If you think that you are holy - be really worried!

A while back I wrote a post about being nice and what a problem it could be if the sweetness was simply a mask or surface quality that hides the truth about oneself. I am always amazed at how human nature likes to hide and protect itself from the unmasking which we all must go through to be healed by the Lord. This was a big problem for me because people often commented,"She's so nice" or "What a sweet girl you are." These are terms I've heard all my life because by nature I am basically a gentle person. Or was; I'm a bit more fiery now. The truth was:
For a long time, I was nice and sweet and filled with interior rot. The sweetness was a facade that hid a multitude of sins. Even worse, was my lack of awareness of how deep this ran. I moseyed along through life thinking I was doing pretty good and thinking I was at least average on the goodness scale. I'm sure you can guess what happened next. The Lord came along and quickly disabused me of this notion. Wham! Like getting hit with a ton of bricks. After my conversion I was in shock at the actual state of my soul. And the Lord was being gentle!
Why do I write about this? Because I believe there are many people out there who, like me, would be apalled at the true state of their soul. Trust me on this one, please. What? You think my name is Nicewarner for nothing? C'mon, the Lord has too great a sense of humor for that. [lol]
Seriously, though, what I am saying is true. We are not as good as we think we are. If you think you are holy- be really worried. Trust me on this one too, please. Most human beings are masters of self-deceit. This is why we are so in need of God's grace and love. Only He understands the depth of our fallen nature and He loves us anyway. But we must be honest with Him and ourselves so that He can do his healing work in us. He not only wants but deeply desires to do this for us if we will let Him. It's not always pleasant but it is freeing. There is one catch: to be forgiven and healed....we must first believe that we have sinned.

Sunday Snippets

This That and the Other Thing: Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival is a weekly meme hosted by RAnn at this This That and the Other Thing where bloggers can share some of their favorite posts with other bloggers. I have found some wonderful blogs that I now follow through Sunday Snippets. Those who would like to join in can find more information at the link above.

As a pro-life blogger I occasionally write posts about why I am so set against abortion. This week I am posting a link to a short, 1 minute video which shows the greatest reason for my pro-life stance. It is one of the sweetest videos that I have ever seen: http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/beautiful-babies.html 
The second post I'd like to share is:http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/wicked-saints.html  These sinner-saints give hope to all the people of our times, although they lived long ago.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a nice weekend!

Sabbath Moments

Thoughts on Grace: Sabbath Moments Meme:  Colleen has a lot of company, but I am going to have my Sabbath Moment ready just in case. Sabbath Moments is a weekly meme where you can share special God-moments with other bloggers. You can find out more about this meme at Colleens blog which is linked above. I planned my Sabbath moment this week. On Thanksgiving, I went to an early Mass by myself and then spent an extra hour praying. I wanted to make sure that I had plenty of time to spend with Him and to thank Him on this special day. I knew the rest of the day would be fun, but busy, so I put aside a little extra time in the morning to spend with Him and I am glad I did. The Lord has truly blessed my family and I.

Thankgiving was especially nice this year because the entire family came, my brothers and sisters and their families were all there. We get together often throughout the year but usually someone can't make it. This time everyone made it. We gather at my parents' house and everyone brings something. Michaela had great fun playing with her cousin who is close to her age. Our next family get-together is Christmas, I'm already looking forward to it:)

Beautiful babies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcP2mdnYbcw   I don't think anyone could be pro-choice after watching this video :) The cutest, funniest, sweetest thing that I have ever seen!

Michaela's thanks!

Dear God,
Thank you that we are here today! Thank you for moms and dads! Thank you for holidays and thank you for kittens!     from Michaela

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thank you, Lord, for my wonderful family!
Thank you, Lord, for your infinite love and abundant blessings!
Thank you, Lord, for Jesus, without whom, there would be no salvation.
And thank you, O Lord, for the Holy Spirit who dwells within us!

I praise and thank you, Heavenly Father, for all things!


Wishing all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving :)

Wicked saints

I love reading books about the saints. The more wicked they were before their conversions the more they interest me. That is why some of my favorite saints are St. Mary Magdalene, St. Paul, and St. Augustine. St. Augustine was really rotten, even when he knew God was calling him, he still held back. St. Paul needed a hard knock on the head before his conversion; it reminded me of my own experience. These saints give me the greatest hope for my own salvation. The wicked ones who were forgiven the most were the ones most passionately in love with the Lord. They became full of zeal. I often ask for the intercession of these sinner-saints. I can relate more to the sinner-saints than the ones who never fell very far.
Suffering-saints are another favorite of mine. Whose heart wouldn't be moved by the intense sufferings of St. Padre Pio? Actually, most saints fall into these two categories. There were a couple of saints who were practically perfect from birth but don't ask me who they are; I've already forgotten their names :)

Living your faith

   Michaela is still very young but I am trying to teach her the difference between simply going to Church and mouthing prayers, and living your faith. I wasn't certain how well this was getting through to her until the other week at Mass. She brought her religious education book to church with her and during Mass I felt a tug on my sleeve and she pointed to the corner of a page in her book. She whispered to me, "Mommy, you do this." I looked down to where she was pointing and read the words,"Living my Faith." I smiled at her and inside thanked the Lord  that she is beginning to understand the difference between being a lukewarm Christian and true Christian.
  Children love action. Rather than give money to the local food pantry, I brought her to the grocery store and let her help put together a Thanksgiving meal for a family in need. I explained to her how blessed we were and that we needed to share our blessings with others so that they too may have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Michaela had fun browsing through the aisles, finding the foods, and crossing them off the list she was holding. She picked out the pie for the family and helped me remember everything that was needed. It was a good lesson for her and she had fun doing it. She wants to do it again for Christmas :)

  Please remember all those in need this holiday season by helping out your local food banks, soup kitchens, and charities, it is a very tough year for many. Those who can't afford to help out can always volunteer their time.When my daughter is a little older I hope to get her to do some mother-daughter volunteering at the local soup kitchen.

  Thank you, O Lord for all your gifts and blessings!

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival is a weekly meme hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing. You can find out more about this meme at the link above. Sunday Snippets gives bloggers the chance to share some of their favorite posts with others. This week I would like to share these two posts:

1. http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/god-knows.html
2. http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/beyond-measure.html

The first post is on the omniscience of God and how freeing this knowledge can be. The second is about the Infinite Mercy of God. Come and take a peek at RAnn's site and read some great posts by other bloggers!

Sabbath Moments

Thoughts on Grace: "Sabbath Moments Meme"

Sabbath Moments is a meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. Those who would like to learn more, or join us in this meme can find more information at the link above. Sabbath Moments are moments we rest in God, when we take time to be with God and absorb His love for us:

The power of prayer is unimaginable. Because we don't always see it's immediate effects, many people don't understand this gift from the Lord. The Lord hears every prayer, even the merest whisper of prayer - vocal prayer, wordless prayer, contemplative prayer, community prayer and  the silent prayers inside us that we are not even aware of; even the Holy Spirit within us prays. Prayer pierces heaven and we should have complete confidence that our prayers are heard and answered....every single one. I came across this quote that really made me think of the power of prayer:

   "Prayer is the one thing that can conquer God. Christ has willed that it should work no evil, and has given it all power over good.
   Its only art is to call back the souls of the dead from the very journey into death, to give strength to the weak, to heal the sick, to exorcise the possessed, to open prison cells, to free the innocent from their chains. Prayer cleanses from sin, drives away temptations, stamps out persecutions, comforts the fainthearted, gives new strength to the courageous, bring travelers safely home, calms the waves, confounds robbers, feeds the poor, over-rules the rich, lifts up the fallen, supports those who are falling, sustains those who stand firm.
  All the angels pray. Every creature prays. Cattle and wild beasts pray and bend the knee...The birds rise and lift themselves up to heaven...
   What more need be said on the duty of prayer? Even the Lord himself prayed. To Him be honor and power for ever and ever. Amen."
                                        From the treatise On Prayer by Tertullian (d. 259)

Amazing, isn't it? Meditating on the power of prayer was one of my Sabbath Moments this week :)

Apparitions

http://www.spiritdaily.com/bishopsversusseers.htm   I thought this was an interesting article regarding apparitions and seers. When the Church asks people to refrain from visiting certain sites that have been condemned, we, as Catholics, should listen. People are in an uproar over a few seers whose messages have been condemned over the past few years, but no one should lose their peace of heart over such things, including the seers themselves. Our faith is in God, not in a specific site or visionary. I believe that Mary is appearing to many people around the world and some of the messages I read are very helpful and uplifting. All the apparitions cannot be false, but it is likely that a number of them are. If the messages are in line with Catholic teaching and it bears good fruit then I cannot see the harm in following it until the Church makes a decree on it. I become concerned when the visionaries and followers are outraged  when the Church makes a negative decree. Where is the humility in this? God is omniscient, we should trust Him completely and so should  the followers of the apparitions that are condemned. I really don't understand when the seers themselves get upset as that just shows that they haven't abandoned themselves completely to the Lord. If they had, it wouldn't matter either way...right?

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is our best friend. He is always with us to help us, inspire us, lead us, heal us, console us, and He even prays in us. For many years I neglected praying to the Holy Spirit. I would say an occasional prayer or do a novena once in a while,  but that was about it. In general, I'd have to say that the Third Person of the Trinity is the most neglected by Christians. When I listen to people talk about their prayer life, I rarely hear people mention Him.

I now pray to the Holy Spirit often each day and this has helped me tremendously in my daily walk with the Lord. Sometimes I just talk to Him, other times I pray formally. I ask His help in everything that I do. Here is a simple prayer to the Holy Spirit that I often pray:

O Holy Spirit
I humbly implore You,
be with me always
so that in all things,
I may act under the influence
of your holy inspiration.    
                  Amen

"Now we direct our attention to the principal conditions for the gift of God par excellence. This gift is precisely the Holy Spirit, whom, we know,"breathes where He wills." But He does not reject the longing of anyone who waits for Him, calls on Him, and welcomes Him.....What are these conditions? Let us simplify a difficult answer by saying that the ability to receive this "sweet guest of the soul" exacts faith. It demands humility and repentance. Normally it requires a sacramental act. In the practice of a religious life, it requires silence, recollection, listening, and above all, invocation, prayer, as the apostles did with Mary in the Cenacle. It is important to wait and to cry out: "Come, Creator Spirit; come, Holy Spirit."
                               Pope Paul VI

God knows

God knows all hearts. He knows us better than we know ourselves. This thought used to bother me, but now it makes me laugh. Sometimes I am tempted to try to pull a fast one on Him that I know just won't fly, especially when I don't feel like doing something that I know He wants me to do. I can immediately feel my brain begin thinking up reasons to get my way. For a woman of average intelligence, I can be a genius when it comes to self-justification. It amazes me sometimes. The thing is:
It is a total waste of time because He knows every thought I have.  This is what makes me laugh. I usually just throw up my hands and say, "You win, Lord", with a big grin.  I am not saying that I always do His will. I'm just honest with Him to the best of my ability. I have come to realize that this total knowledge that He has is actually freeing. The nicest thing of all is that:
He loves us immensely and if we trust him, we get to focus on His perfection and not our imperfections. True freedom is in Him.

Beyond measure

We should never be afraid to approach the Throne Of Mercy, rather our fear should be in not appealing to God's mercy. Sinners who know they need mercy and forgiveness are always welcomed with open arms, no matter how great the sins. Those who should be afraid are those who refuse the healing of the Divine Physician or don't believe they need healing. This quote from St. Faustina's Diary helps show the depth and breadth of  Our Lord's mercy and I thought it might help those in grave sin who want to turn to God but are afraid:

"My mercy is greater than your sins and those of the entire world. Who can measure the extent of My goodness? For you I descended from heaven to earth; for you I allowed myself to be nailed to the cross; for you I let My Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come, then, with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart. Your misery has disappeared in the depths of My mercy. Do not argue with me about your wretchedness. You will give me pleasure if you hand over to me all your troubles and griefs. I shall heap upon you the treasures of My grace."*

I pray for everyone who visits this site. I may not know who you are, but God does :)


* The Diary of St. M. Faustina Kowalska
   Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception
        used with permission

"I have given you the king you have requested."

" I have given you [America] the king you have requested." This word came upon me last month and almost daily since then. I kept ignoring it but the more that I ignored it, the more it would come to mind. Therefore, I am printing it so that I can move on to other things. That's the way it seems to work. What comes to mind when I have mulled over this word is 1 Samuel ch. 8. The people hounded Samuel for a king and God granted their request, with a warning attached. The Lord also told Samuel, " It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king."

Because we have free will, people often make choices that are not good for them and then we reap what we sow. There is a difference between God's permitting will and God's perfect will. What have we sown, America? And what will we reap from this harvest? Justice and mercy walk hand in hand. A world without justice would be utter chaos. The Lord is allowing us to see the consequences of our actions or so it seems. I have to say that I have yet to see positive "change" come to our country. Most of the change that I have seen lacks wisdom and some of it is downright evil and is harming millions physically and spiritually.

Please pray for our country and it's leaders. Pray that the Lord's wisdom may come upon them and that they may turn from the paths they are walking on. I am praying for America and our president and government officials that God may send them the light to be true leaders who serve us well, not self-serving leaders.

Mark Mallett

This post by Mark Mallett is a good one. I often receive words similar to his and when I read his writings, many times the Holy Spirit gives me a confirmation of his words: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/. For those who have not yet read his site - I highly recommend it and believe that his writings are of God. Personally, I think we are in a preparatory stage for a coming period of correction. I use the word correction because I believe, as children of God, that He disciplines us as any father would try to correct a child who has gone astray. We are already being purified,  the Lord is strengthening our faith and pouring His Spirit on those whose hearts are open to receiving His gifts. God is good :)

Thank you, Lord, for your patience and kindness !

Sabbath Moments

Thoughts on Grace: "Sabbath Moments Meme"
This Saturday, I am once again joining Colleen at Thoughts on Grace for her Sabbath Moments Meme:
A way of taking time to live in the present moment and just be. Sabbath Moments can be planned or may just come upon us. I try to plan these moments but have noticed that the ones that stick in my head most often tend to be unplanned.

Moments of grace can be found and noticed every day of our lives. Even during illness these moments can strike and catch you off guard. Some of these moments occurred this past week while Michaela was ill with the flu. She has been sick quite often lately; the viruses seem to be hitting one right after the other.

When my daughter was younger, I used to rock her every day in my favorite rocking chair, but these precious moments have become fewer and far between as she is growing older. She is still a cuddler, but we don't tend to sit in the rocking chair very much. This has changed the last couple of weeks. She has crawled on my lap and asked me to rock her almost daily. Some days we just chat, other days I read to her. I  have been looking forward to these moments because ....I am blessed to even have this child after so many years of infertility. In the summer of 2002, the Lord gave me [and my mom] a "word" that I would have a baby in one year. I knew that the word was good so I went out and bought a pair of baby socks and pinned the word to it. I still have that pair of socks :)  Whenever I look at them, I am reminded of the Lord's goodness and whenever I rock Michaela, I reflect on what a miracle and a blessing she is.

Thank you, Lord, for my beautiful Rose.

Can anger be our friend?

"Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case."
                                         Catechism of the Catholic Church  # 1768

All human beings get angry, it is part and parcel of being human. Anger, in itself, is not a sin, it is simply an emotion. Unfortunately, because of our fallen nature it often leads us into sin. We have all heard the expressions: blowing our tops, flying off the handle, or hot under the collar. Anger becomes sinful when we dwell on it and get carried away by it; we fail to bridle our tongue and scream ugly things, yell at our children and act in an unloving manner. Road rage, revenge, and murder....these are all things that begin with anger.

Does anger always have to lead to sin? Of course not. Anger can propel us into positive action, also. It can stir us into taking steps to correct an evil and with God's grace can even be turned into a great zeal for justice. Look at Saint Paul. There are situations where we must, as Christians, use our voices; especially when something or someone is causing physical or spiritual harm to others. This is where anger can turn into a powerful force for good in our lives; when it lifts us from apathy and moves us toward justice. By the grace of God, anger can be a useful tool for positive change. Tempered [lol] with love, it can stir us into speaking up firmly in the face of injustice.

" We ought to speak, shout out against injustices, with confidence and without fear. We proclaim the principles of the Church, the reign of love, without forgetting that it is also a reign of justice."
                                                        Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J.

A silent void

Truth is very important to me. By this statement, I mean the great truths of life. I have noticed in our days that truth has been replaced by grayness. Nothing is black and white anymore. If you speak the truth you are considered judgmental. Since when is speaking the truth judgmental? Aren't we all called to live in the truth?
If I call abortion, murder, I am judging or so I am told. Who am I judging may I ask? I am simply making a truthful statement: abortion kills a baby, therefore it is murder.

If a person robbed a bank and I said, "Wow! That person just robbed a bank!" Am I judging or just stating a fact? I am not judging the person, I am speaking the truth. Speaking up is not politically correct anymore. Well, since I am not politically correct I might as well take this one step further:

Abortion = murder. Jesus and his apostles were quick to speak up about injustices. When we don't speak out about injustices and evil [such as abortion], our silence speaks volumes about ourselves. The silence on the abortion issue is deafening and in this case :  Silence is deadly. 

"Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth."   Jn 17:17-19

O Author of Life, please heal our country and the world. Pour your light into all hearts that abortion may be seen for what it truly is. Grant the grace of repentance to all who have committed this sin that they may be forgiven and receive your healing touch. I cover them all with the Precious Blood Of Jesus and I ask this in His Name. Amen

Utterly Thine O Lord!

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival is hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing. Sunday Snippets is a weekly meme where bloggers can share their favorite posts with other bloggers.This week I'd like to share a post on sin  http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/world-is-concerned-with-virus-h1n1.html . The second post I would like to share is about Our Lord's Agony in The Garden. I often meditate on His agony; it is a great reminder of a love that has no limits: http://openingthefloodgatesofmercy.blogspot.com/2009/11/olive-press.html

Thank you,Jesus, for your infinite love and mercy!

Sabbath Moments

Thoughts on Grace: Sabbath Moments Meme: "Sabbath Moments Meme" hosted by Colleen is a weekly meme that reminds us to live in the present and just be, to live in God's grace and love. These moments can be planned or may just come upon us by surprise. Saturday is a great day for this meme, it prepares our hearts for Sunday and calls our attention to the beauty of life.

My Sabbath Moment came upon me unexpectedly. Wednesday was a grace-filled day for me. I felt the Lord's presence in a powerful way from the moment I woke up until I went to bed. I started my day as always with my morning offering. I have a statue of The Sacred Heart and in front of it I put a little sign:
"It is not the intensity of the trial itself that expiates sin; rather it is the intensity of the love for God with which the trial is accepted . Love is what matters most." This is part of a quotation that I read on one of the blogs I follow, Elena Maria Vidal's site http://fountainofelias.blogspot.com/2009/11/all-souls.html. [Thank you, Elena] I put up the sign to remind me to do all things for love alone and that early morning reminder has helped me immensely. I washed dishes with the Lord, cleaned with Him, joined my fellow parishioners in the Rosary, went to Confession and then to Mass. The entire day I felt the Lord's finger on my soul. The Holy Spirit drew me into intense prayer at various times throughout the day and I tried to perform all my actions with love. I ended my day with the Bible and my evening prayers. It was a glorious day :)  I would like to say that every day is like this but, unfortunately, this is not true. Reading that little sign in the morning has been a great blessing though; I find it coming to my mind often throughout the week.

Thank you, Lord, for each and every day. May we all grow ever closer to you and learn to live for love alone. Amen!

The Olive press

At the base of The Mount of Olives lies Gethsemane, the garden where Jesus suffered in agony. An intense spiritual agony beyond human comprehension. The word Gethsemane means "olive press" and it was in this garden that Mercy was pressed to the fullest limits. An interior crushing so severe that Our Lord "fell to the ground and prayed if it were possible the hour might pass by him". And so begins the ultimate struggle with darkness as the weight of humanity's sins fell upon Him. A seemingly endless parade of human sin and corruption closing in upon Him. Pressing. Crushing. What did He see in this dark hour? Did He see the very depths to which human nature could sink? The pit of depravity, perversion and vice upon vice? Likely He saw this and worse, for the pressure grew so great that He sweat blood. Hematohidrosis.

Jesus suffered in his humanity, because it was human nature that needed redemption. And yet, despite the intensity of suffering He still prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done." And Our Lord drank the cup of staggering to its very dregs, knowing that by the acceptance of this chalice even greater suffering would come upon him . Then, strengthened by an angel, He stood up  and went to meet his betrayer.

In my eyes, the two greatest sufferings of Jesus were His Agony in the Garden and on the Cross when He felt completely forsaken by the Father and endured what one might call, "a living hell", for love of us. He became sin and took on all the sins of the world for our sake. That is why it is so horrifying when someone refuses the salvation that He gained for them; it's like a slap in the face of Pure Mercy.

Most merciful Jesus, I thank you for everything you suffered for us all. May all souls open their hearts to receive the mercy you long to pour on them. May your sufferings in Gethsemane obtain the grace of repentance for all souls caught in the grip of mortal sin. Amen.

Prayer request

I cut my last post short because Michaela came home sick from school. We received a note from the school last week saying the H1N1 flu has been going around. Today, Michaela is running a fever, has body aches and the chills so it is likely that she has contracted this virus. Please say a prayer for her quick recovery, she has been sick a lot lately and is pretty run down. Any prayers would be greatly appreciated :)

The Two Gardens

The fall began in the Garden of Eden; our redemption began in the Garden of Gethsemane. Adam and Eve fell through the sin of pride, "...you will be like gods". They went against God's will. In  the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus, in his humanity completely surrendered his will to the Father, bitter though this cup was. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. When the soldiers came to arrest Jesus, he did not hide. Rather, he handed himself over in complete conformity with God's will. Both gardens contained betrayals. In  Eden, Satan tempted Adam and Eve and they betrayed God. In Gethsemane, Judas betrayed Jesus [God] with a kiss. It is in  Eden that Jesus and Mary are mentioned for the first time in Gen. ch.3:15.
"I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel."

In both gardens was a rejection of God by humans, but in the second garden was also the ultimate acceptance and abandonment to the will of the Father - the beginning of the atonement that ends on the cross, where Jesus, the new Adam,  returns the fruit stolen [an act of pride and rebellion] from the tree by giving his  human will to the Father in the greatest act of humility ever seen on this earth. It is  under the cross where Mary [the new Eve] unites herself intimately in this act of humility by giving the beloved Fruit of her womb to the Father, never asking why....just suffering with her Son.

To be continued...

Walk the walk

Some call this world a burden
Some call this world a curse
But I call it a blessed place
For trust me - there's far worse

I'll walk this earth anyday
No matter what the cost
I'll pray each and every day
That not one soul be lost

I'll walk the path of Jesus
With help I'll walk it well
For His way leads to heaven
The wide road leads to hell

So, if you see me walking
With grace I will not tarry
For Jesus is my light and guide
My cross He helps me carry

And if I see you on this path
Which every day grows steeper
I'll help you if you fall, my friend
.... I am my brother's keeper

Facing the Truth

The world is concerned with the virus H1N1,  and rightly so, as any flu can be dangerous. However, there is a virus in the world that is far more virulent than the flu. This virus is called sin;  it's most virulent form is mortal sin which removes sanctifying grace from the soul. Love cannot live in a house that is completely overtaken by sin; there is no room left. We have become inured to sin but certainly not immune to it. Because we are so completely surrounded by sin in our world, we have forgotten what holiness is and the ugliness of sin has lost much of it's impact. We are so infected with sin that most of us still think we are good even if we are in a state of grave sin. God in his great mercy continues to pour grace and light onto this world. In fact, He is literally flooding the world with grace. This light is purifying many souls, but the majority of the human race continues to turn their backs on it. The loss of the sense of sin has caused great harm to souls. To be forgiven, you must first confess your sin. Those whose consciences have grown dull from many years of unconfessed sin often even fool themselves, " God is love, He wouldn't send anyone to hell."   Or,  "There are murderers out there, I'm a good person; I would never do that!" Well, maybe you would not go out and murder someone, but here is a question:  Would you vote for someone who supports abortion? Because if you do, then you are supporting someone who believes in murder. And yes, God is love but we do not have to accept His love; we have free will. Do you think that hell is empty? Do the Ten Commandments no longer apply to us? Are we so enlightened, then? Has our pride grown so much that we feel that we are above God and no longer liable for our sins?

We are liable for every sin that we commit. Better to face the truth about ourselves and be healed than to pretend that the world is just fine. It is not just fine. Open your eyes and look around you. Purify your hearts. Pray for mercy. The day is coming when the human race, great and small shall look upon the one they have pierced. Choice you have asked for and choice you shall be given.

A Foot for Sorrow

On the endless road - Redemption Way
I thought I heard my Savior say:
For love alone, one step more
You can do it. I love you. One step more.
A foot for sorrow, a measure of pain
I lifted my feet, again and again
And the Lamb's voice echoed as before:
You can do it. I love you. One step more.
Though you may stumble, when you fall down
I'll lift you up; My graces abound
In my heart arose, Love so sweet
Grace set me once more upon my feet
His beloved voice shook me right to the core:
You can do it! I love you! Just one step more.