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J.M.J September 14, 2012 The Exaltation of the Cross Dear Family of Mary!
"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) We have been talking lately about surrender. Our Lady wants us to surrender everything to God, all we possess, all we desire, all we do. But there is even more that we can surrender to the Lord. We can surrender our wounds, sins, sorrows, and memories of the past. These very things can cause us to be anxious, to be sad, to be distrustful of God and unable to surrender our lives to Him. I received a beautiful email from Deacon John Giglio yesterday, and he said I could share it with all of you: Hi Cathy, I really enjoyed todays post and your story about the dream you had. [The dream of our car going into a lake and sinking with all our belongings!] Years ago, I lost my job and then lost our home and possessions due to foreclosure. For a number of years I felt guilty about that loss and even refused to drive by the old home to see it. A few years later, I was on retreat with a group of us men who were in formation for the diaconate. The priest retreat master got us in a semi-circle and had us pray. He asked us to relax and think about a happy moment in our lives. Immediately my mind went back to that house; the children were gathered in front of the Christmas Tree, the fireplace was lit, my wife was sitting on the couch, on the TV was the Christmas Story from Fr. Peyton's Rosary Movies; it was so real I burst out in tears, couldn't control myself, had to leave the room escorted by a friend who comforted me. What happened then was that God lifted all those guilt's and sufferings off me and I was free after that to meditate on my past and even to drive by the old house and not have all those hard feelings in my soul. As the old saying says: Let go, let God! (Deacon John) What a beautiful healing for Deacon John. It was in the context of a retreat, a time set aside to be in the presence of the Lord in a special way. It was then that the Holy Spirit could begin to move in Deacon John's heart, delivering him of the guilt and shame of his loss, helping him to forgive himself and all involved, and to return to peace of heart. Our Lady wants us to go on retreat with the Crucifix. She wants us to take time apart and meditate on what Jesus did for us so that we could be free of all sin, all shame, all guilt and all sadness. We could really have a retreat every day, if we followed her advice and spent time with the Crucifix, alone and in peace. Jesus wants to heal our memories and emotions so that we can be free to receive His love. This weekend we have two powerful feasts, the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows. Both feasts are powerful for healing. The sorrows of Jesus and Mary are like ointments that can be applied to our wounded hearts. They bring compassion and communion of heart to us, because Jesus and Mary have suffered everything we have suffered. They want to unite with our suffering to strengthen us and heal us. If we can surrender our past wounds and sorrows to them, they will turn them into grace. Like Deacon John, we will find release and peace if we "Let go - let God!" In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2012 |
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