Thursday, October 11, 2012
My Thirty-day Retreat – Part 3
Dear Friends,
I continue to send you what I wrote about my thirty-day retreat. It will now be more spiritual and I continue the Passion of Our Lord. May the Lord give you all the graces you need.
Father Melvin
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24th April 1990 – In my meditations today I was with Jesus in His Agony suffering in my heart and soul what Jesus suffered. Jesus is reliving His Passion in me. It is a special grace, a special favour He gives me. At the end of the first hour I prayed for the conversion of the whole world that all peoples may acknowledge Jesus as their Saviour. In the second hour of the Agony towards the end Jesus asked me: “Will you serve?” I offered myself completely to Him to do whatever He wishes. The third hour was on Jesus’ arrest as narrated in Matthew’s Gospel. For 45 minutes I underwent the suffering caused by the betrayal of Judas, the desertion of the Apostles and His arrest as a criminal. I felt Jesus’ anguish, sadness and fatigue. Jesus now is set to die for my sins and the sins of the whole world. He is the Saviour of all. I thanked Him for dying for my sins. At the end Jesus said, “I love you.”
During the night I had the fourth meditation based on Jesus’ arrest according to Mark. The betrayal of Judas was the main cause of pain. In this pain were also the sins of all bishops and priests who have betrayed Jesus by abandoning the priesthood or the Order of Bishop. He let me share His pain for 50 minutes and then He spoke to me: “Melvin, I love you, you are my joy, my delight. I am happy to share my Passion with you for it brings us closer together. Together we can suffer for the conversion of the world, for the salvation of all peoples. How I desire the salvation of all in the world! Pray for priests; continue to pray for them that they esteem their priesthood, my priesthood, which I have given them. May they see the great honour I gave them. They are very dear to me; pray that they love their priesthood, and protect it through daily prayer and exercise it prudently. Indeed those who have abandoned the priesthood have added to my Passion. Remember, I love you; you are my joy.”
25th April 1990 – Today I spent the first two hours in prayer undergoing the Passion of Jesus. I took as text: “The Arrest”, according to Luke and John. At the end of the first hour, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to be released throughout the world to bring faith, peace, love and hope to a despairing people. I also prayed for the spread of the small Christian communities, and lastly I prayed for the Moslems. At the close of the second meditation I prayed especially for the priests who have compromised with the spirit of the world. In the third meditation I took as text: John chapter 17, the Priestly Prayer of Jesus. I was absorbed in Jesus for the full hour and then He spoke to me:
“Many priests are good, dedicated to me and are my great friends, but a substantial number have become cold, not devoted to me anymore. They don’t pray, they are worldly, and have no great love for the people. They are not interested in the Church. They are not obedient and they are indulgent. Pray for them; suffer for them. Pray also for vocations to the priesthood, so that the young may be generous in responding to my call. Pray that they may be trained in the proper way: in true doctrine; in real prayer; and in proper understanding of the Scriptures. They are to love the Church and her leaders especially the Pope, the Bishops and the religious their superiors. They are to be obedient to their superiors. They have to deny themselves and accept to be guided. I wish that all priests would fast every Friday by not taking the evening meal. They should do this in remembrance of my Passion and Death. Priests should wear in public a sign of their dedication, to counteract the spirit of the world which denies me. If they do not wear a symbol then they are continuing to contribute to this denial of their Saviour as if I never existed.”
After talking about the priests, Jesus then spoke to me in a personal way saying, “I love you. Will you give yourself completely to me?” I offered myself totally to Him. He then continued, “I will soon give you a strengthening through the Holy Spirit who will come upon you to give you the gift of healing. You will use this gift in this way: Have the sick person believe in God and in me as his/her Saviour; ask the person to repent of all sins and make him/her promise to pray every day.”
In the last meditation at night as I shared in Jesus’ Passion, I was united with Him in mind, heart and soul. At the end of one hour He asked me three times: “Melvin, do you love me?” Each time I said that I loved Him with all my heart. After the third time He said, “Now, you will receive the Holy Spirit.”
26th April 1990 – I had the usual four periods of meditation today, all of them on the Passion of Jesus especially the scourging and the crowning with thorns. I suffered greatly together with Jesus. I felt great pain from the whips and the thorns; at times I was filled with sorrow, and at other times I was very tired. Through it all I prayed in my tears, offering Jesus my love. At the end of the second period of prayer I offered myself to Him as a victim that He may do with me as He wishes. Over a period of 15 minutes I made an offering of myself. I offer all that I am to Jesus. Today Jesus was silent although I was very close to Him as He suffered His Passion.