In all true discipleship, and in the true spiritual development of each disciple, there is first the wonder and the joy of first acquaintance, then...

...comes the long plain stretch of lesson-learning and discipline, when Joy seems so much a thing of the past as never to be recaptured again.

But constant experience of Me, the constant persistent recognition of My Intervening Hand in daily happenings - the ever accumulating weight of evidence in support of My Guidance - the numberless instances in which seeming chance or wonderful coincidence can be, must be, traced back to My loving forethought, - all these gradually engender a feeling of wonder, certainty, gratitude, followed in time by Joy.

Joy is of two kinds.

(a) The Joy born of Love and Wonder; and

(b) The Joy born of Love and Knowledge.

Between the experience of the two Joys lie discipline, disappointment, almost disillusion.

But combat these in My Strength, or rather cling blindly, helplessly to Me and let Me combat them, persevere in obeying My Will, accept My discipline, and the second Joy will certainly follow.

And of this second Joy it was that I said, "Your Joy no man taketh from you." That is the greater gift.

miguel de Portugal commented then:

When I realized that recognizing His intervening Hand - feeling His Real presence - was a greater joy than whatever His Hand secured for me, my joy was even greater.

He tells us: "...persevere in obeying My Will", and to "accept My discipline", because "the second Joy will certainly follow."

I tell you - "I know that, not just believe it any more!".

Believe it!  Live it, so that you may experience it too!

Those of you who have not extended a hand to assist The M+G+R Foundation in fulfilling the Will of God, and are financially able to do so and are benefiting from it, are now being encouraged to do so.