It was not until January 2006 when Our Lady came knocking on my frozen heart. I found myself driving to Maynooth college in Co Kildare the college also is were men do there training for the priesthood. I work as a Taxi driver and there is were I was heading on this particular day. We arrived and I knew I would have to wait some time before we would be heading back. After some time waiting in the car I decided to go and stretch my legs, I walked around inside the college when I noticed I was standing outside a doorway that lead into a chapel, beside the doorway of the chapel was a table with different booklets, prayer books all kinds of religious items. The place was very busy people moving up and down the corridor, My eye noticed this picture of a face half ways out from under piles of religious books. I could only see half the face so I pulled it out and I said to myself that’s “Mary” but I never saw a picture like this before I opened out the newsletter and it said “They all see Mary” I was blowing away these six children can see Our Lady all I was saying to myself how come I never heard of this before I give some money to the box on the table and took the newsletter with me as I was heading out to the car a layperson said to me would you like to join us in the chapel for the Divine Mercy its 3 o clock reluctantly I went in. I had forgotten the chaplet but a great peace came over me when it was been said. On the way out at the same table there was a leaflet of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and something inside of me was saying pick it up and I did and along with the newsletter of this place called Medjugorje.
Mountain Road
The following day I had read that newsletter inside out and these six children were not children anymore the were adults now with family’s ordinary people like you and me. I was so excited in what was going on in Medjugorje and Our Lady giving us guidance every month. The same day something was happening to me spiritually, God was taken me on a road. This road started at the bottom of a mountain that works it’s way to the top the bottom being hell and there is were I was heading at this time in my life. This day I would be born again. As Jesus tells Nicodemus (John:3:3) I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being from above.” But Nicodemus misunderstands Jesus,” then Jesus goes on to say, “ I say to you no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit, What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘you must be born form above.’ I realised this on that day. Everyone’s soul is were your heart is in your chest you can’t see it or take it out but on this day I wanted to take mine out. God put my soul in such pain I was on the floor begging for forgiveness and mercy, The pain was a spiritual pain within me God was showing me what a soul suffers when it goes to hell it lasted for a few minutes that day I knew straight away what God was telling me, I can tell you I have had badly broken bones and other injures in my life I would take all of them at once not to go through that again. I remembered the Divine Mercy leaflet that I had picked up the day before in Maynooth went to my room knelled down and started to pray from they heart. As I prayed I knew there was somebody in the room with me, near the end of the chaplet I could see the outline of a person, there garments were bright white like lightning standing beside me a few moments later the moved away and disappeared I did not see there face because I dared not to look up, maybe because of shock. To this day I believed it to be Our Lady. Afterwards all I could say to myself, How I have turned my back on you Lord Jesus for over ten years. I had to get to mass and so that evening of I went. I sat at the back of the chapel totally forgot what to do, But anyway as everyone was going up for holy communion these words came into my head “would I bring you into a dirty house” and I knew I had to go to confessions before I could receive Jesus. So I went home disappointed I did not want to ask the priest that night as I am a quite person. In those few days had changed my life totally, I was starting to walk that mountain road I was leaving hell and the evil one knew it that night in bed I was physically attacked by him for short periods of time he knew he had lost hold of me.
CONFESSIONS
Later that week I found out were to get confessions and off I went, Confession was at 3pm I went in knelled down beside the confessional box were their was one man in front of me. Ok now for my sins then it dawned on me I had not examined my conscience for what sins I have committed. Then the door opened and the man beside me went in to the confessional box I knew I had a few moments. In those few minutes all I could think of was four sins in over ten years of not going to confessions that does add up more like four hundred thousand I said to myself wait till the priest hear this, before I could dwell on it the door opened, It was my turn. I went in closed the door and knelled down. They hatch came back, I said; In the name of the father the son and the Holy Spirit Amen, Bless me father for I have sinned its over ten years since my last confession. The priest said to me in a calm and humble voice the main thing is that you are here today and I felt relaxed after that. I told the priest my four sins. As you all know the priest is standing in for Jesus when we go to confessions. My journey up that mountain road was about to take another few steps. The best way I can describe what happened next is like this, I said my four sins and the priest moved on to give me absolution to absolve me from my sins. During absolution this is what happened within me I can only describe it like this, If you set alight a sheet of paper at one end and watched it burn from one end to the other this is what happened to me it started on the right side of my soul and slowly burned across my chest to the left side. This was not painful in anyway nothing like a few days ago when God give me the experience of a soul suffering in hell. Jesus was burning the sin of my soul with his love a burning love my heart melted within me. Our lord forgives all sins when we go to confessions believe me I had more than four sins that day and Jesus forgive everyone of them. I said my goodbye’s to the priest and said my penance in the church and left. Some time shortly after that day when I received holy communion I could feel Jesus love within me some days it stronger than others and for different periods of time, But ever since that day the holy Spirit dwells within me. When I was preparing to right this part on confessions I was getting (John14:20) “ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you” I can’t thank Our Lord enough for this grace he has giving me. Thank you Jesus.
OUR WEAPON
As the months went by our faith as a family was getting stronger going to adoration and different church events we started saying the rosary every evening together, the rosary is so powerful it brings many graces and healings and for me protection. At night after I found God again I would go to bed in my left hand I had a cross and in my right a rosary which I would wrap around my fingers, I later found out that the were from Medjugorje. One night I had said my prayers and went to sleep with the cross in one hand and rosary in the other. I woke up in the middle of the night in the same position as I fell asleep but the rosary beads were gone I still had the cross in my left hand. I got up carefully to see if the had falling in the bed but to no avail, so I leaned over to look on the floor and there dangling from my neck was the rosary beads. The rosary was but around my neck I was more amazed when I could not take them back over my head. Many months later I was told that they were put there for protection. Fr Corapi said we are living in time’s of spiritual warfare and the weapon you need is the rosary as Padre Pio said many times “Bring me my weapon”.
I am well off the bottom of that mountain now walking in the right direction and that direction took me to Medjugorje later that year. My last time there was 2008, Our Lady truly had brought me back to her son as you will see below from the picture. Our Lady’s picture on the newsletter I got from Maynooth to the Risen Christ in Medjugorje the image of Our Lady’s Face appeared on the back of Jesus’ leg. Our Lady has her eyes closed in the image but you can make her out just above the women holding the blue plastic bag. I don’t know anyone in the photo my apology for posting this picture of them. Our Lady had brought me back to her son. God Bless You . Thank you Mary. Thank you Jesus. Praise you Jesus.
But i feel my faith then was not what it is now and i did not know to many protection prayers the reason why the were put around my neck when i turned back to God. I still keep them beside my bedside locker, I were a cross the miraculous medal and the brown scapular now.
