Posted on May 28, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 15: A NEW PENTECOST

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Mark

YOU’VE made it! The end of our retreat — but not the end of God’s gifts, and never the end of His love. In fact, today is very special because the Lord has a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to bestow upon you. Our Lady has been praying for you and anticipating this moment as well, as she joins you in the upper room of your heart to pray for a “new Pentecost” in your soul.

So let us begin our final day: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for this retreat and all the graces You have generously bestowed upon me, those felt and those unseen. I thank you for Your infinite love, expressed to me in the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I thank you for your mercy and forgiveness, your faithfulness and love.

I now implore, Abba Father, a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Fill my heart with a new love, a new thirst, and a new hunger for your Word. Set me on fire so that it is no longer I but Christ living in me. Equip me this day to be a witness to those around me of Your merciful love. I ask this Heavenly Father, in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, amen.

St. Paul wrote, “I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands…” (1 Tim 2:8). Since we are body, soul, and spirit, Christianity has long taught us to use our bodies in prayer to help open ourselves to the presence of God. So wherever you are, as you pray this song, lift up your hands to the Hands that heal…

Lift Our Hands

Lift our hands to the hands that heal
Lift our hands to the hands that save
Lift our hands to the hands that love
Lift our hands to the Hands that were nailed
And sing…

Praise, we lift up our hands
Praise, You’re the Lord of this land
Praise, O, we lift our hands to You Lord
To You Lord

(Repeat above x 2)

To You Lord,
To You Lord,

Lift our hands to the hands that heal
Lift our hands to the hands that save
Lift our hands to the hands that love
Lift our hands to the Hands that were nailed
And sing…

Praise, we lift up our hands
Praise, You’re the Lord of this land
Praise, O, we lift our hands to You Lord
To You Lord
To You Lord,
To You Lord,

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ

—Mark Mallett (with Natalia MacMaster), from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

Ask, and You Shall Receive

Everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? (Luke 11:10-13)

At conferences, I love to ask the audience what the following Scripture refers to:

As they prayed, the place where they were gathered shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31)

Inevitably, many hands go up and the answer is always the same: “Pentecost.” But it’s not. Pentecost was two chapters earlier. Here, the Apostles are gathered together and filled with the Holy Spirit again.

The Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation initiate us into the Christian faith, into the Body of Christ. But they are just a first “installment” of graces that the Father has to give you.

In Him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13-14)

While still a Cardinal and Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Benedict XVI had corrected the idea that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the charisms are things of a bygone era:

What the New Testament tells us about the charisms — which were seen as visible signs of the coming of the Spirit — is not just ancient history, over and done with, for it is once again becoming extremely topical. —Renewal and the Powers of Darkness, by Leo Cardinal Suenens (Ann Arbor: Servant Books, 1983)

Through the experience of the “Charismatic Renewal”, welcomed by four popes, we have learned that God can and does pour out His Spirit anew in what has been called an “infilling”, “outpouring” or “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” As one priest said, “I don’t know how it works, all I know is that we need it!”

What does the Baptism of the Spirit consist of and how does it work? In the Baptism of the Spirit there is a secret, mysterious move of God that is His way of becoming present, in a way that is different for each one because only He knows us in our inner part and how to act upon our unique personality… theologians look for an explanation and responsible people for moderation, but simple souls touch with their hands the power of Christ in the Baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:1-24). —Fr. Raneiro Cantalamessa, OFMCap, (papal household preacher since 1980); Baptism in the Spirit,www.catholicharismatic.us

This, of course, is nothing new and is part of the Tradition and history of the Church.

…this grace of Pentecost, known as Baptism in the Holy Spirit, does not belong to any particular movement but to the whole Church. In fact, it is really nothing new but has been part of God’s design for His people from that first Pentecost in Jerusalem and through the history of the Church. Indeed, this grace of Pentecost has been seen in the life and practice of the Church, according to the writings of the Fathers of the Church, as normative for Christian living and as integral to the fullness of Christian Initiation. —Most Reverend Sam G. Jacobs, Bishop of Alexandria; Fanning the Flame, p. 7, by McDonnell and Montague

My Personal Experience

I remember the summer of my 5th grade. My parents gave my brothers and my sister and me a “Life in the Spirit Seminar.” It was a beautiful program of preparing to receive a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. At the end of the formation, my parents laid hands upon our heads and prayed for the Holy Spirit to come. There were no fireworks, nothing out of the ordinary to speak of. We finished our prayer and went outside to play.

But something did happen. When I returned to school that Fall, there was a new hunger in me for the Eucharist and the Word of God. I started going to the daily Mass at noon. I was known as a jokester in my previous grade, but something in me changed; I was quieter, more sensitive to right and wrong. I wanted to be a faithful Christian and began thinking about the priesthood.

Later, in my early twenties, my music ministry team put on a Life in the Spirit seminar for a group of 80 teens. The night we prayed over them, the Spirit moved powerfully. Until this day, there were teens there who are still in ministry.

One of the prayer leaders came over to me toward the end of the evening and asked if I wanted them to pray over me as well. I said, “Why not!” The moment they began praying, I suddenly found myself lying on my back “resting in the Spirit”, my body in a cruciform position. The power of the Holy Spirit was like electricity coursing through my veins. After several minutes, I stood up and my fingers and lips were tingling.

Prior to that day, I had never written a praise and worship song in my life, but after that, music poured out of me — including all the songs you have been praying with on this retreat.

Welcoming the Spirit

This time has been a wonderful preparation for you to receive a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

…His mercy has gone before us. It has gone before us so that we may be healed, and follows us so that once healed, we may be given life… —Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), n. 2001

…the life of the Spirit.

If we were gathered together, I and other leaders would lay hands upon you and pray for this fresh “anointing.” As St. Paul said to Timothy:

I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. (2 Tim 1:6)

But God is not limited by our distance or this format. You are His son or His daughter, and He hears your prayers wherever you are. So far, God has been healing many souls through this retreat. Why would He stop pouring His love out now?

In fact, this invocation for a “new Pentecost” in your heart is very much at the heart of the Church’s prayer for the coming of the Kingdom of the Divine Will.

Divine Spirit, renew your wonders in this our age as in a new Pentecost, and grant that your Church, praying perseveringly and insistently with one heart and mind together with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and guided by blessed Peter, may increase the reign of the Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen. —POPE JOHN XXIII, at convocation of Second Vatican Council, Humanae Salutis, December 25th, 1961

Be open to Christ, welcome the Spirit, so that a new Pentecost may take place in every community! A new humanity, a joyful one, will arise from your midst; you will experience again the saving power of the Lord. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, in Latin America, 1992

So now we are going to pray for the Holy Spirit to descend upon you as in a new Pentecost. I say “we” because I am joining you “in the Divine Will” in the upper room of your heart, along with the Blessed Mother. She was there with the first Apostles at Pentecost, and she is here with you now. Indeed…

Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit… There is no outpouring of the Holy Spirit except in communion with the intercessory prayer of Mary, Mother of the Church. —Fr. Robert. J. Fox, editor of Immaculate Heart Messenger, Fatima and the New Pentecost

Make sure you are in a quiet place and will be undisturbed as we pray for this new grace in your life… In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Dear Blessed Mother, I ask your intercession now, as you once did in the Upper Room, to pray for the Holy Spirit to come anew in my life. Lay your gentle hands upon me and invoke your Divine Spouse.

O, Come Holy Spirit and fill me now. Fill all the empty places where wounds were left that they may become a source of healing and wisdom. Stir into flame the gift of grace I have received in my Baptism and Confirmation. Set my heart on fire with the Flame of Love. I welcome all the gifts, charisms, and graces that the Father desires to give. I wish to receive all those graces that others have refused. I open my heart to receive You as in a “new Pentecost.” O, Come Divine Spirit, and renew my heart… and renew the face of the earth.

With hands outstretched, continue to receive all the Father has to give you as you sing…

After this time of prayer, when you are ready, read the closing thoughts below…

Going Forth…

We began this retreat with the analogy of the paralytic being lowered through a thatch roof to the feet of Jesus. And now the Lord says to you, “Rise, pick up your mat, and go home” (Mark 2:11). That is, go home and let others see and hear what the Lord has done for you.

The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, His work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. —CCC, n. 1421

How the world needs witnesses of the power, love, and mercy of God! Filled with the Holy Spirit, you are the “light of the world”.^[1] While it may be difficult and perhaps even not necessary to explain the teachings in this retreat, what you can do is let others “taste and see” the fruit. Let them experience the changes in you. If they ask what is different, you can point them towards this retreat, and who knows, maybe they will take it too.

In the days ahead, silently soak in and absorb everything that the Lord has given you. Continue your dialogue with God as you journal in your prayer times. Yes, make a commitment today to daily prayer. Remember to begin your days in thanksgiving, not grumbling. If you find yourself falling back into old patterns, be merciful to yourself and begin again. Be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Never let the devil lie to you again about God’s love for you. You are my brother, you are my sister, and I won’t put up with any self-bashing either!

In closing, I wrote this song for you so that you would know that God has never left you, that He has always been there, even in your darkest moments, and He will never leave you.

You are loved.

See, See

Can a mother forget her baby, or the child within her womb?
Even should she forget, I will never you.

Upon the palms of My hands, I have written your name
I’ve counted your hairs, and I’ve counted your cares
I’ve collected your tears all the same

See, see, you’ve never been far from Me
I carry You in my heart
I promise we’ll not be apart

When you pass through raging waters,
I will be with you
When you walk through the fire, even though you may tire
I promise I’ll always be true

See, see, you’ve never been far from Me
I carry You in my heart
I promise we’ll not be apart

I’ve called you by name
You are mine
I’ll tell you again and again, and time after time…

See, see, you’ve never been far from Me
I carry You in my heart
I promise we’ll not be apart

See, see, you’ve never been far from Me
I carry You in my heart
I promise we’ll not be apart

I see, You’ve never been far me
I carry You in my heart
I promise we’ll not be apart

—Mark Mallett with Kathleen (Dunn) Leblanc, from Vulnerable, 2013©

Support Mark’s full-time ministry:

with Nihil Obstat

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	Matt 5:14

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 14: THE CENTER OF THE FATHER

Posted on May 27, 2023 by Mark

SOMETIMES we can get stuck in our spiritual lives due to our wounds, judgments, and unforgiveness. This retreat, thus far, has been a means to help you see the truths about both yourself and your Creator, so that “the truth will set you free.” But it is necessary that we live and have our being in the whole truth, in the very center of the Father’s heart of love…

Let us begin Day 14: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Come Holy Spirit, Giver of Life. Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches; You, who are the divine Sap, come and flow through my being to bring Your nourishment, healing, and grace so that the fruits of this retreat will remain and grow. Draw me into the Center of the Holy Trinity that all I do begin in Your eternal Fiat and so never end. Let love of the world within me die so that only Your life and the Divine Will flows through my veins. Teach me to pray, and pray in me, that I may encounter the living God each moment of my life. I ask this through Jesus Christ my Lord, amen.

There is nothing I have found that more quickly and wonderfully draws down the Holy Spirit than to begin praising God, giving Him thanks, and blessing Him for His gifts. For:

God inhabits the praises of His people… Enter his gates with thanksgiving, his courts with praise. (Psalm 22:3, 100:4)

So let us continue declaring the holiness of our God who is not only seated in the Heavens, but in your heart.

Holy Are You Lord

Holy, holy, holy
Holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy
Holy are You Lord

Seated in the heavenlies
You are seated in my heart

And holy, holy, holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy are You Lord

Holy, holy, holy
Holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy
Holy are You Lord

And seated in the heavenlies
You are seated in our hearts

Holy, holy, holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy are You Lord
And holy, holy, holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy are You Lord

Seated in the heavenlies
You are seated in our hearts

Holy, holy, holy are You Lord
Holy, holy, holy are You Lord (repeats)

Holy are You Lord

—Mark Mallett, from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

Every Spiritual Blessing

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens… (Eph 1:3)

I love being Catholic. The universal — which is what “catholic” means — Church is the Barque that set sail at Pentecost containing all the means of grace and salvation. And the Father wants to give it all to you, every spiritual blessing. This is your inheritance, your birthright, when you are “born again” in Christ Jesus.

Today, there is a certain tragedy that has taken place in the Catholic Church where certain factions have developed in isolation; one group is “charismatic”; another is “Marian”; another is “contemplative”; another is “active”; another is “evangelical”; another is “traditional”, and so forth. Hence, there are those who only accept the intellectualism of the Church, but reject her mysticism; or who embrace her devotions, but resist evangelism; or who bring social justice, but ignore the contemplative; or those who love our Tradition, but reject the charismatic dimension.

Imagine a stone being thrown into a pond. There is the center point, and then there are the ripples. To reject part of the Father’s blessings is akin to placing yourself on one of the ripples, and then being taken off in one direction. As where the one who stands in the center receives everything: all the life of God and every spiritual blessing belongs to them, nourishes them, strengthens them, sustains them, and matures them.

Part of this healing retreat, then, is to bring you to a reconciliation also with Mother Church herself. We are so easily “put off” by people in this or that faction. They’re too fanatical, we say; or they’re too pushy; too proud; too pious; too lukewarm; too emotional; too serious; too this or too that. Thinking that we are more “balanced” and “mature” and, thus, don’t need that aspect of Church life, we end up rejecting, not them, but the gifts Christ purchased with His Blood.

It’s simple: what does Scripture and the teachings of the Church tell us, because that is the Voice of the Good Shepherd speaking loud and clear to you right now through the Apostles and their successors:

Whoever listens to you listens to Me. Whoever rejects you rejects Me. And whoever rejects Me rejects the one who sent Me. (Luke 10:16) …Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)

Are you open to the charisms of the Holy Spirit? Do you embrace all the teachings of the Church, or only those that suit you? Do you embrace Mary as your mother too? Do you reject prophecy? Do you pray every day? Do you witness to your faith? Do you obey and honour your leaders, your priests, bishops, and popes? All of these and more are explicitly in the Bible and in Church teaching. If you reject these “gifts” and divinely appointed structures, then you are leaving a spiritual crack in your life where new wounds can abound and potentially shipwreck your faith.

I have never met a perfect Catholic, Christian, priest, bishop, of pope. Have you?

The Church, though holy, is filled with sinners. Let us refuse from this day forward to use the failings of both the laity or the hierarchy as an excuse to reject the Father’s gifts. Here is the humble attitude that we must strive for if we truly want this healing retreat to bring us the fullness of life in God:

If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. (Phil 2:1-4)

Enter the center.

Take a moment to write down in your journal how you may be struggling with the Church today. While this retreat cannot possibly go into all the questions you may have, this website, The Now Word, has numerous writings that address almost every question on human sexuality , Sacred Tradition, the charismatic gifts, the role of Mary, evangelization , the “end times”, private revelation, etc., and you can freely peruse them in the months ahead. But for now, just be honest with Jesus and tell Him what your struggling with. Then give permission for the Holy Spirit to lead you into the truth, and nothing but the truth, so that you may receive “every spiritual blessing” that the Father has in store for you.

When He comes, the Spirit of truth, He will guide you to all truth. (John 16:13)

Prayer: The Center of Your Spiritual Life

One could not end a healing retreat without speaking about the means that God has provided for your daily healing and to keep you centered in Him. When you finish this retreat, despite new and beautiful beginnings, life will continue to deliver its blows, new wounds, and challenges. But now you have many tools on how to deal with hurts, judgments, divisions, etc.

But there is one tool that is absolutely essential to your ongoing healing and maintaining peace, and that is daily prayer. O, dear brothers and sisters, please, trust Mother Church on this! Trust Scripture on this. Trust the experience of the Saints. Pray is the means by which we remain grafted on the Vine of Christ and keep from withering and spiritually dying. “Prayer is the life of the new heart. It ought to animate us at every moment.”^[1] As Our Lord Himself said, “without me you can do nothing.” ^[2]

To heal the wounds of sin, man and woman need the help of the grace that God in his infinite mercy never refuses them… Prayer attends to the grace we need… Purification of the heart demands prayer… —Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), n. 2010, 2532

I pray that during the natural course of this retreat, that you have learned to speak with God “from the heart.” That you have truly accepted Him as your Father, Jesus as your Brother, the Spirit as your Helper. If you have, then hopefully prayer in its essence now makes sense: it’s not about words, it’s about relationship. It’s about love.

Prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him… prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. —CCC, n. 2560, 2565

St. Teresa of Avila says simply, “Contemplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”^[3]

Contemplative prayer seeks Him “whom my soul loves.” —CCC, 2709

Daily prayer keeps the Sap of the Holy Spirit flowing. It draws graces within to purify us from yesterday’s falls, and strengthen us for today. It teaches us as we listen to the Word of God, which is the “sword of the Spirit”^[4] that pierces our hearts^[5] and tills our minds to become good soil for the Father to sow new graces.^[6] Prayer refreshes us. It changes us. It heals us, because it is an encounter with the Holy Trinity. Thus, prayer is what brings us into that rest that Jesus promised.^[7]

Be still and know that I am God! (Psalm 46:11)

If you wish that “rest” to be uninterrupted, then “pray always without becoming weary.”^[8]

But we cannot pray “at all times” if we do not pray at specific times, consciously willing it… the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with Him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ. —CCC, n. 2697, 2565

Finally, prayer is what centers us again in the life of God and the Church. It centers us in the Divine Will, which issues from the eternal heart of the Father. If we can learn to accept the Divine Will in our lives and “live in the Divine Will” — with all the good and all the bad that comes to us — then, truly, we can be at rest, even on this side of eternity.

Prayer is what teaches us firsthand that in the daily battle, God is our safety, He is our shelter, He is our refuge, He is our stronghold.^[9]

Blessed be the LORD, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;
My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield, in whom I take refuge… (Psalm 144:1-2)

Let’s close then with this prayer… and afterward, just rest a few moments in the arms of the Father, in the center of His heart.

Only In You

Only in You, only in You is my soul at rest
Only in You, only in You is my soul at rest
Without You there’s no peace, no freedom in my soul
O God, You are my life, my Song and my Way

You are my Rock, You are my refuge
You are my Shelter, I shall not be disturbed
You are my Strength, You are my Safety
You are my Stronghold, I shall not be disturbed
Only in You

Only in You, only in You is my soul at rest
Only in You, only in You is my soul at rest
Without You there’s no peace, no freedom in my soul
O God, take me to Your heart, and never let me go

You are my Rock, You are my refuge
You are my Shelter, I shall not be disturbed
You are my Strength, You are my Safety
You are my Stronghold, I shall not be disturbed

God my God, I long for You
My heart is restless until it rests in You

You are my Rock, You are my refuge
You are my Shelter, I shall not be disturbed
You are my Strength, You are my Safety
You are my Stronghold, I shall not be disturbed (repeat)
You are my Stronghold, O I shall not be disturbed
You are my Stronghold, I shall not be disturbed

Only in You

—Mark Mallett, from Deliver Me From Me, 1999©

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2697
↑2	John 5:15
↑3	St. Teresa of Jesus, The Book of Her Life, 8,5 in The Collected Works of St. Teresa of Avila
↑4	cf. Eph 6:17
↑5	cf. Heb 4:12
↑6	cf. Luke 8:11-15
↑7	cf. Matt 11:28
↑8	Luke 18:1
↑9	cf. 2 Sam 22:2-3; Ps 144:1-2

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 13: His Healing Touch and Voice

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

« Apr

Translations

English

My Rosary…

Daily writing prompt

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

View all responses

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 13: HIS HEALING TOUCH AND VOICE

Posted on May 26, 2023 by Mark

I would love to share your testimony with others of how the Lord has touched your life and brought healing to you through this retreat. You can simply reply to the email you received if you’re on my mailing list or go here.

WE are not abandoned. We are not orphaned…

Let us begin Day 13: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Come Holy Spirit, Divine Comforter, and fill me with Your presence. More so, fill me with a trust that even when I cannot feel my God as I wish, even when I cannot hear His own voice, even when I cannot see His face with my eyes, that I will love Him yet in all the ways He comes to me. Yes, come to me in my weakness. Increase my faith and purify my heart, for “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” I ask this through Jesus Christ my Lord, amen.

It was a stormy winter night that evening in New Hampshire. I was scheduled to give a parish mission, but it was snowing hard. I told the parish priest that if he needed to cancel, I understood. “No, we need to continue, even if only one soul comes.” I agreed.

Eleven people weathered the blizzard. Fr. began the night by exposing the Blessed Sacrament on the altar. I knelt down and began to quietly strum my guitar. I sensed the Lord say in my heart that someone there did not believe in His Real Presence on the altar. Suddenly, words just popped into my head, and I began to sing them:

Mystery upon mystery
Candles burning, my soul yearning for You

You are the grain of wheat for us Your lambs to eat
Jesus, here You are…

I would literally sing one line and the next one was right there:

In the disguise of Bread, it’s just as You said
Jesus, here You are…

When the song finished, I could hear someone weeping in the small gathering. I knew the Spirit was working, and I just needed to get out of the way. I gave a brief message and we went back to adoring Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

At the end of the evening, I saw a small gathering in the middle of the aisle and went over. Standing there was a middle-aged woman, tears streaming down her face. She looked at me and said, “20 years of therapy, 20 years of self-help tapes and books… but tonight, I was healed.”

When I arrived back home in Canada, I recorded that song, which we can make part of our opening prayer today…

Here You Are

Mystery upon mystery
Candles burning, my soul yearning for You

You are the grain of wheat, for us Your lambs to eat
Jesus, here You are
In the disguise of Bread, it’s just as You said
Jesus, here You are

Holy place, meeting face to Face
Incense burning, our hearts burning for You

You are the grain of wheat, for us Your lambs to eat
Jesus, here You are
In the disguise of Bread, it’s just as You said
Jesus, here You are
I’m on my knees right now, ’cause You are here somehow
Jesus, here You are

Here I am, as I am
I believe Lord, help my unbelief

You are the grain of wheat, for us Your lambs to eat
Jesus, here You are
In the disguise of Bread, it’s just as You said
Jesus, here You are
I’m on my knees right now, ’cause You are here somehow
Jesus, here You are
The angels they are here, saints and angels they are here
Jesus, here You are
Jesus, here You are

Holy, holy, holy
Here You are
You are the Bread of Life

—Mark Mallett, from Here You Are, 2013©

The Healing Touch

Jesus promised before He ascended into Heaven that He would remain with us until the end of time.

I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. (Matt 28:20)

He meant it literally.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world… For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (John 6:51, 55)

When the brutal reign of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu collapsed in 1989, photos of thousands of children and babies in state orphanages appeared in the Western media. Confined to metal cribs, nurses overwhelmed with the number of children changed diapers like an assembly line. They didn’t coo or sing to the babes, who were fed with a bottle stuck into their mouths, and then propped against the bars of a crib. Nurses said that many babies died for no apparent reason. As they later discovered, it was due to a lack of loving physical affection.

Jesus knew that we would need to see and touch Him. He left us a most beautiful and humble gift of His presence in the Holy Eucharist. He is there, in the disguise of Bread, there, living, loving, and pulsating with mercy toward you. So why aren’t we approaching Him, who is the Great Physician and Healer, as often as we can?

Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. (Luke 24:5-6)

Yes, some are seeking Him literally among the dead — the dead word of self-absorbed therapists, pop psychology, and new age practices. Go to Jesus who awaits you; seek Him in the Holy Mass; seek Him in Adoration… and you will find Him.

Before Jesus entered His Passion, He thought of you and me, and prayed: “Father, they are your gift to me.” ^[1] Imagine that! You are the Father’s gift to Jesus! In return, Jesus gifts Himself to you in each and every Mass.

The Lord has begun a great work in many of you, and this work will continue through the Holy Mass. For your part, cultivate a love and reverence for Jesus in the Eucharist. Make your genuflection a true act of worship; prepare your heart to receive Him in Holy Communion; and spend a few minutes after Mass loving and thanking Him for loving you.

It is Jesus in that Host. How can it not change you? The answer is that it won’t — unless you open your heart to Him and let Him love you, as you love Him in return.

The Healing Voice

I once read a psychologist say that, while he was not a Catholic, what the Church offered through Confession was really what he tried to do in his practice: let people unload their troubled consciences. That alone began a great healing process in many.

In another article, I read a police officer say that they will often leave the files of “cold cases” open for years because it is a fact that murderers eventually just have to tell someone, at some point, what they did — even if they are obscure. Yes, there is something in the human heart that cannot bear the burden of its sin.

Jesus, the Great Psychologist, knew this. That’s why He left us the incredible Sacrament of Reconciliation through the priesthood:

He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (John 20:22-23)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5:16)

That you may be healed. An exorcist once said to me, “One good confession is more powerful than one hundred exorcisms.” Indeed, I have experienced the liberating power of Jesus from oppressive spirits on so many occasions through Confession. It is necessary, therefore — since Christ instituted it Himself — that we make Confession a regular part of our lives.

“…those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress” will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives. “It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation.” —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Penitentiary conference, March 27th, 2004; catholicculture.org

The Catechism of the Catholic Church adds:

Without being strictly necessary, confession of everyday faults (venial sins) is nevertheless strongly recommended by the Church. Indeed the regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ and progress in the life of the Spirit. By receiving more frequently through this sacrament the gift of the Father’s mercy, we are spurred to be merciful as he is merciful…

“Individual, integral confession and absolution remain the only ordinary way for the faithful to reconcile themselves with God and the Church, unless physical or moral impossibility excuses from this kind of confession.” There are profound reasons for this. Christ is at work in each of the sacraments. He personally addresses every sinner: “My son, your sins are forgiven.” He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion. Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1458, 1484

My dear sibling in Christ, if you want to be healed and strengthened in these days of battle, then reach out frequently and “touch” Jesus in the Eucharist so that you remember that you are not orphaned. If you have fallen and feel abandoned, listen to His soothing voice through His servant, the priest: “I absolve you of your sins…” What Gifts Jesus has left us: His very self, His merciful assurance so that you may remain in Him, as He remains in you.

I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Take a moment to write in your journal what is on your heart… a prayer of thanksgiving, a question, a doubt… and give space for Jesus to speak to your heart. And then close with this prayer…

Remain In Me

Jesus I need You here in me now
Jesus I need You here in me now
Jesus I need You here in me now

Remain in me so I’ll remain You
Abide in me so I’ll abide in You
Fill me now with your Holy Spirit, Lord
Remain in me so I’ll remain in You

Jesus I believe You’re here in me now
Jesus I believe You’re here in me now
And Jesus I believe, O You’re here in me now

Remain in me so I’ll remain You
Abide in me so I’ll abide in You
O, fill me now with your Holy Spirit, Lord
Remain in me so I’ll remain in You

—Mark Mallett, from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	John 17:24

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 12: My Image of God

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 12: MY IMAGE OF GOD

Posted on May 25, 2023 by Mark

IN Day 3, we talked about God’s image of us, but what about our image of God? Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, our image of the Father has become distorted. We view Him through the lens of our fallen natures and human relationships… and that too needs to be healed.

Let’s begin In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Come Holy Spirit, and pierce through my judgments of You, of my God. Grant me new eyes with which to behold the truth of my Creator. Grant me new ears to hear His tender voice. Grant me a heart of flesh in place of a heart of stone that has so often built a wall between me and the Father. Come Holy Spirit: burn away my fear of God; wipe away my tears of feeling abandoned; and help me to trust that my Father is always present and never far. I pray through Jesus Christ my Lord, amen.

Let’s continue our prayer, inviting the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts…

Come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
And burn away my fears, and wipe away my tears
And trusting you are here, Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit
And burn away my fears, and wipe away my tears
And trusting you are here, Holy Spirit
And burn away my fears, and wipe away my tears
And trusting you are here, Holy Spirit
Come Holy Spirit…

—Mark Mallett, from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

Taking Stock

As we come into the last days of this retreat, what would you say your image of the Heavenly Father is today? Do you see Him more as the title St. Paul gave us: “Abba”, which is Hebrew for “Daddy”… or as a distant Father, a harsh judge always hovering above your imperfections? What lingering fears or hesitations do you have about the Father, and why?

Take a few moments in your journal to write down your thoughts of how you see God the Father.

A Little Testimony

I was born a cradle Catholic. From the youngest age, I fell in love with Jesus. I experienced the joy of loving, praising, and learning about Him. Our family life was for the most part happy and filled with laughter. Oh, we had our fights… but we also knew how to forgive. We learned how to pray together. We learned how to play together. By the time I left home, my family was my best friends, and my personal relationship with Jesus continued to grow. The world seemed like a beautiful frontier…

In the summer of my 19th year, I was practicing Mass music with a friend when the phone rang. My dad asked me to come home. I asked him why but he said, “Just come home.” I drove home, and as I began my walk to the back door, I had this feeling my life was going to change. When I opened the door, my family was standing there, all of them crying.

“What??” I asked.

“Your sister has died in a car accident.”

Lori was 22 years old, a respiratory nurse. She was a beautiful person who filled a room with laughter. It was May 19, 1986. Instead of the usual mild temperatures around 20 degrees, it was a freak blizzard. She passed a snowplow on the highway causing a whiteout, and crossed the lane into an oncoming truck. The nurses and doctors, her colleagues, tried to save her — but it wasn’t to be.

My only sister was gone… the picturesque world I had constructed came tumbling down. I was confused and shocked. I grew up watching my parents give to the poor, visit seniors, help men in prison, assist pregnant women, start a youth group… and above all, love us children with an intense love. And now, God had called home their daughter.

Years later, when I held my first baby girl in my arms, I often thought of my parents holding Lori. I couldn’t help but wonder how hard it would be to lose this precious little life. I sat down one day, and put those thoughts to music…

I Love You Baby

Four in the morn’ when my daughter was born
She touched something deep in me
I was in awe at the new life I saw and I
Stood there and I cried
Ya, she touched somethin’ inside

I love you baby, I love you baby
You are my flesh and my own
I love you baby, I love you baby
As far as you will go, I’ll love you so

Funny how time can leave you behind,
Always on the go
She turned eighteen, now she is rarely seen
In our quiet little home
Sometimes I feel so alone

I love you baby, I love you baby
You are my flesh and my own
I love you baby, I love you baby
As far as you will go, I’ll love you so

Sometimes in summer, the leaf falls too soon
Long before it’s fully bloomed
So every day now, I bow and I pray:
“Lord, hold my little girl today,
When you see her, tell her daddy says:”

“I love you baby, I love you baby
You are my flesh and my own
I love you baby, I love you baby
I pray you’ll always know,
May the Good Lord tell you so
I love you baby”

—Mark Mallett, from Vulnerable, 2013©

God is God — I am Not

When I turned 35, my dear friend and mentor, my mom, passed away from cancer. I was left once again realizing that God is God, and I am not.

How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor? Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” (Rom 11:33-35)

In other words, does God owe us anything? It was not He who initiated suffering in our world. He gifted mankind with immortality in a beautiful world, and a nature that could love and know Him, and all the gifts that came with that. Through our rebellion, death entered the world and a bottomless chasm between us and the divine that only God Himself could, and did fill. Is it not we who have a debt of love and gratitude to pay?

It is not the Father but our free will that we should be afraid of!

What should the living complain about? about their sins! Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! (Lam 3:39-40)

Jesus’s death and resurrection did not take away suffering and death but gave it purpose. Now, suffering can refine us and death becomes a doorway to eternity. John’s Gospel says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”^[1] It does not say that whoever believes in Him will have a perfect life. Or a carefree life. Or a prosperous life. It promises eternal life. Suffering, decay, sorrow… these now become the fodder by which God matures, strengthens, and ultimately purifies us for eternal glory.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

He does not willingly afflict or bring grief to human beings. (Lam 3:33)

In truth, I had treated the Lord like a vending machine: if one just behaves, does the right things, goes to Mass, prays… all will go well. But if that were true, then wouldn’t I be God and He would be the one doing my bidding?

My image of the Father needed to be healed. It started with realizing that God loves everyone, not just the “good Christians.”

…He makes His sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (Matt 5:45)

Good comes to all, and so does suffering. But if we let Him, God is the Good Shepherd who will walk with us through the “valley of the shadow of death” (cf. Psalm 23). He doesn’t remove death, not until the end of the world — but offers to safeguard us through it.

…he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Cor 15:25-26)

On the eve of my sister’s funeral, my mom sat on the edge of my bed and looked at my brother and I. “Boys, we have two choices,” she quietly said. “We can blame God for this, we can say, ‘After all we have done, why have you treated us this way? Or,” mom continued, “we can trust that Jesus is here with us now. That He’s holding us and crying with us, and that He’ll help us get through this.” And He did.

A Faithful Refuge

John Paul II once said:

Jesus is demanding, because He wishes our genuine happiness. The Church needs saints. All are called to holiness, and holy people alone can renew humanity. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, World Youth Day Message for 2005, Vatican City, Aug. 27th, 2004, Zenit

Pope Benedict later added,

Christ did not promise an easy life. Those who desire comforts have dialed the wrong number. Rather, he shows us the way to great things, the good, toward an authentic life. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Address to German Pilgrims, April 25th, 2005

“Great things, the good, an authentic life” — this is possible in the midst of suffering, precisely because we have a loving Father to sustain us

. He sends us His Son to open the Way to Heaven. He sends us the Spirit so that we may have His Life and power. And He preserves us in the Truth so that we may always be free.

And when we fail? “If confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”^[2] God is not the tyrant we have made Him to be.

The LORD’s acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; they are renewed each morning — great is your faithfulness! (Lam 3:22-23)

What of sickness, loss, death, and suffering? Here is the Father’s promise:

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:10)

The promises of God in this life are not about preserving your comfort but preserving your peace. Fr. Stan Fortuna C.F.R. used to day, “We’re all going to suffer. You can either suffer with Christ or suffer without Him. I’m going to suffer with Christ.”

When Jesus prayed to the Father, He said:

I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. (John 17:15)

In other words, “I am not asking You to remove the evils of suffering — their crosses, which are necessary for their purification. I am asking that you keep them from the worst evil of all: a satanic deception that would separate them from Me for eternity.

This is the shelter the Father extends to you each moment. These are the wings He stretches forth like a mother hen, to safeguard your salvation so you ma know and love your Heavenly Daddy for eternity.

Instead of hiding from God, begin to hide in Him. Imagine yourself on the Father’s lap, His arms around you, as you pray with this song, and Jesus and the Holy Spirit surrounding you with their love…

Hiding Place

You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
Abiding in You face to Face
You are my hiding place

Surround me, my Lord
Surround me, my God
O surround me, Jesus

You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
Abiding in You face to Face
You are my hiding place

Surround me, my Lord
Surround me, my God
O surround me, Jesus
Surround me, my Lord
O surround me, my God
O surround me, Jesus

You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
Abiding in You face to Face
You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
You are my hiding place
You are my refuge, are my shelter
Within Your presence, I dwell
You are my hiding place

—Mark Mallett, from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	John 3:16
↑2	1 John 1:9

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 11: The Power of Judgments

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

« Apr

Translations

English

Mark Mallett

DAY 11: THE POWER OF JUDGMENTS

Posted on May 24, 2023 by Mark

EVEN though we may have forgiven others, and even ourselves, there is still a subtle but dangerous deception that we need to be sure is rooted out of our lives — one that can still divide, wound, and destroy. And that is the power of wrongful judgments.

Let us begin Day 11 of our Healing Retreat: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Come Holy Spirit, the promised Advocate whom Jesus said would “convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation.” ^[1] I worship and adore you. Spirit of God, my life-breath, my strength, my Helper in times of need. You are the revealer of truth. Come and heal the divisions in my heart and in my family and relationships where judgements have taken root. Bring the divine light to shine upon the lies, false assumptions, and hurtful conclusions that linger. Help me to love others as Jesus has loved us so that the power of love may triumph. Come Holy Spirit, Wisdom and Light. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

You are about to enter into the song of the angels being exclaimed in Heaven “day and night”: Holy, Holy, Holy (Rev 4:8)… Make this part of your opening prayer.

Sanctus

Holy, Holy, Holy
God of power and God of might
Heaven and the Earth
Are full of Your glory

Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest

Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord

Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest
Hosanna in the highest

Holy, Holy, Holy

—Mark Mallett, from Here You Are, 2013©

The Splinter

I am dedicating a Day of this retreat on this subject alone as I believe it is one of the greatest spiritual battlegrounds of our times. Jesus said,

Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. (Matt 7:1-5)

Judgment is one of the chief weapons of the prince of darkness. He is using this device to divide marriages, families, friends, communities, and ultimately, nations. Part of your healing in this reteat is that the Lord wants you to become aware of and let go of any judgments you may have in your heart — judgments that can prevent the healing of relationships that Jesus has in store for you.

Judgments can become so powerful, so convincing, that the mere look on another person’s face can carry a meaning that simply doesn’t exist.

I remember years ago at a concert I gave that there was one man in the front row with a scowl on his face the whole evening. I finally thought to myself, “What the heck is his problem? Why is he even here?” As it turns out, he was the first one to approach me after the concert and thank me profusely for the evening. Yup, I had judged the book by its cover.

When judgments take deep root against another person, their every action, their silence, their choices, their presence — all can fall under a judgment we carry toward them, assigning false motives, erroneous conclusions, suspicions and lies. That is, sometimes the “splinter” in our brother’s eye is not even there! We just belive the lie that it is, blinded by the wooden beam in our own. This is why this retreat is so important that we seek the Lord’s help to remove anything that is obscuring our vision of others and the world.

Judgments can destroy friendships. Judgments between spouses can lead to divorce. Judgements between relatives can lead to years of cold silence. Judgments can lead to genocide and even nuclear war.I think the Lord is shouting to us: “Stop judging!”

So, part of our healing is making sure that we have repented of all judgments that we carry in our hearts, including those against ourselves.

Loving as Christ Loves Us

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world… Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life He has in himself. —CCC, n. 679

One of the great transforming works of love (see Day 10) is to accept others where they are at. To not shun or condemn them, but love them in all their imperfections so that they would be attracted to Christ in you and eventually the truth. St. Paul puts it this way:

Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2)

The law to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Bearing one another’s burderns, however, becomes much more difficult when another’s temperament is not to our liking. Or their love language doesn’t meet our own needs and desires. This is where some marriages get into trouble and why communication and understanding, patience and sacrifice are essential.

For example, my love language is affection. My wife’s is acts of service. There was a time when I began to let judgments creep into my heart that my wife did not care for me or desire me as much. But that was not the case — touch is not her primary love language. And yet, when I would go out of my way to do things for her around the house, her heart came alive toward me and she felt loved, far more than she did by my affection.

This brings us back to Day 10’s discussion of the healing power of love — sacrificial love. Many times, judgments spring to life because we are not being served and catered to by another. But Jesus said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” And so,

…serve one another through love. (Gal 5:13)

If this is not our mindset, then the soil of our relationships is being prepared for the seeds of judgment to take root.

See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, through which many may become defiled… (Hebrews 12:15)

For husbands and wives in particular, the imperative is clear: even though a husband is spiritual head of the wife in the order of grace,^[2] in the order of love, they are equals:

Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)

If we just stopped judging and truly began serving one another, as Christ has served us, so many of our conflicts would simply end.

How Have I Judged?

Some people are more easy to love than others. But we are called even to “love your enemies.”^[3] That also means giving them the benefit of the doubt. The following passage from the Catechism can serve as a small examination of conscience when it comes to judgments. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you anyone whom you have perhaps fallen into these traps with:

He becomes guilty:

– of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

– of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another’s faults and failings to persons who did not know them;

– of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor’s thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another’s statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved. —CCC, 2477-2478

Trusting in Christ’s mercy, ask forgiveness, renounce the judgments you have made, and resolve to see this person with Christ’s eyes.

Is there someone whom you need to seek forgiveness from? Do you need to ask pardon for having judged them? Your humility in this instance can sometimes open up new and healing vistas with the other person because, when it comes to judgments, you are also liberating them if they have perceived your judgments.

There is nothing more beautiful when the lies between two people or two families, etc. fall, and the flower of love takes the place of those bitter roots.

It can even begin the healing of marriages that seem broken beyond repair. While I wrote this song about my wife, it can also apply to anyone. We can touch other hearts when we refuse to judge them and just love them the way that Christ loves us…

In The Way

Somehow we are a mystery
I was made for you, and you for me
We’ve gone beyond what words can say
But I hear them in you everyday…

In the way that you love me
In the way your eyes meet mine
In the way you forgive me
In the way you hold me so tight

Somehow you’re the deepest part of me
A dream become reality
And though we’ve had our share of tears
You’ve proven I don’t need to fear

In the way that you love me
In the way your eyes meet mine
In the way you forgive me
In the way you hold me tight

Oh, I see in you, a very simple truth
I see living proof that there’s a God
Because His name is Love
The One who died for us
Oh, it’s easy to belive when I’m seein’ in you

In the way that you love me
In the way your eyes meet mine
In the way you forgive me
In the way you hold me tight
In the way you hold me so tight

—Mark Mallett, from Love Holds On, 2002©

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	cf. John 16:8
↑2	cf. Eph 5:23
↑3	Luke 6:27

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 10: The Healing Power of Love

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 10: THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Mark

IT says in First John:

We love, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

This retreat is happening because God loves you. The sometimes hard truths you are facing are because God loves you. The healing and liberation you’re beginning to experience is because God loves you. He loved you first. He will not stop loving you.

God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8)

And so, continue to trust that He will also heal you.

Let’s begin Day 10 of our Healing Retreat: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen…

Come Holy Spirit, open my heart this day to receive the fullness of the Father’s love for me. Help me to rest upon His lap and know His love. Expand my heart to receive His love so that I, in turn, may be a vessel of that same love to the world. Jesus, your Holy Name is healing itself. I love you and adore you and thank you for dying so that I can be healed and saved by Your grace. In your name, Jesus, I pray, amen.

Our Lady often says to “pray with the heart”, not just mutter the words and go through the motions but to mean them “with the heart,” as you would speak with a friend. And so, let’s pray this song with the heart…

You Are Lord

Day to day and night to night proclaim
You are God
A single word, a sole name, they say
And with them I pray

Jesus, Jesus, I love you Jesus
You are Hope
Jesus, Jesus, I love you Jesus
You are Hope

Creation groans, awaits the day when
The sons will be son
And every heart and soul and tongue will sing aloud,
O Lord, You are King

Jesus, Jesus, I love you Jesus
You are King
Jesus, Jesus, I love you Jesus
You are King

And even though the world has forgotten,
living like there’s nothing more than passion, flesh and pleasure
Souls are reaching out for more than temporal
O, Eternity has come to me and set me free, set me free…

I love you Jesus,
You are Lord, my Lord, my Lord, my Lord
Jesus, I love you Jesus
You are Lord

—Mark Mallett, from Here You Are, 2013©

The Power of Love

Christ is healing you through the power of His love. In truth, our healing is needed, in part, because we have also failed to love. And so the fullness of healing will come as you and I begin to follow Christ’s Word:

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:10-14)

There is no fullness of joy until we begin to love the way Jesus has loved us. There really is no complete healing in our lives (of the effects of Original Sin) until we love as He showed us. There is no friendship with God if we reject His commandments.

Each springtime, the Earth is “healed” because it “abides” in its orbit without deviation. So too, man and woman were created to live totally and completely in the orbit of love. When we depart from that, things go out of harmony and a certain chaos takes place in and around us. And so, just by loving we begin to heal ourselves and the world around us.

…keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35)

It is more blessed because the one loves is entering more deeply into communion with God.

Healing Relationships

Recall again the axiom:

You can’t go back and change the beginning,
but you can start where you are and change the ending.

The biblical way of saying this is:

Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

In Day 6, we talked about how our lack of forgiveness for others can often be expressed with a “cold shoulder.” By choosing to forgive, we break those patterns and gut reactions that, ultimately, bring more division. But we need to go further. We need to love others as Christ has loved us.

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good. (Rom 12:20-21)

Love conquers evil. If St. Paul says, “the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds,”^[1] then love is chief among our weapons. It breaks down old patterns, thoughts, and walls rooted in self-defense, self-preservation, if not selfishness. The reason is that love is not just an action or a feeling; it is a Person.

…for God is love. (1 John 4:8)

Love is so powerful that no matter who exercises it, even an atheist, it can change hearts. We were made to love and be loved. How healing is love, even from a stranger!

But what exactly should authentic love look like in our interactions?

Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave… (Phil 3:2-7)

When it comes to your relationships, especially those most wounded, it is this kind of love — sacrificial love — that is most transformative. It is this emptying of self that “covers a multitude of sins.” This is how we change the ending of our wounded story: love, as Christ has loved us.

In your journal, ask the Lord to show you how He wants you to love those around you — your family, friends, co-workers, schoolmates, etc. — but especially how to love those with whom you are not in harmony, who are hard to love, or who don’t reciprocate love. Write down what you are going to do, what you are going to change, what you will do differently.

And then pray with the song below, asking the Lord to help you and fill you with His love. Yes, Love, live in me.

Love Live in Me

If I speak in angelic tongues, have the gift of prophecy
Comprehend all mysteries… but have not love
I have nothing

If I have faith to move mountains, give away everything I own
Even my body to be burned… but have not love,
I am nothing

So, Love live in me, I am weak, O, but Love, You are strong
So, Love live in me, no longer I
Self must die
And Love live in me

If I call to Him night and day, sacrifice, O, and fast and pray
“Here I am, Lord, here is my praise”, but have not love
I have nothing

If I’m admired from sea to sea, leave a name and a legacy
Live my days ’till a thousand and three, but have not love
I am nothing

So, Love live in me, I am weak, O, but Love, You are strong
So, Love live in me, no longer I
Self must die

And love bears all things,
And love hopes all things
And love endures
And love never fails

So, Love live in me, I am weak, O so weak,
O but Love, You are strong
So, Love live in me, no longer I
Self must die
And Love live in me
Love live in me, O Love live in me

—Mark Mallett (with Raylene Scarrot) from Let the Lord Know, 2005©

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	2 Cor 10:4

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 9: The Deep Cleanse

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30	31

« Apr

Translations

English

Mark Mallett

DAY 9: THE DEEP CLEANSE

Posted on May 22, 2023 by Mark

LET us begin in prayer: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

Come Holy Spirit, Refiner’s Fire, and purify my heart like gold. Burn away the dross of my soul: the desire for sin, my attachment to sin, my love for sin. Come, Spirit of Truth, as Word and Power, to sever my ties to all things that not of God, to renew my spirit in the love of the Father, and to strengthen me for the daily battle. Come Holy Spirit, and enlighten my mind that I may see all things displeasing to You, and have the grace to love and pursue only the Will of God. I ask this through Jesus Christ my Lord, amen.

Jesus is the Healer of your soul. He is also the Good Shepherd to safeguard you through the Valley of the Shadow of Death — sin, and all its temptations. Ask Jesus to come now and shield your soul from the snare of sin…

Healer of My Soul

Healer of my soul
Keep me at even’
Keep me at morning
Keep me at noon
Healer of my soul

Keeper of my soul
On rough course faring
Help and safeguard my means this night
Keeper of my soul

I am tired, astray, and stumbling
Shield my soul from the snare of sin

Healer of my soul
Heal me at even’
Heal me at morning
Heal me at noon
Healer of my soul

Where Are You At?

Jesus is moving powerfully, according to many of your letters. Yet, others are still in a place of receiving and needing deep healing. It’s all good. Jesus is gentle and doesn’t do everything at once, especially when we are fragile.

Recall again our Healing Preparations and how this retreat is akin to bringing you before Jesus, like the paralytic, and dropping you through the roof in order for Him to heal you.

After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven”… Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth”— he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” (Mark 2:4-5)

Where are you at right now? Take a moment and write out in your journal a little note to Jesus. Maybe you’re still being lowered through the roof; maybe you feel that Jesus hasn’t noticed you yet; perhaps you need Him still to speak words of healing and liberation… Take up your pen, tell Jesus where you are at, and what you feel your heart needs… Always listen in the quiet for an answer — not an audible voice, but words, an inspiration, an image, whatever it may be.

Breaking Chains

It says in Scripture,

For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

Sin is what gives Satan a certain “legal” access to the Christian. The Cross is what dissolves that legal claim:

[Jesus] brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross; despoiling the principalities and the powers, he made a public spectacle of them, leading them away in triumph by it. (Col 2:13-15)

Our sin, and even the sin of others, can expose us to what is called “demonic oppression” — evil spirits who afflict or oppress us. Some of you may be experiencing this, especially during this retreat, and so the Lord wants to free you from this oppression.

What is necessary is that we first identify the areas in our life where we have not repented by a good examination of conscience (Part I). Second, we will begin to close those doors of any oppression that we may have opened (Part II).

Freedom Through An Examination of Conscience

It is extremely beneficial that we do a general examen of our life to make sure that we have brought everything into the light for Christ’s forgiveness and healing. That there be left no spiritual chains attached to your soul. After Jesus said, “the truth will set you free,” He added:

Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. (John 8:34)

If you have never done a general confession in your life, which is to tell the Confessor (priest) all your sins, the following examination of conscience can prepare you for that confession, either during or after this retreat. A general confession, which was a great grace for me several years ago, has been highly recommended by many saints. Among its benefits is that it brings a deep peace knowing that you have immersed your entire life and sins into the merciful Heart of Jesus.

I am now speaking of a general confession of your whole life, which, while I grant it is not always necessary, I yet believe will be found most helpful in the beginning of your pursuit after holiness… a general confession forces us to a clearer self-knowledge, kindles a wholesome shame for our past life, and rouses gratitude for God’s Mercy, which has so long waited patiently for us; — it comforts the heart, refreshes the spirit, excites good resolutions, affords opportunity to our spiritual Father for giving the most suitable advice, and opens our hearts so as to make future confessions more effectual. —St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life, Ch. 6

In the following examination (which you can print out if you like and make notes — select Print Friendly at the bottom of this page), note those sins of the past that you may have forgotten or that may still need God’s cleansing grace. There are likely many things that you have already asked forgiveness for already this retreat. As you go through these guidelines, it is good to keep them in perspective:

So often the Church’s counter-cultural witness is misunderstood as something backward and negative in today’s society. That is why it is important to emphasize the Good News, the life-giving and life-enhancing message of the Gospel. Even though it is necessary to speak out strongly against the evils that threaten us, we must correct the idea that Catholicism is merely “a collection of prohibitions”. —Address to Irish Bishops; VATICAN CITY, October 29, 2006

Catholicism, essentially, is an encounter with the love and mercy of Jesus…

PART I

The First Commandment

I am the LORD your God. You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.

Have I…

Reserved or harboured hatred for God?
Disobeyed the commandments of God or the Church?
Refused to accept what God has revealed as true, or what the Catholic
Church proclaims for belief?
Denied the existence of God?
Neglected to nourish and protect my faith?
Neglected to reject everything opposed to a sound faith?
Deliberately misled others about doctrine or the faith?
Rejected the Catholic faith, joined another Christian denomination, or
joined or practiced another religion?
Joined a group forbidden to Catholics (Freemasons, communists, etc.)?
Despaired about my salvation or the forgiveness of my sins?
Presumed God’s mercy? (Committing a sin in expectation of
forgiveness, or asking for forgiveness without interior conversion and
practicing virtue.)
Have fame, fortune, money, career, pleasure, etc. replaced God as my highest priority?
Let someone or something influence my choices more than God?
Been involved in the occult or occult practices? (Séances, Ouija board,
worship of Satan, fortune tellers, tarot cards, Wicca, the New Age, Reiki, yoga,^[1]Scientology, Astrology, Horoscopes, superstitions)
Formally attempted to leave the Catholic Church?
Hidden a serious sin or told a lie in Confession?

The Second Commandment

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Have I…

Have I committed blasphemy by using the name of God and Jesus Christ to swear rather than to praise?
Failed to keep vows, promises, or resolutions that I have made to
God? [specify in the confessional which one; the Priest has authority to
remove the obligations of promises and resolutions if they are too rash
or unjust]
Have I committed sacrilege by showing disrespect to holy objects (eg. crucifix, rosary) or contempt for religious persons (bishop, priests, deacons, women religious) or for sacred places (in Church).
Watched television or movies, or listened to music that treated God,
the Church, the saints, or sacred things irreverently?
Used vulgar, suggestive or obscene speech?
Belittled others in my language?
Behaved disrespectfully in the church building (e.g., talking
immoderately in church before, during, or after holy Mass)?
Misused places or things set apart for the worship of God?
Committed perjury? (Breaking an oath or lying under oath.)
Blamed God for my failings?
Did I break the laws of fast and abstinence during Lent?
Did I neglect my Easter duty to receive Holy Communion at least once?
Have I neglected to support the Church and the poor by sharing my time, talent and treasure?

The Third Commandment

Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.

Have I…

Missed Mass on Sunday or Holy Days (through own fault without sufficient
reason)?
Have I shown disrespect by leaving Mass early, not paying attention or not joining in the prayers?
Neglected to set time aside each day for personal prayer to God?
Committed a sacrilege against the Blessed Sacrament (thrown Him
away; brought Him home; treated Him carelessly, etc.)?
Received any sacrament while in the state of mortal sin?
Habitually come late to and/or leave early from Mass?
Shop, labour, practice sports or do business unnecessarily on Sunday or
other Holy Days of Obligation?
Not attended to taking my children to Mass?
Not provided proper instruction in the Faith to my children?
Knowingly eaten meat on a forbidden day (or not fasted on a fast
day)?
Eaten or drunken within one hour of receiving Communion (other than
medical need)?

Fourth Commandment

Honour your father and your mother.

Have I…

(If still under my parents’ care) Obeyed all that my parents or guardians reasonably
asked of me?
Did I neglect to help them with household chores?
Have I caused them unnecessary worry and anxiety by my attitude, behaviour, moods, etc.?
Shown disregard for my parents’ wishes, displayed contempt of their
demands, and/or disdained their very being?
Neglected the needs of my parents in their old age or in their time of
need?
Brought shame on them?
(If still in school) Obeyed the reasonable demands of my teachers?
Disrespected my teachers?
(If I have children) Neglected to give my children proper food,
clothing, shelter, education, discipline and care, including spiritual care and religious education (even after Confirmation)?
Ensured that my children still under my care regularly frequent the
sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion?
Been to my children a good example of how to live the Catholic Faith?
Prayed with and for my children?
(for everyone) Lived in humble obedience to those who legitimately
exercise authority over me?
Broken any just law?
Supported or voted for a politician whose positions are opposed to the
teachings of Christ and the Catholic Church?
Failed to pray for the deceased members of my family… the Poor
Souls of Purgatory included?

The Fifth Commandment

You shall not murder.

Have I…

Unjustly and intentionally killed a human being (murder)?
Have I been guilty, through negligence and/or lacking of intention, of
the death of another?
Been involved in an abortion, directly or indirectly (through advice,
encouragement, providing money, or facilitating it in any other way)?
Seriously considered or attempted suicide?
Supported, promoted, or encouraged the practice of assisted suicide or
mercy killing (euthanasia)?
Deliberately desired to kill an innocent human being?
Caused serious injury of another by criminal neglect?
Unjustly inflicted bodily harm on another person?
Have I inflicted my body intentionally through self-harm?
Do I show contempt for my body by neglecting to take care of my own health?
Unjustly threatened another person with bodily harm?
Verbally or emotionally abused another person?
Have I held a grudge or sought revenge against someone who wronged me?
Do I point out others’ faults and mistakes while ignoring my own?
Do I complain more than I compliment?
Am I ungrateful for what other people do for me?
Do I tear people down rather than encourage them?
Hated another person, or wished him/her evil?
Been prejudiced, or unjustly discriminated against others because of
their race, color, nationality, sex or religion?
Joined a hate group?
Purposely provoked another by teasing or nagging?
Recklessly endangered my life or health, or that of another, by my
actions?
Abused alcohol or other drugs?
Driven recklessly or under the influence of alcohol or other drugs?
Sold or given drugs to others to use for non-therapeutic purposes?
Used tobacco immoderately?
Over-eaten?
Encouraged others to sin by giving scandal?
Helped another to commit a mortal sin (through advice, driving them
somewhere, dressing and/or acting immodestly, etc.)?
Indulged in unjust anger?
Refused to control my temper?
Been fateful to, quarrelled with, or willfully hurt someone?
Been unforgiving of others, especially when mercy or pardon was
requested?
Sought revenge or hoped something bad would happen to someone?
Delighted to see someone else get hurt or suffer?
Treated animals cruelly, causing them to suffer or die needlessly?

The Sixth and Ninth Commandments

You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife.

Have I…

Neglected to practice and grow in the virtue of chastity?
Given in to lust? (The desire for sexual pleasure unrelated to spousal
love in marriage.)
Used an artificial means of birth control (including withdrawal)?
Refused to be open to conception, without just cause? (Catechism,
2368)
Participated in immoral techniques such as in vitro fertilization or
artificial insemination?
Sterilized my sex organs for contraceptive purposes?
Deprived my spouse of the marital right, without just cause?
Claimed my own marital right without concern for my spouse?
Deliberately caused male climax outside of normal sexual intercourse?
Masturbated? (Deliberate stimulation of one’s own sexual organs for
sexual pleasure outside of the conjugal act.) (Catechism, 2366)
Willfully entertained impure thoughts?
Purchased, viewed, or made use of pornography? (Magazines, videos, internet, chat rooms, hotlines, etc.)
Have I gone to massage parlors or adult bookstores?
Have I not avoided the occasions of sin (persons, places, websites) which would tempt me to be unfaithful to my spouse or to my own chastity?
Watched or promoted movies and television that involve sex and
nudity?
Listened to music or jokes, or told jokes, that are harmful to purity?
Read books that are immoral?
Committed adultery? (Sexual relations with someone who is married,
or with someone other than my spouse.)
Committed incest? (Sexual relations with a relative closer than the
third degree or an in-law.)
Committed fornication? (Sexual relations with someone of the opposite
sex when the two are not married to one another or any others.)
Engaged in homosexual activity? (Sexual activity with someone of the
same sex)
Committed rape?
Engaged in sexual foreplay reserved for marriage? (e.g., “petting”, or excessive touching)
Preyed upon children or youth for my sexual pleasure (pedophilia)?
Engaged in unnatural sexual activities (anything that is not inherently
natural to the sexual act)
Engaged in prostitution, or paid for the services of a prostitute?
Seduced someone, or allowed myself to be seduced?
Made uninvited and unwelcome sexual advances toward another?
Purposely dressed immodestly?

The Seventh and Tenth Commandments

You shall not steal.
You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods.

Have I…

Have I stolen any object, committed any shoplifting or cheated anyone of their money?
Have I shown disrespect or even contempt for other people’s property?
Have I done any acts of vandalism?
Am I greedy or envious of another’s goods?
Neglected to live in a spirit of Gospel poverty and simplicity?
Neglected to give generously to others in need?
Not considered that God has provided me with money so that I might
use it to benefit others, as well as for my own legitimate needs?
Allowed myself to be conformed to a consumer mentality (buy, buy
buy, throw away, waste, spend, spend, spend?)
Neglected to practice the corporal works of mercy?
Deliberately defaced, destroyed or lost another’s property?
Cheated on a test, taxes, sports, games, or in business?
Squandered money in compulsive gambling?
Made a false claim to an insurance company?
Paid my employees a living wage, or failed to give a full day’s work for
a full day’s pay?
Failed to honour my part of a contract?
Failed to make good on a debt?
Overcharge someone, especially to take advantage of another’s
hardship or ignorance?
Misused natural resources?

The Eighth Commandment

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

Have I…

Lied?
Knowingly and willfully deceived another?
Perjured myself under oath?
Gossiped or detracted anyone? (Destroying a person’s reputation by telling others about another’s faults for no good reason.)
Committed slander or calumny? (Telling lies about another person in
order to destroy his reputation.)
Committed libel? (Writing lies about another person in order to destroy
his reputation. Libel is in substance different from slander because the
written word has a longer “life” of damage)
Been guilty of rash judgment? (Assuming the worst of another person
based on circumstantial evidence.)
Failed to make reparation for a lie I told, or for harm done to a
person’s reputation?
Failed to speak out in defense of the Catholic Faith, the Church, or of
another person?
Betrayed another’s confidence through speech, deed, or in writing?
Do I love to hear bad news about my enemies?

After having completed Part I, take a moment and pray with this song…

Guilty

Once more, Lord, I have sinned
I am guilty Lord (repeat)

I have turned and walked away
From Your presence, Lord
I want to come Home
And in Your Mercy stay

Once more, Lord, I have sinned
I am guilty Lord (repeat)

I have turned and walked away
From Your presence, Lord
I want to come Home
And in Your Mercy stay

I have turned and walked away
From Your presence, Lord
I want to come Home
And in Your Mercy stay
And in Your Mercy stay

Ask the Lord for His pardon; trust in His unconditional love and mercy. [If there is any unrepented mortal sin,^[2] promise the Lord to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation before the next time you receive the Blessed Sacrament.]

Remember what Jesus said to St. Faustina:

Come and confide in your God, who is love and mercy… Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet… I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. —Jesus to St. Faustina, Divine Mercy in My Soul, Diary, n. 1486, 699,

Now, take a deep breath, and move on to Part II…

Part II

As a baptized believer, the Lord says to you:

Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. (Luke 10:19)

Since you are the priest^[3] of your body, which is the “temple of the Holy Spirit”, you have authority over the “principalities and powers” that come against you. Likewise, as the head of his wife and the home,^[4])) which is the “domestic church”,^[5] fathers have authority over their household; and finally, the bishop has authority over his entire diocese, which is “the church of the living God.”^[6]

The experience of the Church through her various apostolates of deliverance ministry would essentially agree on three basic elements necessary for deliverance from evil spirits:

I. Repentance

If we have willfully chosen not only to sin but to adore the idols of our appetites, no matter how small, we are handing ourselves over in degrees, so to speak, to the influence of the devil (oppression). In the case of grave sin, unforgiveness, loss of faith, or involvement in the occult, a person may be permitting the evil one a stronghold (obsession). Depending upon the nature of the sin and the soul’s disposition or other serious factors, this can result in evil spirits actually inhabiting the person (possession).

What you have done, through a thorough examination of conscience, is sincerely repent of all participation in the works of darkness. This dissolves the legal claim Satan has on the soul — and why one exorcist said to me that “One good confession is more powerful than one hundred exorcisms.” But it may also be necessary to renounce and “bind” those spirits who still feel they have a claim…

II. Renounce

True repentance means renouncing our former deeds and way of life and turning away from committing those sins again.

For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world… (Titus 2:11-12)

You now have a sense of what sins you struggle most with, what is most oppressing, addictive, etc. It is important that we also renounce our attachments and actions. For example, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I renounce having used Tarot cards and seeking out fortune tellers”, or “I renounce my participation with a cult or association [like Freemasonry, satanism, etc.],” or “I renounce lust,” or “I renounce anger”, or “I renounce the abuse of alcohol”, or “I renounce being entertained by horror films,” or “I renounce playing violent or racy video games”, or “I renounce heavy death metal music,” etc. This declaration puts the spirits behind these activities on notice. And then…

III. Rebuke

You have the authority to bind and rebuke (cast out) the demon behind that temptation in your life. You can simply say:^[7]

In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind the spirit of _________ and command you to depart.

Here, you can name the spirit: “spirit of the Occult”, “Lust”, “Anger”, “Alcoholism”, “Suicide”, “Violence”, or what have you. Another prayer that I use is similar:

In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I bind the spirit of _________ with the chain of Mary to the foot of the Cross. I command you to depart and forbid you to return.

If you don’t know the name of the spirit(s), you can also pray:

In the Name of Jesus Christ, I take authority over each and every spirit coming against _________ [me or another name] and I bind them and command them to depart.

Before you begin, drawing from your examination of conscience, invite Our Lady, St. Joseph, and your guardian angel to pray for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to mind any spirits that you are to name, and then repeat the prayer(s) above. Remember, you are “priest, prophet, and king” over your temple, and so boldly affirm your God-given authority in Jesus Christ.

When you are done, finish with the prayers below…

Washing and Infilling

Jesus tells us this:

When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my home from which I came.’ But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first. (Matt 12:43-45)

One priest in deliverance ministry taught me that, after rebuking evil spirits, one can pray:

“Lord, come now and fill the empty places in my heart with your Spirit and presence. Come Lord Jesus with your angels and close the gaps in my life.”

If you have had sexual relations with people other than your spouse, pray:

Lord, forgive me for having used the beauty of my sexual gifts outside of your ordained laws and purposes. I ask you to break all unholy unions, in your Name Lord Jesus Christ, and renew my innocence. Wash me in your Precious Blood, breaking any unlawful bonds, and bless (name of other person) and make known to them Your love and mercy. Amen.

As a side note, I remember hearing the testimony of a prostitute who converted to Christianity many years ago. She said she had slept with over a thousand men, but after her conversion and marriage to a Christian man, she said their wedding night “was like the first time.” That’s the power of Jesus’ restorative love.

Of course, if we return to old patterns, habits, and temptations, then the evil one will simply and legally reclaim what it has temporarily lost to the degree that we leave the door open. So be faithful and attentive to your spiritual life. If you fall, simply repeat what you have learned above. And make sure the Sacrament of Confession is now a regularly part of your life (at least monthly).

Through these prayers and your commitment, today, you are returning Home to your Father, who is already embracing and kissing you. This is your song and closing prayer…

Returning/The Prodigal

I am the prodigal comin’ back to You
Offering all I am, surrendering to You
And I see, yes I see, You runnin’ out to me
And I hear, yes I hear, You callin’ me child
And I wanna be…

Under the shelter of your wings
Under the shelter of your wings
This is my home and where I always want to be
Under the shelter of your wings

I am the prodigal, Father I have sinned
I am not worthy to be of your kin
But I see, yes I see, Your finest robe ’round me
And I feel, yes I feel, Your arms around me
And I wanna be…

Under the shelter of your wings
Under the shelter of your wings
This is my home and where I always want to be
Under the shelter of your wings

I have blind, but now I see
I have been lost, but now I am found and free

Under the shelter of your wings
Under the shelter of your wings
This is my home and where I always want to be

Where I wanna be
In the shelter of your wings
It’s where I wanna be, in the shelter, in the shelter
Of your wings
This is my home and where I always want to be
Under the shelter of your wings

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	Many Catholic exorcists have warned about the spiritual side of yoga that can open one up to demonic influence. Former psychic-turned-Christian, Jenn Nizza who practiced yoga, warns: “I used to do yoga ritualistically, and the meditation aspect really opened me up and helped me to receive communication from evil spirits. Yoga is a Hindu spiritual practice and the word ‘yoga’ is rooted in Sanskrit. It means ‘to yoke to’ or ‘to unite with.’ And what they’re doing is … they have deliberate postures that are paying tribute, honor and worship to their false gods.” (see “Yoga opens ‘demonic doors’ to ‘evil spirits,’ warns ex-psychic who became Christian”, christianpost.com
↑2	‘For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”‘ (CCC, 1857)
↑3	nb. not the sacramental priesthood. “Jesus Christ is the one whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and established as priest, prophet, and king. The whole People of God participates in these three offices of Christ and bears the responsibilities for mission and service that flow from them.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), n. 783)
↑4	Eph 5:23
↑5	CCC, n. 2685
↑6	1 Tim 3:15
↑7	The above prayers while intended for individual use can be adapted by those who have authority over others, while the Rite of Exorcism is reserved to bishops and those whom he grants authority to use it.

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 8: The Deepest Wounds

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 8: THE DEEPEST WOUNDS

Posted on May 21, 2023 by Mark

WE are now crossing the halfway point of our retreat. God is not finished, there is more work to do. The Divine Surgeon is beginning to reach the deepest places of our woundedness, not to trouble and disturb us, but to heal us. It can be painful to face these memories. This is the moment of perseverance; this is the moment of walking by faith and not sight, trusting in the process that the Holy Spirit has begun in your heart. Standing beside you is the Blessed Mother and your brothers and sisters, the Saints, all interceding for you. They are closer to you now than they were in this life, because they are fully united to the Holy Trinity in eternity, who dwells within you by virtue of your Baptism.

Yet, you may feel alone, even abandoned as you struggle to answer questions or to hear the Lord speaking to you. But as the Psalmist says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?”^[1] Jesus promised: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”^[2]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before Him, He endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken His seat at the right of the throne of God. (Heb 12″1-2)

For the sake of the joy that God has in store for you, it is necessary to bring our sinfulness and wounds to the Cross. And so, invite the Holy Spirit again to come and strengthen you in this moment, and to persevere:

Come Holy Spirit and fill my vulnerable heart. I trust in Your love for me. I trust in Your presence and help in my weakness. I open my heart to You. I hand over to You my pain. I surrender myself to You because I cannot fix myself. Reveal to me my deepest wounds, especially those in my family, that there may be peace and reconciliation. Restore the joy of Your salvation and renew a right spirit within me. Come Holy Spirit, wash and free me from unhealthy bonds and set me free as your new creation.

Lord Jesus, I come before the foot of Your Cross and unite my wounds to Yours, for “by Your wounds we are healed.” I thank you for your pierced Sacred Heart, overflowing right now with love, mercy and healing for me and my family. I open my heart to receive this healing. Jesus, I trust in You.

Now, pray from the heart with the following song…

Fix My Eyes

Fix my eyes on You, Fix my eyes on You
Fix my eyes on You (repeat)
I love You

Lead me to Your Heart, perfect my faith in You
Show me the Way
The Way to your Heart, I put my faith in You
I fix eyes on You

Fix my eyes on You, Fix my eyes on You
Fix my eyes on You
I love You

Lead me to Your Heart, perfect my faith in You
Show me the Way
The Way to your Heart, I put my faith in You
I fix eyes on You

Fix my eyes on You, Fix my eyes on You
Fix my eyes on You (repeat)
I love You, I love You

Family and Our Deepest Wounds

It is through the family and especially our parents that we learn to bond with others, to trust, to grow in confidence, and above all, to form our relationship with God.

But if the bonding with our parents is hampered or even absent, it can affect not only our image of ourselves but of the Heavenly Father. It’s really amazing — and sobering — how much parents impact their children, for better or worse. The father-mother-child relationship, after all, is meant to be a visible reflection of the Holy Trinity.

Even in the womb, rejection can be perceived by our infant spirit. If a mother rejects the life growing within her, and especially if that continues after birth; if she was unable to mentally or physically be present; if she didn’t respond to our cries for hunger, love, or to comfort us when we felt the injustice of our siblings, this broken bond can leave one insecure, searching for the love, acceptance and security that should be first learned from our mothers.

Same with an absent father, or two working parents. This interference of our bonding with them can leave us later in life with doubts about God’s love and presence to us and create an inability to bond with Him. Sometimes we end up looking for that unconditional love elsewhere. It’s notable in a Denmark study that those who formed homosexual tendencies frequently came from homes with unstable or absent parents.^[3]

Later in life, having failed to make healthy emotional bonds in our childhood, we can shut down, close our hearts, build a wall, and prevent anyone from entering. We can make vows to ourselves such as “I will never let anyone in again,” “I will never let myself be vulnerable, “No one will ever hurt me again,” etc. And of course, these will apply to God too. Or we can try to assuage the voids in our hearts or our inabilities to bond or feel dignified by medicating them with material things, alcohol, drugs, empty encounters, or co-dependent relationships. In other words, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Or we will try to find purpose and meaning through achievements, status, success, wealth, etc. — that false identity we spoke of yesterday.

The Father

But how does God the Father love us?

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and rich in mercy. He will not always find fault; nor persist in his wrath forever. He does not treat us according to our faults… As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins from us… He knows of what we are made; he remembers that we are dust. (cf. Psalm 103: 8-14)

Is this your image of God? If not, we may be struggling with a “father wound.”

If our fathers were emotionally distant, lacking compassion, or spent little time with us, then we can often project this on God, thus feeling everything depends on us in life. Or if they were demanding and harsh, quick to anger and critical, expecting nothing less than perfection, then we may grow up feeling that God the Father is unforgiving of any mistakes and weakness, and ready to treat us according to our faults — a God to be feared rather than loved. We may develop an inferiority complex, lack confidence, feel afraid to take risks. Or if nothing you did was ever good enough for your parents, or they showed more favor to a sibling, or they even mocked or ridiculed your gifts and efforts, then we can grow up deeply insecure, feeling ugly, unwanted, and struggle to make new bonds and friendships.

Again, these kinds of wounds can overflow into projections on God. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, rather than being a new beginning, becomes a relief valve to divert divine punishment — until we sin again. But that mindset doesn’t line up with Psalm 103, does it?

God is the best of Fathers. He is a perfect father. He loves you unconditionally, as you are.

From Hurt to Healing

I remember at one parish mission years ago when I was praying with people for healing, a woman in her late thirties approached me. With pain in her face, she said her father had abused her when she was a little girl and that she was deeply angry and couldn’t forgive him. Immediately, I had an image come to mind. I said to her, “Imagine a little baby boy sleeping in a crib. See the little curls in his hair, his tiny clenched fists as he sleeps so peacefully. That was your dad… but one day, someone hurt that baby, too, and he repeated the same thing to you. Can you forgive him?” She burst into tears, then I burst into tears. We embraced, and she let out decades of pain as I led her through prayers of forgiveness.

This is not to mitigate the decisions that our parents made or to pretend that aren’t responsible for their decisions. They are. But as already said, “Hurting people hurt people.” As parents, we often parent the way we were parented. In fact, the dysfunction can be generational. Exorcist Msgr. Stephen Rossetti writes:

It is true that baptism does cleanse the person from the stain of Original Sin. However, it does not wipe out all its effects. For example, suffering and death remain in our world because of Original Sin, despite the power of baptism. Others teach that we are not culpable for the sins of past generations. This is true. But the effects of their sins can and do affect us. For example, if my parents were both drug addicts, I am not responsible for their sins. But the negative effects of growing up in a drug addicted household would certainly affect me. — “Exorcist Diary #233: Generational Curses?”, March 27, 2023; catholicexorcism.org

So here is the Good News: Jesus can heal all of these wounds. It is not a matter of finding someone to blame for our deficiencies, like our parents, nor of being a victim. It’s simply recognizing how neglect, a lack of unconditional love, feeling unsafe, criticized, unnoticed, etc. has hurt us and our ability to mature emotionally and bond healthily. These are wounds that need to be healed if we haven’t faced them. They could be affecting you right now in terms of your marriage and family life and your ability to love and bond with your own spouse or children, or form and keep healthy relationships

But we may have also wounded others, including our own children, spouse, etc. Where we have, we may also need to ask forgiveness.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Matt 5:21-23)

It may not always be prudent or even possible to ask forgiveness from another, especially if you have lost touch or they have passed on. Just tell the Holy Spirit that you are sorry for the harm you have caused and to provide an opportunity for reconciliation if possible, and make reparation (penance) through confession.

What is crucial in this Healing Retreat is that you bring all these wounds of your heart into the light so that Jesus may cleanse them in His Most Precious Blood.

If we walk in the light as He is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of His Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 5:7)

Jesus has come “to bring glad tidings to the poor… to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free… to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit…” (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:3). Do believe Him? Do you want this?

Then in your journal…

• Write down the good memories of your childhood, whatever they may be. Thank God for these precious memories and moments.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you any memories that need healing. Bring your parents and your whole family before Jesus, and forgive each one of them for any way they have hurt you, let you down, or failed to love you as needed.
• Ask Jesus to forgive you for any way you have not loved, respected, or served your parents and family as you should have. Ask the Lord to bless them and touch them and to bring light and healing between you.
• Repent of any vows that you have made, such as “I will never let anyone close enough to hurt me” or “No one will love me” or “I want to die” or “I will never be healed,” etc. Ask the Holy Spirit to free your heart to love, and be loved.

In closing, imagine yourself standing before the Cross of Christ crucified with all your family, and ask Jesus to let mercy flow upon each member, and to heal your family tree as you pray with this song…

Let Mercy Flow

Standing here, You are my son, my only son
They’ve nailed you into this wood
I’d hold you if I could…

But Mercy must flow, I must let go
Your love must flow, it must be so

I hold You, lifeless and still
The Father’s Will
Yet these hands — O I know they’ll again
When You’ve risen

And Mercy will flow, I must let go
Your love will flow, it must be so

Here I stand, my Jesus, stretch forth Your hand…
Let Mercy flow, help me let go
Your love must flow, I need you Lord
Let Mercy flow, help me let go
I need You Lord, I need You Lord

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Footnotes

↑1	Psalm 139:7
↑2	Matt 28:20
↑3	Study results:• Men who marry homosexually are more likely to have been raised in a family with unstable parental relationships—particularly, absent or unknown fathers or divorced parents.• The rates of same-sex marriage were elevated among women who experienced maternal death during adolescence, women with short duration of parental marriage, and women with long duration of mother-absent cohabitation with father.• Men and women with “unknown fathers” were significantly less likely to marry a person of the opposite sex than were their peers with known fathers.• Men who experienced parental death during childhood or adolescence had significantly lower heterosexual marriage rates than peers whose parents were both alive on their 18th birthday. • The shorter the duration of parental marriage, the higher was the likelihood of homosexual marriage.• Men whose parents divorced before their 6th birthday were 39% more likely to marry homosexually than peers from intact parental marriages.Reference: “Childhood Family Correlates of Heterosexual and Homosexual Marriages: A National Cohort Study of Two Million Danes,” by Morten Frisch and Anders Hviid; Archives of Sexual Behavior, Oct 13, 2006. To view the full findings, go to: http://www.narth.com/docs/influencing.html

Spread The Now Word!

Posted in HOME, HEALING RETREAT.

← Day 7: As You Are

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Rick Blaine

Mark Mallett

DAY 7: AS YOU ARE

Posted on May 20, 2023 by Mark

WHY do we compare ourselves to others? It is one of the greatest sources of both our unhappiness and a font of lies…

Let’s continue now: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Come Holy Spirit, You who descended upon Jesus at His Baptism at the voice of the Heavenly Father, declaring: “This is My Beloved Son.” That same Voice, though unheard, pronounced at my conception and then again at my Baptism: “This is my beloved son/daughter.” Help me to see and know how precious I am in the Father’s eyes. Help me to trust in His design of who I am, and who I am not. Help me to rest in the Father’s arms as His unique child. Help me to be grateful for my life, my eternal soul, and the salvation which Jesus has wrought for me. Forgive me for grieving You, Holy Spirit, by rejecting myself and my gifts and my part in the world. By your grace this day, help me to embrace my purpose and place in creation and love myself, as Jesus loves me, through His Most Holy Name, amen.

Listen to this song through which God is telling you, right now, that He loves you as you are, just as He created you.

As You Are

Little hands and tiny feet, pudgy little toes
Mama leans into crib and kisses your sweet nose
You’re not the same as other babes, this we can see
But you’ll always be a princess to me

I love you as you are
As you are
In my arms you’ll have a home
As you are

He was never late for class, never great in school
Only wanting to be liked, he felt like a fool
One night he simply wished to die, believing no one cared
Until he looked up at the door
And saw his daddy there

I love you as you are
As you are
In my arms you’ll have a home
As you are

He sees her sitting quietly, she looks much the same
But they haven’t laughed for oh so long,
She can’t even recall his name.
He takes her hands, weak and frail, and tenderly sings
Words he’s told her all his life
From the day she took his ring…

I love you as you are
As you are
In my heart you’ll have a home
As you are
You will always have a home
As you are

Even should your mother forsake you — or your family, your friends, your spouse — you will always have a home in the arms of the Heavenly Father.

The Distorted Image

When I say that God loves you “as you are,” that is not to say He loves you “in the state you are in.” What kind of father would say, “Oh, I love you as you are” — as tears roll down our cheeks and pain fills our hearts? It is precisely because we are loved so much that the Father refuses to leave us in a fallen state.

But now you must put them all away: anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the Image of its creator. (Col 3:8-10)

When I used to travel and preach in Catholic schools throughout North America, I would often tell the kids: “Jesus didn’t come to take away your personality, He came to take away your sin.” Sin distorts and disfigures who we really are, as where Christ’s love and teachings help us to become our authentic self.

…the human will causes her to deny her origin, it makes her decay from her beginning; her intellect, memory and will remain without light, and the divine image remains deformed and unrecognizable. —Jesus to Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta, September 5, 1926, Vol. 19

Have you ever looked into the mirror and sighed: “Who am I??” What a grace it is to be in possession of yourself, to be at ease and comfortable in your own skin. What does such a Christian look like? They are, in a word, humble. They are content to be unnoticed, but notice others. They are more interested in others’ opinions than their own. When complimented they simply say “thank you” (rather than make contortions why God should be glorified, not them, etc.). When they make mistakes, they are not surprised. When they encounter others’ faults, they remember their own. They enjoy their own giftedness but rejoice in others more gifted. They easily forgive. They know how to love the least of the brethren and are not afraid of others’ weaknesses and faults. Because they know God’s unconditional love, and their capacity to reject it, they remain small, grateful, humble.

It’s funny how we seek to love, assure, and see Christ in others — but never extend that same generosity to ourselves. Do you see the contradiction? Are you both not made in God’s image? This should be the attitude toward yourself:

You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self You know. (Ps 13913-14)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to come to a place where we cease the endless and exhausting exercise of trying to please or impress everyone else? Where we stop feeling insecure around others, or grasping for love and attention? Or conversely, are unable to be in a crowd or look another person in the eye? Healing begins by accepting yourself, your limitations, your differences, and loving yourself — as you are — because that is how you were made by the Creator.

I will heal them. I will lead them and restore full comfort to them and to those who mourn for them, creating words of comfort. Peace! Peace to those who are far and near, says the LORD; and I will heal them. (Isaiah 57:18-19)

Your Temperament

We are all equal in God’s eyes, but we are not all the same. During my own silent retreat, I opened my journal and the Lord began to speak to me about temperament. I hope you don’t mind if I share what came out of my pen as it really helped me to understand our human differences:

Each of My creations is fashioned with a temperament — even the animals. Some are unaggressive, others more curious, some are shy, and others more bold. So, too, with My children. The reason is that natural temperament is a means of balancing and harmonizing creation. Some are raised to be leaders for the survival and well being of those around them; others follow so as to keep harmony and provide an example to others. Therefore, it is essential that the apostle recognize this attribute in creation.

It is also why I say, “Do not judge.” For if one is bold, it may be that their gifting is to lead others. If another is reserved, it may be to provide tempering of the bold. If one is silent and more quiet by nature, it may be a specific call to nurture wisdom for the common good. If another speaks readily, it may be to motivate and keep the rest from sloth. So you see, child, temperament is ordered toward order and harmony.

Now, temperament can be altered, suppressed and even changed according to one’s wounds. The strong can become weak, the meek can become aggressive, the gentle can become harsh, the confident can become afraid, and so forth. And thus, the harmony of creation is thrown into a certain chaos. That is the “disorder” of Satan. Hence, My Redemption and the power of My Resurrection are necessary to restore the hearts and true identity of all My children. To restore them to their proper temperament and even accentuate it.

When My apostle is led by My Spirit, the natural God-given temperament is not nulified; rather, a healthy temperament provides the foundation for the apostle to “go out” of himself into the heart of another: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation.” (Rom 12:15-16)

…And so My son, never compare yourself to another as much as a fish should not compare itself to a bird, nor a toe to a hand. Take your place and purpose in the order of creation by humbly accepting and living from your God-given temperament in order to love God and to love others, as you love yourself.

The problem is that our sin, wounds, and insecurities end up fashioning and changing us, which is expressed in our personalities.

Your God-given temperament is the natural inclinations you feel. Your personality is what is formed through the experiences of life, your formation in the family, your cultural context, and your relationship with Me. Together, your temperament and personality form your identity.

Notice, My child, that I did not say that your gifts or talents form your identity. Rather, they augment your role and purpose (mission) in the world. No, your identity, if it is whole and unbroken, is the reflection of My image in you.

A Word on Your Gifts and You

Your gifts are just that — gifts. They could have been given to the next-door neighbor. They are not your identity. But how many of us wear a mask based on our looks, our talents, our status, our wealth, our approval ratings, etc.? On the other hand, how many of us lack confidence, shun or put down our gifts or bury our talents because we can’t compare to others, and that in turn also becomes our identity?

One of the things God healed in me at the end of my silent retreat was a sin I hadn’t realized: I had rejected my gift of music, my voice, my style, etc. On the way home, I was going to sit in silence, inviting Our Lady to accompany me in the passenger seat to just reflect on the great graces of those nine days. Instead, I sensed her telling me to put on my CD’s. So I played Deliver Me From Me first. My jaw fell open: my entire silent healing retreat was mirrored in that album, front to back, sometimes word for word. I suddenly realized that what I had created 24 years earlier was actually a prophecy of my own healing (and now, I pray, for many of you). In fact, had I not accepted my gift anew that day, I venture that I may not even be doing this retreat. Because as I listened to the songs, I realized there was healing in them, imperfect as they are, and I was inspired to incorporate them into a retreat.

So it is important that we use our gifts and not bury them in the ground out of fear or false humility (cf. Matt 25:14-30).

Also, the world doesn’t need another St. Thérèse de Lisieux. What it needs is you. You, not Thérèse, were born for this time. In fact, her life is a case-in-point of someone who was virtually unknown to the world, and even many of her fellow sisters in the convent, for her deep and hidden love for Jesus. And yet, today, she is a Doctor of the Church. So you see, do not underestimate what God can do with our seeming insignificance.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

God wants you to accept your purpose and place in creation because there is a reason for it, perhaps just as much as there is a reason for distant galaxies that no one will ever see.

Knowing Yourself

Take up your journal now and ask the Holy Spirit to come again and help you to see yourself in the light of truth. Write down the ways in which you have rejected your gifts and talents. Note the ways that you feel insecure or lacking in confidence. Ask Jesus why you feel this way and write down what comes to mind. He may reveal to you a memory from your childhood or some other wound. And then ask the Lord to forgive you for rejecting the way He has made you and any way you have not humbly accepted yourself, as you are.

Last write down your gifts and skills, your natural abilities and the things you do well, and thank God for these. Thank Him that you are “wonderfully made.” Also, make note of your temperament and thank him for making you the way you are. You can use these classic four temperaments, or a combination of them, as a guide:

Choleric: The go-getter, great at accomplishing goals

• Strengths: A born leader with energy, enthusiasm, and a strong will; self-confident and optimistic.

• Weaknesses: May struggle with being empathetic to others’ needs, and can tend toward being controlling and overly critical of others.

Melancholic: The deep thinker with strong ideals and passionate feelings

• Strengths: Naturally skilled at keeping things organized and humming along smoothly; a faithful friend who connects deeply with people.

• Weaknesses: May struggle with perfectionism or negativity (of self and others); and can be easily overwhelmed by life.

Sanguine: The “people person” and life of the party

• Strengths: adventurous, creative, and just plain likable; thrives on social interactions and sharing life with others.

• Weaknesses: May struggle with follow-through and gets easily over-committed; can lack self-control or tend to avoid the tougher parts of life and relationships.

Phlegmatic: The servant leader who is calm under pressure

• Strengths: supportive, empathetic, and a great listener; often the peacemaker looking out for others; easily contented and happy to be part of the team (not the boss).

• Weaknesses: may struggle to take initiative when necessary, and can avoid conflict and sharing strong feelings.

Closing Prayer

Pray with the following song recognizing that it is not people’s approval, recognization or praise of you that you need, but the Lord’s approval alone.

All That I’ll Ever Need

O Lord, You are so good to me
You are Mercy
You are all that I’ll ever need

O Lord, You are so sweet to me
You are Safety
You are all that I’ll ever need

I love you Lord, I love You Lord
Jesus, You’re all that I need
I love you Lord, I love You Lord

O Lord, You are so near to me
You are Holy
You are all that I’ll ever need

I love you Lord, I love You Lord
Jesus, You’re all that I need
I love you Lord, I love You Lord
Jesus, You’re all that I need
I love you Lord, I love You Lord

O I love you Lord, I love You Lord
Jesus, You’re all that I need
I love you Lord, I love You Lord
Jesus, You’re all that I need
I love you Lord, I love You Lord
You’re all that I’ll ever need

—Mark Mallett, Divine Mercy Chaplet, 2007

To journey with Mark in The Now Word,
click on the banner below to subscribe.
Your email will not be shared with anyone.

Now on Telegram. Click:

Follow Mark and the daily “signs of the times” on MeWe:

Follow Mark’s writings here:

Listen on the following:

Spread The Now Word!

DAY 15: A NEW PENTECOST

Lift Our Hands

Ask, and You Shall Receive

My Personal Experience

Welcoming the Spirit

Going Forth…

See, See

Footnotes

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 14: THE CENTER OF THE FATHER

Holy Are You Lord

Every Spiritual Blessing

Prayer: The Center of Your Spiritual Life

Only In You

Footnotes

Post navigation

Translations

Categories

Archives

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 13: HIS HEALING TOUCH AND VOICE

Here You Are

The Healing Touch

The Healing Voice

Remain In Me

Footnotes

Post navigation

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 12: MY IMAGE OF GOD

Come Holy Spirit

Taking Stock

A Little Testimony

I Love You Baby

God is God — I am Not

A Faithful Refuge

Hiding Place

Footnotes

Post navigation

Translations

Categories

Archives

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 11: THE POWER OF JUDGMENTS

Sanctus

The Splinter

Loving as Christ Loves Us

How Have I Judged?

In The Way

Footnotes

Post navigation

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 10: THE HEALING POWER OF LOVE

You Are Lord

The Power of Love

Healing Relationships

You can’t go back and change the beginning,but you can start where you are and change the ending.

Love Live in Me

Footnotes

Post navigation

Translations

Categories

Archives

Share this:

Like this:

DAY 9: THE DEEP CLEANSE

Healer of My Soul

Where Are You At?

Breaking Chains

Freedom Through An Examination of Conscience

The First Commandment

The Second Commandment

The Third Commandment

Fourth Commandment

You can’t go back and change the beginning,
but you can start where you are and change the ending.