Pray, Prepare, Persevere...

The power of prayer.  Can it dramatically change the course of a human beings life completely?  What does it mean to have a prayer life?  What is this encounter really like?  When my world seemed all upside down, I couldn't take it anymore, I just had to make a life changing decision to do something very different.  I found myself desiring to walk into a catholic church and it was there I began in tears talking to God.  That reality, of denouncing myself and the world, allowed me to enter into a deep and profound relationship with Christ.  Oh it was necessary, I could not and did not want to spiral any further than where I was.  And hadnt I come to that important conclusion, I would have never seen the likes of the life I now live.  Just the thought of staying stuck in the past gives me the shivers.  Making important decisions and not allowing time to pass you by, the power of making a great decision, has its rewards.  Otherwise I could have lived a very paralyzed life...  When I began to pray, to pray seriously, a new world worthy of living in was discovered.  Scripture, all scriptures are sacramentals (Father Patrick Francis O'Doherty, would remind us)...Delving into prayer, delving into scriptures, if we are comprehending every single word, something inside of us is awakened.  Awakened to the truth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.  I was opened.  I was ready, but because of sin, I could not comprehend what I was reading.  And so it took a long time because I felt in my spirit I needed the right priest to help me.  There are priest who are trained in exorcism.  And at the time I didnt know about that, nor did I think even after I had confessed my sins to an exorcist priest, that the healing that took place in me was life changing.  I encountered Gods holy presence and received not only a great confession but great healing.  Encountering Christ through the presence of the priest is extraudinary!  One may not think of it as such but it is when you find the right church, the right priest, to help you to begin again through the healing of your soul and past sin.  Encountering God, one wants to constantly return to the church, the confessional, the adoration chapel, and pray, pray fervently while being in his company.  It is so beautiful to be in his presence, and to be present ourselves within the great I AM, one cannot help but to feel such smallness amidst such greatness.  A prayerful encounter with Christ, paves the way for us to live, truly live, as sons and daughters of Christ.  We never tire of prayer as christians, why?  Because we are being drawn directly to Christ through every single prayer.  How can we ever have enough or too much of Jesus, it is impossible.  It is a love affair, and one cannot stop feeling Gods love, and become ever so drawn to the power of his presence.  the last thirty six years I have been walking with Christ on my walk to Emmaus.  And Christ is leading me properly toward the kingdom.  I know it, I sense it, I feel it, every single day, I am getting closer to my final pilgrimage toward my Lord.  And I am beginning to feel excitement.  As I speak I am watching my precious pastor prepare for Christ's coming.  He is amazing!  He is teaching all of us personally to accept the crosses we are given to carry all the way until we take our last step, our last breadth and Jesus comes!  I learn so much from my pastor, and he is a true friend in Christ Jesus.  Who wants us to learn everything we need to know to get to heaven, and I believe he is doing exactly what our Lord is commanding him to do.  Jesus never tires of teaching all of us, the way, the truth, and the life.  Are you following Christ?  Are you free from all sin, is your conscience clean as a slate, it may not be, it may need to be cleaned, spiritually.  You have this window of opportunity to show your face to a priest and confess your sins.  And to be free, question is do you want to be free?  Of course the evil one wants you to be locked up in darkness til the day you die, so he can take you with him to the bottom of the pit.  The sulfuric pit, never to see the light.  Never to see the Christ.  But the good news is this, we can choose Christ, we can choose the everlasting light, and live eternally in Him.  The power of a great choice is always within your very hands.  Choose wisely.  We only get to choose once.  There is no turning back.  My hope, my prayer, is that you choose Christ.