Heaven Speaks to Those who Experience Tragedy: St. Ambrose Speaks

By "Anne," A Lay Apostle

Anne, a visionary from Ireland, has received permission from her local ordinary, Bishop Leo O'Reilly, for the distribution of messages which she receives from Jesus, God the Father, Our Blessed Mother, the angels and saints (see article, "Discernment of Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King," Marian Private Revelation section). – Ed

St. Ambrose

My friend, rest with heaven a moment. At this time, it is important to remember that every life on earth is finite. When a child is born into a family, there is no way to know the extent of their life. There is no way to know the plan for that life. There is no way to know the sufferings and joys that will provide formation for that life in order to bring that child to knowledge of God to the extent that God has intended. We, humanity, simply do not know God's plan. If we accept this truth, we will move through our lives with a greater appreciation for the possibility of change. As you walk the earth today, which one of you knows whether or not you will be walking the earth tomorrow? No person on earth today is assured that they will be on earth tomorrow. Clearly, it was the same in my lifetime. Nobody knows whether or not this is their last day to serve on earth. In the same way, perhaps you celebrate good health today. Does this mean you have a guarantee of good health tomorrow? Can you prevent a circumstance that will alter your health or your ability to serve tomorrow as you serve today? No, dear friend, you cannot. Accept this fact and you will serve in greater humility, aware that God could allow your course to be changed at any moment.

You, my beloved friend, are experiencing this today. You are stunned by the change in course that God has allowed for you or for someone you love. I understand. I want to compare your situation to that of Jesus Christ's situation in His passion because we, as Christians, must compare every experience to the Lord's experience so we will understand how to best conduct ourselves. Jesus suffered terribly before He died. His death was not sudden in terms of time in that He carried a cross to an expected death. That stated, can anyone be prepared for a torture and death such as He experienced? What preparation can there be for a mother to bring her to peace about such torturous treatment of her only child? Can a mother ever reconcile herself to a child's death, particularly such a violent death? My friend, you are possibly shaking your head, saying, "No. It would be impossible for a mother to reconcile herself to the cruelty levied at her Son." I understand. I agree with you. Taken by itself, without the illumination of God, it would be impossible to accept such a set of circumstances. In the same way, if you take your tragedy by itself, without God's illumination, you may find it impossible to reconcile yourself to it.

Our mother, Mary, did reconcile her mother's heart to the will of the Father. She did this by joining herself to God's will in each moment. Mary never separated her life and every circumstance around her from trust in the Father's plan. This, most assuredly, does not mean that Mary was given extraordinary light to understand God's plan in each moment. On the contrary, Mary had to practice trust in a disciplined way because there were more moments of fog for her than clarity in terms of why God was allowing or advancing His plan in a given manner. Poor little mother, so worried for her Son's safety and happiness. Can we say that Mary proceeded wisely, despite her anguish? Yes, truly, we can say this. Mary proceeded wisely because she trusted that even though her Son suffered, even though her Son died, God's plan was the best plan, both for her Son and for humanity.

My friend, perhaps you cannot see God's plan illuminated in your grief and your pain. We understand. We will not leave you as you move through this period of shock. Believe me, one day you will see God's plan and you will look back to this day with perfect understanding, saying, "Yes, I understand God's plan."

For further information regarding the Lay Apostolate of Jesus Christ the Returning King, or to purchase Heaven Speaks booklets, please contact Direction for Our Times on the Web at www.directionforourtimes.com , or mail inquiries to the following address: 9000 West 81st St., Justice, IL  60458, U.S.A.