During all of January and half of February 2009, Vassula went in a mission to the American Continent, covering four countries and five cities: Los Angeles, USA; Monterrey, Mexico, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; and Belo Horizonte and San Salvador Bahía, Brazil.
This report covers the True Life in God Retreat that took place in Monterrey, Mexico.
Monterrey is a city located in the State of Nuevo León, at the North of Mexico. The members of the TLIG Association there organized not only a public talk for Vassula, but a two day spiritual retreat. For this, they invited two TLIG priests who were also going to be speakers.
Vassula and Gethsemane, her travelling companion during this mission, arrived to Monterrey on Wednesday January 28, at night from Los Angeles.
Various members of the TLIG Association in Mexico welcomed them at the airport, and gave her the latest news. Just hours before, both priests had cancelled their participation due to reasons beyond their control. One did not obtain permission from his superior and the other one was facing a major attack to his Congregation which required his presence in order to sort out certain problems.
The arrival
The local TLIG organizers, who had worked for months in the Retreat and the Program of the same, found themselves with 410 registered participants from all over Mexico, and only one speaker: Vassula. When informed about this, Vassula calmly said that she has sufficient material from the True Life in God Messages "to talk from now until the end of the year".
As Jesus has told to Vassula: all obstacles that He allows are for His Glory. This time was no different. As we all know, Vassula's talks usually last for 2 hours. Well this time we were fortunate enough to have her talk four different times, for various hours. In addition, she performed a healing service for over 600 people!
Although we regretted not having the priests present, we heard for several hours, during two days, directly from Our Lord's mouthpiece, the Hymn of Love, Peace and Reconciliation that He has given us for our times.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
The first event that day was the visit to the local Beth Myriam opened by the TLIG Association in Monterrey. This BM feeds the relatives of very poor sick people from all over the State of Nuevo Leon, which are admitted in the nearby hospital. These people are so destitute that they have no money to buy any food, let alone a hot meal. Moved by this fact, the local TLIG Association opened a BM right across the hospital. When we arrived, all of the attendees were, slowly and devoutfully, praying the Rosary. Afterwards, a random TLIG Message was read out loud. Then, a full warm meal was served by the TLIG members. Currently, 220 people are fed every day.
Casa de Maria
Vasula in front of Beth Myriam
Praying the rosary
Vassula in the Beth Myriam kitchen with the TLIG volunteers
The BM has a book where people who want to leave a thank you note or a message Hereunder is the note written by one person who attended the BM:
"My name is Osiris Robles Piñones. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (mormons) and I feel very grateful for having arrived to this Beth Myriam, where there is no distinction among people, race, or religion. I feel the love that emanates from all of you. Your eyes are clear and have a special shine to them, because you are like angels in the Hands of God.
I want to share a thought with you:
"Never fail to do a good deed, because you do not know when you can be the answer to someone else's prayer".
Thank you, because when I arrived here and saw the way you treat us, I felt like I arrived to heaven.
May God bless you,
Osiris Robles Piñones
November 20, 2008
The next activity was an interview by the TV channel Televisión Azteca, with nationwide coverage. The interviewer and the two producers were three young men, which were genuinely interested in Vassula's experience. Javier and Carmen Pelayo, from the TLIG Association in Guadalajara, had contacted them and provided information about TLIG and video footages of prior visits of Vassula to Mexico.
The interview took place at the auditorium where the Retreat took place. The first questions were connected to her mission and how she receives the Messages. Then specific questions were made to her, mostly out of the interest of these reporters. Does Hell exist? What is the end of times? Why does she receive These Messages?
After interview with the team of TV
Vassula shared with them the photos taken in her January 18 meeting in Los Angeles, in the Unity Week, where Our Lady appeared in front of Vassula. They were very impressed and as professionals of the TV industry, expressed that there was no physical way that a light with such intensity could come from a light spot. They asked for the photos and interviewed Gethsemane, who was the one that shot the photographs. To see the photos and the account of this Miracle click here.
As I write this, this interview has been broadcasted twice in all of Mexico, Central America, and certain cities of the United States.
Later that day, the Retreat officially commenced with the Divine Liturgy, presided by Father Evangelos, from the Greek Orthodox Church. When the TLIG Association contacted the Greek Orthodox Church in Mexico City, to invite them to the Retreat, Father Evangelos attended the door. It turned out that he had attended the TLIG Latin American Retreat that took place in Colombia in 2004, when he was still not preparing to be a priest. He knew the Messages and happily accepted the invitation. Fr. Evangelos was gracious enough to bring booklets with the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomos, in Greek and Spanish, so everybody could follow the Service. This was a wonderful experience, as we were able to actually understand the beautiful hymns and prayers made to Our Lord during the Divine Liturgy.
Orthodox Liturgy
Vassula gave an opening speech and adjourned the meetings for that day.
Vassula speaks and Hilda interprets
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2009
During the morning Vassula gave a talk covering various subjects of TLIG. As the people participating in the Retreat, were already familiar with the Messages, she was able to go into depth on various topics, such as: repentance, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Eucharist, God's Will, etc.
During a break, for one hour, she autographed TLIG books and took photos with people who approached her.
After lunch, Vassula talked again for us attending the Retreat. At 6 PM, the public meeting took place with over 600 people present. Vassula talked for over 2 hours, and then a healing service took place, where she blessed each one of those present. Over 80% of the attendees received the rest in the Holy Spirit.
Waiting for healing prayer
Vassula prays over the people
Afterwards, we left back to the hotel where we were staying, and Vassula went straight into the Business Center, working non-stop for over one hour, preparing her next missions to Bangladesh, Spain and Africa.
It is impressive to see how much Vassula has given herself to the Lord and His Interests. She was clearly exhausted after such a long day, and especially after praying over more than 600 people. But she just went on. The zeal for the Work of the Lord is her driving force and really devours her.
The major subjects which Vassula talked about that day were the following:
As usual, Vassula reminded us that the first thing to do if we want to find God is to repent. We must truly repent from our hearts, regretting all of our actions that have hurt Our Lord. By doing so, through the Sacrament of Confession, we will empty ourselves and make space for the Holy Spirit to invade us. The Holy Spirit cannot come to a soul which is in debt to sin. However, this repentance must come from our hearts, and not only from our lips, as then it would be useless.
We must love God and our neighbor as we love ourselves. Many people say that they want to do God's Will, but they say that they do not what is the Will of God. "To love is to do God's Will." Love must be the guide and basis of all our actions, our thoughts, and our hearts. If we love God and each other, we will not talk against or criticize each other. It is of no use to pray Rosaries, go to Mass, and even do charitable actions, if we do not do the same with love. "It is not he who says, 'Lord!, Lord!' who will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the Will of God".
Vassula talked about Reconciliation and Unity. She said that when God talks about reconciliation, He does not refer only to the Reconciliation and Unity of the Church. He refers to our personal relationships: reconciliation between spouses; families; work colleagues; friends; communities; Governments. Repay evil with love.
She talked about her own purification, when her Angel Daniel showed her all her sins, as seen through the Eyes of God. As we all remembered, for three weeks, she cried day and night, filled with remorse and pain. She said that Our Lord showed her that one of the things that hurt Him the most, was the fact that she never praised Him, nor glorified Him, nor thanked Him. So we must put God as first in our lives and always praise Him and adore Him.
She talked a lot about the Holy Spirit, as she explained that we know God, The Father, from the Old Testament and Jesus, from the New Testament, but we do not know much about the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. She mentioned how we are like fish and the Spirit is the water. We move in the Spirit, we breathe in the Spirit, we take our life from the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit our table is empty, but with Him our table is full. The Holy Spirit is pouring Himself on His Entire Creation like never before in history. This is the new Pentecost and we are already living it!
She talked about the importance of the Holy Eucharist, and how Jesus is Present, just like He was at the Cross, Humbly waiting for us at His Tabernacle. Quoting the Messages, she said that we should not ask: "Is it really necessary for us to go visit You?" We would never say this to any of our friends, so then why do we do this to Our Lord, Our Father, Our Creator, Our Best Friend? We must always acknowledge His Real Holy Presence in the Eucharist and adore Him, worship Him.
One of the main concerns of the people at the Retreat, the TV reporters and a group of youth that sent some written questions for Vassula was: "How is it possible that if God is a God of Love, He allows all the tragedies, natural disasters, genocides, wars, and all other phenomena that nowadays afflict the world?"
Vassula said that the answer to this is in Scriptures in Luke 13, 1-5:
"It was just about this time that some people arrived and told Him (Jesus) about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this He said to them, "Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galilean? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were guiltier than all of the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did."
She stressed out that people like to make God responsible for all these events, when in fact, our apostasy and our sins are the real cause for the pains and sorrows of our times. Vassula said that unless we all convert with our hearts, all mankind will continue to suffer.
She reminded us that apostasy is the rebellion of those people that were baptized as Christians and then rejected God.
However, God is a God of Mercy and He will never just condemn us, without giving us hope. He reminded us His Words of August 29, 1989:
"yet, if you only knew how I am ready to forgive your era's crimes by just one kind look at Me, a moment's regret, a sigh of hesitation, a slight reconsideration; a smile at My Holy Face and I shall forgive and forget, I shall not even look at My Wounds; I will efface from My sight all your iniquities and sins had you one mere moment of regret, and all Heaven would celebrate at your gesture, for your smile and your kind look will be received like incense by Me, and that slight moment of regret will be heard like a new song by Me;"
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2009
This day Vassula commenced her talk informing us that Metropolitan Kiril had been appointed as the new Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. Precisely the following day, February 1, 2009, he would be enthroned as such. Patriarch Kiril had already said that one of his actions would be to invite Pope Benedict XVI to Russia. On February 1, 1988, Our Lord gave her a Message on this:
"I am the Lord, the Resurrection; when I will resurrect Russia, she will restore My gifts, she will embellish My House again with love and I will unite her again to Me; I will offer her My Bread and My Wine and she will not refuse My Food; she will accept My offer and she will eat My Bread and drink My Wine, renewing herself, praising Me; I will clothe her with My Glory; I will adorn her majestically; I will irrigate her from My Own Springs; I will replenish her stores; My Eyes are upon her, ah Vassula, just wait and see! daughter, how I long to see Peter, My Peter, visit your sister... am the Lord, the Resurrection; when I will resurrect Russia, she will restore My gifts, she will embellish My House again with love and I will unite her again to Me; I will offer her My Bread and My Wine and she will not refuse My Food; she will accept My offer and she will eat My Bread and drink My Wine, renewing herself, praising Me; I will clothe her with My Glory; I will adorn her majestically; I will irrigate her from My Own Springs; I will replenish her stores; My Eyes are upon her, ah Vassula, just wait and see! 4 daughter, how I long to see Peter, My Peter, visit your sister..."
Vassula also talked about consecrating our lives, our families, our countries to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When we do this, In fact, when she visited Mexico in 1992, our Lord expressly said:
"so come and consecrate yourselves and your families to Me and to the Immaculate Heart of your Mother;" (July 7, 1992)
The Prayer of Consecration to the Two Hearts was dictated by Jesus on September 21, 1993.
She explained in detail the three stages or ascents which elevate us to sanctity: dispassion, detachment and impassibility, which is the angelic virtue.
To finalize, Vassula said that we should never say that we are looking for God, but cannot find Him. She quoted a Message from July 8, 1989:
"come, you who err still in this wilderness, saying: "I have sought My Redeemer but have not found Him;" find Me, My beloved, in purity of heart, by loving Me without self-interest; find Me in holiness, in the abandonment I desire of you; find Me by observing My Commandments; find Me by replacing evil with love, find Me in simplicity of heart; sin no more; cease in doing evil; learn to do good; search for justice; help the oppressed; let this wilderness and this aridity exult; let your tepidness enflame into an ardent flame; relinquish your apathy and replace it by fervour; do all these things so that you may be able to say: "I have sought my Redeemer and I have found Him; He was near me all the time but in my darkness I failed to see Him; O Glory be to God! Blessed be our Lord! how could I have been so blind?" I shall then remind you to keep and treasure My Principles, so that you may live;"
As it always happens, when organizing a True Life in God event, the TLIG Association in Monterrey was subject to attacks and persecutions, before, during and after the Retreat. But they all persevered with faith, not looking left or right, but only into Our Lord's Eyes, as Jesus Himself has taught us.
Vassula with the organizers of the Monterrey retreat
"accuse not your persecutors so that I will not judge you too in the Day of Judgement; soul-of-My-Passion, I, the Lord, am showing you the steps I have taken for My Passion; since you are serving Me, you must follow Me; what do you want Me to say: "follow Me but not in My Footprints?" this cannot be, whoever serves Me will follow My Blood-stained Footprints ..."June 3, 1993
One more time, Our Triune God showed His Glory and triumphed over the enemy, giving us the gift of a wonderfully spiritual Retreat, which left us filled with joy, renewed our faith, and enticed us to read (or re-read) the Messages, but above all, to LIVE the Messages!
Blessed be Our Lord! Blessed be His Name Thrice Holy! Blessed be Our Holy Mother who protects these Messages!