Author: Editor, Kingdom Revelator

Editorial 

June 2015 – Editorial

Welcome to Kingdom Revelator. This month the magazine will be distributed at a number of big conventions and conferences and so we are expecting many new readers. If you are one of them then we hope that you enjoy the articles and that your faith is strengthened and renewed through your reading.

The magazine is produced by the Sehion Ministries team in the UK, a charity that is dedicated to evangelisation and renewal in the Catholic Church. They have been running Schools of Evangelisation for young people for a number of years and last year Fr Soji Olikkal, the Director of Sehion Ministries, while praying before the Blessed Sacrament, was inspired by the Holy Spirit to start a magazine for teenagers. He called together a small team to start working on the project along with a group of young people who would write their testimonies and some of the articles. After a year the magazine is flourishing, with fifteen thousand copies being printed this month for distribution in the UK, Ireland and Australia and further copies printed for young people in the USA.

The success of the magazine is all due to the prayer support that is behind everything that we do. Without committed people praying regularly, none of this would be possible. Through prayer Our Lord has transformed the work of a few people with no experience in this field, for His glory. Prayer is vital in all that we do. Through prayer we can discern what God wants to do in our lives, we can cast off our worries and concerns and we can be certain that God is with us.

Today, we pray that the Holy Spirit will be with you as you read this magazine to open your heart and mind to God’s love and mercy in your life. When you have read it, why not pass it on to someone else, it’s a great way to evangelise!

Uncategorised 

The Sacred Heart of Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ, I want to give myself to you completely. When I see your Sacred Heart, I reflect upon your love. You came from the Father taking a human body with a human heart. You taught us to love God with all our hearts. You suffered and died to save us from sin and death. As you hung on the cross, your Heart was pierced by a lance. Out of it poured blood and water to signify the birth of your Church. You rose from the dead, Jesus, to live forever with your Father in Heaven. But your heart is still pierced, full of love for us. You still feel pain when people reject or ignore your presence in your brothers and sisters. You rejoice when people heal that pain by serving your little ones, the poor and the needy. I now consecrate myself to your Sacred Heart, Jesus. You are the Son of God whom I love with all my heart. I offer you my body, my soul, my mind, and my heart. Receive me, make me holy, make my heart like your Heart, and guide me in the way of perfect love today and every day of my life. Amen.

Reflection 

THE ATTRACTION OF HOLINESS

Opening the World Youth Day in Denver in 1993, Pope St John Paul II said “I greet you all in the name of Jesus Christ, He is the way the truth and the life.” Earlier, reporters had predicted that 2,000 people might show up. Yet, 750,000 young people came from all over the world to celebrate their Catholic faith with their beloved Pope in Denver. The life of Pope St. John Paul II is an inspiration to us all, showing the love and joy that Jesus brings. Karol Wojtyla, who became Pope John Paul II had a difficult childhood. Before he was born his sister died, when he was eight his mother died and four years later his big brother also died. All he had left was his father whom he loved very much. But when he was nineteen, first the Nazis, then the Communists took over Poland where he lived and at the age of twenty his father died. Very early in his life he experienced the great tragedy of losing everyone who was dear to him. He was left with nothing or no one to call his own, but he placed his life in the arms of God and in the care of his Blessed Mother, Mary. He had developed a great devotion to Our Lady as a young boy and this helped him to stand with courage in the face of evil. His favourite phrase was, “Do not be afraid.” When we feel unhappy, lonely or sad we should remember these words and let them comfort us as they comforted Pope St John Paul II. Pope St John Paul II is also a model of forgiveness. He showed us the very nature of Christ when he forgave the man who tried to kill him, Ali Agica. In December 1983 he visited him in prison and following the visit Ali became a Christian. The Pope’s love and forgiveness were contagious and this is our call too! Pope St John Paul II had a long life and even in his 80’s, he could still attract more young people to his audiences than any of the big rock groups because there’s nothing more attractive than holiness and love for Jesus. Today many of us think that having lots of friends, being cool or having an excessive interest in clothes, music or movies is what is meant by living life to the full. Yet Jesus said “I come to bring you life, life in abundance.” (John 10:10) If you want to live life to the full, live for Christ, for He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Written by Jeril John

Uncategorised 

HEALING POWER

OUR CREATOR

In the first chapter of John’s Gospel it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” It then goes on to say that everything came into being through him, all living things and all inanimate objects. Who is this ‘Word of God’ that was able to create all things? The ‘Word of God’ is Jesus, who gives life to all creation and who is a light for all mankind.

GOD’S LOVE

Everything in this world has been created though Jesus and we live with him and for him. But things sometimes go wrong in our lives. If we have a problem with our new car and it develops a fault, we send it back to the manufacturer for repair. In the same way we have to go back to our creator when we have any problems with sickness or anxiety. Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) So Jesus has taken on himself all our problems, so that we can be free from them. We can be restored by the power of His healing, redemption and forgiveness. That is the mighty power of God’s Love.

THE GREATEST HEALER

John the Baptist introduced Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and we echo this in the Mass before we receive His Body and Blood. Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist and wants to make us whole “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus is the greatest healer ever. He can heal our bodies, our minds and our spirits. We just have to invite Him into our lives and tell Him our problems. Jesus also works through His followers to heal others. In Acts chapter 3 Peter heals a lame beggar by commanding him in the name of Jesus to stand up and walk. We too can pray for healing for ourselves and others by commanding the sickness to leave in the glorious name of Jesus, the name that is above all other names because it has the power to heal.

Written by Sebastian Sales

Evangelisation 

SPREADING THE GOOD NEWS

WHY EVANGELISE?

Inside each one of us there is a hunger to experience the love of God and until we allow Him to come and satisfy that hunger we will never feel complete. Without knowing God people feel lonely, worthless and their lives lack meaning. They seek to block out the pointlessness in all the wrong ways. It might be through seeking cheap thrills, making an exhibition of themselves to gain attention, flirting, obsessions with video games, alcohol or gambling. The list is endless. When we look round at our friends and family we might recognise some of the symptoms. We know what they are seeking. We know who they are really searching for but how can we help them to encounter Jesus, their Saviour?

PRAYER

The best starting point for evangelisation is prayer. We can pray for those around us who don’t know Jesus, that they will be open to the Holy Spirit in their lives and for their conversion of heart. We can also pray for courage and the right opportunity to speak to them about God’s love, for the right words to use and for sensitivity, so that we can understand how they are feeling and come alongside them in their struggles. All our efforts to evangelise must be made with love and humility. If we are trying to help someone to encounter Jesus then we should look for opportunities to start a conversation about God’s love that might help them to think about their lives and prompt them to ask questions. It’s no good saying things like, “You need Jesus” or “Repent, you are a sinner.” Our approach should be subtle and sensitive.

CONVERSATIONS

One way to turn a conversation towards spiritual things is to introduce what God has done or is doing in our lives. The listener can’t argue with this and should be interested enough to want to hear more about our faith and how it helps us. For example you could say something like, “I always pray before I start revising. It helps me to concentrate and focusses my mind. Don’t you think that God would want us to do well in our exams?” or you might say, “I went to Confession on Saturday, it was an amazing experience and I felt so good afterwards. Don’t you think that it is incredible that God died for our sins?” These are the sort of open questions that invite the listener to respond with something more than a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ and can open up a conversation to talk about the love of God and our faith.

LISTENING

When we have engaged someone in conversation and got their interest then we should listen carefully to their stories and views so that we can gently rebuke any false ideas. We should try not to be antagonistic and say things like, “You are wrong” or “That is not true” but say rather, “Have you thought of it this way…?” or “This hasn’t been my experience…..” In this way we are showing them God’s love and helping them to open themselves up to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. By listening to their stories we may be able to show them where God has been working in their lives. This will be much more effective than trying to tell them everything that Christians believe all at once. In the story of the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus began by engaging the woman in general conversation and then gradually reveals Himself to her.

A WORK OF GOD

Remember, that it is not our efforts alone that will spread the Gospel. We can talk to people about Jesus but it is God who will change their hearts and bring them to conversion. He is just using us as His instruments to reach out to His people. He can also use us to touch others when we volunteer to help the poor or visit the sick or elderly. It may be just a kind word or a helping hand from us that could make all the difference to someone’s life. The Holy Spirit might inspire us to invite a friend to come to Mass with us. All we have to do is invite them and pray that the Holy Spirit will touch them deeply through the Liturgy. Sometimes people say no to an invitation but that is not a sign of our failure, we have succeeded by stepping out in faith to invite them and that is all that God is asking of us. Mother Teresa is quoted as saying, “God doesn’t require us to succeed; he only asks that you try.”

THE RESULTS

We may not always be as successful as we would wish but we don’t know how God will use our few words and kind actions to change the lives of others. People also have the choice to accept the Gospel message or not. St Paul, the great evangeliser said, “I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Corinthians 2:3 – 5) All we are called to do is to be faithful and open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and to let God work through us to show His love to others.

 

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28: 19-20

 

Written by June Palmer

Life 

A NEW HEART IN CHRIST

One of our readers shares how God revealed Himself to her in a very powerful and unexpected way, that transformed her life.

 

A WARNING?

A few years ago, a friend of ours, who we knew from church, told my husband that whenever he started to pray he could see in his mind a picture of my face and my heart. He said that he had no idea what it meant but he felt that it was some sort of warning and suggested that my husband should pray for me. As you can imagine, we were quite disturbed and after praying about it we decided that I should go for a medical checkup, in case God was somehow telling me that I had a problem with my heart. So I had a full examination and all the test results came back as normal. I was relieved that my heart was functioning as it should and we gradually forgot about the friend’s message.

PENTECOST RETREAT

In 2012 I attended a ten day residential retreat run by Sehion Ministries in preparation for Pentecost. I was a very committed Catholic and had attended other retreats but I had never had a personal encounter with God that many of my friends seemed to have experienced. The Pentecost Retreat was led by Fr Binoy, a priest from Kerala in India and he spoke passionately about how the early Apostles had an experience of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. He said that we too could have that experience today and he urged us to earnestly desire an encounter with Jesus. Each talk he gave moved me deeply and I went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which brought me amazing joy and healing.

DIVINE EXPERIENCE

It was an incredible time in my life and I didn’t want the ten day retreat to end, without my having had any experience of God. I longed for His presence, but at the same time, I wasn’t sure if my longing for Him was enough. I remember praying “Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, the Power of God, multiply my heartfelt desires a thousand fold, so that they are enough to experience you, because on my own I cannot long for you enough. I am exhausted, but you are my all powerful helper.” Towards the end of the retreat, during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, my loving Father allowed me a divine experience that I will never ever forget. I can only describe what felt like a fleshy heart, surrounded by thorns, being dropped into my body and my insides being shaken. I had an amazing sensation of God being with me.

I WAS CHANGED

Now in 2015, my heart is still healthy. Outwardly nothing has changed but inwardly I’ve noticed that my heart is full of love towards God and towards others, even those who persecute me. The Holy Spirit helps me to pray for them, which I was not able to do before. Now, I am trying to live my life as Jesus would want me to and when I fail the Holy Spirit leads me to the Confessional and reminds me of Jesus’ teachings. Before, I could not relate to them in my daily life. Now when I feel hatred, jealousy, pride or selfishness stirring within me I think of Bible verses and I can overcome the feelings. Of course I fall in my weak moments but the Lord helps me to get up and start again. When I am impatient the sweet heart of Jesus calms me down. My circle of prayer has grown from just my family to the Church and to the entire world. Reading the Word of God has started to produce fruit in me, because it is the rich soil given by God Himself. I hope that I am on the way to produce thirty, sixty or hundredfold fruit and the evil one cannot steal what is sown in my heart.

A NEW HEART!

Now I know that my friend’s vision was a prophecy of what God wanted to do in my life. While I was thinking that I might get heart disease, Jesus, my Lord, was planning to give me a new heart. This is what he wants to do for all his people. In the Old Testament He told the people of Israel “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Then you will live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:25-28).

Heavenly Father, You are my God. Sacred Heart of Jesus, give me a new heart to love you and a new Spirit of Wisdom to understand your words. Help me to produce the fruit of holiness in my life. Holy Spirit, help me not to harden my heart, when I hear your voice and give me the gifts to understand the secrets of Heaven. Amen.

Saints 

St. Joseph of Cupertino

St Joseph of Cupertino is invoked by many students to help with their exams. He was a holy man and a great Saint, despite being academically challenged.

 

HIS CHILDHOOD

St. Joseph of Cupertino was born near Naples, Italy in 1603 into a very poor family. He was not a very bright child and struggled with the simplest school work. This made him an object of fun for his school friends and neighbours. He knew that he was not clever and that he was clumsy, bad-tempered and had trouble relating to other people. As he was also sickly his childhood was not a happy one but Joseph had a very strong faith, he was very humble and accepted all his suffering as the will of God.

THE FRIARY

When he was about seventeen he saw a Friar begging for food. He realised that this was something that he wanted to do with his life and he joined the Franciscan Friars. But he struggled with studying and was treated very badly. He was eventually asked to leave because he could not concentrate on his studies and it was thought that he would be unable to pass the exams. Joseph tried to join other monasteries and friaries but they turned him away either immediately or after a few weeks when they realised that he was not clever enough.

HIS ORDINATION

Joseph sadly returned home. He looked like a failure to his family and friends but he believed and trusted that God had great things in store for him. He decided that if he could not be a friar then he could still help them and started working as a stable hand for the Franciscan Friars. He gave himself up entirely to a life of humiliation, mortification, and obedience and showed such love, purity and humility in his work that the Friars noticed his holiness and he was invited once more to join them. By God’s miraculous intervention, Joseph completed his studies and was ordained as a priest in 1628. He always had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and promoted her devotion among the people so he was sent to work at the Shrine of the Madonna Della Grazia, where he stayed for fifteen years.

THE FLYING SAINT

His life as a priest was a long succession of visions and other heavenly favours. After his ordination it is claimed that he began to levitate while saying the Mass or while reciting the Prayers of the Church. He would be so deep in prayer that his body could ascend towards heaven and he would be seen floating in the air in a kneeling position. He could be moved to an ecstatic state by a holy picture or the mention of the name of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary or one of the Saints. Those who witnessed these mystic experiences saw them as a sign of Joseph’s great holiness, purity and humility but his religious superiors thought that he was being disruptive and eventually stopped him from appearing in public and for thirty five years Joseph was made to stay in his room in the monastery, where he had a private chapel.

DEVOTION AMONG STUDENTS

He spent many lonely years being moved from one monastery to another, but Joseph retained his resigned and joyous spirit, submitting confidently to Divine Providence. He lived a very simple life, eating little and spent his days in prayer and contemplation. He died on September 18th 1663. St. Joseph of Cupertino was beatified by Benedict XIV in 1753 and is the Patron of students preparing for exams, pilots and aviators. There is great devotion to Saint Joseph of Cupertino among school, college and university students, who request his intercession and intervention when preparing for exams. There are traditional prayers that can be recited and many young people testify to their effectiveness. Why don’t you ask St Joseph of Cupertino to help you with your exams? Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino St. Joseph of Cupertino, in your life time you received from God the grace to be asked in your exams only the questions that you knew, I pray that you will obtain for me a similar favour in the exams for which I am now preparing. St. Joseph of Cupertino, Pray for me. Amen.

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. James 1:5

The Sacraments 

The sacrament of Reconciliation Penance and Reconciliation

Often called ‘Confession’, this powerful Sacrament of forgiveness is a great gift from God that can transform our lives.

 

CLEANSED

In Baptism, we are ‘born again’ into a new life with Christ and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit which cleanses us from our original sin and makes us holy. So at our Baptism we are made spotlessly clean! But our human nature is weak and even after Baptism we still keep messing up and tend to do the wrong things. Jesus told his followers, “The time has come. The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) When Jesus says repent he is asking us to turn back to Him and away from the bad things that we do, hating the sins that we have committed. It also means being determined to change our life for the better in the future. If we do repent and say sorry then God will give us the grace and the strength we need to begin again, more determined than ever to live a holy life.

BROKEN RELATONSHIPS

The Church is the Body of Christ with Jesus as its Head and we are members of that body. When we sin, we turn away from God and we break our relationship with him and with the Christian people around us; that is the Church. On our own, without God’s grace and mercy we wouldn’t be able to restore our relationship with Him. Only God can forgive sins but he has given the Church the authority to grant forgiveness on His behalf. Jesus said to St Peter, the first Pope “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19) The words bind and loose mean: whoever you exclude from your communion, will be excluded from communion with God; whoever you restore into your communion, God will welcome back into relationship with Him. After his resurrection from the dead Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” (John 20:22 – 23)

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

The Sacrament is performed in secret between the penitent (the one seeking forgiveness) and the priest. The Sacrament has three parts for the penitent: repentance (sorrow for their sins), confession (disclosure of their sins to the priest) and reparation (a willingness to do something to make up for the wrongs they have committed). When the Church says that someone must be sorry for their sins it means that they must be sorry that they have offended God. It is not enough to be sorry because they were caught or because their actions had unexpected consequences, that is not true repentance. The Sacrament is completed when the Church, working through the priest, forgives the penitent’s sins in the name of Jesus Christ and determines the penance. This might consist of saying prayers, an act of charity or self-denial or something relevant that will help them to grow in love and humility. Through Confession the penitents are healed, their baptismal innocence is restored and they are reconciled with God and the Church.

THE PRIEST’S ROLE

For many people the actual confessing of their sins to the priest is the most daunting part of the Sacrament but the priest will not judge you or tell you off. We are all ashamed of the bad things that we do but it is only by naming them aloud that we fully accept our sinfulness. In the Sacrament the priest is actually standing in the place of God, who loves us and wants to help us to grow in faith and love. He is bound to keep anything that is said a secret and will be delighted that we want to turn back to God and be reconciled with the Church. In the Sacrament the priest is being the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, the Good Samaritan who bandages our wounds and the Father who waits for the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return.

REGULAR CONFESSION

The Church teaches that we can express sorrow for our small everyday sins and be converted in a number of ways like fasting, prayer and charitable acts. There is also frequent reception of the Eucharist, Bible reading and acts of worship. But we need to go to Confession regularly. The Church says that it should be at least once a year but it helps to go more often so that we can receive the great grace that God wants to pour out on us in His forgiveness. This grace will help us to grow in holiness and in the Life of the Spirit.

 

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. ” 1 John 1: 8-9

Uncategorised 

The Joy of Prayer

BEAUTIFUL CONVERSATION

Prayer is a beautiful conversation between us and God. St. Therese of Lisieux, in her autobiography, ‘The Diary of a Soul’ says that when she prayed it was just like chatting to her best friend. She constantly felt the presence of God in her daily life, and she spoke to Him throughout the day. That is the joy of prayer, spending time with our best friend. The Youth Catechism (469) says that when a person prays, he enters into a living relationship with God. So when we pray, our lives are united in a very close and intimate way with God. Prayer increases our faith, it increases our spiritual power, and it feeds our souls. God loves to hear from us. He wants to hear about our hopes and dreams as well as our problems. He wants us to talk freely to him in our own words so that the prayer comes from our hearts.

SET PRAYERS

There is, of course, a place for formal prayers like the Our Father and the Hail Mary, which help us pray. Reciting prayers like the Rosary or the Divine Mercy chaplet is a good way of talking to God, but we should also spend some time trying to listen to Him and allowing Him to communicate with us. He is our loving Father and a father has lots to say to his child.

ABRAHAM

Abraham is a good model of prayer. “Abraham listened to God. He was willing to set out for wherever God commanded and to do what God willed. By his listening and his readiness to make a new start, he is a model of our prayer.” (YouCat 471) Abraham is praised for listening to God, and being willing to do whatever God asked of him. Throughout his life Abraham maintained a daily connection with God. What about you and me? Do we only pray on Sunday or when we have time? Abraham had many difficulties but even in the midst of them, he put his trust and faith in God. That is why God raised him up as the father of our faith. He is probably the greatest intercessor of all time, as shown in Genesis 18 when he pleaded with God to save Sodom from destruction.

MOSES

Moses is another model of prayer. He led Israel out of captivity and was another great intercessor for God’s people. “From Moses we learn that praying means speaking with God. At the burning bush God entered into a real conversation with Moses and gave him an assignment. Moses raised objections and asked questions. Finally God revealed to him His Holy Name. Just as Moses then came to trust God and enlisted wholeheartedly in His service, so we too should pray and thus go to God’s school.” (YouCat 472) Before leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Moses went up a mountain to pray. This is how he maintained his relationship with God and it prepared him and strengthened him for his mission.

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

The Blessed Virgin Mary’s prayer life shows us how we can give our lives completely to God. “To learn from Mary how to pray means to join in her prayer, ‘Let it be to me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)’ Prayer is ultimately self-giving in response to God’s love. If we say Yes as Mary did, God has the opportunity to lead His life in our life.” (YouCat 479) Mary offered herself and her situation completely to God’s will, so that God’s plan of salvation could be fulfilled through her. Like Mary, we should be humble and let God’s will be done in our lives. When we do this then the glory of God will be revealed to us.

JESUS

Jesus also shows us how to pray. “Jesus’ life was one single prayer. At decisive moments (his temptation in the desert, his selection of apostles, his death on the Cross) his prayer was especially intense. Often he withdrew into solitude to pray, especially at night. Being one with the Father in the Holy Spirit – that was the guiding principle of his earthly life.” (YouCat 475) Jesus knew that prayer was important and His prayer was very powerful. Some people wonder why Jesus needed to pray since He is God; but when he walked on this earth, Jesus was fully human. He was just like you and me living among the people of his day, experiencing the same emotions, temptations and interactions as we do. Jesus regularly went off by himself to spend time in prayer. He needed this to give Him the strength to carry out His mission, to heal the sick and raise the dead. If Jesus, true God and true man, needed to have a prayer life, then we, as followers of Christ also need to set aside time to be alone with our heavenly Father.

PERSEVERE

Prayer is constantly speaking and listening to God and being willing to say yes to whatever He is planning in our lives. God did great things through Abraham, Moses and the Blessed Virgin Mary and He wants to do similar great things through us. God is waiting to speak with us so let us try to make time each day to talk with him. If we persevere in prayer then we can be strong in the mighty power of our ever living God.

Written by Joyson Joboy