My little Helper in Prayer

Dear Friends! I have been in Hungary for a few weeks now to spend some spring time here with friends and family, and I already have another beautiful divine sign to share with you. I pray a lot here too, especially the rosary. Something inside me spurs me to pray the rosary more than ever, and I do listen to this prompting without questioning it, as I know that there must be a reason I am told to connect with Mary in such a deep way now. The little Mary figures that have already unfolded from the candle wax twice for me are a wonderful sign that she is supporting me in my prayers and in fact, prays with me for the desire in my heart.

While I know that strong faith does not need signs, my fragile human heart is greatly comforted when I receive one. My patience and my strength in waiting for God and His miraculous interventions in my life is suddenly multiplied. At the same time, of course, I feel a bit ashamed: was my faith really this weak that signs of comfort needed to be sent to me to prop me up?

Only God knows, of course, why He decided to give me the grace of such beautiful manifestations of His love, and I with an undeserving heart take them and cherish them, and most of all listen to the encouraging message they bring: pray more; it is kairos time! Kairos time does not mean chronos time, which simply indicates time that passes and marks the beginnings and the ends of phases; rather, kairos time is stretegic time, the time when our prayers are the most effective. When we receive signs from God, it means that our prayers have gripped His heart and that He wants to give us what we are asking. However, His giving it to us does not come automatically, but it has to be released. In other words, God's intention is there, but our receiving what we desire is conditional: we have to release it through prayer. In fact, we have to pray more as it is kairos time: this is when our prayers mean the most.

So, when Mary unfolded for me from the candle wax, I understood: it is kairos time for me. Mary supports my prayers, but my input and perseverance is asked for. I need to cooperate in this process with her.

The other day I was burning another candle from Mariagyud, a famous place of pilgrimage in Hungary, and of course, I prayed many rosaries while it was burning. With this candle too I noticed that the wax was unfolding in spirals and spikes, teardrops and soft tendrils, slowly forming into something that at first was indefinite but later gained all the more significance: from the arches, the droops, the twists and the turns an angel emerged, softly holding onto the candle, balancing its tiny body against gravity. The little figure touched my heart: how can God have so much love for me? How can He, the almighty, with all the things He has to do, still have enough time to send me this message of hope for someone as little as me? He really does love all of us. Nothing escapes his loving attention, and no heartache is too small for Him to heal. This time He sent an angel to me to let me know that it is kairos time for me and that I have a little helper in my prayers; a small angel who prays with me.

Although I should not be, I am always surprised at the wonderful messages God sends to us from above. Receiving such delicate signs of love fills my heart with even more much love and hope for the future. This angel too, propels me to pray with more depth and enthusiasm. It tells me to hold on, even when all hope seems lost.

Mary's Invitation for Hope

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! This past weekend was a very interesting one, especially in the light of the message I received on Friday, which I posted in my previous blog: obey and believe in the sign from above. I even said that this message would carry me through the weekend. And lo and behold a wonderful thing happened. 

On Palm Sunday I was at church for the beautiful mass that commemorated Jesus' passion. After mass I stayed and prayed the rosary at Mary's chapel. Lately I have been praying to her a lot, the rosary especially, which I knew is really dear to her heart. I asked her for her protection, love and guidance, especially through difficult times. Then, I left, with peace in my heart, trusting that she heard me. 

At home in the afternoon I continued with my prayers, and I did offer another rosary to Mary. As always, this time too I was burning a candle that I bought in Hungary during my last trip. I am always very careful where I buy the candles that I place on my altar. As I always say, I prefer candles that are made in sacred places by people who have great love and respect for God, as it is their love and devotion that is poured into these candles and later permeates our home. 

For days I was burning this candle each time I was praying the rosary, and this Sunday I was burning it too. It was small by then, and only a little piece remained of what used to be a perfect pillar candle. As I  was nearing the end of my rosary, I looked at the still burning candle, and my heart skipped a beat. What remained of the candle was a beautiful message: a tiny wax figure of Mary kneeling and praying. The words of the rosary were immortalized in this tiny figure; she was praying for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. 

I felt elated when I saw her so close to me. My heart was overwhelmed that she decided to give me so much hope, again, only six months exactly after her first candle appearance to me. This little figure let me know that I was not alone; that I could trust her fully as she heard my prayers, and they gripped her heart and God's heart too. Her kneeling position encourages me to pray more, as each prayer matters and does good. Mary's healing energies seeped into my heart and give me the hope that they will heal all the mistakes I made and the damages I caused in my life. 

To me, this is the ultimate loving sign from above. It inspires hope against hope, forgives our humanness, and let's us know that it is never too late to ask Jesus for reparation. It invites us to draw closer to heaven, to look upward and walk in faith not in the things we see around us.

I hope that seeing these few pictures of this tiny wax figure of her will bring peace and hope into your heart.

Believing in Signs from Above

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I was called to showing more love to the people around me, and I did listen. I was more patient with people and was more open to giving them the attention they needed. Unfortunately, limits had to be drawn as I needed to do work as well, but I let the message accompany me throughout the day. Whenever I want to give more love to others, I picture myself in their shoes: how would I feel if they rebuffed me just because they were busy? So, even when I really do not have the time, I try to be sensitive during the seconds I have, and I always make the parting extra nice to make sure they do not feel that I was inconvenienced. But yesterday, I went beyond polite dismissals, of course, and I did go out of my way to make people feel loved, liked, interesting and welcome. I also like to think that by doing this, I did make God happy.

Today too, I am asking what my soul needs to learn. I know that it is later in the day, but it being Friday, this message will carry me through the weekend. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Play Music, the Sign from Above and the Believe cards. The combination is telling me that today I am called to believe in and follow the message of a sign from Above. This is a very interesting and encouraging message as about four o'clock in this morning I woke up. Usually when that happens, I talk to God a bit about whatever is pressing on my mind and heart, and today was no exception. There I was, lying in bed, in the dark, and I asked God to show me a sign, or something that can help me navigate in a current situation that is a bit murky at the moment. When I finished talking to Him, I snuggled under the covers again, and feel into a deep sleep, dreaming the most interesting dream. It was a dream that reflected the situation of my interest and provided some information that allowed me to see a bit more clearly. No resolution was conveyed to me and no definite answer, of course, as that would deprive me from the opportunity to learn and grow. But enough was given to me to know what to do next or what not to do. I woke up happy and felt less confused and more informed. The dream left me with a positive feeling.

Today's cards urge me to accept this morning's dream as a sign from above that I need to believe in and follow. And this I will do.

You must be finished with the week's work. Remember: you will know when a sign is meant for you. And when you receive one, know that it was given to you specifically because God has had mercy on you and wants you to finally see more clearly in a murky situation. Do not underestimate or dismiss signs. They can be what will save you. 

Called to showing more Love

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I was called to pray more, and I did. I did listen to God's calling, and spent as much time with Him as I could tear away from my busy day. I know that spending time with Him is the most important thing and all else should come second, and I am always sad when duties or distraction tears me away from Him. Each day I set out thinking that I will try harder, and in most days I fail. Of course, I must understand: like all relationships in our lives, our connection with God is also an evolving process: some days it is stronger, and some days it is overshadowed by other things that need our immediate attention. He understands, of course, but still wishes that we spend as much time in prayer as possible. Through prayer we become more connected to Him and only when that happens can He carry out His plan here on earth. I certainly want to help Him do that.

Today too, I am asking what my soul needs to learn. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Generosity, the Marriage and the Animals cards. The combination is telling me that today I am called to be generous to my close friends. I am called to show how much I care about them, and in some cases, right the wrong. I received this message a few days ago too, so I believe it must be important that I make more of an effort in this area of my life. So, I will remember: when I am kind to one person, I am kind to Jesus. It is sad that life has become such that I have to make a conscious effort to be kind, generous and always nice to others. Not that I am not nice. I actually think most of the time I am. But I do let myself be overwhelmed by everyday details which relegate the important things into the background.

You must be getting ready to go to work soon. Remember: our first duty is to carry out the love God entrusted us with. All else should come secondary. It is challenging, but if it were easy, it would lead to no growth.

Called to Pray

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I was called to believe in signs and their importance in my life. I have always been a great believer in signs, the symbolic representation of a divine perspective on a situation. Although our faith should be strong enough to not need signs, it is always a very comforting experience when God decides to have mercy on our soul and place a sign in front of us to help us see clearly in a murky situation. By doing this He manifests Himself in ways our human eyes can see Him, and He sends us His perspective in ways we can understand. God is merciful, and He does not want us to suffer more than we can bear. His loving gesture of sending signs to us is indeed a sign of His inexhaustible love for us.

Today too, I am asking what my soul needs to learn. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Activist, the Practice Makes Perfect and the Prayer cards. The combination is telling me that today I need to pray more. I am told that God wants to spend more time with me, which does not surprise me as in the past few days I was somewhat unstructured in my prayers. My head was all over the place and I was distracted, and God noticed it. He is now inviting me to calm down through prayer. He is calling me to Him not only so that I open my heart to Him, but also so that He can talk to me and reassure me of His love for me. Perhaps He feels how needy I am now. 

I will definitely spend as much time with prayer as I can today. If God wants me close to Him, I am only too happy to oblige.

You must be at work by now. Remember: Prayer is not important to us only, but it is also important to God. At times He calls us to be with Him because He misses us, just as much as we miss Him. That is why He plants the desire within us to pray. 

Signs: Divine Perspectives

Dear Friends! Welcome to the GYPSY CAFE! Yesterday I was called to be more demonstrative about my love and commitment to others. Although the day was long and I was busy for most part, I tried my best to respond in a loving and kind way to everyone. I felt how grateful for the people around me who love me, and the cards' message was a great reminder for me to express it too. Of course, I could not fully express my happiness for them being in my life, and neither could I extend it to everyone to whom I matter, in my heart I thought of the collective love and support I receive and the people who give them to me so generously. It was a day for remembering that the love that is poured towards me is a blessing from above: it is God who chose these people in my life as additional channels of His love for me. 

Today too, I am asking what my soul needs to learn. Having shuffled my Saints and Angels deck, I drew the Activist, the Believe and the Sign from Above cards. The combination is telling me that today I am called to advocate the importance of signs in our lives. Even without this peace of advice, I am a great champion of watching our for signs and take their message to heart. These cards may actually remind me to remember the signs I was given in the past few days, especially yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, just when I was about to draw one card from my Saints and Angels deck to ask what God's advice for a current situation was, something held my hand back and suggested that I looked at my Facebook account mailbox first. I opened it and I saw that there was a letter there from a friend. But quite surprisingly, to her letter she attached an image. And this image was the image of one card from the identical Saints and Angels deck I also have. I was taken aback by such coincidence: I was just about to draw a card from that deck, when the image of an already drawn card suddenly appeared in front of me. I took this card as the card I would have drawn. I was clearly meant for me.
It was the Heaven is Watching Over You card, that carries a wonderful message: all is happening for a divine reason, and I am not abandoned, but  cared for and very much watched over. This was exactly what I needed to hear. From that moment on I really felt the presence of God close to me all day long. In fact, I have never felt His closeness as vividly as that before. It was a very soft and loving feeling, like I was cocooned in a really warm and cushy place. My senses were heightened: music felt more melodic, the glow of the light more warm... it was really comforting just to stay at home and feel so protected. 

You must be at work by now. Remember: signs are either the precursors of events yet to come, or the  divine symbols of a present situation. They are sent to us so we can navigate more easily in life's labyrinths. They carry the divine perspective on our situation.