"MOM, WHY SHOULD I GO TO CONFESSION?"
One of our newsletter subscriber sent in this personal story with the hope that it would be helpful to others. So here is what she had to say.

These were the words I was confronted with last month. Surprisingly, I had no trouble selling my teenage son on the rewards of joining me in a 9 Day Novena of Divine Mercy. However, when I mentioned that going to confession was "part of the deal", he stopped dead in his tracks. "You mean go into 'the box'?' I just talk directly to God." My son and I have been on a slow journey back to Catholicism, and this was the inevitable battle that I have been postponing, but the promises of that day were too important to me so, I "dug in my heels". I fumbled around for a convincing explanation, finally adding... "Just do it for me, please. It won't hurt. I understand how difficult it is. Try going to confession after 35 years!" He was noncommittal. I left it at that and went ahead and set up a convenient time for us with our priest, and informed my son of the time. I was fully prepared to go to it alone. The following day he arrived home from school. Without a word he joined me in the car. There were looks of trepidation on my usually confident and exuberant son's face. After what was probably the speediest confession ever recorded, he came out. In the car he told me he was not doing this again. I said nothing other than "thank you", knowing the next time I asked it would be easier as it had been for me.

While at the Divine Mercy Retreat someone handed me a terrific explanation of why we go to a priest. (From the Pastoral Team of St. Pius X Catholic Church) Here are parts of it. If you want the full, printable copy, click here. I wish I had had this a month ago!

Why go to a priest?
All pardon for sins ultimately comes from Christ's finished work on Calvary, but how do individuals receive this pardon? Did Christ leave us any means within the Church to take away sin? The Bible says he gave us two means.

Baptism was given to take away the sin inherited from Adam (original sin) and any sins we personally committed before baptism Thus on the day of Pentecost, Peter told the crowds, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38)

For sins committed after baptism, a different sacrament is needed. Since he would not always be with the Church visibly, Christ gave this power to other men so the Church, which is the continuation of his presence through time would be able to offer forgiveness to future generations. He gave his power to the apostles, and it was a power that could be passed on to their successors, through the laying on of hands, recorded in scripture, since the apostles wouldn't always be on earth either, but people would still be sinning.

God had sent Jesus to forgive sins, but after his resurrection Jesus told the apostles, " 'As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.' And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven: if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.' " (John 20:21-23) Hence a judging faculty is given to the church.

Christ told the apostles to follow his example: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you". (John 20:21) Just as the apostles were to carry Christ's message to the whole world, so they were to carry his forgiveness: "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven". (Matt. 18:18)

The Advantages (or... "Why not talk directly to God?")
Is the Catholic who confesses his sins to a priest any better off than the non-Catholic who confesses directly to God? Yes. First, he seeks forgiveness the way Christ intended. Second, by confessing to a priest, the Catholic learns a lesson in humility, which is avoided when one confesses only through private prayer. Third, the Catholic receives sacramental graces the non-Catholic doesn't get; through the sacrament of penance sins are forgiven and graces are obtained. Fourth, the Catholic is assured that his sins are forgiven; he does not have to rely on a subjective "feeling". Lastly the Catholic can also obtain sound advice on avoiding sin in the future.

During his lifetime Christ sent out his followers to do his work. Just before he left this world, he gave the apostles special authority, commissioning them to make God's forgiveness present to all people, and the whole Christian world accept this until a few centuries ago. If there is an "invention" here, it is not the sacrament of penance, but the notion that the sacramental forgiveness of sins is not to be found in the Bible or in early Christian history.

The Act of Consecration

The Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary has forever changed my life. I first made my consecration a year ago. Since that time I have had various ups and downs at work. There have been numerous struggles. I wonder why I am even working there sometimes. I can not tell anyone how many times I would have liked to walk out the door. Then I have had to remind myself this is not my battle. Mary or Jesus is using me for something, I often do not know what. Sometimes it is to change me and other times it is to set the pathway for miraculous things to happen. I forget that I am not in charge. I am working as The Virgin Mary's slave, for her, not for my wants and ego. I pray often about this and ask for assistance and it always comes in ways and with unbelievable timing. Other times I find myself talking about Jesus or the Virgin Mary to complete strangers who often listen to me. The words come from someone, through my mouth at the right time. Another mystery to me. I wonder, was that me who just said that? The greatest miracle is my family. This includes my husband and children and my brothers and sisters. Each is moving along their individual paths of faith. I wish it would go faster, but as I patiently wait I see amazing strides. At least one half have made their consecreation. I even got three other family members to pray a prayer to St. Bridget for the four most stubbornest of my family members.

~Cindy S.~
If you are interested in learning more, we offer a free booklet by St. Louis de Montfort called Total Consecration. Click here to receive your copy.

Living In God's Will

In the beginning Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden. They lived in God's presence, day in and day out.  They did not tell God "I'll do my thing."  Instead they lived so deeply united to God that their wish was to do everything with God and in God.
 
However, God desired to test their loyalty.  God needed Adam and Eve to decide for themselves whether to remain united with Him.  He had given them a free will and they were to use it.
 
God had already tested the angels to see whether they wanted to be with Him and some had decided against loving and serving Him.  Now God allowed one of these fallen creatures into the Garden of Eden.  This fallen angel took on the visage of a serpent, a  formidable dragon-like creature. Since this angel had turned away from Truth by claiming he was superior to God, he lived a mission of deception. He deceived Eve and then he used Eve to deceive Adam.  So Adam and Eve fell out of God's grace into sin.
 
Take a good look at this dynamic because it is one that gets repeated in our own lives down to this very day.  Someone can be deceived and then without knowing it that person can be used as an instrument to deceive others. In some ways our world is in a sorry state these days. Sometimes we pass on half truths or complete falsehoods without knowing it.  We can get caught up in lies ... sometimes consciously and sometimes without knowing it. This is our fallen human condition.
 
When Adam and Eve lived in unity with God they lived the truth.  Their actions had integrity. Their mind and heart worked together in a perfect harmony and unity.  They were at peace.  This is the state of living in God's will.
 
Very few people have lived in God's will.  Adam and Eve did  before the Fall and the Blessed Virgin Mary lived her entire life "in" God's will.  The angels who never fell from grace also live in God's will. Original sin creates a condition of  an inner conflict and the tendency to seek self and one's own desires over against God's desires.  This condition of conflict and selfishness is known as concupiscence.
 
Once souls are purified and pass into heaven, they live in God's will.  Then every fiber of their being wants to do exactly what God wants, as God wants, when God wants.
 
In the Our Father we pray for this kind of existence to occur on earth once again: "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." 
 
Right now human beings on earth usually use their free will as a free agent apart from God.  Even when we muster up the courage to try to do God's Will there is a disconnect between God's will and the human will.  Somehow we want to do God's will on our terms.  In theological language, we use our human will to do God's will instead of allowing God's will to take over our heart and soul completely  and act in us, the way He operates in the heart of the Blessed Mother and the saints and angels in heaven.
 
A very special grace is beginning to emerge in our time.  For instance, Saint Marie Faustina wrote in her Diary that Jesus asked to write down  that she would never do her own will for the rest of her life and that God's Will would be done in her in all things in every single instance. Martha Robin of France, Conchita Gonzales of Mexico, Dina Belanger of Canada and Luisa Piccarretta of Italy have written about this grace of purification where God's will  and the human will operate in unity. This is the grace that John the Baptist was calling forth when he said "I must decrease and You must increase."  It has taken the human race a long time to comprehend just how much it is called to "decrease" ... for the creature needs to become so small that its own will allows God's will to be done in all things at all times, the way God's will reigns in heaven. St. Faustina and Martha Robin and Dina Belanger and Conchita invited people living in our time to live in unity with God's will while still on earth.  They invite souls today to live in God's presence.
 
What can this mean for our world today.  For all creatures are born with the inner conflicts and drives resulting from original sin?
 
People living in God's Will see the world and its people through the eyes of God.  For example, they look at floods, fires and earthquakes and know God permits creatures to be stripped of the non-essentials for a higher good, for the sake of being able to focus on the one thing necessary for a happy life, which is unity with God.
 
People who live in God's will see things such as sickness, misunderstandings and natural catastrophes as instruments of God to cleanse the individual souls and to cleanse whole nations.
 
In certain areas of life it appears as if Evil is reigning, and it might even get worse before it get better.  But if you have your eyes on God you will know everything is in the hands of a loving Father. 
 
God's motives are always positive.  If you begin to  hear things that are negative -- watch out!  The devil paints a negative picture of everything --- God, you and your neighbor. 
 
You know you are living in God's will when you see ALL of life in a positive light. Most of us have not arrived at this point.  Some things may be hard but those living in the divine will know there is always a bright side.  This bright side is called illumination.
 
Let's talk a moment about illumination.  Let's say that God shows you some fault or sin in your life.  For one thing if God shows you anything about yourself, first God will let you know He really loves you.  Then God will let you see how this fault or sin in getting in the way of happy living.  Then with your permission and your co-operation God can lift the sin from your life or be with you as you struggle.  You find relief when God purifying you.  Even if you have a twinge of guilt, you only have it long enough to help you separate from something that is hurting you.  See how positive and loving  God  is when you need to change something in your life?  Even when corrected, you have a beautiful peace if the correction is coming from God.
 
On the other hand, the evil spirits are negative if they find something in you.  In fact the word satan is translated accuser or prosecutor.  Evil spirits will attempt to get you to mercilessly accuse yourself or your neighbor. The word diabolic means to divide, create a wedge or rip apart ... and when you begin to battle with yourself or God or neighbor it is important to note whether you are sensing peace or tension in the conflict.  The evil spirits rob you of peace and put a wedge between you and others in order to pull you out of God's will, in order to rip you away from God.
 
But God is so immense, and the evil one is like a pesky mosquito in His presence ... you need only to call out  the Lord's name or say "Thy will be done"  and God's peace will possess.  God will take possession of you.   And, God will smile on you.  For the only thing that matters in our life is that we want Him and we want Him to possess us.
 
God awaits our decision.  God wants us to use our free will to choose Him.  Because He needs to know whether or not we want to be His, He tests us in various ways.  This test is really a Game of Love. "How much do you love Me?"  God asks.  "Do you love me all the time?"  To live in God's will is to be totally in love with God and everything he stands for. It is to love God so much that we ask Him to enter into us and we joyfully await entering into Him.  God's will in me and I in God's will.  I in you and you in me ... this is the unity of wills, this is the greatest sanctification. This is what God desires to happen "on earth as it is in heaven."

THIS MONTH'S PRIVATE REVELATIONS:
There are two kinds of revelations: (1) universal revelations, which are contained in the Bible and form the core of our faith. These ended with the preaching of the Apostles and must be believed by all; (2) private revelations which are constantly occurring among Christians even to this day. You are under no obligation to believe the latter. When the Church approves private revelations, she declares only that there is nothing in them contrary to the faith or good morals. Private revelations contained here are approved by the Church's appointed Spiritual Advisors.

APRIL 25, 2007 - MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE

Dear Children!
Also today I again call you to conversion. Open your hearts. This is a time of grace while I am with you, make good use of it. Say: “This is the time for my soul.” I am with you and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call.

*****

May 1, 2007 - "ANNE" - DIRECTION FOR OUR TIMES

Jesus

My apostles, I speak to you with such hope. Why do I feel hope when I speak these words? I, your Jesus, feel hope because you are reading these words and listening to Me. In your soul, you are interested in My plan. In your soul you are willing to make the changes which will bring about My plan. In your soul you receive a foretaste of heaven which provides you with the joy that I wish to make available to others. My heavenly plan is truly rooted in your soul and for this reason I have hope. The times in which you live provide you with opportunities to practice hope, even while much of the world feels dismay and fear. My apostles see that the world is changing and this is the message, a message of hope, which flows through them. You are precious to Me, both because of the unique love I have for you and for the unique plan I have for you. Allow Me to rest in your soul each day and I will fill you with My love. Where can you find more silence? How can you give your Jesus just a few more minutes of time to be with you and sanctify you even further? My beloved apostle, please be disciplined about your time with Me in each day. I do not want you to be distracted. I do not want the world to take your hope from you. If you do not spend time with Me, you are vulnerable to the fears sowed by the enemy of hope. I rely on my beloved ones. In them I find rest and solace. You see, dear apostle, if I can change you and fill you with My great spiritual blessings, I can change others. Is there even one life that you can say you affected by your faith in Me and by My presence in you? Do not limit My plan in your mind. My plan is vast and it is working. Be joyful today as I am joyful. Hope in Me, dear one, as I hope in you. Trust in Me as I trust in you. Be with Me as I long to be with you and together we will fill the world with hope, drawing many wounded souls back into our family of love.

*****

April, 2007 - ANN P. (ALEX'S FRIEND) SACRED HEART MESSAGES TO A CONVERTING SOUL

(April 22)
TO THE DISOBEDIENT.
Jesus:  My eyes are opened wide this night, My child, My tears flow as I gaze at these souls who continue to disobey My every word.  They continually plan their lives, excluding Me, never a thought of Me. They fail to realize that the final outcome for their plans is in My hands.  They have sleepless nights, planning their future, how to become rich and buy things to keep them happy.  Foolish are they whose desires and follies keep them chained to the evil one, who wishes to destroy them. I am saddened by this, for I desire a world full of total love and compassion, a world that wishes to know Me and long to be with Me, their Creator for all eternity. I see how your heart has been saddened these past days with so many lives that have been taken.  Your prayers have gone with them, but many more shall be taken, My child, the young as well as the old.  Death is eminent, all will die to this life, be prepared, become humble and poor souls, not proud and rich, accepting whatever plan I have for each of you.  How much better it is for one to possess wisdom than gold and become humble servants, ready to serve and not to be served.
Your loving Jesus.

TO THE OBEDIENT.
Jesus:  How glorious in My sight, the man who trusts in Me and finds comfort and delight in Me. He is a precious gem, for he aims to please Me in all things.  I will continue to shower him with graces and Heavenly gifts, for he is truly My servant. Stand up for the truth and never be afraid, for I am with you to protect and guard you always. I hover (over) all those that defend My Holy Name and continue to grow in virtue.  There is nothing I would not do for the soul who continually worships and adores Me throughout his life, who gives Me the glory for all his accomplishments. He prays knowing that I am listening to every prayer and will answer in due time.  This hope is what I desire for it proves sincere love and total trust in Me. Become well grounded and remain on the path leading to your eternal life, knowing I am waiting to greet you and call you My child, who endured all hardships to come into your final resting place, My Heart.  
Your loving Jesus.

(April 16)
Jesus:
My child.  How beautiful to see the great number of souls, celebrate the feast of My Divine Mercy.  All of Heaven rejoiced, but you must always remember that My mercy is forever, each and every day ask for My mercy upon yourself and others.  Continue to turn away from sin and cling to Me.  Strengthen yourself by My holy sacraments, My body and blood which will bring you new life.  Live up to the promises that you make, promises to give up the things of this world and live only for Me, your living God.  Be kind, loving and forgiving towards family and acquaintances, stop dwelling on past hurts and live only for today, for tomorrow may never come.  Spend more time in prayer and coming to know Me and what I can do to help bring about peace to your heart.  During this time of Mercy, many souls asked for help to put aside all differences and try to please even those that cause them grief and great suffering.  Many tears were shed as my people were reconciled to Me and were forgiven of all their sins.  My heart was comforted by this tremendous outpour of love given to Me.  As they asked to be set free of all chains that are tying them down, My precious Blood poured out and covered them.  My grace and mercy flowed through them reaching to the very core of their little hearts.   My mercy flowed like a river listening to all the prayers from the heart.  My people were on fire with My Spirit and praised My Holy Name in song day and night. I say to you, rejoice all you holy ones, you have given praise and glory to your God and for this you shall be greatly rewarded.  Your loving Jesus of Mercy.