Songs 

This song came from the Holy Spirit to me, in November 2004, whilst I was driving to my piano teacher’s house. When I go to my teacher’s house, I sang this song and recorded it onto my mobile phone. I did not really understand the words, and I thought that they were a bit self-righteous “Look into my heart, and you will see the beauty of my risen Lord”. But a couple of days later I understood why the Lord had given me this song.

Exactly two days later a Christian friend asked me why I prayed to Mary. When I tried to explain why, he didn’t understand. And then I spoke to another Christian friend - who I thought had come to understand my Catholic beliefs – about my initial conversation, but she agreed with my other friend.

By giving me this song, the Lord had prepared me for the discussions that I had with those two friends. At this time I didn’t have any (practising) Catholic friends, so I felt quite alone, and I didn’t have anyone to discuss this with. They were two of my closest friends who did not understand a part of who I am, and that was hard for me to accept. I had grown up with Mary being like a mother to me, since I was a child. And for my friends not to accept Mary, it felt like they were not accepting me. And there was nothing that I could do about this except place the matter into the Lord’s hands.

I could have read information in books and on the internet to come to a decision based on facts or who argues their view-point better, but I didn’t have to, because the Lord had placed His truth in my heart, and that’s all I needed to know at that stage. Christ lives in my heart, and all I want to do is follow Him and become more like Him. And Mary helps me to do this. My Catholic faith helps me to follow Christ. Our Lord placed me into a Catholic church and that is where He wants me to be. This is where our Lord first taught me to know Him and to love Him.

I love my Catholic faith, and I also love my Christian friends - I am very grateful to them for teaching me how to pray to the Lord from the heart out loud, how to praise God through worship music and for helping me to develop my gifts from the Holy Spirit!

(A couple of years later I learnt of the Sion Community in Brentwood and I attended the Discipleship Training School there one summer, where I studied Catholic Apologetics. This helped to deepen my understanding of my faith and also taught me how to defend my Catholic faith based on scripture and tradition. Also information on the Catholic faith can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.)

Scriptures that I was meditating on around the time of receiving this song are:

Isaiah 48:6 “From now on I will tell you new things, even hidden things you have not known before”

Isaiah 49:

Isaiah 49:4 “Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause”

Isaiah 49:6 “I will make you a light to the nations”

Isaiah 49:8 “I will guard and protect you and through you make a covenant”

Isaiah 49:26 “Then all mankind shall know that I, the Lord, am your Saviour, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob”

Proverbs 3: 5-10 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know. Remember the Lord in everything you do, and He will show you the right way.

John 8: 32 “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”

Romans 10: 8-13 ‘ “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”, for if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the scripture says, “No one who believes in Him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ’

I believe that the Lord wants unity amongst Christians. Just a thought… if we as Christians, judge our Christian brothers and sisters who are not exactly the same as us, is that building up the Kingdom of God?

“Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to live the vocation you have received. Be humble, kind, patient, and bear with one another in love. Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit through bonds of peace. Let there be one body and one spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. One Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God, the Father of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all” (Ephesians 4: 1-6).

“This is how all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 35).

“Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honour” (Romans 12: 10)

“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10: 16)

“Avoid giving offence, whether to Jews or Greeks or the Church of God” (1 Corinthians 10: 32)

1 John 3: 11-24; 1 John 4: 1-21

Ezekiel 37: 15-28

We need to ‘Fast from Criticism’ and make a ‘Commitment to Stop Criticising Others’ (Pat Collins CM; Gifted and Sent, 2009). The following is taken from Pat Collins’ book, Gifted and Sent: “Although ‘grace’ is always freely available to us, we only experience its liberating power in so far as we put aside the scales of justice by refraining from judging, condemning, or resenting other people while offering them the gift of our merciful love.”

“If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13)

“It is only love that can expand my heart” (St Thérèse)