Reclaiming Our Children

Sweet Surrender

It is so hard to trust God with our healing. There is that part of us that wants to think we know better than Him what it is we need. I have come to learn, that healing is in the present, in doing His will. Right here, right now...

Sweet Surrender

It is clear to me you want my all,

Nothing saved for me.

No sooner do I die to one

Then another challenge I see

 

At times it makes me want to run

It seems there’s so much to it

But then I just remember that

It’s You who have to do it

 

And so I aim to clear the way

Of all that clings to ME

For in this sweet surrender

I am all I long to be. 

Mary, Mother of Mercy

I would be remiss today, if I did not acknowledge the role of Mary in my healing. As both the patroness of the "Entering Canaan" Ministry and intercessor in my personal healing, Mary has been instrumental in bringing me to the Mercy of her Son.
Many people have this idea that Catholics worship Mary, but that is so far from the truth. No one can go to Mary without her pointing them to Jesus. She is the good mother always showing us the way to Him. What better place to hear this then in The Magnificat, singing God's praises.
On this her birthday, here is a commentary by Pope John Paul II:

Taken from:L’Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
13 November 1996,

Mary Sings the Praises of God’s Mercy

In the ‘Magnificat’, the Blessed Virgin proclaims the greatness of God who called her, his humble handmaid, to be the Mother of his Incarnate Son. At the General Audience of Wednesday, 6 November, the Holy Father returned to his catechesis on the Virgin Mary with a reflection on her song known as the Magnificat.
“With her wise reading of history, Mary leads us to discover the criteria of God’s mysterious action. Overturning the judgements of the world, he comes to the aid of the poor and lowly”, the Pope said, pointing out that it is humility of heart which the Lord finds especially attractive.

Here is a translation of the Holy Father’s catechesis, which was the 35th in the series on the Blessed Virgin and was given in Italian.
1. Inspired by the Old Testament tradition, with the song of the Magnificat Mary celebrates the marvels God worked in her. This son is the Virgin’s response to the mystery of the Annunciation: the angel had invited her to rejoice and Mary now expresses the exultation of her spirit in God her Saviour. Her joy flows from the personal experience of God’s looking with kindness upon her, a poor creature with no historical influence.
The word Magnificat, the Latin version of a Greek word with the same meaning, celebrates the greatness of God, who reveals his omnipotence through the angel’s message, surpassing the expectations and hope of the people of the Covenant, and even the noblest aspirations of the human soul.
He who is mighty has done great things for me
In the presence of the powerful and merciful Lord, Mary expresses her own sense of lowliness: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden” (Lk 1: 47-48). The Greek word “tapeínosis” is probably borrowed from the song of Hannah, Samuel’s mother. It calls attention to the “humiliation” and “misery” of a barren woman (cf. 1 Sam 1:11), who confides her pain to the Lord. With a similar expression, Mary makes known her situation of poverty and her awareness of being little before God, who by a free decision looked upon her, a humble girl from Nazareth and called her to become the Mother of the Messiah.

2. The words “henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Lk 1:48) arise from the fact that Elizabeth was the first to proclaim Mary “blessed” (Lk 1:45). Not without daring, the song predicts that this same proclamation will be extended and increased with relentless momentum. At the same time, it testifies to the special veneration for the Mother of Jesus which has been present in the Christian community from the very first century. The Magnificat is the first fruit of the various forms of devotion, passed on from one generation to the next, in which the Church has expressed her love for the Virgin of Nazareth.

3. “For he who is mighty has done great things for me and holy is his name, and his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation” (Lk 1: 49-50).
What are the “great things” that the Almighty accomplished in Mary? The expression recurs in the Old Testament to indicate the deliverance of the people of Israel from Egypt or Babylon. In the Magnificat, it refers to the mysterious event of Jesus’ virginal conception, which occurred in Nazareth after the angel’s announcement.
In the Magnificat, a truly theological song because it reveals the experience Mary had of God’s looking upon her, God is not only the Almighty to whom nothing is impossible, as Gabriel had declared (cf. Lk 1:37), but also the Merciful, capable of tenderness and fidelity towards every human being.

4. “He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts, he has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent empty away” (Lk 1: 51-53).
With her wise reading of history, Mary leads us to discover the criteria of God’s mysterious action. Overturning the judgements of the world, he comes to the aid of the poor and lowly, to the detriment of the rich and powerful, and in a surprising way he fills with good things the humble who entrust their lives to him (cf. Redemptoris Mater, n.37).
While these words of the song show us Mary as a concrete and sublime model, they give us to understand that it is especially humility of heart which attracts God’s kindness.
God fulfils his promises in Mary with abundant generosity

5. Lastly, the song exalts the fulfilment of God’s promises and his fidelity to the chosen people: “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his posterity forever” (Lk 1:54-55).
Filled with divine gifts, Mary does not limit her vision to her own personal case, but realizes how these gifts show forth God’s mercy towards all his people. In her, God fulfils his promises with a superabundance of fidelity and generosity.
Inspired by the Old Testament and by the spirituality of the daughter of Zion, the Magnificat surpasses the prophetic texts on which it is based, revealing in her who is full of grace” the beginning of a divine intervention which far exceeds Israel’s messianic hopes: the holy mystery of the Incarnation of the Word.

Surrendering to the Will of God

I would like to share with you a reading from  “The Gift of Faith” , one of my favorite books. (If you have not read it you should)

“The peace of Christ comes as a result of your chosing Him…He wants you by loving His will, to want what is best for you. Christ does not need anything for Himself. If he does want something from you, then it is always that which is best for you. He wants to love you and wants you to accept His desire which is His love…Christ is someone who expects something from you. Primarily, His is the Will which reveals Itself to us. To believe and love Christ is to love what He wants; that is, to love His will. We are to chose Him in this very way; loving that what He loves. It is only loving the will of Christ confirmed by our choices during trials of faith, that brings us peace and true happiness which no one can take away from us. (Gift of Faith)

So, I am here to tell you that I always accept the will of God…as long as it is the same as my will !

Over the years I have come to agree with Him on more things, but I have to admit, when I don’t, the battle begins. Two things stand out to me in that reading:

 1.“The peace of Christ comes as a result of your choosing Him”

He has already chosen us by the mere fact that we exist…we need, with our free will, to choose Him!

 2.“It is only loving the will of Christ confirmed by our choices during trials of faith, that brings us peace and true happiness which no one can take away from us “

Not during the easy times or times we agree but“Our Choices during trials of faith” tell us if we love His will & trust Him. Are we willing to die to ourselves to follow Him? Do we trust Him enough? Do we choose to continue believing He is working and loving us even when it seems like everything is telling us the opposite?

When we get stuck in the same place over and over again, do we engage in the battle of dying to self, or do we give up on His love and rush in to do our own will?

 I do both depending on the circumstances of what has happened. It is hard to believe during trials of faith when everything seems to tell you the opposite.Yet, if we love His will we are told in the book “Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence”, That “nothing happens to us in life unless God wills it so.” NOTHING!

Even when we see evil in the world.Even when we pray for what is good and right and it appears our prayers are not answered…that God is deaf to us. even when we see people we love suffering or when we continue to suffer and do not understand how He is moving in our lives.

Faith calls us to go against everything that appears to be true and to continue to believe in His love for us even in the face of what appears to be bad

• Like debilitating sickness
• Job loss
• Suffering of family members

Even terrible horrors, like the Holocaust, or abortion or the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God is not the cause of these evils, but He allowed them to happen.

 There is a great little book I mentioned before, “Trustful surrender to Divine Providence”, by Father Jean Baptiste Saint-Jure and Saint Claude de la Colombiere

It says:

“If we could see what He sees we would unhesitatingly wish all He wishes. We would beg Him on bended knees for those afflictions we now ask Him to spare us. To all of us He addresses the words spoken to the sons of Zebeedee. “you know not what you ask”..If I pay heed to what you think you need you would have been hopelessly ruined long ago”

 The basic concept is so simple – complete trustful surrender to God as an attitude towards ones life knowing nothing can happen unless He allows it.

 “The fact that God's will is perfectly good is not to say that it is always agreeable to us. Providence sometimes visits us with misfortunes: illness, sudden impoverishment, the loss of a job, the death of a child. We are taught, In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God (1 Thess. 5:18). But this can be difficult, particularly when suffering afflicts the innocent. Here again, we must firmly believe that "God knows best" and that His will is the ultimate happiness for each and every one of us.

       Surrender to God's will is not a passive act. The constant bridling and reining in of our self-will is difficult; we can be quite stubborn in overriding the voice of our conscience and following our own will. But if we honestly seek to know God's will--through Scripture, the counsels of our spiritual father, prayer--and act upon it, we will be rewarded with deep peace, the healing of our will and the ability to rejoice in all circumstances, sincerely glorifying God for all things. Let us, therefore, say "Thy will be done"--and mean it! “

It seems so simple, so freeing .....until you try it.

Then I discover how willful and controlling I am...and how this willful attitude has caused me tension and suffering in my life. Yet, over and over again, I find myself following my will instead of His.  But as the book says the bridling and reining in of our self-will is difficult  and“it is not a passive act”. It is a constant act of pulling ourselves back to Him on a daily basis. Sometimes countless times in one day. It is a constant act of surrender, not a one time thing.

 In relation to abortion it may be hard to understand how God would allow such a thing to happen.What possible good can come out of the deaths of so many unborn children? He does not of course, will the death of these babies, but He does allow it and He does bring good out of this horrible sin…I can see that in my own life, In my conversion, and the conversion of family members. How He has taught us, through the death of my son, Compassion, Forgiveness, True love, not self centered love.

 I think we all have a lot to learn from abortion…all sides of the issue, the pro life side, the pro abortion side and yes the post abortion side. We are all so quick to judge each other.

It is all hard to understand..we need to pray for the grace

• You may not understand why God is allowing you to suffer for so long. With trustful surrender you would come to see it is because He has your best welfare at heart…he allows your suffering because he desires your complete healing even though you may feel he has abandoned you and you are unable to recognize this is what He is doing.

 Everyone struggles with complete surrender to Gods will. It goes against our human nature.

Even St Faustina had adverse feelings

 “What brought St. Faustina comfort, light, and strength whenever she just had to "close her eyes," so to speak, and trust in God's permissive will, was her faith that Jesus is Divine Mercy Himself, and must be working out His loving plan, His "providential will," in all that He permitted her to suffer:

She believed her suffering was bringing her to Him-her ultimate desire. She so trusted in His love for her she would not consider otherwise.She was active in her reigning in of her will because she trusted He was mercy itself .

“Today the Lord Jesus is giving me an awareness of Himself and of His most tender love and care for me. He is bringing me to understand deeply how everything depends on His will, and how He allows certain difficulties precisely for our merit, so that our fidelity might be clearly manifest. And through this, I have been given strength for suffering and self-denial. ... I want to live in the spirit of faith. I accept everything that comes my way as given me by the loving will of God, who sincerely desires my happiness. And so I will accept with submission and gratitude everything that God sends me. I pay no attention to the voice of nature and the promptings of self-love. ... Jesus gave me to know that even the smallest thing does not happen on earth without His will. After having seen this, my soul entered into an unusual repose; I found myself completely at peace as to the work [of mercy] in its full extent. God can deal with me as He pleases, and I will bless Him for everything (1409, 1549, and 1262).

 Ah, but It can be so hard to Patiently await what GOD is doing…especially for me. Patience my worse virtue!

Yet, it too is not a feeling but an act of the will. In spite of my feelings of impatience, for me to use my will to stay still and wait, knowing He is working in my life.

 In post abortion healing, I see a lot of women taking over their own healings. They want what they want when they want it. They want to be a certain place in their healing NOW…They even try to force themselves to be there, but ultimately it does not work.

 Healing is in Gods time not ours. He knows better then we what we need and where we need to be healed in relation to our abortions. You may think you are done, but years later He can reveal another place that needs attention..it is ok though…maybe years earlier we never could have handled looking at the new area he reveals to us…that is why  healing is in doing His will, today, this minute, this second!

Not in our time, it is in trusting in His will for us as the way to love and to HIM.

 But It is so hard to see when we see great suffering…

On a personal level, perhaps my biggest struggles for trust in Gods will come with those I love, especially my children. I do not want to see them suffer. There is a tendency to want to fix everything for them so they will be happy.

It is hard…I have to let go every day and really pray…I will always have that tendency to want to protect them..it is a natural instinct. I have come to know that I also need to pray for me to change. I can continue to pray for them, and for theirwell being, but most of all I need to learn to be grateful for what is happening because for whatever reason, God is working for good in our lives. A hard thing to swallow, but true.

 I only have to look to Mary to see this. How her faith accepted of the will of God, with no doubts..when everything seemed to shout the opposite…at  

• the agony in the garden
• The condemnation of Jesus
• The scourging
• The crucifixion

The viewing of the complete surrender of Christ to the will of God

The ultimate evil…and yet, she trusted…but she also understands our struggles

We need to allow Mary to help us accept the will of God in our lives.To ask her to obtain for us the graces we need walk through whatever He places in our paths for our salvation with the same trust she had. We all struggle, what matters is our choice in the end as St Paul says, to "fight the good fight."

I may grumble .

I may get angry at God

I may think I know better

I may kick and scream and fight my self will to the point of despair before I surrender

But will I reach out and believe in the end?

Will I trust the will of God in spite of what my human nature is telling me?

Will I grasp that flicker of hope which is Mercy Himself and refuse not to believe and trust? If not? AS St Peter said:“Lord where would I go?”Without the hope of Christ what is there?

 

Prayer of Saint Claude de la Colombiere –

 A Despair Prayer.

Lord, I am in this world to show Your mercy to others.
Other people will glorify You
by making visible the power of Your grace
by their fidelity and constancy to You.
For my part I will glorify You
by making known how good You are to sinners,
that Your mercy is boundless
and that no sinner no matter how great his offences
should have reason to despair of pardon.
If I have grievously offended You, My Redeemer,
let me not offend You even more
by thinking that You are not kind enough to pardon Me.

Without a Voice

Do the media influence society? Or does society influence the media? If you ask Hollywood, the answer is simple. Movies are a reflection of life and not the other way around. If you asked me this in the past, I would have probably agreed since my career lies within the communications industry. However, if you ask me this question today, I will deeply disagree and believe that life is strongly influenced by all forms media that surround us. We are bombarded by media and messages every minute of every day. In fact, we see more than 5,000 commercial messages each day and media plays an increasingly important role in modern society. Media and messaging creates demand on society and to take a little creative license with a statement from E.F. Schumacher, “What is the great bulk of media and advertising other than the stimulation of greed, envy and avarice…at least three of the seven deadly sins.” Media is an extraordinary unconscious force in our everyday lives.

Each night, one of the last things I touch is my mobile device, while watching TV and my morning ritual includes looking at email the moment I open my eyes. We’ve lost a sense of humanity because of technology and although technology supposedly helps improve our lives, we’ve digressed with regard to interpersonal skills and empathy. What’s worse is that media has touched many morals and has played a vital role in making them immoral. In spite of this, these immoral acts are positioned as being acceptable in today’s society. The corruption has become custom. The abnormal has become the norm and what was once considered to be wrong is now right. Unfortunately, if you become too engrossed in media and its messages, you may easily run the risk of being blinded and losing your way in doing what is truly right in life.

I remember seeing a pre-screening of the movie, “It’s Complicated” with Alex Baldwin and Meryl Streep. The movie was very entertaining and the audience laughed at quite a few scenes. However, I realized at one point during the film that the storyline was based on many immoral acts that seemed quite normal today. Adultery was being debated as an acceptable act. An engaged couple were co-habiting as a married couple. Smoking marijuana was an unobjectionable activity when it came to escapism. For the first time, I sat there in the theater and asked myself, “What have we as a society become if we think this movie is humorous and acceptable as normal life as we know it today?” What’s more disturbing is the fact that primetime TV casually displays immoral behavior including cheating, stealing, lying (and the list continues) within episodes. One episode of “Sex and the City” nonchalantly discussed the topic of abortion when one of the lead characters became pregnant out of wedlock. The question was posed as, “Are you going to keep it?” That’s it! It was as if they were contemplating keeping a lost puppy. Media has literally flipped priorities and principles on its head.

We’ve simply become immune to so many immoral issues in today’s society as a result of how the media positions these issues as being immaterial. And what’s more frightening is the fact that many people start to believe that the abnormal is normal. Regrettably, I have fallen victim to this unethical way of thinking even though I have always been considered as a very moral, ethical, principled person who grew up in a God-fearing family environment.

Over a decade ago I was presented with one of the most difficult, controversial issues imaginable which was always an easy answer in my mind until my own sibling came to me asking for help… “We’re unmarried, pregnant and far from ready for a child.” I was not only stunned but also shaken to the core of my soul. The answer was always so simple until that moment. They were a long way from ready to have a baby and I could see pure fright in their eyes. The discussions were torturous and although buried deep within our hearts we knew the right thing to do, the decision was to terminate the pregnancy instead. Not only did I encourage this decision but I also went against a deep moral belief that I stood for since I understood the definition of abortion. I thought I was protecting my sibling by going out of my comfort zone and against my anti-abortion stance. Instead, I am living the most uncomfortable, painful and remorseful life imaginable. The regret is unspeakable on so many levels.

Today, the couple is married and they have two beautiful children. The love I have for these children is greater than life itself. Although I am not being blamed for the final decision, there are no words to describe the sorrow I have for encouraging a mother to abort her child and for being a cause of such immense pain everyone felt on the horrifying day. I guess I’m one of the few lucky ones to only have to live with the inconceivable guilt for the rest of my life and not also be blamed for encouraging such a shameful and despicable decision.

However, I am reminded of what I encouraged to be terminated every time I hold either one of their children in my arms. The agony in my heart never seems to ease and most likely, will never diminish. As if that isn’t grueling enough, keeping this decision that I encouraged locked deep within my heart is like being imprisoned within my own mind.

We are all co-equal by nature and I didn’t defend the dignity of that life. Instead, I’ve fallen victim to the displays of evil that have been transformed to acceptable acts in life. Some may say it was a cowardly act on my behalf and that may be true but I do not want to live without honor. With that said, I share this story with you to fight this evil act with honor, truth and dignity in order to hopefully, turn something so demeaning in my life into something positive in someone else’s life by influencing them to not make the same horrific decision I made and realize the mourning you go through is never-ending. My utmost hope and prayer is that the precious life that was terminated that day because of my encouragement will not have been aborted in vain.

My plea to you is quite simple, yet profound. It is to realize the manipulative and brutal force that media can easily have on society, especially children…and yes, even God-fearing folks. It is not an excuse for my remorseful and regrettable act but it subconsciously and viciously played a role that day just as it does in our everyday lives. I recently read an alarming statistic that 39% of all pregnancies in NYC alone are being aborted. We have reached a new holocaust in history and I pray that instead of being overcome by evil, I will help to overcome evil by influencing others not to make the same disgraceful and life-long painful choice.

There are many significant issues that have become so insignificant by the way the media portrays them. Please put on your suit of armor, stand tall, believe in what your heart is saying and don’t fall victim to the heartless influence of media. The abnormal is not the norm and there is no greater abnormality than to go against everything you believe in…especially when the consequence is living each day with remorse and shame beyond comprehension for the rest of your life.

Please share this letter and please pray for me, our society that is under fire, all those who are facing the same daunting decision that they will choose right from wrong…and most of all, for those children without a voice. - Lisa

Upcoming entering Canaan Retreats for Women

Women’s Retreats
All locations listed may not participate in all the components of the Entering Canaan Ministry. Please check with them for their offerings.
Bridgeport, CT
Contact: Maureen Ciardiello
October 13, 2018
Phone: 203-416-1445
Email: [email protected]

New York
Entering Canaan Mercy Retreat (for those who have been in healing)
March 1-3, 2019
For all those who have been traveling on the healing journey
Contact: Theresa Bonopartis
Phone: 877-586-4621
Email: [email protected]

Days of Prayer & Healing
Contact: Sisters of Life
October 6, 2018
October 20, 2019 (Spanish)
November 10, 2018
Phone: 866-575-0075
Email: [email protected]

Rockville Center, New York
December 1, 2018
Patricia Fox (516) 678-5800
Exts.626 & 381
1-888-456-4673
http://www.respectlife.drvc.org

Syracuse, Diocese
Hope & Healing Weekend
September 29, 2018
February 2, 2019
April 27, 2019
Contact: Lisa Hall
Phone: 855-364-0076
Email: [email protected]

Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
May 19, 2018
Contact: Clarissa Lipenski
Phone: 419-260-5811
Email: [email protected]

Tennessee
Nashville, TN
September 28, 2019
615 415 2550
[email protected]

Arlington, VA
October 13, 2018
Contact: Sarah LaPierre
Phone: 703-841-2504
Email: [email protected]