Tuesday, June 26, 2012

True Life in God - What Would You Do If God Wrote You Love Messages?

If You Are Anything Like Me - Probably Nothing For a Long Time

Many years ago, I heard about a woman by the name of Vassula Ryden.  She was alleged to have received messages from God, mainly in the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ, love messages.  At the time, it was becoming available piece by piece in books that were apparently written by Vassula's hand but in Jesus handwriting.

Somewhere along the line, one friend or another gave us one of the books or another and I could not get in to them.  Then a couple of years ago, Father Sam Johnston gave MDW one of them to read.  However, it was Volume number 12 of what was now a 13 volume series.  She was unable to get in to it, and nor could I, but if Father Sam was high on it, there was something there.  50 years as a priest, in love with Jesus, must have taught him something.

Last Fall, Patrick Duffy, a precious brother in the Lord, joined Deacon George Sebok and me in our morning prayer, and he mentioned the book True Life in God, which was the total compilation of all the messages to us, MORE THAN ONCE.

Now, there are lots of great Christian reading materials out there.  I have read my fair share, and so I was not over the moon, but Patrick highly recommended getting a bound copy of the entire message set, and both George and I did.

Then, MDW and I left for Tucson for the winter, and I took my book along.  In bound format it is about 1,100 pages.  (In PDF format which is available here for free, it is about 1,550 pages, though the words are identical.)

I read some of it while in Tucson, and it slowly started to grow on me.  On one level, it is the story of the conversion of Vassula, under the tutelage of Jesus Christ personally.  Watching how she grows in faith in Jesus day by day, while slowly growing out of her doubts about Him and Him and her, is significant enough to warrant reading the book.  But, it is much more than that.  On a deeper level, if I follow what Jesus says to do with the book early on, and replace Vassula's name with my own, it is a story of my own continuing conversion to Him and to His Life in me.  And something is happening to me.  Some of the habitual sin in my life is falling away.  My desire to pray to Him and to serve Him is growing, and my prayer for those I love is deepening, and if a book can touch my stubborn heart, it must be quite a book.

Though I have the bound copy, I downloaded the PDF file to my iPad in iBooks, and there I have it with me regularly so I can read a few pages.  It is not like a novel that you cannot put down, and it is not like a text book, that you must not put down for fear of failing the test.  Rather it is a book about Jesus' love for you and me, and it must be absorbed, bit by bit.

It does not replace the Bible in its importance.  Rather, Jesus explains so many things in the Bible and brings them to life for readers. It does not replace the continuity of inerrant Church teaching, but in fact, explains so much of it.

So, I am recommending to all who read these pages to download a copy of True Life in God for your iPad or laptop, or purchase a copy of it in hard bound.  You can find out how to get a hard bound copy here at True Life in God.

Should you feel called to read this work, give yourself the first 100 pages or so to let it transform your thinking about a book.  Do not give up easily, but persevere for a while.  Once it makes its way into your heart, then He will have a bigger place in your heart.

By the fruit of something we know what it is.  The fruit of this book has been ongoing conversion for those who have read it with faith.

God Bless You All.

4 comments:

Editor said...

Take note of this and be careful - http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdfrydn1.htm and http://catholicforum.fisheaters.com/index.php?topic=3438474.0 - go to Google for much more

Fr Terry

Michael Brandon said...

Father Terry:

I do appreciate your comment, and I have read those articles in my own attempt to determine the validity of these messages. Discernment is necessary.

BUT, things are known by the fruit that they bear. True Life in God has borne beautiful fruit in the lives of all that I know who have read the messages prayerfully.

The book has a Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur from bishops who believe the messages to be without doctrinal error.

I have no desire to be a dissident in the Cathilic Church, which I believe to be the unbroken line from Peter. However, we in the Catholic Church are as much responsible for the division that exists in the Body of Christ as our separated brethren.

I suggest that you read the book and judge for yourself if it is from God.

You pointed to an EWTN article from the CDF, which is 17 years old. Considerable dialogue has occurred since then, which you can find on the Tlig.org website.

Also, the fish eaters article is a false interpretation of the interaction of Vassula with the Orthodox leaders, though I do not believe intentionally so. Excommunication in the Orthodox faith is an involved process, and this was not it. There is dialogue going on there as well.

If you have read the book, then speak from your own heart, and if you can, point out the errors that you believe exist in the book. You might want to send them to the bishops who approved the writings.

God uses moldable clay to make beautiful pots.

He will heal the divisions in the Church if we will be moldable.

God Bless You

Michael Brandon

Fr John Abberton said...

it is a delight to see such reasoned and charitable arguments in favour of TLIG. You are correct in pointing to inaccuracies in some of the negative comments that are still up on the net. I was once completely against Vassula and spoke out against her. When I saw the Notification I just knew it was wrong. I knew a theologian who I greatly respect who believed the writings were orthodox and good. I began to think again, and to cut this short, started to read the messages. At that point, it seemed to me, I recognised someone I had know since childhood (Jesus). Since then I have obviously read up and I know all the arguments for and against and I support Vassula 100%

Fr John Abberton said...

I though you might like (and Fr. Terry) to view this video of Bishop Terra of Brazil speaking about the Notification and his own personal conversation with Card. Ratzinger about Vassula. Bishop Terra, at that time, was working in the Pontifical Biblical Institute and knows the Pope personally. There is also the important dialogue that took place and witnessed by Dr. Niels Hvidt. He also wrote a book on modern prophecy which mentions Vassula and has a foreword by Card. Ratzinger;
http://www.tligvideo.org/terra.html