You will need to read the last post from today, Testing, to understand a little more in regards to this post. Also, the post Eucharist may be a great help also. The Sacrament of Confession is a shower of graces.

My penance was to recite one decade of the Rosary. I knelt and started to pray, thinking which decade shall I recite and the Baptism of our Lord came to my heart. As I began to pray, I heard water and heard it again. I opened my eyes to see someone changing the Holy Water in the fonts at the doors. Here I was, pondering the Baptism of our Lord, the sound of Holy Water was a beautiful addition to the quite. I could see Him so clearly and thanked Him for the grace of being able to be there today at this very second to experience Him in such a way. I began to pray another decade of the rosary thinking of my penance. As I finished, the angelus prayer was just beginning, which lead us into the Holy Mass.

Todays first reading Ezekiel 47: 1 – 9, 12 –

1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
2 Then he brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me round on the outside to the outer gate, that faces toward the east; and the water was coming out on the south side.
3 Going on eastward with a line in his hand, the man measured a thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep.
4 Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured a thousand, and led me through the water; and it was up to the loins.
5 Again he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass through, for the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be passed through.
6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he led me back along the bank of the river.
7 As I went back, I saw upon the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other.
8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah; and when it enters the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh.
9 And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”

I immediately knew this all was my Lord speaking to me. On my ride home I pondered my penance and thought to myself, I prayed two! IMMEDIATELY I heard in my heart, I did not tell you to pray two. It was only one that was needed. You did more than I asked and it was not necessary. At that second I was reminded about Eve in the Garden of Eden and how she exaggerated to the serpent what God had told her of eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. God has said clearly, “And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Gen 2 16-17 Eve added: “‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” Genesis 3:3

It points out to me the BEGINNING of disobedience! God said do not eat it, not do not touch. She added to God’s command stepping on His “sovereignty”, which brings us to Mary:”His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:5 As did I by saying TWO DECADES for penance thinking it would be much better! By my LORDS suffering and HIS sacrifice I am healed. His gift. Not by mine. But it took work to get there and takes work to stay in this state of grace. Is there any “sacrifice” in loving our Lord? No! Love is not sacrifice, it is free for the giving and taking. The sacrifice of our Lord was to give His life for ours . When our life is lived in His it is no sacrifice. It is a GIFT! The “WORK” is like a work out you would do for your body to keep it in shape. The work comes by or should I say, through being “Obedient” (Complying with orders) to the will of God.

Our Lord pointed this out to me so I could grown in obedience. So as He told me, I offered up the extra decade since He knows better than I do, where this decade is needed.

I love our Lord and all the GLORY and honor is His. Not mine but I accept all the grace needed to make it through this world to spend eternity with Him.