As usual Ruben opened wearing his prayer shawl (tallit) and prayed: Father, I thank You for those who would listen by faith, and that would embrace the message more than ever.
I was summoned. The angel came to me early this morning, touched me on the shoulder and said, "You're summoned." There I go, happy, joyful and excited! Climbing the steps feels like a joyous laughter and excitement in my spirit. Then comes the aroma. Thank you. Thank you, I tell the angel. He says, "You know the routine. Here's your bench, let me help you with this robe and someone will be with you."
So I always stand on the bench so I can see the view all around me, a view that's so exciting yet hard to share, to put into words. How the people greet one another with such love, and it never changes how they embrace with such joy, and their laughter. It seems they sense something because there is an even greater unity among them, and I see it everywhere I turn. To my right the children are also embracing and looking at each other with so much love. I just thank You, Father for these beautiful children.
Then to my left I see someone coming on the path. Before I know it the person is before me. I look at her and I don't know who she is. She says, "My son, let's sit. Let me talk to you. I am Myra. I am the mother of Mary. I am the mother of Mary, Jesus' mother. Let me share with you about belief. Because when I saw my own daughter talking to someone, but there was only a light, no one I could see; I thought she was losing her mind, but she was talking to an angel.
"Believe? What can you say. Belief has to come from within you, an embrace. How we get tested day in and day out about our faith in believing. How do we embrace believing? How much longer can we wait as we're tested in our faith and how we believe? It is something isn't it, to believe that my own daughter talked to an angel, and the angel instructed her what to do. Amazing! And when she went to see my cousin Elizabeth, I just went with the flow, trying to understand by faith that she knew what she was doing because she was being led. Because the angel had said that Elizabeth was already pregnant, but how can that be?! Do we believe? Can we have that faith? She was beyond her years.
"But we ask about belief. We try to understand about belief. I know what you go through as well. Do they believe? Get this; then to find out that my own daughter is pregnant? How can this be? Can we believe that? That maybe she's been with another man? Is that how gossip starts? Or do we believe because we know in our hearts, yes, that what my daughter is saying is coming from Heaven. Not by man or woman in the earth, but from Heaven. Can we believe?
"So I want you to just continue to believe. Continue to be strong. Like I was. Like Joseph was. Like my daughter, Mary. Be strong. Be strong. Let me embrace you, give to you part of me; of my faith, and I will see you again."
Read: Luke Chapter 1
For The Journey and Ruben,
Judy