Friday, October 19, 2012
My Thirty-day Retreat – Part 10
Dear Friends,
Here is the tenth part of my thirty-day retreat in Jerusalem. It is rather long today as we are coming to the end. Our Lord especially spoke to me about the Contemplative Brothers and Sisters of Jesus. He gave me many special rules to follow. Please enjoy.
Father Melvin
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15th May 1990 – During my first meditation, Jesus spoke to me about the importance of studying the culture of the people we live with. He said, “The members of the Society will be taught how to study the culture of the people with whom they live. They will begin with the more material side of life such as: how to build a traditional house, for example. They will have to learn how to do research. When a culture is studied, one will find some elements which are good and should be preserved, and there will be some elements which are not good, and these should be eliminated. What would be important is how the faith has changed traditional life and the mentality of the people. The study of poverty among the people would be important, in order to find out how they look at it, and how to work to overcome it. All aspects of life should be studied.”
In my second hour I took as text Acts 13, 44 – 14,7. In this passage we see that the Church is making great advancement. Many come to believe the Good News preached by Paul and Barnabas. Yet persecution begins. The people want to expel Paul and Barnabas in Pisidia and in Iconium after their great success. Some even want to stone them. This is the pattern for the Church and we see it all the time. We saw it in Africa, especially in Zaire in the 1960’s, in Uganda and Burundi. The war in Sudan is similar: the Moslem north wants to get rid of the Christian south. The same thing happened in East Europe during the last 40 years. Much of this has come to an end there, but it continues in China, Vietnam, North Korea, etc. If this is the pattern for the Church, it will be the same for the New Society. We can expect opposition from inside and outside, from leaders of the Church, even Bishops and priests. Calumny, lies, defamation of character, all this could possibly appear because the devil will do all he can to destroy the Society, but Jesus has assured me that the Society will not fail. So, when such things happen we must not be afraid, nor grow bitter, but we are to bless all those who harm us. Bless them, pray for them, and when they ask for an explanation we must be ready to give it. If we have the opportunity, we should invite those who oppose us to come and see, and judge for themselves. In all this we have to be joyful like the Apostles who were glad to have had the honour to suffer for Jesus.
In my third hour I read the account of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15,1 – 35. We are shown the very serious controversy between Paul and Barnabas on the one side, and some Apostles and Jewish converts on the other. The Jewish group want all the pagans to become Jews and follow the law of Moses before they become Christians. Paul said ‘no’ to this proposal. The pagans are not to be made Jews and forced to follow the law of Moses before they are baptized and become Christians. They can be saved without Judaism. This controversy could have split the Church in two bodies if it had not been solved right away. So, all the Apostles with Paul and Barnabas and the leading Christians, gathered in Jerusalem for a meeting and to give a solution. After a long discussion it was Peter who gave the essential solution. He said, “God made no distinction between them (the pagans) and us (the Jews), since He purified their hearts by faith.” Just before, he had said, “In fact God … showed His approval of them (pagans) by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as He had to us.” The problem was solved, and Paul was confirmed in what he had been doing. Paul had indeed been working under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. What a relief this must have been for him.
What courage he must have received by this clear decision. What a burden gone from his shoulders after having been accused of not following the right way. I too ask the Lord to confirm in a clear manner that He wants me to found the Brothers and Sisters of Jesus. Although I know in my heart that the inspiration came from Him, yet the confirmation from the Lord would be so assuring. Such a confirmation would be a source of great strength and courage to work for the establishment of the Society. Nevertheless, I want Jesus to be completely free. I don’t want to appear as if I am forcing in any way. I simply ask in all humility, knowing how poor and weak I am, and how unworthy I am to ask anything from Him to whom I owe everything.
In my last period of prayer I took St. Paul’s speech to the learned men of Athens: Acts 17, 22 – 34. This text brought me back to the Society, and I drew these lessons. Paul knew how to adapt His speech to the ways of the Athenians. He started from what they knew, and proceeded to teach them something new. The members of the Society will have to know how to adapt themselves to their audience. They will know their people, the language, their stories, their sayings and their background so as to speak on their level. This means they will have to be good students who can learn new languages and adapt to new ways. They will also scout around for material which has been tried and found good.
16th May 1990 – In the morning I meditated on Romans 8. It is a fundamental text for us for we are to be filled with the Spirit of Jesus. To be a Brother or a Sister of Jesus, then we can say these words, “The Spirit of God has made His home in you.” We are to be concerned with the things of God, with living with Him, with imitating Jesus by loving one another and avoiding all sin. We are not to be slaves, living out of fear but sons and daughters of God and living out of love. As sons and daughters of God, we are then the brothers and sisters of Jesus, beloved of the Father. Paul says, “the whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal His sons and daughters.” Indeed, we too must be eager to be sons and daughters of God, and our great desire must be to make all peoples brothers and sisters of Jesus, and therefore children of God. St. Paul adds a little further saying, “They are the ones He chose especially long ago and intended to become true images of His Son, so that His Son might be the eldest of many brothers and sisters.” Yes Lord you have chosen us to mirror Your Son Jesus in this world. Jesus is our elder brother. I pray that many will come to join us to bear the name of Brother or Sister of Jesus, and live lives modeled on that of Jesus, in forgetting self and spending themselves in love for all peoples without counting the cost. All will have a familiar and intimate friendship with Jesus, our Brother, whom we will recognize as our Saviour and Lord. Daily we will offer ourselves in total oblation to Jesus to do only His will as it will come to us through the legitimate superiors He gives us. Another inspiration came to me to have at the heart of the Society a contemplative branch who will be in constant prayer for the advancement of the work of the Society. They will live with the others in their monasteries.
At 10:45 I went to see my Spiritual Director, Fr. Luc Lefief, and besides other things, he said this: “Your long participation in the Passion of Jesus was a giving birth to the New Society which wants to be born.” This idea remained with me and was very strong. At prayer in the afternoon, Jesus spoke to me distinctly saying: “Melvin, I love you, I embrace you, you are my dearest brother. You have grasped well the meaning of the long time spent on the Passion and the mourning up to the Resurrection. This in fact was the
spiritual birth of the Society. With this, you should begin to plan for the Society. When you go to Rome you will speak to the Superior General of the Missionaries of Africa about the Society. At home in Canada, you will visit all your brothers and sisters, and you will lay hands on them to heal them, and to impart to them the Holy Spirit, that they may be renewed. You will do the same to your parents and other relatives. I have given you the gift of healing. Do you believe this?” I say, “yes I believe.”
In the next period of prayer, I was all the time with Jesus and Our Lady. I asked Jesus if we could go to Our Blessed Mother and we went to visit Her. How happy She was to receive us. She said, “Jesus, my Son, how happy I am to see you. How I love you. And you Melvin, my priest-son, how happy I am to embrace you, for I love you very much. I am your Patroness and I will have a motherly care for all the Brothers and Sisters. This Society is of great importance to Jesus, and will play an important role in the conversion of the world. You have received great gifts to enable you to begin. I too wish to give you a special gift – the gift of Apostle – as a witness of Jesus’ suffering, Death and Resurrection, as you have a deep experience of this Paschal Mystery of my Son. With the gift of Apostle you will give the Holy Spirit to the people by imposition of hands. Those you will pray with will have a deep experience of the Holy Spirit in their souls. The Holy Spirit will come to witness to them about Jesus. Today it is important for all to have spiritual experiences, so that these experiences of the Holy Spirit are very important for the transformation of the world. You will impart to each member of the Society the Holy Spirit, so that he or she experiences in his/her soul this action of the Spirit. All those who will come to join the Youth for Jesus will go through this intensive period during which you will pray over them to receive the Holy Spirit. You will give the members the same power to give the Spirit to the people. In this way the transformation of the world will come.” I thanked Jesus and Our Lady for their great love and for their gifts.
17th May 1990 – During the first hour this morning I took as text 1 Peter 3, 8 – 12: the advice to the Society. Peter teaches us that there should be unity among those who believe, and we know that unity is a sign of the Spirit. Where there is division, anger, hatred, God cannot live there. Peter has much to say about our tongue – our language. So all malice, all deceitful conversation should be banished from us. We are not to pay back one wrong with another, but instead we are to pay back with a blessing. So, we will get a blessing in return. We must practice the good, seek peace, and the eyes of the Lord will be turned towards us. This text is of paramount importance for the Society. The members will put into practice the spirit shown there. By their following this advice, people will recognise them as true brothers and sisters of Jesus. At the end Jesus spoke to me saying, “I love you, I embrace you, what joy should fill your heart as the time for the transformation of the world is approaching.
A great work will be carried out by the Contemplative wing of the Society. You will establish these twin monasteries where those called to the hidden life will live close to me in my hidden life. These contemplatives will be at the HEART of the Society, and will intercede day and night before God for the peoples of the world, and for the more active group of Brothers and Sisters. Their prayers will be the cause of the penetration of the Good News into the hearts and minds of a vast number of people. Their prayers will also attract the youth to me. You will organize the Brothers and Sisters in large monasteries and try to have at least one twin monastery in each diocese. Each Brother or Sister will have his or her group of people for whom he or she will pray all his/her life, taking three of them in turn every day. The member will write regularly to these people, elevating their minds and hearts to me and the things of Heaven. These monasteries will be oases of holiness and goodness in the world. They will practice mortification, abnegation and forgetfulness of self at all times. They will spend long hours in prayer every day besides the work they will do such as farming, gardening and raising livestock, etc. The monasteries should be established in the countryside, at least most of them. Older men and women could be accepted if they show signs of a call from me.”
During the second period, I took the famous “Contemplation for achieving love” by St. Ignatius. I became aware that I was standing in the presence of God with all the angels and saints present and praying for me. Then I asked the Lord: through the fulness of gratitude, I may be completely devoted to God in true love. I recalled everything God had done for me and given me. I saw how after receiving so much, I too, should offer something to God in return. I can only give Him what belongs to me and all that I am. So, I prayed “Take Lord and receive…” I took the other Headings:
God living in His creatures: so He lives in me, I who am made to His image and likeness and I prayed: “Take Lord and receive…”
(2) I saw the providence of God who keeps me in being every moment of my life, what love. Again I prayed: “Take Lord and receive…”
(3) Then I saw that all my strength and abilities come from God and all goodness in me is but a spark from Him. So I prayed and thanked Him for His great love.
After all that, Jesus spoke to me saying, “Love is the supreme good surpassing everything else. My life on earth was one great act of love—love for My Father which I showed in every action and in total obedience to His will. Also love for the people by redeeming them through my suffering and Death on the Cross. You have shared my Passion, you have experienced the depth of this love I have for all my brothers and sisters. Now I want a renewal of love in the hearts of all – a real world transformation. The young will bring this about by experiencing this great love I have for them. The members of the Society will undergo this transformation, and through them the renewal of love will begin. This movement will be like a fire spreading over the whole world. Now I wish to lay my hands on your head and to confirm all the gifts you have received in order to equip you for the task you have been given by me. Indeed you are to be the Founder of the Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, a very important work, but don’t be afraid: we will do it together in the same way that we went through the Passion together. Rely on me, be close to me, refer everything to me. I have accepted the complete gift of yourself. So, you will be my instrument to reach and speak to the people, to impart to them the Holy Spirit, to heal them, to care for them, to teach them and to show them my love.”
In the afternoon I spent one hour in prayer, and I started by reading 1 John 1, 1 – 10. John, who is an Apostle, a witness of Jesus public life, of His suffering and Death and Resurrection. John speaks about Jesus, Son of the Father. He says that God is light, and therefore, beauty, goodness, truth and joy are all His attributes. There is no darkness whatever in God. Yet we can be living in darkness, in sin, and opposed to the light, to God. If we are in the light, then we are with Jesus, and united with everybody. We are purified from sin by the Blood of Jesus poured out for us on the Cross. Indeed we are all sinners. If we ask pardon, God will forgive us. We have to stop sinning, break from this slavery of sin, and live in the Risen Lord. This is the first condition to become members of the Brothers and Sisters of Jesus. We have to break from sin, to turn our life around, to be transformed. Yet how difficult this is to do for so many of us. This is why Jesus wants the Society, as He says, “Today people need to experience my presence, My closeness, my love before they can commit themselves to me. Without this experience it is very difficult for them to break with sin, with selfishness, with greed for material things. So, this is why “the experience of Jesus” will be one of the most important works the members will do. They will start by giving it to the youth, the Youth for Jesus. “The experience” will be an intensive spiritual renewal, which will last at least 3 days. It will be planned out by 3 to 5 people, at least one of them a member of the Society who has been initiated into the experience. The three days will be planned as follows:
1st day: Introduction:
The story of light and darkness
The Passion and Death of Jesus
Sin and sorrow
2nd day: The Resurrection:
Holy Eucharist: the disciples of Emmaeus
Jesus’ sayings after the Resurrection
The call to renewal- new man
My promise – the Holy Spirit
The laying of hands by Brother or Sister with the team.
3rd day: Group singing and prayers
Holy Eucharist – what is a Youth for Jesus
Group prayer – witnessing
Final recommendation by the Brother or Sister
Love like Jesus.
In my last prayer period, I read 1 John 2, 3 – 17. The second condition to be a Brother or Sister of Jesus is to keep the Commandments of God, especially the commandment left us by Jesus Himself: “Love one another as I have loved you.” So, if anyone loves his brother or sister, then he is living in the light. I have resolved, during this retreat, to amend my ways and to follow the Commandments. I know that I am sinful, so I beg Jesus to give me the grace to be faithful. I will check my appetite by not eating Friday evenings, and never to take alcoholic drink. The third condition to follow Jesus according to St. John is detachment from the world, from the sensual body and from pride of possessions. I want only to be attached to Jesus. I will be faithful to my Breviary every day, and to half hour meditation daily. I will celebrate the Eucharist every day with devotion, remembering that I am at the foot of the Cross where Jesus is suffering and dying for me and the whole world. I will pray daily for the New Society that it may soon begin. At the end Jesus said, “it is necessary for the members of the Society to have a spirit of abnegation – they will practise silence at certain times, abstinence especially on Friday and some other days, fasting especially in Advent and Lent. They will do all this in order to bring the flesh under control. They must not be lured by material things, but be wholly attached to me. Their hearts must be free from all that can take them away from me and their duty.”