A STARTLING BOOK

READ ME OR RUE IT

Startling title, isn't it? Yes, I was also startled when I first saw this small book many many  years ago and I started to be inspired with it and have become one of the many prayer warriors of the souls in purgatory. Even become fervent when many of my family became one of them, too.

This book written by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan tells many true stories about the Poor Souls in Purgatory. He relates incidents from the lives of the Saints to show their great sufferings, our obligation to help them, as well as the many helps and graces which they obtain for their benefactors in return.

This little book needs to be spread far and wide. It will lead to a powerful link between ourselves and the "Church Suffering," our brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer the torments of Purgatory – a powerful bond of holy charity whereby we shall please God, send souls to Heaven, and obtain for ourselves and our families a host of priceless graces and blessings. 

Several prayers for the Poor Souls are given at the end of the booklet including a Novena for the Poor Souls in Purgatory for each day of the week and the Litany for the Poor Souls.

When I started to pray the novena for the souls in purgatory, I feel happy that I have helped a lot of souls already. In my dreams, I would see some of them smiling. I can feel they are thanking me. I don't know many of them. There are also souls that come to me in my dreams asking for prayers. There were times when I became a witness to a crime and when I woke up, I pray for the person killed. It has become my habit to pray for someone I see in my dreams. I just knew in my heart they are souls asking for prayers.

My job required me to transfer to another town, and this made me live on my own. Sleeping in a room alone.  I am really afraid of ghost. My father died when I was still a child and  I remember I told him not to show himself to me as a ghost, only in my dreams. 

I still continue to pray my novena for the souls then. But I started to hear their messages not only in my dreams any more. I would wake up at the middle of the night and really feel their presence. It really scared me. A ghost in my room! Good thing I didn't see them. I prayed for them immediately, whoever they are and the scary feeling would go away.

Then one night I got tired of feeling scared of sleeping. I woke up in the middle of the night from a scary dream. I was trembling. I still managed to pray for the soul. But I was really furious. I feel that they are around and I said angrily. "I know that you ask for prayers, but you know I am afraid of ghost! I don't like being scared always! Can you stop doing this to me! Ask me to pray for you but don't scare me!" I stopped praying my novena. But I didn't miss my daily prayer for them, especially in my rosary.

It worked! Since then, I haven't dreamed of scary scenes. I even started to pray the novena again. Honestly I missed it, too. My dreams are more on simple or happy dreams about them.

I remember one dream I had a few years ago. I was in a small road. With me were lots of white robed men standing. They didn't notice me. They all seemed to be heeding the highway a few footsteps away. While I was walking between them, suddenly a man turned his head and smiled at me. I was surprised. After I smiled back, I woke up. It was still midnight and I wasn't scared.

The souls in purgatory could no longer pray for themselves. This is why they need us to pray for them. But they could pray for us.  Imagine if they become saints, we have saints already praying for us even if we don't ask them to.

Aside from asking them to pray for me, I also ask their help in simple things like finding something, and especially for accompanying me when I go home alone at night. Some wonders that they do that is found in the book, Read me or Rue It, I experienced them happening to me, too.

So let us not forget to include them in our prayers. Remember the Golden Rule - "Do unto others what you would like others do unto you."


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You can download the book for free here.

I want You

 "Lord, I came here to make a sacrifice and to fast. But it seems like I am not doing all these. I ate a lot, I was hungry. But I need to eat to last 'till morning. I must not sleep, but it's alright to sleep. I want to kneel longer, but it's alright to sit. I thought...."  I don't know if it was a complaint or a question. But suddenly I hear God say;

"Bea, I don't need your sacrifice tonight. I want you!" 

I felt my tears falling down my cheeks. Oh! how sweet really Jesus is.

This made me remember Simon who were made to carry the cross of Jesus on His way to calvary. The cross wasn't as heavy as Simon thought it to be. It was like Jesus, still, carried the cross for him. I also remember the many times when I would offer my pains to Him, the pain would become bearable and some even vanish.

Honestly, to be with God was my primary reason in attending the vigil and it was so good to know God felt the same.  I missed being with God in silent. Just being with Him without praying! Well, of course, I know, just by being is already a prayer. What I mean is being with him like I used to. Just like many months or years ago. My life has been different for me now and I miss "those days and moments" with God.

I realize that those times were always there, its just in a different degree. Oh, I just can't put into words how I understood it now. But that's how it is.

We hear this phrase "Jesus is the same, today and tomorrow." And yes indeed!

I guess all I lack is time. Enough time to frequent God's presence.

What a better place to be than in a prayer vigil.

Feeling God's presence in everyone. Being with God as I am, with all my flaws, understanding each others behavior at the moment.

I was at the vigil of the Alliance of Two Hearts Movement. The two hearts refers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.The vigil culminates in the First Friday and ends in the First Saturday of the month. It is an all-night reparation vigil offered in atonement for the sins of mankind grievously offending the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

 The Alliance of Two Hearts - Communion of Reparation is the Catholic world's response to the urgent request to make "reparations" to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, particularly in today's society where the "culture of death," destruction of the family and the outrages and sacrileges committed against the Holy Trinity and Blessed Mother are rampant. 
 
God really pampers us. Imagine, He would send Mama Mary to us to teach us what to pray to Him to appease Him.

Because of His great love for us, He even sent His son. Only because He want all of us to be saved.

In this lenten season, may we all be able to take time to reflect on this great love and in our little way, be able to give this love back to God.

Let us help God in His mission to save all to heaven.

SILLY PRAYERS

“Tong! Tong! I won a TV!” I was shouting as I was excitedly walking towards him. “I won a TV, Tong.” I told him. “Yes, I know.” He replied. I run my fingers across my name on the wall. “Yes, I know.” He said again.

Of course, he knew I won. I saw him reading the list of winners long before I could reach his place. Well, it wasn’t really obvious I was that very excited, isn’t it?

At last, I learned something that he didn’t know yet. He asked, “How does your TV looks like? How big it is?.” I smilingly pointed out to him the box that the supermarket staff was carrying. “Wow!”, he said. I was waiving to him as I was on my way out. Tongtong is a long time friend. He works in the cathedral. He helps during all the masses everyday. 

I recalled it was one of my tiring night when I suddenly  miss watching a movie in a big screen. I was busy enough to find the time to go to a movie house. When I do, there is not a good one showing.  Can’t fit in my budget, too.  Well, it does if I go alone. But I need to bring a battalion if ever I go and watch one.  So we ended up watching on my netbook. 

God never gave me the chance or the fund to visit a movie house. He brought the big screen to my room instead.

Silly Prayer

It was getting so late that I and my officemate decided to go home. We were at a Christmas Party. A raffle draw was going on.  I was saying we’d better leave already because my name might not be called anyway. But then it happened! My name was called! I won an overnight stay at a hotel.

Then I remembered several months ago, I wished to stay in one of the hotel in the city. The one on my mind that time, was the hotel that I won.

Silly Prayer

I was really surprised. For me, it’s unusual that I won. I don’t usually win in raffle draws. The last time was in 2001 at a mall in Bacolod. Thought it was the first and the last.

Then I said, “Thank you, Lord. This is just a sign. I know something greater is going to come!” 

Yes, indeed!  It was New Year’s Eve when I received a text message from my officemate that I won a 32" LCD TV from a Supermarket Raffle Promo.  I believe something greater than this is still coming this year. This is the year of blessing to me. 

Silly Prayer

I’ve been wanting to have a pouch like that of my cousin. A pouch that has three compartments and can hold three cellphones.  I’ve been looking for one and found none. I  thought maybe  God will show me or will give me one someday. I can still make use of the individual pouch that I have.

Today my officemate gave us all in the office the exact pouch that I really wanted. It’s her post Christmas gift.

Silly Prayer

Do you also have one? I have a lot. Not just three. Some were half meant and some I don’t expect to receive or happen.  I noticed, these are all my wants and not my needs. I tried asking God why. 

But I guess I just have to let Him be. It’s been sometime since I felt God’s pampering.

Silly Prayer

God loves us so much. He is generous. He supplies for our needs, even our silly wants.

A Touch of God on Christmas

I was reading a Kerygma magazine while waiting for my flight to Manila. The topic was about being Jesus to others. It was a calling to me for that day. But instead, I said, “Lord, I am lazy today, can you be Jesus to me instead?” 

God took my half meant prayer seriously. A friend  was just so happy to find me seated where I was. When we arrived in Manila, he offered to give me a ride to the place where I am going to stay. I can see God smiling at me as I was smiling twice as He was.

On my way back home I remembered my previous trip. I wondered if God will be “Jesus” to me again that day. What I meant was if someone would give me a free ride home again from the airport.  This thought was playing on my mind when suddenly a teenager came to me and ask me something.  He was wondering why he wasn’t asked to pay for a terminal fee when his uncle was telling him he needs to pay one . Obviously, he was already in the waiting area before boarding, and he was still afraid he could not ride a plane. I explained to him it was already included in the ticket he bought online. He thankfully left with an assurance that he could ride a plane home. We were not in the same flight.

Obviously,  God didn’t send Jesus to me this time but instead, I was sent me to be Jesus to others.

Inside the plane, on my way back to my seat from the toilet, somebody greeted me. To my surprise, it was my high school classmate.  For me, it was actually God who surprised me and not my classmate. You see, she has a car! As I expected, she gave me free ride home. 

I was arguing with God one night. I said I won’t pay for a make up artist for our  Christmas party presentation contest. I was angry. I don’t want to spend some more. I had already spend some for our uniform.The next day, I received a phone call. Somebody was ordering Guyabano capsule. I didn’t expect to receive the payment right away. The amount was more than enough for my make up fee.  I felt tears falling down my check.  

Those tears were not all for joy or thanksgiving. For me it was more than that. It was a loving touch of God. I could hear Him say, “Hey, I’m here. I never leave you. My love for you is still the same.” Indeed he cares for me, all of me. Everything that I have, my needs, my concerns, my future, my loved ones, everything. As in EVERYTHING. But I forgot.

For quite some time I felt God was far away. It was like He’s changed a lot. He wasn’t that close to me anymore. Then I remember what I told my cousin abroad who felt something like this too. I told her, “It is actually us who are going away from God. The truth is, God is going after us. He loves to be closer to us." Now it’s time I tell this to myself. 

I already knew this but I just need someone to say it to me so I can grasp the message well. Does it sounds familiar? 

The truth is, I was the one who went away from him. Who have been ignoring him, not for some time, but more time. I have been lazy. I was busy with a lot of things, like my job, my balloon business. Many things of this world has caught my attention like Christmas parties, preparing gifts, making a Christmas budget (the hardest!) and  yes!, including the loss of Manny Pacquiao, the Miss Universe First Runner up Janine Tugonon, Typhoon Pablo victims, and many others.  My personal concerns has affected my trust and faithfulness to God. I just need to re-order my priorities and manage my time well. 

For me, this is the true meaning of Christmas that has become real to me. He loves me and cares for every details of my life. This is why He came.

God is reaching for us. We are His pearl of great price. To Him, we are almost of equal value with His son.  Imagine how much He loves us?

“God so love the world that He gave His only begotten son. That whosoever believe in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

May we not lose sight of God’s loving touch not just during Christmas season but in our daily life.

I Hope everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Note: I make Guyabano/Soursop capsule primarily for family consumption. Some I sell to friends who order. We also make balloon arrangement for any occassions.