Hello, brothers and sister Heartdwellers family. May we receive more patience and the grace to be gracious to those in their weakness and as they come to God through the intercession of St. Mary Magdalene.
I had the most wonderful time in worship today as the Lord sang songs of victory over me. As He lifted my head to find joy, peace, and patience in the midst of the various trials that I am suffering. I felt Jesus wanted to speak to me, so I came before him saying;
Good morning, Jesus.
Thank you for giving me your transcending peace even in the midst of the storm and for whatever battle may be ahead. Thank you for being such a wonderful friend, father, and spouse to me. You are the best!
Jesus, what’s on your heart?
I heard a female voice begin to speak and I had a knowing it was Mary Magdalene. Today is her feast day, unbeknownst to me. I have been asking her for intercession concerting a particular cause.
She began,
“My beloved sister and daughter, it is I, St. Mary Magdalene who has come to speak with you instead today. The Lord permitted me this grace, and you this consolation. I see you have enlisted my intercession lately more and more. For that I am so humbled and honored that you would call upon me to help you with the trials of this life.” She said, smiling.
Wow, St. Mary Magdalene? I am the one to be honored! Thank you for coming to me. Your life speaks of a soul who was radically transformed by love. I am humbled. What would you like to share with us today?
“Well, I would like to talk to my beloved ones about patience and grace to be given to their loved ones who are struggling to give their lives and whole hearts to Jesus. Many do not know that I was a relative and sibling of Lazarus, Martha, and older sister Mary.”
As an aside, [those were] my Lord’s Supper readings, of Lazarus being raised from the dead, the worry Martha had, and the submission Mary had to the Lord’s will.
She continued,
“You have learned much from my life through the book by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. I am so grateful the Lord revealed a glimpse of my story to her. You see I had no love of God within me growing up. Although my siblings were bent towards more religious activities and piety vanity was my throne. Because of this gift of beauty I was able to move the hearts of many men. I was tenacious and went after what I wanted — and got what I wanted time and time again. Hence there was no need for religion in my life, but it was the power of my family’s prayer which I underestimated.
My brother Lazarus was always pious in nature and although wealthy he lived a simple and meager life while I lived extravagantly. I couldn’t understand it —how he would humble himself to live with the simpletons and help the poor and destitute. It was such a repugnance to me. But he was a man of prayer and so were my sisters. They longed to see me give my whole life to Jesus, give my whole heart to Him. Although the Messiah lived and walked on the same roads I lived. I wanted nothing to do with that. Though I felt a certain draw to him — I knew in the depths of my soul he was the Messiah — but the shame of my life was too much for me to approach Him and the love of sin in my life was too much to give up to the unknown.
I didn’t know what he wanted with me. What would he do with a woman like me? So I kept my distance. But I couldn’t fight the convictions that were coming more and more frequently because of the prayers of my siblings. Many times I was seized with melancholy [because] of the empty life I was living. It would bring me to tears, but I would wipe them away quickly as I would try to reason with myself that I was living the good life and that my family really didn’t want me around anyway. I was better off where I was.”
I would continue to fill the void in my heart with empty and vain things—until I came face to face with him — until I met His mercy in the midst of my guilt. And when everyone thought I should deserve the justice of the law, He showed me mercy — picked me up looked in the depths of my soul knowing my longing for love, and [with] just one glance I was snatched from the mire of a vain and worthless life to a God who saw me, a God who loved me and a God who forgave me. I was undone, unraveled — hence I poured upon him the oil of my tears, the oil of my contrition, the oil of my repentance, and the oil of my gratitude the night before he was to die. And my alabaster has not been empty, since.”
Here she is referring to the story of the woman who anointed Jesus with oil and wiped his feet with her hair and tears. That was actually Mary Magdalene.
Luke 7:36-38
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, so Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house and sat at the table. 37 A sinful woman in the town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house. So she brought an alabaster jar of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus at his feet, crying. She began to wash his feet with her tears, and she dried them with her hair, kissing them many times and rubbing them with the perfume.
“Even now I pour myself out through prayers and good works on the earth for the goodness and the mercy of God. That is the power of grace and patience. Although my family was restless and even anxious at times concerning the state of my soul, they had no idea what the Lord was doing, and how their prayers were working and effective. Many of you have been praying for family members, spouses, and loved ones for so long and have gotten weary in the battle. Most importantly weary in the waiting. Know that not one of your prayers will return void for the salvation of your loved ones, no not one.
Grace takes time to work and every word you speak before your Beloved Jesus is a seed planted in His garden. And in time it will ripen, bloom, and bear the glorious fruit of conversion. Do not push or prod your loved ones or those you’re praying for, rather it only turns them away.
Jesus was so very patient with me. He continuously brought peace to the anxious heart of my beloved sister Martha, who was anxious always about many things, that He had heard their prayers even long ago, as youth. When I began my immoral lifestyle they were praying. And they thought, the Messiah now being here, their prayers would be answered immediately, and I would leave everything to follow Him. But grace waited for me — Jesus waited for me — and little by little deadened my heart for carnal things, made me feel the emptiness and loneliness of a life lived for myself, and then introduced me to his love and mercy — and that is what he will do with your loved ones. Entrust them to the beloved hands of Jesus who can only love like He can and transform the most obstinate and immoral of souls to be one of his greatest disciples.
Meditate, my beloved ones, on how much you have been forgiven — what Jesus saved you from — and how he still loves you now even in your weakness. For all his brides have many, many, weaknesses and are so imperfect. How all of you can easily forget, but when you see your misery and see how patient Jesus has been with you it then causes you to be patient with others in their faults and give them grace, grace, grace.
I leave you now, my beloved sister. You are highly favored and loved by Jesus and all of heaven. You are not only an instrument of His mercy, but you will be an instrument of His grace. So continue to teach others to forgive much because they have been forgiven much and to love much because they have been loved much by our God.”
That was the end of Mary Magdalene’s message.
What a beautiful message and what a consolation. Thank you, Jesus, and St. Mary Magdalene please pray for us.
Family, a reminder again, our donations are getting low, and we have so many to support at the beginning of the month. Please think of us. Thank you for supporting us.
Love you all and God bless you until the next message.
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