Alcohol

Alcohol – It is my understanding that with every pilgrim meal, there will be free wine. Also along the way is an outside fountain of wine. I am not going to lie to you, when I was drinking, I loved the taste of wine, especially, when my husband was stationed in Germany and I lived over there for over a year. The German and French wines smelled like a sweet bouquet of wildflowers. The German Beer was so much better than the American beer. Even though I loved the taste of wine and beer and other mixed drinks, drinking them has not been an option for me for over 31 years. I will be celebrating the day I got sober 9-9-89 over on the Camino. I will have 32 years of continual sobriety. This will be a special day for me because that was the day that God rescued me from the darkness into the light. The craziness of it all, I was not even aware that I was lost. 

So this Holy Year is very special to me. I understand the grace of God. I understand His Mercy and I understand how Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God can pluck us out of the darkness, because someone interceded on our behalf. Someone prayed for us when we could not pray for ourselves. 

I have come to the understand that God gave us authority on the earth. Our will takes precedence over God’s Will for us. God gets a bad rap and gets blamed for the poor choices of people and nations and even churches. I used to get upset when I heard some people say that “everything that happens is ordained by God for a specific reason”. I thought God was punishing me because of this statement. Please do not ever say that again. There are so many victims in this world who have pulled away from God, Jesus and the church because of the traumatic events in their lives. In that statement, as written or spoken, it tells the victim that God approved and was part of what was done to them. 

I know for a fact, that God cries when one of his children are abused or mistreated. Because he gave us free will to make the right choice or the wrong choice, he cannot intervene, unless they are asking for help or someone else is asking for help for them from God. I know for a fact, however, that God will also make a way to heal any and all of us from any and all of our wounds. I thank all those people who saw that I was lost and interceded and prayed for me. The “Amazing Grace” song has a very special meaning for me. 

I have come to believe that we have been sent to earth to learn, grow and mature spiritually. We can only do that when the choice is given for right or wrong or good or evil. We learn from our right and wrong choices. My spiritual goal is to be honest, open and willing to keep learning and growing. If you know me well, you know one of my favorite sayings is “When you know better, you will do better” and “Do the next right thing“. 

“It takes more courage to live than to die” When I fall, I get up and brush myself off and assess the choice and then try again. 

Forgiveness is also part of this Holy Year focus. I am full of emotion right now, a heart filled with gratitude and love that a Higher Power, who I now choose to call “The Love of God, The Sacrifice of Jesus, so we can be forgiven (represented on this Holy Year as Jesus being the door through which we can walk though and get forgiveness, and the Spirit of God, divine guidance, that is now available to counsel, guide and direct us and help us do the next right thing, if we choose to connect and simple ask for help. I now have a personal relationship with what is referred to as the trinity (Three separate, yet one) God, Jesus & Holy Spirit. We have a mind, body and spirit; yet we are one being. 

The Main Theme of this Holy Year of Mercy is

• God loves all of us
• God wants us to have a relationship with Him
• Ask God for help
• Ask for Forgiveness
• Receive His love
• Receive His Forgiveness
• We can also ask God to help those who are lost, even if they do not know they are lost

I am extending an invitation, for any of you that desire, an invitation to walk with me on my spiritual journey. I believe it is possible to connect spiritually. I also believe in intercessory prayer. There are many cathedrals along the way. I will be praying and lighting a candle for for myself, my loved ones and for all those who are praying everyday for their sins to be forgiven and miracles for themselves and those they are interceding for in prayer. I will do my part and you need to do your part. I do not need to know what you are praying for. God will hear them and know them. I will walk through the Holy Door with your anonymous spiritual petitions and prayers.

In my description of the Holy Door for this Holy Year of Mercy, the Mercy Door is decorated with symbols of God’s invitation of love to all people. God’s Mercy invites all who have been away, physically and spiritually, from God to come back, come home again and experience God’s forgiveness and Love.

The only thing that can separate us from God’s love is our choice of rejecting that divine unconditional love. We are all worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. Jesus prayed to God on the cross, when He was dying, “forgive them, for they know not what they do”

• Mercy is kindness that isn’t deserved
• Mercy is forgiveness unearned
• This is what God’s love is all about
• Just Ask and you shall receive

by Esther Mae 2021