Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Tuesday, 19 March 2002

JOSEPH AND I (MARY) BLESS YOU ALL

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Happy Feastday in honour of St. Joseph! The weather is just super too! The sun is shining in all its glory and there is hardly any wind. I visited the Manor yesterday for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and to visit with my mother. She is doing well and attended the Mass with a good number of the others. A large number though are sick and in bed. The flu is around these days. I also visited the hospital in the afternoon. There are many sick people there I know.

In my prayer this morning, I was with Jesus who took me to visit Our Mother and Saint Joseph was there. Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, you are mine, and I love you. Let us go and visit my parents on this great feastday." I agreed and Jesus brought me to to Our Lady's home. Our Lady welcomed us saying, "Greetings Jesus and Melvin on Joseph's Feastday. Joseph is here with us." Jesus and I greeted Our Lady. Jesus then greeted St. Joseph saying, "Happy Feastday Dad and thank you for your fatherly care when I was growing up." After my greeting, Saint Joseph spoke to us in these words, "I thank you all for your greetings and best wishes on my feastday. Jesus, you are my joy. How many times I held you on my knees when you were young. I love you as my very own son. God the Father chose me to be the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to take care of you, Jesus, His precious Son. My fatherly love goes to you too, Melvin, and to all God's children. I always pray for you all that you receive the graces you need to live a life completely dedicated to the Lord. Have faith in Jesus, your Saviour, and love Him with all your heart." At the end Our Lady spoke saying, "My dear children celebrate today, this holy feast, in honour of my dear husband, Joseph. Imitate his great faith and his deep love for Jesus. Ask him for prayers for you and for all who suffer. He is your patron saint. Joseph and I bless you all."

There is great joy in heaven today as all are celebrating the feastday of St. Joseph. He played a great role in the life of Our Lord and Our Lady. God chose him to care for the two most holy persons to live on earth. He was very obedient to the Father, doing everything that the angels told him. He had his share of suffering as he had to take Our Lady and the infant Jesus to Egypt, a foreign land and live there for some years. His task was to protect them and he did it very well. He was a strong man with a heart of gold. All men should imitate this great fatherly figure. My first name is Joseph, and I feel honoured to be called after the foster father of Jesus. Let us call on St. Joseph to pray for us that we will be devoted to Jesus as he was. St. Joseph is also the Patron Saint of the universal church, and chief patron of the church in Canada. We should all have a great devotion to him.

I will soon have to leave for Palmer Road Church for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist for St. Joseph's feast. This evening I will meet in our small Christian community for the last meeting for now.

May Saint Joseph pray for us all. May Jesus fill our hearts with joy today on Saint Joseph's feast.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Monday, 18 March 2002

FOLLOW JESUS

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Good morning! The Lord is giving us another beautiful day with the sun shining brightly in a cloudless sky. Much of the snow will disappear today. I had a busy day yesterday, with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Miminegash and Palmer Road Churches in the morning and the Way of the Cross, and confessions for a group of youth in the evening. Today now, I will go to the Manor to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with the residents including my mother. She had a good winter so far. She was not sick at all. She still walks a great deal along the corridors and she is always happy and joyful.

In my prayer this morning, I was with Jesus who took me to visit Our Heavenly Father. Jesus began by saying, "Melvin, I am Jesus, I love you. Let us go and visit Our Father in heaven." He took me to the Father's throne and I knelt in adoration before Him. The Father spoke saying, "Jesus and Melvin, I welcome you and bless you. Come and sit near me. Jesus, your eternal sacrifice is always before me. I thank you for your love and your obedience. Melvin, my son, Jesus brought you here to visit me. I love you and I take care of you every day. Holy Week is very near. You will follow Jesus in His suffering and death. It was out of love that Jesus suffered the passion and died a cruel death on the cross. By this great sacrifice, He destroyed sin and brought you all close to me as my beloved children. I call you all, to believe in Him and to be washed in His blood. My heart is sad that so many have rejected Jesus and the salvation He brought. These live in darkness and far from me. They are bringing havoc upon the world and upon themselves. Pray, my dear children, for their conversion. The world is awash with sin, committed by hardened sinners who refuse to repent. I do not want their death, though, but that they repent and turn to me. Follow Jesus, my dear ones, for He is your Saviour. I bless you all."

Our Heavenly Father loves us with all His Heart. He calls us, His Children, to be close to Him. He is ready to forgive us our sins if we repent and come to Him. Yet He is saddened by the cold hearts of so many people who reject Him and continue their life of sin. The Father calls us to pray for them that they may be converted, for He wants all to be saved. He wants us to follow Jesus especially during Holy Week when He offers His eternal sacrifice to the Father on our behalf. Let us be united to Him in prayer and in action.

May the Lord impress on our hearts the malice of sin, and give us the grace to avoid sin in the future.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Sunday, 17 March 2002

I AM CALLING YOU TO BE FREE

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Good morning on this perfect day! The sun is shining bright and there are no clouds in the sky. Thank you St. Patrick for this lovely day.

During my contemplative prayer with Jesus this morning, He spoke to me saying, "Melvin, I love you. I am the Risen One who suffered a cruel passion and died on the cross but on the third day I came back to life. I am your example and your strength that you too may conquer evil and death and be united with me forever. Many people live in a prison of despair, fear, loneliness and darkness. They suffer much trapped in this prison with the feeling that there is no way out. They are wrong. I have the key to let them out, if they would turn to me. Did I not say 'I am the Resurrection and the life.' I can break every chain and bring you freedom if you believe in me with all your heart. For many today faith is weak and full of doubts. Come to me in prayer and I will strengthen your faith and your love. Accept me, as your Liberator from sin and imprisonment. I will save you from the clutches of the evil one and you will live in the light. My dear friends, I paid the price for your sins, so come to me and I will free you. I want you with me, living already today the freedom of the children of God. Let me in your heart for I am your friend. Let us live in close union through prayer and good works. I am calling you to be free. I love you."

What a wonderful message from the Lord this morning! He is calling us out of our prisons to be free as He is. He is the only one who can free us. Doctors and pills can help us but they cannot cure us. Only Jesus can do this. As the Son of God He has the key to our freedom, but He requires faith from us. We have to accept Him as the Lord and Saviour and rely completely on Him. We should say often during the day the beautiful prayer: Jesus, I trust in you. Let us spend time with Jesus every day to express to Him our love and our dependence on Him. We can only be free in Him.

Let us be aware that the world and society are pulling us the other way, away from Him. Society to a great extend, is no longer Christian but pagan today. Christ is removed from our schools, our parliaments and our workplace. One can loose his or her job by just living as a Christian. So much of what is shown on TV is immoral, and the magazines are no better. We have to discern today what we will watch on our screens and what we intend to read. We really need the grace of God to live free in a world imprisoned by all this filth. We need the Church and the sacraments in order to remain strong.

I will soon leave for Miminegash for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and at 11:00 I will be at Palmer Road for a second celebration.

May the Lord bless you all and free you from any and every imprisonment.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Saturday, 16 March 2002

He is your Lord and Saviour

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Good morning! More snow fell overnight and the plow had to come and clear the roads this morning. We should get rain today so most of the snow should be gone by this evening. I had the Way of the Cross and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at Palmer Road Church last evening.

In my prayer this morning Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, my brother, I love you. Let me take you to visit Our Mother today, Saturday, the day dedicated to her." I accepted with joy an Jesus brought me to her home. She greeted us saying, "Jesus and Melvin greetings and welcome! Let us sit here around this table. Jesus, my Son, I love you. You are the great joy of my heart! Melvin, my priest-son and Jesus' friend, I love you. We will soon relive the painful days of our Redemption. Every year I relive with great emotions my meeting with Jesus carrying His cross. He was covered with blood and He looked very weak. My martyrdom was at the foot of the cross, to see my Son dying in such torments with nails in His hands and feet and to see the blood flowing from these wounds. Yes, a sword pierced my soul that day. My motherly heart was united with His for the salvation of the world. I knew that my Son, Jesus, had offered His life to take away the sins of the world. What pain filled my heart as I held the body of my lifeless Son, killed to wash away all sins. Come my children and let Jesus wash you in His blood. Become His friend and live in Him. He is your Lord and Saviour. I love you all."

As Holy Week is approaching, Our Lady makes us aware what she suffered during those days. She, who was without sin, suffered together with Her Son, Jesus, for all our sins. Her intense suffering for us is the reason that Jesus gave her to us to be our Mother too. Let us go to her in all our needs, and she will always listen to us and intercede before her Son on our behalf. She always points to Jesus and today she tells us that He is Our Lord and Saviour. Let us put all our trust in Him and stop worry- ing about the future. He will take care of us. Our Lady loves the rosary and she wants us to pray the rosary every day. It is a powerful prayer to obtain for us the graces we need, and to bring peace to our troubled world.

I will celebrate the Holy Eucharist this evening at Palmer Road, and twice tomorrow. The Parish Priest will be back from Ottawa on Wednesday.

May Jesus, Our Saviour, and Mary, Our Mother, bless us all and help us live in union with them today.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Friday, 15 March 2002

COME FOLLOW ME

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,
Dear Marie,

Good morning on this windy Friday! The sun is shining bright although it is cold. I was at Miminegash last evening for the Way of the Cross and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. A good group of people attended. I had to rush home afterwards for the Small Christian Community meeting.

Jesus spoke to me during my prayer this morning. He began by saying, "Melvin, my friend, I am suffering for you. I am continuing my way of the cross. Come near to me and help me carry my heavy cross. What pains me more than anything else, is the knowledge that many will refuse to believe in me as their Saviour. My heart goes out to them to reconsider before it is too late for I love them all. I know many will come and accept me as their Redeemer and live as my friends. It is for all of you that I suffer and die so that you will win pardon for your offenses. Melvin, I am in great torments for today's world. Let all know that I am being tortured for them. I suffer for those who reject me, live in sin and are involved in the occult, witchcraft and the worship of the devil. I am crushed by the sin of hatred, sexual sins and pride. I am cut off from the land of the living, and smitten for the sin of my people. A grave is prepared for me although I have done no wrong. I suffer for you all because I love you. Come follow me."

Jesus agonizes over the world of today. He suffers for us so that our sins may be taken away and that we may live only for Him. He calls everyone to Himself for He loves us all. He suffers too because of the injustices in the world, the wars and the killings in so many countries and the hatred among His brothers and sisters. Many of the youth too are lost and move aimlessly as in a daze. The Lord loves them all and He will show them the way if they come and follow Him. Let us spend time with Jesus in His Passion today. He wants us near His cross so that He can wash us all clean. He is our life, our Saviour and our light. Let us accept Him and begin to live in freedom as the children of the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit.

May the Lord increase our faith, hope and love. May we commit ourselves to Jesus to follow Him always.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Thursday, 14 March 2002

I will draw all to myself

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends, Greetings on this Thursday morning! It rained overnight and the snow we got is almost all gone. It is now clearing and the sun should come out later on. I celebrated the Holy Eucharist at Alberton yesterday and I was at Tignish in the evening for the children. I managed to attend the prayer meeting at 8:00 PM. Many shared on how the Lord is always ready to help us if we trust Him.

In prayer, I was with Jesus in His Passion. He spoke to me saying, "Melvin, my brother, I have fallen with the cross, come and help me to get up. I am so weak from the loss of blood that I fainted. I have to carry too, the heavy load of the cross. I will not die now till all is accomplished. My knees hurt for they are bruised from falling on these cobblestones. I can hardly see anything because of the blood in my eyes from the wounds made by the crown of thorns. Every muscle in my body aches as the result of the beating I received. Come, hold my arm that I may get up on my feet. Melvin, I am suffering all this for you and for all my brothers and sisters. I am carrying all your sins and I am going to pay the price for them by dying on the cross. Continue to hold my arm to steady me and lead me along the way I should go. I am a worm and no man, despised by the people, a man of suffering, and crushed because of your sins. It is through my suffering that you are healed, that you are made whole. I am condemned to die and treated harshly so I can redeem you. I have done no wrong, yet I am crushed, but I willingly offer my life for the salvation of you all. When I am raised on high I will draw all to myself. I love you all. I am on my way to die for you."

My heart was breaking as Jesus spoke to me this morning. What terrible suffering Jesus went through for you and me! He willingly went to the cross so that we could have life, His life. Jesus quotes many sayings about Himself from chapter 53 of the Prophet Isaiah. In this way He identifies Himself with the suffering servant. The greatest symbol of our redemption is the cross on which the Saviour died. No Christian should ever be ashamed of the cross. I propose that this summer we all have a large cross made, and have it displayed in our front yard. It should be lit up at night for all to see. Let us bring back the symbol of our faith to counter the materialistic and hedonistic culture we live in. Let us publicly admit that we are Christians.

I will go to Miminegash this evening for the Way of the Cross and the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. I will end the day with our Small Christian Community meeting at 7:30 PM.

Money is still coming in for Justin-Louis Adzi's airplane ticket for the World Youth Day in Toronto. The amount is now $1,300 Canadian dollars which is nearly 30% of the total. I thank all those who have sent money lately.

May the Lord bless us all and give us a humble heart to repent of our sins.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Wednesday, 13 March 2002

COME AND CONSOLE MY HEART TODAY

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Good morning as winter takes hold again! The ground is covered with about an inch of snow and more is coming down. I suppose this new snow will disappear in a few days. I had a busy day yesterday ending at Tignish with the young people.

In my half hour of prayer today, Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, I love you. My heart is heavy as we meet again in the desert. Do you remember when I wept over Jerusalem because the people would not accept me. Today, I am weeping for the world. It is my love for all the people that causes this sadness. I have called the people so many times to repent and follow me but they turned their heads and refused to listen. Their hearts are like stone for they are cold towards me. There are some, a small number, who are my friends. They console my heart. You are my friends if you listen to me and remain in my love. Our Father in heaven has been offended enough by the sins and abominations of so many people. Great suffering is in store for the world if the people do not repent. My dear friends, make reparations for the insults and atrocities committed against Him. Fast and pray for this period of suffering is upon the world now. Remember, I will never abandon you, my people. I love you all for you are my family. My mother and I are your refuge. She will bring you all to me. Do not be afraid for with me you are safe. Submit yourselves totally to me and keep your eyes on me. I will show you the way. Come and console my heart today. I love you and bless you."

Jesus, in His message this morning, refers to Luke 19, 41-44, His lament over Jerusalem. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and today He is weeping over the world. However, He loves His friends, His family as He calls them. We are to take refuge in His Heart and in the heart of His Blessed Mother. There we know we will be safe. He does not want us to be afraid but let us find peace with Him. He wants us to submit completely to Him and to fast and pray every day. Our call is to console His Heart, so bruised by the insults and sins of so many cold hearts. Let us keep Him company today.

I will be in Alberton this morning at 10:00 for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the Philip's residence. This evening I will be back at Tignish for the young and I hope to be at the prayer meeting at Palmer Road by 8:00 PM.

May we unite our heart to Jesus' Heart and live in close union with Him today and every day.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Tuesday, 12 March 2002

I AM ALWAYS READY TO FORGIVE YOU

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Greetings on this beautiful sunny morning with hardly any wind. What a change from the cold and the wind of yesterday! Very few went to the graveside yesterday for Gerald Doucette's burial as it was so cold. We had most of the prayers that are normally said at the grave in the church. In the afternoon I was at the Manor for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist with many of the residents there. In the evening I gave a talk to the members of the CWL and about 20 were present.

In my prayer today Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, my companion and friend, I love you. We are still in the desert, just the two of us, in a heart to heart talk. The season of Lent is a time for repentance. You know that you are all sinners. You will remember the Gospel story of the woman caught in adultery. The people brought her to me to get my blessing to stone her to death. I told them that the one without sin should throw the first stone. They found that they were all sinners. So, they went away and left me alone with the woman. I forgave her sin and told her to sin no more. The sooner that you recognize that you are a sinner, the better grounded in reality you will be. Bad habits are so ingrained that it takes a long time to weed them out. You need my help to do so. Take the time to repent of your sins and to break with sin. You need to pray for the gift of repentance, to be truly sorry for what you have done to me and go to confession for my absolution given to you by my priest. It is important too to fast in order to keep your body under control and to submit yourself to me. I am always ready to forgive you if you have sorrow for your sins. I bless you all."

Sometimes it is difficult to face the truth. We try to avoid it because it hurts. Today Jesus makes us face a truth that is very important. The truth is that we are sinners. That's the reason why Jesus had to die for us: to redeem us from our sins. Without the sacrifice of Our Lord on the cross, we would never be able to attain heaven for we would remain in our sins. Jesus paid the price for our offenses against God and if we are truly sorry for our sins, He removes them from us. We began our period of Lent with the words: Repent and believe the Good News. It is Jesus who is calling us to repent of our sins.

I will celebrate the Holy Eucharist at Palmer Road Church at 10:00 this morning and this evening I will be at Tignish Church with the children to prepare their hearts for Easter.

May the Lord open our eyes to see ourselves as He sees us. May He forgive us our sins and give us the grace to follow Him better in the future.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Monday, 11 March 2002

GIVE ME YOUR HEART

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,
Dear Marie,

Good morning! It is cloudy and windy and cold today. Yesterday it was so mild that almost all the snow melted. I had the two Masses yesterday and I was in Alberton for confessions last evening. I'll have another busy day today.

I was with Jesus in prayer this morning. He spoke to me saying, "Melvin, my friend, I love you. Our friendship gives meaning to your life and brings joy to your heart. Without me your life would be empty and you would feel lost. Many are living apart from me and they do not know why they have no desire to live. Their days are so tasteless and they complain about everything. My dear brothers and sisters, if you experience such heaviness, you need a new direction in your life. I am the only one who can give you that direction. Become earnest in searching for me. I am not difficult to find for I am always near to you. Call on me and I will hear you. Let us make a covenant together. I will live in your heart if you begin a loving relationship with me. I will bring you my peace and my joy if you spend time with me every day. I will change your life around and bring you fulfillment. Surrender to me and cooperate with the graces I give you. I am calling every person to take this step towards me. You will never be alone for I will be with you. I died so that you could be my friend redeemed in my blood. My life I gave for you, now give me your heart. I bless you."

Wars and fighting especially in the Middle East is taking place every day. So many people are killed in this senseless spiral of hatred. God calls them all His children and they are all Jesus' brothers and sisters. They should live in love and harmony. They show us that they are far from God. Jesus calls us this morning to open our heart to Him and He will make His home there. In all our sorrows and sicknesses, let us surrender ourselves to Jesus and place all our troubles and sorrows on His shoulders and He will carry them for us. He tells us that He died for each one of us so that we could be His friends. Let us wake up to the reality that Jesus is with us and His hand is extended to each one of us. Let us take hold of it and open ourselves to Him. He will bring us new life for He is life itself. Once we have Him nothing else is important. He will guide us with His light.

I will lead the funeral liturgy this morning at 10:00 for Gerald Dou- cette, a distant cousin. At 1:30 PM, I will celebrate the Holy Eucharist at the Manor with the Catholic residents there and in the evening I will give a talk to the CWL of Tignish Parish. This should keep me out of mischief today.

May the Lord bring us close to Him and help us to build a loving relationship with Him.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Sunday, 10 March 2002

REMAIN ALWAYS IN MY LOVE

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Greetings on this wet Sunday morning! It snowed yesterday, then we had sleet and at the end it turned to rain. Most of the snow is gone already and it is very mild now. I was at the Manor last evening for the birth- day party for my mother. There was a birthday cake with ice cream and something to drink and she enjoyed herself very much. She is now 87 years of age. She thanks all those who sent greetings.

In my prayer this morning, I was with Jesus who spoke saying, "Melvin, I embrace you, I love you. I live in your heart for I am your friend. Long ago the Father gave the ten commandments to Moses in the desert. He asked the Jewish people to follow them if they wished to be His people. I also confirm these commandments for the Christian people. You cannot be a follower of mine without following all the commandments. It is in following them that you show me that you love me. I do not want you to confess me with your lips only, but also by your deeds. The first three commandments concern your relationship with God and the last seven concerns your relationship with your neighbour. I summed them up in these words: love God and love your neighbour. You cannot keep the commandments without my help. I am always ready to give you the grace you need to follow them. Cooperate daily with this grace. If you do fail to keep them, come to me, repent of your sin and I will forgive you. I am your brother who leads you if you allow me. Remain always in my love. I bless you all."

Jesus shows us this morning the role of the ten commandments in our lives. All Christians are called to follow them. The more we conform our lives to them, the greater our love for the Lord. It is not those who say: Lord, Lord, who will be saved but those who do the will of the Father. We often say that actions speak louder than words. This is what Jesus is telling us today. Many people say they love God but they do not go to Church, live common law and carry resentment in their hearts for years. Our lives must conform to the will of God for us. He offers us the graces we need. Let us make use of them.

I will celebrate the Holy Eucharist this morning at Miminegash at 9:00 and Palmer Road Church at 11:00. I will also be at Alberton for confes- sions this evening.

May the Lord strengthen you in your resolve to follow Him.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Saturday, 09 March 2002

COME CLOSE TO JESUS AND TO ME

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Greetings on this snowy morning! The ground is all white again but not much just like a thin coat of paint. When the sun comes out again it will be all gone. I had the Way of the Cross last evening at Palmer Road Church and it was followed by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. A good group of people attended.

In my 30 minutes of contemplative prayer this morning, I was with Jesus and Our Mother Mary. Jesus began to speak saying, "Melvin, I love you. Let us go and visit Our Mother this morning." I said "yes" and Jesus brought me to her home. Our Lady greeted us saying, "Welcome and greetings, Jesus and Melvin. I embrace you both. My joy is complete at receiving your visit. Let us sit down here in this room. Jesus, my beloved Son, I always look forward to receive a visit from you. Melvin, my priest son and Jesus' friend, I welcome you to your mother's home. I love all my children and I always pray for all of them. Jesus gave all the people to be my children when I stood at the foot of the cross and it was just moments before He died. At this time I was in great suffer- ing as I saw my Son in such agony. Blood was pouring from His many wounds. My heart was breaking for love of Him. Without the grace of God I would have died there at the foot of the cross. Indeed a sword had pierced my heart, a sword of pain and suffering. That love which I have for my Son, Jesus, I have too for each one of you. I suffer with you when you are in pain or are sick. I am always with you to help you. My greatest suffering, though, is when you sin and offend God. Sin is like a slap in the face of God. Repent of your sins now. Love Jesus and follow Him every day. Change your ways and come close to Him and to me. I love you all."

Our Lady never forgets her children who are living here in this world. She became our Mother at the foot of the cross as she tells us today. Her sufferings united with her dying Son was like a martyrdom to her. This is what the sword refers to in the prophecy of Simeon in the temple. Today Our Blessed Mother speaks a bit of that martyrdom of hers. Because of this suffering, Jesus made her the Mother of us all. As Our Mother, she loves us as she loves her dear Son, Jesus. She reveals today her great suffering when we, her children, commit sin. She calls us to repentance and to follow Jesus. She always points to Him for He is the Redeemer of us all.

I will celebrate the Holy Eucharist this afternoon at 4:00 PM and I will go to my mother's 87th birthday party in the evening. Let us show our love today to Jesus, Our Lord, and Mary, Our Mother. Let us not forget to pray the rosary every day, the prayer so loved by Our Lady.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Friday, 08 March 2002

WALK AT MY SIDE

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Greetings on this sunny Friday morning! I attended the small Christian Community meeting last evening. We shared on the texts of this Sunday's readings especially the story of the man born blind. We also prayed for all those who asked for prayers and for peace in the world.

As it is Friday, I was with Jesus in His Passion during my prayer. He began by saying, "Melvin, my brother, join me as I suffer for you. I am carrying the heavy cross weighed down because of your sins and those of the whole world. Help me to carry the cross. It is the instrument of cruelty on which I will be nailed. I will hang on it till death. Today I wish to pass before your eyes and the eyes of every person in the world to remind you all that I paid the price for your sins. Look at me the Son of Almighty God and Father, wearing a crown of thorns and beaten with whips. I am bleeding from every part of my body and now I have to carry this huge cross. I am innocent of every sin yet look what your sins have done to me. You have condemned me to die a terrible death although I have done nothing wrong. The people have rejected me and it was their delight to shout, "Crucify him, crucify him." Yet I freely chose to die for you to wipe away your sins. I am about to die instead of you because I love you. I want you all to come out of the darkness into the light, my light. With my Passion and death, I am breaking down the barriers between you and me. Leave the filth of your sins at my cross and receive my life, my grace. Let us be friends loving one another. Walk at my side. I bless you all."

During my prayer I accompanied Jesus on the Way of the Cross. I felt His pain and His fatigue. Yet He thought only of us. His great desire is to redeem us from our sins. It is only love for us that is pushing Him along hoping that by His sacrifice on the Cross we will all be His close friends. He wants to pass before us today carrying His cross so that we will realize the tremendous act He has done for us. Jesus is the Son of God equal to the Father, yet He is treated as a criminal and killed. He turns the sentence imposed on Him around by choosing to die for us and open the way for our close union with God. He is our mediator, our Saviour. Let us open our hearts to Him and show Him how we love Him. Let us break our ties with sin and walk with Him as His friends. He is the Lord and He will renew us and the whole world.

The Parish Priest of Palmer Road is taking some days off and I will replace him while he is away. I will lead the Way of the Cross this evening and it will be followed by the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

I especially wish to thank the two ladies who translate these messages into Spanish and Polish. I pray that the books will also be translated into these languages. I asked the Lord to help find other people to translate the messages into other languages. May the suffering Jesus bring us all close to His Heart and wash us clean of sin in His blood.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island
C0B 2B0 Canada

Thursday, 07 March 2002

I WILL GIVE YOU MY PEACE EVERY DAY

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,

Good morning! We have another beautiful sunny day. It is mild and calm too. I was at the prayer meeting last night with about 50 people in attendance. It was an hour of prayer and praise with great participation and lively music.

In my half hour of contemplative prayer this morning, Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, I love you my brother. I have been waiting for you here in the desert. Your visits are a great joy to me. It is so easy, my friends, to be depressed and feel sorry for yourself. At times things go wrong even if you put your heart in doing them right. A person can feel alone and vulnerable at those times. At such occasions the tendency is to turn in on oneself and see only darkness. The evil one loves to see you like this and he will suggest to you that I do not care for you and the best thing for you is to get rid of me. Be alert and see that such a temptation is diabolic. If you fall into the trap, your life will be more and more miserable. Don't give in to the tempter but know that I am not the cause of your depression and darkness. I am the only one who can take those things away and bring you peace and light. Whenever this depression or darkness comes upon you, stir up your faith and come to me and enter my heart and you will be refreshed. You cannot chase this darkness away by your own power but it is easy with my help. Enter into prayer and submit to me and I will lift the darkness. Come every day to me in prayer and I will give you my peace. I bless you."

It does not take much at times to feel depressed and dejected. Darkness can invade our heart at any time. We say sometimes that we are having a bad day. Our tendency is to blame the Lord for this state of our soul but the truth is He had nothing to do with it. He does not cause us to suffer or to be sick. He can, however, help us to get out of this rut if we turn to Him. We only have to take a few minutes in prayer to focus on Him and praise Him. We ask Him for His help and let His love come over us and peace will return. It calls for faith, strong faith in Him. If we are in the habit of praying every day, then it will be easier to take these few minutes with Him when our day is not going well. If we do not turn to Him, the evil one will use our condition to darken it even more. Let us not give the devil an opportunity by turning to Jesus as soon as possible. We pray at the end of the "Our Father" these words "lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." The Lord will do this for us if we turn to Him.

We will have our small Christian Community meeting this evening. We meet about 12 people every week and read the readings of the coming Sunday and spend time sharing on how they impact our lives. Again I thank all those who sent money for Justin's air ticket so he can attend the World Youth Day in Toronto in July. I have now received $1,030.00 Canadian dollars and I have been promised another $120.00. That is about 25% of the money needed.

May the Lord help us to rely on Him more every day and always say "no" to any temptation. Jesus loves you all.

Father Melvin

Father Melvin Doucette
Palmer Road North, R.R. 2,
Tignish, Prince Edward Island C0B 2B0 Canada

Wednesday, 06 March 2002

I WANT YOU CLOSE TO ME

Dear Paul, Rita and Friends,
Good morning! What a beautiful day again! The sun is shining bright in an almost cloudless sky. I was at the cenacle last evening and the numbers are slowly growing. It takes time for people to commit them- selves to meeting every week.

In prayer early this morning, Jesus spoke to me saying, "Melvin, you are my friend. I love you. Let us sit here in the desert with the bright sun warming our backs. More and more people every day are turning to me and opening their hearts to me. They are awakening from a deep sleep as it were. Their faith begins to grow and their hearts are on fire for me. They have found this NEW LIFE. My people, my friends, the door to my heart is always opened. Come to me, I will never turn you away. Come to me with your burdens, your worries and your pain and leave them all with me. Lift up your head for your new life with me has begun. I make all things new through the Holy Spirit. My dear friends, you are unable to move forward because of your doubts. The evil one would like you to turn away from me and make you believe that I do not care for you. Do not believe him but come and know that I am your Saviour who died and rose again. Exercise your faith to believe in me and accept me with all your heart. Read the Bible especially the Gospels in order to come to know me intimately. I want you close to me for I want a close relationship with you. I love you."

Jesus continues to meet me in the desert where He spent 40 days at the beginning of His public life. It is there in the desert that He speaks to my heart. He speaks of "new life" which is the life of God within us. In fact this is the new life Jesus won for us by His suffering and death on the cross. He gives us this new life if we believe in Him. So many people have doubts today about Jesus and the salvation He brought us. We are too bound to the material world that we cannot accept the spiritual world. We have to make the leap of faith and accept that there is a God who created everything and who is in charge. God has made Himself known to us and we are called to believe in His word addressed to us. Jesus is the Son of God who lived among us here on earth and has redeemed us. Let us submit completely to Him and live in union with Him. In this way we will have this New Life which He gives to all His friends.

I will soon leave for Alberton for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM at a residence for Seniors. This evening I will attend the prayer meeting at Palmer Road Church.

Let us pray that more and more people come to accept Jesus as their friend and have a close relationship with Him.

Father Melvin