippe's books too. Theresa (My Desert Heart) recommended his books to me and I plan on ordering more of his books on my Kindle.
About David Wilkerson - I placed that video up because that was a man passionately in love with God. I watched the video three times and every single time was struck by the truth in his words.
There is no resurrection without the cross. The anguish David Wilkerson felt was a share of the anguish of God. What came to mind was Jesus' Agony in the garden. He has a point when he says joy is born of anguish. Every saint that I have ever read about walked through this anguish too - St. Therese, St. Francis, St. Peter, St. Faustina, etc...
Compunction of the heart has been watered down to such a degree that it has almost lost its meaning today. The gift of tears is often not thought of as a gift at all in a world so set on personal happiness rather than joy in the Lord.
The anguish David Wilkerson speaks of does not go against the grain of peace - it leads to peace. His anguish is a deep sorrow for sin and stems from an understanding of the harm sin brings to the entire Body of Christ.
Did you know St. Ignatius cried almost every day? "He sometimes cried so much at Mass that he could not go on, nor even talk for some time." He wanted everyone to have this gift. Padre Pio had this gift too, even during his younger years, "Brother Pio made himself conspicuous by the abundance of the tears he shed during the morning period of mental prayer, which in Capuchin houses is consecrated to the meditation of the Passion; tears so abundant that it was necessary to spread a towel in front of him on the floor of the choir."
Tears, such as the ones David Wilkerson shed are a great gift.
God bless.