At beginning of meeting Acts 12:1-11 is basically about Christians being persecuted. Acts12:4-5 - "He had taken him into custody and put him in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. He intended to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the church was fervently being made to God on his behalf." Acts 12:7 - "Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell." Psalm 34:8 - "The angel of the Lord, who encamps with them, delivers all who fear God."
Scripture Reading - Psalm 62:5-8 - "My soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. O God, my salvation and my glory rest, the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in him at all times, O people! Pour out your hearts before him. God is a refuge for us."
Prophecy - I sense the Lord saying, "Courage, do not be afraid. I am with you."
Scripture Reading Psalm 59:16-17 - "But I will sing of your strength, every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble. I will praise you, my defender; my refuge is God, the God who loves me."
Scripture Reading Psalm 149:1-5, Song of Triumph - "Alleluia! Sing Yahweh a new song, let the congregation of the faithful sing his praise! Let Israel rejoice in his maker, and Zion's children exult in their King; let them dance in praise of his name, playing to him on strings and drums! For Yahweh has been kind to his people, conferring victory on us who are weak; the faithful exult in triumph,"
Scripture Reading Psalm 91 - The whole Psalm is about protection and how we need trust in him, but the last part, verses 14 to 16 - "Those who love me I will deliver. I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue them and honor them. With long life, I will satisfy them and show them my salvation." And the Lord kept putting on my heart how important those words are, how much we need to trust him.
Scripture Reading Job 42:1-6 - "Then Job answered the Lord and said: I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes."
Confirmation/Prophecy - I can confirm Psalm 91. I was hearing about the troubles and that he's our protector and to trust in him. I just had a really strong sense about that. And I heard the Lord say, "Come to me and bring me your words."
Prophecy - "My children, you are exactly where you are meant to be. Do not let your hearts be downcast because everything is unfolding just as it should. I am in the weather, I am in the ?, I am in the pandemic, the fear, the anger, the hatred and the accusation. My church is being overtaken by evil and families are being destroyed and still, my children are not coming back to me. I have done all I could without going against anyone's will and I'm always respecting their choices. But now, the time of judgement is coming. Ready or not, I am coming and I will give each and every one, one last chance to choose me or suffer eternal damnation. Those who are mine will be saved, along with all those for whom you, my saints, have prayed for. Be at peace and rest in my love. I am always with you."
Prophecy - I just had a sense that the Lord Jesus is like the bright shining sun and that he is behind us, above us, in us as well. And just as it was said in the previous prophecy, that we, in fact, are the Lord's shining light and he wants us to not keep our lamps hidden, but to be the bright lights in this darkening world.
Scripture Reading Jeremiah 29:11-13 - "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare, not for woe, give you a future and a hope. When you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." He has plans for out of the pandemic. He has plans for all of the problems that are in each of our lives.
Scripture Reading Hosea 11:4 - "I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer."
Joan spoke on "The Joy of the Lord is my Strength". Nehemiah 8:9-10 - "Today is holy to the Lord, your God. Do not lament, do not weep" - for all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. "Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks; for today is holy to our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The Israelites after fleeing Egypt said, "All that the Lord has said, we will do." Psalm 16:11 says, "You show me the path of life, in your presence there is fullness of joy." That's God's promise. Pope Francis says the Christian life is joy in the Spirit. St. Philip Neri was known for his humor. He liked to make people laugh. He said, "I will have no sad spirits in my house. Cheerful people are more easily led to perfection." It's not always easy to have that joy. Jesus said, "Abide in me and I will abide in you." That's our secret! Knowing his love for us and his presence with us will give us the strength we need for each moment. Galatians 5:22 - the fruit of the Spirit. One time, Joan was carrying a heavy burden for one of her children. She praised the Lord to Praise and Worship music. It was only at the last song, #12, that the heaviness lifted. James 1:2 - "Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." One of Joan's prayers is, "Lord, don't let me miss what you are doing or saying." Romans 8:28 - "We know that all things work for good for those who love God." Acts 13:48-52 - Paul & Barnabas - they focused on the good that happened, not the persecution, and they rejoiced. St. Marguerite d'Youville and the Sisters watched their hospital burn down. They recited the Te Deum, "You are God, we praise you. You are the Lord, we acclaim you. You are the Eternal Father, all creation worships you. To you, all the angels, all the powers of Heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord, God of Power and Might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory." She turned to the Lord in a moment of disaster. Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic at 16 after a diving accident. Friends came and prayed for her, read Scripture to her. She turned to the Lord and accepted her condition. She's in her early 70's. She has battled cancer twice and yet she's full of joy. She started a ministry that sends wheelchairs to third world countries, has a camp for disabled children, etc. We are on a mission. We're here to build the kingdom of God.
Jackie - My brief testimony is about an experience that happened 30 years ago. I was in my 20's. My husband was in the Air Force and he was posted to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. I was going through a difficult time as a relative had passed away recently and I was asking God some serious questions, "Why do people die? Who are you, Jesus?" Although I had always gone to Sunday Mass, I had not yet encountered Jesus personally. Upon the move to Dartmouth, my husband and I were going to Sunday Mass which we normally did and as I entered the church, I saw a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I said, "Hi Jesus." So, we sat down in the pews. I was, then, engulfed in this sea of love. I don't know how else to explain it. There was love everywhere. It was in me, it was all around me, it was nothing but love, but love is everything. I never experienced such a deep love in my life. I also understood that Jesus knew everything about me but still loved me which is what we call unconditional love. I didn't want to come back to sitting in the pews again but I knew this experience was going to end. This experience was life-changing for me. After that, I was in love with Jesus. I was no longer afraid of the enemy which is another story we don't have time for. I was also very excited about my faith and was very drawn to the Church after that. Although June is traditionally the month that we focus on the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a priest on EWTN said recently that it is more than a devotion. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the essence of who Jesus is. So, in closing I would like to say if you would like to experience the Sacred Heart of Jesus, how I do that is visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There are also prayers that you can consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. You can consecrate your family, also through the Immaculate Heart of Mary; there are books and prayers as well.
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