"During this time," she continued, "insomuch as this poor country will lack the Christian spirit, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction will be little esteemed. Many people will die without receiving it - either because of the negligence of their families or their false sentimentality that tries to protect the sick from seeing the gravity of their situations, or because they will rebel against the spirit of the Catholic Church, impelled by the malice of the devil. Thus many souls will be deprived of innumerable graces, consolations and the strength they need to make that great leap from time to eternity..."
"As for the Sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with His Church, it will be attacked and profaned in the fullest sense of the word. Masonry, which will then be in power, will enact iniquitous laws with the objective of doing away with this Sacrament, making it easy for everyone to live in sin, encouraging the procreation of illegitimate children born without the blessing of the Church.
The Christian spirit will rapidly decay, extinguishing the precious light of Faith until if reaches the point that there will be an almost total and general corruption of customs. The effects of secular education will increase, which will be one reason for the lack of priestly and religious vocations..."
"The Sacred Sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed and despised. ...The demon will try to persecute the Ministers of the Lord in every possible way and he will labor with cruel and subtle astuteness to deviate them from the spirit of their vocation, corrupting many of them. These corrupted priests, who will scandalize the Christian people, will incite the hatred of the bad Christians and the enemies of the Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church to fall upon all priests. This apparent triumph of Satan will bring enormous sufferings to the good Pastors of the Church...." "Moreover, in these unhappy times, there will be unbridled luxury which, acting thus to snare the rest into sin, will conquer innumerable frivolous souls who will be lost.
Innocence will almost no longer be found in children, nor modesty in women, and in this supreme moment of need of the Church, those who should speak will fall silent." "But know, beloved daughter, that when your name is made known in the 20th century, there will be many who will not believe, claiming that this devotion is not pleasing to God...
A simple humble faith in the truth of My apparitions to you, My predilect child, will be reserved for humble and fervent souls docile to the inspirations of grace, for Our Heavenly Father communicates His secrets to the simple of heart, and not to those whose hearts are inflated with pride, pretending to know what they do not, or self-satisfied with empty knowledge."
During this time, Our Lady foretold, "the secular Clergy will leave much to be desired because priests will become careless in their sacred duties. Lacking the divine compass, they will stray from the road traced by God for the priestly ministry, and they will become attached to wealth and riches, which they will unduly strive to obtain. How the Church will suffer during this dark night! Lacking a Prelate and Father to guide them with paternal love, gentleness, strength, wisdom and prudence, many priests will lose their spirit, placing their souls in great danger.
This will mark the arrival of My hour." "Therefore, clamor insistently without tiring and weep with bitter tears in the privacy of your heart, imploring our Celestial Father that, for love of the Eucharistic Heart of my Most Holy Son and His Precious Blood shed with such generosity and the profound bitterness and sufferings of His cruel Passion and Death, He might take pity on His ministers and bring to an end those Ominous times, sending to this Church the Prelate who will restore the spirit of its priests."
On December 8, 1634, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, three archangels and their Queen appeared to Mother Mariana. St. Gabriel was carrying a Ciborium filled with Hosts which Our Lady explained: "This signifies the Most August Sacrament of the Eucharist, which will be distributed by my Catholic priests to faithful Christians belonging to the Holy Roman, Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose visible head is the Pope, the King of Christianity.
His pontifical infallibility will be declared a dogma of the Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the Mystery of My Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican by the unjust usurpation of the Pontifical States through the iniquity, envy and avarice of an earthly monarch." This holy Pope was Blessed Pius IX, who fulfilled every prediction made by Our Lady. His body, being exhumed for beatification in 2000, was found miraculously preserved in the tomb where it had lain for more than a century. His face still showed a striking serenity in death.
Another most interesting prophecy of Our Lady: "In the 19th Century there will be a truly Catholic president, a man of character whom God Our Lord will give the palm of martyrdom on the square adjoining this Convent. He will consecrate the Republic to the Sacred Heart of My Most Holy Son, and this consecration will sustain the Catholic Religion in the years that will follow, which will be ill-fated ones for the Church.
These years, during which the evil sect of Masonry will take control of the civil government - will see a cruel persecution of all religious communities, and they will also strike out violently against this one of mine."
The "truly Catholic" president of Ecuador, Gabriel Garcia Moreno (1821-1875), consecrated the republic to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1873. Pope Pius IX paid him tribute as a man who had died "the death of a martyr...a victim to his Faith and Christian charity." In the Cathedral of Quito there is a display of Gabriel Moreno's incorrupt heart and the famous painting of Our Lady of Quito, which wept at the moment of his martyrdom.
On January 16, 1635, surrounded by her community and her Franciscan confessors, Mother Mariana made a solemn profession of Faith, and then asked, as a last favor, to die on the ground, in imitation of her Seraphic Father, St. Francis. After receiving Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, she foretold the exact hour of her death: 3 p.m. Just before she died, she read her last will and testament, a moving testimony that gave her daughters inestimable advice about the religious life along with many prophecies concerning the order.
At its end, she turned to the priests: "My fathers and sisters, the time has come for me to depart; recommend my soul to God with the appropriate prayers. I thank you for everything. Always, I beseech you, have this convent and your sisters in your care. I die, as I was born, joyously and peacefully in the arms of my mother, the Seraphic Order."
Two tears rolled down her cheek, she sighed, and with an angelic smile, that blessed soul left her body. After death, her body remained flexible, her complexion rosy, and the charming smile on her face gave her every appearance of being alive. During the wake, the sight of a blind girl was restored when a flower from the crown that encircled Mother Mariana's head was touched to the her eyes.
In 1906, during the remodeling of the Convent, her three-century old tomb was opened. They discovered the body of Mother Mariana de Jesus whole and incorrupt, complete with her habit and the articles of penance that had been placed in the tomb with her. An exquisite aroma of lilies emanated from her whole body.
Thus God preserves some of his saints who practice heroic virtue and maintain holy chastity in their earthly lives. Mother Mariana possessed the gift of discernment of spirits, which Our Dear Lord so often gives to founders of religious orders. Since she could read the hearts of her daughters, she would comfort them, telling them how to progress in the spiritual life and explain how it was necessary to die to oneself in order to practice real virtue. She repeatedly warned them to guard the common life of the Convent and obey the Rule.
When prayer and community life are wanting, she said, everything falls short, for the religious without prayer is like a soldier without arms in combat. She told them to be patient in their sicknesses, since illnesses are the best and most meritorious penances, which free souls from illusions, vanity and pride.
She especially warned her daughters to guard against that "cursed human respect, which makes one ask: 'What will others say about this?'" Instead, she counseled that they should guide their lives in the cloisters according to the norms of the Gospel and ground themselves firmly on the strong foundation of humility. Let us consider some of the revelations that Mother Mariana was blessed to receive from Our Lord and Our Lady.
Instructions and Advice
Our Lady: "Oh, if only human beings and religious knew what Heaven is and what it is to possess God, how differently they would live, sparing no sacrifice in order to enter more fully into possession of it!
But some let themselves be dazzled by the false glamor of honors and human greatness while others are blinded by self-love, not realizing that they are falling into lukewarmness, that immense evil which in religious houses destroys their fervor, humility, self-renunciation and the ceaseless practice of religious virtues and fraternal charity and that child-like simplicity which makes souls so dear to my Divine Son and to me, their Mother.
"Remember the words of the Royal Prophet: 'How marvelous are the works of the Lord!' Be convinced of this truth; teach and impress your daughters both living and those to come that they should love their divine vocations. Reveal to them the glorious place that God and I are saving for those who belong to Us, our heirs.
"Woe to the world should it lack monasteries and convents! Men do not comprehend their importance, for, if they understood, they would do all in their power to multiply them, because in them can be found the remedy for all physical and moral evils...
No one on the face of the earth is aware whence comes the salvation of souls, the conversion of great sinners, the end of great scourges, the fertility of the land, the end of pestilence and wars, and the harmony between nations. All this is due to the prayers that rise up from monasteries and convents. "O, if mortals only understood how to appreciate the time given to them, and would take advantage of each moment of their lives, how different the world would be! And a considerable number of souls would not fall to their eternal perdition! But this contempt is the fundamental cause for their downfall!"
Our Lady emphasized the importance of the Sacrament of Penance and the important role of priests: "See and contemplate the grandeur of this restoring and life-giving Sacrament of Penance, so forgotten and even scorned by ungrateful men, who in their foolish madness, do not realize that it is the only sure means of salvation after one has lost his baptismal innocence.
What is most grievous is that even the ministers of My Most Holy Son do not give to it the value that they should, viewing with cold indifference this valuable and precious treasure, which has been placed in their hands for the restoration of souls redeemed by the Blood of the Redeemer.
There are those who consider hearing confession as a loss of time and a futile thing. O, alas! If priests were given to see directly that which you are now contemplating and were enlightened with the Light that now illuminates you, they would then recognize this gift!..."
Our Lord: "For in all times I have need of valiant souls to save My Church and the prevaricating world." Our Lord also made Mother Mariana understand more clearly than ever before that devotion to the Passion, to the Blessed Sacrament and to Our Lady constitutes the support and mainstay of religious communities. "Know, moreover, that Divine Justice releases terrible chastisements on entire nations, not only for the sins of the people, but for those of priests and religious persons.
For the latter are called, by the perfection of their state, to be the salt of the earth, the masters of truth, and the deflectors of Divine Wrath. Straying from their divine mission, they degrade themselves in such a way that, before the eyes of God they quicken the rigor of the punishments..."
(During the 41 years of St. John Vianney's ministry at Ars, France, no damage was ever done by storms.) He also assured Mother Mariana that He was greatly pleased by those souls who take upon themselves the sublime task of suffering for the sanctification of the Clergy by means of their prayers, sacrifices and penances, and promised such souls a special glory in Heaven. The ingratitude and betrayal of religious souls, so dear to His Heart, would compel Him "to let My Justice fall upon My beloved cloisters - and even over cities - when those so near to Me who belong to Me reject My spirit, abandoning Me alone in Tabernacles, rarely remembering that I live there especially for love of them, even more than for the rest of the faithful."
Imprudent admissions and internal abuses permitted by superiors are the ruin of communities. "Such communities can only be preserved - while they exist - at the cost of much penance, humiliations and daily and solid practice of the religious who are good. Woe to these corrupt members during those times of calamity! Weep for them, beloved spouse, and implore that the time of so much suffering will be shortened."
He warned her that the Chastisement would be severe for those religious who squandered the many graces with their pride and vainglory to secure positions of power and rank and He especially condemned the lukewarm religious.
Mother Mariana saw that the greatest interior torments of the Sacred Heart were the ingratitude and indifference of those souls who, chosen among millions to be His spouses and ministers, left Him in the most absolute solitude. And this despite the fact that in the Holy Sacrament, He would live under the same roof with His spouses and come into the hand of His priests at the simple call of their voices at the most solemn moment of the Consecration.
Conclusion
We are living in a time of the great crisis of Faith and morals as prophesied by Our Lady. The confusion is of such magnitude that it is not only subverting the temporal sphere, but also penetrates the walls of the Church itself. Indeed, as Our Lady prophesied, the corruption of customs has become general and the precious light of Faith almost extinct. Yet the message of Our Lady of Good Success ends with a note of great hope: When everything will seem lost and paralyzed, that will be "the happy beginning of the complete restoration.
This will mark the arrival of my hour, when I, in a marvelous way, will dethrone the proud and cursed Satan, trampling him under my feet and fettering him in the infernal abyss." It is the promise echoed by Our Lady again at Fatima in 1917: "In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph."
Thus it seems opportune to turn to Our Lady of Good Success and invoke Her, begging for every good success - both temporal and spiritual. It is the moment to ask for her orientation and certainty amid this storm, and the courage and strength to keep aloft the standard of the Faith. Finally, let us pray that Our Lady will intervene quickly to restore the Church and society, so that she may reassume her throne and reign again in glory as Queen of all the earth.
http://www.pdtsigns.com/success.html
Message from The Father to Ann Hoernschemeyer 5-3-09
Approved by spiritual director
Message from The Father, 5-3-09, 5 p.m.,
I give you Myself lovely daughter of Zion, now I thank you for giving Us yourself. We cannot do without our vessels. We must have you and many, many others. Our bidding must be done in the land.
You will see the things happening that are predicted - until then just trust in Me, seek My face and give Me your heart. I told you the happenings of our coming will be known to you just before they happen. We promised you this before and you must be ready. Your internet and communication will not be available and My saints, My remnant will have to pray and receive from Me. I will touch your hearts and you will know. Those that hear, give them ears to hear.
My messages soon not coming anymore as the remnant and people of the land must trust solely in Me. Travel will be lessened for the danger upon the cities from evil men not concerned with Me, but destroying what is Mine.
Our lovely daughter, put this message out that they will hear My words and never be afraid.
Your Father for His children and His apostles
Shalom International Catholic Evangelism Shalomev@...
O. Ann S. Hoernschemeyer,
Books available, donation, Global Prayer Ministry of the Holy Spirit www.global-ministry.com
"Our Blessed Mother, The Mother of Glory"
"Daughter of Zion, Know The Womans Role in God's Plan"
Medjugorje Day By Day May 03 - THANK YOU FOR ADORING
"Together they devoted themselves to constant prayer" (Acts 1:14)."Mary can guide us towards this most holy sacrament, because she herself has a profound relationship with [the Eucharist]" (53). Give prayers, pamphlets, or pictures of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament to parishioners to pray for an increase in Adoration throughout the world!
Mother Teresa
What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.
Meditations by Padre Pio -
Beautiful Mother, you are so beautiful. If it were not for faith, men would think you were a goddess. Your eyes are more resplendent than the sun, you are beautiful Mother, I glory in it, I love you. Please help me.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen
We can't be perfect all the time!
"The good sometimes do wrong. Let us face it. And when they do wrong it is not the same as the evil who do wrong. Evil is an exception in the life of the good; it cuts across the long road of their life as a tangent. But with the evil, good is an exception. A master pianist may hit a wrong note, but everyone still knows him to be a good pianist. A beginner may hit a right note, but everyone knows that he is not a good player."
St. Faustina's diary http://www.marian.org/directory_flash.html -
Toward the end of the first year of my novitiate, darkness began to cast its shadow over my soul. I felt no consolation in prayer; I had to make a great effort to meditate; fear began to sweep over me. Going deeper into myself, I could find nothing but great misery. I could also clearly see the great holiness of God.
I did not dare to raise my eyes to Him, but reduced myself to dust under His feet and begged for mercy. My soul was in this state for almost six months. Our beloved Mother Directress [Mary Joseph] encouraged me in these difficult moments. But this suffering became greater and greater.
The second year of the novitiate was approaching. Whenever I recalled that I was to make my vows, my soul shuddered. I did not understand what I was reading; I could not meditate; it seemed to me that my prayer was displeasing to God. It seemed to me that by approaching the Holy Sacraments I was offending God even more.
But despite this, my confessor [Father Theodore] did not let me omit one single Holy Communion. God was working very strangely in my soul. I did not understand anything at all of what my confessor was telling me. The simple truths of the faith became incomprehensible to me. My soul was in anguish, unable to find comfort anywhere. (23a)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
These thoughts for a day are taken from a daily meditation book based on the Messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje by Father Richard J. Beyer, Ave Maria Press.
May 3 - THANK YOU FOR ADORING
To the young locutionist, Jelena, the Mother of God once spoke of Eucharistic adoration:
"Thank you for adoring my Son in the Sacred Host. That touches me very much. I ask you to pray, for I desire to see you happy." (January 26, 1984)
St. Matthew relates on of the first acts of adoration of Jesus Christ:
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and adored him. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Mt. 2:9-11).
Reflection:
Like the Magi, we too have been called to adore the Lord of heaven and earth, not in a manger in Bethlehem, but in the Most Blessed Sacrament. Indeed, several of the reported miracles in Medjugorje have been related to Eucharistic adoration: the alleged image of Christ sometimes seen at the tabernacle in St. James Church; the disk or host which at times covers the sun, allowing one to look into it for long periods (now commonly known as the "miracle of the sun ", which I have witnessed myself); and the visible rays of grace which some see emanate from the tabernacle at St. James and the adoration chapel.
These phenomena seem to be gifts from the Blessed Virgin to strengthen our faith in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist---God `s most precious gift to his church. Like the Magi, we too cannot approach the Divine without offering gifts of thanksgiving; and for us, these are our unfailing love and fidelity.
Application:
Think of the last time you worshipped Christ in the Blessed Sacrament of your home Church. If in has been a while when will you to it next? Can you visit the Lord on regular basic?
MESSAGE FROM JESUS TO PATSY SOTO MAY 3, 2009
Dear Kathy and Joyce I just got off the phone with Fr. Melvin I was actually hoping that he would tell me that I should have waited on sending this last message out but he said the complete opposite He said that it was necessary to send it out because Jesus wanted it to go out for His children to open their hearts and I know that you already sent it out but resend it with this note from Father Melvin he will be in prayer that hearts will open and listen to what our Jesus is saying.... my love and prayers me patsy
Sunday May 3, 2009
8:44 pm
Message from Jesus given to PATSY SOTO
Approved for release by Reverend Fr. Paul M. Caporali
Sunday May 3, 2009 @ 9:47 pm
Praise be to Jesus for Jesus is Lord, Saviour, Redeemer, Reconciler of all nations. Thank you My little one for opening your heart to My Words. Oh My Precious children there are many messages being given because of these signs of the times. Many of the warnings which were given in Kibeho, Akita, apparition sights that have been approved by the Bishops are now coming to pass. Yet my children still remain with deaf ears. If you were to look back to the messages given to these my children in Kibeho and Akita, you were warned that if change did not come My Fathers
Hand would not be held back. My Mother spoke then as she has spoken now, as I have spoken how urgent the call to Prayer, the Rosary, Sacrifice was being called for, the message given from My Holy Mother was a grave and serious warning.
I have brought My little one here to you in order that there would be sacrifice, and continuous prayer for SEVEN NOVENAS and to My dismay even though I have INVITED more attendance my children remain with closed hearts. Do you not think that your SACRIFICE IS IMPORTANT! You are seen plagues coming into your own cities, disaster upon disaster, yet you refuse to see that the FATHER has given chance after chance because of the few who are willing to sacrifice , but you do not see that soon unless more children open their hearts to these GRACES BEING GIVEN TO YOU WILL STOP! UNLESS YOU HEED THIS WARNING! I AM A MERICIFUL GOD BUT I AM ALSO A GOD OF JUSTICE !!
DO NOT CLOSE YOUR HEARTS TO THIS PLEA TO THIS INVITATION TO COME TO PRAYER AND SACRIFICE DURING THESE DAYS OF CONTINOUS PRAYER!
FOR IF THE FATHER DOES NOT SEE A WILLINGNESS TO ATTEND THESE DAYS OF MY NOVENA FOR WORLD PEACE, THESE GRACES WE ARE SO WILLING TO GIVE YOU THAT ARE BEING REFUSED WILL NOT BE GIVEN AND YOU WILL THAN SEE THAT WHICH MY CHILDREN OF KIBEHO, AKITA, MEDJUGORJGE, FATIMA WILL OCCUR AND THEN THE WORLD WILL BE SHOWN THAT GOD THE ALMIGHTY WILL WITHOLD HIS GRACE ALLOWING YOU TO BE ON YOUR OWN!
I am sorry My little one that this message had to be given for I know the pain of your heart in taking this message but know that I Am with you, your Jesus of Mercy. When I gave this Grace, this invitation to My children of this My Ministry to come follow Me, to come to Me through Prayer, Sacrifice I Showed My Graces in so many ways to My children of this ministry yet where are the many that I gave these Special Graces to .it is as when I invited My Apostles to come spend one hour with Me they could not,,,,,yet I loved them no less, as I love these My children from My Ministry,
I love all my children, even those who are not responding to My Call, I love all no less, but there is much sadness that overcomes Me in knowing what is to happen unless My PLEA MY CALL IS HEEDED! I love you My children, your Jesus of Mercy
(Jesus please don’t ask me to give this message, I know that more prayer is needed but please can’t you wait on this message) My beloved little one if th is message was not needed I would not be giving it to you, do you remember the parable of my son asking if there were 50 people he could find in his city would God promise not to destroy the town God the Father said yes up until when it was asked if only five were found would God not destroy this town,
Oh My little one this is the world that continues in this evil destruction of souls, and chance after chance has been given and WE ARE STILL GIVING YOU MY CHILDREN CHANCES WILL YOU STILL CLOSE YOUR HEARTS! This message must be given
My little one because hearts are not opening. Your heart is heavy but once again I say to you My little one I Am with you. It is not God that needs the presence of people at these continuous days of prayer it IS EACH OF YOU MY CHILDREN WHO NEED OUR PRESENCE OUR GRACES during these days do not be foolish, do not waste these days we love you. I AM YOUR JESUS OF MERCY
Open My litte one to 2 Corinthians Chapter 9 and Chapter 10
Fair use, 17 U.S.C. for those in the African Diaspora who would otherwise not be exposed to such. See: http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2corinthians/2corinthians10.htm
a. 2 Corinthians, Chapter 9
1 1 Now about the service to the holy ones, it is superfluous for me to write to you,
2 for I know your eagerness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia 2 has been ready since last year; and your zeal has stirred up most of them.
3 Nonetheless, I sent the brothers 3 so that our boast about you might not prove empty in this case, so that you might be ready, as I said,
4 for fear that if any Macedonians come with me and find you not ready we might be put to shame (to say nothing of you) in this conviction.
5 So I thought it necessary to encourage the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for your promised gift, so that in this way it might be ready as a bountiful gift and not as an exaction.
6 Consider this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 Each must do as already determined, without sadness or compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 4 Moreover, God is able to make every grace abundant for you, so that in all things, always having all you need, you may have an abundance for every good work.
9 As it is written: "He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
10 The one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
11 5 You are being enriched in every way for all generosity, which through us produces thanksgiving to God,
12 for the administration of this public service is not only supplying the needs of the holy ones but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.
13 Through the evidence of this service, you are glorifying God for your obedient confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution to them and to all others,
14 while in prayer on your behalf they long for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Footnotes
1 [1-15] Quite possibly this was originally an independent letter, though it deals with the same subject and continues many of the same themes. In that case, it may have been written a few weeks later than 2 Cor 8, while the delegation there mentioned was still on its way.
2 [2] Achaia: see the note on Romans 15:26.
3 [3] I sent the brothers: the Greek aorist tense here could be epistolary, referring to the present; in that case Paul would be sending them now, and 2 Cor 9:9 would merely conclude the letter of recommendation begun in 2 Cor 9:8. But the aorist may also refer to a sending that is past as Paul writes; then 2 Cor 9:9, with its apparently fresh beginning, is a follow-up message entrusted to another carrier.
4 [8-10] The behavior to which he exhorts them is grounded in God's own pattern of behavior. God is capable of overwhelming generosity, as scripture itself attests (2 Cor 9:9), so that they need not fear being short. He will provide in abundance, both supplying their natural needs and increasing their righteousness. Paul challenges them to godlike generosity and reminds them of the fundamental motive for encouragement: God himself cannot be outdone.
5 [11-15] Paul's vision broadens to take in all the interested parties in one dynamic picture. His language becomes liturgically colored and conveys a sense of fullness. With a final play on the words charis and eucharistia (see the note on 2 Cor 8:1), he describes a circle that closes on itself: the movement of grace overflowing from God to them and handed on from them through Paul to others is completed by the prayer of praise and thanksgiving raised on their behalf to God.
b.
2 Corinthians, Chapter 10
1 1 2 3 Now I myself, Paul, urge you through the gentleness and clemency of Christ, I who am humble when face to face with you, but brave toward you when absent,
2 4 I beg you that, when present, I may not have to be brave with that confidence with which I intend to act boldly against some who consider us as acting according to the flesh.
3 For, although we are in the flesh, we do not battle according to the flesh, 5
4 for the weapons of our battle are not of flesh but are enormously powerful, capable of destroying fortresses. We destroy arguments
5 and every pretension raising itself against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive in obedience to Christ,
6 and we are ready to punish every disobedience, once your obedience is complete.
7 Look at what confronts you. Whoever is confident of belonging to Christ should consider that as he belongs to Christ, so do we. 6
8 And even if I should boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I shall not be put to shame.
9 7 May I not seem as one frightening you through letters.
10For someone will say, "His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible."
11Such a person must understand that what we are in word through letters when absent, that we also are in action when present.
12 8 Not that we dare to class or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
13 But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits 9 God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you.
14 For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed first came to you with the gospel of Christ.
15 We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people's labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our influence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits,
16 so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another's sphere.
17 "Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord." 10
18For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved, 11 but the one whom the Lord recommends.
Footnotes
1 [10:1-13:10] These final chapters have their own unity of structure and theme and could well have formed the body of a separate letter. They constitute an apologia on Paul's part, i.e., a legal defense of his behavior and his ministry; the writing is emotionally charged and highly rhetorical. In the central section (2 Cor 11:16-12:10), the apologia takes the form of a boast. This section is prepared for by a prologue (2 Cor 11:1-15) and followed by an epilogue (2 Cor 12:11-18), which are similar in content and structure. These sections, in turn, are framed by an introduction (2 Cor 10:1-18) and a conclusion (2 Cor 12:19-13:10), both of which assert Paul's apostolic authority and confidence and define the purpose of the letter. The structure that results from this disposition of the material is chiastic, i.e., the first element corresponds to the last, the second to the second last, etc., following the pattern a b c b', a'.
2 [1-18] Paul asserts his apostolic authority and expresses the confidence this generates in him. He writes in response to certain opinions that have arisen in the community and certain charges raised against him and in preparation for a forthcoming visit in which he intends to set things in order. This section gives us an initial glimpse of the situation in Corinth that Paul must address; much of its thematic material will be taken up again in the finale (2 Cor 12:19-13:10).
3 [1-2] A strong opening plunges us straight into the conflict. Contrasts dominate here: presence versus absence, gentleness-clemency-humility versus boldness-confidence-bravery. Through the gentleness and clemency of Christ: the figure of the gentle Christ, presented in a significant position before any specifics of the situation are suggested, forms a striking contrast to the picture of the bold and militant Paul (2 Cor 10:2-6); this tension is finally resolved in 2 Cor 13:3-4. Absent . . . present: this same contrast, with a restatement of the purpose of the letter, recurs in 2 Cor 13:10, which forms an inclusion with 2 Cor 10:1-2.
4 [2b-4a] Flesh: the Greek word sarx can express both the physical life of the body without any pejorative overtones (as in "we are in the flesh," 3) and our natural life insofar as it is marked by limitation and weakness (as in the other expressions) in contrast to the higher life and power conferred by the Spirit; cf the note on 1 Cor 3:1. The wordplay is intended to express the paradoxical situation of a life already taken over by the Spirit but not yet seen as such except by faith. Lack of empirical evidence of the Spirit permits misunderstanding and misjudgment, but Paul resolutely denies that his behavior and effectiveness are as limited as some suppose.
5 [3b-6] Paul is involved in combat. The strong military language and imagery are both an assertion of his confidence in the divine power at his disposal and a declaration of war against those who underestimate his resources. The threat is echoed in 2 Cor 13:2-3.
6 [7-8] Belonging to Christ . . . so do we: these phrases already announce the pattern of Paul's boast in 2 Cor 11:21b-29, especially 2 Cor 11:22-23. For building you up and not for tearing you down: Paul draws on the language by which Jeremiah described the purpose of the prophetic power the Lord gave to him (Jeremiah 1:9-10; 12:16-17; 24:6). Though Paul's power may have destructive effects on others (2 Cor 10:2-6), its intended effect on the community is entirely constructive (cf 2 Cor 13:10). I shall not be put to shame: his assertions will not be refuted; they will be revealed as true at the judgment.
7 [9-10] Paul cites the complaints of some who find him lacking in personal forcefulness and holds out the threat of a personal parousia (both "return" and "presence") that will be forceful, indeed will be a demonstration of Christ's own power (cf 2 Cor 13:2-4).
8 [12-18] Paul now qualifies his claim to boldness, indicating its limits. He distinguishes his own behavior from that of others, revealing those "others" as they appear to him: as self-recommending, immoderately boastful, encroaching on territory not assigned to them, and claiming credit not due to them.
9 [13] Will keep to the limits: the notion of proper limits is expressed here by two terms with overlapping meanings, metron and kanon, which are played off against several expressions denoting overreaching or expansion beyond a legitimate sphere.
10 [17] Boast in the Lord: there is a legitimate boasting, in contrast to the immoderate boasting to which 2 Cor 10:13, 15 allude. God's work through Paul in the community is the object of his boast (2 Cor 10:13-16; 2 Cor 1:12-14) and constitutes his recommendation (2 Cor 3:1-3). Cf the notes on 2 Cor 1:12-14 and 1 Cor 1:29-31.
11 [18] Approved: to be approved is to come successfully through the process of testing for authenticity (cf 2 Cor 13:3-7 and the note on 2 Cor 8:2). Whom the Lord recommends: self-commendation is a premature and unwarranted anticipation of the final judgment, which the Lord alone will pass (cf 1 Cor 4:3-5). Paul alludes to this judgment throughout 2 Cor 10-13, frequently in final or transitional positions; cf 2 Cor 11:15; 12:19a; 13:3-7.
Fair use 17 U.S.C. for those in the African Diaspora who would otherwise not be exposed to such. See: http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2corinthians/2corinthians10.htm
SHORT POWERFUL PRAYER THROUGH ST. JOSEPH
"Glorious St. Joseph, tenderhearted father, faithful
guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of
God, I ask you to join me in praising God the Father
through His Divine Son who died on the cross and
rose again to give us sinners new life. Through the
Holy Name of Jesus, pray with me that we may obtain
from the eternal Father the favor we ask. (here
state your intention)."
Say this prayer for nine consecutive days.
Fear not! God is your shelter (the 23rd Psalm and the Lord’s Prayer. God never fails). Don’t fail him. Call on Jesus. Jesus on the mainline, tell him what you want!
http://www.live365.com/stations/283424
BLACK CATHOLIC GOSPEL RADIO (Afrocentric Rosary, Stations of Cross, Chaplet of Divine Mercy)
Daily Afrocentric Chaplet Divine Mercy PT I
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