Saturday, July 13, 2002 4:45 PM

An immense Presence

This testimony was written in 1999.

In 1993, I had never heard of Vassula Ryden, and my spiritual life could only be desribed as ‘barely alive’. The focus of my life was on my achievements and what more I could acquire for my comfort and well being. I was visiting England, and through a friend I met a Cistercian priest. As I left him on the evening I had met him, he handed me a plastic bag and he said: “I’m lending you an ‘anti-boredom bag’ you might find it useful.”

That night I investigated the contents of the bag; there was a small walkman recorder and a taped talk of Vassula Ryden, who I had never heard of and felt I really wasn’t in the mood for listening to a taped talk by anyone.

I climbed into bed and felt a very powerful need to play the taped talk by this woman I had never heard of.

I remember putting on the ear-phones and her voice was so different to anything I had heard, it took my whole attention. I heard every word of her talk and I got out of bed and prayed for the rest of the night.

I returned to London and was desperate to read all I could of her messages. My requests for more information about her were met with strange and strained responses. I went into a well known catholic book store and patiently searched every shelf in what I considered the appropriate area for Vassula’s books. They were not there so I asked the woman at the desk for her first two volumes which by then were in print, and I supplied the name of the publisher.

The woman at the desk searched on the computer and said they had not heard of Vassula or the publisher and could not help me. I was about to leave the store when something made me return to the very area of books that I had just searched carefully through.

As I approached the very same shelves, I saw Vassula’s First (purple cover) and second (Blue cover) volumes sitting on the shelf with their spines jutting out from the other books.

I could’t believe my eyes, I picked them up and went to the desk with them where I had just been told they were not in stock and they could not locate where to order them for me. The woman was astounded and called the manager. There were no markings and no price on the books !!!!

So I now had my first two volumes, which I devoured. My life has changed from that time enormously, and in too many ways to relate here. The Lord has given me a powerful awareness of His Presence in The Blessed Sacrament and draws me frequently to Adoration, which has changed my life. He has also given me the opportunity to share Vassula’s books with many people who have also refocused their lives.

Last year when Vassula came to Melbourne, I had helped set up the hall at Xavier College for the meeting. Father Maher then asked me to lead the Rosary while we were waiting for Vassula to arrive. During the third mystery, I suddenly had a sense of an immense Presence that filled me and overwhelmed me. At the time I had my eyes closed. The sense of Presence made me open my eyes and there before me was Vassula who had come in quietly…..

I am immensely grateful for the many graces I receive daily through the TLIG Messages which have changed my life completely.