"It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams." - Acts 2:17
As I was hiking on Friday*, on my 3rd mile, I had a vision in my mind's eye. I was in an ancient fishing boat. Like the disciples in the storm, my boat too was being tossed to and fro. Each wave
rose high above the stern threatening to capsize or crush the vessel. The wind howled and whistled around the ropes and the fragile mast standing against all odds in middle of the little ship.
I was sitting on the port side looking about at the chaos and confusion. Many were crying out, some were working away to keep the ship upright. Others were fruitlessly casting buckets of water back into the angry sea. Men who once were fearless now curled up astern. Women who appeared feeble and fragile held tight to the whistling and snapping ropes with unimaginable strength. Darkness surrounded the ship and the storm raged without mercy.
I looked to my left and there in the bow of the ship was Our Lord. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief. He was reclining on some cushions fast asleep. His face was restful, peaceful, child-like even. As the little boat rose to the crest of the wave and careened down the cliff-like face of the other side Jesus stirred a little but did not wake.
I looked to my right and off the starboard side of the ship a seemingly miraculous image appeared. It was a great white ship aboard which were too many to count. The people on deck and in their rooms called out to us to swim to their vessel and save ourselves. There were myriads and myriads of people of all races laughing, drinking, and enjoying themselves. While we rode wave after wave, swamped with water, and near the point of sinking their ship enjoyed calm waters, sunshine, and warmth.
The people on that great ship continued to laugh and enjoy themselves. They were scantily clad, old and young. The played games, basked in the sun, and swam in an enormous pool filled with every beautiful fish and plant. It was as if paradise had been created on that vessel and many on our own, including myself, longed to join them.
I turned once again to look at Our Lord but this time His eyes met mine. Even as the storm continued to rage I heard Him whisper, "
Would you like to go with them also?" Before I could answer I was transported high above both ships. The fishing vessel I sat in, yet was far above, looked like a teacup in the middle of the sea. The great ship however had no visible bow and no visible stern. It was as though the ship was without end. The Lord then transported me to the starboard side of the vessel, the side opposite the people, the side I could not see from the fishing vessel where I now sat staring at our Lord.
On this side of the endless vessel I shrank in terror and tried to avert my eyes but could not. Legions of demons and powers crawled all over the deck and in and out of the windows. On this side of the vessel there was no raging storm like the one surrounding my ship, nor was it calm, sunny, and warm like the side of the ship where the smiling people stood. No, on this side of the endless vessel dark, putrid clouds surround the deck and ship. The sea was no longer a sea of water but a great rolling sea of fire, like a never ending ocean of lava whose waves towered and crashed against the ship.
With evil joy and celebration the demons dragged the smiling people from the port side to starboard. They mocked them, tortured them, and then cast them into the sea. They did not disappear but rather continued burning and burning in the midst of that molten ocean crying and calling.
I blinked and found myself looking still deeply into the Lord's eyes. He said, "
look", as he pointed to the space between our floundering vessel and the great beautiful cruise ship. There between the two I could see thousands upon thousands of souls swimming. Some were swimming toward the great vessel while others were swimming toward our ship. I saw a man in white lifted from the water by strong men on the great ship. The man in white smiled and gave a blessing to those on the endless vessel and then disappeared to the other side of that ship.
The Lord said, "
look again." and there at the helm of our own ship two men struggled to gain control of the rudder which swung about wildly in the storm. The man on the left had gray hair, was dressed in purple and wore a cross around his neck. The man on the right was younger and much stronger. He was dressed in the plain clothes of a fisherman. He had a tattoo on his right forearm that I could not make out. Both men struggled with the rudder and secured it in place by using the rosaries they pulled from their pockets.
The storm continued to rage. Many souls continued to abandon our small vessel and swim towards the endless vessel and the smiling faces on deck and in the windows. Fewer and fewer jumped from the dizzying heights of the large ship, into the storm, and swam toward our ship.
I looked back to the Lord, His eyes pierced my heart and asked, "
what will you do, my son?"
I looked about at the wind and the waves. I saw the fragile women standing faithfully by the center mast. I looked once again at the great ship and the joyful faces of those on deck. I remembered the other side of that cursed ship and the man in white who had long disappeared from sight. I reached down and tied myself to the inside of the little ship. When I looked back to the Lord, He was once again asleep. I stared at him for a long time. His beautiful child-like face shone in the darkness as the light for our journey.
Please note: *This is a repost from 06/29/2022 This image was a quick flash in my mind while I was hiking and meditating on the rosary. I don't claim it to be an actual vision but the product of a very active imagination. Are there things we can learn from it? I believe so. However, I do not want anyone to be confused and think I actually had some sort of vision like St. John on Patmos, my shoulders are too weak and sins too grat for that sort of thing, please God! As always, thanks for reading!
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