July 24, 2012
Dear friends and fellow apostles,
It is with great rejoicing that I write to you today. I am writing to tell you that the last monthly message will be given in August 2012. This is good news because it means that Jesus has given us all that we will need for our prayer groups.
"...on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev 22:2)
We may be tempted to feel a loss because we certainly anticipated these words with longing each month. But that would be short-sighted. Instead we should rest in the privilege that has been ours in receiving these words which will direct and console apostles for many years to come.
Additionally, if you are like me, you will acknowledge that each message is deserving of a great deal of contemplation. Sometimes I felt that I did not give enough consideration to the message of the month. This is human nature, though, and the grace that is present is fresh each time we rest in the words. We will begin in September with the first September message we received and start what will be a seven year rotation of messages for reading and contemplation each month. We at DFOT will send them out as usual.
We will all be reading the same message together around the world monthly. This is the Lord's wish and we will be faithful to all that He asks of us. We will be a united apostolate of love, made up of people serving God in every vocation and in every language. Truly, only God could unite us as we have been united.
Dear apostles, there is so much to be done to secure renewal with Jesus. We at DFOT have tried our best to be faithful to the call God has given us. Without your support this would have been impossible. Now we embark together upon a new time, very likely a busier time. We have so much to do to reach God's children with the words and graces we have been given. I believe that these last years were the prelude to the mission and I believe the mission really begins now.
As part of our apostolate's obligation, we have been entrusted with three charisms. One is compassionate listening. The second is both learning and teaching the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The third is promoting unity within the Church. It is an exciting thing to anticipate how we will advance into these goals so let us each begin contemplating how we can further God's wishes in these matters.
My friends, we have always been calm and grateful about the gift that God was giving us in these words. Just as we accepted the first message, let us accept the last, with thanksgiving. I must tell you that I was not surprised that the messages were finishing. There is nothing wrong. The completion of these monthly messages is the same as one of the Volumes being completed. Nothing is ending. A task is simply finished and now we must begin both using them at a more advanced level and spreading them even further. We have the tools for an extraordinary blessing for people's faith lives. Remember the hope and consolation that we were each given by Christ in these words. Truly, so many are thirsting for such comfort. Personally, I feel grateful to be a Catholic at this time and blessed to be a part of God's renewal.
I anticipate that there may be questions around this and I want to assure everyone that I am delighted to answer any that I can. Please write the office or call and we will take your questions and answer them with another letter. Additionally, I will be speaking at St. Anne's Church in Bailieborough on the first Thursday of September, God willing, and will talk about our future as an apostolate.
Also, I am being strenuously urged to communicate to you that we are experiencing our annual financial crisis. Please consider contacting the office and helping us here. We really need help fundraising and we are forming a team for this purpose.
With love from your sister,
Anne, a lay apostle
*editor's note.- Anne is not speaking in August at the Lay Apostle Prayer Group meeting in Bailieborough. She will be speaking in September, God willing.
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