Tag: be at peace

AM+DG

Our Jesus to Mankind prayer group has been going from the very beginning.in 2010. We were very blessed to find the messages within a couple of weeks after they started. We had already been meeting for over 20 years at the time, using different formats. At the time we were doing a Cenacle type prayer group and using the Bible and Fr Gobbi’s book (The priests – My Beloved Sons). The new messages ( Book of Truth)  – we recognized immediately as being true. We love to meet and have been consistent, but in late 2020, lock ups and close downs ( esp. churches) prevented us from meeting in person. But God had a plan , and without much ado, we suddenly had a global network of zoom meetings. We all have access to these daily now, if we wish and a daily Rosary, of 3 mysteries, too. Afterwards, when some sort of normalcy returned, we eagerly resumed our own private JtM prayers with our much-loved  person to person meetings. This has been difficult. We have all had different, time-consuming crosses to bear, and it has been very difficult to get the time to do this consistently. But today was a good day for us and we got to meet, share and pray together again. We felt grateful.

We spoke about Bp. Strickland’s pastoral letter, and how it seemed to be preparing the faithful for what seems imminent.. The Synod of Synodality was meant to end in October, and we have read about all the various ways this group has tried to change, damage, challenge the teachings of our dear Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. We feel trepidation about what the Synod will announce. Bp. Strickland, Vigano and others have tried to prepare us for this. Without naming names, they have warned us about schism, and how we will be the ones gaslighted as being in schism, instead of those who are actually trying to replace Christ’s Church with their new one world church. We will be treated as outcasts and renegades in our own Parishes (again). At least we are used to being on the wrong side of ‘popular’. At the same time as this, there are also stirrings of a new illness/ v*s/ which will necessitate new compliance jabs and new limitations to our freedoms.. We have been through it before. It won’t be easy but we pray that the Holy Spirit keeps us calm and at peace. Many have been taken up and we have not. God therefore will give us the strength to endure; never doubt that, even though we feel weak.

We all spoke about issues in our own families, and heartbreaking trials, which our dear Lord helps us  carry. So the readings today were very appropriate. The Bible reading about the tough times that fell on Naomi and the whole family. In her sadness, Ruth had the Lord guiding her as to where she should go and who to follow. Naomi looked not to herself, but put first, the welfare of those she loved. Her example and love so inspired her daughter-in-law, Ruth, that that she was willing to give up all to stay with Naomi in an utterly unselfish act. Naomi’s God was to be her God and Naomi’s people, her people. She was converted and joined the journey to the House of Bread. The Book of Truth reading was about how the world is “starved” of the Truth of God’s Word. Naomi’s family was experiencing famine of a different kind. Even in suffering, we must live and speak the Word of God in our words and by our example.

So after our prayers, we were not surprised tat the readings which members opened up on (after a prayer to the Holy Spirit). All of this even matched up with the theme of the prayers, which we chose, we unanimously thought “Faith, Family, Nations” was what we should be praying today.

JtM prayer Group on Monday 28 Aug. 2023

Prayer Theme: Faith, Family, Nations (Group A and F)
Bible Reading: Ruth:1
Book of Truth: 17th June. 2014

Bible Reading

(Douay Rheims Version)

Ruth: 1 

 1 In the days of one of the judges, when the judges ruled, there came a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem Juda, went to sojourn in the land of Moab with his wife and his two sons.  2 He was named Elimelech, and his wife, Noemi: and his two sons, the one Mahalon, and the other Chelion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Juda. And entering into the country of Moab, they abode there.  3 And Elimelech the husband of Noemi died: and she remained with her sons.  4 And they took wives of the women of Moab, of which one was called Orpha, and the other Ruth. And they dwelt there ten years.  5 And they both died, to wit, Mahalon and Chelion: and the woman was left alone, having lost both her sons and her husband.

 6 And she arose to go from the land of Moab to her own country with both her daughters in law: for she had heard that the Lord had looked upon his people, and had given them food.  7 Wherefore she went forth out of the place of her sojournment, with both her daughters in law: and being now in the way to return into the land of Juda,  8 She said to them: Go ye home to your mothers: the Lord deal mercifully with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.  9 May he grant you to find rest in the houses of the husbands which you shall take. And she kissed them. And they lifted up their voice and began to weep,  10 And to say: We will go on with thee to thy people.

 11 But she answered them: Return, my daughters: why come ye with me? have I any more sons in my womb, that you may hope for husbands of me?  12 Return again, my daughters, and go your ways: for I am now spent with age, and not fit for wedlock. Although I might conceive this night, and bear children,  13 If you would wait till they were grown up, and come to man’s estate, you would be old women before you marry. Do not so, my daughters, I beseech you: for I am grieved the more for your distress, and the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.  14 And they lifted up their voice, and began to weep again: Orpha kissed her mother in law and returned: Ruth stuck close to her mother in law.  15 And Noemi said to her: Behold thy kinswoman is returned to her people, and to her gods, go thou with her.

 16 She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.  17 The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee.  18 Then Noemi, seeing that Ruth was steadfastly determined to go with her, would not be against it, nor persuade her any more to return to her friends:  19 So they went together and came to Bethlehem. And when they were come into the city, the report was quickly spread among all: and the women said: This is that Noemi.  20 But she said to them: Call me not Noemi, (that is, beautiful,) but call me Mara, (that is, bitter,) for the Almighty hath quite filled me with bitterness.

 21 I went out full, and the Lord hath brought me back empty. Why then do you call me Noemi, whom the Lord hath humbled and the Almighty hath afflicted?  22 So Noemi came with Ruth the Moabitess her daughter in law, from the land of her sojournment: and returned into Bethlehem, in the beginning of the barley harvest.

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Comment: This reading today mentions, trials such as famine, death of her loved ones. This echoes to us some of the chastisements and trials we still will have to face. Naomi’s husband had been from Juda in Bethlehem. This signifies he was of the chosen people. The word Bethlehem means ‘House of Bread”. In all these difficulties, Naomi chose to stay with her mother-in-law; the connection to the ‘House of Bread”. This reminds us to be faithful to the Truth, and to stay close to the Sacraments. This is especially meaningful to us because we know that the Eucharist will be changed – the “abomination of desolation”. To stay true to God, we must choose those we journey with, (where you go, I will go; your God will be my God). We must stay close to the Sacraments – to the Eucharist -i.e. to faithful ( underground?) priests- close to ‘Bethlehem’. In the end, they returned at the beginning of the barley harvest – i. e. safety, food, home!

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Reading from the Book of Truth