Today is the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. I would like to speak to you today about the Promise of God and to pose the question -- what's in a Promise? As you know God makes Promises to His children and we make Promises to God. In their highest expression, we call them Vows.
In these days I have been thinking about it in my personal meditation and prayers. Thinking about the Promises that God has made to us. It is very inspiring when you think how God honours the ones He Loves and God is faithful to His Promises.
In the Rite of Marriage when a man and woman come before the Altar of God they say to each other in their mutual Vows - "I Promise". It is not the only time a man, or woman says those words - "I Promise", we make Promises and Vows to God in Religious life also. "I Promise to be true to you in good times and bad" we say to God and to our spouse in the Rite of Marriage, "in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer". I Promise to be true to you -- in other words, "to love you and honour you all the days of my life." That Promise we make to God and to each other in marriage is very significant, very real, very worthy of the Spouse who expresses this to their beloved.
Our Lord makes those Promises to us too -- the renewal of God's Covenant with His People -- in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass -- the high point and greatest expression of God's Fidelity and Love for us. The Word's of Jesus at the Consecration of the sacred species: "This is My Body ... which is given up for you" express the Vow of God. This is indeed the fulfilment of God's Promise as recorded in Sacred Scripture.
We make Promises to God as well and we have to keep them. The foremost example of this is the Mother of God at the moment of the Annunciation, when she responded to the Love of God -- "Let it be done unto Me according to Thy Word". The Mother of God also makes Promises to Her children.
Today I would like for you to think about something that is dear to our hearts, in the Promises that Our Lady -- for instance -- has made to us. To some of us, Our Lady has made particular and special Promises. This is one of the most remarkable privileges that we find in the Mission given to the Little Pebble. To me too, She has made Promises -- and to many of you in your private letters that you have addressed to Her Deity over many years. Sometimes in the privacy of my room or wherever I am -- I reflect on the Promises that She has made to me, as a person. They are very profound, indeed anything that God or Our Lady Promise is very profound.
Not only is it true for our private letters -- but also in Six hundred and two Public Messages to the world and to the Communities. Our Lord and Our Lady Promise "to be true" to us "in good times and bad, in sickness and health". Our Lady Promises "to honour" Her Father in Heaven by Her Fidelity to Her children. Of course this is easy to see, because Our Lady is the first to be like Jesus, isn't She?
I was reading today, this morning, in the early hours about the Shepherds and when the Angel appeared to them and gave them the glad tidings and the good news: "Do not fear. I am not bringing you misfortune. I announce you a great joy for the people of Israel and for all the people of the world. ... Today, in David's city, the Saviour has been born ... the Saviour who is Christ, the Lord ... You will recognise Him from the following signs: in a poor stable, behind Bethlehem, you will find a baby in swaddling clothes, in a manger for animals, because no roof was found for the Messiah in the city of David" (Poem of the Man-God, Volume I, Chapter 30). For thirty years, the Shepherds treasured this in their hearts, the Promise of God. The Peace that God Promises His children. Well, a Promise is the greatest thing.
When Elizabeth was visited by Our Lady -- in greeting, Elizabeth was inspired by the Holy Ghost and said to Mary, "Blessed is She Who believed that the Lord's Promises to Her would be fulfilled". Yes, and blessed are all who believe in the Lord's Promises to them -- whether from God or from Our Lady.
As I know myself and I see among the Children of God, the enemy of our soul tries to destroy your belief and trust in that Promise to you. The devil tries to destroy our Holy Mother's words, whether it is your private letters or the Public Messages. The enemy of your soul tries to sow the seed of suspicion in your heart -- so you will no longer believe Her! With evil arguments like: "Oh Yes, Our Lady said that to you back in 1993 but look at you now, look at you! Yes look at you, you're not worthy of it. Yes, She said it to you then but you are not worthy of it! Don't even believe it, don't even begin to believe Her Promises to you!"
In all sorts of evil arguments like that, the 'Old Bag' [devil] puts those sort of thoughts into people's minds. Not only to disbelieve in everything that is going to happen -- as Our Lady and Our Lord have said to the 'Little Pebble of Love' -- but to doubt all the events we see unfolding around us. This is why many people become lethargic, lazy or tired -- lukewarm -- and they feel it is never going to happen. It was similar for thirty years the Shepherds held on to that Vision, and to those Words from that Angel. They believed and they suffered. They were ostracised because they were blamed for the killing of the "Holy Innocents" even though it was Herod, who slaughtered all them. The general populace of the region blamed the Shepherds for this! Thus, they suffered but they would not disbelieve the Promised Word of Prophecy given to them. So we must not either. It is really the "pearl", something to treasure. It is like your "secret" -- between you and Our Lady because She has addressed Her Words to all of us, sometimes in a public format, sometimes in private letters.
This morning I was reflecting on that again. Many times when I am feeling down or whatever, I go back and re-read Her Words to me because the 'Old Bag' can not tamper with those Words. They are so inspiring, they raise my heart up again. We must believe in every Word that comes from the Mouth of God. We are blessed when we believe that every Promise that God has made to us will be fulfilled.
Now I would like to focus on Samson and Delilah. You will see in a moment a really good reason for this because the enemy of our soul tries to seduce us to doubt. I want you to hear what Our Lord has said in Volume one of the 'Poem of the Man-God'. Samson was given a great Promise from God through his mother. The Angel told his mother that she would conceive a son and that no razor was to touch his head and that he would be a Nazarite and Consecrated to God from his very birth. And so it was -- Samson -- one of the great Judges of Israel in the time of the Philistine occupation.
Even though -- as a member of the human race -- he had his weakness -- like we are all weak vessels, nevertheless, the Power of God was in that Promise -- that word from the Angel. It was like a treasure to be held on to and he knew it. It was like the "Secret" of God. Yes, it is a Mystery how God would link this to his hair. Maybe that is a symbol of the fragility of human nature. But this is the reality, and that is why the Angel said he must not allow his hair ever to be cut. That was his "Secret" between him and God and it should have been his greatest treasure. It was so prophetic and so profound!
Well, we know what happened. I will let Our Lord explain it to you because Our Lord in this first Volume of the Poem of the Man-God -- was explaining it to Maria Valtorta and you will see immediately the conclusion. He says here -- Our Lord: "You have already read how a man ... how Samson was worthless after yielding himself up to sensuality. I want you to understand the lesson of Samson, the Son of Manoah destined to beat the Philistines, the oppressors of Israel. The first condition to be such was that from his conception ..."(Poem of the Man-God, Vol 1, page 498) The Angels told his mother that he was dedicated to God and that no razor should ever touch his head. "But the flesh is flesh and Satan is temptation. And temptation to fight God in the hearts of men and in His Holy Decrees uses a weapon, the flesh that excites men ..."(Poem of the Man-God, Vol 1, page 499)
I am going to make application on how the devil insinuates doubts -- I am not going to focus so much on sensuality directly, as the evil one first has to deceive a person in his mind in order to seduce by sensuality. My analogy is going to be on how the Devil tries to plant doubts into the soul to weaken the soul, seduce the soul into laying down its treasure. So Our Lord explains: "The strength of the 'strong' man then quivers and he becomes a weakling that spoils the Gift of God. Now listen: Samson was tied with seven fresh bow strings with seven new ropes". Our Lord is referring to his hair, like plaits. "He was fixed to the ground with seven plaits of his hair". This is a symbol -- he is very strong with these -- like steel bow strings as they were. This is a Mystery of strength and weakness - his weakness and God's Strength.
But Our Lord links it to the Promise about his hair. "And he had always won". He won all his battles -- "But one must not tempt God, not even in His Goodness. It is not lawful, He forgives, He always forgives. But He exacts the firm Will to abandon sin that He may continue to forgive. Who says: 'Lord forgive' but does not shun what induces him to continual sin, is foolish! Samson three times the winner did not avoid Delilah, sensuality and sin and bored to death says the Book". Our Lord quotes the Scripture: He was bored "and having lost heart, says the Book, he revealed his secret ...." The most treasured Promise that God entrusted to his heart and he threw it out to dogs, to be spit on! That is what happens when we allow the Devil to insinuate doubt into our soul about His Promises to us. We give in to the 'Old Bag' and say "Yes". Like Eve when the Devil said, "Did God really tell you not to eat from any Tree from this Garden or else you'll die?" Yes, God told me that. "No, God knows that if you eat from it you will be like Gods."
This is Samson's fatal mistake. He tells his Secret. I will let Our Lord continue in the text: "He revealed his secret: 'My strength is in my seven plaits" - in other words, his hair. You know what the enemy of his soul would have said in the mouth of Delilah. She would have looked at him and smiled and she would of said: "Ha, Ha, Ha, you believe that, you must be kidding!" Just like the Devil did with Eve. He plants the seed of suspicion. "Oh no, your mother must have been wrong, you know, she must have got it wrong. Look I can guarantee you, if you let me cut your hair, you will see it will not make any difference at all. Do you want me to prove it to you, here give me the scissors?" That is exactly what the Devil did to Eve in the Garden of Eden.
So we know what happened to this poor soul. He allowed the treasure of that relationship, that personal relationship to Our Lord -- His Promises to be trampled on. So, Our Lord says here in Maria Valtorta: "Is there any one amongst you, who, tired of the great tiredness of sin, is losing heart because nothing is so depressing as a bad conscience, and is about to surrender to the enemy. No, whoever you are do not do it. Samson revealed to temptation the Secret to defeat his seven Virtues". He should have run, he should have run away. Like Eve, she should have run to the Heavenly Father and said: "The serpent ravished me and I feel dirty." Our Lord told Maria Valtorta that He would of cleansed her straight away. Samson should have run away from this situation.
"The seven symbolic plaits, his Virtues, that is his faithfulness to nazirite". To God's Promise to him. "Tired as he was, he fell asleep in the lap of the woman and was defeated. He was blind, a slave, powerless because he had not been faithful to his Vow. Neither did he become again the strong man - the 'deliverer' until he found his strength again in the grief of repentance". Remember that is how a soul can come back even higher than where it was before it fell - Repentance. Even if you go down to the deepest pit -- yet, by the repentance, the sheer overwhelming repentance of the heart a person can with the aid of God's Grace return. If that was the level before the fall, you can actually end up higher, much higher than before you fell -- however, not without considerable suffering and wounds.
The fruit of that flight back to God is the result of Repentance. But my goodness, what scars must now be endured. Sometimes, these wounds of the soul remain for life as terrible scars as a reminder "He was blind, a slave, powerless...". Until he found his strength again in the grief of Repentance. "Repentance, patience, perseverance, heroism and then, O sinners, I Promise you, you will be your own deliverers. I solemnly tell you that no Baptism, no Rite is of any avail, if there is no repentance and will to forego sin. And I tell you no one is so big a sinner that he cannot revive with his tears, the Virtues which sin had torn from his heart".
That is what the enemy does when he tempts you to doubt -- tries to make you doubt the Promises of Our Lady to you -- your private letters and Her public Messages. She has made many Promises to me but I know She has done that to you too and certainly to all of us in the Public Messages. The 'Old Bag' always wants to destroy that, to sow the seed of suspicion. "Oh yeah right, She said that to you then but look at you now? Have you been faithful? Have you been faithful to Grace? No you have not!" The devil is always a liar.
This bombardment on our souls is non stop day and night, sleeping or awake. That is why you have to hold on to the Promises of Our Lady -- you have to hold on to those "seven plaits" as it were. We have to hold on because we are just weak vessels -- but you hold on tightly to that Promise of God. When you are tempted, say: "No, get behind me Satan, I know what Our Lady has said to me and Her Words are true. Get behind me, you are trying to make me trip and fall." We have to fight with the Grace of God. You fight hard with the Truth. That is what your Angel fights with -- the Truth of God's Word, the Promise that God has made to us. Yes, we are very weak vessels that is why we go to Confession a lot. We need the Mass and the Prayers. But we must hold on and treasure every Word. "Blessed is She Who believed that the Promises of the Lord made to her will be fulfilled" said Elizabeth to Mary.
So I just wanted to encourage you all to hold onto that "pearl", to that special Gift, that Grace, that Privilege, that so called "Secret" of God -- that is God's personal sharing with you - His Light, His Will, His Providence, His Pre-destination for you to treasure. God in is His Mercy will always heal us even if we hurt ourselves, even if we betray the truth. Even if we betray our own Vows, our own Promises Our Lord is Merciful. We will suffer more -- and sometimes greatly -- but in that suffering, in that pain we will be able to come back through deep supernatural remorse. It didn't have to be that way with Samson. It does not have to be that way with us -- but since we chose to betray the truth -- then we have to suffer accordingly.
Blessed be God Who Loves us so much and renews His Promises. He renews it and offers it again to us and even when we are tempted to think, "Oh yes that was then but not now, I have been so bad". Then Our Lord, when you least expect it will tell you, "My Darling Child, I Promise you again ..." Then you will say, "But, but..." and He says, "Yes." You feel enkindled and renewed. Of course, the devil will continue to say: "I want you to lay that down, throw it down! Throw it down, that pearl!" But now, after being burnt through the experience of evil, you are far wiser -- you would rather die first, than to betray the truth again! So then we have to treasure this "pearl", every Promise -- every Word from God to us and especially Our Lady.
In conclusion, I just wanted to share that with you because it has been my reflection and for these last several days I have been thinking about "What's in a Promise?" What's in a Promise? Everything when it is from the Mother of God -- it is also God Himself! What's in a Promise? Is it not a mutual gift -- from God to us, and from us to God? Thus it is the greatest thing, it is the treasure of our life -- the Promises we make in return to God: "I Promise to be true to you, to honour You, my God in the good times and bad, whether I am sick or healthy, rich or poor. To Love You all the days of my life."
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.