Читать книгу From Darkness Into the Light - Marino Restrepo - Страница 6

To speak of an encounter with God means penetrating the most personal side of human beings; it means talking of their Creator, provided that they believe such a Creator exists. For those who do not share this belief, it means speaking of an all-embracing fantasy they call God. In any case, one is faced with the difficulty of communicating either a deeply felt testimony of an encounter with that Creator, or an illusive one, in the case of non-believers.

There are two main reasons for a human being to publicly confess an encounter with God: the first one is the need to share with others a supernatural experience that cannot be kept naturally; the second one is the divine inspiration to reveal that God-given encounter which forces the person to communicate — in the form of a message — all the teachings that God has infused in his spirit. It could be said that if God has chosen someone to have a personal encounter with him, the onus is on that individual to communicate and attest to such an encounter for the benefit of souls.

Among the inscrutable mysteries of our Creator are the thousands of personal encounters with His creatures. Innumerable passages of the Scripture refer to them. The meaning and purpose of the messages are closely related to that moment in time when the revelation takes place, as well as to the human instrument where that grace is deposited. Some private revelations have been given to nuns or monks, to help them be a light in their monasteries and communities, as well as a spiritual inspiration to those around them. Often these revelations only come to light many years after they have taken place. When the purpose of a revelation is to reach a large number of souls, the messenger feels this urgency and receives the necessary gifts to complete his mission.

The story you will read fits into the latter description. Everything I received in my encounter with the Lord is to be communicated to all those chosen by him to receive this message.

The most incredible thing about the testimony you are about to read is that it is not new at all; it does not say anything that has not already been revealed or written. However, in obedience to our Lord, I will communicate it, being aware that the truth can be expressed in an infinite number of ways and even though being the same truth, it seems to renew itself in each creature. If the truth tired us, we could not bear to see the same old sun or moon everyday. But these always-shining stars look like a new sun and moon to us every day.

The encounter I will narrate occurred during the time of my kidnapping that began on December 25, 1997 in Colombia, South America. My intent in referring to this event is to share with the reader the mystical experience that motivated this book.

The political situation of Colombia and the reasons prompting insurgent groups to commit such crimes have no bearing on the story. Thus, everything conveyed about Colombia and these criminals is strictly related to my spiritual experience. The Lord’s message is addressed to our souls, and as such is not bound by nationality, or political or ideological affiliations. The only destiny of souls is salvation or eternal damnation.

I respect the reader’s interpretation, impression and stand concerning this testimony. I do not intend to convince or to convert anyone. I am certain that only God’s grace can lead us to Him. If the Lord wants to touch someone with my testimony, this will be done by His grace and mercy alone and not through the writing of my story or the experience of my kidnapping.

Before my spiritual conversion, I was convinced that I had the answers to all mystical matters and that nobody could make me change my point of view and life style. This fact made me even more interested in writing this testimony because, since my encounter, I have lived in obedience to God, facing a surprising reality that has motivated me to share my experience with the largest number of people possible. I realized I did not have all the answers; I also discovered that the mystical experience in my life before my conversion did not come from God but rather from darkness.