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MIKE WACKER: God, we thank you for bringing us together. We thank you for this wonderful time of fellowship. We commend this last session to you. In your name we pray. Amen.
CROWD: Amen. [Some applause.]
MIKE: And letâs welcome our brother Paul. [Applause. Someone whoops.]
PAUL DECELLES: Glory!
Before I begin the talk proper, let me say something that came up in our team meeting last night: that given the option of having good group discussions in the first phase, as opposed to individuals learning as much asâaccessing as much of the source material as they can possibly get. . . . Is that clear, the choice?
You could say, well, a lot of people here have time to do a lot of reading and listening, and others donât. And you couldâIâd say, the more reading andâthat you do, or listening that you do, the better. And you say, well, even at theâwhat, howâsâI would be slowed down if I. . . . I really have time to do a lot, but in my group we donât have much time. And so Iâm slowed down from that. Iâd say, donât let your group slow you down.
That is, at this phase, Phase I, itâs more important to understand the history than it is to have a groupâgood group discussion. So the good group discussion is a benefit, if you can have it. Are you with me? [Crowd murmurs assent.] Okay, great. So, people should not hold back on, you know, just plowing ahead. Some people have listened to all theâeverything they could get their hands on so far!
And thatâs really good. Itâll pay off. In the end, itâll really pay off for the wholeâdiscussion of the whole community, because the more people have heard, the more things, the better off weâre going to be. Theyâll be in a better position to know what direction they go next (which is . . . to the bottle!) [Paul and all laugh.]
Okay. Well, thisâI want to talk now about: how can we bring the divine revelation, which is prophecy . . . ? Which weâve been experiencing, I think, even as weâve been meeting, the whole thing. You may all have experienced something of the sense of things changing even as we talk, you know; theâthat things are moving all the time, and itâsâand they are moving in a certain direction.
Itâs clear, as weâve been working on this so much together, that you can just see things just developing. And thatâs the sense ofâthatâs the sense of history. Making sense of history is what prophecy does for us. Thatâs whyâand itâs the divine revelation of whatâs really happening. You may have heard that said before in the conference, like about 10 times so far. [Light laughter.]
Okay, so, the question is: how can weânow, Iâm going to turn to: how can we help individual group members personally, for the sake of us reaching a group discernment? How can we help individuals make a good consultation, basically? Participate the wayâthe best they can?
So how, then, in particular, can the mentors relate to the leaders of the groups? And from the leaders of the group to the group, to the members of. . . . you with me? So, mentors to the leaders of the group, and the leaders of the groups to the members of the groups.
So how can that be happening? Whatâs the best way to help bring about the best discernment process? With the ultimate conclusions reflected in the considered, informed, Spirit-filled consultation? Thatâs what weâre aiming at.
So, to begin with, we have to start at home, so to speak. The first thing we have to do is to clean up our own act, if you want to put it that way. We start with ourselves instead of starting with the people weâre helping.
If you everâin fact, everybody that you ever intend to bring the message of God to (which is, I hope, everybody we meet and see). . . . But we should in fact. . . . If weâif they enter our environment, so to speak, and theyâre on our minds, and weâweâll rec- âyou know, weâre likely to see them again, then we should be thinking about themâabout, well, what isâhow can I best help that person come into a fuller experience of Godâs love and knowledge of God, commitment to God, and so on?
So thatâs what I want to talk about. What is it that you can do to help somebody that you know pretty well, regularly, that youâre meeting with regularly, or even at work or wherever it might be? But especially, you want to apply it to the menâs and womenâs groups themselves. Are you with me?
So, the first thing isâabout ourselves that we have to deal withâis our will. Thatâlet me give you the four things here I want to talk about: our will, prayer, study, and heart.
So, let me say a few things about what it means for our will. Itâsâwe have to turn up the thermostat on our energy. We have to put a little more logs [sic] on the fire, so that our hearts can burn a little bit better, more intensely. Weâve got to bring our heat together. Got to bring the heat on! Okay?
Soâand thatâs something that requires a commitment on somebodyâs part, on ev- âif you yourself. . . . Letâs see. Sometimes you think, well, my will is just my will. Thatâs what I do. And I identify my behavior with theâwhat I will.
And thatâs the wrong way to approach your sense of will. Youâre in charge of your will. Itâsâthatâsâthose areâyour will consists of you making decisions, making commitments and living up to them. Is that clear? I mean itâs a different idea of will, you know. Like, well, âI do what I will.â Yeah, thatâs the trouble! [Paul and all laugh.]
So, thatâs the place where we start talking. Thatâs what I do, right? So, Iâve got to askâweâeach of us [has to] ask himself or herself how I can do that.
So itâs our commitments and our willpower that Iâm talking about. And we need to turn it up to theâwhat I call the ânth degree,â okay? So about as high as you can set the measure.
In fact, it really is worthwhile toâI mean, focus on that. Itâs something thatâa little bit like Annie was saying: you actually can become a little child. And it is actually the case that you can strengthen your will! You can begin to commitâmeet the commitments that you make, and you do that by making commitments and keeping âem. Thatâs the method. Itâs all built together. If we donât make up our minds to do it, nothing will happen.
And for us, Iâd say the phrase would be, âyouâve got to be totally in.â Hold back nothing. Put it all on the table, as though this was your last act. Now, thatâsâhas to do with our will. Thatâs something you need to pray about and see how much commitment you can make. But weâre asking for as much as you can make.
Now about prayer: we know from our own rich experience as a community, and so many people have shared with us, that prayer really works miracles! In fact, letâs talk about that just for a sec. Off course here a bit. But, is there anyâthere areâI know there are some people here who haveâwho are sick and have problems. I just would like us to stand, andâso that they donât have to stand out by themselvesâbut Iâd like them to stand so we can pray with them. And the rest of us can stand to support âem. Howâs that? And letâs just pray that the Lord remove these obstacles to their lives, okay? Good.
Come, Lord! This is banished, and . . . [to audience] thatâs it. You can lay hands on each other. You can do whatever you want to, but letâs get illness off the scene.
Come, Lord God [audience prays out loud], and fear, in the name of Jesus, be gone! Take your illness, Satan, and go to hell. Be gone!
[Audience prays louder.]
PAUL: Praise you, Lord.
All you COVID spirits, in the name of Jesus, be gone! . . . Spirit of cancer, be gone! Be gone. Spirit of death, be gone. And spirit of fear, be gone. Lord, we entrust you for all these things [sic]. Just heal us and make us strong in every way. Amen?
PAUL and EVERYONE: Amen!
PAUL: Praise God.
Thanks.
Yeah. So we pray, and we mean it: âThy kingdom come. Thy will be done.â But we need to do thatâin easy times, of course, but we also need to do it in impossible times.
One of the things that comes up every now and then in our discussions on the team is that we have a different idea about miracles. Weâve got the wrong idea. We think that the world is operating according to cause and effect, and then every now and then, something will break down, that cause and effect breaks down. And then you say, âOh, thatâs where God. . . . â In other words, God turns out to be the last resort. Itâs like whatâGod shows up when things arenât working right.
Now, whatâs wrong with thinking that way? Just think about it: God has to show up when heâs not thinking right? When the world isnât working according toâis out of control? Heâs in control of everything all the time! Itâs we who are imposing these restrictions of cause and effect, limiting what he can do. So itâs normal for him to be doing miracles! He does them all the time. Letâs just expect it, okay?
Itâs upside down. Itâs a misunderstanding. God is not bound by the world; he made it. Heâs violating his [Paul laughs]âif you think that, heâs violating his ârulesâ all the time, for us!
Okay, theâthis third one was study. We have to form our minds. We have to be smart about what weâre doing.
One should not confuse being smart with being not childlike. In fact, some of theâactually, the smartest guy I ever knew is a very disting- âextremely distinguished scientist (he died recently) [who] was one of the most childlike people I ever met. Itâs Paul Dirac; some of you may know who he is. And he was always very simple, butâhe had the most simple . . . and Einstein was simple. His ideas were really simple, but they were, oh, extremely profound.
So, all Iâm saying here is that you can be humble, like Dirac was, and at the same time, you can be smart. And it really helps . . . to think. Youâve gotâweâve got to get control of our minds, so that we can actually build something that works right. Are you with me?
The one thing I noticed when we were doing the examination of the picture [in Mike Wackerâs âObservationâ talk]âwas it The Lawyer? And there was a little sack down there that everybody focused on eventually. But when I saw that at first, I thought it was a mistake the painter had made. I couldnât s- âdistinguish anything about it, justâit was just kind of a dark blob.
And thenâbut the longer I looked at it, and when people talked about it and noticed it. . . . It helped that everybody was saying, âWell, look at that,â so I looked again; it got brighter! In fact, it was a very s- âunusual experience for me to notice this, anyway: that, in fact, if you look at something long enough, it actuallyâyou perceive it better! As I say, it gets brighter! Itâsâthatâs what happened to me there. Are you with me? You understand what Iâm saying? So at the end, I couldnât figure out how I could have missed it. It was perfectly lit. It was. . . .
And thatâs the way it is with study. Itâs really hard to study. Itâs hard to learn something new or something creative. And it will only happen if you work at it really hard!
Soâand that takes time. So you canâtâyouâve got to avoid making rash judgments, snap judgments. Youâve got to give time for things to work, to settle in, to cook. What do they call it? You know, when youâre baking or something like that, you got to wait for the thingâtill itâs browning before you take it out of the oven.
Okay. Well, let me get back to my page again. Here we go. [All laugh.]
So, I meanâat the risk of repeating myself, we must use our God-given, God-inspired minds and intelligence. And this requires persistence and struggles to understand, on our part, the People of Praise, among all the Scripture and all the history of the saints. We can ask ourselves the question, what works best? What has worked best in Christianity? What has worked best inâfor the world?
Find out. But you can only do that if you look. You will learn something if you look. Look for it. Expect it. For example, I suggest you might look at the Little Flowers of Saint Francis of Assisi. And itâsâI mean, itâsâon the face of it, everybody will say, âItâs just an absurd little fairy tale.â But if you keep lookinâ at it, if you reallyâsomething else emerges: a very strong person, very strong character, a real man of God, not just a kind of aâwell, I donât know, a leprechaun or something like that. [Light laughter.]
Okay, the nextâthe last one is: the heart. So, this isâwhat Iâm referring to is having a surging affection for each member of your group. Actually, Iâm thinking of menâs groups, womenâs groupsâbut any group that youâre a part of. Let your affection bloom! Soâin your heart.
When people canât see with their eyes or hear with their ears. . . . For example, when Jesus preached, there were so many people that just could not understand what he was saying. He talks about that quite often, and weâll talk more about that later. But in particular, like the Pharisees of the past and the present, the question is: are people who are kind of blind and deaf, are they just lost? They just don’tâyou can tellâit seems like you tell them the truth, and they just donât have anyâthey donât understand it. Itâs likeâI justâyouâre speaking a different language.
So Iâd say, whatâs going to happen? Whatâs the s- âis there a solution for that? Does anybody see a problem in this at all? Well, I meanâwhatâI mean, there areâhalf the world is deaf and blind! Thenâso, are they all lost? âCause theyâre certainly not listening to the gospel! I say, well, whatâs the cure? If they canât hear and they canât see, whatâhow are you going to communicate with them?
So thereâs a mystery here. And the mystery is . . . that you can communicate with their heart. Your heart can see and hear, and you canâby your heart, they can see your heart. They feel your heart. They experience what it is that you have. And what you have in your heart is called, commonly, love.
So, if you love somebody who is deaf and dumb, you canâyou really can communicate with them. They catch on! Now, theyâre not going to be able to explain it to you, because they donât have the words for it. And they didnât understand how you put it together. But they got it, you know? They donât need a higher education for that!
Thatâs, I think, part of what Father Matta was talking about [in Annie Bulgerâs talk on becoming as little children]. You know, he had to unlearn all of the learning that he had. Itâs remarkable; he unlearned it by becoming more learned. Did you catch that [Paul laughs], right?
Okay, so thatâs . . . no. So, our love for them can be revealed in actual life situations. And serving people who seem to be deaf and dumb, people perhaps in a womanâs group that youâre cou- âhelping to counsel. They can be helped, but [by] serving them as truly people who are better than ourselves.
The leader of the group, having somebody who they canât seem to help catch on, can put on the attitude that âWell, I just donât understand, but somehow this person is actually better than I am.â Look at howâwell, for example, they donâtâtheyâre not very smart, evidently, or they donât have much courage. They donât have much self-control. Whatever it is.
And, youâd say, âSo . . . yeah, but you know, they run their lives pretty well. Theyâfor example, they can drive a car! You know, 80 miles an hour, with a whole bunch of cars coming at you, like theyâre all trying to kill you.â And, butâitâs amazing how many people can drive cars! Have you thought about that much? Itâs justâthatâs a miracle! Because, you know, would you trust your life to so many people onâwith respect toâin a dangerous thing?
Well, there you go. Another little side item. . . . [All laugh.]
That is to say, we have to serve them. We have to become their servants, truly treating them as being better than ourselves. We have toâI mean, is thisâthis isnât theater and drama. This is actually washing dirty feet, like Jesus did. He saysâhe starts his lastâthe last, you know, the final act: the first thing he does, is he subordinates himself, he humbles himself. I mean, to the degree of washing these thugsâ dirty feet.
So, thatâs whatâs going on here. Or . . . as a servant in love. And that way you will teach them to love. If we are real people, and weâre not just faking it, weâre not just parading on one day a year. I donât mean to criticize that; one day is better than none. But itâsâtheâbeing an authentic, friendly, faithful person taking care of someone that you can help materially, physically, or spiritually.
Okay, so now letâs returnâletâs turn to viewing what really matters in Godâs revelations to us. This is comingâgoing to be something like a modern version of Matthew 13, whichâhave you got your Bibles with you? Probably some may. Of course, some of you have memorized the whole thing, so. . . . [All laugh.]
But Iâd suggest you at least write down and you can study it later: Matthewâthese are the things Iâll be talking about very briefly. Ha! if you believe that, youâre like a child! [Paul and all laugh.]
Matthew 13, verse 36 to 40, and then verse 41 to 43, and then verse 49 to 50. So Iâm going to say something about each of these things. In fact, let me, just to set the stage, start with 36.
So heâsâso he has just explained a parable about the mustard seed, and so on and so forth. Heâs been talking to the crowds in parables, and the disciples say something like, âWell, why do you do that?â
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, âExplain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.â (Are you all with this? Right.) He answered, âThe one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one.â
Okay? So this isâall of a sudden, this is really serious. Heâs talking about people, right? Youâve got the people who are the children of the kingdom, and weâve got these other people who are evil. These are the people heâs been talking about as the bad seed, in this case. And the enemyâalso, so thatâsâheâs talking about Satan! I mean, this isâall Iâm trying to get across here is, pay attention to the stakes. Weâre dealing here with the issue of salvation, right? Weâre dealing with God whoâs going to save us from the enemy, who will try everything to destroy us. And so this is [a] very serious, grave matter.
So he says, ââThe enemy who sowed them is the devil.ââ Thatâs why we pray with so many people for deliverance, etc. The devilâs alive and active.
ââThe harvest is the end of the age, [and] the reapers are the angels,ââ and so on. And they go toâso Iâve got up to ââJust as the weeds are. . . . â Oh, the. . . . ââJust as the weeds are collected and burned with fire, . .ââ But, you know, heâs talking about people, right?
â . . . so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. But the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their father.â
Then he says, ââLet anyone with ears listen!ââ So, âPay attention!â I mean, he really means to make it like, âDonât forget this!â [Very light laughter.]
Okay. So, thereâs another little section onâletâs say, Iâm not even going to re- âfinish this readingâ49, and verse 50. He says, âSo it will be at the end of the age.â This is, againânow heâs talking about [how] the kingdom was likeâthereâs, like, a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind, etc. So itâs another metaphorâanother parable that heâs telling, but heâs explaining it again. He says, âThe angels will come [out] and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.â
Okay. Well, the reason Iâm reading this is, missionary work is really important, and what weâre doing is saving people from going to hell. And thatâs a phrase which practically nobody wants to say these days.
It was very interesting. Mary Frances and I wrote that book about Ignatius, about the Spiritual Exercises. And we gave it to one of the pop- âa very popular preacher in South Bend, a theologian of some report, to read. We know himâknew him well. At any rate, Jeanne and I went over to talk to him after a while. We gave it to him, and we hadnât heard back from him in three weeks, or something like that. So I gave him a call, and I went to his apartment, and he said, âThis is just the terriblest [sic] book I ever read.â He said, âItâs just all wrong.â He said, âThere is no hell.â Now, this is a priest of some renown whoâa well-known theologian!
I said, âWow, no kidding!â [Laughter.] He saidâwell, heâs a CSC, and they donât like the Jesuits. Thatâs part of it. [Loud laughter.] I think heâs blinded by something.
But at any rate, he was quiteâhe was never quite as friendly to me after that [Paul laughs], after he read what we thought about that. I said, âBut really? I mean, Jesus talks a lot about hell and how many people are going there and how difficult it is to avoid going there. You know, how hard it is to go to heaven, how youâre going to get through the eye of a needle and all that stuff.â
And he said, âThatâs just all myth. Thatâs not true.â And againâand he says, âEverybody knows that. Thatâs just been disproven by theology and philosophy and facts and history. There is no hell.â He said, âIf there is a hell, thereâs nobody in it.â That was [a] very interesting remark. But he wasâactually, he was part of a whole wing of theology thatâs very popular. There are a lot of famous theologians who write this kind of stuff.
But Iâm not here to criticize them . . . because theyâre not here. [All laugh.]
So, let me just say that this is dreadful. This is a terrible thing to say. But thatâs what weâre dealing with when weâre talking about anything that Jesus is saying about the kingdom of God, heaven, hell. Itâs for real. It meansâhe means what he says.
In fact, the parables always depend on something that doesnâtâisnât even changing. Like everybody, you know: seeds blooming. Thatâs not something thatâs going to pass in 20 years, unless the environmentalists, the [inaudible]âoh, Iâm sorry. Theâall of the things that he uses are things that donât go out of date, like growing, things like that, etc., etc. So. . . .
So letâs begin our analysis of this way of [sic] which Jesus is talking. I want to do it a different way, slightly. I mean, Iâm not improving on Scripture. Iâm not trying to add anything to it. Iâm just trying to say it in a different way.
So letâs begin by looking at whatâs out there through the eyes of divine revelation. Letâs take it for granted that what the Bible says is true. And we may have a hard time understanding it, but itâs knowable. And itâs not just restricted to the experts. You know, even little children understand it.
Itâs brutal. Youâve got to admit, those passages I read are terrifying. But itâs always a fact, this necessary reality we have to take into account, and it motivates a great deal of our missionary spirit. And our present work with the consultation is really a missionary activity: missionary to the community first, and then all of those people who will be affected by it in the future.
So as Jesusâ report repeatedly points out, thereâs a spectrum of people who areâtheyâre all good people thatâfromâIâm thinking of people who are saints, allâthe spectrum is alwaysâfrom saints to brutal atheists. And oddly enough, itâs a range of holiness that we can sketch roughly this way.
So this is the first group of people I want to talk about: people who are like that, in that group. First, there are brothers and sisters who believe in God with all their mind, heart, and soul. They love God, and they desire to bring salvation to everyone they know, especially their brothers and sisters, in this instance, in their womenâs groups and their menâs groups. They think and act as Christians all the time, and it shows in all their actions, words, and deeds.
For example, they epitomize purpose, fun, friends, and freedom. Four essential elements that everybody needs in their life. And Christians, these Christians, are always trying to make that happen for people. Good things.
But, then there are those who simply think as Christians, but they want easy lives. So this is stillâthese are still good people. And Iâm talking about a spectrum now, going down the ladder here.
So thereâsâand they want easy lives. I sawâsome of you probably have seen this: Jon VoightâVote? Is that Voight? The actor?âwas on a show of some sort, and a fellow was askingâan interviewer was asking him why he was doing something worthwhile, and that thereâd been a change in his life.
And Voight said, âReally?â He says, âYou want to know about that?â
He said, âYeah, I really want to knowâ âbecause the guy asking didnât know what he was asking about.
And Voight said, âWell, Iâve never told anybody before this.â And here he is on national TV, going to tell everybody all at once. He said he was in a terrible period of his life. His life, his family, his wife, his whole personal life was just going down the drain. And he wasâhe knelt down in the middle of a room, and he was sobbing and begging God to help him. He says, âGod, God, whyâplease, help me. This is just so hard.â And he said, âI heard it as clear as a bell. God said, âItâs supposed to be.ââ
Wow!
He said, âFrom that moment on, my whole life changed. ThatâI realized something: hardship is not bad. Itâs something you put up with it for the sake of the Lordâin fact, gain from it, you know.â
But I just thought thatâthat was the sort of thing thatâis. . . . Well, what heâs saying is, donât be the kind of Christian who just thinks âbeing Christian,â but wants the easy way out. When in fact, as far as I know, authentic Christians invariably haveâthey always haveâsome really deep griefs that they have to put up with, and they overcome hardships of all kinds.
Okay, so, if you complain, I think his answer will be to you all the time, âItâs supposed to be.â You know, kind of, âGrow up.â
There are people who have mouths andâbut they donât âspeakâ Christ. These are still the same Christians Iâm talking about. Theyâreâthey think as Christians, but they donât talk Christian. They just think about it.
Then there areânow, the next layer down are people who are, Iâd say, âestheticâ Christians, artistic Christians, something like that. Theyâre experts in sanctimony, lacking balance, inordinately attached to strange forms and golden domes. [Audience laughs.] They may wind up worshiping the means to get to God, instead of God himself.
Then there are the ârough-cut.â This is the next layer down, okay? Still, this is the spectrum of good people, okay? And I think we find good people like this in our groups, who are the rugged cut; they haveârough-cut, rugged Christians, who are franklyâtheyâre very honest about their faith, except when they arenât. And they wish well, but they lack the discipline. So they are less than they can be.
On the other hand, thereâs a second kind of group that I want to talk about. This isâthey are those who believe in God, and they love God, but they want to feel good. They may, for example, need all kinds of goading, urging on, you know. Or if they donât get goaded, they go to sleep.
Or they are fallenâtheyâre âfellow travelers.â These are people who are Christian because their friends are Christians, and they go along with it because theyâthatâs whatâ[itâs] the price they pay to be in this company of people who treat them so well.
Or perhaps theyâre someone who is submitting to pressure from their husband or their wife, you know, who says, âI donât really believe in this, but my wife does, and I go along just to humor her,â or something like that. So those are people who get a benefit out of believing, or seeming to believe. They get the companionship of their wife, in that case.
I think that there areâso many young people fall into this category. And their complaint is that âMy parents made me do it,â etc., âwhen I was young,â etc., etc. And so they are accustomed to going along with something they donât like at all, they donât believe in. Since their youth, theyâve always thought that their parents were crazy, or, you know, out of whack, not with it.
Okay. Some others need God. They have the need of God, but only in impossible situations. So they only turn to God when itâs like Jon Voight, you know? So he was in an impossible situation, and turned to God. So thatâsâheâs in this group, and God answers him. But they are desperate, with nowhere else to turn, at that point. So there are people in our groups, I contendâI have no thermometer for this, but Iâtheyâre human beings, and we know that there are a lot of people in the community who are still hurting. And they believe in God, and they fall into one of these categories, where itâs not just really working. Theyâre not hitting on all cylinders.
Okay. Others go to fancy churches, for example, to be seen and to benefit socially. Thatâs a little crasser, you know; itâs gettingâgoing down in degrees. But I know some people like that. You live long enough, you meet all these people, okay? [Some audience laughter.]
Soâokay, Iâll stop at this level of degradation, but I could go on to about three other major categories, or more, withâbut I donât think they apply, particularly, to the People of Praise. I think that itâs just not worth it to be in the People of Praise toâfor some of the things they want. Theyâre not willing to pay that.
Okay. So what do we do about this? Thatâs the question.
The first step involves us, ourselves, and what we do has to go in this order. We have to deal with our will, our de- âwe have to be determined to do something to help. The next thing is, we have to pray. Thatâs our instrument. The third thing is our mind. Weâve got to understand things better and explain them more intelligibly. And lastly, for us, is our heart. Weâve gotta have, you know, a longing for and a desire for our neighbor and for God. And we would like that sentiment, you know, like, âI really love this person, and I want to feel the emotion of that, too.â Andâbut thatâs the last thing.
So, do you get it? It starts off pretty dry. Will doesnât have to be full of a lot of love and affection. I mean, it doesnât look like that. Itâs just notâitâwill is not in the category of that. Itâs different stuff. It has to do with what strength of willpower you have, commitment to the act and willingness to pursue theâwhatever it costs to go through with it.
So itâs the will. Prayer we have because all things are possible with God; thatâsâwe got to go to that one. And the mind: itâsâwhat we say has to make sense. And then lastly, the heart, ourâwhich is our loving desire for neighbor, our neighbor and our God.
So we have to approach theseâthose. . . . When we go to approach other people to help out, we do the reverse. So thatâs what we have to do when we look at ourselves. Weâve got to start with our will, commit ourselves to this, and keep it up, etc., etc. But when we are trying to help somebody else, we donât approach them the way we approach ourselves. Weâve got to approach them in the reverse order, basically.
Weâve got to start with their heart. In order to do that, the main thing is, you have to be an authentic, real person with care for what youâre dealingâwith the person youâre dealing with. Youâve gottaâcanât be phony, canât be hypocritical, canât look like a pious Christian. Youâve got to be for real. And itâs got to be from the heart.
The next one is, you attack their mind. And thatâsâthatâs a question of just making sense when you talk to âem. Think about it. Expâtry to understand what their problems are and how they are perceiving them, and doâand try to figure out reasonable answers, based on what revelation that God has given us. Heâs given us everything we need! And if he hasnât done it yet, he will anytime we ask him for it.
And then we go to their will. But thatâs not like forcing them. Itâs like going with them. You start traveling with them, and you show them by your example, your commitment. Maybe theyâll com- âtheir commitmentâmaybe itâll come offâmaybe itâll rub off on them.
And lastly, teachâthe last thing you do for somebody like this is teach them to pray, which is counterintuitive for most of us. We think, âWell, we should teach them to pray first.â But that reality is, they donât want to pray! I mean, you got it wrong; you got the wrong guy here, you know? And so you can talk that way, and heâll piously nod, âYes. Oh, yeah,â you know? But heâs not going to pray, because heâs not interested in that. Soâbut Godâs grace creates miracles. And his prayer is able to overcome the deficit of being blind and deaf.
So if eyes canât see and ears canât hear, we have to rely on our hearts, becauseâon our hearts and their heartsâbecause they can see and hear with their hearts, through love itself.
See, this happens without proof requiring ears and eyes, okay? They donât have to have that. It requiresâand then from the heart, you go to the mind. And from their wills, you strengthen them by going with them. And lastly, God will lead them to prayer. Heâll teach them how to pray himself, thank you very much, as it says in Jeremiah 31.
So, why have I listed these characteristics? Because we need to know how to improve each person we know, especially those in our groups. Because if we misunderstand themâif we think they have all kinds of zeal, for example, and in fact, they donât have zeal; theyâre just pretending, to get alongâand you ask them to do something really, really extreme, which is normal for, say, a gung ho Christian, right? And you take it for granted: âYou know, letâsâwhy donât we just stay up all night and fast all day, for a day?â or something like that, for some reason. And you sayâthat personâs going to say, âThis guy is just nuts.â You know?
They mayâthey might even do it just in order to get along with you, but they think youâre foolish. And most of the time, they wonât go along with it, something that they think is foolish. So you wonât get them. You need to know that what youâre talking about is going toâbasic- âitâs a funny way of saying it. Youâve got to know that what youâre going to say is going to work, that itâs actually going to have an impact on somebody. And thatâsâthat comes with your own life of prayer, I think, and intimacy with God.
So, Iâd say, we need toâI know it sounds kind ofâwe donât think of our brothers and sisters in the community as being really, really gung ho or not so gung ho, or actually, kind of a little bit off the mark, or thereâs something wrong with them, etc., you know. We donât tend to make any such judgment about people. But we have to make judgments like that, or we will make fools of ourselves. I donât mean beingâitâs okay to be a fool. Iâm all for that, actually [Paul chuckles.] . But theâbut itâs not effective. And for the sake of the other person, donât be a fool. Be smart, and try to lead them into greener pastures.
Someâoh, by the way, notâone message that you might have that you need to say might be perfect for one of the members of the group, but it could be terrible for someâanother member of the group, and youâve got to know, that and somehow compensate for it, or take it into account. Itâs not that you donât want to sayâitâs a very delicate art.
How do you say something that will encourage the best of the bunch and not discourage the worst of the bunch? And so youâve got to seek a wise way to do that.
Okay. So, prophecy is the divine revelation that makes sense of history past and history in the making. We knowâwe need to know how to present revelation as divine revelation to our own brothers and sisters. And thatâs kind of the goal we have to have as weâre unrolling this consultation.
As I said, what works for one might be utterly useless for another. You may love to read about great feats of holiness, and in your eagerness, enthusiastically urge your brother or sister to read, say, the Little Flowers of Saint Francis, like I just did, only to find out that your friend hates to read at all, reads nothing. In fact, despi- âsort of secretly despisesâIâm sure you all know people like that, who despise the intellectual life and will deliberately not read. And they begin to disregard your position as freakish. If you ask them to read something, youââAre you out of your mind?â
ThatâI didâthis just happened to me recently, actually. I thought I wasâI planned this very carefully. I had this meeting with a guy. And Iâit was aâit was really a great apostolic moment. Weâre having a great time. We were connecting heart to heart. Heâs a wonderful man. And I saidâso I said, âWell!â you know? So I gave him a book, obviously. Because heâI wanted to befriend him and give him something. And he s- âhe wouldnât take it. And he said, âOh, no, I donât read.â Heâs a lawyer, for heavenâs sake! [Audience laughs.] And he said, âI read all day, and I nev- âand so when I go home, I donât read anything. I will not read the book. I wonât read anything. I justâall I do is read for work.â And boy, that reallyâI had made a big mistake. So I tried to offer him a second one, which didnât work either. [Paul and audience laugh.] And the surprising thing is that it didnât work the third time. [Audience laughs louder.]
Or hereâs another one. You may think that your friend would like to accompany you to visit a prisoner whoâs in jail, which may be the last thing heâd ever want to do. Andâbut heâd be embarrassed by your invitation, which tempts him to lie about his situationâor worse, about why he wonât go with you. Heâs not a bad guy. Heâs just not that kind of person right now whoâs going to goâwants to go talk to a prisoner. He doesnât want to be in a prison.
So Iâm just trying to open up how to help your brothers and sisters in your groups. You cannot be naive. Donât be foolish, because youâve got to be smart and understand the gospel. And thatâs what Jesus was tea- âthatâs why he took his disciples apart. Heâd say, âIâve been talking to the unbelievers this way, but in parables. Iâm telling you the truth.â He was trying to wise them up. The idea was, âYou can know this, and Iâm explaining it to you, so do it,â okay? In his own inimitable soft way. [All laugh.]
So, yeah. . . . Letâs see . . .
Yeah, so, Iâm just opening up how to help your brothers or sisters. Butâone of them, for instance, wants to talk only football. ThatâI know this situation very well. Another one wants to visit the grotto. They both go to Notre Dame, but they donât meet at the grotto nor the football field. So, who are you talking to?
. . . Okay, now Iâm going to shift gears, because Iâve been encouraged to tell you what I think the Lord is up to, by way of the prophecy. This is an actual result of my prayer. Soâwell, before I do that, Iâve got a little remedial work to do.
What can you share about with people who have not yet had the board of governor [sic] visit to your branch? Okay, thatâs a question that people areâa lot of people are concerned about. For example, they think they canât do anything until they have what they call the âkickoff,â whichâthatâsâthese areâthe kickoff has happened, you know. Thatâs already going on. And these are visits of the head coordinators to the branches to enthuse them, encourage them, and keep them aware of whatâs going on.
Itâs not like itâs going to start the consultation when they come. The consultationâs started now. It started with the kickoff in May. The visits are not designed to run the consultation; theyâre to encourage us on the route. Weâre already started. Donât wait to begin the consultation until you have the kickoff visit from the board of governors. Start now, andâmaybe tomorrow. Okay.
So Godâs talking, Iâd say. Actually, Godâs talking, and he said, âWhat is the prophecy Iâm giving you to speak?â
And my answer was, âTo warn allâthem, all I know, of the dangers to come.â (This is what my answer to this question of me, âWhat is the prophecy Iâve given you to speak?â)
And I said, âTo show them the way to proceed, especially my brothers and sisters in the community. To repent, to honor our commitments, embrace our calling and the power to achieve what God wants Christ in us to fulfill.â
âWhat are you doing? How are you doing that?â
âBy the consultation.â
âHowâs that work?â
âEquipping them to discern your will.â
âHow are you doing that?â
âExplaining who we are and who can hear and see what you are saying and doing.â
âAnd? What am I saying?â
âGod, tell me!â
He says, âRepent and believe. To whom much has been given, much is demanded. Return to the call I made on you.â
And now I think heâs speaking more than to just me.
âChrist in you. âLove one anotherâ means âput your very life in common for the sake of the testimony to unbelievers, that by seeing your example, they will know me.â The world does not know nor believe my word. They think they have proof that it isnât true, when in fact it isnât being invoked!â
He went on, âIt isnât tried because you love the world and all it has to offer you. Security; after all, if you donât take care of yourself, who will? Comfort, ease, pride, your empty glory, your vanity, your gratification, pride that you can to be [sic] gods: adorable, charming, witty, wealthy people. Not Christ in you.
âYou value the safety that comes from self-government, because you donât have to do what God wants you to do.
âYouâre afraid. You have freedom from the fear of isolation. For example, youâre afraid of âif you would be my disciples, you must leave your father, mother, children, lands, farms, wife,â etc., etc. So, you even may be required to give up your family. But youâre afraid of that!â
The excuses to avoid the judgments of God, for example, are all over the place and are offered to us. For example, scholars tell us what we know from Scripture and the lives of the saints is that you canât really know Godâs will or mind or heart. On the contrary, Je- âthe Lord says in Jeremiah (let me read that to you. Verse 31âno, chapter 31, verse 33 and 34):
But this is the covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days, says the Lord. (These are the days in which weâre alive. Weâre living in these days.) I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, âKnow the Lord,â for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more.
I think the Lord is fulfilling that prophecy in our lifetimeâin our life.
God goes on: âProphesy. âHow can we be saved?â you ask. Return to the sourcesânamely, me, your Godâwith your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength.
âDialog with me. Iâm not hidden; Iâm denied. Iâm ignored. Iâm even criticized by you for not satisfying your needs. Iâm doubted, because I am delayed by you.
âMature. Itâs time for you to put childish things behind you. Feed my lambs.â
He says it three times. Then he says, âSeventy-seven ti-â âactually, âalways feed my lambs. Trust in me. I will not give you a snake if you ask me for a rope to pull you out of this filthy, disbelieving world, which rejected and killed my beloved son whom I sent to save you.
âThe world had a chance in my Jesus, and everyone except a very few chosen ones said he was from the devil! Where is your shame?
âBe clear. Iâve spoken with all authority. I spoke the universe into existence. I spoke my word, and Adam challenged me. He said he could be God too. They wereâAdam and Eve were the human race. The human race disobeyed me, the only One who created all things. And they plunged the universe, so defiled, into a race to replace me with someone whom they could control.
âThen the human race rejected my Word made flesh, whom I sent to save you and the world. And those errors of Adamâonce again, the human race rejected me, trying to take over the authority of the owner of the vineyard, as in Matthew 21:33. You, human race, have failed a second time.
âSo I blessed my Son and fulfilled his last plan. We went to theâwe sent the Holy Spirit on all flesh and have given every person now the changeâchance to be one with us. Wholly one in love and its unity it brings. No longer a race of people who govern themselves as a nation with an earthly king. I have put my spirit in each person.
âAnd now, free from the curse of Adam, you can and must choose me in your own being. I am in your heart. Iâm in your will. Iâm in your body. I use your tongues to preach my word. You now bear the responsibility to obey me. I have never abandoned you or stopped loving you. Iâm not holding mankindâs sins against you. You have all you need to make me your king.
âSo I am prophesying again with this, my divine revelation, in and to and for you. Worship me, for I AM.
âAccept the one whom Iâve sent, and you will have life. And this is eternal life, told to you by Jesus himself: that you should know your Father in heaven as the sole Creator and worthy of all praise and glory, and my Son whom I have sent to save you. He has done all he has to do, sacrificing and sanctifying his last drop of blood, to now live forever in his resurrected body.
âYou are his body, filled with and animated by our Spirit, even as Mary received the Spirit: âLet it be done unto me as you will.â
âSo open your eyes to see me displayed, as I told you to find me in the least of humanity: these little ones, and the poor, rejected offscouring of the earth. Find me alive in yourself. Seek me there, and you will find me there. Obey me, and prepare for the final judgment to come, when we will separate the sheep from the wolves on the last day. Those who accept this divine revelation and obey it will live forever, andâwith us united as one, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and you.
âOn that day, we will recognize you as good and faithful servants if you have loved your neighbors as we have loved you. Feed my lambs. Pronounce my word as at the first Pentecost. Be the bearers of the revelation Iâm giving you, and a light to the nations, who will illumine the path of salvation to all the nations. All you have to do is love as we have loved you.â
The end.
Thank you, Lord. [Prolonged pause, then loud applause.]
Thank you.