Tag: Catholic Faith

  • Come As You Are

    A Father’s Day Invitation from Your Heavenly Father

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    Come As You Are

    On this Father’s Day in the United States, there is a Father who longs to see you just as you are.

    Not the polished version.

    Not the version that tries to impress others.

    Not the version hidden behind titles, accomplishments, or appearances.

    Just you.

    The real you.

    Your Heavenly Father is not asking for perfection. He is asking for your presence.

    Like the prodigal son in the Gospel, many of us have wandered. Some have wandered far from God. Others sit faithfully in church each week while carrying wounds, fears, regrets, and disappointments deep within their hearts.

    Yet the Father’s invitation remains the same:

    “Come home.”

    The Father Who Waits

    In the parable of the prodigal son, the father never stopped loving his child.

    He watched.

    He waited.

    He hoped.

    And when he saw his son returning from a distance, he did not condemn him. He did not lecture him. He did not shame him.

    Instead, he ran to him.

    He embraced him.

    He welcomed him home.

    That is how God feels about each one of us.

    Many people spend their lives searching for love, acceptance, and belonging. Yet our Heavenly Father has already prepared all of these things for us. His heart longs for us to receive the love He freely offers.

    Let God Love You

    Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply accept that we are loved.

    We know our mistakes.

    We remember our failures.

    We see our weaknesses.

    But God sees something more.

    He sees the son He created.

    He sees the daughter He formed.

    He sees a beloved child made in His image.

    When we come before Him in humility, He lifts us up. When we surrender our burdens, He carries them. When we acknowledge our need for Him, He fills us with His grace.

    The Father does not merely tolerate you.

    He delights in you.

    The Feast Is Waiting

    The father in the Gospel did not merely welcome his son home.

    He prepared a feast.

    That feast symbolizes the joy of life with God and the fellowship of His family.

    At God’s table there is room for everyone.

    There is peace for the troubled.

    There is hope for the discouraged.

    There is healing for the wounded.

    There is joy for the weary.

    There is love beyond anything this world can offer.

    God desires that we share this feast with our brothers and sisters, encouraging one another and growing together in faith.

    Love Poured Out on the Cross

    The greatest proof of the Father’s love was revealed on Calvary.

    Jesus Christ stretched out His arms upon the Cross and poured out His life for us.

    Every drop of His Precious Blood proclaimed the same message:

    “You are loved.”

    The Cross is not a symbol of defeat.

    It is the greatest victory of love the world has ever known.

    God did not wait for us to become perfect before loving us.

    He loved us first.

    He loves us now.

    And He will love us forever.

    A Peace Beyond Understanding

    Today, your Heavenly Father invites you to stop running.

    Stop hiding.

    Stop pretending.

    Come as you are.

    Bring your hopes.

    Bring your fears.

    Bring your sins.

    Bring your wounds.

    Bring your entire heart.

    Allow Him to embrace you with His mercy and fill you with a peace beyond understanding.

    Surrender yourself to His loving care.

    Become the child of God He created you to be.

    For you were made for more than this world can offer.

    You were created for eternal life, eternal joy, and eternal communion with the Father who loves you beyond measure.

    And His invitation remains open today:

    Come home. Come as you are.

    “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” — 1 John 3:1

    Happy Father’s Day, and may God the Father bless you abundantly with His love, peace, and joy. 🙏

    and may you accept it and embrace it. Make Your Father in Heaven very happy as you come to and truly accept His Eternal, Pease, and Joy. Live with Passion. Live for God today. He is truly living for you.

    Thank you for reading this blog. Please share it with others.

    Rick Herring
    thmjmj@gmail.com

  • Saint Faustina and the Three Souls in Purgatory

    A Powerful Reminder to Pray for the Holy Souls

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    One of the most moving accounts in the life of Saint Faustina Kowalska concerns a vision she received of souls suffering in Purgatory. This experience serves as a powerful reminder that our prayers, sacrifices, and acts of charity can help those who have gone before us marked with the sign of faith.

    Saint Faustina is best known as the Apostle of Divine Mercy. Through her diary, she recorded many revelations from Jesus concerning God’s infinite mercy and His desire that all souls be saved. Among these revelations was a profound encounter with souls undergoing purification after death.

    The Vision of Three Souls

    Saint Faustina wrote that she was once permitted by God to visit a place of purification. There she encountered three souls who were suffering the pains of Purgatory.

    Although these souls had died in God’s friendship and were destined for Heaven, they still required purification before entering into the full presence of God. Their suffering was not one of despair but of longing—a deep desire to be united completely with the Lord.

    The saint observed that these souls could no longer merit for themselves. They depended entirely on the prayers, sacrifices, and Masses offered by the faithful on earth.

    A Fire Unlike Earthly Fire

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    Saint Faustina described the suffering of the souls as being caused by an intense longing for God. She noted that the fire of Purgatory was unlike earthly fire. It was a spiritual purification that prepared souls for the perfect holiness required to enter Heaven.

    What struck her most was that the souls eagerly desired this purification because they understood it was leading them toward eternal union with God.

    Their suffering was temporary, but their destination was eternal joy.

    The Communion of Saints

    The Church teaches that there is a spiritual bond between the faithful on earth, the souls in Purgatory, and the saints in Heaven. This bond is known as the Communion of Saints.

    Because of this spiritual connection, our prayers truly help the Holy Souls.

    Every Rosary prayed for them, every sacrifice offered on their behalf, every Divine Mercy Chaplet, and especially every Holy Mass can assist them in their purification.

    Saint Faustina learned that many souls receive great relief through the prayers of the faithful.

    Why We Should Pray for the Holy Souls

    Many Catholics today have forgotten the ancient practice of praying for the dead. Yet throughout Christian history, believers have offered prayers and Mass intentions for departed loved ones.

    The Holy Souls cannot pray for themselves, but they can pray for us. Many saints have taught that souls released from Purgatory become powerful intercessors before the throne of God.

    When we help them, they do not forget us.

    This beautiful exchange of charity continues until we are all united in Heaven.

    Divine Mercy and Purgatory

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    The message of Divine Mercy offers tremendous hope for both the living and the dead. Jesus revealed to Saint Faustina that His mercy is greater than any sin and that He desires all souls to trust in Him.

    The Divine Mercy Chaplet has become one of the Church’s most beloved prayers for the dying and for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

    Whenever we pray:

    “For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world,”

    we are participating in Christ’s mission of mercy.

    What Can We Do Today?

    We can help the Holy Souls by:

    • Attending Mass and offering it for the dead.

    • Praying the Rosary for departed loved ones.

    • Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

    • Offering sacrifices and sufferings for the Holy Souls.

    • Visiting cemeteries and praying for those who have died.

    • Remembering forgotten souls who may have no one praying for them.

    Final Thoughts

    Saint Faustina’s vision of the three souls in Purgatory reminds us that death is not the end of our relationship with one another. Through the Communion of Saints, we remain connected in Christ.

    The Holy Souls need our prayers. One day, we may need theirs.

    Let us never miss an opportunity to pray:

    “Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.”

    By showing mercy to the Holy Souls, we participate in the very mission that Jesus entrusted to Saint Faustina—the mission of bringing God’s mercy to every soul.