| January 18, 2011 Dear Family of Mary! "Dear Children! Today I call you especially now to advance against Satan by means of prayer. Satan wants to work still more now that you know he is at work. Dear children, put on the armor for battle and with the Rosary in your hand defeat him! Thank you for having responded to my call." (August 8, 1985) "Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand. Stand therefore...above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one." (Eph. 6:14-16) Having put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the shoes of the gospel of peace, we are ready now for the shield of faith. St. Paul tells us that this shield of faith protects us from all the flaming darts of the evil one. What are those darts, we might ask? I would say that they are negative thoughts that the enemy launches at our heart that are calculated to divide us from God and from hope, joy, peace and life! Those darts attempt to lodge in our hearts, and spread poison in every part of our person. We have to deal with them constantly. "My job is a dead end." "I'm not making enough money." "My mother never loved me." "I'm too fat." "No one will ever love me." "I don't have any friends." "God doesn't hear my prayer." "The Lord will never forgive me for this." "I disappointed my father." "I am a waste of time." "I will never graduate." Etc. Notice that these thoughts come in the first person. They are disguised as our own thoughts, and come cunningly close to the mark, but they are not our thoughts and they are not what God thinks. They tear down our trust in the Lord and isolate us from our family and friends. They make us bitter, resentful, shame-filled, and melancholy. They immobilize us. Many of these darts enflame our old wounds, the wounds we have sustained from our childhood, from family sins and generational sins. These wounds are very deep. And they can keep us from living our life to the full. Our Lady told us about our faith and these wounds in this message from March of 1997: "Dear children! Today, in a special way, I invite you to take the cross in the hands and to meditate on the wounds of Jesus. Ask of Jesus to heal your wounds, which you, dear children, during your life sustained because of your sins or the sins of your parents. Only in this way, dear children, you will understand that the world is in need of healing of faith in God the Creator. By Jesus' passion and death on the cross, you will understand that only through prayer you, too, can become true apostles of faith; when, in simplicity and prayer, you live faith which is a gift. Thank you for having responded to my call." (March 25, 1997) The world (and each one of us) is in need of a healing of faith in God the Creator. Yes, yes, yes! Our faith is weak because of all of our wounds from sin. We just don't believe in God's love, in His power, in His forgiveness, or in His plan for us. And so those flaming darts come right at us and enflame our wounds and make us worse and worse. The shield of faith can stop those darts. But the way to take up that shield is through a healing of faith, as Our Lady describes. By taking up the Crucifix, and meditating on Jesus' wounds, we can finally understand His love, and let Him heal us. All of our self-hatred and misery can be swallowed up in Jesus' love. And then we will have the shield of faith at hand, ready to fend off those flaming darts. They will no longer have access to our hearts. Our faith in Jesus' love will be our protection. 
Our Lady wants to give us the gift of faith. She knows it will protect us from the enemy. It will also give us such joy! In her words:
"Dear children! Also today I call you to pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes life for you. Little children, at this time, in a special way, I pray before God to give you the gift of faith. Only in faith will you discover the joy of the gift of life that God has given you. Your heart will be joyful thinking of eternity. I am with you and love you with a tender love. Thank you for having responded to my call." (November 25, 2005) What blessed children we are to have such a Mother! Her tender love, and the incredible, resurrection love of Jesus are making our lives all joy!!! In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan
www.marytv.tv
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