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Dear Readers of my blog,

10/28/2015

1 Comment

 
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Well, we have come to the end of God Alone, those messages I thought I got from the Holy Spirit in 2008, so you will just have to read only me on this.  For some this might be better if you doubted those “messages” or just don’t like that kind of thing. For others, I am sorry you have to read only me!


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A thought :

Thinking about the conflicts over doctrine in the Church, it occurred to me that Purgatory will be a place where we will be judged not by each other but by God who will judge and heal us.  It was a consoling thought.


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In Confession of sins of sarcasm in my thoughts even when unsaid, the priest said that sarcasm resembles what  Satan thinks. 

Why do I have to win ever verbal battle?

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I had a wonderful visit from family some of whom have never been to Holy Apostles where I live and teach. The “star” visitor was my dear new great-grandchild, Teresa. 





I wrote a little haiku type line about her that you probably would agree fits the way you look at babies also: 

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The smile of little Teresa,
 hope made visible.

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More from Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity: Poor Clare of Jerusalem: alleged messages to her soul from Jesus:



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“When receiving Me each morning in Holy Communion, it is you who absorb Me – at your death, it is I who will absorb you – to unite you to Myself. What do you fear?  Prepare yourself.”


“It is for that little Host that the cathedrals and the immense basilicas have been built.”

“Give Me your heart – that heart which creatures do not know and which they slight; it is more than a universe to me, because I love you.”


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1 Comment

Concluding Locution from God Alone

10/18/2015

2 Comments

 
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August 22, 2008
Unity of Purpose
Holy Spirit:
Your strength is broken when there are major divisions in your efforts.


In the Bible you see this beginning with Satan falling from heaven and Adam and Eve falling away from unity with God and Cain and Abel at enmity.
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In reverse you see strength when there is unity of purpose: Joseph helping his brothers, David defending Saul, Peter and Paul coming to agreement. Can you see how weakened is the Christian witness by divisions between groups and within groups?
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Unity can be based on warding off enemies. The Zealots of Jesus’ time one 
earth were united in purpose trying to overthrow the Roman dominance. In your present world there can be political strength when forces unit to repeal an enemy. More important, however, is that you have a common positive purpose that We call the building the kingdom of God.



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Think of the strength of beauty when 
voices join together in song, when members of families set aside individual goals for a common effort.


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To be strong for the kingdom of God you need Our gifts of faith, hope, and 
charity. These overcome the division that comes with doubt, despair, and rejection. When you come to prayer, you open to these gifts and then by your unity of purpose with Us you are strengthened to bring faith, hope and love to others. Do you see how doubt, despair and anger are quicksand for the kingdom of God?



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Never let them grow in your heart. Cast yourself into Our unity so we can show you how to bring the most light, peace and love into each situation you encounter. If you cannot win a victory over evil on earth let us help you win the battle within your own heart.
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After this locution it seemed as if the Holy Spirit wanted to stop this sequence of some 85 little “essays” and instead give me personal advice about each day’s concerns. If the Holy Spirit goes back to “writing little essays through me,” I will let
you know on the web.  

(As a matter of fact, it seemed that after a long, long, hiatus, in the year 2014 these messages or words of the heart, or locutions  came again. I put them under the title of Healing of My Heart. 
If you write to me at [email protected] I will send them to you.  At the date of re-editing this set, the new ones have not ended.)
                                                                   Pray, pray, pray. 
                                                     “God Alone is Enough.”

2 Comments

Penultimate Locution From God Alone

10/17/2015

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August 21, 2008
Judas and Mary
Holy Spirit:
Judas saw no way out. He tried to find it by destroying himself. You read about him and you wish he had waited for the resurrection and then begged Jesus for forgiveness.


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When Mary saw no way out, no way to protect her son from violence and 
death, she stood under the cross, her soul given over to anguish, but also to seemingly futile acts of heroic hope and trust.


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Many times the children of God are nailed to the cross. They beg to be taken down from the cross, or, at least, to know why. When you are nailed to the cross it is not wrong like Jesus to cry out "why have you forsaken me?" but you need also over and over again in your trials to pray like Jesus "Into your hands I commend my spirit."
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The Passion tells you that what counts is not to escape from suffering, but to 
endure it with trust in the Father's plan and then let him liberate you as He chooses, for even if your enemies kill you, you will be saved in heaven. Do you see that in some situations there is no solution in earthly terms and your only choice is between stark despair and stark hope in God Alone?


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"Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death."



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aditional locution

10/17/2015

1 Comment

 
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August 20, 2008
Persecution
Holy Spirit:
In the academic world you think of positions taken on one side or another of a debate as if the point of view were the important thing, not the persons holding them. In seeking truth, this can be a good way to think. In the world outside the school, however, differences soon become highly personal as the consequences of ideas mount up.

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Those whose ideas are threatened by greater numbers on the other side will 
sometimes resort to violent retaliation. 



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Think of the leaders who felt threatened by the growing popularity of Jesus and reacted by persecuting Him unto death.


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On the verbal level, when you feel you cannot win over the opposition, you 
may resort to the “violence” of sarcasm or name-calling. If the debate is between people who know each other well, the feeling of being persecuted is especially wounding.



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How are you, a follower of Jesus, to conduct yourself under verbal attack?



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Jesus was not naïve about the motives of those who were against Him. Neither 
should you be. Yet He accepted seeming defeat in the events leading to His passion and death. He who had the divine power to destroy His enemies, instead chose the way of silence and even of forgiveness.


       Should you do less?
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1 Comment

God Alone locution

10/17/2015

1 Comment

 
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August 19, 2008
Hardness
Holy Spirit:
Our St. Augustine thought that “peace is the tranquility of order.” You can love order as a relief from chaos. Order is good.


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Sometimes, though, the desire for order can make you tense and hard.


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You see that your goals are blocked by others because they are more relaxed or just indifferent, or busy with other goals. You seek their cooperation. 


You can try persuasion or you can try force.
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In either attempt, persuasion or force, beware of becoming hard. Hardness manifests the fact that the goal of order is higher to you than the goal of love. Even though the goal of order is loving, you are letting the ends justify the means when your approach is hard.


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As you go about your daily rounds, even when you are alone, check from time to time for tension and hardness. When you detect either of them, stop, even for a minute. 


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Lift your heart to Us for a fresh flow of lighter energy.



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Avoid efficiency at any price.



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“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his immortal soul?” 
(Luke 9:25)


1 Comment

Again from God Alone

10/16/2015

0 Comments

 
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August 18, 2008
Tug of War
Holy Spirit:
Each one pulls hard. To win is to overcome the resistance of the opponent.

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Once toppled and fallen, the “enemy” can be dragged to the side of the victor. This game is played over and over again in daily power struggles.


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Sometimes the outcome is predictable. A parent has the strength to compel the disobedient child to comply. 

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The more skilled competitor in a sport will outrace the ones less able.


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What is it in humans that revels in such trials of strength? Is it a matter of natural delight in power or is it ugly and evil pride? Of course, it can be either.

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Looking at the negative type of tug of war, can some only enjoy superiority by forcing another into submission?


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For believers, tugs of war become more complex trials. Love of power is to be conquered by the power of love.
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In the process there is no lack of bloodshed. You cannot figure it all out beforehand. At any moment self-assertion can overtake the goal of love.

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Consider the familiar display: three men on crosses. Each one has lost the tug of war with the Roman conquerors. In defeat, the bad thief tries for a last power play by taunting Jesus as a false Messiah. Your savior, takes a different path. He speaks out the despair of seeming defeat “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me.” (Matthew 27:46) Then he changes the nature of the trial in the words “Into Your hands I commend My spirit.” Jesus lifts the battle from the physical realm. He shows you that what really counts is the battle to keep faith in the Father’s love in spite of all appearances. Out of the victory of hope over despair, He has an overflow of mercy to forgive His earthly enemies, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
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As if sensing the shift to the new battleground, the good thief begs Jesus for a secret supernatural victory even for himself, a man justly condemned to death. When you find yourself losing the tug of war in your attempts to get what you want, which of the three on the cross will you imitate: the bad thief taunting God for not helping him win; Jesus, trusting the Father to bring a higher victory; or, like the good thief, putting all your hope on the Redeemer? Sometimes it is good for men to cry and to cry out.
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(A few minutes after this locution I thought the Holy Spirit added: Do you see how the mercy chaplet shifts you from love of power to the power of love?) Note from Ronda: Before World War II a Polish nun received visions and words concerning praying for divine mercy. After her death and after World War II was over, how much mercy was needed. If you are not familiar with this very popular Catholic prayer search the web for the Chaplet of Divine Mercy).


0 Comments

Another Message from God Alone

10/15/2015

3 Comments

 
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August 17, 2008
“A Prophet is not Honored in His own Country.” (Matthew 13:57)
Holy Spirit:


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In the sentimental religion of your fantasies, sincerity is always rewarded with applause.


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In the sentimental scenario of your fantasies, to be right is always to be victorious.


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In the sentimental world of your fantasies, your own family is the first to accept your prophetic charism.


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Examine the life of your model Jesus, and the history of the Church. What do you hear? Applause?
What do you see? Victory?

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What do the records show? Families affirming the path of the countercultural path of the martyrs?


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The history is full of paradox: the "Prince of Peace” carries a two-edged sword 
(Hebrews 4:12). 
Some professed followers divide the Church. At some periods saints followed the claims of opposed leaders.


When you are nailed to the cross by rejection, some of you want to flee; others want to scream denunciations.
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While you await Our next move, take up the words of your model:

“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

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3 Comments

Again from GOD ALONE

10/14/2015

1 Comment

 
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August 16, 2008
Talents
Holy Spirit:
Many times you have to do things in life with painful difficulty against the grain. We grace such efforts.


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Other times
, what you are called to do for love of Us and for love of your 
brothers and sisters flows easily from the talents We have given you in abundance.



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The Evil one, knowing the power of those talents, tries first to bend them to 
bad purposes: 

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unusual intelligence can be bent to bad aims; unusual intelligence can be bent toward conquest; unusual strength toward brutality; unusual physical beauty toward seduction.


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When the talents are directed by love, the Evil One works more subtly. Into dedication he mixes pride. Into commitment he mixes neglect of other claims. Perseverance can be pushed to exhaustion.


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Watch out for the self-doubt that surfaces when you sense the mixture of these negatives with your talents. The doubt leads to a desire to give up. 


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Instead of giving up, you need to bring your talents back to Us, their source, for purification and renewal. Then they will shine for whoever we have prepared them to reach.


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“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)


1 Comment

Another Locution from God Alone

10/12/2015

0 Comments

 
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August 15, 2008
Holy Solitude
Holy Spirit:

You crave company. Your often lonely hearts cry out for human understanding and intimacy. 

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Yet when human love is given, you can feel as if the 
price is too high. The others intrude into your inner space until you cannot even find yourself there. They can probe your motives until you cannot even find any pure reasons for doing anything.



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Can you see that many in these times are choosing a more solitary life? Is this 
because they are failures in relationships? 


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Sometimes. But also for some because we are drawing them out from the crowd. Sometimes the greater isolation is physical; sometimes it is mental. Sometimes it is purely spiritual – as in going within to Us in the midst of people.

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To feel it unbearable to be alone is to deny Our presence with you. Our 
presence is mysterious: potentially burning, but often times almost cool. Our demands are sometimes for change in your decisions but often just that you be free enough to be present to Us.



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The words of worship and other formal prayers will draw you out and up to Us. Please don’t resist.
“And we shall come make dwelling in them.”
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God's Whispers amplified

10/12/2015

0 Comments

 
Call it a Genre, if you will!
I am reading a book called The Spiritual Legacy of Sister Mary of the Holy Trinity: Poor Clare of Jerusalem.
Sister Mary lived in the first half of the 20th century. She was a convert to the Catholic Faith from a Transvaal Protestant Missionary family.  She didn’t fit in well into several contemplative communities she tried but spend her last decade with the Poor Clares in Jerusalem.

Jesus became to speak to her every day and told her to write down what he said. These messages are compiled in a book edited by her spiritual director.

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One I read which fit beautifully with our problems in the world and Church today was this:

“You must not furiously wrestle with evil: you must overcome evil  by good ….Good always triumphs in its time.” 


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Thinking about my alleged messages from Jesus up here on the Blog under the title God Alone, and others I read, I was thinking one could speak of an actual genre of such books. 

They are not private revelation in the sense of being supernatural messages instructing the recipient to publicize these to the universal Church as is the case with messages at Lourdes, Fatima, or to St. Faustina about the Mercy spirituality.  But they are comforting, inspiriting and challenging just the same and should be read only because they match the truths Jesus and the Holy Spirit through the Church always teach.


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I think I wrote on this blog that after years of thinking younger folk should do protests and rosary rallies in front of Abortion Clinics, I was now too old to do anything but teach great books against abortion such as Understanding Abortion by Schwarz and Latimer, and donating money to groups like 40 Days for Life and Priests for Life.

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Then a fiercely pro-life priest here at the seminary persuaded me that he could overcome my oldness problems by putting a folding chair in his car, showing me the nearest public bathroom, etc. etc.



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So this week off we went to the nearest Planned Parenthood protest. I was proud to go. 



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The gas-station across the street would surely have a bathroom.  No, it didn’t.  Since the priest had promised to help me with this problem, he walked me next into a huge gym and, probably, because of his collar, they let me into the restroom even though I am not a member.  Can you imagine how humiliated I felt to have, in effect, jerked a priest out of the protest march and had him stand there at the counter of that gym, pleading for bathroom privileges for this woman, with her long grey hair, who could look like his witch wife!!!?

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A note:
  I do read any responses readers put up, but I just don’t have time to respond.  If you really want to reach me for a response go to my web 
www.rondachervin.com and e-mail me separately.


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    Author

    Ronda Chervin received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University and an MA in Religious Studies from Notre Dame Apostolic Institute. She is a dedicated widow, mother, and grandmother.
    Ronda converted to the Catholic Faith from a Jewish, though atheistic, background and has been a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Loyola Marymount University, the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is an international speaker and author of some fifty books about Catholic thought, practice and spirituality. One of her latest is LAST CALL, published by Goodbooks Media.
    Dr. Ronda is currently retired and living in Corpus Christi, Texas after her years of teaching philosophy at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.
    You can contact her via e-mail by clicking here or by emailing [email protected] directly.

    Visit her websites:
    here and here.

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