THE ANNUNCIATION

THE VIRGINAL PURITY OF MARY

2. Virginity.

How great is Mary's love for virginal purity! Behold what unheard-of glories, what ineffable grandeur is offered to Mary on behalf of God and through the mouth of an angel. Yet she is not dazed. She thinks of Her virginity; and since the choice seems to be between the dignity of being God's Mother or the sacrifice of the virginity she has vowed to God, she has no hesitation. She chooses the grace that sanctifies rather than the grace that exalts and raises to honor.

Meditate in silence on the love which Mary has for virginity. Let your heart exhaust itself, expanding with feelings of admiration for your Mother. Recall the vow she made at the age of three, the fidelity she used in keeping it, the test to which the Lord now submits Her. See how Mary as a prudent, humble and most chaste virgin scores a victory over all and holds high the banner of virginity.

No doubt, God is enamoured of Mary even more now on seeing Her so virginal and pure. What She fears to be a hindrance is rather an attraction which impels God to choose Her as His Mother. Precisely because she is a virgin she is going to be the Mother of God.

Meditation 24

THE ANNUNCIATION

THE VIRGINAL PURITY OF MARY

1. The Objections of Mary.

Mary has still an objection to the words of the Angel. It is a fear of herself. Eve in Paradise fears when eating the forbidden fruit, but she does not fear sin: she only fears the punishment of sin, namely, death. On the contrary, Mary's only fear on receiving the Angel's message is lest she should go against Her word to God. Her fear is just, reasonable, holy, inspired by the love of God and of virtue. Are these your objections whenever you hear the voice of God? Are your fears not rather prompted by your self love which is always so ready to offer resistance to the divine demands?

Fra Angelico's The Virgin of Humility

THE ANNUNCIATION
MARY'S BEHAVIOR IN HER HUMILITY

4. Your Humility.
Are you similar to Mary in humility and in the generosity of your sacrifice? Do you not rather search after flattery and smiles and sweet words? Are you ready to take for yourself whatever is heavy and despised and humiliating? At least when God gives it to you. Do you accept it with resignation; or do you rather protest and try to shirk it? Think of your nothingness for in the same way as God raised the grandeur of Creation from nothingness, your greatness also will spring from the acknowledgment of your own nothingness. Know God Who is all, and know your own nothingness. Thus you will find real humility.
Perform some acts of external humility. Make many acts of interior humility. Feel obliged and thankful to those who by despising you, help you to practice humility.

THE ANNUNCIATION
MARY'S BEHAVIOR IN HER HUMILITY

3. True Humility.
Humility is not cowardice. Truly, it makes us feel small in our own esteem; but it makes us great in the eyes of God. Never had Mary appeared so great in the eyes of God as on this occasion. But humility is not the virtue of the cowardly and the miserable: on the contrary, it is the virtue of the strong, of the magnanimous. Contemplate Mary. She feels troubled at the words of the Angel but Her discernment remains tranquil and serene. She ponders and then finally acts with determination. This is true humility: to recognize the voice of God, to submit to His will, to surrender our opinion to it even though it may cost us as much as it cost Mary, for She knew full well what amount of suffering and sorrow would torture Her heart. Yet She immediately accepted the divine proposal. Humble, yes, but at the same time magnanimous and courageous. This is the fruit of humility.

TWO NEW CHRISTMAS MEDJUGORJE MESSAGES!

Message of December 25, 2006

"Dear children! Also today I bring you the newborn Jesus in my arms. He who is the King of Heaven and earth, He is your peace. Little children, no one can give you peace as He who is the King of Peace. Therefore, adore Him in your hearts, choose Him and you will have joy in Him. He will bless you with His blessing of peace. Thank you for having responded to my call."

ANNUAL APPARITION TO JAKOV ON DECEMBER 25TH 2006

Our Lady gave the following message:

"Today is a great day of joy and peace. Rejoice with me. Little children, in a special way, I call you to holiness in your families. I desire, little children, that each of your families be holy and that God's joy and peace, which God sends you today in a special way, may come to rule and dwell in your families. Little children, open your hearts today on this day of grace, decide for God and put Him in the first place in your family. I am your Mother. I love you and give you my Motherly Blessing."

THE ANNUNCIATION
MARY'S BEHAVIOR IN HER HUMILITY

2. Her Sublime Humility.
Consider especially at this point how immense is Her humility. There are other instances when Mary's humility appears quite natural and logical when, for instance, in Bethlehem She is rejected by all, or when in Egypt She is running away from Her enemies: or in Nazareth, when She lives hidden and unknown in that little house of an artisan. Also when at the foot of the Cross She stands as the Mother of One sentenced to the gallows. But when She receives the visit of an Angel, when She is sought after by God who begs Her consent and awaits Her answer, just at the very moment when She is exalted to the highest imaginable dignity, how great and sublime is Her humility.

Adam was raised in Paradise much less high. The bad angels in Heaven were not raised so high. Yet they grew dizzy at their height; they succumbed to pride and fell into the abyss. But Mary knows well that this message comes from God, for an angel cannot lie. And because truth is the very essence of the message, She does not feel dismayed. Feeling troubled, She humbles herself more and more. How great, how loving and attractive is Mary on account of Her humility!

Through this most profound humility God thus wonderfully amends the destruction caused by sin, whose beginning is pride.

Meditation 23

THE ANNUNCIATION
MARY'S BEHAVIOR IN HER HUMILITY

1. Mary's Fear.
Mary was troubled when She heard the words of the Angel. Listen to the quickened and anxious beating of Her heart. Full of astonishment and awe she seems to ask Herself: "What is all this?" The Angel had brought a message true in its every word. But Her humility had been struck. Later on She will publicly acknowledge the truth of the words of the Archangel. She will even proclaim that all generations shall call Her blessed. Yet She will do so not for Her own glory, but only to give praise to God. However, at this moment, She Herself is the object of this praise and consequently She is taken aback, She feels frightened. She is on Her guard, fearing a temptation, sensing some danger. Join the Angel and allay Her fear. Tell Her: "Fear not, Mary! You have no reason to be afraid, no need to fear this praise." However, it is good for me that you should give me the example and teach me how to receive praise which men may give me. Be my Model, oh Mother Most humble.

A Blessed Christmas to all!

Here is the official translation from the Vatican of the Christmas Eve Mass homily by Pope Benedict XVI:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We have just heard in the Gospel the message given by the angels to the shepherds during that Holy Night, a message which the Church now proclaims to us: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk 2:11-12). Nothing miraculous, nothing extraordinary, nothing magnificent is given to the shepherds as a sign. All they will see is a child wrapped in swaddling clothes, one who, like all children, needs a mother's care; a child born in a stable, who therefore lies not in a cradle but in a manger. God's sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty. Only in their hearts will the shepherds be able to see that this baby fulfills the promise of the prophet Isaiah, which we heard in the first reading: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder" (Is 9:5). Exactly the same sign has been given to us. We too are invited by the angel of God, through the message of the Gospel, to set out in our hearts to see the child lying in the manger.

God's sign is simplicity. God's sign is the baby. God's sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts and his will we learn to live with him and to practice with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, and love him. The Fathers of the Church, in their Greek translation of the Old Testament, found a passage from the prophet Isaiah that Paul also quotes in order to show how God's new ways had already been foretold in the Old Testament. There we read: "God made his Word short, he abbreviated it" (Is 10:23; Rom 9:28). The Fathers interpreted this in two ways. The Son himself is the Word, the Logos; the eternal Word became small enough to fit into a manger. He became a child, so that the Word could be grasped by us. In this way God teaches us to love the little ones. In this way he teaches us to love the weak. In this way he teaches us respect for children. The child of Bethlehem directs our gaze toward all children who suffer and are abused in the world, the born and the unborn. Toward children who are placed as soldiers in a violent world; toward children who have to beg; toward children who suffer deprivation and hunger; toward children who are unloved. In all of these it is the Child of Bethlehem who is crying out to us; it is the God who has become small who appeals to us. Let us pray this night that the brightness of God's love may enfold all these children. Let us ask God to help us do our part so that the dignity of children may be respected. May they all experience the light of love, which mankind needs so much more than the material necessities of life.

And so we come to the second meaning that the Fathers saw in the phrase: "God made his Word short". The Word which God speaks to us in Sacred Scripture had become long in the course of the centuries. It became long and complex, not just for the simple and unlettered, but even more so for those versed in Sacred Scripture, for the experts who evidently became entangled in details and in particular problems, almost to the extent of losing an overall perspective. Jesus "abbreviated" the Word he showed us once more its deeper simplicity and unity. Everything taught by the Law and the Prophets is summed up, he says, in the command: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Mt 22:37-40). This is everything the whole faith is contained in this one act of love which embraces God and humanity. Yet now further questions arise: how are we to love God with all our mind, when our intellect can barely reach him? How are we to love him with all our heart and soul, when our heart can only catch a glimpse of him from afar, when there are so many contradictions in the world that would hide his face from us? This is where the two ways in which God has "abbreviated" his Word come together. He is no longer distant. He is no longer unknown. He is no longer beyond the reach of our heart. He has become a child for us, and in so doing he has dispelled all doubt. He has become our neighbor, restoring in this way the image of man, whom we often find so hard to love. For us, God has become a gift. He has given himself. He has entered time for us. He who is the Eternal One, above time, he has assumed our time and raised it to himself on high. Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul and our mind to be touched by this fact! Among the many gifts that we buy and receive, let us not forget the true gift: to give each other something of ourselves, to give each other something of our time, to open our time to God. In this way anxiety disappears, joy is born, and the feast is created. During the festive meals of these days let us remember the Lord's words: "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite those who will invite you in return, but invite those whom no one invites and who are not able to invite you" (cf. Lk 14:12-14). This also means: when you give gifts for Christmas, do not give only to those who will give to you in return, but give to those who receive from no one and who cannot give you anything back. This is what God has done: he invites us to his wedding feast, something which we cannot reciprocate, but can only receive with joy. Let us imitate him! Let us love God and, starting from him, let us also love man, so that, starting from man, we can then rediscover God in a new way!

And so, finally, we find yet a third meaning in the saying that the Word became "brief" and "small". The shepherds were told that they would find the child in a manger for animals, who were the rightful occupants of the stable. Reading Isaiah (1:3), the Fathers concluded that beside the manger of Bethlehem there stood an ox and an ass. At the same time they interpreted the text as symbolizing the Jews and the pagans and thus all humanity who, each in their own way, have need of a Savior: the God who became a child. Man, in order to live, needs bread, the fruit of the earth and of his labor. But he does not live by bread alone. He needs nourishment for his soul: he needs meaning that can fill his life. Thus, for the Fathers, the manger of the animals became the symbol of the altar, on which lies the Bread which is Christ himself: the true food for our hearts. Once again we see how he became small: in the humble appearance of the host, in a small piece of bread, he gives us himself.

All this is conveyed by the sign that was given to the shepherds and is given also to us: the child born for us, the child in whom God became small for us. Let us ask the Lord to grant us the grace of looking upon the crib this night with the simplicity of the shepherds, so as to receive the joy with which they returned home (cf. Lk 2:20). Let us ask him to give us the humility and the faith with which Saint Joseph looked upon the child that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. Let us ask the Lord to let us look upon him with that same love with which Mary saw him. And let us pray that in this way the light that the shepherds saw will shine upon us too, and that what the angels sang that night will be accomplished throughout the world: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased." Amen!

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY

5. Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb.
These are not words of the Angel but of St. Elizabeth. However, they are so closely linked to the Angelic message that the Church brings them into the one same prayer. These words are glorious for Mary because they express what Her Son will be. It is through Her Son that She is blessed and hailed by all. In that blessed Fruit we shall all find salvation. eve caused our perdition by handing over to us the fruit of sin. Mary will save us by giving us the fruit of sanctification which is called Jesus.

Whenever you say the Hail Mary utter it with veneration. Do not fall into routine when saying the Rosary. Never omit to greet Mary at the Angelus. Whenever you say the Angelus remember this great day of the Annunciation and beg Mary to fill you with grace, to bring the Lord to remain with you, to make you through all eternity a sharer in Her happiness and blessing.

Well, we're almost there! One day to go, to celebrate Jesus' birthday, His first Coming upon this earth. I wonder if we will be here to celebrate His Second Coming? Here is the final Traditional "O" Antiphon:

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver,
the Desire of all nations
and their Savior:
Come and save us,
O Lord our God!

When Christ came the first time, the world was in darkness and Jesus was the Light of Life! By His life, death and resurrection, He opened the gates of Heaven for us to enter in. I believe His Second Coming will be like the first.

"When the Son of Man comes, will He still find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8)

Look around us and see how the world of 2006 is once again in darkness, and that darkness is the denial of God, the denial of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the denial of Mother Mary as our Advocate, the denial of the Roman Catholic Church as the True Church! Today, almost no one is ready for that "Day of the Lord" which will come like a thief in the night; the heavens will vanish with a roar; the earth will be destroyed by fire, and everything will be made bare, especially our sins! [see 2 Peter 3:8-11]

Jesus will return suddenly and most people will not be ready to receive Him, most will be unprepared. He will judge the world, yes, even you and me, and establish His Kingdom on a new earth, totally renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came to earth the first time through the virginal womb of Mother Mary; He will return the second time through her Immaculate Heart and Its Triumph! It's up to each one of us to be ready by staying close to Our Lady and the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus!

May the presence of our Newborn King, Jesus Christ, bless all of us and our families, and may His Peace reign in our hearts in the coming New Year!

"Marana tha!"

[An Aramaic liturgical exclamation, marana tha, used by Paul at 1 Cor 16:22, translated as an eschatological prayer, "Our Lord, come!" (NRSV). It is part of Paul's closing greeting at the end of his First Letter to the Corinthians. It could be read maran atha, and translated as a creedal statement, "Our Lord has come." The translation "Our Lord, come!" is preferred. It expresses yearning for Christ's return in glory and the eschatological hope of the early church. It has been likened to Rv 22:20, "Come, Lord Jesus!" (NRSV). Paul's use of an Aramaic expression in a letter to Gentile Christians at Corinth indicates that it was a familiar expression of hope and expectation of Christ's return that was shared by Christians. It is still used at times to express Christian hope, especially among charismatic Christians.]

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY

4. Blessed Amongst Women.
Just as sin was introduced into the world through a woman so through Thee came grace and redemption. All generations will remember Eve in order to deplore her behavior. But all will remember Thee in order to bless Thy name. Eve was to us a step-mother who caused death to her children. Mary, the true Mother who gives us life with love.
Of old, the whole of mankind centered all rancor upon women. Women were illtreated and despised. Mary has rehabilitated women and raised them in such a manner that a woman is the most sublime creature as well as the one who holds the highest place in Heaven.

Heaven Speaks to Those Who Do Not Know Jesus by "Anne," a Lay Apostle

We here present "Heaven Speaks to Those Who Do Not Know Jesus" as a special Christmas gift from Jesus to anyone you may know among family members, friends, fellow workers, or acquaintances who does not know the Lord, and to whom you could peacefully perform the salvific role of introducing them to their Savior.

The "Heaven Speaks" series constitutes locutions of Jesus which are transmitted through "Anne," a lay apostle who presently lives in Ireland, and who spreads these messages with the approval of her local Bishop, the Most R! ev. Leo O'Reilly of the diocese of Kilmore, as well as in complete obedience to the Vatican Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, to whom all messages have been submitted.

It is my personal conviction that the locutions received by Anne are of supernatural origin and are in complete conformity with the norms for authentic private revelation as used by the Church and ecclesiastical commissions of investigation.

During this Christmas season, please prayerfully consider passing on this message of Jesus to anyone whom you believe may have an open heart. What better Christmas present could be offered a friend or loved one than the inestimable gift of the God that so loves them that He became a baby for them, died on a cross for them, opened the gates o f heaven for them, and now calls them personally to His Heart of Love and Mercy?

Jesus Speaks to those who do not know Him

December 21, 2006

Jesus

I am Jesus. I am God. I am complete in Myself. I am present in your world and I am present in heaven. You see, I am omnipresent. Even if you wish to, you cannot remove yourself from My presence on earth. I created earth. You might say the earth belongs to Me. All in it, are also My creation. You, dear beloved one, were created by Me. Do I say that you belong to Me? I say it in another way. I say, I want you to belong to Me. I want to possess your heart. Why do I use the word heart when truly it is your soul that I seek? I use the word heart because people characterize the heart as the place where people hold the love they possess. If you have love, people say you have it in your heart. The heart is known as the source of love and the receptacle of love, so I, Jesus, tell you that I want to possess your heart. When it is all simplified, as it should be, I am saying that I want you to love Me. I love you. There is no problem there. I love you today and I will always love you. A difficulty we have is that you do not know Me. The only way for Me to teach you to love Me is for Me to reveal Myself to you, to allow you to know Me. For that reason, I come to you today. I reveal Myself to you through these words and through the graces attached to them. If you read these words and sit in silence, you will begin to know Me. If you begin to know Me, truly, you will begin to love Me. Forget anything that tempts you to move away from these words and graces. Rest. Be with Me. Allow Me to teach you about Me.

Jesus

In your world today, there are many claims of goodness. Some of these claims are true. Some of these claims are false. I, Jesus, am never present in lies. I do not rest in falseness. Truth has a pure feel to it and truth does not change. If you want to find truth, look back over time and see what claims of truth have persevered. What are the things that were true two thousand years ago? You will find them if you look to see what has persevered through the ages. Two thousand years ago, it was true that I came to bring salvation. Today, that is still true. I came then and I come today. I come for your salvation. I come so that you will be saved. I come so that where there is falseness, where you are being deceived, I will be present with My truth.

Two thousand years ago, there was evil in the world. Today, evil persists alongside good. Does this mean evil is good? Has truth changed? No. Just as truth never changes, so evil does not change. Evil simply changes its disguise. I, God have not changed My character. When you first know someone, you know a few things about them. As you get to know someone better, you learn more. Over time and with consistent interaction, you begin to know someone well and you can then say that you understand that person.

I want you to understand Me. I am truth. Truth is Me. To know Me, Jesus, you will have to know what is true and what is false. I will teach you this but it is not something that I can teach you all at once. Truth, in its great depth, must be absorbed gradually. For this reason, I invite you to keep company with Me. If you do, I will teach you all you need to know to distinguish between the truth in your world and the deceit in your world. I will teach you to separate good from evil at a glance. I am the great Teacher, the Divine Teacher. With Me comes the light necessary for instant instruction on any given topic. You may say, “Give it to me all at once God. If You are who You say, You can do that.”

You are correct. I could do that, such is My power. But you, My friend, are not disposed to accept such an experience because My truth is all about love. Your little heart must be expanded first. We have to make room for all of this truth, which is filled with love. I want you to embark with Me on a journey. Walk with Me. Allow Me to draw you into your soul, into the mystical nature of yourself. Come to Me there so I can introduce you to the great truths about your family, the family of God. You will find such acceptance there. When you rest in My gaze in your soul, you will understand about love. You will, at the same time, understand about heaven, your ultimate home. I am calling to you now and I know that you hear Me. Come to Me. Stay with Me. Give Me the briefest chance to reveal Myself to you.

Jesus

As I draw you into the mystical nature of yourself, I draw you into My heart. My heart and your heart belong together. When you are with Me, you feel calm and accepted. You feel oneness with others because you experience community in your soul. If I am with each man as I am with you, then you are connected to each man through Me. Do you begin to understand the family of God? I love every man created. I have a good plan for every man created. This is My truth and, as you recall, I can never be where there is deceit. If I have a good agenda for every man created, and I have a good agenda for you, you are safe with Me and all mankind is safe with Me. Connected to Me, each man will serve his time on earth in mystical union with every other man and in mystical union with all of the saints in heaven. We are all connected. After this time of service, each man connected to Me comes home to Me and home to the family that loves him, awaits him, and welcomes him. There is no bad will on heaven’s side. There is only acceptance and truth. I have such hope for you, My friend. All of your gifts originate in God and are an outgrowth of God’s goodness. If you learn to understand Me, you will learn that I want to use your gifts to create harmony in your soul. When you use your gifts and energy for My purposes, you will benefit the whole world. It must be so because I have said it is so and I can speak only the truth. We are all connected. Would you like to benefit the world? Truly, you are capable of this and this is My plan for you. I have so much to give to you in terms of knowledge and wisdom. Teamed with Me, you will flourish and grow to heights you never dreamed possible. Rejoice, man. You are resting with God, the God of All. This God tells you today that you are loved and needed.

Jesus

Follow this path that springs up before you. Come to Me. Turn in My direction and I will reveal this path that I want you to take. You will feel lightness in your Spirit, a relief. You will feel calm. Inside there will quietly burst forth a bud of hope. This bud will blossom, have no fear. The hope you feel in your soul is nourished by the time you spend with Me, seeking truth. I will see to it all. I need the smallest, even the most tremulous willingness. You are hesitant to believe in Me. I know that. I understand everything that has gone before this moment in your life. Remember that I have all universal truth available to Me. In that respect, am I not a valuable person for you to know? Could you admit that I am possibly the most valuable person you could ever know? If you knew of someone on earth who had all truth about everything, who understood the purest facts and possessed the cleanest, most pristine vision of reality imaginable, would you not seek out this person’s company? If you were wise, you would do so. If you were a man who desired truth, you would do so. If you were weary of lies and falseness, you would do so. My friend, if you seek truth, you must come with Me. If you seek acceptance, you must come to Me. If you want to be loved, you must rest in My heart because it is the only place where you will find the perfect security you crave. I am with you. I will never leave you. You could not escape My presence, even if you wanted to. You may as well get to know Me better so that you can decide whether you will reject Me or accept Me. This is the ultimate choice that will be yours. Just as you cannot escape My presence, you cannot escape this choice. It is yours. I want you to consider your options.

Jesus

My friend, this is between you and Me. By ‘this’ I refer to both this conversation and your ultimate decision of whether to accept Me or reject Me. When you are asked to make an important decision on earth, you consider your options. You take time and weigh both sides. Perhaps you waver between one course and another. I want you to consider both sides of this decision. If you accept Me, you will have entry into the most loving and secure family of all. If you accept Me, you will have security for the rest of your life in that I will lay out the course in front of you, guiding you, protecting you, and never leaving you. If you accept Me, you will come to heaven in triumph, bringing with you the great benefits that your cooperation secured for your family. You will walk in truth and in calm. Your life on earth will not suddenly become easy, but it will be filled with God’s peace and God’s grace.

If you reject Me, you will continue on, vulnerable to the deceit of My enemy. You will delude yourself at times, thinking that you are wise. Perhaps you will feel superior to many of your brothers and sisters, but I tell you today, in all of My truth, that the most humble one in heaven holds all of God’s mysteries in his soul. You will not be privy to these mystical realities if you reject Me. How could you be if you did not want to be?

I conclude with the greatest truth of all and that is that I do not force My children to choose Me. I do not force humanity to work for heaven. If I did, we would not have a family, but a master and his slaves. No. This is not for Me and this is not for you. The heavenly kingdom would not be the heavenly kingdom if it were not filled with willing and beloved children. Everyone in heaven works for each other in great joy. Everyone in heaven works for our family members on earth in great hope. As you read these words, there is great hope in heaven that you will choose Me, Jesus Christ, and embark upon the journey to truth. It is here for you. I have truth and I have a course laid out for you that will bring you to this destination.

I repeat the most important truth of all. I love you. I will take care of you. Choose Me and I will begin to reveal Myself to you. You will know peace, My friend. You will know security. You will know joy for all eternity. This is your inheritance and I am your God. Allow nothing to divert you from the truth that I am Jesus Christ and I love you. I come today to announce Myself to you and to save you. Come. Trust Me. Be with Me. I will protect you.

Today's Traditional "O" Antiphon is:

O King of nations, and their Desired,
the Cornerstone who makes all one:
come and save our race,
whom You formed out of clay.

It's an exhausting journey from to Bethlehem, and one of the longest in Our Lady's life! As Mary and Joseph enter the city, every door is closed. Each knock brings another refusal!The sword of sorrow is already wounding Our Lady's Heart, itself so young, pure and tender. And the cold sends chills right to their souls.

But the King of nations, the Desired One must be born, so again the Father provides and a lone soul offers Them a place of shelter, a nearby cave. The Saviour of the human race is born in a cave and placed on a straw filled manger! He is born amidst two pure Hearts that love Him dearly, Mary and Joseph. And the Angels sing and adore their Infant God, drawing and inspiring the poor shepherds to do the same. Heaven on earth! And in a cave!

Today the world is again closing the door to Jesus. Many nations do not want Him in their country. The hearts of many are cold, filled with hatred and violence. It is the lack of love that kills: abortion; infanticide; fratricide; Suicide! How many Herod's are out there today?

Mother Mary wants our hearts joined to Hers to offer reparation, make amends for the coldness of the world. Jesus is comforted by our love. Gather around Him (in the tabernacle) and tell Him how much you love Him, and thank Him for forming you out of clay (dust), and beg Him: "Come, Lord Jesus, and save our race!"

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY

3. The Lord is with Thee.
The Lord is with Thee, more than with us, the Angel implied. The Lord is with Thee more than any other creature. By totally possessing Thee He is with Thee. There is nothing in Mary that does not wholly belong to, nothing which is not completely possessed by, Almighty God. God is also with us, but how half-heartily on our part! We do not easily let God possess us as fully as did Mary.

Moreover, the Lord was with Thee, Mary, and thought of Thee and took delight in Thee before anything was created by His hands. He is with Thee for ever, He wanted Thee so closely united to Him as to become His Mother whilst He became Thy Son.

Meditate on how Jesus wants to unite Himself also to you. To this purpose He seeks and calls you and unites Himself to you through grace and through Eucharist Communion.

The "time" draws near. Another day is marked off the calendar; are we anxious to receive the "Sun of Justice"?

O Dayspring, brightness of eternal Light
and Sun of Justice:
come and enlighten those who
sit in darkness and in
the shadow of death.
[Traditional "O" Antiphon]

Our heavenly Mother carried Jesus in Her womb for nine months, and on that special Day, Christ issued forth in a miraculous manner from Mother Mary's womb into Her arms. The Father protected Her Virginity for all eternity, and the Church calls Her "Ever-Virgin Mary". Unfortunately, many people don't believe this Truth of our Faith.

There is another similar Truth that , according to polls taken, people have either lost their belief in or just never could accept the teachings of the Church: The True Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

Here's some thoughts on this "World's Greatest Secret", as John Haffert of the Blue Army called the Eucharist.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, Our Lady conceived and brought forth Jesus into the world.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, every priest, through the consecration prayers, brings forth Jesus in the consecrated Host. If it wasn't for priests, there would be no Eucharist! Imagine that!

Priests renew the reality of Jesus' birth in time. Yes, it is a mystery. So was the birth of Christ in a manger. When Jesus was born, His divinity was veiled under the features of a tiny Baby; when the priest consecrates the Bread, Jesus' divinity is veiled in the tiny white Host. Just as in the Baby Jesus, so also in the Blessed Sacrament is Christ truly present with His Body, with His Blood, with His Soul, and with His Divinity!

Sadly, today there is widespread doubts about the True Presence, and because of this unbelief, many sacrilegious Communions take place. Our Lady said in one of Her apparitions that if we saw the number of sacrilegious Communions that she sees, we would shed tears of Blood too!

I believe it is up to us to 'enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death" and to make reparation for this 'abomination of desolation' that has crept into our Church. This could be our Christmas present to Jesus, thanking Him for coming down from Heaven, He gave His life for our salvation.

"My God, I believe, I adore, I trust and I love Thee!
I beg pardon for those who do not believe,
do not adore, do not trust
and do not love Thee."

"O Most Holy Trinity, I adore Thee!
My God, my God, I love Thee in
the Most Blessed Sacrament!"

"O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
I adore Thee profoundly.
I offer Thee the most precious Body,
Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ,
present in all the tabernacles of the world,
in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges
and indifference by which He is offended.
By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
I beg the conversion of poor sinners."
[Fatima Prayers]

Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation (1898)

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY

2. Full of Grace.
She was, indeed, overflowing with grace: to other saints, and even to the angels themselves grace was given only in part. But to Mary, grace was given in its fullness and plenitude. In order to understand the words of the Angel it is necessary to know what grace is. Just think for a moment what grace means for the rest of mankind: it is something divine, something of God, something from God. It is a divine entity that is communicated to man in order to raise him to divine life. It confers on him the title of Child of God. It gives him a right to inheritance from the Eternal Father. Since man becomes a child of God he is consequently also heir to Heaven. Now if all that wonder is achieved by grace in other men, if grace sanctifies and divinises them to such an extent, what must grace operate in Mary, since it was given Her in its total and complete fullness? If She possesses all grace, how could grace increase in Her during Her life? This is a mystery. When a glass is full, it can hold no more. But to God, nothing is impossible. God can dilate and increase at any moment the capacity of Her soul, that most precious vase, so that whilst always being full it could at the same time take in an increasing measure of the grace it already contains.

We're spending these days (5 to go) and hours in a vigil of prayer, open to the signs around us that the birth of Christ is near! Today's Traditional "O" Antiphon speaks of the opening and closing of God's designs:

O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel:
you open and no one shuts;
you shut and no one opens.
Come and lead forth from his prison
the captive sitting in darkness
and in the shadow of death.

What was it like for Our Lady as She traveled, with St. Joseph, to Bethlehem? Was She anxious and uncertain about what awaits them? She traveled on a donkey; a difficult trip for anyone, it was cold and uncomfortable, especially for one carrying an unborn Child in Her womb.

But Her mind was with God, meditating on Who was inside Her, Who was about to be born. Nothing of the world could bother Her, as She was enraptured in the love of God. And She totally trusted in the Father's plan for Her. Perhaps She thought of a house, that She could be in to give birth to Jesus; a cradle for baby Jesus to lie in; food and clothing for the Three of them. And so divine Providence gave them a cave for shelter; a manger of straw for a crib; swaddling clothes and Mother's milk for the Child to be born.

In the divine plan it is the Father who opens and shuts, gives and takes, knows every hair on our head, and through suffering, leads us to His Heavenly Home! All we have to do is trust, and be open to His inspirations to follow His will.

The Father has given us His Son, Jesus. What does He want from us in return?
He only asks for our gift of love. To love Him with all your heart, mind and soul; and to love our neighbor unconditionally, as we love ourselves.

Jesus was born in a cold cave; we can give him the warmth of our love to comfort and console Him.

In this cold, cold world, let us be the candles of light to warm up those around us with the fire of our love!!!
God Bless+

Meditation 22

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY

1. Ave.
This is a word of fond greeting, but the Angel uses it with a meaning of congratulation. In a hymn the Church says that Ave is just the contrary of Eva for as through Eve death was ushered into the world, so through Mary life is given to us. Thus the congratulations of the Angel must be extended to the whole of mankind. On this great occasion of Her life give your congratulations too to Mary and congratulate yourself also since through Her you were made a child of God.

Here's todays Traditional "O" Antiphon:

O Root of Jesse, who stood as a sign for the people,
before you kings shall remain silent,
and to you the Gentiles shall make supplication:
come to deliver us, and delay not.

Live the "Holy Night" every night! How? By meditating on the Joyful Mysteries each day of our lives! Think about the Light (Jesus) who came down from Heaven into the deep dark night of this world, enslaved by sin and beyond hope or salvation. Who could save humanity, except God Himself!

But the world, even the Chosen People were not ready for this Messiah. They wanted a Knight on a shining horse to defeat their enemies and reign as their king. They couldn't accept a "suffering Messiah!

Then the "Light" appeared; a little infant was born and no one was expecting Him, no one received Him, except Mary and Joseph, some poor and humble shepherds, and three Wise men, Gentiles, who represented all of us. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; we give Him our very lives, our souls, our wills!

Christ is born! Now redemption begins! Jesus is born to redeem everyone of their sins.

Let us stay close to the Crib of Jesus, with Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and yes, the Wise men, because as the old saying goes: "Wise men still follow Jesus!"

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE PRESENCE OF THE ANGEL

4. You in the Presence of Mary.
Do you too appear before Her with the enthusiasm, fervor and love of the Angel? Can you study, appreciate and revere your Mother as he did? The Angel spoke once to Mary. You instead can speak with Her many times. Do you really do so by constantly living in Her presence, by doing everything with Her and for Her? God sends His messages to you, through His angels, especially through your Guardian Angel, through your superiors, through Our Lady, while sometimes He even speaks to you directly Himself. How do you receive these inspirations, these calls, these knockings at your heart? Ask the Lord for the eyes of an Angel in order to know and study your Mother well, in order to love Her with fond tenderness, in order always to live for and with Her. Ask the Lord to give you a firm will to cooperate with grace, to receive His inspirations come as they may, with the spirit of faith, and follow them generously. Speak with the Angel of the Annunciation and with your own Guardian Angel.

One week from today it will be Christmas Day! As we approach this wonderful event of Our Lord's Birth, I thought we could meditate on some of the "moments" leading up to that Day in history!

Each day from the 18th to the 24th of December, the Liturgy of the Hours has a special "O" Antiphon, which is recited before and after the Canticle of Mary. Here is todays Traditional one:

O Adonai, and Leader of the house of Israel,
you appeared to Moses in the flame of the
burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai:
come, and with an outstretched arm, redeem us.

Imagine how much anxiety Mary and Joseph were filled with as they went from door to door seeking shelter, and all they received was refusal after refusal for any hospitality! After all, Jesus was about to be born, and any refusal was a refusal to Him.
Mother Mary was about to give humanity Her Child, but humanity did not want to receive Him.
Finally, they found a cave, which was so cold, like the world, except for an ox and a donkey. They had nothing, they were the poorest of the poor, yet they had the greatest Treasure of all, Jesus!

Is that why God loves the poor so much (Blessed are the poor, they shall inherit the kingdom), in imitation of Mary and Joseph and Jesus, born into poverty! Is that why God loves us so much when we are detached from material things. That way we become like little children, relying on the Father's Providence, as Mary and Joseph did. And when we possess this virtue of detachment, this nothingness, we are then led by the Holy Spirit and we become docile to the Father's Will. Then we will understand the Gospel and live Jesus word's.

The world does not understand these things because it is wrapped up in materialism, it cannot see the mystery and awesomeness of Almighty God, who gave us the Law on Sinai; and gave us Jesus, His Only-begotten Son in Bethlehem!

Let us stay close to the Heart of Mother Mary, She is our safe refuge in our journey to Christ, our Savior!

THE ANNUNCIATION
THE MESSAGE OF THE ANGEL

3. The Embassy.
Now the Angel declares the purpose of his message. he comes about the conception and the birth of a Son who will be the Messias. He begs Mary's consent. the whole of creation, men and angels, and even God Himself now speak through the mouth of that Angel. All with impatient anxiety are hanging on the answer. Sublime moment! On Her word depends redemption and the salvation of mankind. The Angel continues to trace the figure of the Messias. He will be called Jesus, or Savior. He will be the holy of holies. He will be the Son of the Most High while at the same time those adorable names are blended together, Jesus and Mary. So far She has been the humble maid hidden away in Nazareth. Henceforth She will be Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Into this message of the Angel all the faith, all the longing, all the hopes of mankind are packed. There too are enclosed all the treasures of grace which had been poured on Mary from the moment of Her Immaculate Conception till now. The Angel's embassy to Mary will be eternally remembered.

FEAST OF THE EXPECTATION OF
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Today is one of the most inspiring days preceding Christmas! It is the feast of "Our Lady of Expectation," mostly unknown to many in these modern times, but still kept alive in many countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy and Poland as well as in a few religious orders. In older editions of missals, this feast is still listed as a votive Mass.

The feast is celebrated on the 18th of December, a week before Christmas Day. Our Blessed Lady, well advanced in pregnancy, is portrayed in the highest dignity of her Divine Motherhood. Dressed in royal apparel as daughter of David the King, she awaits with joy the arrival of her divine Son, Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Her whole posture suggests how she remains wholly consumed in contemplation of her Son under her heart. Her immaculate womb has become a living portable sanctuary of divinity. There are special prayers and novenas to "Our Lady of Expectation" available for women who cannot conceive or bear a child.

The votive Mass of "Our Lady of Expectation" is theologically enlightening and spiritually enriching for the time of Advent and Christmas. With the entrance antiphon, the Church prays with the prophet for the coming of the Just One from heaven that the earth may be ready to welcome the Savior: "Send victory like a dew, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the just. Let the earth open for salvation to spring up" (Is 45:8). In the opening prayer, the Church offers the prayer to God through Mary's intercession: "O God who wished that your Word would take the flesh from the womb of the Virgin as announced by the Angel and whom we confess to be the true Mother of God, may we be helped by her intercession."

This wonderful feast also reminds us that it has been almost nine months since the Annunciation/Incarnation (March 25) and that Jesus developed in Mary's womb just like we did in our mother's womb. Think of all the millions of babies who never make it through the nine months because their mothers have aborted them. May God, through the intercession of the Expectant Mother Mary, take their souls into His Kingdom.

OUR LADY IS INCREASINGLY SAD!

Our Lady's increasing sadness, as She continues to appear in Medjugorje, may be a poor omen.

As the world becomes more and more immersed in sin, we are coming closer to experiencing the wrath of God. Still, by our prayers and sacrifices, we can mitigate God's punishments, bring a smile to Our Lady's face, and bring peace to the world. The choice is ours.

Medjugorje

In 2006, the 25th anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions were marked in Medjugorje. The six seers, a quarter of a century ago, were just children. Today they are mature adults. Each one has established a family with children and, as they did years ago on Mount Podbrdo, all continue to assert Her messages to the world.

Six of the seers experienced the daily apparitions from June 25, 1981 until Christmas of the following year. From that day on, they see Our Lady with varied intensity and in different ways.

Significance Of Those Dates

Till now, three of them continue to see Her daily, and the other three periodically. Among the latter, is Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo, who reportedly has an apparition of Our Lady on the 2nd of each month, as well as on March 18th on Mirjana's birthday.

However, Our Lady does not do that just because it happens to be the date of her birth. Mirjana said that the symbolism of these particular apparitions, and those at the beginning of each month, will some day become very clear.

Mirjana said, "Our Lady appears to me in this way since 1987. These apparitions are more like a prayer for those who has have not yet recognized God's love. While much about the apparitions is the same, lately, much more frequently, I see Our Lady very sad. From time to time, She even has tears streaming down Her cheeks, in particular for those who still have not recognized God's love. All of us are Her children . . . the believers and the unbelievers."

Mirjana, who after these apparitions appears quite drained, said, "It is extremely painful for me each time I see Her profound sadness."

The Mysterious Parchment

All the seers know the secrets entrusted to them. However, Mirjana also has in her own possession a parchment (made of an unknown substance) on which all the secrets are inscribed. When will the secrets be revealed to the world? Except for the seers, no one else knows.

However, what is known is the name of the person who will disclose them. Mirjana has selected Father Petar Ljubicic to reveal her secrets to the world when the time comes. After fasting for seven days, Father Petar will disclose the contents of the secrets three days before each one of them is to be fulfilled . . . in other words, before the event contained in a particular secret actually occurs!

Three Visionaries Still Receive Daily Apparitions

I once read that Mirjana said that her secrets will begin to be revealed when only one Medjugorje visionary is still seeing Our Lady. Ivanka Ivankovic Elez and Jakov Colo no longer experience daily apparitions.

The three visionaries who do continue to receive daily apparitions no longer have Medjugorje as their primary residence. Ivan Dragicevic lives with his spouse in the United States, and only spends a portion of each year in Medjugorje.

Marija Pavlovic Lunetti resides with her spouse in Italy. It is from there, on the 25th of each month, that she relays Our Lady's message to the world.

Perhaps the most prominent among them is Vicka Ivankovic Mijatovic. She is now married and resides in the neighboring hamlet of Krehin Gradac.

Medjugorje & Garabandal

Until now, perhaps the most intriguing of the secrets is the third one, the one pertaining to a great and mysterious sign.

This secret refers to a sign that Our Lady will leave for the world to see, in order to confirm the authenticity of Her apparitions. The sign will be visible, permanent, and indestructible, and will be left on the hill where She first appeared 25 years ago.

Previously, in the 1960's to four children, a sign was also promised to be left at Garabandal, Spain, when in the future, "the greatest miracle of all time" will occur there.

The Answer From Our Lady

Prayer is the answer. Do you have a regular prayer schedule? If not, how then can you expect to continue to receive God's blessings. If you care about your own life and the future of your children and grand-children, you MUST pray.

Otherwise, when God's wrath comes, we are obliged to understand that it is our own fault, because we did little to stem the tide of evil that is presently permeating the entire world. the saddest thing about it, is that the remedy is so very clear!

Our Lady at Garabandal told the children that when the Warning occurs, the sins that we will see most predominantly, are our sins of omission, that is, spiritual sloth. What we will regret the most is what we did not do!

Fatima & The Five First Saturdays

Ask yourself, "What am I doing to remove the sadness from Mary's Heart?" Our Lady in Fatima gave us the formula to make Her smile and to obtain peace in the world: participate in the Five First Saturdays. However, too few people are doing it. It is not difficult, but we are often too uninformed or too slothful to make the effort.

On December 10, 1925, Our Lady appeared to Sister Lucia in the Dorothean convent at Pontevedra, Spain. She promised Her assistance at the hour of death with all the graces necessary for salvation, (read that again . . . it means no hell!) to all those who, on the first Saturday of five consecutive months, do the following things:

1) Go to Confession (within eight days)

2) Attend Mass and receive Holy Communion

3) Pray five decades of the Rosary

4) Keep Our Lady company by meditating for 15 minutes on the Rosary Mysteries.

But Most Important . . .

But, most important (and this is the omission), ALL of these four must be done with the intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Many individuals forget to make this intention with each and every one of the four above requests of Our Blessed Lady, and thus, they might not fully merit the promised reward. This is especially true of daily communicants. They mean well, but they simply forget to make the intentions.

The intention of making reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a necessary stipulation of Our Lady and Our Lord, to truly fulfill the Five First Saturday requirements.

Our Lady promised that by doing this, we can bring peace to our souls and to the world. Jacinta of Fatima said, "God has entrusted the peace of the world to Our Lady."

Unfortunately, it seems that too few are fulfilling Our Lady's requests accurately. The tide of evil, like a green slime, continues to spread over all the earth. To prevent this, we need reparation.

John Haffert, in Soul Magazine, said that, "The First Saturday devotion is so important that we might well wonder if fulfillment of the basic conditions of Fatima for world peace (sanctification of daily duty) might be impossible without the practice of the First Saturday devotion.

In a book on the First Saturdays (Tequi, Paris, May 13, 1985) fr. Coveliers points out that the First Saturday devotion is a great act of love not accomplished easily.

"The time we dedicate to Mary on the First Saturdays is a 'strong' time, and difficult to accomplish perfectly just on the spur of the moment. the devotion of the First Saturdays cannot be authentic if it is not the fruit of a constant attitude of the soul pervading all the days of our life," he says.

We need to know and understand that where evil weighs down on us, we can mightily tip the other side of the scale with reparation.

We Must Take Prayer and Reparation Seriously

Mary comes to us in many places in order to save our souls. Don't we love God, Her, ourselves, and our family enough to pray and make reparation? God and Mary, and all the visionaries everywhere, tell us that this is the sure formula!

Our love is so cold. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire, and begin again to put God and His interests in first place in our lives.

Start with asking yourself this most important question: What time am I going to Mass tomorrow? and then plan your day around that blessed hour. Then watch your life and the entire world change for the better. The victory is already won by Christ, but let us be a greater part of it. Let us participate more actively in God's plan for our salvation and for peace in the world.

The efforts of even a few souls can change the world for the better. Much depends upon what YOU do . . . daily Mass, daily Rosary, and the Five First Saturdays. Many other favorite devotions are also spirit-filled and very rewarding. Think about it; change and pray.

[Reprinted with permission from '101 Times' #70, by Dr. Rosalie Ann Turton]

ANTI-CHRISTMAS FEVER ABOUNDS

Catholic League president Bill Donohue released these remarks today on the latest round of anti-Christmas incidents:

“Like most Jews, Olympic skater Sasha Cohen is not offended by Christmas carols. But that didn’t stop a government employee from trying to protect her. While Cohen was skating at a rink in Riverside, California, a high-school choir started singing ‘God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman,’ immediately sending Michelle Baldwin into orbit. She summoned a cop and got him to institute a gag rule: he ordered the choir to stop singing. Baldwin maintained that because Cohen was Jewish, she would be upset by the carol. But she never bothered to ask the skater if she objected. As it turns out, Cohen couldn’t have cared less. As usual, those who say we must be careful not to offend non-Christians at Christmastime are the ones who object to Christmas—not those whom they falsely claim to represent.

“Like Baldwin, Sandra Byrne, principal of an elementary school in Delray Beach, Florida, has a need to show how inclusive she is. That’s why she has no Christmas tree, nativity scene or menorah in her office. Instead, her spot is adorned with teddy bears wearing sweaters. Moreover, only ‘winter parties’ and ‘winter celebrations’ are tolerated. ‘We’re very careful about this,’ she says. No doubt she is.

“Here’s another example of anti-Christmas fever. In a Detroit suburban school district, they’ve instituted a quota system on religious songs that can be sung at school concerts. That’s right, only 30 percent of the songs at Howell Public Schools can be religious. It’s not certain whether the choir director will be fined or imprisoned if a multicultural monitor finds that 31 percent of the songs are religious. We recommend incarceration.

“After Pope John Paul II visited Cuba in 1998, Castro made a good-faith gesture by allowing Cubans to celebrate Christmas again. Maybe we should hire Fidel to talk to these madmen.”

And another sad story today from England:

A SCHOOL head was slammed last night after removing the word Virgin from Mary's name for Christmas celebrations - so as not to upset Muslim pupils.

Sarah Watson said the move was needed to "tread a line between two faiths" at Walter Street primary in Brierfield, Lancs, where 90 per cent of 370 pupils are of Pakistani descent.

Mrs Watson said: "We cut the name to just Mary because Muslims believe Jesus was a prophet, not son of God."

But Christian and Muslim leaders branded the move absurd.

Canon Chris Chivers, head of inter-faith relations in East Lancs, said: "It's religious paranoia."