"Awake O Sleeper, Arise From Death..."

"See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine."
~from Psalm 33 (today's Mass Readings at http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml)

Alleluia!! He is Risen! Indeed, He is Risen!!

So, here we are in the midst of the Octave of Easter! The 40 days of Lent flew by so quickly.
But, it seems, the Lord has given me a task during this Octave of Easter, before it is completed
on Divine Mercy Sunday, the 2nd Sunday of Easter.
This task is one I would have preferred to have dealt with during Lent. However, the Lord has His own timing with things, so I must continue to trust in Him.... whatever the results of this task might be. Please pray for me, as this is something very difficult to deal with. If I don't deal with it though, I fear for my eternal soul.
I mentioned before that I am a Prodigal Daughter. This particular task has something to do with sins of my past, before I became a Prodigal Daughter. I did confess it in the Tribunal of God's Mercy, the Confessional, however there was never opportunity to make reparation to someone I seriously offended long ago, since the time I came back to God. However, the Lord has now, only very recently, provided the opportunity. His Divine Providence astounds me.
I must put forth some real effort to go forward with this task. I am weak, but He is strong.
"His Mercy endures forever". "It is not I, but Christ in me.."
As the Psalm for today says, I hope for the Lord's kindness.
I want so badly to be delivered from death (the 2nd death) and to be preserved in spite of the famine of my soul. I look to our Eucharistic King for strength and courage to do what is right before His eyes. Feed me, Oh Lord.. I am walking in a desert, seeking an oasis in which to rest.
I find that Oasis only in You, my God!
Now that I have found this person, I must act. I have heard the distinct whisper of the Spirit in the ear of my soul, urging me on. I must be obedient to His call. I must continue to strive to walk with Him, by denying myself, taking up my cross, and following Him.
And because of God who is Love.
The time for God who is Love is now.
So, as I go forth with your prayers and under Mother Mary's mantle, I ask you to pray especially for this person, that they may be healed of any damage I may have inflicted all those years ago. That is where I will find my own healing.
Our dear Lord said in the Scriptures that when you find someone who may have something against you, reconciling with them is a way to be purified for the offering of your own “gift” at the altar of the Lord.
I will seek to reconcile at the most opportune moment.. one which I am sure the Lord will provide, preferably this week. If not this week, I will continue to trust in Him to provide the ideal time.
"Eternal Father, I offer You, the Body and Blood, the Soul and Divinity, of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and for those of the whole world....
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world...
Jesus, I trust in You!" St. Faustina, pray for us! Amen.

Good Friday

"Why do we call today Good Friday?" This is a question I often had as a child.
It is one I didn't really hear the answer to, just because I didn't listen that well!
I remember my parents letting me watch "the Jesus movie" when it came on tv around Easter or maybe it was Christmas? For that I am so grateful, for it introduced me to the God-Man, our Savior Jesus Christ.
Good Friday now takes on a new significance in my adult years.
Especially in the wake of suffering which has come.
But John Paul II gave us some hopeful words when he said that suffering is a channel through which the grace of God flows. With Jesus' suffering and death on the Cross, He has made suffering a redemptive thing, not something to be railed against, but rather, something to be embraced. It is a gift to be able to offer offer our sufferings in union with Jesus on His Cross, to save souls. The Franciscan who was asked by Pope Benedict to give the homily in Rome today said this: "Suffering has been made, almost, a sacrament". Whoa.
That was powerful for me because....well, let me just say there's been lots of opportunity lately.
Also, I love Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR. The meditation from today's reading from "Living Faith" happens to be one of his, from his book The King, Crucified and Risen. Here's a big portion of that quote:

"We must look at the incredible and mysterious event of the death of a God, the only God who ever died, and realize that it happened for us that we might live forever. We are forgiven-we need only accept and acknowledge the forgiveness and the need to repent, to change as much as we can.
We have two more things to do. As Jesus Christ made clear in his life and works: We also must forgive, and we must love and help others in return for what God has done for us."

How beautiful. And, for further meditation, there is of course today's readings:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml
I am a Prodigal Daughter. Jesus is the King of Mercy. He has embraced me in His Sacred Heart.
For that, I will never cease being grateful. I only pray that I stay close to Him all the days of my life, until my dying breathe. For those moments I do fail (and there are more of those moments than I care to remember), I am so happy to run to the merciful arms of the Lord in His "Tribunal of Mercy", the Confessional.
This link seems a good one to explore the Divine Mercy devotion in detail:
www.divinemercy.org Also, see www.marian.org for the site of the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
The Divine Mercy Novena starts today!!
"O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You!" Amen.

Welcome to Pilgrim's Crossing

I warmly welcome you to my new blog!
Here, I will share with you my own journey of hope which we are all on.. the pilgrimage of life.
Sure, there are many bumpy paths along the way.. maybe even a thorn or two.
"The way is narrow.." Jesus told us in the Holy Scriptures.
There are, ultimately, two destinations.
Without falling into the sin of presumption, nor into the sin of despair, may we have the hope of life eternal, placing ourselves always into His merciful arms, even when we fail. At the start of this Holy Week, I turn you to the words of John the Baptist: "Repent! The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!". I don't mean this in an alarmist kind of way, but only as a message of love, to prepare for the great Feast of Easter (and for, hopefully and eventually, the eternal Feast of Heaven!).
I have had much to repent of and I still do! Today wasn't the best day, for example, but I give it to the Lord, for His glory and the salvation of souls (including my own). In fact, with this opening entry, I dedicate this blog to Jesus and His Divine Mercy, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) and the intercession of St. Joseph and St. Juan Diego. I also humbly ask for the prayers of the 3 Teresas: St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (my confirmation saint) and of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta and St. Teresa of Avila.... please pray for me that every word here might be only for the glory of God, always with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity present and growing, like a child in the womb. May God bless you abundantly on your own pilgrimage! I pray you do not get discouraged along the way! Remember the words of Jesus: "I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Let us begin.... and persevere.... and come at last to that blessed abode. Amen.