A Secular Jew Dies and see His Judgment

      Last Chance - A non-practicing Jew dies and this is his Story... Alon Anava shares his near-death experience in depth. A must see video if you are interested in life after death. After his clinical death, Alon experienced a reality that is both frightening and hopeful. Alon was truly given a second chance. See what Alon has done with a second chance. This experience led Alon down a completely different path, allowing him to truly choose life - eternal life.

I watched this entire video and I can say it is highly informative and very interesting. Alon at 1st identifies himself as a secular Jew. Jewish secularism refers to the largest section of the Jewish people who are secular as well as the body of work produced by secular Jews over the past 250 years. Almost half of all Jews define themselves as secular.These people build up communities where Jewish holidays are celebrated as historical and nature festivals, and where life-cycle events are marked in a secular manner. 

Throughout modern history, Jewish thinkers have challenged traditional Judaism. As early as the nineteenth century, members of the Society for the Culture and Science of the Jews (Verein fur Kultur und Wissenschaft der Juden) viewed Judaism as a culture, not a religion. These secularists, building on foundations of the Enlightenment, Haskalah, were keen to integrate humanistic culture and education with a Jewish culture not linked to rabbinical dictates, or the existence of a personal God.

Alon is given deep supernatural insight as to what it means to be a Jew.  Alon because of his near death experince has since embraced Judisim and all the tents within.  

Take the time and watch the whole video, you will not be disappointed, it truly is an eye opening video...

Secrets of Purgatory

 Purgatory:
       A Roman Catholic belief in a place or state of suffering inhabited by the souls of sinners, who are expiating their sins before going to heaven.
  
In modern times very little is taught in regular catechism classes about the suffering that the Poor Souls experience in order to be completely purified from all earthly entanglements. The type of suffering that takes place in Purgatory is the soul's deep longing desire to be with God.  The fire that is in Purgatory is not a consuming fire, but a cleansing fire which expiates all sinful desires.  While "pain of the senses" (as opposed to "pain of longing" for the Beatific Vision) is not doctrinally defined as being a part of Purgatory, the overwhelming consensus of theologians has been that it does involve pain of the senses. Several Church Fathers regarded 1 Corinthians 3:10–15 as evidence for the existence of an intermediate state in which the dross of lighter transgressions will be burnt away, and the soul thus purified will be saved.

 St. Augustine described the fires of cleansing as more painful than anything a man can suffer in this life, and Pope Gregory I wrote that there must be a cleansing fire for some minor faults that may remain to be purged away. Origen wrote about the fire that needs to purify the soul St. Gregory of Nyssa also wrote about the purging fire.The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of a "cleansing fire" and quotes the expression "purgatorius ignis" (purifying fire) used by Pope Gregory the Great.  Purgatory can be seen as a necessary purification from "an unhealthy attachment to earthly entanglements.  The Purgatorial purification "frees Souls from the 'temporal punishment' of sin. "  Purgatory is much less a punishment and more so a Divine gift.

 In 1940 a faithful Catholic soul named Maria Simma, began to have regular visits from the souls in Purgatory.  After much prayer and by the advice of her confessor and parish priest, Maria accepted GOD'S gift and began to seek ways in which she could be of assistance to the suffering Purgatorial souls who began visiting her.  When Maria finally asked the suffering Souls who were visting her what could she do to help them, their reply was... to please pray for them and to have Catholic Masses said for the suffering Souls. It was through this extra assistance that the suffering Souls could be released from purgatory sooner.  After some prayer and much thought Maria's local Bishop and parish priest told her she could make known these visitations as long as there were no theological errors.
 

Then, one day, Sister Emmanuel Maillard, a French nun came across Maria Simma's book, called The Souls in Purgatory.  and read it with great interest: Sister Emmanuel Maillard then contacted Maria who agreed to meet with her and answer any questions. 

This interview took place in 1997 at Maria's house in Sonntag, a very lovely village in the Vorarlberg Mountains in Austria. The following are excerpts from this interview of Sister Emmanuel of Medjugorje with Maria Simma. 

Charity covers a multitude of sins

Maria, why does one go to Purgatory? What are the sins which most lead to Purgatory?

Sins against charity, against the love of one's neighbor, hardness of heart, hostility, slandering, calumny — all these things.

Here, Maria gives us an example which really struck her which I would like to share with you. She had been asked to find out if a woman and a man were in Purgatory. To the great astonishment of those who had asked, the woman was already in Heaven and the man was in Purgatory. In fact, this woman had died while undergoing an abortion, whereas the man often went to church and apparently led a worthy, devout life.

So Maria searched for more information, thinking she'd been mistaken — but no, it was true. They had died at practically the same moment, but the woman had experienced deep repentance, and was very humble, whereas the man criticized everyone; he was always complaining and saying bad things about others. This is why his Purgatory lasted so long. And Maria concluded: "We mustn't judge on appearances."

Other sins against charity are all our rejections of certain people we do not like, our refusals to make peace, our refusals to forgive, and all the bitterness we store inside.

Maria also illustrated this point with another example which gave us food for thought. It's the story of a woman she knew very well. This lady died and was in Purgatory, in the most terrible Purgatory, with the most atrocious sufferings. And when she came to see Maria, she explained why.

She had had a female friend. Between them rose a great enmity, caused by herself. She had maintained this enmity for years and years, even though her friend had many times asked for peace, for reconciliation. But each time, she refused. When she fell gravely ill, she continued to close her heart, to refuse the reconciliation offered by her friend, right up to her deathbed.

Maria, please tell us: who are those who have the greatest chance of going straight to Heaven?

 

Those who have a good heart towards everyone. Love covers a multitude of sins.

 

What are the means which we can take on earth to avoid Purgatory and go straight to Heaven?

 

We must do a great deal for the souls in Purgatory, for they help us in their turn. We must have much humility. This is the greatest weapon against evil, against the Evil One. Humility drives evil away.

The Holy Mass

Maria, can you now tell us what are the most effective means to help deliver the souls in Purgatory?

 

The most efficient means is the Mass.

Because it is Christ who offers Himself out of love for us. It is the offering of Christ Himself to God, the most beautiful offering. The priest is God's representative, but it is God Himself who offers Himself and sacrifices Himself for us. The efficacy of the Mass for the deceased is even greater for those who attached great value to the Mass during their lives. If they attended Mass and prayed with all their hearts, if they went to Mass on weekdays — according to their time available — they drew great profit from Masses celebrated for them. Here, too, one harvests what one has sown.  A soul in Purgatory sees very clearly on the day of his funeral if we really pray for him, or if we have simply made an act of presence to show we were there. The poor souls say that tears are no good for them: only prayer! Often they complain that people go to a funeral without addressing a single prayer to God, while shedding many tears; this is useless!

Earthly sufferings

 

There is another means, very powerful, to help the poor souls: the offering of our sufferings, our penances, such as fasting, renunciations, etc., — and of course, involuntary suffering, like illness or mourning.

Maria, you have been invited many times to suffer for the poor souls, in order to deliver them. Can you tell us what you have experienced and undergone during these times?

 

The first time, a soul asked me if I wouldn't mind suffering for three hours in my body for her, and that afterwards I could resume working. I said to myself: "If it will all be over after three hours, I could accept it." During those three hours, I had the impression that it lasted three days, it was so painful. But at the end, I looked at my watch, and I saw that it had only lasted three hours. The soul told me that by accepting that suffering with love for three hours, I had saved her twenty years of Purgatory!

 

Yes, but why did you suffer for only three hours to avoid twenty years of Purgatory? What did your sufferings have that was worth more?

 

It is because suffering on earth does not have the same value. On earth, when we suffer, we can grow in love, we can gain merits, which is not the case with the sufferings in Purgatory. In Purgatory, the sufferings serve only to purify us from sin. On earth, we have all the graces. We have the freedom to choose.

All of this is so encouraging because it gives an extraordinary meaning to our sufferings. The suffering which is offered, voluntary or involuntary, even the smallest sacrifices we can make, suffering or sickness, mourning, disappointments... if we live them with patience, if we welcome them in humility, these sufferings can have an unheard-of power to help souls.

The best thing to do, Maria tells us, is to unite our sufferings to those of Jesus, by placing them in the hands of Mary. She is the one who knows best how to use them, since often we ourselves do not know the most urgent needs around us. All this, of course, Mary will give back to us at the hour of our death. You see, these sufferings offered will be our most precious treasures in the other world. We must remind each other of this and encourage each other when we suffer.

Let me add something important: the souls in Purgatory can no longer do anything for themselves; they are totally helpless. If the living do not pray for them; they are totally abandoned. Therefore, it is very important to realize the immense power, the incredible power that each one of us has in our hands to relieve these souls who suffer.

We wouldn't think twice about helping a child who has fallen in front of us from a tree, and who had broken his bones. Of course, we would do everything for him! So, in the same way, we should take great care of these souls who expect everything from us, attentive to the slightest offering, hopeful for the least of our prayers, to relieve them from their pain. And it might be the finest way to practice charity.

  

Maria, why can one no longer gain merits in Purgatory, when one can on earth?

 

Because at the moment of death, the time to earn merits is over. For as long as we are living on earth, we can repair the evil we have done. The souls in Purgatory envy us of this opportunity. Even the angels are jealous of us, for we have the possibility of growing for as long as we are on earth.

 

But often, the suffering in our lives leads us to rebellion, and we have great difficulty in accepting and living it. How can we live suffering so that it bears fruit?

 

Sufferings are the greatest proof of the love of God, and if we offer them well, they can win many souls.

But how can we welcome suffering as a gift, and not as a punishment (as we often do), as a chastisement?

 

We must give everything to Our Lady. She is the one who knows best who needs such and such an offering in order to be saved.

We should not always consider sufferings as a punishment. It can be accepted as expiation not only for ourselves, but above all for others. Christ was innocence itself, and He suffered the most for the expiation of our sins. Only in Heaven will we know all that we have obtained by suffering with patience in union with the sufferings of Christ.

Maria, do the souls in Purgatory rebel when faced with their suffering?

 

No! They want to purify themselves; they understand that it is necessary.

 

What is the role of contrition or repentance at the moment of death?

 

Contrition is very important. The sins are forgiven, in any case, but there remains the consequences of sins. If one wishes to receive a full indulgence at the moment of death — that means going straight to Heaven — the soul has to be free from all attachment.

 

Maria, I would like to ask you: at the moment of death, is there a time in which the soul still has the chance to turn towards God, even after a sinful life, before entering into eternity — a time, if you like, between apparent death and real death?

 

Yes, yes! The Lord gives several minutes to each one in order to regret his sins and to decide: I accept, or I do not accept to go and see God. Then we see a film of our lives.

I knew a man who believed in the Church's teachings, but not in eternal life. One day, he fell gravely ill and slid into a coma. He saw himself in a room with a board on which all his deeds were written, the good and the bad. Then the board disappeared as well as the walls of the room, and it was infinitely beautiful. Then he woke up from his coma, and decided to change his life.

 

Maria, does the devil have permission to attack us at the moment of death?

 

Yes, but man also has the grace to resist him, to push him away. So, if man does not want anything to do with him, the devil can do nothing.

 

Maria, what advice would you give to anyone who wants to become a saint here on earth?

 

Be very humble. We must not be occupied with ourselves. Pride is evil's greatest trap.

 

Maria, please tell us: can one ask the Lord to do one's Purgatory on earth, in order not to have to do it after death?

 

Yes. I knew a priest and a young woman who were both ill with tuberculosis in the hospital. The young woman said to the priest: "Let's ask the Lord to be able to suffer on earth as much as necessary in order to go straight to Heaven." The priest replied that he himself didn't dare to ask for this. Nearby was a religious sister who had overheard the whole conversation. The young woman died first, the priest died later, and he appeared to the sister, saying: "If only I had had the same trust as the young woman, I too would have gone straight to Heaven."

 

Maria, are there different degrees in Purgatory?

 

Yes, there is a great difference of degree of moral suffering. Each soul has a unique suffering, particular to it; there are many degrees.

 

Maria, are the sufferings in Purgatory more painful than the most painful sufferings on earth?

 

Yes, but in a symbolic way. It hurts more in the soul.

 

Maria, you know, many people today believe in reincarnation. What do the souls tell you concerning this subject?

 

The souls say that God gives only one life.

 

But some would say that just one life is not enough to know God and to have the time to be really converted, that it isn't fair. What would you reply to them?

 

All people have an interior Faith (conscience); even if they do not practice, they recognize God implicitly. Someone who does not believe — that doesn't exist! Each soul has a conscience to recognize good and evil, a conscience given by God, an inner knowledge — in different degrees, of course, but each one knows how to discern good from evil. With this conscience, each soul can become blessed.

 

What happens to people who have committed suicide? Have you ever been visited by these people?

 

Up to now, I have never encountered the case of a suicide who was lost — this doesn't mean, of course, that that doesn't exist — but often, the souls tell me that the most guilty were those around them, when they were negligent or spread calumny.

 

At this moment, I asked Maria if the souls regretted having committed suicide. She answered yes. Often, suicide is due to illness. These souls do regret their act because, as they see things in the light of God, they understand instantly all the graces that were in store for them during the time remaining for them to live — and they do see this time which remained for them, sometimes months or years —– and they also see all the souls they could have helped by offering the rest of their lives to God. In the end, what hurts them most is to see the good that they could have done but didn't, because they shortened their lives. But when the cause is illness, the Lord takes this into account, of course.

Are there priests in Purgatory?

 

Yes, there are many. They didn't promote respect for the Eucharist. So Faith overall suffers. They are often in Purgatory for having neglected prayer — which has diminished their Faith. But there are also many who have gone straight to Heaven.

 

What would you say, then, to a priest who really wants to live according to the Heart of God?

 

I would advise him to pray much to the Holy Spirit — and to say his Rosary every day.

 

Have you been visited by souls who, on earth, practiced perversions? I am thinking, for example, about the sexual domain.

 

Yes, they are not lost, but they have much to suffer to be purified. For example: homosexuality. This truly comes from the Evil One.

 

What advice would you give, then, to all those people afflicted by homosexuality, with this tendency in them?

 

Pray a lot for the strength to turn away from it. They should above all pray to the Archangel Michael; he is the great fighter par excellence against the Evil One.

 

What are the attitudes of heart which can lead us to losing our soul for good, I mean going to Hell?

 

It is when the soul does not want to go towards God, when it actually says: "I do not want."

 

Jesus said that it was difficult for a rich person to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Have you seen such cases?

 

Yes! But if they do good works, works of charity, if they practice love, they can get there, just like the poor....




So long as we have JESUS CHRIST  in our hearts we need not fear the fire...
                                               Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego

"Things I've Seen While Dreaming"

 Below is an excerpt from Steven Burkhart's dreams and visions which he has collected and turned into a book. I personally have read some of his book and found myself wanting to read more.  As with any personal revelations, a true believer, must ALWAYS measure their validity using the Word of GOD as a yard stick. 

Steven says about his book..."I have witnessed some pretty amazing upcoming events described in scripture: the Rapture, the Second Coming of Jesus, and the start of Jesus’ Millennial Reign over the earth! The Lord gave me these experiences, not primarily to enrich my life, but to share with everyone, as encouragement to some and as a warning to others. I’ve seen the planned assassination of one world leader, an assassination carried out on another, a world leader chosen, things happening to the moon and to the earth, an asteroid impact, missiles launching, a nuclear explosion in a major city, so many things that can make a person fearful, unless they have Jesus."

Things I've Seen While Dreaming

by Steven Burkhart Sr.

 

 

 The “Harpazo Event”

“Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words.” 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18

It was a beautiful, blue-sky day and I was surprised at how warm it was, considering that the last remnants of snow were still visible on the ground in the glaciated heaps left over from shoveled sidewalks, and plowed out streets and driveways. In my stocking feet, I stepped out of my house and headed toward the sidewalk. It was one of those days where spring had either finally kicked-in and the weather was really improving, or it was a temporary, mid-winter reprieve. You could see the grass uncovered at last, and the birds were singing. The sun felt warm on my skin as I took it all in, looking around at the world coming back to life. The white, fluffy, mountain-like clouds spanned the northern horizon and were simply breathtaking to behold.


Looking at the neighboring houses on both sides on my side of the street, I noticed that the houses were all in a row that didn’t end. I was somehow able to see that the row of houses continued all the way around the earth. I turned and saw that the sidewalk and the street did the same thing; they too spanned the globe.
Standing there on the sidewalk in front of my house, I saw that out of every single one of those houses, people were stepping out and walking toward the sidewalk. Again, I could see that this was happening around the world, and millions of people were now standing shoulder-to-shoulder with me on this sidewalk. I was aware that all of these people were Christians. My youth pastor was right beside me to my left, and she was radiant with joy. Everyone was smiling!


Next, as were admiring the magnificent clouds, we saw a thin, black line emerge on the horizon, far in the distance. Just like the row of houses, the sidewalk, and the street, this black line extended all the way around the world, and as we watched, the line grew progressively thicker and thicker. Then it became apparent what it was. At the leading edge of this phenomenon, we could gradually discern specific, individual movement, which developed into a sea of people. These were the unsaved people of the world, and they were coming toward us.


What happened next was truly staggering to see. In our midst, all around us, a gray fog began to appear. It came from nowhere and filled the air, and the fog was so thick and so visually impenetrable, that when I held my hand up right in front of my face, right against my nose, I couldn’t see it at all! Immediately the fog began to coalesce above our heads into cloud-like forms, which quickly became a huge block wall that was above the row of houses. This wall also extended around the world. To get a better idea of what this wall looked like, imagine that each brick was perhaps a 1/2 mile long and a 1/4 mile tall. Where there should have been mortar between these bricks of gray fog, there was empty space. The first row of bricks was perhaps 200 feet above the ground, and beneath it was the row of houses.


There it was! The biggest thing I had ever seen was right in front of me, and when I looked up, I could see that I was just beneath the front edge of the wall. It extended so far into the sky that it disappeared. All of the Christians were standing on the sidewalk, on one side of the wall that separated us from the unsaved people of the world. As the innumerable unsaved neared us, they abruptly stopped. Where the other side of the wall would have touched the ground, if it had touched the ground, the people were stopped from proceeding any further. The spaces between the fog bricks weren’t just invisible, they were solid. Straight ahead of me, I could see the first people who had approached the other side of the wall, and they were surprised by what was, effectively, a force field. They looked like mimes feeling along the surface of this phenomenon with their palms facing us; they were perplexed, and some looked terrified or angry. The endless mass kept pressing forward, and we could see the panic on their faces once they realized that they could not come over to our side, but instead they were trapped on their side of this world-dividing wall.


I looked at my youth pastor, and like all the other Christians, she was looking up into the sky with the most wonderful, expectant smile on her face, and she said to me, “It’s time.” That moment was an inexplicable combination of profound and anguished sadness for all of the millions and millions of people who were trapped on the other side, along with the most dizzying and perfect joy I had ever known. It happened simultaneously with this next part, but I was able to experience it in a sequential manner, so I could explain it better....

 Imagine that you could compress and contain our immense sun within a large syringe. Then, imagine someone injecting that searing hot light into my body. Faster then a blink of an eye, the immense roaring rushing tidal wave flooded every part of my body, till the blazing hot sun expanded back to its former size.  Now, the entire white hot star that was once in the sky was now radiating outwards from inside of me. 

The impossible heat seared the old me, the inadequate me, the sinner me, the unhappy me, the me that I always wished I could be better than, the OLD MAN, disappeared in a blinding-white hot-searing flash… that’s a good approximation. 

The transformation was instantaneous and permanent, leaving me with a feeling that everything that didn’t belong, all my sinful ways, my fears and worries, my weaknesses, my physical limitations, were painlessly burned off.    I became a golden hued, point of corporeal light.   All of us, those called by JESUS CHRIST, to be 1st fruits, experienced that remarkable change together.  Like eagles we soared into the sky with such speed that our arrival within the clouds felt instantaneous.


The following can only be described as “epic” in magnitude. I was standing in the clouds, and as I looked closely into the distance all around me, I saw to my astonishment that the clouds were actually the Redeemed of the earth, in such vast numbers that their glorious white robes blended together. I couldn’t tell where the glorified believers stopped and the clouds started! Everything was a vast, heavenly landscape where the golden, sunlit edges of cloud wer the only things that gave a perspective of depth and distance, other than the “pointillistic” speckling of heads, hands, and feet of celebrating Saints.


It was then, to my right and just above me, I noticed something coming downward through the clouds.  As if struck by lighting I knew, that I knew, that I knew.... it was our Holy King JESUS CHRIST! 

I saw the edge of his robe, and I knew that if I looked up, just turned my eyes upwards, I would see HIM, I would see the face of GOD!  Staggered to the core of my being, bursting at the seems with excitement, prompted by a hunger greater than any I’d ever known, I looked up, and by Divine mercy, his face was obscured by the immense blinding light of his radiant eternal glory! 

All at once, in one heart-bursting moment, I was completely and forever satisfied!  Every longing of my heart was overwhelmingly satisfied with in me!

It was, as if, I had been thirsty my whole life and never until that moment had I ever tasted cool water.  It was, as if, I had been lost  in a desert of dry hot winds, devoid of even one drop of moisture. There, my entire life, I had labored and never known a refreshing breeze until then; seeing our Savior JESUS CHRIST completed in me something that had been missing my whole life.  The wholeness, the sheer ecstasy of being was, for me, happiness beyond all my limited earthly imaginings.


That’s when I fell. As if he was protecting me from being ruined from having to return to normal life after seeing him for any longer, I fell back through the sky and in a blink of an eye, I was aware that I was awake, but a foot above my bed, then dropped with a thud into my waterbed. Without hesitation I bounded out of bed and caught myself almost trying to jump back up to where I had just come from!


My heart was pounding, and the sheer exhilaration was tempered only by the immense disappointment that I was still here. For the next two days I was unmoored, tossed up and down by alternating waves of joy and loss. That dream changed me and awakened in me a profound desire to live that experience again, and it also made me want to see the people around me come to faith in Jesus, so that they would not be left behind, but that they would go with me when Jesus comes to take us home....



Link to Book Website: https://leanpub.com/thingsiveseenwhiledreaming

Don't Wait

  Robert Maasbach pastor of Life Church UK shares his story of how he came to surrender his life to JESUS CHRIST.  Robert fought giving his life to the LORD.  HE felt that he was young and could live his life the way he wanted.  Robert was always sure that he would have time when he was old to get to know JESUS.  

Then, as with all the plans of men, Robert's little plan backfired on him.  In order to get his attention the Lord showed Robert how foolish his logic really was.  Without time to blink Robert was in a tragic car wreck and he came very close to dying without any time left to get to know the Lord.   Robert broke his neck in two places and while in a coma, hovering between life and death....He met JESUS CHRIST! 

Richard met God

On August 16, 2005 Richard met God.  Richard had to have emergency heart surgery. During this life saving event Richard left his body and had a heart to heart with GOD. Richard was not a religious man, nor was he a man of faith.  In his whole life Richard wasn't even sure he believed in GOD.  During his out-of-body experience, GOD was merciful enough to let Richard experience GOD'S unconditional love for him.  Richards encounter with the living GOD changed his life forever.


Our Father who art in Heaven is more Merciful that any man, woman or child can ever imagine.  

Catholic priest Xavier-Arnauld Fagba an example of the Love of JESUS CHRIST

Six weeks ago, Muslim shepherd Oumarou Mandi was saved by the love of JESUS CHRIST which came in the form of a Catholic priest who led him into a church to escape the savage attacks of a thuggish militia.

On Thursday, Oumarou dared to step outside the church compound for the first time. Nervous and fearful, he mustered his courage and joined a peace march. A few minutes later, the march disintegrated, the militia fighters were shouting insults, and he fled back at the church. “Now we can’t do this again,” he said softly.

In the chaos of the Central African Republic, peace remains an illusion. But amidst the sectarian killings, the mob lynchings and mutilations, there are still some heroes.

One of them is Catholic priest Xavier-Arnauld Fagba, who opened his church doors to protect nearly 700 Muslims from near-certain death.

“They didn’t have anyone to help them,” said Father Fagba, 31, who became a priest just four months ago.
“When the Muslims were attacked, the people didn’t help them. That’s when I decided to look for them and bring them here. I did it in the name of my faith. My faith asks me to transcend the most difficult obstacles.”
The Muslims at the church are members of the Peul minority, a community of traditional herders. Accused of supporting atrocities by Muslim-led rebels who seized power in Central African Republic last year, they are often targeted for revenge attacks by the anti-balaka militia.  The muslims at the church say they never supported the rebels. “They even stole our cattle,” Mr. Mandi said.

On Jan. 16, after the rebels were pushed from power, anti-balaka fighters attacked the mosques in the town of Boali, about 100 kilometres north of the capital, Bangui. The shepherd, Mr. Mandi, was outside one mosque, preparing to pray, when the militia attacked with guns and knives, killing seven people in front of his eyes. He rushed home and hid his wife and children. Then the priest arrived, asking them to run to the church. Father Fagba rescued hundreds of Muslims that day, going house to house and even into the bush to find them.

A few days later, when Father Fagba was visiting a sick parishioner, his car was surrounded by angry militia fighters, armed with machetes and knives. They wanted to kill him for sheltering Muslims. The priest got out of his car to show that he was unafraid. “I wanted to show them that I didn’t regret what I did,” he said.
Luckily a militia commander saw the confrontation and shouted to his men to spare the priest. But on the night of Feb. 4, after some militia men were killed by Chadian peacekeepers who were escorting Muslims to safety outside the country, the militia attacked the church to take revenge.

The Muslims were crying, terrified, as machine-gun bullets hit the church from all sides. The priest recalled that he told them to lie on the floor. He hit the floor too. Nobody was injured, but dozens of bullet holes can still be seen in the church walls today.

Dozens of African Union peacekeeping troops are posted around the church to protect the Muslims. But the checkpoints leading to the town are controlled by the anti-balaka militia: menacing men armed with machine guns, hunting rifles, machetes and knives. A small van, packed with fleeing Muslims from another town, drove slowly up the road on Thursday, escorted by African peacekeepers in two armoured vehicles.
Nobody knows how much longer the Muslims will have to stay at the church. One man ventured outside to buy airtime for his cellphone, but he was stabbed and his cellphone was stolen. “We consider everyone a threat because we don’t know who is anti-balaka,” Mr. Mandi said.

Sometimes the Muslim women go to the market to buy food, which is increasingly expensive because the Muslim traders have fled, but they face threats and insults. “We’re going to finish you off,” they are told.
On Sunday mornings, the Muslims get up early to clean the church and sweep the floors, so that it will be tidy when the Catholics arrive for their service. Father Fagba preaches peace in his sermons, and he leads his parishioners outside the church to exchange handshakes with the Muslims.

He thought the peace march on Thursday was an encouraging sign of reconciliation – a goal that is often promised by the new interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza. But the march fell apart when the anti-balaka militia members saw the Muslims coming to join the march. “We can’t mix with them,” the militia shouted as they pulled down a flag and the marchers scattered.  “I’m very sad about it,” Father Fagba said. “I was hoping it was the beginning of peace."