Purifying the Bride…

THE winds of a hurricane can destroy—but they can also strip and cleanse. Even now, we see how the Father is using the first significant gusts of this Great Storm to purify, cleanse, and prepare the Bride of Christ for His coming to dwell and reign within her in an all new manner. As the first hard labour pains begin to contract, already, an awakening has begun and souls are beginning to think again about the purpose of life and their ultimate destination. Already, the Voice of the Good Shepherd, calling to His lost sheep, can be heard in the whirlwind…

Come to Me all you who are weary, and I will give you rest. (cf. Matt 11:28)

Rest from the restlessness of the human will. Rest from the tiresome yoke of guilt. Rest from the ceaseless hungers of the flesh. Rest from the Fear that says, “You are not loved. You are not worthy to be loved. You can never be loved.” But He, who is our Rest says:

I AM LOVE. And neither anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword… neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate you from My love. (cf. Rom 8:35-38)

That love has been expressed to us in an unforeseen provision in this turbulent times. Hearing the cry of the lambs, Christ, through Pope Francis, exercising his authority as the successor of Peter to “bind and loose” on earth,^[1]cf. Matt 18:18; John 20:23 has granted the faithful a daily Plenary Indulgence, that is, complete remission of their sins (and temporal punishment) under the following conditions:

The Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful suffering from Coronavirus, who are subject to quarantine by order of the health authority in hospitals or in their own homes if, with a spirit detached from any sin, they unite spiritually through the media to the celebration of Holy Mass, the recitation of the Holy Rosary, to the pious practice of the Way of the Cross or other forms of devotion, or if at least they will recite the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and a pious invocation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, offering this trial in a spirit of faith in God and charity towards their brothers and sisters, with the will to fulfill the usual conditions (sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Holy Father’s intentions), as soon as possible.

Health care workers, family members and all those who, following the example of the Good Samaritan, exposing themselves to the risk of contagion, care for the sick of Coronavirus according to the words of the divine Redeemer: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”(Jn 15: 13), will obtain the same gift of the Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions.

This Apostolic Penitentiary also willingly grants a Plenary Indulgence under the same conditions on the occasion of the current world epidemic, also to those faithful who offer a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, or Eucharistic adoration, or reading the Holy Scriptures for at least half an hour, or the recitation of the Holy Rosary, or the pious exercise of the Way of the Cross, or the recitation of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, to implore from Almighty God the end of the epidemic, relief for those who are afflicted and eternal salvation for those whom the Lord has called to Himself. —Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, March 20, 2020

Let each of us then to whom this applies, moved by the Spirit, take advantage of this grace as often as possible and understand that this comprises part of the preparation of the Bride of Christ in these days.

With that, I heartily recommend the prayer of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, as recommended above. For in this prayer, handed to the Church through St. Faustina, each person exercises their spiritual priesthood in Christ by offering to the Father “the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world.” The Storm that has arrived cannot be stopped; but souls can be won! And that, really, is why the Storm has come. As Jesus said to Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta:

My daughter, I am not concerned about the cities, the great things of the earth—I am concerned about souls. The cities, the churches and other things, after they have been destroyed, can be rebuilt. Didn’t I destroy everything in the Deluge? And wasn’t everything redone again? But if souls are lost, it is forever—there is no one who can give them back to Me. —November 20th, 1917; The Crown of Sanctity: On the Revelations of Jesus to Luisa Piccarreta, Daniel O’Connor, p. 460

Indeed, said Jesus, “You must know that I always love my children, my beloved creatures, I would turn Myself inside out so as not to see them struck…” ^[2]Ibid. p. 269 Alas, because every human being is made in God’s image, we all possess the wonderful yet terrible gift of “free will” before which even God’s omnipotence acquiesces…

So, what you, the Apostles of Love, are called to do at this hour is give souls back to Jesus before they find themselves eternally lost. We do this, as St. Paul said, by “filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” ^[3]Col 1:24 through our little prayers, fasting, and sacrifices.

Below is the Divine Mercy Chaplet that I recorded with Fr. Don Calloway. I have made this production absolutely free for anyone who wants it. Simply, click the album cover, click “Download” and register with CDBaby.com in order to download it free.

EXPECT GRACES!

The first time I prayed the Chaplet with this recording after it was shipped to us from the factory, the Lord blessed me with an extraordinary experience. As you will hear, the inspiration came to me to put the Chaplet to the Stations of the Cross (of John Paul II) like the Rosary follows the life of Christ and Our Lady. As the First Station began, the Lord let me journey with St. Michael the Archangel. I “watched” as he stood guard ready to defend the Lord… as Jesus told him to sheathe his sword… as he journeyed, silently, helplessly, watching in shock as a plan to redeem mankind from the beginning of time unfolded. I saw him weep in horror, cry out to the Father, tremble in astonishment… and at last, worship in utter amazement as the work of Redemption found its fulfillment in the Resurrection. Oh, what a gift that I will never forget! And I believe that, you too, in whatever way God sees fit, will also experience tremendous graces through this Chaplet (it also includes songs I’ve written to help you surrender and trust in the love and mercy of Jesus.)

Click the album cover and follow the instructions!

You are loved!

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to help pay for this production. However,
there must be no sense of obligation to do so.
It is my joy to give this CD to you
and an even greater joy to know that it will help My Jesus
SAVE SOULS!

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