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Divine Mercy and the Conference From Hell

 

I heard about an upcoming satanic convention while at Sunday Mass in early February 2022. I was in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the winter. The conference was called Satancon , and sponsored by a satanic group organized in Massachusetts. 

 

That morning prior to Mass, I had done a Catholic Radio interview with Joe Ott at 730 am radio, WACE, also located in Massachusetts. As the following story goes unfolded, I recognized that my being on his show that day was more than coincidence.

 

Joe’s Sunday program includes the Divine Mercy chaplet and rosary. He then likes to have a speaker on for his audience for the next half hour. Joe asked me to talk about my Divine Mercy bumper stickers and magnet offerings at www.divinemercybumperstickers.com.  

 

I got into making Divine Mercy bumper stickers and why I feel it’s a great and easy way to promote the Divine Mercy devotion, message, and image of Jesus to strangers.

 

Later, at Mass, the priest gave a wonderful sermon. His theme was “Make yourself available, and God will do the rest.” I loved the theme. It seemed to hit home for me with regard to what I try to do with my Divine Mercy bumper stickers and magnets.  

 

I figure thousands of people see "“Jesus, I Trust in You!"” in a year’s time simply due to my daily driving. That's amazing when you think about it. Just driving to the store or gas station, on my Uber or Lyft trip there's always someone behind me looking at the back of my vehicle.

 

After Mass, we learned that Catholics were asked to pray for an upcoming satanic conference being held in Scottsdale, but not to make a public presence at or near the hotel.  It was called Satancon.  Several Cchristian groups had stated in the local newspaper that they would be near the hotel to promote Christ to the attendees.

 

The directive to Catholics to avoid the area bothered me. It bothered me a lot. Why wouldn’t we make a public stand against Satan and his followers? Don't we have rosary marches in front of abortion clinics?

 

I had just heard a powerful sermon that we are to “make ourselves available,” and to let God do the rest. I often feel that Catholics should be more proactive in saving souls. If you ever read the dialogue between St. Faustina and Jesus, He makes it very clear He expects “action and works,” not just prayers. Sometimes, a little elbow grease is needed, as the saying goes.  

 

“I demand the worship of My mercy through the solemn celebration of the Feast and through the veneration of the image which is painted. By means of this image I shall grant many graces to souls. It is to be a reminder of the demands of My mercy, because even the strongest faith is of no avail without works” (Diary 742).

 

I also was reminded that Jesus asks us to “fight” for human souls. Jesus did not ask St. Faustina to run away from confronting evil, but exactly the opposite. Perhaps this is what is missing for many Catholics today. We are often asked to be passive, pray, and hope for the best. Stay in the “comfort” zone and all will be well. 

 

Well, in some situations, yes. But as Jesus told St. Faustina, we are to “fight” for souls in hopes of their salvation. Not in a mean and confrontational way, but with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. He never disappoints.  

 

“But child, you are not yet in your homeland; so go, fortified by My grace, and fight for My kingdom in human souls; fight as a king’s child would; and remember that the days of your exile will pass quickly, and with them the possibility of earning merit for heaven. I expect from you, My child, a great number of souls who will glorify My mercy for all eternity....” (Diary, 1489).

 

Many years ago, I got a testimonial from a lady in California who had once followed the car ahead of hers because it had one of my Divine Mercy bumper stickers on it. When the car stopped, she got out and asked the person driving the car how to get one. She wanted one so badly, she was willing to follow a stranger in traffic to get one.  

 

Jesus asks us to bring His Divine Mercy image to the public. Not just keep it hidden in a Church. In a simple way, a bumper sticker can do just that.

 

As Jesus said to St. Faustina: “I desire that the image be publicly honored” (Diary, 414).

 

After reflecting on the upcoming Satancon conference and the directive from Jesus to “fight” for souls, my idea was to drive to the Saguaro Hotel and park near the front lobby. That way, people going in and out might catch a glimpse of the Divine Mercy magnet image on my bumper. Jesus also tells us through St. Faustina that His image in itself brings grace to a soul.

 

“By means of this image I shall be granting many graces to souls; so, let every soul have access to it” (Diary, 570).

 

I have given some Lyft rides to the hotel recently and was familiar with the layout. It was the least I could do, to drive there and park, to help Jesus save a soul. 

 

After Sunday Mass the day of the conference, I asked my wife if we could drive through the hotel parking lot.

 

Unfortunately, when we got there, there was a police presence, with three police vehicles parked in front of the hotel for maximum visibility. My hopes were dashed. Instead of stopping, I just drove as slowly as possible through the parking lot and acknowledged the Christian groups standing on the sidewalks adjacent to the street entrance.

 

Did I accomplish God’s will and save a soul? I wasn’t sure, but I did carry out what I felt God was asking me to do. As St. Faustina said, we are to carry out God’s Will and not worry about the results. God does not ask for “success” in human terms. As the Bible says, His ways are not our ways.

 

As I drove away, I was happy that I had gone but also sad that I had not been able to do more. I drove home and called it a day, thinking my mission had failed.

 

The next morning, I stopped by the Adoration chapel at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Scottsdale. I usually stop by for a couple minutes every morning as I go out to drive Uber or Lyft for a couple hours a day.  

 

I was prompted to drive back to the hotel where the conference had been held. It is only two blocks from the church. The parking lot was mostly empty. It being a Monday morning, that was not unusual. I drove up to the lobby, like I had hoped to do the day before, and sat in the idling car for a bit.

 

I stopped in front of a man who was looking at his phone, as if he was waiting for an Uber or Lyft ride. I had not engaged my driving app yet, so he was not looking for me. But he looked at me and my car several times. I drove away slowly, with hopes that he would see my Divine Mercy car magnet. As Jesus said, simply seeing His image provides grace and the hope of salvation to a soul. That was my mission.

 

I drove out of the parking lot, thinking about the lost opportunity the day before. But, I hoped, maybe one person from the hotel had seen my Divine Mercy car magnet today for a moment or two. That was my prayer, anyway.

 

Within a few seconds, I got a “ping” to pick up a passenger back at the hotel. I reversed course and went back to the lobby. The only person there was the young man who had been there minutes before, when I had first stopped in front of him. I rolled down my window and asked his name. It turned out he was my passenger. He climbed in my Ford Escape and we started our journey.

 

Like all my passengers, I tried to make him feel as comfortable and safe as possible with me as their driver. I usually start out by saying it was a beautiful day. Since the sun is always shining In Arizona, that’s always a good opening. 

 

He responded favorably to my comments and we started to make small talk. I, of course, was wondering if he had attended the Satancon conference at the hotel, but I couldn’t ask that directly, so I asked him general questions about his stay in the area.  

 

He said was on his way to get a rental car at the airport to drive around the area for the next day or so. He did not mention any particular destination or friends in the area. He said he was married, but his wife was not with him. He seemed to be alone and said he lived on the East Coast. I asked him how he had ended up in Scottsdale, but he didn’t give me a direct answer. He said something general like trying to get out of winter for a few days. It was clear that he had been at the hotel over the weekend.

 

I got him to his car rental place and wished him a good day. As I drove home, I kept wondering if he had been an attendee at the Satancon conference, since he had been at the hotel over the weekend. Based on the size of the convention gathering, I would think it would be hard to have gotten a room there without being part of the larger group, since it was their annual conference.

 

I immediately mentioned the incident to my wife when I got home. The first thing she said was that she was sure that my passenger had attended the conference.  

 

I then changed into exercise gear for a three-mile jog. The passenger from the hotel stayed on my mind. I always remember a saying from Mother Angelica: You always want two confirmations or signs from heaven before you begin or contemplate a spiritual task, so as not to be fooled by the devil.

 

I took my wife’s immediate response as a sign. My wife is not one to jump to conclusions quickly. Quite the opposite. So, I was happy with her response. She too felt he had been at the conference.

 

As I was finishing my run, I decided to ask God for another “sign” that perhaps I did get His image seen by someone who attended Satancon, in hopes of their salvation. This would be the second sign that Mother Angelica always asked for.

 

Most of the time when I ask for a sign, none is given. Heaven is silent. I feel this is how God trains us to trust in Him more. We are to live by faith—and faith does not require signs. But, being human, it’s easy to ask for some assurance. I also know that in my own life, God has indeed given me signs on occasion. I feel this helps a soul to truly recognize God’s response, nourishment for the soul when it is needed most.

 

Within seconds of me asking God for a second sign, I came up to two people walking directly in front of me. A young man and woman. On the back of the young man’s shirt were the words “Hell Boy,” in large black letters, bold and distinct. Written in Gothic text.  I was scared just looking at the words.

 

My heart began to race. God had answered my prayer. As my friend Ron Wolf of The Florida Catholic used to say, “Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” God had given me a “nut” so clear that even I could understand it. Non Believers would call it a coincidence. A believer would call it a God-incidence of gigantic proportions.

 

My soul rejoiced as I finished my jog. I had been given an incredible sign from God that I had indeed accomplished His Will. I had decided to “fight” for a soul, just like Jesus asks us to do. I had made a second attempt, after I felt I had failed the day before. My efforts had paid off, as attested by a sign so powerful that even a nonbeliever would have to stop and think a while about the “coincidence” of the “Hell Boy.”

 

“Make yourself available, and God will do the rest.” I felt my efforts were small, the size of a mustard seed. But God does not ask us to perform great acts of heroic deeds. Most often, He simply asks that we do small things, out of love and obedience.

 

“I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over [its] enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death. I Myself will defend it as My own glory” (Diary, 48).

 

Pure love is capable of great deeds and is not broken by difficulties or adversity; just as love is strong in the face of great difficulty, so, too, it will be steadfast in the humdrum, laborious everyday life. Love knows that in order to please God, only one thing is necessary, to carry out the smallest of tasks out of great love – love, and always love (Diary 140).

 

Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

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