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The Way of Love for the Lord
Chapter 50. We ate spoiled food for the salvation of those who would be lost. (August 19, 1982)
As it was time for dinner, Ursula and the catechumen began preparing to cook rice. I said to them, “There is leftover cooked rice. What about eating it?” They replied, “It went bad. Let us dump it and cook new rice.” At that time, my mouth had tasted so bitter that I found it very hard for me to eat something. But for the salvation of those who would be lost and also in order to practice love, I suggested to them again. “Let us wash this spoiled rice and boil it. Then we can eat it for the salvation of those who will be lost.” They adamantly opposed my suggestion, saying that they would never eat it. I said to them, “Then I will eat this rice by myself after washing and boiling it. You can cook new rice and have it.” I offered the Prayers of Life while washing the spoiled rice. “O Lord, my Jesus! I am washing this rice which went bad. With the Precious Blood from Your Five Wounds, wash away the sins of those who will be lost. Let them lead a new life and achieve the victory of resurrection...” I smelled the rice after finishing the prayers. It still gave off a faint, bad smell. I said the Prayers of Life again while boiling it. “O my Lord! Turn the impossible into the possible. With the Precious Blood from Your Five Wounds, wash away the dirt from our souls which is hard to mop away no matter how hard we may try. Burn it away with the flames of the Holy Spirit. Let this food become a miracle medicine to heal our sick souls and bodies...” After hearing my prayers, they said to me, “Julia, we will also eat that miracle medicine which will heal our souls and bodies.” We ate the rice with a happy heart. It was easy to digest, not causing any trouble. We ate the rice that deserved to be dumped, while praying for the salvation of those who would be lost. It was like killing two birds with one stone. “Thank you, Julia. Because we ate the food seasoned with your wonderful Prayers of Life, we feel that our souls have become rich.” “No, don’t thank me. You should be thankful only to the Lord.” “Yes, we are grateful to the Lord for sending Julia to us. And we are also thankful to you for teaching us the good Prayers of Life.” “I don’t deserve your thanks. Please give your gratitude only to the Lord.” “Ah, who can stop you?” Smiling at one another, we offered our deep gratitude to the Lord. The previous day Ursula and I had stayed up all night. This day she and I came to sit up again all night, this time together with the catechumen. The three of us were much immersed in the conversation, totally intoxicated with the Lord’s love. Despite the time getting later into the night, our minds became clearer and our eyes sparkled more. It occurred to me that the Lord might have taken away our need for sleep. We were able to share His love to our hearts’ content even to the point where we were unaware that dawn was breaking. The catechumen said, “In fact I was forced to attend this retreat against my will. But I'd never imagined that the retreat would be this good.” “O my Lord! Praise, thanksgiving, glory, and adoration to You!” “My beloved little soul! When people, with meek humility, show love to their neighbors, praying the Prayers of Life at every moment just like you do, the love can be a brake that even withholds the wrath of God.”
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