We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight

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

“We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.”  We walk by faith not by sight. This is especially important for our little mission, and it’s very much what we’re having to do right now is to walk by faith, not by sight. Since 30 years ago, when two women who said the Lord was calling them to; they’ve been receiving interior locutions, and the Lord is calling them to ask me to be their spiritual director. And then years later, when we decided to start the Mission of Divine Mercy, and then buy this property and so forth, all of this has been an experience of walking by faith, not by sight, that is not seeing, not understanding and having to just trust that this was what the Lord was asking us to do. And that, especially right now, as the mission has been called to take this new step of publishing the messages and with all the criticism and sanctions against us that we’re receiving, and yet the Lord is calling us. So we’re putting, as I said, everything on the line, all the work we’ve done over these 20 plus years for the Mission of Divine Mercy and our own vocations, putting that on the line because we feel that this is what God is asking us to do. And so this is very much what our little mission is called to do. But the reason we’re sharing it with you all is because it’s not just for us. I think the Lord is asking the mission; this is something that we are called to share with the world right now because as the Lord has said in His messages, and Sister just received another message a couple of days ago that we’ll be, God willing, publishing this week. But He emphasizes that what God needs, what God asks of us in different stages of the Church, is different because of the different needs. And He says, what He needs for us in this critical tribulation that the Church is going through is above all faith, simple faith. And so we’re sharing this with you all, and I apologize because I know my homilies recently had been longer, but because we’re in a new situation, the situation the reconquest in which is a critical situation for the whole Church. And our little Mission of Divine Mercy suddenly finds itself in this key position for this and trying to help the Church understand this new stage that it’s called to live.  And so this passage of St Paul, he says, we walk by faith, not by sight. That sight that we can’t see, we don’t understand, we often don’t feel. So, it’s not just a lack of sight, but that lack of sight means things are often obscure, confusing. Does life seem kind of confusing to you right now? Do things seem pretty obscure, and nothing seems settled? Well, that’s a situation we can’t see, we don’t understand what’s going on. We often can’t feel, we often don’t feel, maybe God’s presence. St John of the Cross, the great mystic, St John of the Cross, talks about this, about the darkness, the dark night of faith. And a lot of, it seemed like, the whole Church is experiencing today, the dark night of faith where we can’t see. And so it’s, he says, “not by sight, but by faith.” By faith it means it’s not by what we understand or see, but it’s simply by trusting and obeying God. And so this is a formation in faith. This time is a formation in faith. That’s why this is such a difficult time, because God is forming us for what is coming. So that’s the trial. Is not understanding but having to, because he doesn’t say St Paul says, since we don’t see, we’re paralyzed. We can’t do anything because we can’t see, right? I mean, that would normally if you’re in a very dark place where you can’t see anything, a lot of times you should just stop, but you got to be careful, like if you’re on a mountaintop, you don’t but just to sit there and wait till dawn. But St Paul doesn’t say we stop by faith, not by sight, right? He doesn’t say that. He says we walk. That is, he says, even though we can’t see, we are called to continue. Why? How can we do that? How can we continue moving forward if we can’t see, if we don’t understand what’s going on? Because we trust in the Lord. The Lord is leading us. It’s like, He’s calling us to keep moving forward, even though we can’t see but we trust Him. He says, Okay, take another step. Take another step. Okay, stop. Okay, now. Now go this way and so forth. And so it’s we’re moving forward, not by what we understand, but by what God is saying to us.  And in times of a great confusion and mystery, there are times in which our human knowledge is sufficient. Say, like, if you decide to come to the mission this morning, you don’t get in your car and start the car and then just close your eyes and say, I’m just going to drive by faith, not by sight, right? Because your human knowledge was sufficient to get you here. But in times of great confusion, human knowledge is not sufficient, and so we need to be guided by faith, by faith, not by sight. And so I wanted to share with you all today a message. This was a message given to our Amici Christi. It was given September 19, 2020, so that was during covid. Remember, that was during covid. And so that’s part of what this is talking about. Because there was, I think, a lot of evil intentions behind covid, but the Lord can bring good even out of evil. So the message is a long message, and so you don’t have to – one thing is, we will record it so you can listen to it afterwards if you want. But you don’t have to remember it all. Maybe just see if there’s some passage that really speaks to you, especially from this. “My children, friends of my heart, I bless you. I see you as my littlest children, held tightly against my chest, against my heart, moving me to the depths of tenderness. How much I love you. But I also see you as my warriors, and as such, I must form you. A very grueling, intense, painful formation necessary for you to be ready and useful in my plan.” And I thought this message seemed providential for Father’s Day, because that’s what a father is called to be, both very loving and tender with his children, but also forming them in strength for the battles that they will be facing. “I see your hearts full of fear, confusion, sadness, even depression. As you see so much of your world beginning to crumble, you feel abandoned by me, perhaps even betrayed by me. Where are you? How can you let this happen?” And then Sister adds a little note. She says, I think that this refers not only to what we feel when we see everything happening around us and feeling his absence in the world, but also what we see happening within ourselves, and how often we can feel left alone by him, feeling that we are losing it and that he doesn’t see or doesn’t care. So the message continues, “my children, this is but the beginning of what must come to pass. I have so much I wish to say to you, for you are my friends, and I bring you into my plans.” And so this was originally given for the Amici Christi, but I think for those of you who are taking the difficult step of coming to this mission, participating in this mission, I think the Lord is drawing you in also to his intimacy. You notice in the Gospel, it said the gospel, the very last line of the gospel said, “Jesus only spoke to the crowds in parable, but to His disciples, He explained things clearly.” And I think that’s what you’re being given through these messages. And the Lord is saying things to you clearly, not with parables, but saying it clearly. He’s bringing you into the privilege of His disciples to hear these words clearly from him. “I have so much I wish to say to you, for you are my friends, and I bring you into my plans that as you share with me the knowledge, the pain, so you may also share the grace and the triumph. Think of what you have experienced in the past months,” and remember, this was all that, all that was going on with covid, “being bereft of so much that you were used to receiving through my Church, good things, even holy things, but that I have allowed to be taken away from you.” He says, allowed. He doesn’t say willed, He says, “allowed to be taken away from you in order to form you, in an even deeper and stronger faith in me.”  So the devil had his plans during covid. The devil’s active, I think there was a lot which was of the evil one in covid, but God is so great that he can even use the devil’s own actions, for a greater good, and he says, “to form us in an even deeper, stronger faith in me, absolute trust, absolute faith, absolute love. When a child,” okay now, he does give a little parable. Listen to this parable when a child this you’ve never heard this parable before it’s called the baby teeth parable.  “When a child begins to lose his baby teeth, what happens? The tooth gradually becomes looser and can no longer be chewed on, bit with. It is no longer strong enough, sturdy enough. Then the tooth falls out, leaving a gaping wound. There is no tooth only a hole is left. How distressing, this could be, disastrous, even since more teeth fall out, if the child did not know that a stronger, better tooth will grow in its place. This is but a simple image to describe. In part, what I do with you, what I must allow in order for your faith to grow into what I need. I allow you to lose so much of what you understand of me,”  he puts losing in quotation marks, “so much of what you understand of me, of my ways, I take from you all those things on which you rely on spiritually that are secondary, that are not strong enough to support what you must carry. You are being built as fortresses. Your foundations must be solid rock. And what is this solid rock? Me Your Jesus. I am leading you, forming you in a faith that goes beyond my words, beyond all that has been seen and said of me, about me, beyond all human understanding, however holy it might be.” Remember, that’s what St Paul says, that the love of Christ, which surpasses all understanding. And Sister adds these words. She says this could seem problematic. How can we go beyond his words? If they are his words, I understand this to mean that he must take us beyond all our human understanding, even of what we know about him, what we think we understand His words to mean, stripping us down to the absolute essence. His person, the person of Jesus.  A baby cannot understand the words spoken to it, but it can hold on to the person speaking them. So that’s the note sister added. Then the message continues. “I lead you beyond all this to the very foundations of all that is the divine mystery so infinite that not even the smallest particle can be contained by human understanding. I lead you to not only the tree of life, but to the very depths of its roots, to the rock which sustains it, holding it in place so that nothing may blow it down. I know my children that you cannot understand all that I say.” So that’s good, right? We don’t. He knows that we can’t understand all this. “It is enough that you receive my words in your hearts and place your trust in me, your hand in mind, and that you let me guide you and arrange all things around you. Do not be afraid. I am at work in and around you. You are mine, and I care for what is mine. You feel you are being stripped more and more. And this scares you, leaves you confused. It is in these moments, my littlest ones, that you must make a deeper act of faith, deeper but simpler.” And so he’s going to give a few very simple little prayers. Listen to these prayers. He says, “Jesus, I don’t understand anything, but you do. I trust in You. Jesus, I can’t do anything anymore, but you can. I trust in You. Jesus, I am afraid, angry, confused. I don’t know what to do or to think, but you know what must be done. You understand everything. I trust in You. Jesus, I feel lost. I only see darkness, turmoil, but you are my anchor, and you have my hand. I trust in You.” So it’s like a little litany. “I want you to trust me like this, my beloved, beyond all words, all feelings, beyond all understanding, beyond all security. You must believe you are firmly rooted in me, despite feeling like you are anchored to nothing. Yes, my little ones, such a hard, painful training. But soon you shall see its fruits. Soon you will see why I had to form you in such a way, and all this pain will turn into joy. Do not be afraid. Say, God knows why. I trust Him in all things, at all times. Yes, my children.” So that’s another, it’s another one these very short little prayers He gives us. “Yes, My children, there is much uncertainty all around you, in your country, in the Church, in your families, but all things pass, all things have their purpose. All things are allowed in as much as a greater good is obtained. Who is greater than God? Who is more powerful? No one my children, I am the victor. Always. Do not forget this. Always. But my ways are mysterious, profound, so infinitely above your human thoughts, your ability to see and comprehend what happens around you that in your eyes all is darkness and disaster. Yes, what is crumbling must fall down. What is rotten must be extubated. What is poison must be taken away. And I am doing this. Do you begin to see why I must form you in this type of Intrepid, absolute, seemingly desperate faith and trust?” And sister notes, desperate. I sense that he put this in quotations, because this is what it feels like to us, a desperate act of faith. The Message continues. “Why? The more you know, the less you understand. Do not be afraid. Do you think that in these months that you have been bereft of my sacrament, that I have left you without nourishment. My rivers of grace are multiple, capable of reaching every soul, no matter what human obstacles lie in its place. My children, you do not yet know all that your God has done, is doing, and will do for his little children. Have I not said to you, I am with you always. Has not my mother said to you, am I not here? I who am your mother. Have no fear your Jesus loves you, God, all powerful, loves you. You are enfolded in the love of the divine mystery. Have no fear of anything. I am your rock. What is taking place must take place. It shall pass away. My love and my victory will remain. They remain now your sure refuge, your steadfast hope. My children do not be alarmed at what you’re seeing happening in you and around you. Look at me. Lift up your heads and look at me. In the midst of the battle, one does not feel peace and joy, but fear, anger, exhaustion, confusion, because the battle rages as a hurricane around you, but you are fighting, and I am winning. I bless you, my children, my soldiers. You are mine. Your families are mine. All that you are is mine. I surround you. Have no fear. I bless you with the sign of my cross in victory, the infinite sign of the perfect abandonment to the will of my Father. I Your Jesus, bless you, and I the Holy Spirit, your friend, bless you. And I your father who loves you infinitely, bless you and thank you for your love, your trust and your crying out, come. Amen.  

KEYWORDS / PHRASES:
Mark 4:26-34