Divine
Providence
A different vision about death
Testimony of Catalina
on the Sacraments of Reconciliation
and the Anointing of the Sick
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Copyright © 2004 by The
Great Crusade of Love and Mercy.
All rights reserved. This
booklet is published in coordination with The Apostolate of the New
Evangelization.
It has beed translated from the original July 2003 Spanish edition
published in Mexico.
Permission is granted
to reproduce this booklet in its entirety with no changes or additions and as long
as the reproduction and distribution is done solely on a not-for-profit basis.
This document is
available at no cost online and can be downloaded and printed from the
following Web Sites:
in English at: www.greatcrusade.org
and Spanish at:
www.grancruzada.org
For information on
ordering printed copies of this booklet and other books and videos, please
write to the independent, non-profit, religious educational ministry:
Love and Mercy Publications
P.O. Box 857, Lithonia, Georgia
30058 USA
or visit this ministry’s Internet Site at:
www.loveandmercy.org
Please Share this Gift !
If Jesus speaks to your heart as you read this book, please
share these words by photocopying to
disseminate it to
people who want to open their hearts
to the New Evangelization. Invoke the Holy Spirit so It guides and grants you
the gifts that you need for a
good conversion.
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Table of
Contents
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Recommendation by the Archbishop Emeritus
of Cochabamba |
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Introduction |
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Part
One - Death, Sorrow and hope |
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Chapter
I |
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The consolation
of the Lord |
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Chapter
II |
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You are never
alone |
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The assistance of
Mary, our Mother |
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Chapter
III |
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The preparation
of the spirit |
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Jesus, an
ever-living presence |
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First the Will of
God |
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Chapter
IV |
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The day of the Sacred Heart, the time to
say goodbye |
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I must go; let me
go! |
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Chapter
V |
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Her inheritance: Charity, Humility,
Courage |
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Pain and Mercy |
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Chapter
VI |
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The tender
embrace of the Mother |
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Chapter
VII |
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Part
Two: The Sacrament of Reconciliation |
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Chapter
VIII |
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Chapter
IX |
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The gift granted
to a priest |
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A brief
concluding reflection |
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The
following is the English
translation of the recommendation of this book by the Archbishop Emeritus of
Cochabamba:
Mons. René Fernández
A. Tel:
4-4533926 Fax; 4- 523928
C. P. 129 Avenida Ballivián
737 E-mail: Monrefe@hotmail.com
Cochabamba, Bolivia
We have read the contents of this booklet, where
Catalina describes a spiritual experience in the face of her sorrow for the deaths
of her brother and her mother, and found a collection of salutary teachings
about the Infinite Mercy of God during the supreme moment of life. This booklet leads us in part to meditate on
the meaning of death, which according to Divine Revelation, is human life’s
definitive passage towards the other, the supernatural life established by God
Himself. Death is the end and the fate
of all because all of us, without exception, are subject to dying and to having
a new life. This writing emphasizes
above all, the forgiveness that God grants to those who [approach Him] with a
contrite heart, even at the moment of one’s final breath; in the same manner as
when the wrongdoer, hanging beside the Cross, where Jesus is dying, receives
the reward of Paradise, solely for having acknowledged his sins and implored
His Divine Mercy.
The reality of the death of our dear ones fills us
with great suffering, but our own faith and the certitude of the resurrection
bring comfort to our sorrow, turning it into spiritual joy and profound peace
in our spirit. Catalina’s present
account leads us to the consideration of these issues, which without any doubt
will significantly influence our walk towards the ultimate point of our lives. God awaits us all, but not all become worthy
of the Divine benefits. The scene of
the agony of Catalina’s mother, although it constitutes a moment of deep
sorrow, it is nonetheless a wondrous moment, glorified by the presence of the
Lord, Who is ready to receive her in His Holy Kingdom along with the choir of
angels that surrounds her at that supreme moment. If the transitory, human victory fills those who attain it with
intense satisfaction and delight, how much more would our soul be filled with
infinite delight by the knowledge that right at the point of death is the
victory over death itself. This is the
scene that we live through Catalina’s account, who, facing sorrow and anguish
for her beloved mother’s death, feels profound pleasure knowing that the woman,
who brought her to the world, is crossing from this earth into eternity
accompanied by Christ, by the Virgin Mary, our Mother, by God’s angels, going
to receive the crown of victory.
May God in His Infinite Mercy grant us repentance from
our sins and accord us His forgiveness so that we may obtain a holy death. What Catalina has expressed [in this
booklet] will instil into the persons who read it with attention and without
prejudice, reassurance and complete confidence in the Mercy of God. At the same time, it will serve to place
utmost importance in the need to establish a covenant with God through the
Sacrament of Forgiveness.
These considerations move me to recommend the reading
of this small booklet, which will produce a valuable spiritual fruit.
- Signed -
+ René Fernández A.
Archbishop Emeritus of Cochabamba
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“Strengthen yourselves with
prayer, because at the time to render an account before My presence you will be
alone and naked… with your hands full or empty”
[Jesus to Catalina – June 2003]
In my
mom’s memory…
+June 27,
2003
Feast day
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Perpetual Help
In memory
of my brother Carlos…
+ June 7,
2003
On the eve
of Pentecost Sunday and the First Saturday of the month….
…. They
left us an example of love and peace, offering their pains and sufferings
for the salvation of souls
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“And when Jesus had said this, he showed them his
hands and his side. The disciples
therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.
He said therefore to them again, ‘Peace be to you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.’
When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he
said to them, ‘Receive you the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; and whose sins you
shall retain they are retained.’ ”
(John 20: 20-23)
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Introduction
Dear brother and sister reader,
You have in your hand the experience of one who is
your sister, who by order of the Lord shares with you profound life experiences
that are important for the soul of every human being.
We, who have been following her experiences for years,
offer you a sincere testimony about the authenticity and validity of these
words. We believe that this divine gift
answers the need to offer men and women greater information about these
subjects, which modern thought treats with too much superficiality.
Death does not mean the frustration of life. It is rather the “birth to eternal life”,
but man rebels against it, he defies it, and, in many cases, he rejects
it. Thus, he demonstrates insufficient
preparation to face an outcome that points the fate of his soul toward living
eternity with God or forever away from Him.
This outcome is written into the existence of every
man since his conception, be he a believer or not. We will all have to face death and, there, the process of
defining our fate will come to a close.
This present account alerts us to the importance of
living in the grace of God, of availing ourselves without fear of the loving
embrace of Jesus Christ through the means that He himself has instituted:
Confession, the Eucharist, and the Anointing of the sick, Sacraments that heal,
sanctify, and restore the state of grace.
Consequently, we invite all the brothers and sisters
who are willing to listen, to not wait too long to return to the Lord… For who can guarantee that tomorrow you will
have the time to do it? Run to the
fountains of grace! Contemplate the
Cross again and bow down before Jesus, the God of Love, Who is only awaiting
the return of His children, safe and sound.
The Editors
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The following books, dictated
by Jesus and the Virgin Mary to Catalina (Katya) Rivas in Spanish, have been
translated and published in English as of May 2004:
· “The
Passion” of Jesus Christ
· “Words of Jesus and Mary” including: The Holy Mass; a Holy
Hour devotion before the Blessed
Sacrament; Divine Providence concerning death and the Sacrament of Mercy, Reconciliation (this text) and
meditations for The Stations of the Cross
· “The
Great Crusade of Love”
· “The
Door to Heaven”
In addition the following book
will be available by September 2004:
· “From Sinai to Calvary”, Jesus’ explanation of the
profund meaning of His seven last words from the Cross
All the published books are
available at www.greatcrusade.org
for reading and printing on a personal computer at no cost. For ordering printed versions of the books,
please visit this Web site or write to:
Love and Mercy Publications
P.O. Box 857
Lithonia,
Georgia 30058
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Part One
Death, Sorrow and hope
But
God said to him: Thou Fool, this night do they require thy soul of thee and
whose shall those things be which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich
towards God.
(Luke 12: 20-21)
Chapter I
Love knocks at my door
|
A |
t the end of the month of May, I travelled to Orange County
(California) in the United States to fulfil a commitment, accompanied by my
spiritual director and a couple, who are very dear friends of ours. At that time my mother was very sick, and
our Lord asked me to take care of purchasing the black clothes for my family’s
mourning.
I telephoned home to inquire about the condition of my
mother’s health, and I was told that it was stable. I was also informed that my brother Carlos would be arriving to
be with us during these days so difficult for us.
Even though I knew that it was not the most important
thing, having to look for black clothes for my family’s mourning, it was a very
special experience because it had to do with the death of someone I loved, in
this case I thought of my mother. By
the way that the Lord was guiding me, I understood that I should be preparing
my spirit, and my state of mind and that of my family.
A few days earlier, the Lord had asked my spiritual
director and me, to make one hour of nightly adoration in reparation for our
sins, the sins of our families, and the sins of the whole world for a period of
one month.
On the 6th of June, two days before
Pentecost, the Lord dictated to me as He normally does some biblical quotes for
us to meditate on. Then He added:
“Ask for special help to do the housework for
Saturday; I need you almost in seclusion in communion with Me.”
I understood that the Lord did not want me distracted
in other matters, because I had to be available to Him, to pray and to wait on
Him to speak to me. I was told that my
brother Carlos might not be arriving yet because he had had a kidney problem.
On Saturday morning June 7th, the eve of
Pentecost the Lord said after the prayers of Laudes [“The Hours”]:
“I want you to be available; do not think of other
matters. I am counting on you both; let
the others do whatever they have planned.
It is necessary that you know how to act calmly and firmly. What is important is the love expressed in
all that you do.”
During our morning prayers, a person visited my
spiritual director and I to join with us in prayer. Later my son arrived with the terrible and unexpected news that
my brother Carlos had died in Bolivia, my native country.
I ran before the Blessed Sacrament and I began to cry,
asking the Lord why had He taken my brother at a time when he was not
prepared. For that is what I
thought. I was worried because my
brother, who was divorced, had now remarried to a second wife and could not
receive Holy Communion. That situation
made him suffer very much, given that he had begun to be part of our
apostolate, and a life of intense prayer.
We could not share this news with my mother, as she
was in the final stages of her illness.
We decided that I was to travel back to Bolivia with my son the next
day. I returned to my room to pray for
his soul. I asked for mercy so that he
would not be lost and that my prayers would arrive in time to intercede for his
salvation.
The
consolation of the Lord
|
I |
nexplicably, I began to feel a profound peace, and an inner
joy so immense that I felt like laughing and singing. My reaction frightened me and I asked the Lord to guide me
through what was happening to me.
Then He said to me: “Look at Me!”
I held my gaze on the crucifix next to my bed. It started to illuminate itself, and the
Lord continued:
“Again I tell you:
Can you not see Me with My arms outstretched wide in front of you? …
Your father and brother are already next to Me… with Me, because My Mercy
covered them. That is your joy; he is
already saved.” [Note: Catalina uses “...” in this book to indicate either a pause in
the dictation or a need to pause in reading to reflect upon the words.]
Later during the evening meal, we were talking about my
brother’s death, and the Lord dictated a biblical verse to us, Acts 7:55-56,
which says thus: “But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly
to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.’ ”
In reading that verse, I felt even more
comforted. My spiritual director
celebrated a Mass for my brother that night.
I had asked the Lord to let me know the state of my brother’s soul, to
allow me to feel something, and He, in His infinite Mercy, permitted me to
interiorly hear my brother’s voice telling me that he was very happy. It sounded extraordinarily joyous and
enthusiastic.
The next day, Sunday the 8th, as I was getting
ready to leave for his funeral, and preparing my luggage, my left arm and chest
began to hurt. I spoke with my family
in Bolivia, and they advised me not to go, as under such difficult
circumstances, they feared my health would worsen. Even so, I had a deep desire to be by his side. He had been like a son to me. He was six years younger than I was, and he
called me ‘mommy’.
As always, I decided to place everything in the hands
of the Lord, asking for Him to guide me.
I entered my mother’s room for her to bless me before travelling, saying
that I had to be absent overseas. But
she began to cry as never before and she asked me not to travel, that she loved
me very much and she needed me. I then
understood that it was the Lord’s Will that I should not travel. My son would go in my place. My daughter was already taking care of the
situation, and my husband was preparing the place for the wake. The decision was for me very painful, but I
had to choose to remain by my mother’s side, to spend with her what were to be
her last days.
Chapter II
Conversion, a sweet present from God
|
L |
ater we heard that when Carlos was returning to my country after having visited us in
January, he had asked a priest to hear his confession, telling him on his own
that he understood that while he could not receive absolution, nonetheless he
was already atoning for his sins with much repentance, and that he knew he was
confessing to God through the priest, and that he was appealing to His infinite
Mercy.
He asked the priest for prayers, because he was hoping
to quickly settle the requirements for having his marriage declared null. He eagerly desired to avail himself of a
formal Confession and receive the awaited absolution. He wanted to receive Holy Communion to unite himself to the
spiritual experience that we all lived.
By his conduct and conversion, he had already begun to make reparations
for the errors in his past life.
Subsequently I learned that he prayed the Rosary every
day with the family. He did physical
exercises for his heart problem, and during his walks he would complete all
fifteen Mysteries of the Holy Rosary.
Every Sunday he and his family would visit a Marian shrine where he
participated in the Holy Mass. After
the celebration, they would remain for another half an hour in Adoration before
the Blessed Sacrament.
Regrettably, his death came unexpectedly after a very
short but sudden and devastating illness.
A heart attack ended his life.
No one had suspected the seriousness of his condition. Consequently, more emphasis had been placed
on his medical needs. There had not
been enough time to seek spiritual help.
In their last moments, his wife asked him to pray, and shedding a tear,
my brother died.
You are never alone
|
O |
n the 11th of June I was very sad, above
all because I had to hold back my tears, I had to keep myself from crying so
that my mother would not notice anything.
It was difficult for me to accept my young brother’s death and I felt
abandoned. I could see my other brother
suffering a great deal; I had to be strong.
Something happened, I had to hide my pain, as if I had
put aside one thing to accept the imminent death of my mother, for I understood
that she was living her last days. Two
months earlier, on another trip, I surprised myself in assuring my close
friends, that the Lord would take my mother on the day of the Sacred
Heart. I had that idea, that feeling
inside of me, as if it had been written on my flesh.
That night of the 11th of June, after my prayers, the
Lord dictated [the following] to me:
“My daughter, at no time have I abandoned you. I want you to give a great deal of thought
to those nights during which I permitted you to taste a little bit of the
Celestial Paradise.
“Think of the Communion of the Saints and in this way
you will find that the apparent goodbye to your dear brother has to transform
itself into joy for your family, joy that will bring them consolation.
“Remember that the Blessed reflect on all of you their
beatific light and be certain that because of that Ecclesial communion, those
whom have preceded you, departing filled with love, are helping with their
prayers. They are close to all of you
to comfort you in your sorrows, to strengthen you in your trials, to dismantle
the obstacles that you find in your way, and to help you overcome the shrewd
snares that our common adversary usually sets out for you.
“I have prepared you, and I have guided you to lead
your family in the mourning. Would you
have accepted with the same submissiveness if I had told you that the mourning
was for your younger brother? And faced
with the Divine Will, you poor creature, what would you have done?”
The assistance of Mary, our Mother
|
J |
esus continued saying:
“It was My Mother’s work of preparing that soul to be ready
to receive My Mercy. May this
departure, premature in human terms, teach all of you to live with your lamps
lit, seeking your daily holiness, not that which might be seen by man, because
that has no value before My eyes but rather it saddens Me.
“It saddens Me to see an outwardly religious demeanour
in many of My children, who are far from living it, and which serves only the
pursuit of their personal gain. They
deceive people in order to acquire power, and use it to stand out, manipulating
things according to their own whim and fancy.
“And what does Jesus think? That’s what they should be asking themselves when pride, the
spirit of hypocritical criticism, is seizing the soul.
“My little nothing, offer Me all that burden which may
seem to break your strength. There are
so many souls to save! During all this
week, you and Father will make your Hour of night-time Adoration starting on
Thursday, when My Eternal Priesthood is commemorated, until next Thursday
during which you will pray the Rosary, and, with your prayer of reparation, you
will console Me for the many who reject My Eucharistic Heart.
“(…) Strengthen yourselves with prayer, because at the
hour of giving an account in My presence, you will be alone and naked… with
your hands full or empty, (…) Be generous in your personal surrender, beyond
selfishness, revenge, impurity and ingratitude. It is each one’s decision to belong to this group or to ruminate
over the frustration of having failed Me in the things that are truly important
to Me.
“It is very sad to see every instant on earth that
indeed the commandment of love of neighbour is destroyed by selfishness, envy,
hatred, division and, in this way, the dignity of God’s creatures is crushed by
the anvil of interior slavery, which makes them victims of disorderly passions
(…) Hold on very strongly to My Mother’s hand and grant each day its own toil
with the assurance that My Spirit strengthens, encourages and guides yours.
“Do you not believe that My love is infinite, and that
it can fill everything? Smile and rest
in My Heart.”