Regarding the post below...and dreams...

I have been reading Mark's blog for about three years now, and every time I read it, it's been absolutely uncanny! The articles he writes have been hitting it so on target! There are things going on that many of us know, in our 'guts' but sometimes have no one to tell or talk to about it, because they seem to think we're a little "crazy in the head" or if they don't come out and say it, you can ascertain that is their thinking by their 'deer in the headlights' look that comes across their face and their pause with the uncomfortable silence one gets when saying something that provokes or bothers another, the awkward lull, then the quick change to another topic, or the abrupt, "Well, see ya, I must be going."

I've had some very vivid dreams this past year. I am not putting myself on a scale of mystics and prophets of the Church by any means. I am a 'little nobody' in the 1.2 billion Catholics on this earth. I'm a little person, in Omaha Nebraska, (well, not as little as I used to be, which is probably due to my lack of exercise) who reads a lot of spiritual books, has only been a practicing Catholic for just over 4 years, knows some good people, has a few solid-in-their-faith Catholic friends. I have a part time job, that is not glamorous at all, I never went to college, so no degrees appear behind my name. I'm in my 50's and have a comfortable little house, a wonderful husband and two wonderful sons, and a dear daughter-in-law. I have a little dog, named Tigger, who is the companion we love to come home to after our day out in the world. Until just recently when she's had some sort of 'bug' and has lost her bowel control of late, hence the need for some grooming and Febreze purchases.

In my dreams that still are so vivid in my memory, there have been wolves, flying black and white horses that were 'evil' looking, that I saw through a sky light, much like the sky light at our church, St. Robert Bellarmine. I've seen an apartment blow up, and then out across a field, in a business park area, many buildings blow up, like mines in a field in the war movies of old, only these were bigger explosions and kept coming closer and closer to where I was. I've seen in a most recent dream, red wine in a goblet that I poured to sip while reading a book start to bubble like it was boiling and just before asking my friend if hers was bubbling, she immediately knew what I was going to ask, and says "Yes, mine is too!" This morning I had a dream about being in a museum with armed guards standing all around the permimeter of the room, making sure no one steals, or touches any object, and how creepy it was to know that we were being held at gunpoint just to walk through a museum, here in America! I also had a dream of St. Padre Pio last year, on Feb. 1 about 3 or 4 in the morning. He was sparkling white, translucent, knelt to tend my hurt or broken foot or ankle, and then prayed for me, blessed me and left around the corner as quickly as he had appeared.

I don't think these dreams are on the par of Blessed Catherine Emerich or anyone else, but they are occurring rapidly and seem to have significance of some sort. I also get 'words' in my heart/mind, that come to me, and or phrases that start to appear everywhere I go, either to a blog, a website, or picking up a book, a card, a missal, my Daily Psalm book, everything seems to connect like a puzzle piece in the course of my day, or week.

I've heard that dreams that are so vivid, that remain in one's memory are important to that person, and can be God speaking or a Saint speaking God's truth to that soul, and maybe with a good Spiritual Director I could begin to see how and what this all means. I do tell certain people that I know "get it"...and don't think I'm nuts. I have a few good friends I trust and that is 'spiritual direction' as are the books I read, which have been very good for my growth and progress in being who God has made me to be, little by little. I wanted to 'lift' Mark's blog post on our Pope Benedict XVI as it struck me so, mostly due to conversations I've had with a good friend the last few days/weeks/months about this very thing. The 'schism' in the Church that has widened now, is not the ones we've known about, i.e. Saint Pius X etc. but the one that is most dire of all, the "pro life" vs. "pro choice/abortion" Catholics. The BIG split that has fomented for the last 30+ years and came to fruition during the election of President Obama. Knowing his stance, voting record and agend with NARAL, they voted for him anyway.

When I heard that 54% of voting Catholics voted for him I was stunned and then, grieved, because I believe it's due to the 'wolves' is sheeps' clothing that caused that huge number to DISOBEY the Church, and their bishops. They've thumbed their noses at their Bishops' letters, and the magisterium and also the Pope, putting their wallets above innocent life. The fact that 4000 babies are murdered, put to death, executed in their mother's womb, or just being born with partial birth abortions, doesn't register with these "catholics" and we wonder why we're in the mess we're in??!!!! Give me a stinking break!

Just last Sunday, March 22, at 11:55 p.m. my bed shook, like there was a tremor, (I lived in the Bay Area for a while in California so I know what the tremors feel like) it lasted about 1.5 seconds, very fast but enough to give me pause, as I have NEVER felt that before here in Nebraska, ever! But curiously, I did some research and found that geographically, geologically there is a link, a connection to siesmic activity in Alaska directly to Nebraska. The recent eruption of Mr. Redoubt overnight (Last Sunday) also makes me wonder if indeed I felt something that had occurred there, that caused my bed to shake? I've not heard of anyone else saying they felt anything, but I've only asked one person, and it was so brief, many might not have noticed it. But I've been 'attuned' to such things, and 'signs' for quite a while, so I find many 'connect the dot' moments and tuck them in my heart, to ponder and to 'prepare' as St. Maximilan Kolbe has "told me" when I look at his image on my cubicle wall at work. I bought it last Fall and have heard nothing but that word every time I look at him. It's no coincidence that I read 3 biographies on him last summer. He's been speaking to me and maybe others lately, and how uncanny again that it would be someone, a priest no less, who was taken prisoner, tortured and finally put to death.

The hatred for Catholics and the Church has grown incredibly fast the past few years. She IS the target, because She still proclaims the TRUTH. She is hated the most by the most intolerant "tolerant" ones! They PRIDE themselves on being tolerant but in the end they only HATE and mock what they don't understand, and sadly many don't WANT to understand what they hate and mock.

We need to prepare ourselves, and put our "houses in order" meaning our inner, spiritual life, and draw closer to our Lord in all ways, especially Mass DAILY if at all possible and most of all CLING to Our Lady, Mother Mary, for SHE IS OUR ONLY HOPE for the times that are coming. I'm reading The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsos Liguori and I can't recommend it enough for anyone for RIGHT NOW. It is the book for all of us and FOR THIS MOMENT! God bless, and keep you all.