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February 18, 2011 Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children! Also today I call you to fasting and renunciation. Little children, renounce that which hinders you from being closer to Jesus. In a special way I call you: Pray, because only through prayer will you be able to overcome your will and discover the will of God even in the smallest things. By your daily life, little children, you will become an example and witness that you live for Jesus or against Him and His will. Little children, I desire that you become apostles of love. By loving, little children, it will be recognized that you are mine. Thank you for having responded to my call." (March 25, 1998) Our Lady tells us to "discover the will of God even in the smallest things." She says, "By your daily life, little children, you will become an example and a witness that you live for Jesus..." She adds, "I desire that you become apostles of love." These are high standards. She is calling us to holiness. It reminds me of St. Therese. Here is something she wrote in her autobiography, The Story of a Soul, IX 118: "I have received countless graces this year, but the one I value most is the one of understanding the precept of charity in all its fullness. I had never fully understood before what Our Lord meant when He said: 'The second commandment is like the first. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (Mt 22:39) I had concentrated on loving God, but in loving Him I came to realize the meaning of those other words of His: 'Not everyone that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of My Father' (Mt 7:21). "Now, Jesus made known His will to me at the Last Supper, when He gave His apostles His New Commandment: 'Love one another as I have loved you' (Jn 13:34). I set to work to discover how Jesus had loved them. I found that He had not loved them for their natural qualities, for they were ignorant and taken up with earthly things, yet He called them His friends and His brothers (Jn 15:15; 20:17) and wanted to have them with Him in His father's Kingdom; He was ready to die on the cross to make this possible, saying 'greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friend' (John 15:13).
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"Meditating on these divine words, I saw only too well how very imperfect was my love for my Sisters; I did not really love them as Jesus loves them.
"I see now that true charity consists in bearing with the faults of those about us, never being surprised at their weaknesses, but edified at the least sign of virtue. I see above all that charity must not remain hidden in the bottom of our hearts, for 'no man lighteth a candle and putteth it in a hidden place, nor under a bushel but upon a candlestick, that they who come in may see the light' (Lk 11:33). It seems to me that this candle is the symbol of charity; it must shine out not only to cheer those we love best but all those who are of the household." (The Story of a Soul, IX, 118) Our Lady is asking us to light our little candle of love and let it shine for all to see! This is our apostleship and our witness! Loving as Jesus loves. In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan PS. One of our friends, Bernie, reminded me that a 33 day consecration to Our Lady according to St. Louis de Montfort could begin on February 20, ending on March 25, the Annunciation! This consecration is very powerful, but takes some effort. I found a great website that has all the prayers and readings on it, so that anyone who would like to could begin the consecration this Sunday. Here is the link:
http://www.fisheaters.com/totalconsecrationmontfort.html
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