JOHN ARRIVED AT THE TOMB FIRST

John Arrived

 

John arrived at the tomb first.

It wasn’t empty but filled with love.

John arrived at the tomb first.

It wasn’t empty but filled with Grace from Above.

 

John, the quicker, sprinted at Mary’s word.

He, so faith filled, believed what he heard.

He, the younger, respected all he saw.

He, the servant, touched not with awe.

 

Pete arrived at the tomb next.

It wasn’t empty but filled with love.

Pete arrived at the tomb next.

It wasn’t empty but filled with Peace from Above.

 

Pete, the elder, entered before the youth.

He, the wiser, knew they spoke the Truth.

He, kneeling, venerated the Holy Ground.

He, rejoicing, knew Jesus had been found.

 

 

 

Written by Norma Morrison, author of Small White Hearts, while meditating on the Gospel of John, Chapter 20: 1-8.  Permission granted to copy and share.   www.smallwhitehearts.com

 

HOLY WEEK HAPPENINGS

Easter week means more than rabbits and candy. Serious tradition brings forth a series of events which interact with each other and are not separated. They are like your whole body as St. Paul says. You cannot have an arm without a leg or an eye without an ear. All the days of Holy Week mesh together.

 

Palm Sunday had us re-enact the journey of Jesus from Jericho where palm branches are abundant. I had the part as Narrator at St. Mary's Chapel for noon mass. Palm branches were blessed and people took them home to leave as a reminder of a glorious trip with Jesus to Jerusalem. I love to watch people make some neat crosses from the branches. We read all of what is called the Passion of Christ bringing in all of the events leading to the Cross and to the burial. 

Holy Thursday is the day Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He washed Judas' feet, knowing Judas would betray with a kiss a few hours later. He also washed Peter's feet, knowing Peter would deny Him 3 times also in the next few hours. From the Cross the next day He said, "Father forgive them for they know not what they do." Judas committed suicide but Peter went on to be one of the most important personages in church history.

Good Friday is the day Jesus was hung on a Cross for our sins - not His but ours. What are we doing today to show we deserve His Grace and Forgiveness? Take time to read page 147 of my book, Small White Hearts, and meditate on Carrying the Cross. I often ask myself where are the multitudes on Good Friday who praised Him on Palm Sunday? Then please share it with at least one more person. Other Cross poems are in there also. Journal on how you feel as you read them.

 

Holy Saturday is a quiet day to get groceries, last minute clothes or gifts for Sunday. I was born on Holy Saturday so it is always special to me. I also do much fasting during Lent so I try to use this day to see where I am in being obedient in selecting foods that are healthy choces. We used to make everything from scratch and celebrate with family as a child. I still like to cook from scratch.

 

Easter Sunday is also called Resurrection Sunday and I like that term much better. The origin of Easter came from gods and goddesses so we should put our focus on coming out of the grave. I wrote a new poem called "John Arrived" and will share it in a few days.

 

May you have a blessed week and follow Him whenever you can. His salvation is for the asking as He brings you close to Him. Be open to the gentle prompting of the Holy Spirit in your lives.

 

GOD-FILLED SEMINAR

       Awesome is the only way to express the seminar which almost 50 people attended. Our small hall was bursting its seams as the word spread that it would be a not-to-miss event. A huge hug and thanks to all who were there but more gratefulness to those who worked so diligently as servants of the Lord. We had five priests keeping us in prayer all week. How special we were to receive that plus how special they are in the eyes of the Holy One.

      Bob Toohey came from across town to do the session on Physical Healing. He had attendees sit in pairs, ask the Lord to heal a specific sickness and Our Lord did. Some wonderful reports were given. Several people with pain had none at the end of the prayer. One woman shared her eyesight improved  because she could see a "Jesus loves Me" sign better. A vision was shared of feeling a waterfall flowing through another gal and her prayer partner. Peacefulness was touching everyone and a joy from it was accepted in all hearts.

      Frank Gourdin and his team - Jesse Navarro, Johnny Garcia, Ana Belen Valenzuela - did the Resting in the Spirit session.  Team members anointed with oil according to the Letter of James, Chapter 5, verses 14 and 15, "Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint him with oil in the Name of the Lord." Catchers lowered attendees to the floor where they felt Our Lord heal them or speak to their souls. The others in the room lifted outstretched hands to those being prayed over. Powerful.

       My talks were on Inner Healing, Baptism in the Spirit, and Receiving the Gift of Tongues. I brought attendees through their lives with the grace of Our Lord healing them of past hurts. All were Baptized in the Spirit, some received the Gift of Tongues, and one gal had a Word that another's heart was hurting. It was claimed, all for the Glory of God. Seven new people now have my book and will be journaling to Him on a regular basis.

      Yvonne Gradillas, Minnie Romero, and Anna Abeyta did an excellent job setting up drinks and the endless amount of healthy snacks all brought. Marilyn Gonzales said yes to my request that she, with her captivating smile, greet those who came, write their names and addresses and give them name tags. She didn't tell me she has arthritis in her hands and didn't know if she should accept, but did anyway. Our Lord later graciously healed her hurting hands during the Physical Healing session. He is so good.

     David Galaz had his dad Charlie playing guitar for uplifting music along with Frank and his daughter Becky singing. David closed our seminar with reminding those present St. Kateri Prayer Group meets every Monday at 7 p.m. for song, scripture, and sharing. Fr. Abran Dono, who wrote the Introduction to my book, Small White Hearts, holds a music-filled bible study on Thursday nights there from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Bob Toohey attends a prayer group at Our Mother of Sorrows Church on Friday nights at 7 p.m. That group also prays over people for physical or other needs after the 9 a.m. mass on Sunday. See you at one of those places!

 

LENTEN HEALING SEMINAR - INSIDE THE TALK

      Last time we discussed what is involved with setting up the talks for the Lenten Healing Seminar we will be doing next Saturday.Today we will discuss what each talk involves. There will be four talks: Forgiveness, Inner Healing, Physical Healing, and Resting in the Spirit. Each talk is separate but totally connected to each other. We also will be having a time of "hands-on" healing whereby two people will pray for each other and experience the Lord's miraculous power.

       The Forgiveness talk makes us aware of our not willing to forgive ourselves which is a detriment to receiving true growth. We blame ourselves for all the hurts and mistakes of the past. We cannot and should not do that. It makes us focus on ourselves too much. Have you ever heard someone say, "He hurt me and I will never forgive him for it?" One participant held a grudge for thirty years then, on our urging, wrote his brother across country and they reconciled. The brother did not know what bitterness had been brewing all those years. The participant forgave himself plus forgave his brother. How beautiful! Jesus is the center of the healing at all times.

     During the Inner Healing talk, I will bring you from before birth to looking at the future when you will, hopefully, be with Your Saviour. With permission from God, we have Him hold your hand and allow you to see through His Eyes many wrongs from your past that have been deeply hidden and need to be brought forth in order to grow spiritually. We expose some true hurts that happened in your life, knowingly and unknowingly, accidentally or not. In this way we ask God to allow us to see where past hurts are, then for Him to bring them to the surface and smooth them out. We don't ask for them to be removed from our memory, but for God to lessen the pain so we can see them from His point of view with His Gentleness on the situation.

     On the Physical Healing session, Bob Toohey will led us in a prayerful time as we sit in pairs and tell each other two sicknesses we currently have. Then after a prayer of protection, we quietly pray any way we are comfortable with: some like to say impromptu prayer, some like praying in tongues, some have routine prayers. The Lord always has many healings because He is the Miracle Worker who can fix hard-of-hearing ears, an upset stomach, or a misbeating heart. We see healings as in the bible when Jesus laid His Hands on people. Bob, himself, had a miraculous healing from Rheumatoid Arthritis which was recorded at his doctor's office.

      Resting in the Spirit, our last talk, will be given by Frank Gourdin. Not too many of the attendees has experienced this form of healing because we are one of the few groups who include it in the talks. In the bible in Acts 26:13-14, we see Saint Paul on his way to Damascus when Jesus appeared to him and knocked him to the ground. Many of the Charismatic Prayer Groups pray at the end of their meeting, anoint with oil, and see the person being prayed over fall under the power of the Holy Spirit. We have a catcher ready to lower the person to the floor and allow that person to have a physical, emotional, or spiritual healing.

     What do you need for healing? Do you carry a grudge from a long time ago? Do you have high-blood pressure? Do you need to let go and let God take all the frustration from your life to replace it with His Peace? We will see all of this happen Saturday, March 23, 2013, at the Lenten Healing Seminar from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Santa Rosa de Lima Hall, 2015 N. Calle Central, Tucson, AZ.

      

LENTEN HEALING SEMINAR - SETTING THE BASICS

      My latest project - is it really a project? - It is not a burden, so it should be called something else -  not a challenge nor a task. It is a delight to be involved with coordinating a Lenten Healing Seminar. The two groups who will be in this are the Prayer Healing Ministry of Our Mother of Sorrows Parish and Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Parish Charismatic Prayer Group. Both are in Tucson and have been ministering to members of their churches for over twenty years. I am happy to say that I have been alongside them for all of those years. This is the second time both groups have worked together. The first was at Saint Kateri Parish several years ago. At the time it was Blessed Kateri (long story, maybe for another day.) We had the same agenda, but brought food to share. About 75 people attended and most received a healing.

      Prayer Healing Ministry was founded by Bob Toohey after being led by Our Lord. He felt the need for people to have a place to meet, be prayed over for illnesses, and receive a God-given healing. He originally wrote all of the talks and has been using them for 16 years, 5 times a year. I was blessed by being able to lend my consent to them and be one of the speakers all this time. As I mentioned in my thanks page for Small White Hearts, www.smallwhitehearts.com "As a result thousands of physical, emotional, and spiritual healings have been recorded. Without him I would not have the healing ministry with which I have been gifted."

       The Prayer Group at Saint Kateri has been meeting once a week for three years after switching churches where they were for 30 years. David Galaz and Libby Sanchez lead the praise and worship. Fr. Abram Dono, S.T., who wrote the Introduction to my book, is spiritual advisor there. He also leads a music-filled bible study which prepares us for the following Sunday's readings. The Charismatic meeting begins with uplifting music, then a pertinent talk, people are led to speak in tongues while the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are exercised. After anyone who wishes to be prayed over can receive a healing for a physical, emotional, spiritual need. We bring food to share afterwards.

      This week saw me write up notices for bulletins and personally bring them to ten churches. I learned my lesson when I mailed notices for the Tapestry of Hope Ministry that was held in Globe recently and for which there are two blogs. When I mailed them, they got put aside, so I hand-carried these. Hopefully, more will insert. I also created a powerful poster to be hung in a visible place. Then I made smaller half-sheet flyers for the attendees of St. Kateri Prayer Group to distribute and also for my friends to hand out. Project?  No, but a beautiful blessing.