WHO IS THE AUTHOR?
“The life of the body is the soul; the life of the soul is God.”– St. Anthony of Padua
The Author has used the penname Yahweh Maria Yeshuva to dedicate and honor all the writings to God the Father (Yahweh), Mary the Mother of God (Maria), and Jesus Christ (Yeshuva). Author is a layman who, at the age of 21, had an encounter with God when he was on religious retreat in India for spiritual renewal.
Author’s Encounter
I was praying at midday in a church, imploring God with intense emotion to heal my despair. After three hours of constant prayer, in tears I questioned God about His existence and His promises to believers, “How could things go so wrong when you trust in God?” I was desperate to see the faithfulness of God. “If He is alive, would God talk to me?” At a point of ultimate despair, I challenged God, “If you don’t talk to me, I will end my life tomorrow.” I was literally at the front of the altar, crying out to God to talk to me. I lost consciousness.
Then an out-of-body experience began. I could see myself placed in a very big hall containing many white pillars. Still crying, I could see no one but myself in the hall. I became aware of a shadow behind a distant pillar. I called out to the shadow, “Who are you?” Receiving no response, I repeated the question twice, “Who are you? … Who are you?”
Finally, a person began to approach from behind the pillar. As he came closer, I became spellbound at the radiance emanating from his face. However, when he came close, it was apparent that there was something wrong with him. Tears were flowing like a waterfall from his eyes! I was alarmed at the strange expression on the beautiful face of that person and asked, “What’s wrong?” He didn’t reply immediately, but came closer. I could envision the light which was approaching me as a huge, massive shape. I felt I was going into that light. This was an amazing encounter.
The figure, still visible in the center of the light, was clothed in linen, and his hands were bleeding. He came to me, put his hand on my shoulder, hugged me and said, “My son, I am Jesus Christ of Nazareth. And this day has come into your life that you may know that you have a God who cries for you when you cry.”He continued, “I am your faithful God. Your mother and father may fail to understand you. Your Maker alone knows what’s happening to you. No one knows you better than your Creator.”
His last words were, “You have called me. I have spoken to you. You have a reason to live from now on, because you know I love you.” And He disappeared.
I woke up, back in front of the church altar. I was dying to experience that encounter again and again and spent many hours in chapels, always discovering more about Christ and His Kingdom.
My zeal was to serve God from that day on as a missionary of Christ. I was calling out to God again to approve my understanding of God’s call. In reply, I heard, “Fix yourself before you fix others.”
I understood the importance of inclining my ear to God. It became a must for me to abide in God’s word. The present book portrays the unfolding of Divine Truth in my soul. No one has ever seen God, except the One who is close to His heart, who is His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. The invitation became clear to me that God was calling me to become His child, which is the final identity of my soul.