Saturday, October 13, 2012
My Thirty-day Retreat – Part 5
Dear Friends,
Here is another three days of my retreat in Jerusalem. I wrote more for these days and I hope you understand as they are at the peak of my retreat.
Father Melvin
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30th April 1990 – During the first hour I meditated on the Crucifixion and Death of Jesus on the Cross. I heard Jesus utter the seven last words on the Cross very slowly with long pauses in between. It is only when He uttered the words “I thirst” that He spoke to me from the Cross. He said, “It is not so much physical thirst I have, but the deep thirst in my heart and soul for the hearts of all the people, that they come to know me, believe in me and that I may save them all. I also thirst for justice, peace and love throughout the world. Oh, let wars, hatred and inhumanity cease everywhere. I wish to bring all to a life close to me where dire poverty is eliminated, ignorance is overcome, and division gives way to unity. I want all to come to know and follow me.” Then He turned to me on the Cross and said, “I thirst for you too, for your love, for your service, for your intimate friendship.” After He said this He cried aloud saying, “It is accomplished”, and gave up His spirit and died.
Immediately all my suffering, pain and sorrow stopped, and everything was still as if dead. I remained a long time in that state contemplating the dead Jesus. After the burial I found myself with Our Lady as if I was walking home with Her. She told me, “Jesus has accomplished the great work He was sent to do: to redeem the world through a life of love and suffering and a martyr’s death. We can only thank Him, love Him and follow Him.”
During the 2nd hour (14:30 – 15:30) I presented myself before the Heavenly Father to express my great love and appreciation and thanks for Jesus’ great act of Redemption by dying on the Cross for us. I also thanked Him for uniting me with Jesus in a perpetual union. I then asked the Heavenly Father for His divine blessing. He began, “I am very pleased to bless you, Melvin, my son, because I love you very much. You are Jesus’ bosom friend and this is why He has given you a share in His Passion. Indeed He has an important work for you. He will tell you about it Himself. In blessing you I am giving you a special gift of knowledge which is a share in my wisdom. This is a very great gift, which will help you in your work. You will have to write much especially on spiritual matters and this will help you. Always remain close to Jesus and refer everything to Him. May you love all people like Jesus. May you be blessed my dear son and remain always in my love.”
Afterwards I went to St. Anne’s Church which is in our courtyard here and is the place where the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. She might have stayed there after the burial of Jesus. I came to keep Her company in Her great sorrow. Talking to Her I asked Her to mother me, to shower me with Her love for I am Her son. She said, “Melvin, I hold you in my arms. I love you, my dearest son, as I love Jesus. Jesus has great plans for you–remain humble and close to Him always. I am daily showering you with God’s graces. Come to your Mother often and I will console you. Pray the rosary daily. It is a powerful prayer for the salvation of the people of the world.” In the evening I went to the Holy Sepulchre and I spent an hour in mourning.
1st May 1990 – At all the prayer periods of the day I find myself at Jesus’ tomb simply waiting with patience. I pray for the following intentions: for a renewed creation, a renewed world, a renewed humanity and a renewed me. As St. Paul says in Romans 8: “the whole world is groaning as if in the act of giving birth.” Yes, away with false ideology such as communism, capitalism; away with false philosophy such as hedonism, materialism, consumerism; away with oppression and tyranny as we find in so many African and Asian countries; away with hunger, ignorance and disease in the third world; away with hatred, selfishness, injustices, self-indulgence, love of money, egotism. The world is longing and awaiting its deliverance. When Lord is our rebirth? Oh! may the Kingdom of God appear in our midst! May the new civilization based on love be born!
In the afternoon while in mourning I turned to my Heavenly Father and prayed especially for the Church of Jesus Christ. I prayed for a renewal among all the members that they may have a change of heart and be converted and so become intimate friends of Jesus. I then asked the Father for a word of wisdom. He began to speak saying, “I too want a renewal, a new Pentecost over the whole world, that all people may come to believe in Jesus, My Son, and to follow His way as shown by the Church. How many are stuck in their ways and false beliefs: Moslems, Hindus, Buddhists, Shintoists, Traditionalists, etc. How difficult it is for them to change. In Africa there is the terrible slavery to fear caused by the belief in witchcraft. This is an enslavement by the devil. Only by a strong faith in Jesus and a deep commitment to Him can they slowly overcome this devilish belief.” At the end He said, “Jesus will have much to talk to you about, for He has plans for you.”
Afterwards I went to Our Lady to keep Her company for a while during this time of waiting. She told me, “Pray, pray often. Prayer is a powerful weapon to bring the renewal needed. Remember you are Jesus’ dearest friend. He loves you very much. Listen to Him, love Him and follow Him.” I thanked my Heavenly Father and my Blessed Mother for their kind words. At 20:00 hrs. I went to Calvary and to the Holy Sepulchre to pray for an hour. I offered all the peoples especially those in Africa and P.E.I. and the rest of Canada, to Jesus.
2nd May 1990 – I woke up very tired this morning because I was sick during the night–mostly indigestion, I suppose. At 8:30 I took as my text Mark 9, 33 – 37: Who is the greatest? Jesus says it very plainly: the greatest is to be the servant of all. This means for me obedience to my superiors and to the Church leaders. It also means to listen to the other with an open mind. It means working together with others as a team. I must ask for God’s help every day and I must not be afraid of work. It also means to accept everyone as equal. I must serve Jesus wherever I find Him. As I began my second period of prayer (14:30 – 15:30) I knew then that something important had happened. At 14:00 when I awoke from siesta, I felt great joy in my heart. This joy was the sign that Jesus was risen from the dead. So, I was hardly at prayer when I was flooded with joy, light, happiness, sunshine. All was new I could only repeat Alleluia over and over again. I was completely taken by the risen Jesus. After a while I went into singing in tongues. After a short time Jesus began to speak to me saying: “I embrace you, I love you, my dearest brother. Yes, the time has come to renew the whole world. My Passion and Death was the terrible price I willingly paid to redeem the world. I suffered so that every person may become my brother or sister and be united with me for eternity. I have a great plan for you in order to bring to reality what my Passion and Death has accomplished. I will develop it every day as we go along. It has to do with the Society of the Brothers of Jesus, which I told you about 13 years ago. (It was only on 14th May that He began to speak about the Sisters of Jesus). Now the time has come to begin the Congregation. You are to be the founder and you will write the Constitutions. All the preliminary decisions have to be taken.” After these words Jesus said, “Let us go and visit our Mother.” At our Lady’s, there was great joy. She sang the Magnificat for us. Jesus told Our Lady about the New Society and He asked Her to be our Protectress and Patroness. She agreed wholeheartedly saying, “I will be a Mother to you all.”
During the next period of prayer I was with Jesus the whole time and He spoke again about the Society. He spoke about the spirit that should animate the members saying: “If they are my brothers then they have to be animated by my very own Spirit. Let them recognize their great dignity, and respect one another. They should see me in each brother and have the same attitude towards each other as they would towards me. Let them greet each other with my greeting: “Peace be with you.” They will acquire my Spirit through meditation on the Gospels spending time on all major episodes of my life and taking my teachings to heart. You will narrate your experience (that of 1977 and 1990) so that they can identify with you and enter into the fundamental experience which is at the foundation of the Society. It is through service to others that they will imitate me. The spirit of the Society can be described as that which flows from an intimate friendship with me through prayer and service, and this will be expressed in a daily loving relationship with the members and with the people with whom they come in contact. All of this is based on my commandment, ‘Love one another as I have loved you’. It shows itself in active community life, zeal for the Kingdom, perseverance in prayer, loving service, self-abnegation, prompt obedience, purity of heart, love of the Church, and application to study. Let them form Small Christian Communities among themselves where they will have Bible sharing. This experience among themselves will help them to form Communities among the Christians and to animate them. Indeed, Melvin, we have much to talk about.”
During adoration this evening Jesus gave me a special Easter Blessing, “May you always remain in my love, ask for whatever you wish in prayer and I will grant it to you. Afterwards He spoke about the Society saying, “The formation of the members is of great importance. Their initial formation will last two years: one year as postulancy and the second as novitiate. They will take vows, temporary at first and after a suitable time, perpetual vows. They will work for the people in the rural areas and also for those in the urban areas. They must not forget the people of the rural areas.”