throwback zombies
Discover more from just rojie
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
29 responses to “throwback zombies”
-
I think Morticia Addams would be such a great fit, The Corpse Bride or even Coraline
-
Slightly whimsical, I know, but would be kinda fun to see how you’d pull these off 🙂
-
Very cool👍. Truly cat-like! Kind regards…Jay😊
-
Thanks so much, Jay!
-
You are most welcome😊
-
-
-
You know what’s really in all over the place is MCU cosplay
-
Yasss I was the scarlet witch last year
-
-
Hi!
-
Morticia Addams could go well!
-
ooh great idea!
-
-
You look like a warped geisha! With cat ears lol! XD
-
Lololol I do!!
-
-
Try one of the other big cats then, play around with cat woman? Let out the cat in you 🤣
-
😂 a jaguar?
-
You have quite a few options, panther, civet 🤣
-
😂
-
-
-
-
Super cool
-
thank you!
-
-
A walrus.
-
wtf 😂 where do I get that costume
-
No clue lol but i dont think i would be of use to you helping you dress as a walrus 🫢😉🤣🤣🤣
-
🤣
-
-
-
-
That’s why we don’t know about this idea… fantastic.
-
Morticia Addams, Coraline, The Corpse Bride
-
those are good ideas!! i’m more inclined to do morticia??
-
-
Yes babes! Would love to see tou bring that one to life <3
-
Thank you!!
-
-
And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch,
And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,
And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not.
And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day’s journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance.
And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions.
And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.
And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father’s business?
And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.
And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. (Luke 2:41-52 DRA)
Since the Old Testament, Psalm and Epistle readings have multiple options for today (how many of you heard the full Colossians reading, including the “Wives, be subordinate to your husbands” passage?), I will focus specifically on the Gospel for this Feast of the Holy Family.
Within the context of the Christmas season, and just before the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on New Year’s Day, is a fitting time for this great feast. The episode recounted in the Gospel today, the only event related in Scripture from Our Lord’s boyhood, highlights what is the central mystery of the Faith and the source of our Christmas joy: the Incarnation of the Son of God as Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. Here, Jesus is revealed to be more than a mere wise teacher or holy man, and even more than the human prophet or Messiah expected by the Jews. Instead, Jesus teaches His adopted father St. Joseph, and even His immaculate Mother Mary (who despite being sinless was not omniscient), that He is God-with-us, Immanuel, whose true Father from all eternity is God the Father within the life of the Trinity. Accordingly, as God, His true home on Earth at this time in salvation history was the Jerusalem Temple. Without this divine identification, it would make no sense to say that God is His Father or the Temple His Father’s house. As St. Ambrose explained, “There are two generations in Christ, one from His Father, the other from His mother; the Father’s more divine, the mother’s that which has come down for our use and advantage.” (Catena Aurea)
But what else can this passage teach us? To answer this question, I would like to relate it to a very similar event which occurs on the opposite end of Christ’s earthly life: His post-Resurrection appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Just as Christ was lost for three days before being rediscovered by His parents, so Christ was in the tomb for three days before rising again and being rediscovered by His disciples. St. Ambrose also recognized this symbolic connection to the Paschal mystery: “After three days He is found in the temple, that it might be for a sign, that after three days of victorious suffering, He who was believed to be dead should rise again, and manifest Himself to our faith, seated in heaven with divine glory.” (Catena Aurea) Likewise, just as Christ revealed Himself in the Scriptures to the teachers in the Temple, so for the disciples journeying to Emmaus He “expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him.” (Lk 24:27)
In today’s Gospel, Jesus, despite His human youth and voluntary powerlessness, reveals Himself as the incarnate Wisdom of God. He is the end or purpose for which all things exist, the reorientation of Creation to God and away from sin which the liturgy of the Temple (and the Church) work to effect. Through Him, the whole ground of being and the truth of human nature is shown to be love, the pouring-out (kenosis) of oneself for the good of others in self-sacrifice and communion. This Wisdom of God, what the Prologue of St. John calls the Logos, Word or Reason of God, is the perfect self-knowledge of God, which in the Trinity is a divine Person equal in substance with the Father and the Holy Ghost.
Christ thus gives Himself, in His Wisdom, to the Jewish teachers and to His parents. His blessed Mother, as an image of the Church and of the perfect Christian, “kept all these words in her heart” just as she had formerly carried Wisdom in the ark of her womb, offering them to St. Luke, who used her recollections in the writing of his Gospel, and through him to all of us. Similarly, the disciples on the road to Emmaus were given this same Wisdom through Christ opening the Scriptures to them and by receiving Him sacramentally in the Eucharistic breaking of the bread.
In modern times, especially since the Renaissance, wisdom has become increasingly confused with and replaced by knowledge, so that even in the fields of theology and philosophy (whose very name means “the love of wisdom”), wisdom is not the primary goal but simply the accumulation and organization of academic knowledge. On the other hand, many Christians today give little value to or even denigrate wisdom, instead emphasizing “practical” activities like charity work and using false saint quotations, such as “Preach often and when necessary, use words” or “The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself” to justify themselves. But in this event, Christ shows us the ultimate nature and importance of wisdom: to understand the truth of God and thereby to be conformed ever more fully to Him. As “the way, and the truth, and the life”, (Jn 14:6) Christ is thus Wisdom itself, which must be accepted and imitated to be understood. We imitate Him first of all by humility, which He demonstrated by humbling Himself as a mere child, questioning rather than instructing the teachers and obeying His parents:
Now that the Lord came up every year to Jerusalem at the Passover, betokens His humility as a man, for it is man’s duty to meet together to offer sacrifices to God, and conciliate Him with prayers. Accordingly the Lord as man, did among men what God by angels commanded men to do. Hence it is said, According to the custom of the feast day. (Gal. 3:14, Judges 6:20; 13:16.) Let us follow then the journey of His mortal life, if we delight to behold the glory of His divine nature. (St. Bede, Catena Aurea)
In this way, He shows us that, to attain true wisdom, we must be humble and obedient like Him, and precisely by doing so did He reveal His secret divinity. Wisdom, therefore, is shown to be the synthesis of knowledge and action, an understanding which comes from doing and leads cyclically to further insights and deeper holiness. Further, by associating Himself with the Temple, He showed us that it is in and through the Church, the Body of Christ led by the successors of the apostles which He established, that we must receive this wisdom, obeying her doctrines and commands. Yet, He also teaches us that God is first above all, that the Church is legitimate because it is divine, while its human members, even ones as sinless as the Blessed Virgin Mary, can still be held to His higher standard:
He is not found as soon as sought for, for Jesus was not among His kinsfolk and relations, among those who are joined to Him in the flesh, nor in the company of the multitude can He be found. Learn where those who seek Him find Him, not every where, but in the temple. And do thou then seek Jesus in the temple of God. Seek Him in the Church, and seek Him among the masters who are in the temple. For if thou wilt so seek Him, thou shalt find Him. They found Him not among His kinsfolk, for human relations could not comprehend the Son of God; not among His acquaintance, for He passes far beyond all human knowledge and understanding. Where then do they find Him? In the temple! If at any time thou seek the Son of God, seek Him first in the temple, thither go up, and verily shalt thou find Christ, the Word, and the Wisdom, (i. e. the Son of God.) (Origen, Catena Aurea)
In this last reflection of mine for 2024, I would like to thank all of you who have supported Missio Dei and my own work throughout the year. Your dedication and kind words mean more than you know and are a constant encouragement for all of us. I sincerely pray that all of you, including my colleagues at Missio Dei, have a blessed Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and a happy New Year, with abundant blessings from God throughout 2025. God bless!
bible
jesus
God
faith
christianity
3+James 4:13-15 The Message
Nothing but a Wisp of Fog
13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.With the coming of 2025 in just a few short days, it is time to remind ourselves; transitions in our lives can be exciting and challenging. Whether it’s a new job, a change in financial relationship status, or move to a different city, transitions require us to place trust in God’s guidance and to surrender our plans to him.
In times of transition, we may feel uncertain and overwhelmed. Yet we can find comfort in knowing that God is with us every step of the way. As we trust in the Lord with all our heart, mind soul and strength, as we wait, as He is directing our paths and providing the wisdom and strength we’ll need (Proverbs 3:5-6).
During transitions, we should first seek God’s will through prayer, aligning our desires with his Word, and by searching out the wise counsel of others. We trust that the Lord will make our paths straight, even when the way seems unclear.
Isaiah 35:8-10 The Message
8-10 There will be a highway
called the Holy Road.
No one rude or rebellious
is permitted on this road.
It’s for God’s people exclusively—
impossible to get lost on this road.
Not even fools can get lost on it.
No lions on this road,
no dangerous wild animals—
Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening.
Only the redeemed will walk on it.
The people God has ransomed
will come back on this road.
They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion,
unfading halos of joy encircling their heads,
Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness
as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.He knows the plans he has for us (Jeremiah 29:11), and his timing is perfect.
Jeremiah 29:10-14 The Message
10-11 This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.
13-14 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.
“I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—“bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.
As we receive such assurances, as we ponder long and hard upon His promises, as we pull out our God Positioning System, turn it on, program it through our prayers to navigate transitions in life, let’s embrace them with faith and hope.
May we come to Fully Rely On God’s guidance and be open to the opportunities he presents to us. In every season of change, however small or large, easy or hard, we can trust God is surely busy working all things together for our good. (Romans 8:28).
With navigating through transitions in mind, to understand what is meant in James 4:14 that life is “even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away,” it’s important to look at the larger context of the passage.
James writes,
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make profit’—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:13–17).
In this passage, James is talking about people who live solely in the confidence of themselves.
They take for granted that each day is given to them and that their own plans will work out. They do not live depending on God for their needs because they are confident in their own plans and ability. They do not consider whether or not their plans are pleasing to God, nor are they making time to serve others.
This attitude stems from their belief of a guaranteed life.
While we are young, our time on earth seems like an eternity, but truly our days are like a vapor, here for one short moment and irretrievably gone the next.
A vapor cannot make its existence last any longer, and it leaves the space it once occupied virtually unchanged. James is pointing out the self-importance we all give to our lives and our instant, impulsive plans without considering eternity.
A psalm written by Moses says,
“For all our days pass away under your wrath; we bring our years to an end like a sigh. The years of our life are seventy or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away…So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:9–12).
When we finally get around to actually, authentically, learn to look at our lives as fleeting and short, we will come to understand that the true importance of our lives lies not with our business deals, fleeting schemes for success, rather we can make an eternal impact on peoples’ lives by being a witness for Christ.
The Bible says that we should live our lives ready for Christ’s coming in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2).
We are to consider ourselves only as short term sojourners on this green earth because our eternity will be spent elsewhere, and what we do here impacts our lives, and potentially the lives of others, for eternity (1 Chronicles 29:15).
Our lives should not be lived in arrogance towards God and confidence in ourselves.
Rather we should live as Paul directed:
“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27).
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:2–4).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 8 The Message
8 God, brilliant Lord,
yours is a household name.2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?5-8 Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.9 God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.We want peace at all costs—but we want it our way in our time—as quickly as possible. We don’t like to wait for what we want. Once we have a desire of getting, selfish pride takes over and we will do everything within our power to get it.
But once we get it, we are still not fully satisfied because we have built our faith on ourselves. Feeling empty inside, we wearily worry, “is that all there is?” as we seek more. We want more food, more clothes, more cars, more homes, more vacations, more days off work, more friends, more money to get what we want…and the more is never enough.
When we can’t have what we want, we throw childish tantrums while warring with others to demand what we think we deserve. After all, we have been told repeatedly by the world: “have it your way,” “you deserve a break today,” “be all you can be.”
In a world of warring competitions of power, comparing ourselves with each other, fueled by envy, greed, jealousy, arrogance and pride, we will never be satisfied. All these traits are characteristics of our enemy whose goal is to distract, deceive, deconstruct, and eventually destroy our relationship with the One who loves us most and the Only one who satisfies our every need. Ahh, we get it now—but do we?
It’s time to get serious, says James.
James 4, The Message
Get Serious
4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”
7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.
11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?
Nothing but a Wisp of Fog
13-15 And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”
16-17 As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, that, for you, is evil.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
If we rely solely on ourselves, who are only “wisps of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing, we need to get serious with God who is forever faithful, always loving, and has a unique plan for our lives that gives us His extreme best for our good and His glory. That plan begins with Jesus who satisfies all that we have been seeking in a relationship of acceptance that promises and delivers unfailing faithfulness. This union is intimately personal and relentless loving, merciful and full of grace—MORE than we ever hoped or dreamed!
It bears repeating…
“So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him make himself scarce. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”
Lord,
Help us to know you more because you are more than enough and you are all we need. Relieve the worry from wanting want the world wants and thinking we must have our “fair share.” How utterly hopeless and ridiculous the thought! Guide our hearts to seek you first. We know you will provide all we really need when we really get serious about our precious, faithful, loving relationship with you.
You are the Bread of heaven and the Living Water that satisfies my soul forever. You are all I need. Forgive me when I fall for the enemy instead of falling on my knees before you, the King of kings and Lord of lords! Cleanse my heart, renew my mind, refresh my soul and restore the peace and joy of your salvation work within me.
Forgiveness is offered.
4 But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
Psalm 130:4
Explanation
There is no one exempt from the guiltiness of sin. We have all sinned and fallen short of the perfection, or glory of God. The psalmist is crying out to God from his guiltiness and the chaos that it has created. When we come to verse 4, we hear a quiet confidence and hope in God. What is that hope?Forgiveness.
There is forgiveness with the God of the universe. He is a God who forgives. The reason He forgives is found in the text. He forgives “that thou mayest be feared”. This word for fear is synonymous with honored.
All of our sin is ultimately against God. Sure, we can sin against other people, but even when we do we are ultimately sinning against God. This means that when we sin, we can only receive full and final forgiveness from God.
Application
Certainly, He deserves to be honored and worshipped because He created us. Yes, He deserves to be confessed to because we have sinned against Him. He is also worthy of our worship and attention because He is the only One who can righteously and finally forgive us. He deserves our fear, our honor, and all of our worship.Do you need to be forgiven? Is there some sin that needs to be confessed?
The first forgiveness that should be sought is ultimate forgiveness that has been offered through the person and work of Jesus Christ. All that sin deserve God’s wrath, but God put His Son to death so that He can give us His Son’s righteousness. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross paid for your sin. When we put our trust in Christ God forgives us of our sin, and gives us forgiveness. We become the sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ.
For those who know Christ, we confess our sins to God like a child maintains their relationship with their father. We want our fellowship with Christ to be sweet and right, and when we sin we put at risk our fellowship with God. He is a forgiving Father, who wants us to be right with him. Our sin has been paid for, but through confession we maintain our intimacy with God through Jesus Christ.
Response
God, when I sin I show a lack of fear in you. I am not honoring you the way you deserve. Thank you for sending your Son to die for me, to pay for my sin, and to offer me forgiveness. Help me to see my sin as you see it, and live a life of intimacy with You through prayer that includes confession. I love you, Lord. AmenFamily devotion
Jesus
Proverbs
Wisdom
Bible
6+
THINK TOGETHER.What does your name mean?
READ TOGETHER
Matthew 1:21 21She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins…25And he called his name Jesus.
Do you remember who Joseph was? He was the earthly father of Jesus. Jesus’ mother was Mary, and his father is God THE Father. But on Earth, Joseph was Jesus’ dad. The one who watched over him, cared for him, and kept him safe.
Like Mary, Joseph was also wise. Joseph feared, loved, and obeyed God. God told Joseph to name Mary’s baby, Jesus. And Joseph obeyed. He called his name Jesus.
The name Jesus means “God saves.” Jesus is the same name as Joshua. Do you know anyone named Joshua? Often in America, we give children names that are popular or that sound nice to us. We don’t always think about what the name actually means. But in Jesus’ day parents would always think about what the name meant, or they might give a child a special family name. Why do you think Jesus was named “God saves?”
Well, the angel told Joseph why, didn’t he? Because he will save his people from their sins.
Have you been saved from your sins? The Bible says that the wages, or penalty, for sin is death. Because we sin against God we deserve both physical and spiritual death. But when Jesus died on the cross for us, he died both physically and spiritually in our place. Now, when we trust in his death for us and ask for his forgiveness for our sin, we can be saved from our sins, and from the penalty for our sins – death.
Jesus was born to die so that we might live.
Because of Jesus we can be saved from our sins.
With Jesus we can obey God not to be saved, but because we are saved.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Listen to the Sovereign Grace song, Away In A Manger (Glory Has Come).
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, save me from my sins. I believe you died in my place and can forgive me of all my sins. Please forgive me and save me. Amen.
Today, the first Sunday after Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This feast began to be observed in Canada in the late 19th century, and quickly spread to the universal Church when Pope Benedict XV formally instituted the feast in 1921.
The Holy Family is a model of faithfulness for all families, in their devotion to God and by living God’s call. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived their “Yes” to God the Father by faithfully following their God-given vocations – every day and in every way. The members of the Holy Family, therefore, are models of faith for each of us.
In a December 30, 2019, article on the Sharing in Faith website, we can read about the faithfulness of Mary, Joseph and Jesus:
Mary: “Mary’s faithfulness was in … her response when the angel appeared to her and told her she would give birth to the savior of the world. She didn’t shrink in fear. Or run to get someone’s opinion. Or even hesitate. She just said ‘yes.’ Throughout her life, Mary continued to model faithfulness as she tended to her home, cared for and raised Jesus, and ultimately surrendered her will to God’s as she watched Jesus suffer and die.”
Joseph: “When he learned of Mary’s impending pregnancy, he didn’t shun her. Or judge her. Or leave her or the family he was about to lead. Instead, he obeyed and believed what the angel told him. He was faithful to God’s plan. Joseph was a solid leader of his family. He protected them from those who wanted to hurt them and he provided for them through his occupation as a humble and hardworking carpenter.”
Jesus: “Jesus’ faithfulness to his heavenly Father was unwavering. Throughout his ministry, he was criticized, judged, and ridiculed and eventually put to death. But, because of his faithfulness, we are able to share in eternal life with him.”
When I was a young mother, I was always so busy with my babies and the house and the laundry, and I felt bad that I didn’t have time to do a holy hour or even say a whole rosary. I started reading books about how I could simplify my life (Read: “be less busy”. Ha ha!) and have more time for God. I learned a great lesson when I realized that I could offer everything I did as a prayer. I began to think about my life as a wife and mother, my vocation, as prayer. It was the way I communicated my “yes” to God’s call in my life, like Mary did.
A few years later, while I was home schooling our 4 children, God began calling me, in my heart, to have another child. Firmly, I would remind God that I was very, very busy caring for and educate the 4 children I already had. Didn’t God know how tired I was? Didn’t God remember that we didn’t have a highchair or a changing table anymore? I took 2 years, but God did not give up on me. I finally was able to obey and believe, like Joseph, and my youngest child was welcomed into our family. I named her Grace, she was and is a grace in my life.
Right now, I am journeying through a sorrowful season of my life. Many of my family relationships are filled with loss, sorrow, and challenge. Jesus is my model of faith now. He has shown the world what amazing grace can come from suffering and death. The hope of the resurrection is in my heart as I strive each day to be faithful to the God of the impossible.
As we continue conclude the Octave of Christmas and enter into the short Ordinary Time before the beginning of Lent, let’s reflect on the ordinary time in the life of the Holy Family. Let this be a time of increasing holiness and faithfulness to our devotion to God and our vocations.
As Pope Frances prayed in front of an icon of the Holy Family on the World Day of Families, 2013, he included these words:
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
to you, the Holy Family of Nazareth,
today, we turn our gaze
with admiration and confidence.Holy Family of Nazareth,
faithful guardian of the mystery of salvation:
grant us a renewed esteem for silence,
make our families cenacles of prayer
and transform them into small domestic churches.
Renew our desire for holiness …
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,
we pray to you with confidence,
we entrust ourselves to you with joy. -
Who Goes to Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, According to Our Lady of Kibeho
Mary gave a vision of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory to a young girl named Anathalie in Rwanda. Afterwards, she explained the kinds of people who Anathalie saw in each place.
Stuart Weiss
Nov 28, 2024Our Lady of Sorrows, the title under which Mary appeared at Kibeho.
Those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned.—Saint Alphonsus Liguori
This post is in being shared on the vigil of the Feast of Our Lady of Kibeho, which is celebrated on November 28th.
Our Lady of Kibeho is a Church approved Apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary that took place in Rwanda over several years starting in 1981. Most notably, she warned the people about the Rwandan Genocide before it happened. Mary urged the people to pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and open their hearts to God to avert the coming disaster.
During this time, Mary appeared to a young girl named Anathalie and showed her Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory.
One of the unique parts about these visions is that Mary did not just show the Anathalie glimpses of Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory, but also gave her insight into what kind of people go to each place.
These visions are described by Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide, in her book “Our Lady of Kibeho,” which I highly recommend you read in its entirety. I quote the portions relating to these visions below, along with Mary’s explanation, in addition to some commentary.
Heaven
The first [place she was taken] was a world where instead of mountains, hills, and valleys, the landscape was comprised of varying shades of vivid color and light, and people travelled from place to place by sliding through the light.Mary led Anathalie to one strange land illumined only by white light. Here, the girl saw seven handsome men wearing white cloaks and standing in a circle, and they were creating the most beautiful music without any instruments—each note was filled with a different sensation of contentment and joy. She asked, “Where are we, Mother?”
“This is Isangano, the focal point; this is the place of communion.”
“Who are those men?”
“They are not men. They are angels.”
“What do they do here?”
“They praise God, watch over Earth, and aid humanity when they are needed or called upon.”
…
At the next place the young lady saw millions of people dressed in white. All of them seemed overwhelmingly happy but not blissful, as the angels had been. “Our Lady told me that this was Isenderezwa z’ibyishimo, the place of the cherished of God.”
This vision of Heaven is reminiscent of what we read in the book of Revelation, when St. John sees a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes (Rev. 7:9).
It’s also interesting to see the description of the Angels, which is very consistent with Catholic theology.
Finally, I’m reminded of the verse God is light and in Him is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5).
So who does Our Lady say is counted worthy to attain to this land of happiness and light?
The first place, the happy world of the cherished of God, was reserved for people whose hearts are good, who pray regularly, and who strive always to follow God’s will.
Purgatory
And then we moved on to our next destination, a world where the light was as dim as dusk. Below us were people dressed in clothes of dreary and dull colors in comparison to the other worlds we’d seen. Most of them seemed content, but many seemed quite sad and were even suffering. Mary said, “This is Isesengurwa, a place of purification; the people you see are Intarambirwa, those who persevere.This part of the vision is, of course, entirely consistent with the Catholic doctrine of purgatory.
The mixture of contentment, sadness, and suffering is exactly what you would expect in a description of Purgatory. Purgatory is not a final destination, but a place of purification on the way to Heaven. Saint Paul alludes to it in 1 Cor. 3:14-16, saying, If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
As such, the souls there are content (and even glad), because they know they have attained everlasting life, but they are also contrite and suffering as they are purified of their past sins, and so prepared for the Glory of Heaven, where nothing unclean shall enter (Rev. 21:27).
Mary gives this description of the people who are in Purgatory:
Our second visit to the place of purification was for those who called on God only during times of trouble, turning away from Him when their troubles were over.
Hell
The last place we visited was a land of twilight where the only illumination was an unpleasant shade of red that reminded me of congealed blood. The heat that rose from that world was stifling and dry—it brushed my face like a flame, and I feared that my skin would blister and crack. I couldn’t look at the countless people who populated that unhappy place because their misery and anguish pained me so greatly. Mary didn’t have to say the name of this place…I knew I was in hell.Hell is real, it lasts forever, and people go there. Many people, by all accounts.
Jesus warns of Hell more often than anything else he talks about in the Gospels. If you are uncomfortable listening to people talk about Hell, then you would be very uncomfortable listening to Jesus.
Mary describes the disposition of the people who go there:
The last place of heat and no name was for those who never paid God any attention at all.
The cares of this world and the distractions of life are much more dangerous than they seem.
Conclusion
I love hearing Mary’s motherly voice in these visions. Her simple, yet profound, descriptions of who is in each place remind me of how my wife and I explain these truths to our young children. They are explained in such a way that they get to the essence of what is true in a way that even a child can understand, yet leave room for that truth to be unfolded into all it’s fullness.In light of these visions, I would propose that we each ask ourselves three questions. Be honest with yourself—you can fool others, and even yourself, but you cannot fool God:
Do I have a good heart?
Do I pray regularly?
Do I strive always to do the Will of God?
If you answered “yes” to all three, then praise God! How can you do so even more? How can you ensure that you will persevere unto death?
If you answered “no” to any of them, then when and how are you going to start? If you’re waiting for the right time, then start today. Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation (2 Cor. 6:2).
Don’t put it off. None of us know either the hour or the day that God will call us before the Judgement seat.
Last Note About Private Revelation
Allow me one last note about this or any private revelation in order to prevent confusion. These appearances and messages from Heaven are meant to edify, but they are also meant to be taken within the context of the teaching of the Faith. Mary’s words here are very enlightening, and teach us something very true about who is saved, and who is not. It also affirms the constant teaching of the Church that Hell is real, and by some dreadful mystery, people go there. But make sure you’re taking these lessons in the context of the Church. For example, to read this and infer that an Aztec pagan must go to Heaven because they “prayed” every day while they were offering their human sacrifices would be an error.
Pagan Boy in Africa is Converted Directly by Jesus and Sent to Proclaim The Gospel
This amazing true story happened in the 1980’s in Rwanda.
Stuart Weiss
Dec 06, 2024
a lone tree in a field under a cloudy sky
Photo by Polina Koroleva on Unsplash
When you were under the fig tree, I saw you.—John 1:48
Subscribed
In the 1980s Mary began appearing to several visionaries in Rwanda in what eventually became the Church approved apparition known as “Our Lady of Kibeho.” During this time, Jesus appeared to a 15 year old boy named Segatashya.
The unique thing about Segatashya is that not only was he a practicing pagan, but he also had never even heard of Christianity. Segatashya lived in the Rwandan countryside before the internet, and had very little access to outside information—no radios, newspapers, nothing. So, Jesus Himself appeared to Segatashya, and sent him on a special mission.
The story of Segatashya comes to us from Immaculee Ilibagiza. She is a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and interviewed Segatashya first hand. She recounts this incredible story in her book titled, “Our Lady of Kibeho.” What follows is Immaculee’s description of her meeting with Segatashya, followed by a brief reflection.
The story begins on July 2, 1982. Segatashya sat down under a tree to rest from his work in the fields:
I’d just sat down when I heard a man calling out to me. I thought I was alone in the fields and hadn’t seen anyone all morning. So at first I thought the voice I’d heard was just the wind, but then it came again.
‘You, my child,’ it said, softly and kindly. I didn’t feel threatened in any way, but rather experienced a great sense of peace and happiness. When I looked around to see who was speaking, there was no one there.
‘My child,’ the man called to me once more; but again, I couldn’t see anyone near me.
‘My child,’ the voice said a third time. Even though no one was there, I answered, asking the man what he wanted of me.
‘If I give you a message, will you deliver it for me?’
‘Yes, I will,’ I replied without hesitation, somehow knowing I couldn’t refuse. ‘But what’s your name, sir? Who shall I say has sent me with a message?’
‘I am Jesus Christ,’ he said. ‘But when you tell them you come in my name, they may not trust or believe you. For you to prove to me you are capable of being my messenger, go now to the people working in the fields nearby and tell them that Jesus Christ sent you here today to instruct them all to purify their hearts because the day of his return is coming soon. Since they cannot say that they have not been warned, they can prepare themselves.’
Segatashya went to some men in the field, only to be laughed to scorn and then fallen upon and beaten for the crime of being “blasphemous” towards their pagan gods. Not only that but, unbeknownst to Segatashya, Jesus had miraculously removed his clothes—Segatashya was proclaiming this to them naked!
A woman in the yard told him, ‘Child, look at yourself—you’re naked! Do you think anyone will listen to you in that condition when you say you’ve been sent by Jesus?’
Just then, he heard Jesus say, ‘I have made you naked; ask them did not their Lord come into this world naked, and was he not stripped naked before he returned to the kingdom of God? He is the one who has made this miracle happen.’
Segatashya did as Jesus commanded, and then got out of there before he could be beaten again. After this, Jesus told Segatashya to go to Kibeho, where Mary had been appearing, and to join the other visionaries there. Segatashya obeyed, and became a prolific preacher despite his lack of catechesis or education. In fact, as he would travel to villages preaching, he was miraculously given the gift of tongues and able to learn the local languages within a single day, sometimes hours.
Immaculee describes for us some of the content of his preaching.
…he urged all who would listen to repent and purify their hearts. ‘On Judgement day, the Lord will show everyone their entire lives,’ he’d say, ‘and people will know that they’re the authors of their own fate. God will show them their lifetime of deeds, and then that person will go where they deserve to go. Don’t think that God doesn’t see your sins—the Lord sees every action and knows every thought. Repent, for there is not much time left.
God doesn’t abandon any of His children; He is always waiting for you to say yes to Him and let Him into your hearts. God will never deny you mercy if you have a true conversion in your heart. Jesus is telling me to express to you that life on Earth lasts only a moment, but life in heaven is eternal. So you must pray! No one will reach heaven by good deeds alone, by giving special gifts, or by making compromises. The only way into heaven is through prayers that come from the heart.’
Share
Several things strike me about this amazing prophet of Jesus Christ.
I find it interesting how consistent God’s work in souls can be. Elements of Segatashya’s calling remind me of the way God called Samuel, Moses, St. Paul, and St. Francis.
Like Samuel, Segatashya had to hear Jesus’ call three times, and only after Segatashya answered did Jesus reveal His will for him.
Like Moses and Saint Paul, Segatashya asked “who are you, Lord?” and “who shall I say has sent me?”
Finally, and most strikingly, he reminds me of Saint Francis. Like Francis, when Segatashya went out to first proclaim the Gospel, he was not met with success. St. Francis, after his dramatic conversion and renunciation of worldly goods in front of his father and the whole town, went out full of joy and the Spirit into the hills behind Assisi. If you or I were writing the story, you’d expect him to go triumphantly out and begin converting people. Yet in God’s story, Francis’ reward for his dramatic renunciation of worldly goods is… persecution!
Francis wandered forth into the hills behind Assisi, improvising hymns of praise as he went. ‘I am the herald of the great King,’ he declared in answer to some robbers, who thereupon despoiled him of all he had and threw him scornfully in a snow drift. Naked and half frozen, Francis crawled to a neighbouring monastery and there worked for a time as a scullion.1
This is an almost identical incident to Segatashya—Francis was even stripped naked! I suppose Jesus was being serious when He said “Blessed are you when men persecute you…” He reserves His best gifts for Heaven, and disciplines those whom He loves on Earth, like a good Father.
These examples from Segatashya and St. Francis should encourage us when we feel like God is calling us to a certain endeavor, and yet we are met with obstacles. Both Francis and Segatashya went on to convert many people, and become prolific preachers, but the souls they converted were bought at the price of suffering and rejection. If you are avoiding sin and doing your best to follow the will of God, then don’t be discouraged by the sufferings and obstacles God sends you—they are the precious currency that God will use to save souls.
On the other hand, if you are not praying to God from the heart daily, then what are you waiting for? Segatashya’s preaching is meant for you specifically: God doesn’t abandon any of His children; He is always waiting for you to say yes to Him and let Him into your hearts. Repent, and believe in the Gospel. Begin praying to God from the heart today. If you need advice on doing that, just email me, I’m happy to help point you in the right direction. Only be sure not to delay. Perhaps this is the last chance God is offering you?
We know with the certainty of faith that Jesus Christ will come at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. It may be that the Second Coming is soon, or it may not happen for another 10,000 years. Nevertheless, we do know that within each of our lifetimes (perhaps sooner than we think) the end of the world, for us, will come with death and we will sit before the judgement seat of Christ.
Don’t think that God doesn’t see your sins—the Lord sees every action and knows every thought. Repent, for there is not much time left.
Leave a Reply to KamalaniCancel reply