Vocation

[tklein1014]

Like everyone else probably, I struggle with figuring out what God wants me to do.  I feel a special need to pray for others, and have a more "structured" prayer life, "living the Gospel", etc.  Lately I've been wondering whether I should consider joining a religious order as a lay person (like the SFO or something).  How do you know when you have a "calling" and when it's just your imagination?  I was thinking about the SFO for several reasons like...

1.  I'm inspired by St. Francis & other Franciscans (St. Pio, St. Anthony, etc.)

2.  I've always been an animal lover

3.  I once saw St. Anthony in a dream fairly recently, and as far as I can remember, he's the only saint I've had a dream about.

What do you all think?  Are these signs from God, or just my imagination?  If not the SFO, then what?  Give me your thoughts/imput...

TIA

Tina

[Seeker]

Tina,

I wish I could offer better advice, but I don't have any experience in these matters.  On the surface, it seems to me to be something worth checking out.  You may have a calling and will never know unless you take the next step.  I think you can make inquiries to see what it's all about without incurring any obligation.  Either way, it sounds like you are blessed.  

You've probably already done this, but I think an important aspect would be to share this with your family since you're primary vocation is with them.   Whatever you do, they will be part of it in some way and my bet is that a true calling will be in harmony with your state in life.  The main thing is to keep praying and get all the information you can.  I've entertained thoughts about joining a lay order myself, but I've never felt the calling yet.  I will pray that God may grant you wisdom and understanding to know and do His will, whatever it is.

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

For the harvest is great,but the laborers are few.Tina forsake this anxiety and fear of the unknown.God loves you.He wants you to serve him.

For many are called, but few are chosen.Tina the time has come.


A N Bhat

[Rev. Eric]

Hello Tina,

God bless you for being open to God's will.  Do you have a regular spiritual director?  Discernment like this is probably best made while undergoing some form of spiritual direction.  A true spiritual director will help you understand your calling in life, whether it is religious, marriage, celibate single, married & third- order religious, etc.  Of course, this can also be done along with seeking input from your family, as Seeker mentioned.

Religious communities also often hold "live-in" experiences, where you can sign up to simply stay, pray and work with them for two or three days (just to get a taste of religious life and to "test the waters").

In terms of 3rd Order lay-religious, my brother's wife has been a 3rd Order Carmelite for years and she finds it to be very spiritually rewarding.  She also manages to effectively juggle the spiritual demands of this while homeschooling her three kids.

I don't really know anything about the SFO, so I'm afraid I can't offer any input concerning them.

But, of course, always pray for guidance along your spiritual journey.  Maybe there's a good novena out there for just this sort of thing.

God bless,
-Rev. Eric

[tklein1014]

Thanks for your imput everyone.  It really helped to hear what others had to say, so I'd have a better idea of whether these were "normal" feelings to have, or if there might be something else there.  Since everyone who's responded seems to think it might be worth checking out, and since it doesn't hurt to ask for more info, I requested more info, and if I still feel drawn towards it after I receive it, then I'll pursue further.  I've been praying for people (in church, prayer groups, on the internet, etc.) for years & trying to "live the Gospel" on my own, but it doesn't seem to be "enough", although no matter what I will continue to do these things the best way I can.  That's part of the reason why I am considering that God may be calling me to something more.  But the question is, what?  I've looked at several 3rd Order websites on the internet, and on the surface so far, the SFO seems to be the most in jive w/my philosophy, etc.  Anyhow, we'll see what happens.  Any further thoughts/comments are welcome.

Tina

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

The Lord wants you save more souls from the damnation of hell.He wants you to grow spiritually, perhaps that may be his plan for you.Spend some time in private prayers and ask the Lord to give you the strength and grace to do his will.He will reveal his plan to you.

Let Satan  not deter you from his message.


A N Bhat

[tklein1014]

The Lord wants you save more souls from the damnation of hell.

Now this is interesting.  I have yet to tell the story of my sister's recent conversion (due, I believe, to my prayers for her) on this board, but yet Ayodhya says he believes the Lord wants me to save more souls from damnation, he didn't say "souls", but instead said "more souls", even though I haven't mentioned this story.  I find the wording he used interesting.  Anyhow, I'll go ahead and tell the story...

My sister was raised religiously the same as I was (see my testimony for this info).  Rather than having her born again experience on her own, by her own prayers like I did, she was agnostic early in college - she believed God existed, but didn't believe much else.  Up until then I'd assumed she considered herself Christian, but she & I got into an e-mail discussion in which she revealed to me that she wasn't.  Anyhow, I started to pray for her on a regular basis, because I could see that she wasn't happy, and that only Christ's revealing Himself to her as He did to me could help her feel better and be happier.  Anyhow, not too long after that she sent me an e-mail, saying that it wasn't a particular dream, but that the night before she'd had what she called a "religious awakening", all of a sudden believed things she thought were ridiculous before, etc.

Just a side note, but any prayers you can spare for my remaining "lost" sister would be appreciated - she's Athiest.  TIA

Anyhow, I find Ayodhya's words very interesting, and think this is worth investigating further, one way or another.

Also - a question for Rev. Eric...  You mentioned a spiritual director...  As I have said, I've only been Catholic for about 5.5 years, and still feel a little new.  This might be a silly question, but how/where do I find a spiritual director?  Could that me a priest at my parish, or are there others somewhere else whose main job is to spiritually direct?

Thanks again everyone.  Your responses have been most helpful.

Tina

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

Tina, there is no need of searching for a spiritual Director.Do you feel the self-appointed Spiritual Director will be of any help to you? The answer is yours.

You have the gift of the Holy Spirit ,your Spiritual Director  and why search somewhere else.I have given you the message before and you can personally invoke the Holy Spirit and ask for advice,guidance,comfort,strength and to walk  you in his leadership to achieve God's plan for you.

Once you will feel the presence of Holy Spirit in yourself you will start uttering the words " Jesu is Lord"  unceasingly.

You will be blessed tremendously, this is my guarantee to you.Try to walk every moment in your life in the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

I am sure you will thank me always.

 
A N Bhat

[Melody]

Dear Tina,

I read your post & the first thing that I was inspired to tell you was to get a Spiritual Director. Then as I continued down the thread I saw the Rev. mention just that & I though, well. But further south, I realised why the inspiration

Let me assure you, that getting a Spiritual Director is the way to go!

Ayodhya, you do not know (I'm assuming) the functioning of the Catholic Church. You yourself, I know, have a Pastor & you probably discuss stuff with him or vice-versa. Perhaps you are not sure about the role of a Spiritual Director.

A good Spiritual Director would be one who is an annointed servant of God. He would listen to your problem and then taking into account your background (Tina; in your case, your new conversion, your family committments etc) he would pray with you and ask the Lord to reveal the right way.

The advantage of having a Spiritual Director is that often we do not know the effects of our actions. These are men appointed by God (we believe) and trained and since they do this often, experienced in answering what may seem to us as being complex problems.

However No Spiritual Director's word is perfect. Being human, they too are prone to error. Plus we are talking of things which are often beyond the worldly. You are Never obliged to listen perfectly to your Spiritual Director (except perhaps if you're ordained & taken vows of obedience, Rev?). You are no more obliged to listen to your director, than you are, say to listen to the advice I'm giving you now. It's totally upto you, after prayer to dicern with the help of the Holy Spirit what you should do.

So therefore the Spiritual Director is NOT AN END rather a means to the end, which is understanding the Will of God. Before & afterwards (& often during) direction, we have have to call on the Lord to help us decide anyway. I repeat, a Spiritual Director is not an alternative to praying to God for direction, just an helpful addition.

Getting ONE Spiritual Director is also an optimum choice as opposed to changing Directors as as when we feel like it - though changing Directors is perfectly allowed, no formalities after all. If we have just One Director, then it is likely we will share ALL our history, sins & all (as far as we are comfy, more the better) & then he/she is able to give better direction. This is better than asking 10 people for opinions & getting 10 answers. Often it will confuse us more.

Asking for Spiritual direction or being a director is not wrong. In fact that's what everyone of us has done right here in this thread - pointed you out in some direction or the other.

Now you take Ayodhya's advice & go and do what you should after direction, pray to the Lord on how to proceed

Blessings & Love,

Melody

PS: I go an extra step and suggest ALL OUR MEMBERS [incl. you dear Ayodhya ] get a Spiritual Director, whether you have problems or not, it's an excellent way to monitor your spiritual growth & push yourself harder.

[Melody]

Tina,

I know you asked the Rev. this, but I offer my opinion anyway. How do you find a good Spiritual Director?

Here's what I suggest:

(01) Find out who the Holiest Women you know are. (Often, not always, it's better for men to go to men & women to women as the discussion of intimate problems would not be an issue & this also helps keep our celibate priests/nuns away from Satanic temptation).

(02) Make sure they are strong in their Doctrine. You want them to know the Catholic teachings & to be good at 'practicing what they preach'.

(03) It is not necessary that they are ordained. Lay people in the Renewal also might be very helpful.

(04) If you belong to any prayer group, you could ask your leader/ cell members / friends whom they go to for Spiritual Direction.

(05) After you made your list of prospective Spiritual Directors, sit before the Lord (ideally in His Real Presence) and ask the Lord to inspire you which one to choose.

These are just my suggestions. Rev. Eric, pls. correct me if I have said anything wrong. Thx.

Melody

[Rev. Eric]

I think Melody's posts are right on target.  

I would like to emphasize to everyone that the process of finding a good spiritual director should be prayerful.  We should pray that the Holy Spirit guides us in finding the right person for us.

Although one does not have to specifically go to a priest for spiritual direction, having a priest for a spiritual director allows one to combine a spiritual direction session with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Confession does not have to be a part of an effective spiritual direction session, but many people desire to combine these two things.  I'm not saying this to try to "sell" priests over non-priests as spiritual directors (as there are many highly gifted laypeople doing this ministry), but I'm just saying that the possibility of combining spiritual direction with Reconciliation is something that one may want to consider.

To answer your question, Melody:

You are Never obliged to listen perfectly to your Spiritual Director (except perhaps if you're ordained & taken vows of obedience, Rev?).

By "listen perfectly" I assume you mean, "obediently follow the director's instruction."  To my knowledge, no one is obligated to do this.  I guess in some religious communities the Vow of Obedience may require a greater adherance to spiritual direction that for others, but I really don't know.  The Sacred Promise of Obedience that I took when I was ordained a deacon means that I promise to be obedient to my bishop and his successors, but this promise does not have any application in terms of spiritual direction (assuming that my spiritual director is not my bishop).

Having said that, one should approach a spiritual direction session with the idea that the Holy Spirit is present and is trying to guide both the director and the directee.  After all, we know that Christ is present when two or more are gathered in His name, and we believe that something special happens in spiritual direction (because the two people are setting aside time to be especially open to the guidance of Christ).  With this in mind, even though a person does not have to do everything the director says, he should open his heart to being obedient unless something just does not sound right.

Example #1)  Many of us need to be spiritual challenged, and our directors may tell us to do things in order to help us grow spiritually.  Challenge and growth can be unsettling, so we may initially resist the instructions given to us by a spiritual director.  He can be like a football coach who sets his players through tough exercises.  They don't like to exercise when they are having to endure it and sweat it out, but later, when they end up winning the big game, they are thankful for everything the coach put them through.  

Spiritual direction can be like this for some people.  So if you find yourself resisting a certain aspect of spiritual direction, pray over it and ask yourself: "Is this really sound direction?  Or maybe it is sound and I'm just resisting it because I don't want to be challenged and grow?"  In other words, before deciding not to follow something that came up in spiritual direction, first consider Example #1.

Example #2)  As Melody stated:

Make sure they are strong in their Doctrine. You want them to know the Catholic teachings & to be good at 'practicing what they preach'.

Even though you may be careful in selecting a spiritual director, you may end up with someone who seemed fine at first, but then strange things started surfacing.  For example:
*  There are directors who reject clear teachings of the Church on matters of faith and morals.  If a director is telling you something that rejects what the Catechism clearly states then ask him to clarify his position in light of authentic Church teaching.  If he holds to his position while rejecting Magesterial teaching then he has fallen into heresy and you should discontinue spiritual direction.

*  There are also spiritual directors who have fallen into New Age practices.  For example, Fr. Mich Pacwa (of EWTN) tells of a spiritual director who uses the Enneagram to instruct his spiritual directees.  Fr. Mich's advise, and mine, is not to continue direction with such people.

*  There are also spiritual directors who reject devotional practices that have been officially approved by the Church.  For example, if you like to pray the Rosary and your director tells you to stop, then that could be a big problem in my opinion.  If he tells you to stop because he thinks you are treating the Rosary as a superstition then that is a concern that needs to be examined.  After all, some people do get superstitious with devotional practices.  But if he says that praying the Rosary, in and of itself, is a superstitious practice (or an outdated form of piety, etc.), then my advice would be not to continue direction with such people.

*  Going back to Example #1, just as there are certain football coaches who can go overboard with the requirements they lay down on their players, so too can certain spititual directors lay unreasonable requirements on their directees.  For example, St. Paul of the Cross once had to discontinue direction with a priest who gave him outlandish penances to do.

I hope this has been helpful.  And speaking of the Rosary, I will offer my next Rosary for the overall spiritual guidance of all the members of the Glorify God Community.

God bless,
-Rev. Eric

[tklein1014]

Thanks again, all.  I just had an e-mail exchange with a friend, my old RCIA sponsor, and she reminded me about the Rosary.  That, in turn, reminded me that I have been slacking in using Virtual Rosary & PrayerCast, which was very fulfilling for me when I did it on a regular basis, so maybe the answer is that I need to get back into doing that on a more regular basis?  I'll give that a shot & see if this "not being enough" thing goes away.

Hope it's ok that I posted that link for anyone who's interested, since it's totally free, and a great prayer tool.

Anyhow, thanks again, everyone.

Tina

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

Tina,

Its very painful to note that your still groping in the dark and resorting to all sorts of anti-Christ traditions of men.Its a guarantee that you will hit the dead end and get back to square one.

The Lord sends you another message "Tina, my daughter do you really love me?
If yes,then take up your cross and follow me.I  want you to save more souls from the damnation of hell".

Let Satan not deter you from this message as he has successfully done so far.
Don't get misled by people,who do not know what they are saying or doing.May be they need to be saved first.  

This is the last time I will bring the message to you.Decide for yourself ,if you are going to say YES to the Lord ?

Speak to the Holy Spriit and he will be your Spiritual Director.Joy,Happiness and and love will then flow abundantly- that's a guarantee.
 
A N Bhat

[Rev. Eric]

Actually Ayodhya, your posts in this matter are a type of spiritual direction.  

He wants you to grow spiritually, perhaps that may be his plan for you.Spend some time in private prayers and ask the Lord to give you the strength and grace to do his will.He will reveal his plan to you.

This is what you stated in a post above.  This is spiritual direction.

But you also said:

Tina, there is no need of searching for a spiritual Director.Do you feel the self-appointed Spiritual Director will be of any help to you? The answer is yours.  You have the gift of the Holy Spirit ,your Spiritual Director and why search somewhere else.

So your spiritual direction for Tina is that she should not go to someone for spiritual direction.  I'm just pointing out that this seems odd.  You seem qualified to give your own spiritual advice but reject the idea that others can do the same.

Now let us take a look at what you said here:

The Lord sends you another message "Tina, my daughter do you really love me?
If yes,then take up your cross and follow me.I want you to save more souls from the damnation of hell".

Let Satan not deter you from this message as he has successfully done so far.

In these quotes it sounds to me that you have stepped beyond the role of a spiritual director and have instead assigned yourself the role of prophet.  You have given Tina a message from the Lord, and you claim that you have successfully discerned the work of Satan.  If you truly possess these abilities then I think that you, yourself, would make an excellect spiritual director.

Don't get misled by people,who do not know what they are saying or doing.May be they need to be saved first.

Obviously, you feel that this is a very important point, and I am not saying that it is not.  If we need to be saved, then we had better get to it.  The question is, what does it mean to be saved?  But because I have a feeling that this question will have an apologetic spin to it, I will post it in the Apologetic section under the Topic "What Does it Mean to be Saved?"  I invite you to instruct us on this obviously important issue, and I invite everyone else to join in on the discussion.

God bless,
-Rev. Eric

[tklein1014]

Its very painful to note that your still groping in the dark

Speak to the Holy Spriit and he will be your Spiritual Director.Joy,Happiness and and love will then flow abundantly- that's a guarantee.

Did it ever occur to you that I constantly pray for guidance (hence, my sig below - my constant prayer), and that this may be the way I feel the Lord leading me?  In regards to the second quote - I know that.  I'm experiencing it.

Tina

[cfcoelho]

Dear Rev Eric,

This refers to your response to Ayodhya's address to Tina.

Now let us take a look at what you said here:


QUOTE 
The Lord sends you another message "Tina, my daughter do you really love me?
If yes,then take up your cross and follow me.I want you to save more souls from the damnation of hell".

Let Satan not deter you from this message as he has successfully done so far.


In these quotes it sounds to me that you have stepped beyond the role of a spiritual director and have instead assigned yourself the role of prophet. You have given Tina a message from the Lord, and you claim that you have successfully discerned the work of Satan. If you truly possess these abilities then I think that you, yourself, would make an excellect spiritual director.

Rev Eric , let me tell you that such messages are sent by the Lord in various ways.You may be worried on how it was not sent through you ? In my 46 years of being a Roman Catholic, I did not recollect any of the priests I know in our parish  getting such messages simply because many do not practice what they preach from the pulpit.Yes, Tabor Ashram and Potta is a different story thats why the Church of Mumbai dissuades people from going there.

So be careful when you call someone "prophet" or pass such judgement against others.

If Ayodhya has received this message from the Lord, does Satan prompt you to deter it ?

How does Ayodhya benefit from conveying the message to Tina ?

   
Colin

[Seeker]

Hello Colin,  

In all fairness, I don't think that's what Rev. Eric was trying to do.  I think his point was that Ayodhya was acting as Tina's Spiritual Director even as he was disparaging the idea of Tina seeking a Spritual Director as an "anti-Christ tradition of men."

[Melody]

Hey all from your mama

I think all my children had better just smile & see things from each other's points of view. Here's how I see things:

Ayodhya, due to his belief's really thinks that Tina better speak directly to the Holy Spirit rather than go through any men/traditions of men. Perhaps he was a little uncharacteristically harsh, but I really believe it was due to his conviction of that being the 'only way' of getting direction. While I, as a Catholic, do not agree with him, I still respect the fact that he has is entitled to his own beliefs. We also all know of what a boon he has been to us all in this family, teaching us so many new things by questioning our faith.  

Tina, on the other hand has her own methods of dealing with things.  I admit (Tina, pls. forgive me) that I too was at first a little dissapointed to read that all she was going to do was re-start her rosary (from earlier thoughts of joining a congregation) but I checked my judgement of her just in time. After all, I know that He who began a good work in her will be faithful to complete it. Also, we should not doubt the Lord's ability to reach out to someone who is so obviously wants to hear from Him & who's doing what she feels is best. He knows our heart & our every desire after all

The Rev. I believe was just trying to get Ayodhya to understand things the way we (Catholics) see it. I completely agree with him - but then as a Catholic I would!

I also agree with Seeker that Colin has mis-interpreted what the Rev. was saying. I don't believe that for one moment the Rev. was trying to pass judgement against Ayodhya.

NOW, here's what I want y'all to do:

(01) Agree to disagree on this topic. We're here to discuss our faith. If our point of view helps another grow, Praise God! If not, Praise God! Do your best to explain your point of view & then LEAVE THE REST TO GOD.

(02) If any of you believes another to be going off track spiritually, perhaps you can point it out as best you can with love, understanding that everyone is entitled to their own belief.

(03) PRAY!!!! Are any of you praying for this family? If so, thank you & keep up the good & needed work! If not, then do start! Our prayers for another will help our interaction with one another as well.

(04) Finally kiss & make up We're all family.

Love & a big family hug from,

Mama Melody




I hope you all read this & think - "Now why did our mama think it necessary to write all that? Surely she should know better & realise that it was all in the right spirit. Really, parents, I tell ya...!"

[tklein1014]

I admit (Tina, pls. forgive me) that I too was at first a little dissapointed to read that all she was going to do was re-start her rosary (from earlier thoughts of joining a congregation)

Just a note to clarify, I'm still waiting for the info from the SFO and am certainly still open to that.  Like I said earlier, if when I get the information I still feel drawn to it then I'll pursue further.  I'm not closing the door on ANY options, here...  

Tina

[Rev. Eric]

Hello Colin,

Thank your for your insights.  Naturally I feel that I must clarify my comments as well as, as Melody put it, "kiss and make up."  In my earlier post was not trying to be "anti-prophet" (so to speak) but was trying to point out what I perceived to be an irony in Ayodhya's statements about spiritual direction.  To me, he was giving spiritual direction while saying not to go to anyone for spiritual direction.

Rev Eric , let me tell you that such messages are sent by the Lord in various ways.You may be worried on how it was not sent through you ? In my 46 years of being a Roman Catholic, I did not recollect any of the priests I know in our parish getting such messages simply because many do not practice what they preach from the pulpit.Yes, Tabor Ashram and Potta is a different story thats why the Church of Mumbai dissuades people from going there.

It was not my intention to express a criticism of the idea that some modern day Christians are prophets.  The Catholic Church, after all, teaches that all baptized Christians are to engage in a prophetic role.  On top of that, I fully believe that there are Christians, Catholic and otherwise, who have a special calling from God to be prophets to their generations.  But my statements to Adodhya had nothing to do with this, or Tabor Ashram and Potta (of which I really don't have much knowledge of).

So be careful when you call someone "prophet" or pass such judgement against others.

I said Ayodhya was acting in the role of a prophet because he was writing in a prophetic manner, and I don't see how it can accurately be described otherwise.  But I did not mean to imply that it is wrong for anyone, as a general rule, to do so.  I admit that the "air" of my response to Ayodhya was strongly critical (as is sometimes typical of the "sparring" he and I engage in), but I was not being critical of prophets, only critical of the manner in which Ayodhya, personally, was addressing the issue of spiritual direction.  Now, in terms of what my intention specifically was, I will address that in my reply to your next quote:

If Ayodhya has received this message from the Lord, does Satan prompt you to deter it ?

Perhaps Adodhya did receive a message from the Lord.  I have no problem with that.  But if the Lord gave him a message to give to Tina, then obviously the Lord works through the process of spiritual direction.  And if the Lord can give Adodhya a message to give to Tina then why can he also not do this with someone that Tina goes to for spiritual direction?  So you see, Colin, this was the kind of irony that I was hoping to point out.  I was not saying that Adodhya made up the statement he was presenting from God to Tina (as you rightly pointed out, he was not benefiting from it), but I was inviting him to reflect upon the whole spiritual process at work.  If Ayodhya is comfortable in conveying messages from God and warnings about Satan to Tina, then he should not (in my opinion) be uncomfortable with a spiritual director doing the same.  

But, in accordance with Melody's last post, I will agree to disagree with Ayodhya's position concerning spiritual direction and respect his beliefs in this matter.

In light of everything, my usage of the term "prophet" seems to have gone in a direction further than I intended.  I really don't know anything about Tabor Ashram and Potta, so if I "hit a nerve" concerning something therein then that was not my intention.  I also give my full and sincere apology to you Colin, as well as to anyone who may have been offended by any of my remarks.  Naturally, that apology is extended to my brother Adodhya as well.

I also give my thanks to Seeker and Melody for their input concerning my last post.  I also give you, Colin, my sincere thanks in bringing all this to my intention.  I certainly don't want anyone to think that I am somehow "anti-prophet," and I am glad to have the opportunity to clarify myself.

And in terms of my personal view is concerning Christian prophets, let me just say that I share Moses' view:

Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit rested upon them...and so they prophesied in the camp.  And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."  And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My Lord Moses, forbid them."  But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake?  Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!"  (Num 11:26-29)

God bless,
-Rev. Eric

[Rev. Eric]

Hello Everyone,

This is a P.S. to my last post.  
(You know, for someone like myself who professes to be very busy, I really know how to send in some long posts).

Even though I have already stated my apologies in my last post, I just realized that I spent my time clarifying my position, but I did not admit that Colin's comments had merit.

I say this after having made a fair assessment of my earlier letter to Ayodhya.  Therein I quoted Ayodhya's statement:

The Lord sends you another message "Tina, my daughter do you really love me?
If yes,then take up your cross and follow me.I want you to save more souls from the damnation of hell".

Let Satan not deter you from this message as he has successfully done so far.

I then said that, in my opinion, Ayodhya had assigned himself the role of a prophet.  I can see where this would imply that I was denoucing him as having made up the message from God (specifically the message "Tina, my daughter....save more souls from the damnation of hell").  After all, the implication is that if he assigned himself that role, then God was not giving him messages.  As I already stated, this was not what I wanted to express, and I should have definitely worded it differently.  For all I know, God truly gave Ayodhya that message to give Tina.  Who am I to say otherwise?  I was trying to make a different point, as I outlined in my above letter.

But, as far as the idea that Satan has been inspiring the Catholics of the Glorify God Community to misguide Tina with their comments on spiritual direction, naturally I will not ascribe the orgins of such to the Holy Spirit.  I know that Ayodhya did not present that as part of his quotation from God, but I just want to make sure that my personal stance is understood.  I don't see how the Holy Spirit can work through the process of spiritual direction and denounce it at the same time.

But anyway, to Colin: I can see that your points concerning my earlier post did, indeed, have merit.  So your point is well taken - I should have worded my views to Ayodhya differently.

God bless,
-Rev. Eric

[Ayodhya Nath Bhat]

Thank you Lord for this wonderful gift called Rev Eric.Forgive him,bless him ,hide him in your holiness.Forgive Colin too for being so harsh to Rev Eric for my sake.

Bind us together Lord from chords that cannot be broken.

 

A N Bhat

[Melody]

Hey all again

Praise God for all the matureness of the last couple of posts by Tina, Rev. Eric & Ayodhya. Another sign that the Holy Spirit is working among us with His Spirit of Unity.

Colin too has showed his maturity through this mail he sent me after I explained the fact that he just mis-interpreted the Rev.:

I FEEL YOU ARE RIGHT...THANKS FOR KEEPING ME ON TRACK.

Praise God!

I had another thought - maybe because this community is helping a lot of us grow in our faith, Satan is not happy & possibly is doing his best to cause problems among us through mis-communication/mis-interpretation etc.

(01) This is a good sign!! Means that we are on the right track!

(02) It also means, as I stated earlier, that we should pray for our family here. I sincerely request you all, especially those who are not already doing so, to pray for this our online family.

Love & Prayers,

Melody

PS: We all have said our piece & made our peace, so I now consider this thread closed. No more additions to this particular thread will be allowed. However do feel free to post as usual in the other forums.