| + J.M.J. July 31, 2012 St. Ignatius of Loyola Dear Family of Mary!! "Dear children! Today I call you to the 'good'. Be carriers of peace and goodness in this world. Pray that God may give you the strength so that hope and pride may always reign in your heart and life because you are God's children and carriers of His hope to this world that is without joy in the heart, and is without a future, because it does not have its heart open to God who is your salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call." (July 25, 2012) Today I want to share three email responses to our discussion of Our Lady's words to us: "Pray that God may give you the strength so that hope and pride may always reign in your heart and life because you are God's children and carriers of His hope to this world..." I think it is really important for us to understand this concept of pride - actually of being proud to be children of God. In our cultures today we are challenged to hide our Christianity, to apologize for it, to downplay it, all for the sake of avoiding confrontation. Here are the responses: From Christine: Dear Cathy, As for me, I understand this "pride" Mother Mary is talking about this way: I Corinthians 1:31 "So that, as it is said in the holy Writings, Whoever has a desire for glory, let his glory be in the Lord." For me this means the only pride one should have, is the pride to belong to the Lord, to be his child. God bless you ! Christine Yes, indeed, this is the kind of pride to have! In the RSV Bible it reads, "therefore, as it is written, 'Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord." Our heads can be held high only because we are redeemed and saved by the Lord. He is the one we are proud of!! And from Rebecca: Thank you, Cathy, and to Ana Shawl for that translation/explanation. I also thought of the Saints and Martyrs in that explanation of "ponos" in this last message. So many went to their deaths joyful and singing praises to God... with loving confidence.
Bishop Olmsted wrote of Blessed Pro and his martyrdom:
" ...[Fr. Pro] was taken from his cell and led across the compound to the execution site.... with his crucifix in one hand and a rosary in the other, one of the policemen who had helped to capture him a few days before broke ranks and approached him with tears, begging the priest to forgive him for his part in the ordeal. Reaching out to him as a brother, Padre Pro said, "Not only do I forgive you, I also give you thanks... ... the priest asked permission to pray before being executed. Being granted his wish, he knelt before the wall riddled with bullet holes from previous executions and, clasping the crucifix and the rosary next to his heart, he asked God for the grace of a holy death. Then, he rose, kissed the crucifix, extended his arms in the form of a cross and, facing the firing squad, declared: "May God have mercy on you. May God bless you. Lord, you know that I am innocent. With all my heart I forgive my enemies." Finally, as the firing squad took aim, Padre Pro said in a calm and steady voice, "¡Viva Cristo Rey!" "Long live Christ the King!" As the execution proceeded and he breathed his last breath, there was not a single expression of cowardice on his face, no fear or anger in his voice; there was only forgiveness and filial trust in God..." The "pride" ("ponos" - loving confidence) captured in that picture must include his loving concern for his executioner(s). He forgave them all! He proclaimed Christ as King! What Love of Man! What Love of God! What confidence! What dignity! What Hope! What Faith! If this is "pride" (ponos"), pour out those Graces on us Heavenly Father! Come Holy Spirit Come! Amen! Grant us all this strength, God! Amen!. Thank You Holy Almighty God for sending our Blessed Mother to instruct and encourage us! Thank You for all these Saints who faithfully served You! Amen! Rebecca T. As you can see in the picture of Blessed Miguel Pro, his head was high, and his confidence sure. He was ready to stand and give his life for Jesus. He was proud to give his life for Jesus. He was a carrier of peace into this world without peace. And finally, from Patsy: Dear Cathy, Good evening! It is the same in French: meaning "to be proud of". We SHOULD be mightily proud of being "royalty" thanks to our inheritance as princes and princesses of the kingdom. Humility doesn't imply feeling less than what we should be: children of God. It's mind boggling to have such an honor!!!! It will be so good one day to understand all the nuances of our "personhood". Thanks Cathy and Denis for reminding us over and over of our dignity in the Lord. We sleep better for it! Love, Patsy I guess we all get it! Our Lady has really taught us well. She has shown us our true heritage, our royal family ties, and our reason for joy! We live with that serene and joyful confidence of children of God. And we want to share it with the whole world! By the way, last night we aired another testimony in our series called Fruit of Medjugorje. Two priests shared their experience of Our Lady in Medjugorje and how it has changed their lives. They were both so full of love, full of light! You could see that they were proud to be children of God! And their stories are very healing for us. Don't miss the archive of Episode 5 Fruit of Medjugorje at www.marytv.tv !! God bless you all! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2012 | 
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