As a lay apostle of Jesus Christ the Returning King, today’s feastday has taken on an even greater significance for me.  Over the past fourteen months of studying the Messages in the Volumes and the Heaven Speaks booklets, of reading Anne’s works and watching the DFOT YouTubes, one of the many things I have come to appreciate and benefit from are Jesus’ clear instructions on how we can be more effective servants of our King.  (I don’t know about you, but I have always been like that.  I need clear instructions for everything, in English and French if possible, with diagrams.  )

During this time of preparation for His return, the beautiful simplicity of His plan of service has affected my life to such a degree that only my consecration to Mary might be comparable.  There are many Messages in which we are given details as to how to serve in this time, and I would like to share one with you today, from Volume Four, Part One (Jesus the King, Message dated January 17, 2004):

My brothers and sisters must remain where I have placed them, in all calm, and in all trust.  It is through you that I return, at least in this initial phase.  You are listening to My words, you are experiencing My spirit within you, and you are preparing to assist heaven.  This is good.  I would like you to also do one other thing.  I would like you to begin walking with Me in earnest.  My beloved servants, I have told you that I am with you.  I have told you that I will never leave you.  If I am at all welcomed by you, I reside within you.  But I am also beside you.  I am in every conversation where someone asks Me to participate.  Do you want to know how to please Me?  Allow Me to speak through you.  Allow Me to act through you.  Allow Me to love through you.  You have noticed changes since you began to follow Me with decision.  You have noticed that as the world attempts to pull you away from peace, I draw you back to peace.  You have noticed that it is easier to love those around you.  You have noticed more patience, more joy, and a deeper contemplation of the world as I see it.  Now, little souls, I want you to begin practicing something different.  I want you to calmly bring Me with you in everything you do and everything you say.  In each part of each day, understand that I, the King of heaven and earth, am working through you.  You must notice that I often use the word calm.  I refer to calmness and the spirit of calm.  Why do I do this?  Because often My children get excited and that is not from Me.  How will you change because I work through you?  You will be quieter, more thoughtful; you will smile more and frown less.  You will overlook the flaws of your brothers and sisters as I overlook yours.  I will align your priorities so that your priorities are directly influenced by My priorities.  My beloved soul, try for a moment to imagine a world populated by souls such as yours. This is going to occur.  My Father has willed this and it will come about, gradually at first, and then more quickly.  You, My soul whom I have watched so closely, are a part of this.  You have a role to play.  I need you and you are Mine.  Do not think that this will be difficult for you.  It will be the most natural, most comfortable, and most wonderful state of being you have ever experienced.  My true followers, who have aligned their will to Mine, already understand this state of being and they are at peace.  You, too, will have such a peace.  Be joyful, now, dear ones.  All is well and God is firmly directing all.

…and if you’re very quiet you can start to hear this beating of the Sacred Heart, this rhythmic beating constantly in your day, and then when you become used to the silence in your soul and this presence of the Lord, this beating of the Lord’s Heart, that’s all you hear, and nothing else really makes sense. And if you pull away from this rhythmic beating you get lonesome, you get anxious, you get frightened, and you’ll see those symptoms and immediately you’ll run back to Christ, and then you’ll get back into the rhythm of the beating of the Sacred Heart. Once you learn to move through your days accompanied by that rhythmic beating of the Lord’s Sacred Heart, you really find yourself freezing when you lose it.

I was listening to this again not long ago, and as I was reflecting on it, I felt compelled to go and get “The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus“, by Father John Croiset, S.J., off my bookshelf.  After reading several pages from different chapters, I fell upon these lines [emphasis is mine]:

What St. Gertrude has written on this subject has been frequently quoted; a few words will suffice to recall it. Her historian relates that the beloved Disciple, St. John, appeared to her on one occasion, and that she asked her heavenly visitor how it was that he, whose head had reposed on the breast of the Saviour at the Last Supper, kept complete silence about the throbbing of the adorable Heart of his Master; and she expressed regret to him that he had said nothing about it for our instruction. The saint replied to her: “My mission was to write for the Church, still in its infancy, something about the uncreated Word of God the Father, something which of itself alone would give exercise to every human intellect to the end of time, something that no one would ever succeed in fully understanding. As for the language of these blessed beats of the Heart of Jesus, it is reserved for the last ages when the world, grown old and become cold in the love of God, will need to be warmed again by the revelation of these mysteries.

[The Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Father John Croiset, S.J., pages 83-84]

I would like to share some thoughts regarding several points raised by a reader, Frankie, in the combox of my introductory post about Direction For Our Times and the Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King. It will probably take a few posts to do so, and from that point on, I will concentrate solely on sharing the Messages and the work of the Apostolate in my DFOT posts, with any of you who care to read here.  

 I will begin with some of the history of the image of Jesus Christ the Returning King, and a bit about the relationship of the image and the Apostolate’s mission to the Divine Mercy mission of St. Faustina.

In Anne’s book “Climbing the Mountain. Discovering Your Path to Holiness”, there is a section about the image [pgs. 244-245]. In October 2005, a month after Anne had received a series of locutions from St. Faustina, she traveled on pilgrimage, upon the invitation of Sr. Briege McKenna and Fr. Kevin Scallon, to the International Divine Mercy Shrine in Krakow, Poland. The three met with the Mother Superior of St. Faustina’s order, The Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. They spoke with the Mother Superior about Anne’s experiences and her mission to spread the message of Jesus Christ the Returning King, and the Mother Superior responded by telling them of an unusual experience of her own the previous day. An artist friend had just presented her with a painting, which she had understood was supposed to be that of her patron saint, but was in fact an image of Jesus Christ the Returning King. When Mother Superior showed it to Anne, Sr. Briege and Fr. Scallon, “all of us in the room were amazed and recognized that this painting was to be the authentic image for the apostolate…” Mother Superior told them that she was, “certain that it was really meant for Anne.”  In a locution to Anne on October 28, 2005 St. Faustina said, “The image of Jesus Christ the Returning King should be spread throughout the world.  There are many graces attached to this image.  Like the Divine Mercy image, this image will be widely recognized as a source of goodness and healing.  All who venerate this image will be blessed…Such joy flows from heaven.  Bask in the joy, dear apostles, because your King is returning.”  In the DFOT Newsletter of April 2009 (Issue 13), there is a wonderful article about the image, and an interview with the artist, Janusz Antosz.

In his comments, Frankie expresses his fears and concerns that both the image and the Apostolate are “distracting” people from the Divine Mercy image, as well as from St. Faustina’s mission and her suffering. I do not know if anything I can say will help to alleviate his or anyone else’s concerns, but I will certainly try. As I recounted above, the image itself was given to the Apostolate by the Mother Superior of St. Faustina’s order. In the back of all the Volumes, as well as in the two books I have by Anne, “Climbing the Mountain” and “The Mist of Mercy”, there is a section entitled, “How to Recite the Chaplet of Divine Mercy”. The April 09 newsletter, as mentioned, has not only an article about the image but three messages from St. Faustina. As another commentor, Kevin, told us: “Many lay apostles have a strong devotion to Divine Mercy; they are encouraged to. The staff at the Direction For Our Times offices in both the U.S. and Ireland are generally gathered at 3:00 each afternoon to recite the Divine Mercy Chaplet.” In the audio recording of the monthly meeting of the Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King (May 2009), we hear a guest speaker, Mother Theresa (may not be the correct spelling), a Cistercian sister from Denmark. She tells us she is giving thanks to the Lord for what is happening because of the Apostolate, that graces are pouring down, that all are being blessed, and that the work of the Apostolate, which is Jesus’ work, should be respected and defended, not by speaking much, but by giving the glory to the Lord. She tells the audience that she and her contemplative sisters in different countries are all praying for the Apostolate, and refers to the Apostolate as an “act of mercy” from the Lord.

From my own perspective, I believe that the majority of us who have been devoted to the Divine Mercy message and St. Faustina’s mission for many, many years now will only find our devotion strengthened through the Messages and work of the Apostolate, and those who may have never heard of the Divine Mercy message will certainly be led to it through the Apostolate. Just as the saints all work together joyfully, we are called to do so as well, because we are all working for Jesus, our Returning King.

Anne the Lay Apostle received two messages from St. Catherine of Siena, both of which I would like to share with you today. I would like to highlight three blogger friends today as well:

• Cathy (A Bit of the Blarney), whose patron saint is St. Catherine
• Aeternus
• Marie-Cecile (Soulful Longings and God’s Wonderful Love)

In Cathy’s post today, she quotes St. Catherine of Siena:  “Your neighbors are the channel through which your virtues are tested and come to birth…”  We hear/read the same in The Message dated July 27, 2004 where St. Catherine says:  “So from now on, when you are having difficulties with other souls, thank Jesus.  Continually work on your own soul and ask yourself what this opportunity could help you with spiritually.  Should you practice humility?  Are you too fond of the esteem of others?  Should you practice detachment?  Is the world an alluring pull for you?  Should you practice trust?  Are you having difficulty trusting Jesus?  Are you seeking to fill your needs through other avenues?….This is a time for grace.  This is a time for spiritual growth.  There are great spiritual opportunities available now.  Use every one.”  Cathy also reminds us in her post about St. Catherine of Siena’s “…Dialogues (written accounts of her revelations from God) and her Letters which initially gave spiritual instruction and encouragement…”   We see how God has always and will always use whomever He chooses for this type of work.   St. Catherine received from the Lord primarily in ecstasy; Anne the Lay Apostle received The Messages through interior locutions.

In her post today, Aeternus shares an excerpt from The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena, part of which I quote here:  “Oh! Supreme and Eternal Goodness of God, who am I, miserable one, that You, Supreme and Eternal Father, have manifested to me Your Truth, and the hidden deceits of the Devil, and the deceitfulness of personal feeling, so that I, and others in this life of pilgrimage, may know how to avoid being deceived by the Devil or ourselves!”  I am reminded of something that Anne the Lay Apostle wrote in her book, Climbing the Mountain (page 78); she tells us that as a messenger, she is only another “fellow slave of heaven”.

Marie-Cecile of Soulfull Longings and God’s Wonderful Love always came to mind every time I listened to or read the Message I put up in my previous post.  Each time I heard Anne and Dr. Miravalle speak of consistency of service, Marie-Cecile’s work is what I thought of. As she indicated in a previous comment, MC always places herself in the background in comparison to the greatness of God, because it is God she wishes to glorify and certainly not herself; but I can tell you, MC, your quiet service does not go unnoticed by Him or others. There have been many occasions over the last three years where I might have gone to sleep a little down or distraught, except for having checked in with you before bedtime and read some of your faithful and uplifting posts, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and as St. Catherine of Siena said in her Message of July 26, 2004: “You might not believe this, thinking you are not that important, but I assure you that through even the quietist, most humble service, Jesus can save many souls.”

And now, on to the Messages from St. Catherine of Siena:

Volume Seven: Message dated July 26, 2004

Volume Seven: Message dated July 27, 2004

A number of months ago I came across an apostolate, the mission of which has impacted my life in so many ways it is difficult to know where to start or how to go about sharing it.  So, I will just begin with some general information in this introductory post, but will continue on an ongoing basis to share more, both here and at my other blog, Consecrated to Mary.

The apostolate had its origin in Messages which were given by interior locutions to “Anne”, who is a wife, mother of six, Secular Franciscan, and an American now living in Ireland.  Anne went through several years during this present decade receiving and writing down Messages from God the Father, Jesus, Mary and certain of the saints.  These Messages were formed into ten Volumes (two of which have not yet been released) and a series of booklets entitled, “Heaven Speaks”.   Anne has written other books concerning her experiences as well.

Out of this grew Direction For Our Times, and the apostolate, The Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King.  Anne has been told that this apostolate is a continuation of Saint Faustina’s mission of Divine Mercy, and we will explore that aspect in more detail here in the future.  Among many other things, we are told that the second coming of Christ is a process, that the process has begun, that it begins in each of our hearts, and that we can help Jesus save souls during this time (which is a time of renewal and transformation) as we bring His light to our brothers and sisters on earth.

This apostolate and its mission are in complete obedience and submission to Anne’s local bishop, and to the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church.  The Messages are currently being studied by the Vatican.

These Messages are filled with the tender, gentle love of God for each person on earth, with mercy, peace, instruction and guidance.  They are filled with hope for ourselves and our children, and will give you peace concerning your families and your loved ones already departed.  They will inspire you to courage, faithfulness and complete calm during this time of transformation, as we await the return of Christ the King and serve Him, each in our own way, during the process of renewal He has begun.

There were so many segments from the Apostolate’s YouTube channel that I wanted to start with in this introductory post I had a very difficult time choosing.  (Each YouTube is approximately eight to ten minutes long; Dr. Mark Miravalle reads the Message, and then he and Anne discuss it.)  I finally decided to begin with a Message that, once I had absorbed it as fully as I could and began trying to live it, has definitely produced fruit in my own life over the past months.  We find in many of the Messages very caring advice from Jesus as He shows us He is aware of the difficulties we face in our daily lives.  So I will leave you with this for the moment, but greatly look forward to sharing much more with you over the months to come.

Volume Ten: Message dated September 25, 2004

Direction For Our Times YouTube Channel