Wednesday, March 12, 2003 2:32 PM

A Warning?

Fr John Abberton, spiritual guide for the TLIG group in England and Wales, sends the following:

A Warning?

While thinking about the need to gather together those involved in the production and distribution of the English TLIG Magazine, I began to think about how important it is to accept the message of RECONCILIATION and UNITY for the sake of our work in promoting the messages.

This morning I suspected that I was being led to write something for others to read. I found two passages in the Holy Scripture that were about dissension and unity. I asked the Lord for confirmation that I should write something and I used Volume 11 of the Messages. Two lines stood out in bold writing:

“Love will return to you as love” and “Forward my warning”

Before the second quote, in a message dated 26.10.1987 Jesus says,

“The constancy of my words will be reaffirmed”

The context of the first quotation is Our Lord’s encouragement to Vassula that what she is receiving is actually from Him. He also warns of the chastisement to come and the need to take his warning seriously.

Taking into account the readings from Scripture (from John’s Gospel and Ephesians – references below), it seems to me that we must think seriously, at this time of Lent, about the obstacles that are still getting in the way of the work we have been called to do.

It occurred to me that we could be tempted to use the fact that the Lord calls the “weak” to remain as we are. This is wrong. God does not call the weak so that they will remain unchanged. Whilst, it is true, some tendencies and emotional habits will continue to trouble us, it is clearly against traditional teaching that there will be no change at all or that we should not make some efforts to deal with destructive habits of thought and behaviour. We may retain “thorns in the flesh” (by God’s grace) but this does not mean we thereby exonerate ourselves of making efforts to deal with passions and failings. TLIG has not overturned the traditional teachings about spiritual progress. Lent is a time for us to think and pray about our faults – and about our spiritual growth, in which we should always be focused on God and not on ourselves.

It is not wrong to think about spiritual growth if we keep the Cross in view and consider the greatness of our calling. The Holy Spirit will not allow us to fall into spiritual pride or complacency as long as we keep the Lord Jesus in our spiritual sight. No one is just, except the Lord – no one comes close to the quality of our Divine Master’s sacrifice (except our Lady, and then, in a lesser way, the saints). No one who is not trying, heroically, to be constantly patient, kind, understanding and unselfishly helpful can claim to be following the same path as the saints.

Gossip is a destructive thing. Passing judgement on others is placing ourselves into the powerful searchlight of God’s justice. Refusal to speak to one another, ignoring one another, holding resentments, allowing bitterness to remain, encouraging hurtful memories, allowing abuse of the imagination with regard to each other – such things are going to place us under the judgement of Christ. It is better to leave True Life in God than to be involved in these things. Suspicion, criticism – disunity in the work we have been called to do. These, above all, must finally – now – stop. It is clear that we are close to serious events, but it seems to me that the “warning” applies to us who have been called to work for the salvation of souls. We know what Jesus is calling us to do, so there is no excuse. We will NOT be able to point to someone else in TLIG and say, “It was his fault – her fault”. Such excuses are not going to be accepted. Being in TLIG is challenging and leads us into areas of spiritual healing. Healing often means pain before there is relief. We need to endure the pain of being convicted of sin so that we can truly be converted. Those who do not want to be converted – or who do not want to go further along the road of conversion must surely ask themselves whether they want to remain in TLIG.

I submit this for your discernment. The scripture references I found this morning are;

John 8:4 (Headed in my Bible, “Division AMong the People”) It speaks of the different views people have of Jesus. There is only ONE Jesus. Whilst we all have different relationships with Him, being different people, we must be united in the ONE Christ and where there is division in TLIG it is as though we were not in agreement about the identity of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2: 19 – 22. (In my Bible the heading at verse 11 is, “One in Christ”). May I quote the verses I have numbered?

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit”

Are we not being called to carry this message in our hearts, our lives and our behaviour so that we can truly share it with others? What happens if we do not live this message? Will we be heard? What damage has already been done because Christians are not united? Are we going to contribute to this by being at odds with each other in TLIG? Will this not put us in serious danger with regard to the judgement of God? I think the answers are obvious.

Fr. John Abberton