For the past year I have been teaching a group of catechumens. Catechumens are persons receiving religious training before coming into the Catholic Church. When I receive the lesson plan, I do not take it lightly. I study, and I review it until I feel confident to teach the new potential members. I explain the Scripture, give history about the Scripture, and share personal stories. I fear, for my accountability is to God, and want to make certain that what comes from me is from the Lord.

This Sunday, one of the Mass readings was on the multiplication of the loaves and fish from John 6:1-14. In this Scripture many of Jesus’s holy attributes are revealed.  He’s testing his disciples when He asks them how are they going to feed so many. Jesus was training His disciples on the process of miracles. He was teaching them to operate in the supernatural. How do you explain a miracle? We don’t! We believe that it was from God. We learn to trust that all that we have is because He has entrusted us with this. All of our giftings are from Him, and our calling is from Him. That still small voice that tells you to do what’s right is from Him. We cannot take credit, or we might get all puffed up and think we did it on our own. Sorry, it was not you but our Lord that allowed these blessings. The Word of God says that He fed 5,000, but in reality it was more, because the women and children were not included. With 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread everyone ate, with 12 baskets left over. This miracle is the only one that is mentioned in all four Gospels. Why? Because we need it pounded in our brains that God will supply and multiply our every need.

The second reading was from  Ephesians 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

This is a recipe for living. The first part of the instruction is to be humble. I asked the students in class, “What is humility?” The answer that came from one of the students was filled with godly wisdom. He said, “Every day I pray for humility, because I want to excel in my job.”  It the second ingredient is  gentleness, and you must first be humble to be gentle. Then the third part of the recipe is patience. How do we attain patience? Patience is what builds our character. As grown as I am in the Lord, I still have a long way to master patience. The last part of the recipe is love. We will never fully succeed in our calling without the love of God. When we love we have peace.

I love to sleep, but in order for me to attend daily Mass, I must be up by 5:45 AM to make the 6:15 AM service. Breakfast is my favorite meal, but I put it off for another hour so that I can stay after Mass for Adoration. Adoration is being in the presence of God. I pray, I write my Blog, and I pray more. It is through this training that I am moving up in the ranks of His mighty army. Experiencing the powerful move of God in my life has left me yearning for more, I can’t get enough. I hunger for His presence, and when I miss Mass, I feel a void.

Our minds are more alert when we are learning and teaching.  Why? Because the Lord is entrusting us with more classified information. We need this type of tactical training to teach God’s truth and shine His light in the darkness that covers this world.

When people are steeped deep into sin we are to  pray for them right? But if the sin continues, it is our responsibility before God to warn them. The way of the world would be to just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh, well, that’s on them, who is it hurting?” This subject of sin lies heavy on the hearts of believers because we know better. We are never to condemn a sinner, but to expose the sin.

A few weeks ago it was revealed to me that a friend’s younger daughter was involved in a sin of debaurchery. I prayed about warning her, but felt inadequate as how to approach this delicate matter. The young lady is a millennial, so I knew that a text message would be the best means of reaching out.

At last Sunday’s Mass, ” Amazing Grace”  was the closing hymn.  This was when the Lord instructed me as to how to handle the matter.

The author of the song “Amazing Grace,” (John Newton) was one of the worst sinners. He was captain of a slave ship and we can only imagine what scenarios took place on those long voyages, and the sin that was on that man’s heart. It was through the grace of God that in his transformation, he wrote “Amazing Grace.” This hymn transcends many religions and can be heard at  funerals and church services. As I sang the song,  tears filled my eyes for this girl, and I knew what I had to do.

After Mass, Mike and  I went home and had breakfast. The thought of this young woman consumed me, so I could not help but to think that she may have sold her soul to the Devil. I talked it over with Mike and he advised me to leave it alone. Under normal circumstances, I follow the wise counsel of my husband, but this was different. I prayed more, seeking confirmation from God, then I opened my Bible, and this is the verse the Lord gave me:

Ezekiel 3:18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

I knew that this was from God and I followed with a simple text message: “Amazing Grace read the words to the song.” A few minutes later came a rude and disrespectful reply. I responded, “I was being obedient to the Lord, you will never hear from me again.” Ten minutes later came another response telling me that God is strong in her life and to mind my own business. I did not respond because my work was done, as she had been warned. The rest is between her and God. I continue to intercede on her behalf, and  know that one day she will have a testimony like the one of John Newton. John Newton was thirty-nine years-old when he received  his real calling. For the next forty-three years of his life he preached the Gospel of Christ.

All we need to do is follow the Ten Commandments, written by the hand of God: nothing has changed with Him.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, you know the heart of a lost soul, I beg you to send your Hound of Heaven to liberate those who are deep into sin. It is only through Your amazing grace that these persons can change. You are the Maker and Finisher of lost souls, so bring them to the foot of your cross, and surround them with people who will convict them in a loving manner. Dear Jesus, save their souls from the pit of the abyss. Amen

“Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”  Hebrews 13:3

There are over 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States; in fact, our country has more prisoners than any other nation. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 46% of these offenses are drug-related.

In some way or another we are all connected to, or know someone who is or has been incarcerated. My nephew Mario is part this statistic. He did not take a life, but drugs played a part. The combination of drugs and violence is a passage to sin. When your mind no longer belongs to you, it is surrendered to Satan. There is nothing more pleasing to the devil than brains distorted with drug-induced rage.

We have never given up on Mario. Saturday, Norma, his mother, and I went to visit him in Adelanto, CA. There are many strict rules to abide by when visiting a prisoner. No sandals, no blue, red, or khaki clothing; no sleeveless tops, no smart watches, etc. You are allowed $50 in one-dollar bills per person. Forget about bringing your handbag because you are only permitted to have your car keys and driver’s license. If you do not adhere to this rules you will not be allowed to visit; it does not matter if came from Timbuktu, you will be turned away.

When we first arrived, we were assigned Table 9, but I requested Table 8 because it was just steps away from the vending machines and microwave. There are four chairs, and one side of the square table is marked with red along the edge. This is reserved for Mario, as he must be facing the prison guards. As soon as we arrived,  we hit the vending machines and got Mario a breakfast burrito, $3.50 and a $1 Coke. We purchased other food for ourselves and we broke bread with lively conversation. We talked about other family members, we laughed about a lot of out of control things. Our laughter is not for the sake of keeping Mario entertained, but whenever my sister and I get together, it’s a combination of one mishap after another.  For example, when we arrived I misplaced my driver’s license twice; once it was Norma’s fault. We must pass through two high security gates that make a startling noise when slamming shut. We were greeted by two serious-looking young women with tightly wound-up hair. Norma was one of the and  first to get clearance, one of the guards checking us in slipped a pair of blue examining gloves. “Are you going to frisk me?” Norma asked. “Are you hiding something?” The guard answered.  I told Norma that the guard is not a doctor, and to hurry up so that I could get processed. The guard then kiddingly asked Norma  if she could take her pulse. Norma was so rattled by the question that I was laughing out of control. I noticed that Norma’s undershirt was really low cut in the back and made a remark about it. Norma was so nervous and so upset with me, that she was struggling to get her shoes on. Norma was not paying attention to fact that she had put her shirt on inside out. I tried to tell her but she told me to shut up. By this time both guards were laughing. Mario loves to hear these stories.

Mario has grown in understanding how to work with the system. He has taken advantage of the programs offered to further his education. With each collage course completed, 2 weeks are knocked off his sentence. I see the change in his heart, with peace radiating from his eyes.

Mario attends a regular Bible study classes, and has learned to get through difficult situations by praying and turning to the Word of God. Mario stands on the verse from: Jeremiah 29:11

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

According to Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc.:

4.8 Million people are on parole or probation

95% of  all these convicts will be released from prison or jails and return to society

2 out of 3 released inmates will commit crimes again

Only 40% of those who receive Christian training commits new offenses.

My sister Norma is Mario’s intercessor, and it is through her faith that she and Mario get through this ordeal.  We as his family continue to pray for his well being and protection, and for the Lord to prepare him to succeed in all of his endeavors.

“I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”  Matthew 25:36