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September 20, 2010Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children! I call you anew to consecrate yourselves to my heart and the heart of my Son Jesus. I desire, little children, to lead you all on the way of conversion and holiness. Only in this way, through you, we can lead all the more souls on the way of salvation. Do not delay, little children, but say with all your heart: 'I want to help Jesus and Mary that all the more brothers and sisters may come to know the way of holiness.' In this way, you will feel the contentment of being friends of Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call." (October 25, 2003) I love this message! Our Lady is like the Pied Piper. She wants us to follow her, through our consecration to her heart, on the way of conversion and holiness. Sounds nice doesn't it! And it is. But it is not easy. The way of conversion and holiness requires commitment. It takes courage to face our former selves and choose to change. It takes honesty to look into our hearts and face our wounds and hidden angers and unforgiveness. We have to die to ourselves, in order to learn how to forgive, to learn how to love our enemies, to accept the grace to put ourselves second and God first. The way of conversion and holiness is the way of Jesus on the road to Calvary. It requires our death. Tough words! But this is the way of every Christian. Jesus is the Way. And Jesus is best understood as the grain of wheat that dies in order to bear much fruit. Jesus is the seed in the good soil that bears an abundant harvest. Jesus is the Lamb who is slain so that all men might be saved. And we are to follow Jesus on His way, the way that leads to death, and through death to life. St. Paul knew the way. He lived it to the extreme. He suffered persecution, stoning, imprisonment, scourging, famine, beating, and exile, all for the sake of spreading the love of Jesus. But it did not deter him. He wrote: "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Cor 12:10) St. Paul, on the way of Jesus, experienced contentment! He experienced the peace of knowing he was a friend of Jesus as he suffered, and that peace and contentment was all he needed to overcome his trials. "In this way, you will feel the contentment of being friends of Jesus." I think this is what Our Lady is getting at in this message. As we follow her on the way of conversion and holiness (that way being Jesus' way) we become friends of her Son, much like St. Paul. We become co-workers with Jesus as we choose holiness, choose forgiveness, choose love, and choose service. With such a friend, we can be content, for He is all we need. Being content is being full. It is being complete because we are completely loved. It is being at rest because we are so comforted, so loved that we can lay down our burden. With, in and through Jesus, we can be at peace with our lives. No matter what comes, we will not be dismayed, because Jesus is with us. Jesus is our way. Jesus is our friend. St. Faustina wrote: "The barque of my life sails along
amid darkness and shadows of night,
and I see no shore;
I am sailing the high seas."The slightest storm would drown me,
engulfing my boat in the swirling depths,
If You Yourself did not watch over me, O God,
At each instant and moment of my life. Amid the roaring waves
I sail peacefully, trustingly,
And gaze like a child into the distance without fear,
Because You, O Jesus, are my Light.Dread and terror is all about me,
But within my soul is peace more profound than the depths of the sea,
For he who is with You, O Lord, will not perish;
Of this Your love assures me, O God.Though a host of dangers surround me,
None of them do I fear, for I fix my gaze on the starry sky,
And I sail along bravely and merrily,
As becomes a pure heart.And if the ship of my life sails so peacefully,
this is due to but one thing above all:
You are my helmsman, O God.
This is confess with utmost humility. (Diary, 1322) Contentment is being friends of Jesus!In Jesus and Mary!Cathy NolanTo sign up for these reflections go to our website and click on the yellow button that says "Join our Daily Reflection List. You can enter your email to the list and receive these reflections directly to your inbox. http://www.marytv.tv
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