Sing, O Barren One

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

O afflicted, one storm tossed and not comforted. Afflicted, one storm tossed not comforted.

At this on that Holy Saturday, on this morning after Holy Saturday, the tiny, embryonic Church of Mary and the disciples and the faithful disciples who gathered around her were experiencing this terrible storm of darkness and evil and injustice where it seemed like God had abandoned them and evil had triumphed, and they had to hold on to the words that Jesus had given them, the words that to a lot of People, seemed completely crazy. And this has a special meaning for our time today, because, as the messages have said so often, this is not normal times that we’re living. We’re living at a time unique in the history of the church, unique in history of the world. Something has never happened, and it’s been prepared for a long, long time, many centuries, that the church is the Mystical Body of Jesus, who, as the Catechism says, it has to follow him in his paschal mystery of his own suffering and death and death and burial, and that’s what the church is living. That’s what we’re living right now, this Paschal Mystery of the church, the church living the Passion of Jesus. And that’s that’s key. So some people think that we at the mission or the messages are like a rejection of the church. They’re not a rejection of the church, they’re a proclamation of the full mystery of the church, not just a superficial understanding of the church, but the divine mystery that’s in the church. So it’s a call to not reject the church, but to love her in her fullness, just like the disciples were called to love Jesus, not just in His Majesty as a great prophet and miracle worker, but especially when he was disfigured on the cross. And so the church, we’re called now to love the church when she is betrayed and condemned and rejected and abandoned. And the church is not only well the church, the Mystical Body of Jesus, if she follows him into his passion, it’s not to stay there, just as Jesus does not stay in death, but it’s to follow him in his victory, in his rising, in his resurrection. And so that’s what that’s why it’s so important for us now, in 2026 in this era of the reconquest, to realize that the much the deeper sense of this Easter celebration, we’re not just recalling something that happened 2000 years ago, but we’re being strengthened in what the church is living right now, just as the disciples and apostles with Mary need to be strengthened in their faith and in their hope when Jesus was buried, so now that the Lord wants to strengthen us In faith and hope as we live this painful time, because it’s very hard and it seems very long, just like it seemed that that Saturday seemed so long for the for our Blessed Mother and for the apostles, and yet It would pass, and we and Jesus would rise. And so Jesus Holiness was more manifest. But the church, which is made up of us, is not always so manifest. So many people we know leave the church because of all the evil and corruption, and to them, the church seems only human. The church is human. It’s made up of us humans. It is human, but it’s not just human. There’s a divine mystery, and so that’s what this the so I want to share with you two parts of this little reflection. The first is the message. It’s from a message that the Lord gave on August 5, 2024, in which he’s talking about how that, how the church, the mystery of the church, he says, and then, then I want to then we’ll look at a passage from Scripture. He says, I am your Father, who forms you so that you may be my coworkers in this great work of the reconquest. So what is he saying? He’s saying that right now we’re called to this reconquest, but it’s above all his work. But he calls us to be His co workers. He wants your help. He’s calling for your help. So be my co workers in this great work of the reconquest, reconquest of what he says of the hearts of all my children, the hearts of all my children, and then he says something else, and the renewal of my church. So it’s not a rejection of his church, it’s the reconquest and renewal of the church now decimated by the powers of darkness that have infiltrated her. So the church is now decimated by the powers of darkness that have infiltrated her. And so he’s gonna, he’s gonna this, this message, or this part has three parts. He’ll say how he created the church, and then what the church has become by the this darkness, and then what he will, how he will renew her so first, how he formed her. He said, the church that I formed in my will to be light for the nations, home for my children, refuge for my little ones, font of wisdom and peace for my children and for the whole world to be the channel and distributor of my grace, the bastion of truth and of all the gifts granted to humanity. That’s what he formed his church to be. And then he says, But now what has it become? But now my children, with how much pain and disgust I see the demonic infestation that has been taken over. So remember, it’s not discussed at his church. It’s disgust at the demonic infestation. But that’s a strong word, demonic infestation of the church that has been taking over, dominated, darkening and destroying my beautiful church, the Mystical Body of my Jesus, with how much love, fidelity, obedience, even unto the shedding of the most precious blood of the Word made flesh, was this church, this holy body, founded, created for the good of all my creation. Consider what who is its foundation, the eternal rock on which it is founded, consider its divine origin and see how much it and see how much it has departed from this foundation. Children, you know Well, what happens to a building whose walls and columns separate themselves from the foundation it can no longer remain standing, and it easily collapses.

Children, my church is captive. I tell you, once more, my church that I form for the good of my children, is in captivity. Today we heard the reading of the Israelites being led out of captivity. He’s saying his church is in captivity. Only I can liberate it, only I can resurrect it. Only I children. You see with horror and pain, how I am despised, insulted with apparent with apparent impunity. You see how, step by step, day after day, the degradation of my children, the degradation of my church, increases. You see how, instead of making my light and my truth shine, only darkness, confusion and terror are communicated, the terror of the lack of faith that has contaminated everything and that so many children do not want to see nor. Sent and covering their eyes and their ears. Do not see my signs, nor listen to my words, just like so many times in Scripture, the disaster is coming, and people are blind to it. People don’t want to see it. He says, so many people don’t want to see the signs. Don’t want to listen to the words that he’s given. And then he says, My children, what you see now in ruins. I will rebuild what you see now contaminated, distorted. I will purify and make clean what you see wounded, I will heal what you see full of darkness. I will fill with the light of such intensity that darkness will flee completely. What has been betrayed. I will vindicate what has been dispersed. I will gather what has been blasphemed, insulted, I will sanctify and make beautiful. I children, I your father and Lord will do this for the sake of my name, for the sake of my honor, for the sake of My Glory. So as he, as he, by the power of the Holy Spirit, brought his son back to life, so his church will be renewed. And so in this light, I want to look at the reading today, the reading from scripture, which is probably the least known of all the readings we heard today. It’s from Isaiah 54 and it reveals to us a great mystery, that which is all throughout Scripture, but many times we don’t see the Signs of God. The Old Testament speaks to us of God’s love for his people as the love of a husband for his wife, a bridegroom for his bride. And then the New Testament reveals that Jesus is the divine bridegroom. And on the church, excuse me, on the cross, is the gift of the Divine bridegroom, giving himself completely for his mystical bride the church. So the church is both his mystical body and the church is his mystical bride. And so this love, this is speaking of the love of God, for His people, for his bride, the Church. And so St Paul quotes from this precisely this passage, when it speaks, where it speaks of the barren woman who he says, is a prophecy about the church, and so listen to this passage, speaking of God’s love for His people, speaking of God’s love for His church. Sing, O barren one who did not bear. Break forth into singing and cry aloud. You who have not had labor pains for the children of the barren one, the desolate one, will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord, Enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out, hold not back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, increasing the size of the tent for you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities Fear not for you will not be ashamed, be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame. For you will forget the shame of your youth. And so this has a message for all of us personally, but also message for the church. For you will forget the shame of your youth and the reproach of your widowhood. You will remember no more for your maker is your husband. We heard that that but that’s so extraordinary, what that’s saying that our maker, which we heard the words of creation, that our maker, he says, your maker is your husband. He has created his people to be His people. Beloved bride, your Maker. So it said very clearly, very simply and very clearly, your maker is your husband. The Lord of hosts, is his name, the Holy One of Israel, is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth, He is called, and so now listen what it says, For the Lord has called you like a wife, forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth. When she is cast off, says your Lord, cast off because of her infidelity. When she is cast off, says the Lord, for a brief moment, I forsook you, but with great compassion, I will gather you. And so I think today the church is living this moment, this sense of because of so much sin that is penetrated being forsaken by the Lord. For a brief moment, I abandon you, but with great compassion, I will gather you in overflowing wrath. For a moment, I hid my face from you, so there will be a moment in which it will seem like God is absent from the church because of her, because of the the way the evil has contaminated and taken possession of of her, her her pastors, especially. And I think that’s what we’re living right now, this dark time, I hid my face from you, but with everlasting mercy, we have his great revelation of mercy. With everlasting mercy, I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer, for this is like the days of Noah to me, as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth. So I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you, for the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace, the Covenant, the marriage covenant of peace, shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you.

And so this time can seem like the complete destruction of the church, but it’s actually in the light of Jesus, passion, death and resurrection. It’s the preparation for her renewal. So then he says, O afflicted one storm past, like a tiny boat, tossed in the midst of a terrible storm, Storm tossed and not comforted. Behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of a gate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious jewels, all your sons shall be taught by the Lord and great shall be the prosperity of your sons. So remember, this is a prophecy about the church and about what we are awaiting now in righteousness, you shall be established, and you shall be far from oppression. You shall not fear and from terror, for it shall not come near you. And this is talking about how the Lord will found his city and adorn it with precious jewels in the book of Revelation at the very end of Scripture gives us that vision in heaven of the church in the fullness of glory as the mystical bride of Christ, but already on this earth, is promising us a great renewal of the Church Militant, if anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me. Whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the Smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the Ravager to destroy no weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication from me, says the Lord and so in. So on this, on this Easter, as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, it’s also to strengthen us in faith in the resurrection of his mystical body, his mystical bride, the Church. And as I was saying on Friday, Good Friday, that as our Blessed Mother was given to Jesus and then given to John, so she is given through her Immaculate Heart, given for all of us today to help strengthen us, like the like John and the disciples gathered near Mary to stay strong during as they were waiting for the resurrection. So we’re invited to gather with our Blessed Mother this morning, to to await with with faith and hope, and to cooperate to be co workers preparing this great renewal. And so I’m just going to end by re reading a few of these passages from Isaiah. If you want to, you can close your eyes and realize that this is a prophecy about the church. What God is preparing for the church today, sin. O, barren one who did not bear break forth into singing and cry aloud. You who have not had labor pains, for the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord, Fear not. You will not be ashamed. Be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame. You will forget the shame of your youth, the reproach of your widowhood. You will remember no more. For your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name, and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth. He is called for the Lord has called you like a wife, forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your Lord, for a brief moment, I forsook you, but with great compassion, I will gather you and overflowing wrath. For a moment, I hid my face from you. With everlasting mercy, I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer, for the mountains may depart and the hills be removed. But My Merciful Love, My mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord who has compassion on you. O afflicted one, Storm tossed and not comforted. Behold, I will set your stones and intimidate and lay your foundations with sapphires. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, says the Lord, Amen.

Opening Invocation

O afflicted one, storm tossed and not comforted. Afflicted one, storm tossed, not comforted.

Holy Saturday and the Church’s Present Trial

At this, on that Holy Saturday, on this morning after Holy Saturday, the tiny, embryonic Church of Mary and the disciples and the faithful disciples who gathered around her were experiencing this terrible storm of darkness and evil and injustice, where it seemed like God had abandoned them and evil had triumphed. They had to hold on to the words that Jesus had given them, words that to a lot of people seemed completely crazy.

This has a special meaning for our time today, because, as the messages have said so often, this is not normal times that we’re living. We’re living at a time unique in the history of the Church, unique in the history of the world—something that has never happened and has been prepared for a long, long time, many centuries. The Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus who, as the Catechism says, has to follow Him in His paschal mystery of suffering, death, and burial. That’s what the Church is living. That’s what we’re living right now: this Paschal Mystery of the Church, the Church living the Passion of Jesus. And that’s key.

Some people think that we at the mission or the messages are like a rejection of the Church. They’re not a rejection of the Church; they’re a proclamation of the full mystery of the Church, not just a superficial understanding of the Church, but the divine mystery that’s in the Church. So it’s a call not to reject the Church, but to love her in her fullness, just like the disciples were called to love Jesus not just in His majesty as a great prophet and miracle worker, but especially when He was disfigured on the Cross.

Loving the Church in Her Passion

And so, with the Church, we’re called now to love the Church when she is betrayed and condemned and rejected and abandoned. The Church, the Mystical Body of Jesus, if she follows Him into His Passion, does not remain there—just as Jesus does not stay in death—but follows Him into His victory, in His rising, in His Resurrection.

That’s why it’s so important for us now, in 2026, in this era of the reconquest, to realize the deeper sense of this Easter celebration. We’re not just recalling something that happened 2,000 years ago, but we’re being strengthened in what the Church is living right now, just as the disciples and apostles with Mary needed to be strengthened in their faith and in their hope when Jesus was buried. Now the Lord wants to strengthen us in faith and hope as we live this painful time, because it’s very hard and it seems very long, just like that Saturday seemed so long for our Blessed Mother and for the apostles. And yet, it would pass, and Jesus would rise.

Jesus’ holiness was more manifest, but the Church, which is made up of us, is not always so manifest. So many people we know leave the Church because of all the evil and corruption; to them, the Church seems only human. The Church is human—it’s made up of us humans—but it’s not just human. There’s a divine mystery.

The Message of August 5, 2024: Reconquest and Renewal

So I want to share with you two parts of this little reflection. The first is the message. It’s from a message that the Lord gave on August 5, 2024, in which He’s talking about the mystery of the Church. He says:

I am your Father, who forms you so that you may be my coworkers in this great work of the reconquest.

What is He saying? He’s saying that right now we’re called to this reconquest, but it’s above all His work. Yet He calls us to be His coworkers. He wants your help. He’s calling for your help.

So be my coworkers in this great work of the reconquest, reconquest of the hearts of all my children, the hearts of all my children.

And then He says something else:

…and the renewal of my Church.

So it’s not a rejection of His Church. It’s the reconquest and renewal of the Church, now decimated by the powers of darkness that have infiltrated her. The Church is now decimated by the powers of darkness that have infiltrated her.

This message, or this part, has three movements: He says how He created the Church; then what the Church has become by this darkness; and then how He will renew her.

How the Lord Formed His Church

He said:

The Church that I formed in my will to be light for the nations, home for my children, refuge for my little ones, font of wisdom and peace for my children and for the whole world, to be the channel and distributor of my grace, the bastion of truth and of all the gifts granted to humanity…

That’s what He formed His Church to be.

The Demonic Infestation and Captivity of the Church

And then He says:

But now, my children, with how much pain and disgust I see the demonic infestation that has been taking over…

Remember, it’s not disgust at His Church; it’s disgust at the demonic infestation. But that’s a strong word: demonic infestation of the Church that has been taking over, dominating, darkening, and destroying my beautiful Church, the Mystical Body of my Jesus. With how much love, fidelity, obedience—even unto the shedding of the most precious blood of the Word made flesh—was this Church, this holy body, founded, created for the good of all my creation. Consider who is its foundation, the eternal rock on which it is founded. Consider its divine origin and see how much it has departed from this foundation.

Children, you know well what happens to a building whose walls and columns separate themselves from the foundation: it can no longer remain standing, and it easily collapses.

Children, my Church is captive. I tell you once more: my Church that I formed for the good of my children is in captivity.

Today we heard the reading of the Israelites being led out of captivity. He’s saying His Church is in captivity.

Only I can liberate it. Only I can resurrect it. Only I.

Children, you see with horror and pain how I am despised, insulted with apparent impunity. You see how, step by step, day after day, the degradation of my children, the degradation of my Church, increases. You see how, instead of making my light and my truth shine, only darkness, confusion, and terror are communicated—the terror of the lack of faith that has contaminated everything and that so many children do not want to see.

Covering their eyes and their ears, they do not see my signs, nor listen to my words. Just like so many times in Scripture, the disaster is coming, and people are blind to it. People don’t want to see it. He says so many people don’t want to see the signs, don’t want to listen to the words that He’s given.

God’s Promise to Rebuild and Purify the Church

And then He says:

My children, what you see now in ruins, I will rebuild. What you see now contaminated, distorted, I will purify and make clean. What you see wounded, I will heal. What you see full of darkness, I will fill with the light of such intensity that darkness will flee completely. What has been betrayed, I will vindicate. What has been dispersed, I will gather. What has been blasphemed, insulted, I will sanctify and make beautiful. I, children, I your Father and Lord, will do this for the sake of my name, for the sake of my honor, for the sake of my glory.

So as He, by the power of the Holy Spirit, brought His Son back to life, so His Church will be renewed.

The Church as Bride: Isaiah 54

In this light, I want to look at the reading today, the reading from Scripture, which is probably the least known of all the readings we heard today. It’s from Isaiah 54, and it reveals to us a great mystery—one that is all throughout Scripture, but many times we don’t see the signs of God.

The Old Testament speaks to us of God’s love for His people as the love of a husband for his wife, a bridegroom for his bride. And then the New Testament reveals that Jesus is the divine Bridegroom. On the Cross is the gift of the divine Bridegroom, giving Himself completely for His mystical bride, the Church. So the Church is both His Mystical Body and His mystical bride.

This passage speaks of the love of God for His people, for His bride, the Church. St Paul quotes precisely this passage when he speaks of the barren woman, which he says is a prophecy about the Church. So listen to this passage, speaking of God’s love for His people, for His Church:

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not had labor pains. For the children of the barren one, the desolate one, will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord.

Enlarge the place of your tent and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out. Hold not back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, increasing the size of the tent, for you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.

Fear not, for you will not be ashamed. Be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame. For you will forget the shame of your youth…

This has a message for all of us personally, but also a message for the Church.

…and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband.

We heard that, but it’s so extraordinary what that’s saying: that our Maker—He who spoke the words of creation—that our Maker says, “Your Maker is your husband.” He has created His people to be His beloved bride. So it is said very simply and very clearly:

Your Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is His name. The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; the God of the whole earth He is called.

And now listen to what it says:

For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your Lord—cast off because of her infidelity. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you.

I think today the Church is living this moment, this sense of being forsaken by the Lord because of so much sin that has penetrated her.

For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath, for a moment, I hid my face from you…

So there will be a moment in which it will seem like God is absent from the Church because of the way evil has contaminated and taken possession of her pastors, especially. And I think that’s what we’re living right now, this dark time:

I hid my face from you, but with everlasting mercy I will have compassion on you, says the Lord your Redeemer.

For this is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you and will not rebuke you. For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my mercy shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace—the covenant, the marriage covenant of peace—shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Apparent Destruction and Hidden Preparation

So this time can seem like the complete destruction of the Church, but it’s actually, in the light of Jesus’ Passion, death, and Resurrection, the preparation for her renewal. Then he says:

O afflicted one, storm tossed, like a tiny boat tossed in the midst of a terrible storm, storm tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your walls of precious jewels. All your sons shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your sons.

Remember, this is a prophecy about the Church and about what we are awaiting now:

In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

This is talking about how the Lord will found His city and adorn it with precious jewels. The book of Revelation, at the very end of Scripture, gives us that vision in heaven of the Church in the fullness of glory as the mystical bride of Christ, but already on this earth He is promising us a great renewal of the Church Militant.

If anyone stirs up strife, it is not from me. Whoever stirs up strife with you shall fall because of you. Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose; I have also created the ravager to destroy. No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper, and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, says the Lord.

Easter, Resurrection, and Our Cooperation

So on this Easter, as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, it is also to strengthen us in faith in the resurrection of His Mystical Body, His mystical bride, the Church. As I was saying on Good Friday, as our Blessed Mother was given to Jesus and then given to John, so she is given through her Immaculate Heart for all of us today, to help strengthen us—like John and the disciples gathered near Mary to stay strong as they were waiting for the Resurrection.

So we’re invited to gather with our Blessed Mother this morning, to await with faith and hope, and to cooperate, to be coworkers preparing this great renewal.

Final Meditation on Isaiah 54

I’m just going to end by rereading a few of these passages from Isaiah. If you want to, you can close your eyes and realize that this is a prophecy about the Church, what God is preparing for the Church today:

Sing, O barren one, who did not bear. Break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not had labor pains; for the children of the desolate one will be more than the children of her that is married, says the Lord.

Fear not, you will not be ashamed. Be not confounded, for you will not be put to shame. You will forget the shame of your youth; the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more. For your Maker is your husband; the Lord of hosts is His name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth He is called.

For the Lord has called you like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a wife of youth when she is cast off, says your Lord. For a brief moment I forsook you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing wrath, for a moment I hid my face from you; with everlasting mercy I will have compassion on you, says the Lord, your Redeemer.

For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my merciful love—my mercy—shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

O afflicted one, storm tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony and lay your foundations with sapphires. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, says the Lord. Amen.