The Gift of Miracles,  Fr. Robert DeGrandis (with Linda Schubert), a book that finally addresses the miracles available to us, that have happened to others, with testimonies and pointers on unleashing the power of God. What are miracles? What are their characteristics? What are the "action steps"? Have miracles occurred in places like Medjugorje? How do we pray for them? CLICK HERE

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In a little-known but Church-approved set of messages from the Blessed Mother at San Nicolás, Argentina, were these interesting words: "Daughter, pride is a very serious sin, and like all sins, is the work of Satan. Pride is evil against which I fight. I invite all my children to banish it, to bury it, and they will please God." That was on June 23, 1986, and reveals secrets to us -- one of which is the reason we so frequently have trouble finding peace in our lives. Pride is not just an imperfection. It is serious. We are told in Scripture that God gives "peace to those who find His favor" (Luke 2:14) at the same time that He "resists the proud" (James 4:6), as Mary at San Nicolás is saying. Our time is the Era of Pride and Celebrity and Egocentricity. We have pride in our clothes. We have pride in our cars. We have pride in our homes. We have pride in our education. We have pride in our work. We have pride in our achievements (when nothing is a real achievement, but through God). We have pride, sometimes, in our spirituality; we are proud that we don't have pride.

Crucial it is  to pray with the heart to rid yourself of hidden arrogance and celebrate God not self or others which is idolatry. When we are proud we judge instead of praying in a fashion that has effects which is not with struggle or irritation or impatience or anger or reluctance but for the subject of your concern to remove and lose whatever bad, negative, or sinful traits and habits are causing the blocks and resistance. If a person is greedy, pray that the person removes this inclination toward selfishness. If a person is critical, pray that this person is drained of that spirit of criticality. See it. If a person is himself haughty, pray that he loses that haughtiness, or your prayers will bounce off. It is a very great plague in our time.

The Blessed Mother said, "The world is condemning itself! Truth comes and is not heard; there is great confusion in souls. All humanity is contaminated." Be humble. Until we remove the log in our own eyes we are confused and don't have the humility to pray that others be humble or lose whatever nullifies the effects of prayer. When a person is contaminated we feel it and it may perturb or aggravate and as a result we often neglect to pray in the right way for the person due to resistance and yet must do just that: pray to remove this contamination instead of butting up against it and focusing on the insult or haughtiness or aggravation. See it -- any bad thing -- flowing out of a person. Here, you will find peace. Here, you will feel love. In this way can you bless your enemies -- with the heart (which exceeds the mind). Peace will come. Grace is your relief. If someone is bothering you, pray for them in the correct manner -- that is, for them to be delivered; pray for, not against. You need them. We are in it together and should seek to rise as inter-wound rings of light. It is when we focus on the negativity of a person and don't pray to remove it that we ourselves resist a person and thus prayers are not effective as oil does not mix with water because there is impermeability and resistance. Think of how many people you have tried to pray for and found difficulty in doing so and now during Mass go back and pray that they be delivered and healed of whatever it was that blocked your previous (imperfect) prayers.

Powerful it is to say, "I ask You Lord to bless everyone for whom I should have prayed in a proper manner and grant them benefit as if I had done so; please Lord, through a miracle of the Holy Spirit."

When you do this, and feel no pride, you are imitating Jesus.

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