July 28, 2003 

"Intercession Becomes a Lifestyle"

Intercession becomes our way of life.  It becomes our lifestyle.  We have given our yes to God: "Here I am.  Use me in any way You want to use me."  We will be used as a burden bearer because of our willingness to be used so that His love can reach out to a soul and bring it to salvation.  God will do His part by pouring out His love upon us in abundance, showering us with the graces we will need to persevere and carry this burden, just as He did upon Jesus.  We can trust God-we know that He will be with us.  We just give our perpetual yes and let the Lord pace us.  He won't let us become overextended.  If we are checking things out with God, God will see that we are in intercession only when He wants us in intercession. There will be days or even weeks when we will not be in any burden-bearing intercession.  We do not intercede at this level every day.  We may intercede every day for a week or two and then God will pull us back to rest.  Resting with God is key.  We rest in His love and get recreated ourselves and become even more effective instruments of His love.  God believes in rest; He even rested, so we are to rest with Him.  This rest is where we get renewed. 

At this level of love, we are entering into the redemptive Baptism of Jesus.  This is where the Spirit will lead us.  The Little Flower said the way of faith is the way of the Cross.  It's a suffering path.  It's strewn with beautiful roses, but all roses have a few thorns.  When we get that grace for someone else and the transference lifts, there is just no joy like it!  Through our prayers, the person or situation will always get the grace that's needed, but the grace may not always be accepted.

God will give us His plan.  When things get overwhelming, He'll dig us out.  He'll show us how to delegate, how to appoint.  He'll bring forth other people to pray.  He's got friends out there!  When I was being called out of the cloister, I said to the Lord, "But Lord, I don't know anybody out there.  Who's going to help me with all this?"  He said, "I've got friends out there, Nadine.  Not your friends, but My friends."  We have to trust that.

Excerpt from Mother Nadine's Interceding with Jesus