Mary TV daily Reflection 8/12/2011

Pilgrim groups are prayer groups!! (c)Mary TV 2010

August 12, 2011 St. Jane Frances de Chantal   Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children! Today I call you to be born anew in prayer and through the Holy Spirit, to become a new people with my Son; a people who knows that if they have lost God, they have lost themselves; a people who knows that, with God, despite all sufferings and trials, they are secure and saved. I call you to gather into God's family and to be strengthened with the Father's strength. As individuals, my children, you cannot stop the evil that wants to begin to rule in this world and to destroy it. But, according to God's will, all together, with my Son, you can change everything and heal the world. I call you to pray with all your heart for your shepherds, because my Son chose them. Thank you." (August 2, 2011)   I am very interested in the last part of Our Lady's message of August 2. She tells us that, as individuals, we cannot stop the evil that wants to begin to rule in this world and to destroy it. She is, in her delicate way, telling us that there is such an evil that is making a move to rule this world and destroy it.   We would be blind and deaf if we were not aware of all the troubling and dangerous events that are happening these days. There are riots, stock market crashes, droughts, civil wars, monetary devaluations, wars, and on and on. There is rampant pornography, sexual trafficking, divorce, gangs, mobs, abortion, and on and on. The enemy is attempting to grasp the whole world.   And his grip appears to be tightening, as if his victory is inevitable. Satan is making his move to destroy all that God has made on earth, man and beast alike. His hate knows no bounds, and he is ready to devour all the souls who have been beguiled by him down the path of sin. He is poised, it seems, to attack and overwhelm us.   In the face of our enemy and the dangers at hand, we, as individuals, feel very small, insignificant and helpless. No one person can stand against it all. No one person can defeat it. We often feel very alone in the face of it all.   And so Our Lady calls us to gather together, according to God's will, united with Jesus. She is blowing the warning siren, calling us into the safe harbor of the Church, where she knows we will be protected and where we will find our place in the battle, side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can't face the evil individually, but we can defeat it together, with Jesus leading us forward.   Though our primary gathering is our parish, a good way to live our unity is to be part of a prayer group. Our Lady has suggested that in her messages:   "Dear children! Also today, joy is in my heart. I desire to thank you for making my plan realizable. Each of you is important, therefore, little children, pray and rejoice with me for every heart that has converted and become an instrument of peace in the world. Prayer groups are powerful, and through them I can see, little children, that the Holy Spirit is at work in the world. Thank you for having responded to my call."    (June 25, 2004)   Prayer groups take many forms. Family prayer is really a form of prayer group. And formal prayer groups, dedicated to the rosary or other prayers can provide the community of prayer we need to experience the protection and strength of a prayer group.

Fr. Slavko Barbaric wrote an excellent little book about prayer groups, based on his experience in Medjugorje with the prayer groups Our Lady founded. I quote from him:

 

"I have often been asked, 'What is a prayer group and how is it to be led?' I have given various answers, with a desire to help the pilgrims put their good will and good resolutions into practice.

 

"First of all we need to remember that Jesus said when two or more are gathered together in prayer to the Father, in His name, the Father will grant them what they pray for (Mt 18: 1920). Thus, as we can see from a Biblical perspective, prayer together has a special power...

 

"The first prayer group is the family. Parents must pray with their children, and children must pray with their parents. Just as it is impossible to envision a family where there is no dialogue, it is impossible to envision a Christian family where there is no prayer together. This is equally important for both parents and children. Mother Teresa said that a family that prays together stays together and a family that stays together grows in love...

 

"In answer to the question of how to pray and how to lead a prayer group, we need to realize that a prayer group is, first of all, a group of friends. No one needs to ask how to meet with a friend. All of us know this well. We speak with a friend, sing, are silent, cry, laugh, and rejoice with them, depending on the circumstances. A prayer group needs to be understood in the same way. It is a group of friends who meet because they are believers; and they are believers who get together because they are friends." (Fr. Slavko Barbaric. Pray Together With A Joyful Heart. Zagreb: Informativni centar Mir - Medjugorje, 2000. p. 15-16)

 

 

Prayer groups, gatherings of friends in the name of Jesus, take many forms. There are internet prayer groups, like the IIPG prayer group (you can find information on it at www.medjugorje.org). There are local prayer groups in your parishes and pilgrims groups that gather to pray in their homes. We also have a growing internet prayer group at Mary TV. Every day Denis and I pray the Rosary, live, over the internet at 10:00 EDT. We pray a Rosary, and share insights and prayer requests and talk about Our Lady's messages. You can find us at www.marytv.tv , at the Daily Rosary tab. (The live Rosary is recorded for later viewing on our website, so if you cannot join at 10:00 EDT, you can join later.)

 

We need to gather together with Jesus, to face the evils that approach. Gathering together, under the guidance of Our Lady's messages, to pray the Rosary together, is the path to victory.

 

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan

 

www.marytv.tv 

 

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