God’s Guidance for Today

This is a computer-generated transcription that has been included to make the homily searchable.  It has not been verified by the author.  

St Paul says that “God makes all things work for the good of those who love Him.” So even sound system problems, because even that can be helpful, because one thing it reminds us is that we’re in a battle. And whenever we’re trying to respond to the Lord, to listen to the Lord, to come to His presence, there are always spirits who are trying to do everything they can to stop us. And so even that sound, even though that really, really annoying sound, reminds us of the spiritual battle that we’re in. We’re not going to try to do it more than necessary, right? It’s just happening. And our sound team has put in a lot of work for weeks preparing this, and we’ve upgraded, invested in upgrading our sound system, but still, things happen. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these signs begin to happen, stand direct and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand.” That doesn’t sound like a very Christmassy message. Jesus is speaking about what is coming, about the future, and preparing His apostles for it. And it reminds us that the second part of Advent is focused on Christmas, His first coming, but this first part of Advent is focused on His second coming.  And so it connects with what the past Sundays, we’ve just had the end of the Church’s year, which is also focused on what is coming. And so this period of Advent is a period of prophecy. Prophecy is prophecy from the Old Testament, but especially prophecy from our Lord Himself to strengthen our hope in His coming. And the psalm today said, ”your ways, O Lord, make known to me. Teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my Savior, and for you, I wait all the day.” And so this is a special Advent. This is the first Advent since the Lord has announced His reconquest. And so God, as the Psalm says, God, is today also teaching us His paths, guiding us. And so just like Jesus in the Gospel was preparing His apostles for the surprising things that were coming, I think Jesus is today speaking to us, to prepare us for what is coming. And so as I said, this part of Advent is focused on His second coming. And I want to share with you a passage. This is from Maria Val Torta, which we’ve often spoken of her, the messages that she received, which is such a helpful window about the gospel. And this is a passage that happens after the resurrection. When Jesus is talking, to His apostles after the resurrection, and He’s speaking about His Second Coming, He says, “Do you not remember that I also said that in His second coming, the Christ will be like lightning striking in the East and flashing into the West in a time shorter than the blinking of an eye. Now this second coming began at the moment of My resurrection.” The Second Coming began at the moment of My resurrection. “It will culminate in the apparition of the Christ, judge to all the risen.” Culminate in the apparition of Christ, judge to all the risen. “But before that, how many times will I appear to convert, to cure, to console, to teach, to give orders. I solemnly tell you I am about to go back to My Father, but the earth will not lose My presence. I shall be watchful and friendly, master and doctor, where bodies or souls, sinners or saints will need Me or will be elected by Me to transmit My words to other people,” or be elected by Me to transmit My words to other people. “Because,” and this also is true, “mankind will be in need of a continuous act of love for Me, because it is so hard to bend, so easy to wane, ready to forget, eager to descend instead of ascending, that if I did not detain it with supernatural means, the law of the Gospel, the divine assistance administered by My church, would be of no avail to keep humanity in the knowledge of the truth and in the will to reach heaven.” So there’s a lot in this short passage. He’s saying that His second coming is a process that began at the resurrection and then will be accomplished in His final coming as judge. But in between those times, it’s not just like He’s resurrected, and He leaves us until He finally comes again at the end; He says, all during that time, He says that this whole time, His second coming, is this whole process. And during that time, He is continually watching and caring for His people. And so He’s wherever He needs to be. And He says that since mankind has need of His constant presence, because we’re so inclined to go down, to forget, to fall away. So He says, though He’ll always be giving supernatural helps to help us on this path. And I think that the messages that He’s given us to share, as well as so many other manifestations, like the great revelations of Divine Mercy, Our Lady of Guadalupe, so many other manifestations that are happening today, whether they’re more well-known manifestations, or whether they’re things which are more personal, but those are, those are all He said, part of His second coming, and these special gifts that He’s giving today. And so He says that one of the reasons He does that is to prepare us for what is coming. And I want to share with you some of the passages, these are, these are mostly from the messages that we’ve all, we released, the public messages that we released, but it’s good to hear them again. This one is from last May, and what He’s talking about a new Pentecost, so to help us understand what His graces will be, the graces He’s announced. He says, “I remind you once again of what happened to My beloved apostles, sons at Pentecost. They were transformed and strengthened in order to fulfill the mission entrusted to them at all cost and sparing no sacrifice. The Most Holy Spirit of God descended into their hearts and completed and sealed their preparation. It will be the same with you, little children.” It will be the same with you, with us. “Do not be afraid, the New Pentecost that will seal the preparation of My army and will ready it for the battle in which all the forces of evil will be gathered as well. The battle is won children, but it must be fought and lived and offered.” And so He said, what He’s announcing, the grace He’s announcing is the grace like of a new Pentecost, a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to transform us and finish preparing us for the great battle that is coming. And then another message, and this one was last March, March 14. He said, “And soon My children, your God, will arise in such a way that all that exist will acknowledge that I am God and there is no other. Only I am. Terrible hour and hour full of grace. The blessed hour, the hour of My last mercy before the great battle that will leave satan and his cohorts defeated and that will open the great renewal of all My creation, the new heavens and the new earth.” And so He said, a grace is coming which will reveal to all, make clear to all that He is the true God, like a great illumination of conscience to prepare for the great battle, which will be very difficult, but He said, but the battle is already won, though it still has to be fought. And this will usher in the great renewal of heaven and earth. And so to prepare us for that, He said, there will be these manifestations, these graces from heaven, like the new Pentecost and the Illumination of Conscience. So people in this world, where the devil has created so much confusion that nobody knows what’s going on, the Lord will give His light. And then He gives a very important message about not being too focused on trying to know the exact times and events. But above all, what we need to prepare ourselves is not knowing exactly what and how things are going to happen, but faith and trust. He says, “My children, so many of you ask yourselves and try to understand the how and when of what I have announced in different places and at different times. I remind you children that your acts of faith and trust in Me are more valuable and produce a much greater fruit for your souls and the souls of your brothers than the understanding with your reason of when and how the announced things will take place. I ask you to prepare yourselves that you be attentive. But this preparation and this being attentive to My voice is rooted in faith children, the luminous faith that envelopes and illuminates your whole being and that allows you to see Me, recognize Me even in the midst of the greatest darkness. What I need from you, My children, is your faith.  The faith that believes in what I say, the faith that believes that all that I say to you is true, despite having everything around you tell you the opposite, despite your own senses telling you something different.” And so He’s telling us that we need to prepare, and it can be good to make some material preparations, like having sufficient food and so forth. But the preparation He’s asking us for, the essential preparation is a spiritual preparation. We don’t need to construct a, you know, a nuclear proof bunker under the ground. Some billionaires are trying to do that. But the essential preparation is the preparation of faith and trust in Him.  Not worrying about exactly when and how things are going to happen but trusting in Him. And so to repeat what the Psalm said, “your ways. O Lord, make known to me. Teach me your paths, guide me in your truth and teach me. For you are God, my Savior. For you, I wait all the day.” And I think these little messages, like the message I just shared with you, are part of the ways, in addition to the Gospel, the deposit of faith, but also the messages He’s given in our time are part of the ways that God Himself is guiding us. And I’ll finish with one final excerpt from a message. And this was a message, this was the same message from last March.  “Children do not be afraid. You will have what you need for the battle.” So that’s a key. Do not be afraid. “I have placed each of you where I need you. Your first task in this hour is to stand with your gaze fixed on Me, with your ears open to My voice, with your hearts open to My light, with your trust placed without hesitation in My Love and Mercy. Do not be afraid. Your God comes with power and authority to reestablish His order and all that is created; to restore what is corroded by sin and satan. To cast out the serpents and the wolves from My temple. To reconquer the hearts of My children. I Your God come Amen. May My blessing descend upon every heart that is attentive to My voice. Amen.”

KEYWORDS / PHRASES:
Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 11
Luke 21:25-26, 34-36