(New Book)  Forming Divine Will Habits

 

​​This is the first of my books on Divine Will. It consists of fifty chapters of inspirational writings which I have been receiving for many years and which have taken on a more public instructional slant since my introduction to Divine Will in 2014. Reading through the chapters gradually leads one to a more conscious awareness of how to live in Divine Will on a day to day basis, and it is now available both as an eBook and a paperback on Amazon.

The book has received very positive reviews on Amazon, and I have been contacted by

Mother Gabrielle Marie of the Benedictine Daughters of Divine Will,

by Sam Khadhouri in the UK, Kathy Bishop of "The Faith Companion",

One of the team of Divine Will Era Formation, USA,

and Lindy Morelli, the blind Carmelite Hermit in the USA, all of whom highly recommend it.

Jenny Troy in Australia has just completed running study classes on it.

 

See a review of it here on YouTube by Carol Kelso of "Being Catholic Media" with Mary Zirkle

  https://youtu.be/X3GHzYzay4M?feature=shared

 

To order the book in Ireland on Amazon.ie, click here:

To order the book on the USA  Amazon site, click here: ​

O​r for the UK Amazon Site, click here:

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For the Australian Amazon Site, click here:

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It is available to purchase locally and online in Ireland from Knock Shrine, click here 

Or from the Benedictus Bookshop in Cork, click here 

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If you wish to order it from your local bookshop, just give them the name of it and the book number,

ISBN: 978-1-0683437-0-4  and they will be able to source it for you.

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If you would like a signed copy please contact me through the general enquiries option here

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​Sample Writings from Books 1 and 2

(Book 2 is not yet complete)​

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65. Fruits of Prayer in Divine Will

I attended an earlier Sunday mass than usual recently and on exiting the church was approached by a chap who said someone had reversed into my car and had then driven off. We both inspected the damage which at first glance seemed slight and didn’t bother me too much. However on closer inspection when I arrived home it seemed to be more extensive. I was annoyed, thinking I had it almost 10 years and it never had as much as a scratch. It wasn’t as if I took much care of it because I lived on a farmer’s road and the car was almost always in need of a wash. But anyhow it annoyed me and even more so the following day after a visit to the panel beater, €300 he said, shattering my earlier thoughts that it might cost €50 at the most. There was good news though, the car park had CCTV and by evening I had a little video on my phone of a 20 years old banger reversing into my car. I didn’t have a photo of the driver but I had the registration.

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The following Sunday a friend and I attended the same mass with the intention of nailing the driver. I noticed his car parked in the same place as the previous Sunday. To be honest my mind was a little distracted at mass especially with the thought of the upcoming confrontation, and as soon as mass was over I scooted out to see the offending car slowly making its way out in the church traffic. I stopped the stocky and shaven headed fifty-something driver and informed him that he had damaged my car the previous week and had then driven off. I had a witness and CCTV to prove it was him. He didn’t say much other than that I shouldn’t have parked behind him, I was at least 30ft away!

 

Anyhow, after telling him it would cost €300 he became aggressive and said he would not pay that amount. He said he had just received communion, wished me well and drove off. Of course I hadn’t the presence of mind to say, “you received communion last week too but still damaged my car and drove off!” I thought of this response later in mid-fuming mode with the accompanying thoughts of giving him a punch in the mouth.

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After a while I cooled down and although still somewhat annoyed decided to pray for him, asking the Lord for the grace to forgive. I often think our annoyances are like burning our finger with steam from a boiling kettle and we need to put it under the cold tap as soon as possible to ease the pain. Similarly we need an outlet for our anger and annoyances and as we grow in divine will our response needs to be just that, a response fuelled by love and forgiveness, not a reaction in anger.

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As the week progressed I asked the Lord for the grace to pray for the situation in divine will. I found if I focused on the confrontation and on any further encounters I lost my peace, whereas focusing on the Lord and praying blessings on the driver in spite of how I felt brought me peace. I chose to do the latter and on the advice of my friend decided not to approach him again and instead to pay for the damage myself. I also decided to put a name on him as someone in need of prayer, rather than just an unknown driver. I told the Lord I was going to call him James. I didn’t know anyone of that name and it just came into my mind in thinking of one.

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So now I was praying for James and every time I thought of the car or the cost of the fix I said a little prayer of blessing for James. Fused in Divine Will I bilocated into his soul and took the divine version of his life which Jesus had redone for him. I made it my own and offered it with Jesus to the Father asking him to pour out his graces on James and on all souls, past, present and future. I also prayed rounds on his every Godly thought, word and action from the moment of his conception up to his last breath. I then multiplied the merits of those rounds to the infinite and offered them for any ungodliness in his life, and in the name of all. The annoyance in my mind now had an outlet and with each passing day it was becoming easier to pray for him. I reasoned with myself that perhaps the Lord had arranged it all so I would pray for him…

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I also started praying for the grace to lose any attachment to the car. I never realised I had one until this event. I became aware that the anger and frustration of the confrontation with James had its roots in my childhood as the Lord brought to mind a teacher from an orphanage I attended. This person, although very kind, frequently boasted that he had never gotten into a fight in his life. However, he never showed us how to handle confrontations. My classmates and I all idolised him in our childhood years. The Lord showed me that these memories needed healing and that even though I had gotten into some scraps since, there was a kind of a backup of frustration in me of not knowing how to properly handle confrontations. This was  because of a misguided subconscious loyalty to this kind of father figure teacher. 

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The following Sunday I decided to attend the same mass again, but by this stage was much more at peace about everything. I spotted James exiting the church after mass and hung back a little so he would not see me. I had no desire to reignite his aggression.

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However when I did eventually reach my car James was there waiting for me with a half-smile like a nervous puppy. We exchanged civil greetings and then he said how sorry he was for his behaviour the previous Sunday and shoved a bundle of notes into my hand, €300! I couldn’t believe it was the same person. I thanked him and said he had been in my prayers all week. He was very surprised at this and we had a short and interesting conversation about our faith. As he was heading off we shook hands and I asked his first name….. “James,” he replied.

 

 

33. Listening …The Holy Spirit's Guidance

Some time ago, I wrote about having the company of an angel to help keep my thoughts on the straight and narrow. (see Reflection 15) Fast forward a couple of years, and He made a return visit, although this time around it seemed to be more like the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit, especially experienced as an ever-present guide in conversations. If I was not alert and constantly aware, I would miss his instructions and find myself in some predicament when talking to others.

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If I was tempted to give an ungodly opinion, or make a judgement on somebody, even if very little, immediately I would sense a grieving in my heart or a reprimand if I decided to do my own will regardless, which sadly yet was often the case.

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I noticed that by doing my best to respond to his promptings, He would draw me deeper into a new awareness of how I may have offended him. For instance recently I was recounting a silly story from the Internet to my spouse about a person who was unknown to both of us. As I was about to tell it, I sensed the usual warning in my spirit.

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I did a quick inner survey of the story in my mind, and thought to myself, there's nothing wrong in telling it, seeing as the person is unknown to both of us, so I went ahead and we had a good laugh about it.

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However, I could immediately sense the grieving of the Holy Spirit in my heart, and it remained for the rest of the day until I brought it to the Lord in my prayer-time. He revealed that even though the person concerned was unknown to us; they were known intimately to him, and He lived in that soul. The unease I was experiencing was him being offended in that person by my words.

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St. James tells us that the tongue cannot be tamed. Perhaps, in fusing in Divine Will, if we keep in mind what that means, we will surely be more mindful of what we say and how we say it…

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"…but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison." James 3:8 NJB

 

2. Awareness

In striving to live in the Divine Will, and while at mass a few years ago, I sensed the Lord prompting me to stop observing people in Church. Whether they genuflected in front of Him or not was none of my business. He wanted me to close my eyes, and focus only on Him. So I did. This developed over time to closing my eyes to all distractions in Church.

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Later again I sensed His prompt to stop observing people in general, no matter where I was. One glance was enough to know they were there, so as not to drive over them if I was in the car. And to offer any subsequent glances to Him in sacrifice and reparation for all the ways in which we sin with our eyes.

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This practice over the years, and which is still ongoing, has had a huge impact on my life for the better and has developed into a much deeper awareness of what I look at, listen to, speak about… the second glance, the eager ear, or the loose tongue is what does the damage, leading to desire and judgement.

 

Our Lady offers us little sips of Divine Will for our souls. We in turn can offer her and Jesus little sips of mortification of our human wills.

 

An awareness of our senses can be a means of constant mortification and reparation, and can gradually overflow into every area of our lives, our thoughts, words, works and also our eating/drinking. By this I don’t mean whole days of fasting, but little things like not taking salt on our favourite meals, one less spoon of sugar in our coffee, you get the idea! Once you start you will see lots of little opportunities for mortification, and they will remain hidden, just between you and the Lord.

 

I found that some of the fruits of mortification was less focus on oneself and more on the Lord and others. After a few months of these little mortifications in Divine Will, I discovered I was much more inclined to be attentive to the Lord especially when in conversations and seemed to be able to listen with two ears, one to the person, the other to the Lord.

 

Mortification is not to be done though to make us feel better about ourselves but rather with purity of intention, to be done out of pure love for God, by fusing with Divine Will.

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"I want you to be always upright in your actions – with one eye look at Me, and with the other eye look at what you are doing. I want creatures to disappear from you completely… So, with your eye fixed in Me, you will not judge anyone, you will not look at whether the thing is painful or enjoyable – whether you can do it or not. Closing your eyes to all this, you will open them to look at Me alone; you will take Me with you, thinking that my gaze is fixed on you, and you will say to Me: ‘Lord, for You alone I do this; for You alone I want to work – no longer a slave of the creatures.’ So, if you walk, if you work, if you speak – in anything you do, your only aim must be that of pleasing Me alone. Oh! how many defects you will avoid, if you do this." BoH, Vol 1.

 

1. Discernment

Some months ago, I was asking the Lord to draw me deeper into living in the Divine Will. In my spirit I saw two Words; “Respond” and “React.” He then revealed that this was a simple way to discern if we are trying to live in Divine Will or not.

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For instance, when He wants us to alleviate His suffering in some way, and may allow a situation or a person to rattle our cage. What is our initial comeback?

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Do we (in Divine Will) respond in awareness, acceptance and peace, with our focus on Him, uniting our little disturbance with His suffering and reparations?

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Or do we (in our human will) react by becoming annoyed, indignant, irritable, judgemental etc. with our focus on ourselves?

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So, in a nutshell, do we respond or react? Our responses will bring us peace, our reactions will bring unease. 

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“My daughter, one who chooses his own self, even for one instant, represses Grace, becomes the master of himself, and renders God a slave. Then He added: The Will of God makes one take the Divine possession, but obedience is the key to open the door and enter this possession.”

Vol 8. Oct 3, 1907​​​​​​​​​​​

 

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