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Divine Will
in
Practice
(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 is running zoom study classes on it each Wednesday.
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:
Or for the UK Amazon Site, click here:
For the Australian Amazon Site, click here:
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.
If you would like a signed copy please contact me through the general enquiries option here
Sample Writings
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.
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?
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?
Or do we (in our human will) react by becoming annoyed, indignant, irritable, judgemental etc. with our focus on ourselves?
So, in a nutshell, do we respond or react? Our responses will bring us peace, our reactions will bring unease.
“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
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.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
"…but nobody can tame the tongue – it is a pest that will not keep still, full of deadly poison." James 3:8 NJB
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