Author: Essy Dias

For the present, my beloved sons, pray, love one another, be as little children: let yourselves be formed and guided by me alone.

Blue Book 17 o

Satan also attacks chastity because it is a social virtue. It brings the very breath of God- of purity, beauty, innocence, childlikeness- -to a world surfeited with sin and sexual aberration. So naturally, Satan is going to attack your chastity. God will allow it, so that you might grow in grace and purity while fighting this temptation. Chastity is a virtue that is so “social” that it astounds and amazes people in every civilization and in every age. Pagans remained chaste; chastity has been a virtue respected from time immemorial. It is the reflection of God’s face. So naturally Satan wants to blot it out. Take it for granted that you will have temptations against chastity. They will come on quiet feet. They will feed on loneliness and aloneness. But you will have the graces to fight them.

Grace in Every Season (January 27)

When society hears the word ‘chastity’ they think ‘celibacy’… even when you look it up that’s one of the definitions that they give you… but that’s not the entire breath of what the Catholic Church means by it. If it were, then only single folks would be called to it, but that’s not true. Being chaste is for everyone, I think as Catholic mothers, we are particularly called to it.

So while celibacy is about not entering into a sexual relationship, chastity sets a wider net, it is about the right order of our sexuality and all that goes with it… it is purity of thoughts, words, actions, the way we dress and conduct ourselves that emits enticing sexuality. It’s the fight against trying to look ‘hot’ vs. feminine and beautiful. It’s such a fine line at times, and the more we get entangled in society’s fads the harder it is to detected the difference.

And regardless of what some folks like to say, we don’t dress modestly or act chastely to protect our brothers from sin, although that’s one of the byproducts that may happen… I say ‘may’, because sin is not sensible… you could dress in a burka and some guys would be into that. So no… we do it because that’s the right order of things. We do it to walk with God daily and not be swept away. Sin is hideous.

And it’s not that sexuality is wrong… it’s that it’s so good, and powerful… and divine even (it has power to procreate) that it needs to be protected. It’s a flame that can easily go out of control. So easy in fact that it’s Satan’s most used tool. He uses it purposely to target God’s heart… knowing how to entangle His children…and he’s doing a mighty job. Just look at all the madness around us… divorce, abortion, abuse of children and of women, and the list goes on, that would be instantly healed if the world practiced chastity.

But today’s Blue Book message provides the answer. Pray, ask Our Blessed Mother for guidance in this area, let her guide and form you… especially if you are struggling with modesty in dress. Love one another, love truly… God has given us families, and parishes… don’t cut yourself off, that’s what Satan wants. Be as little children, embrace all the joy and beauty in life.

Those who will come have for some time been called, chosen and prepared by me. They will quickly feel at home, and amongst themselves it will seem as though they had always known and loved each other.

Blue Book #17e

If I am pure of heart, I see God in everyone. Once I see God in them, I respect them, I love them. I will not use any person for my own end, so I might be satisfied physically or emotionally, and then drop the person like a rag doll when I am through fulfilling my needs.

Grace in Every Season (January 26)

---

I find that society’s concept of love is very skewed. It’s either a totally self gratifying feeling, or a wishy washy, fake nice-y- nice, acceptance of everything.

This is not what we are called to as Christians. We are called to the type of love that Jesus has for us, a self sacrificing love, that is lived out in the service of the other, desiring only what is truly best for them… it’s motto is ‘what can I do for you’ not ‘what can you do for me’. And this doing for others, this place of service that we come to… may not always look lovey-lovey to the world or to the recipient even. We are to love in truth.

It comes forth from our own union with Jesus, and is helped and guided by the Holy Spirit through the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. As a Mother, it’s her priority to provide for, instruct and gather her children into one body… that of her very own Son!

Then in turn that becomes our very own mission too, our every single action should be guided toward helping that soul that we are in contact with at the moment, to heaven.

The Catholic Church gives us a list of what is expected of us. Some of us are more called to one set of works vs. another because we all have different gifts. As we live out our own faith, different opportunities will present themselves. We need to start with those closest to us. Our spouses, our children… then on from there.

The Corporal Works of Mercy

The Corporal Works of Mercy are acts of love that address the physical and material needs of others. The Corporal Works of Mercy are:

• Feed the hungry.
• Give drink to the thirsty.
• Clothe the naked.
• Visit the imprisoned.
• Shelter the homeless.
• Visit the sick.
• Bury the dead.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy

The Spiritual Works of Mercy address the needs of peoples’ minds, hearts, and souls. The Spiritual Works of Mercy are:

• Admonish the sinner. (Give correction to those who need it.)
• Instruct the ignorant. (Share our knowledge with others.) 
• Counsel the doubtful. (Give advice to those who need it.)
• Comfort the sorrowful. (Comfort those who suffer.)
• Bear wrongs patiently. (Be patient with others.)
• Forgive all injuries. (Forgive those who hurt us.) 
• Pray for the living and the dead.

Remain ever in my Heart, and trust in me, O my son!

Blue Book #15 e

As we recovered, we thanked God for his goodness in sending us a little bout of the flu. It showed us our weakness, and in our weakness it showed us the strength that St. Paul always talks about when he lists his frailties.

Grace in Every Season (January 25)

Whenever things that we consider ‘bad’ hit us, we often want to send it off as soon as possible, and set about rebuking the devil. I’m not saying that shouldn’t be done… I’m the first to run to St. Michael in turbulent times… but we also need to consider how our own actions possibly got us here, and how by allowing the current storm, the Lord is actually manifesting the healing and we need to confront it with humility and docility.

Very much like many of the symptoms we feel when we are sick are not perpetrated by the actual virus or bacteria, but by our own body’s immune response… a healing process that is not only on the job attacking the virus at hand but will strengthen us from future attacks and unless it’s grossly over active, we need to just go through, let it do its job and then revel in how wonderfully created we are. We need to sit and trust the process. Then we can take a look at prevention.

That’s very similar to our spiritual life and all the little ‘flu’s’ that get thrown at us as we live out our faith while in this world. God has us, He will not let us go. Those hard blips in life show us how strong we can actually be with Him and all of heaven by our side. We can do things that we couldn’t imagine doing, if we hadn’t been thrown into one situation or another. And we come out stronger on the other side, more prepared for His service in the future.

So in our humanity we clamor for answers, and seek resolutions to our varied and abundant weaknesses of one form or another, but Jesus says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

So we can sit back knowing and fully trusting that God is still in control, He hasn’t abandoned His post.

Remain ever in my Heart, and trust in me, O my son!

Blue Book #15 e

As we recovered, we thanked God for his goodness in sending us a little bout of the flu. It showed us our weakness, and in our weakness it showed us the strength that St. Paul always talks about when he lists his frailties.

Grace in Every Season (January 25)

Whenever things that we consider ‘bad’ hit us, we often want to send it off as soon as possible, and set about rebuking the devil. I’m not saying that shouldn’t be done… I’m the first to run to St. Michael in turbulent times… but we also need to consider how our own actions possibly got us here, and how by allowing the current storm, the Lord is actually manifesting the healing and we need to confront it with humility and docility.

Very much like many of the symptoms we feel when we are sick are not perpetrated by the actual virus or bacteria, but by our own body’s immune response… a healing process that is not only on the job attacking the virus at hand but will strengthen us from future attacks and unless it’s grossly over active, we need to just go through, let it do its job and then revel in how wonderfully created we are. We need to sit and trust the process. Then we can take a look at prevention.

That’s very similar to our spiritual life and all the little ‘flu’s’ that get thrown at us as we live our faith in this world. God has us, He will not let us go. Those hard blips in life show us how strong we can actually be with Him and all of heaven by our side. We can do things that we couldn’t imagine doing, if we hadn’t been thrown into one situation or another. And we come out stronger on the other side, more prepared for His service in the future.

So in our humanity we clamor for answers, and seek resolutions to our varied and abundant weaknesses of one form or another, but Jesus says to us, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

So we can sit back knowing and fully trusting that God is still in control, He hasn’t abandoned His post.

Your life is so precious, son, that you must not waste it even for an instant.

Blue Book 13a

One of the things I thought about last night was television. TV is an insidious influence which, if allowed to run freely, becomes a hypnotizing thing that wastes time. It militates against using that time to better advantage, such as doing something more worthwhile that would help to promote the family spirit.

Grace in Every Season (January 24)

Both the Blue Book earlier on, and now Grace in Every Season, mention the negative effects of television… which I have no doubt… but has gotten so much worse than when these words were first written, and now we can add YouTube and social media, to the pile of time suckers and it promises to get even worse as time goes on with the likes of Metaverse and other attractions yet to be released.

Here’s a link to a previous blog post about the dangers of social media.

It’s not that we are not allowed to have down time while pursuing a life of holiness, it’s that our entire life needs to be lived more intentionally. I’m personally very bad at this.

I’m thinking that along with having a to do list for daily chores, I need to create a list of things to do for recreation as well, for alone time and for family time.

Off the top of my head I can think of a few things that I’d like to get back to but haven’t had time. Doing more landscape photography, knitting and crocheting … any handy craft really. Or just sit by the ocean with a cup of coffee.

What are somethings that you’ve been wanting to do? Do them now!!!

I have chosen you for the Movement of my priests: you must live for this: you must pray, work, suffer; you must become holy. This is the wonderful purpose, O son, that I am giving to your life!

Blue Book #11c

If we work to satisfy ourselves, so that we have a yardstick to measure our productivity (today I wrote one hundred letters and yesterday ninety-eight, and tomorrow, I’ll write one hundred and two) and be useful to the church, well, brother, we won’t! And not to God either.

Grace in Every Season (January 23)

Suffering in This Life, is Not Optional

Suffering vs. sacrifice… These two words are often so entangled in our Catholic mindset, that they’ve become one and the same for many. But we know the Lord tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice. We also know that both can be painful, but they are not both equally meritorious.

Obedience requires dying to our own self will and as we all know that can be excruciating, but leads to holiness. Sacrifice however, although also painful, retains a bit of our own will. It’s ‘here Lord, this is what I’m going to do for you today’… instead of, ‘here I’m am Lord, I’ve come to do your will’.

In Conformity to the Will of God by St. Alphonsus Ligouri we read. “ — A man has two servants. One works unremittingly all day long — but according to his own devices; the other, conceivably, works less, but he does do what he is told. This latter of course is going to find favor in the eyes of his master; the other will not. Now, in applying this example, we may ask: Why should we perform actions for God’s glory if they are not going to be acceptable to him? God does not want sacrifices, the prophet Samuel told King Saul, but he does want obedience to his will: “Doth the Lord desire holocausts and victims, and not rather that the voice of the Lord should be obeyed? For obedience is better than sacrifices; and to hearken, rather than to offer the fat of rams. Because it is like the sin of witchcraft to rebel; and like the crime of idolatry to refuse to obey.” The man who follows his own will independently of God’s, is guilty of a kind of idolatry. Instead of adoring God’s will, he, in a certain sense, adores his own.”

I will take complete possession of their life; gently, gently, I will transform it and set it on fire with zeal;I will wipe out from it whatever has been imperfect, and I will make it perfect. I will make them understand how they must be detached from everything and live only for my Jesus; how they must defend Him from every attack, love Him unconditionally, in living out the Gospel to the letter.

Blue Book #9 k

Then work, recreation, and the rest will fall into their proper places, and what we do, we will do for God. Eat, sleep, and whatsoever you do, do for the glory of God, says St. Paul (1 Cor10:31). We will, if we keep straight the two things that go into the service of the Lord the being before God and the doing for God.

Grace in Every Season (January 22)

There seems to be a thought in some secular circles that if you are fixated on Jesus, then you should have become a nun, or a priest if you are a guy. But the thing is that we are all all part of the Body of Christ and all very much needed exactly where God put us. Priests and Sisters have a very specific and important assigned mission, but so have moms and dads and other regular folks out there. We are the ‘ministers’ to a great many who will never enter a church without our inspiration.

This message came strongly to me a few months ago when I attended a Fr. Ripperger conference in New Hampshire. Seated on the front row of beautiful St. Marie’s church,were several sisters fully decked out in their holy habits… they looked so peaceful and joyful and my own heart longed for it. As my eyes filled with tears I went right into prayer ‘Lord why didn’t you allow this for me’. His answer came swiftly “I have you exactly where I need you”. Alrighty then…

The Holy Spirit helps us with this Divine Mission, through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our hearts will be set on fire, and we will be filled with zeal for souls. As we look to do only His will, our own earthly needs will be met by Him. We can set worry and anxiety aside and rest in Him.

Matthew 6:33^.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

“Be ever in my Heart, and at each moment, you will find peace. Do not be worried about what you are to do!

Blue Book #9a

We must be before the Lord first and do for the Lord next.

Grace in Every Season (January 21)

We often make the Catholic Christian life way more complicated than it needs to be. If you truly want to live out your commitment to Jesus through the Catholic faith, it’s not complicated. I’m not saying that it’s always ‘easy’ in a worldly sense, however you do receive abundant graces for the journey, but it’s actually very simple. There are only 5 ‘Must do’ items… then the rest will be filled in as you walk with Him.

These are the five precepts of the Catholic Church:

• Attend Mass on Sundays and days of obligation.
• Confess your sins at least once a year.
• Receive the Eucharist at least once a year.
• Observe days of fasting and abstinence.
• Provide for the needs of the Church.

If you are new to the Catholic faith, or have been away for a while… welcome. For everyone else, the Lord has undoubtedly taken you way beyond this already, but thank you for being here, I commend your humility for having an interest in reading my very simple thoughts. The Lord will bless you for it.

Now back to the original concept of Eucharistic Living…of ‘being before the Lord’ and ‘being ever in Mary’s Heart’. One powerful way that the Church helps us with this is by offering Eucharistic Adoration. As you can see, it is not one of the 5 precepts (in fact, technically, you only have to receive Communion once a year even though weekly Mass attendance is required… this is mostly set in place so that you receive in a state of grace… go to Confession first … even if only once a year.), but it is so important in helping us to live out our faith.

We need to be coming to Him regularly as we face life decisions, struggles and even joys… big and small… bring them all to Him. And there you will find His Mother also. It is this that ‘nourishes’ us and gives us peace beyond understanding.

Why do you not wish to entrust yourself to me? Let it be I who build moment by moment your future. It is enough for you to say just as a little child: Mother, I trust in you, I let myself be led by you. Tell me: what must I do? (Blue Book 6c)

 

Now I get up in the morning, and I begin to listen as I move through the day. As I do so, a tremendous peace comes upon me. (Grace in Every Season)

For me personally, the early hours of the day are my best time for this. I get up an hour or so before the family, I say a prayer to the Holy Spirit, then I do my spiritual reading, and journaling, Lectio Divina style. My rosary and more formal pryer time won’t come until later. For now I’m just setting myself to listen, to get my marching orders for the day.

Then from there it’s all about being attentive to my duties of the moment. I sometimes have a todo list which can be helpful in certain days when my brain is finding it hard to function enough to even know should be next.

This living in Union with Mary that leads us intimately to Jesus, results in tremendous peace, even through chaotic days. One tiny example, rather silly even…is when I’m driving. I used to be an angry driver, I’d get so mad when people would cut me off or beep at me for any reason. Road rage is a thing folks…lol…ok…so it never got THAT bad…but still…it would steal my peace.

I now try to drive in more awareness. Looking for opportunities to bless people, letting them go ahead of me (safety allowing of course), and it has made the entire experience so much more peaceful, dare I say enjoyable even? I’m now in a position of giving, instead of being taken from.

So this ‘listening’ more often than not is simply being aware of the moment and its requirements and needs.

Have a blessed day everyone, please know that you are in my daily prayers. I can’t tell specifically who is following along with me here, but God knows (I just know numbers …there are seven of you), 😉 Hey…where two or more gather, He is there…so we’re good! Love you all.

The only thing that matters is that you let yourself be formed by me: for this it is necessary that each one of you offer himself and consecrate himself to my Immaculate Heart and entrust himself completely to me just as Jesus entrusted Himself totally to me; and then I will take care of everything.

Blue Nook #5i

A persons greatest act is to do the will of God. You may ask me, “ how do I know which ideas are mine, and which belong to God? There is only one answer. To know his will, I must learn how to listen to him. This can happen only through prayer and under the guidance of a spiritual director.

Grace in Every Season ( January 19)

Our Blessed Mother as daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son and Spouse of the Holy Spirit, knows and does God’s will better than anyone, and thus is the most qualified to help us in our own faith walk.

Consecrating ourselves to her, we are uniting our hearts and wills to hers… which undoubtedly belongs entirely to God. She then becomes our most perfect spiritual director.

Come Holy Spirit, come by means of the powerful intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your well beloved Spouse!

ACT OF CONSECRATION

TO THE

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY (for Religious and Laity)

Virgin of Fatima, Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Refuge of Sinners, we who belong to the Marian Movement of Priests consecrate ourselves in a very special way to your Immaculate Heart.

By this act of consecration we intend to live, with you and through you, all the obligations assumed by our baptismal consecration. We further pledge to bring about in ourselves that interior conversion so urgently demanded by the Gospel, a conversion that will free us of every attachment to ourselves and to easy compromises with the world so that, like you, we may be available only to do always the Will of the Father.

And as we resolve to entrust to you, O Mother most sweet and merciful, our life and vocation as Christians, that you may dispose of it according to your designs of salvation in this hour of decision that weighs upon the world, we pledge to live it according to your desires, especially as it pertains to a renewed spirit of prayer and penance, the fervent participation in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the works of the apostolate, the daily recitation of the holy rosary, and an austere manner of life in keeping with the Gospel, that shall be to all a good example of the observance of the Law of God and the practice of the Christian virtues, especially that of purity.

We further promise you to be united with the Holy Father, with the hierarchy and with our priests, in order thus to set up a barrier to the growing confrontation directed against the Magisterium, that threatens the very foundation of the Church.

Under your protection, we want moreover to be apostles of this sorely needed unity of prayer and love for, the Pope, on whom we invoke your special protection.

And lastly, insofar as is possible, we promise to lead those souls with whom we come in contact to a renewed devotion to you.

Mindful that atheism has caused shipwreck in the faith to a great number of the faithful, that desecration has entered into the holy temple of God, and that evil and sin are spreading more and more throughout the world, we make so bold as to lift our eyes trustingly to you, O Mother of Jesus and our merciful and powerful Mother, and we invoke again today and await from you the salvation of all your children, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.