There is a feeling among many in Christian circles that it is the ‘last hour’ and that some pretty big changes are coming. This feeling is partly a reflection of concern over the levels of evil, sin, despair and chaos in our world. However, it is also a response to many purported ‘visionaries’ such as ‘Jennifer’ (especially newly released messages I found after preparing this writing) in our time with words of divine warning.
Indeed, change is constant – inevitable. However, many roll along with the constant drum of life without giving much thought to where it is all going, or that it will all end one day. Few are those who stop to ponder what awaits at the end of life here on earth. Many are the distractions and amusements that guarantee we do not have time to stop and think about it. Who wants to think about death?
For those who take the time to stop and consider the serious questions, though, the rewards are boundless. Cultivating an appreciation for life, for good, for faith, for God and for neighbour – facing the inevitability of death head on and choosing to live with love in the meantime – is a surefire way to truly live. The choice to love is with us in each and every moment of every day. That’s the good news! Failure in one moment to act with love is inevitably replaced by another opportunity to practice virtue and choose good; replaced by another moment in which one can say sorry; replaced by another moment when one can make amends. And another, and another…Moment after moment pass through our lives like a kaleidoscope – weaving our individual histories.
The bad news is that it is so easy to watch the pretty colours twisting and turning in the kaleidoscope of our lives without reflection on the moments when our choices were not so good; when our choices were not loving; when our choices hurt others; when our choices were downright sinful. The bad news is that sooner or later the turn of the kaleidoscope is one click away from the last colour shifting into place. Are you ready for that last frame?
I know that this is a tough reflection. Brutal in fact. I have to say though, that I would rather be a little brutal here, while you’re reading this, and have you a little more prepared for your encounter with death and the life to come, than have you blithely marching through the hourglass of your life and have that moment catch you unprepared. Personally, this reflection fell into place in the kaleidoscope of my life in a more dramatic way because of a vivid dream recently. I already go to confession – that common (or not so common!) Catholic practice – regularly, but the second dream I will share gave me a little impetus to get myself in there again. I, personally, do not want the last frame of pretty colour to catch me off guard.
Before I share this theological dream experience, I share with you an older dream that happened to be the next in line for the chronological sharing of disconcerting ‘warning’ type dreams (which will be done under the State of Chaos series) I have been experiencing over the past several years. I believe these two, joined together, will give a little impetus to each of you individually to examine your consciences and truly assess your preparedness for your accounting to God of your spiritual journey on earth – your life.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2003 APPROX 3:55 A.M.
Dreamt I was in my childhood home with an old friend from high school. (Her name means ‘man’). We heard there was a reunion dance coming in the next few days. It was last minute and a surprise – very unexpected.
I was eager to go. I was sitting at the kitchen table talking to my friend – ‘man’, when another couple called to see if I was going. They wanted my husband and I to go, as well as my friend. The friends’ names in the dream mean ‘From the Royal Fortress God has been gracious’. I also wanted everyone to go together to this reunion. As we were discussing this we heard a noise outside. At this point I noticed a man was standing in the kitchen with the oven door open.
We all went outside to investigate the noise. We saw that a special garbage truck had been ordered to remove a huge amount of garbage from my neighbour’s house. We were very surprised – it was the middle of the night. This was not a regular garbage pick up. It had been ordered by a special company to make a special run – in the middle of the night – to remove this garbage. The truck was piled high after it left my neighbour’s house. Then we saw the truck drive around the neighbourhood and stop at another neighbour’s house and make a special stop to pick up their garbage, as ordered by a very unusual special order in a sudden way in the middle of the night – catching everyone unprepared.
As the friend (‘man’) and I wondered at this point why this was being done the dream ended with the following sentence being spoken:
WOE to unrepentant cities!”
Needless to say this dream woke me with quite a start! Woe! Unrepentant cities? It does not take a genius to figure out that this is not good. So I ask you: Are you one of those ‘unrepentant cities’? One does not necessarily have to be Catholic to repent of unloving choices – although I personally believe there are unparalleled graces in the confessional. Believe deeply that your choices, good and bad, have great meaning and consequence! Stop now and listen to the uneasiness in your heart that may be lurking underneath your busyness and say sorry to God. Then pray for the ones you know you have wronged. It is a powerful way to make amends, even if you cannot personally heal the hurt of the other.
As is customary for me when sitting down to prepare a writing, I begin with prayer. Especially if I am going to open my bible and choose a passage that ties into the spiritual dream experiences I plan to share. Today was no different. To my surprise the first page I opened to had the following passage from John smack in the middle:
Very truly I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; and he has given him authority to execute judgement, because he is the Son of Man. Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5: 25-29 -Holy Bible NRSV Catholic Edition)
This dream also called to mind the famous words of Jesus from Matthew 24:
But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field,; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.” (Matthew 24: 36-44 – Holy Bible NRSV Catholic Edition)
and:
For behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 4:1 – Holy Bible – Webster’s Bible Translation)
And so, without further ado I offer for your discernment a most recent dream experience of God:
FRIDAY MAY 14, 2010 APPROX 4:30 A.M.
I dreamt I was in my parents’ ensuite bathroom in my childhood home. I was standing in it with a friend. She wanted to show me a particular new moon which was going to shine bright in the sky at this time – she said that it was going to be able to be seen with the naked eye. She handed me a round magnifying glass to look through the bathroom window. She said to follow a pattern of stars to find it in the sky, which was full of billowing dark clouds.
I took the magnifying glass and looked carefully through the window – it was a little harder than looking through a regular window as it was one of those clouded or mottled bathroom windows – you know how they are usually manufactured that way for privacy. Anyway as I looked I saw a light shine in the sky that I thought was this moon she spoke of, but my attention then was immediately drawn powerfully to the billowing dark clouds.
I could see they were taking on a form or shape. I could see one hand form – the right one first – and then the second – the left. They were God’s hands. I recognized them immediately with great joy. They faced me/the earth and they were extended together toward the earth. I could only see the hands and a little of each forearm. They were formed out of dark cloud and they all of a sudden opened and closed in a beckoning, come forth (come here or come) motion.
As soon as they did this the vision changed and God’s hands disappeared and the still dark clouds parted. As this happened Jesus leapt forth from their midst – very eagerly – coming (almost running!) on/in the clouds – as if He was made of or part of the clouds. He was so eager! So swift! He leapt forth with great speed and eagerness as if He had been being held back, but no more. He was dressed in a long robe and his long, flowing, straight hair swung free.
This part of the dream was so vivid I have to say that it appeared as if He almost ran out of the clouds toward the earth as if He had been being held back by some force and now that God’s hands had done what they did it was His moment to spring free/forth to the earth. He had (by the way He appeared) been most eagerly poised and ready for this moment, and now that it had come, He sprang forth with such pent-up energy and swiftness it was almost like a spring shot that He darted forth toward the earth!
Then after He leapt from the clouds toward the earth, He was immediately followed by a succession of the original Apostles. I do not know in which order they leapt forth as I saw them following Jesus, but I KNEW it was the first apostles of Jesus. I only knew the last one as he leapt out of the clouds also (they also all seemed formed of these dark clouds). The last one to leap forth was Peter. As soon as he leapt forth from the clouds toward the earth and was in our sky he/his face turned to stone/rock for some reason.
I turned back excitedly to my friend and told her that I had seen much more than the new brightly shining moon. “I saw God’s hands!” I was so overjoyed. My heart leapt as well at the vision I had seen…
I leave you with the bible passage that this dream vision immediately made me think of. May this reflection be a source of spiritual encouragement and warning for you, in this your time of grace:
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven…”But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”
Karen
The Deliverance Ne†work 