Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Visit to Avila, Spain
Dear Friends,
During our last full day in Europe, we traveled from Fatima, Portugal, to Avila in Spain. Avila is a beautiful old town about one hour and a half from Madrid. It still has a very beautiful wall surrounding the old city, which is situated on a hill. We visited the old part of Avila before we went to the old convent where St. Teresa lived. St. Teresa of Avila lived in this small town during the Middle Ages. She was a mystic who had visions and who contemplated every day. She wrote books on contemplation and she is the one who reformed the Carmelite Order with the help of St. John of the Cross.
We visited a good part of the big convent and saw the room where she lived for a good part of the day and slept at night. We saw the dining room and the room where the sisters worked. Everything is kept as it was when St. Teresa was living.
When there, I prayed to St. Teresa that the Catholic Church would embrace contemplative prayer and teach this lovely prayer to the Catholics everywhere. It is a wonderful way to have a close and intimate relationship with Jesus, Our Lord and Savior. I began contemplating over 30 years ago and I can tell you that it is not a difficult prayer to learn and through this prayer one comes to love Our Lord with all his or her heart. You become His great friend and He blesses you with many gifts and graces.
As I contemplated today Jesus gave me these words,
“I love you, My brother Melvin, and I am so happy that you were able to go on this pilgrimage to Europe and visit many holy places in the many countries you visited. You visited My shrine under the title ‘Divine Mercy’ in Krakow; anyone who goes to this shrine receives special gifts from Me. I call you all, My brothers and sisters, to pray the chaplet of Divine Mercy every day. Pray for all the people that they repent of their sins so that they may receive My mercy. I call you all too to trust in Me for I am Your Savior who suffered and died on the cross to save you. Ask Me for what you need and I will give it to you. Melvin, My brother, you visited many shrines of My Blessed Mother and your Mother. She wants the conversion of all the people of the world. Become men and women of prayer like Her and you will be blessed.”
Father Melvin