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THIS morning, before rising from bed, the Lord put the Novena of Abandonment on my heart again. Did you know that Jesus said, “There is no novena more effective than this”? I believe it. Through this special prayer, the Lord brought so much-needed healing in my marriage and my life, and continues to do so.
Ironically, since I wrote The Poverty of this Present Moment, all about what to do when we lose control in our present situation — I have been faced with all kinds of technical problems I’ve had little control over. And many of you reading this are wondering where to go from here with having lost your job, unable to travel or go to a restaurant (if you don’t have your “passport”), watching store shelves go bare (as is happening in places in the U.S. and Canada), wondering how to repair deep familial divisions, etc. The truth is that this Great Storm that is upon us is real. Next week, I want to write more about this as the “now word” on my heart is that “It is happening”. We are literally watching in real-time what I wrote about in 2013: the slow and Involuntary Dispossession of our goods, most importantly, freedoms. It’s worth it to go back and read what I wrote then — especially how Our Lady warned that certain members of the clergy would be complicit in what we call today “The Great Reset.” But that is only the beginning — I think we are going to see a strong attempt soon to “reset” the Church herself, and this is the most serious matter of all.
But let’s leave all that aside for now. Because I want to say just one word to you: Jesus. Just say His name with me right now: Jesus. Let the power of His name invade you. What is it about this Name?
To pray “Jesus” is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2666
When you say the name of Jesus in faith, you are literally invoking His presence within you. Call anyone else’s name, and it bounces off the wall; call on the name of Jesus and saints come to attention, principalities bow, and all of Heaven sings alleluia.
There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved. (Acts 4:12)
But how much more powerful when you invoke His name in order to let Him fulfill the very essence of His name:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel. (Matt 1:23)
Emmanuel: “God is with us”. So when you call the name of Jesus, you are saying, “God is with me; He has not left me; He is here, despite my sinfulness.” I would even say precisely because of it.
Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners. (Luke 5:31)
To be honest, this has been a tough week. I spent most of it dealing with the technical issues of this very mailing list to the point of pulling my hair out. In the process, we lost around 10,000 subscribers (so if you want to resubscribe, please do so here). I totally forgot everything I’d written about last week on surrendering everything to Jesus and sat there in a puddle of frustration and self-pity. So listen, these words are for me too. This is why I wrote some time ago the little series called The Art of Beginning Again.
So back to the beginning… I want to recommend wholeheartedly to you this novena. It’s very short, but it’s absolutely beautiful and powerful. Whatever situation or person is laying heavy on your heart, simply, take a few minutes each day to pray this novena… and just surrender it to Jesus. If it’s hard, then tell Him it’s hard. Don’t just surrender the situation but surrender the fact you are having a hard time surrendering! But then, let go. Surrender everything. Over and over.
You can find the novena here: Novena of Abandonment
No matter what, always remember: you are loved.
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