Saint Louis De Montford warns of the devil's great ability to deceive souls

We need Mary in order to preserve the graces and treasures we have received from God
Fifth Truth
- St Louis De Montford (True Devotion to Mary)

87. It is very difficult, considering our weakness and frailty, to preserve in ourselves the graces and treasures which we have received from God:

1. Because we have this treasure, which is worth more than Heaven and earth put together, in frail vessels, i.e, in a corruptible body and in a weak and inconstant soul, which a mere nothing disturbs and dejects: "We have this treasure in earthen vessels." (2 Cor. 4:7).

88. 2. Because the devils, who are skilful thieves, wish to surprise us unawares, and to strip us. They watch day and night for the favourable moment. For that end they go around about us incessantly to devour us and to snatch from us in one moment, by a sin, all the graces and merits we have gained for many years. Their malice, their experience, their strategems and their number ought to make us fear this misfortune immensely, especially when we see how many persons fuller of grace than we are, richer in virtues, better founded in experience and far higher exalted in sanctity, have been surprised, robbed and unhappily pillaged. Ah!

How many cedars of Lebanon, how many stars of the firmament, have we not seen fall miserably, and in the twinkling of an eye lose all their height and their brightness! Whence comes that sad and curios change? It was not for want of grace which is wanting to no man; but is was for want of humility. They thought themselves capable of guarding their own treasures. They trusted in themselves, relied upon themselves. They thought their house secure enough, and their coffers strong enough, to keep the precious treasure of grace.

It is because of that scarcely perceptible reliance upon themselves, though all the while it seemed to them that they were relying only on the grace of God, that the most just Lord permitted them to be robbed by leaving them to themselves. Alas!

If they had but known the admirable devotion which I shall unfold presently, they would have confided their treasure to a Virgin powerful and faithful, who would have kept it for them as if it had been her own possession; nay, who would have even taken it as an obligation of justice on herself to preserve it for them. 

Reference

True Devotion to Mary - By St Louis De Montford
http://our.homewithgod.com/immaculateheart/louis1/

Enkindling the Gift of the Holy Spirit received by the Laying on of hands - 2Timothy 1:6

Priests retreat. Bialystok - Poland. May 16 - 20. 2011

 Arch Bishop Most Rt. Rev Edward  Ozorowski and Fr James

Fr. James preached a retreat for priests in Poland at Bialystok in the Shrine of the Divine Mercy from 16th May to 20th. 

Some 134 priests attended the retreat with great enthusiasm. Most of the priests were from the Arch Diocese of Bialystok. There were some religious priests also. Fr. Jiji Manjackal, nephew of Fr. James,a missionary of St. Francis de Sales working in Philippines also was there to attend the retreat. All the priests attended the retreat from the beginning to the end.

The subject of the retreat was "enkindling the Gift of the Holy Spirit received by the Laying on of hands" ( 2Tim 1:6). All the talks were on priesthood. 

On the second day in spite of his heavy schedule of visiting parishes, the Arch Bishop Most Rt. Rev Edward  Ozorowski came to the hall to greet the participants and to give a short message. There was inner healing prayers and prayer of renewal of priesthood by the laying on hands.

On the last day some 18 priests gave testimonies of healing, conversion and change of lives.The retreat was organized by Ewa Gierejko and her community under the able guidance of Fr.Zbigniew Snarski, the spiritual director of the seminary. 

The priest's retreat officially ended with the concelebrated mass of all these priests on 20th at 3PM in the big Shrine of the Divine Mercy where the relics of St.Faustina and of her spiritual director Bl.ks.Michala are venerably preserved. 

More than 2000 people attended the Mass. The Sanctuary was packed with people. Fr. James preached and prayed for healing after the Mass. After the prayers of healing, all the priests went down to the people to lay hands on the people and to bless them individually. 

It was a great experience  of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the people gathered.

 Testimonies of priests

Some Testimonies of priests who attended retreat with Fr James

1. "When I attended the retreat of Fr.James at Torus last year, I was liberated from my habit of smoking for 25 years.In this retreat I received much inner healing.My priesthood is renewed. "

2. "In the past I had six surgeries.When I came to this retreat I was unable to kneel down.Now I am fully healed, I can kneel down for hours without pain.The Holy Spirit healed my soul and gave me a new heart."

3. "During the prayers my name was called out, I received an inner healing from feelings of fear ,and rejection.I received the gift of forgiveness.I was able to forgive all.Now I am filled with great joy and peace" 

4. "In this retreat I prayed for the gift of chastity and clelibacy,and the Lord gave them to me.I am healed of my pains on my knees "

5. "I am healed from all fears and inferiority complex. I am strenghtened in my priesthood.  "

http://www.jmanjackal.net/eng/priestespl.htm

Father James Manjackal 
He is a missionary in the Congregation of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales. He was born on 18 April 1946 in Cheruvally, in the state of Kerala in South India. He was ordained priest on 23 April 1973. In 1989 he founded “Charis Bhavan” – a Charismatic Renewal Retreat Centre in Kerala. One of his books entitled “33 Charismatic Prayers” has been translated into a  dozen or so languages. From May 16 to 20 the charismatic preacher will conduct a retreat for priests at the Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Bialystok (more info on: www.rekolekcje.bialystok.pl). From July 14-17  Fr. James will preach a retreat for married couples in Bialystok. This year he will also conduct retreats in Ostroleka, Skarzysko-Kamienna, Poznan and Torun.
  

Muslim Imam - Moulavi Sulaiman - turns and becomes a Catholic Preacher

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (St Paul to Romans 8:35).

- Testimony of former muslim Imam - Moulavi Sulaiman - now Mario Joseph - in his own words

Family Background
I was born into a traditional Muslim family. Therefore all the religious observations were strictly followed in our family. My father is naturally serious. And he insisted on everybody being strict with all religious observations. My forefathers were Turks. My paternal grandfather had come from Turkey to Vayanad. I very much wanted to go to a normal school for my studies. I even tried to be very stubborn and insistent on this point. But all my requests and demands were mercilessly rejected by my father, who was a military man.

Enrolled into an Arabic school at eight
My father had some definite plans in his head. My mind was a virtual cauldron boiling with hatred and resentment. I felt I was being neglected. I felt lonely and neglected in the family. A solitary figure in the crowd! When my elder brothers were reading their books, I used to go and sit amongst them, watching them eagerly. Sometimes I even ventured behind the classrooms where my brothers studied. I had a real desire to know what was taught and how it was taught. But I felt highly resentful against those who prevented me from pursuing an educational career. These bitter childhood experiences had bruised and lacerated my tender mind. But I was able to suffer silently without making any sort of complaint to anybody. I often sat alone and wept. I was now eight. My father told me that he would enroll me in an Arabic School. It was time for me to go the Arabic School.


I felt a burning sensation in my heart. On the eve of my going away to the Arabic school, there was a big feast and celebrations in my house. I saw my mother preparing the box to be taken by me to my new place. She looked at me occasionally and I see her sighing. I saw her wiping away her tears. My younger sisters were not big enough to understand the implications of my going away. My brothers were enjoying the party. My father looked quite indifferent and there wasn't any indication of any sadness on his face. Maybe he was suppressing his feelings. I was sitting alone and one of my younger sisters came to me and asked me in her peculiarly childish dialect, Brother, are you going away, leaving all of us behind? I did not answer her. I flashed a smile at her and made her sit by my side. I knew I was going to the Arabic School. But I just did not know why.

I was like a puppet that was duty-bound to obey the instructions of all without questioning. In the night I cried for a long time. I had some cat naps in between by bitter crying. When I woke up, my mother saw my reddish sleepy eyes and called me pathetically, Suleiman..., silence followed. Then I asked her where I am being sent. The moment she heard my question she started crying.

I ventured no more questions when I saw her in tears. Only a little time is left. I am now ready to go. They made me wear a white cloth, a white shirt and a white cap. Tears were profusely flowing from my eyes. I looked at the faces of my elder brothers. They looked indifferent to the whole thing as I could not read any emotions on their faces. I looked at my younger sisters. On their faces I could see some silent sorrow. Some of them were feeling a sense of loss. Najuma, my small sister, was affected most. My younger brother came to me and gave me a kiss on my cheek. My father took the box prepared for me and began to walk. I could now see some kind of sorrow on his face. I looked only once at my crying mother. For the first time in my life I knew the depth of love. I realized that we learn about the depth of our love when somebody departs from us. Thus, I started my walk into a new life without knowing where to and why.

Nobody had told me why I was sent to the Arabic School when I was only eight. I came to know the reason much later. When I was in the womb of my mother, some problems developed in the uterus. Doctors attending on her said the child would die. Then my mother pledged that if she had a normal baby, she would make him a Muslim priest. It was this pledge that made me go to the Arabic School at the age of 8, and become a Maulavi at the age of 18. In those days I was angry with everybody. Today I regret it.


Jesus Christ had other plans for Suleiman
Becoming a Moulavi was part of the divine scheme for me. Today I realize that my position as a Moulavi enabled me to meet and recognize Jesus. If I hadnt become a Moulavi, I would probably have never known deeply about Christ. Nothing happens in life without a reason. The search for God which I began with the Arabic School led me to the Bible College at Divine Retreat Centre, Kerala, India. Now I know the truth: Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. The Shepherd was leading me on. He made me lie down in the green pastures and led me to the still waters (Psalm 23:2).

When I look back today, the disease of my mother and her pledge weren't accidental events. They were all part of the Shepherds plan for me. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5). I don't want to hide anything.

It has been 9 years since I accepted Christ. Many people persuaded me to write about the hard paths I tread, the bitter experiences I had, the oppositions I had to face and the losses I sustained. My mind also was prompting me to write, but till now I could not do it. I was afraid of some people. Today when I think of my cowardice, I feel ashamed.

Whom did I fear?
Why did I fear?
Was I afraid of the powers of this world?
Was I afraid of losing my mortal life?

Today I am not afraid of anybody. I do not complain about anybody. If God is for us who is against us? (Rom 8:31).
The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me? (Heb 13:6).

I haven't done any harm to anybody intentionally. Because of some convictions and insights I received personally, I follow a faith with complete free will.

Is there anything wrong in it?

I am sorry if my faith and my present life style gives distress to some people. I beg their pardon. But I am not willing to hide the truth. By writing all this, I am being just to my friends who have been goading me to write about my experiences. I am also following the dictates of my mind. All the steps I ascended were part of the guidance I received from my Shepherd. My heart has been inextricably knotted with some enticing thread of divine love.

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Rom 8:35).

My good Lord allowed me to be born in this world. He made a beautiful plan for me. Now he is waiting for my heart and soul to grow in his love. He must have his schemes for me, how should I grow, what should I study, what job I must take up, how I should live and so on. I know the plans I have for you plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope (Jeremiah 29:11). The good Lord has beautiful dreams about us. He also has the paternal anxieties about us. God is waiting to give us the everlasting gift. At least once think of that God who always thinks of us and dreams about us

After a series of dreams about Mary, Hindu couple joins the Church

It was three years ago when Uma Krishnan says she first dreamed of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Uma and Kumar Krishnan pose on their wedding day with red, orange and yellow flowers and the statue and candles from Uma’s dreams.

It was January 2006 and she was living in Singapore with her husband, Kumar, and her son, Karthi. In her dream she saw a “very humble lady” surrounded by candles.

She and Kumar were devout Hindus and they knew the lady in Uma’s dreams was not a Hindu god. They knew little of Christianity, but they thought this lady might be the Blessed Mother. Still, because they came from a long tradition of Hinduism in India, they didn’t give the dream much thought. 

Later that year Kumar got a job that took him to San Diego. A few months later, he found a new job in McLean. Uma and Karthi joined him that December.

Uma began to have more dreams of Mary. One night she dreamed she was walking into a church she’d never seen before. Once inside, she turned right and found a little room where there were red candles and a statue of Mary. 

The second night, she was in the same room, but this time she saw a big cross made of palm leaves.

Another night, she dreamed she was in a boat. On her right was a black woman with dark hair and on her left, a lady wearing a blue scarf and holding a Bible. The woman in blue showed Uma some verses to read to make her worries disappear. In her dream, Uma read the Bible verses and both women disappeared.

Uma and Kumar talked about the dreams and, by the fourth night, they decided to visit a church to see what was happening.

Kumar typed “St. Mary Church Fairfax” into Google and entered the address from the first result into his GPS device. The address was for St. Mary of Sorrows Church in Fairfax.

When they got to the church, Uma was shocked. On the outside, it looked just like the church she had dreamed about the first night. When they went inside and turned right, there was a small chapel with red votive candles, a statue of Mary and a cross. It was just like her dreams. Uma started to cry.

“The moment was so touching,” Kumar said. “We were not even Christians and we were not even worshipping when we got such a thing. We were Hindus and we didn’t exactly know how to pray, but we just sat there and said, ‘Thank you. Thank you for all these visions and thank you for bringing us here. We don’t know what to do, you tell us, you guide us, show us what has to be done.’”

After the first visit to the church, a few days passed and Uma and Kumar didn’t return. Instead, they went to their Hindu temple.

Uma had another dream. She saw the statue of Mary on the outside wall of the church. Mary’s arms were out and there was a bright light coming from behind. In Uma’s mind, the statue seemed to be saying, “Come back to me.” 

When Uma told Kumar, they decided to go to St. Mary of Sorrows that day. It was a Wednesday, and this time, they went into the main meeting room, where the Charismatic Prayer Group gathered. They shared their story and prayed with them. After that, Uma and Kumar began to attend Mass and the Charismatic Prayer Group every week.

Uma’s dreams continued, but the couple also started experiencing strange “spiritual disturbances.” Uma would have nightmares, and during the day, alone at home, she would hear strange laughing, heavy breathing or footsteps. Sometimes she would feel a pressure on her neck and would have trouble breathing.

The disturbances were so bad that Uma was afraid to be alone. Kumar would drop her off at St. Mary of Sorrows when he went to work in the morning and she would stay at the church all day.

Frightened, Uma and Kumar talked to Father Stefan Starzynski, St. Mary of Sorrows parochial vicar.

 

Uma and Kumar Krishnan smile with St. Mary of Sorrows parochial vicar Father Stefan Starzynski after receiving the sacraments of baptism, Communion, confirmation and marriage at the church in September.

Starzynski told them the disturbances might be coming because they were moving away from Hinduism. He told them not to worry and that they’d be okay if they just went toward the one, true God.

“Even as Hindus they were coming to the prayer groups and the healing Masses and praying the rosary every day, so I think something was trying to stop them from entering fully in the Faith” Father Starzynski said

Kumar and Uma decided to get rid of all of their Hindu belongings and devote themselves entirely to Catholicism.

Because of their circumstances, the parish had a team of four parishioners teach the couple a condensed version of the traditional yearlong Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults program. Uma and Kumar went to the program every Saturday to learn about the sacraments and to discuss the Bible.

“It sounded like Mary was calling them to us and I felt like we had a responsibility to them,” said Father Starzynski. “They told me they wanted to become Catholic and they were so excited and eager that I thought this was an opportunity to be flexible.”

By the end of August, the group decided the family was ready to become Catholic. Sept. 12, Uma, Kumar and Karthi were baptized and the couple received the sacraments of confirmation, Communion and marriage.

In the days leading up to the ceremonies, Uma and Kumar feel they received lots of help from Mary.

Though they had a very limited budget and hardly any time to plan, Uma and Kumar wanted to have a nice wedding ceremony. They only had $400 to spend on a wedding dress for Uma, but their son found a perfect dress for $399.

Then, after deciding wedding photographers would be too expensive, a photographer from the parish offered his services for free.

Before the baptism and wedding day, Uma had another dream. This time Mary was standing outside the historic St. Mary of Sorrows Church, with a big smile on her face. She was holding two wedding rings and three rosaries — red, orange and yellow.

The couple decided to use those colors in Uma’s bouquet and on the wedding cake, all donated by fellow churchgoers.

On the actual day, the whole parish was invited to see Uma and Kumar receive the sacraments. A reception was held in the hall of the historic church, decorated with red, orange and yellow flowers.

“Even though we hadn’t planned things, God had planned for us,” Kumar said. “He planned everything so perfectly and he took care of everything, right down to the photographs. It was like he has predicted this marriage for us. We are so glad and so thankful and so lucky to be here.” 

Father Starzynski said Uma and Kumar’s conversion story shows that God works in mysterious ways. He felt honored that he could be there to help the family.

“I think it speaks to how beautifully God can work and does work,” he said. “It makes you think, are we flexible enough to understand the ways God may work that are outside the box that we have constructed?”

Since they received the sacraments, Kumar and Uma say the disturbances and nightmares have stopped. Uma feels stronger and is able to stay home by herself with no fear.

“We feel like the Holy Spirit in her has just given her this total protection,” Kumar said.

The couple says they are constantly impressed with the parish community.

“I feel like I’ve been wandering all over the place and that I’ve come home,” Kumar said. “I never heard of such good people, such good Catholic people.” 

And through it all, Uma’s dreams of Mary continue.

“Whether it’s good or bad, we want to share them with everybody so everybody knows about it,” Kumar said. “Some may take it badly, but we want to share it. We are very fortunate. I feel lucky, I feel honored and I feel blessed.”

Source

http://www.catholicherald.com/local_news/detail.html?sub_id=11317