(c)Mary TV 2012
May we be determined apostles of Our Lady!
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J.M.J.
November 9, 2012
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Dear Family of Mary!
“Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you.”(November 2, 2012)
We return to this sobering message of November 2, to again pray over it and respond to it with all our hearts. Mother Mary calls us to “witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son.” We might wonder what this means. But it is clear that Jesus reveals the Father. And so to understand the love of the Heavenly Father, we have only to look at Jesus. And what does Jesus reveal? His total self-gift upon the cross. The love of the Father is the same. It is total self-gift to us, His creatures. The Father loves us with everything He is and has. This gift of love is His most precious possession. It is Jesus. The Father gives us Jesus. Jesus gives us the Father. They open up their most precious relationship, break it open for us to enter in. We can scarce take it in.
But now, for us to live that love, we must give it in the same way. We must love as Jesus and the Father love. And in these most difficult days, when the foundations of our lives are shaking, we must be determined to love even when it is not easy. Caryll Houselander faced the difficult days of war in England, when London was being bombed incessantly by the Germans. She faced that terrible time, with determination. She worked as an emergency aide, caring for the wounded. Every night she endured the bombardment, with fear and trembling. But she offered it all for souls. Here is something she wrote about that difficult time:
We are in the world now as Christs; in the midst of this storm. We are here to keep Christianity alive, to keep Christianity pure, intact, to ensure by our own lives in Christ that the gates of hell shall not prevail against Christendom. This cannot be done if there is the least compromise with love; if we do not try to cast out fear by loving acts, if we do not use the energy grief gives us in loving acts, if we do not imitate Christ literally, we shall succumb to hate or to despair.
Our war work, then, is difficult. It is just the work that Christ Himself feared in Gethsemane, and yet faced and accomplished, and will accomplish in each of us. It demands from us wisdom to see clearly and to keep our balance, and to discipline and order our lives to that end, but it demands also blind faith. All His “hard sayings” must be accepted literally; we must obey Him absolutely, trust Him absolutely, and for His sake love absolutely. With this attitude we can work and hope for peace, for oneness of all human creatures, for the promised blessedness, when “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and death shall be no more. Nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more. For the former things are passed away.” (Caryll Houselander. This War is the Passion. P. 16-28)
Caryll understood how little she was, and vulnerable, but she also understood that Christ was within her, working through her with His love. And so she set about cooperating with that love during the worst moments of England’s history. We may feel that our times are getting dark. And they are. But we too must recognize Christ within us, working through us with His love, so that our families, neighbors, colleagues, friends, and fellow citizens will not be without hope and love. We can be Christ-bearers to them, through our love and prayers. That is our job. Our Lady wants us to be her apostles. Hasn’t she told us: ”My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love? Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles.” She wants us to bring God’s love into these days of darkness. She is relying on us. This is what she has raised us up to do! Like Caryll, we must be brave and keep the Christianity alive and pure! We must love.
If you haven’t watched Fruit of Medjugorje, Episode 34, I highly recommend it. Fr. Romain is a living example for us of one who has lived the life of an apostle of Our Lady. She taught the people of Rwanda the same things she is teaching us. And they were well prepared. May we listen to Our Lady of Medjugorje with all our hearts.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2012
PS. Father Petar Vlasic, the pastor of St. James Parish, Medjugorje, passed away yesterday. He will be buried today in the parish cemetery behind the church. Let’s pray for his soul, that he will enter into the rest and peace of God.
PPS. Don’t forget Marija Pavlovic Lunetti’s visit to the University of Notre Dame, November 15, 2012, Live at www.marytv.tv !! 6:00 pm EST! Those who can, come to the JACC at Notre Dame, to join in the evening of prayer.
PPPS. November 16-18, 2012 Marija will be present at the Northern California Marian Conference in Sacramento California! She will speak, share her apparition, and answer questions. There are many other speakers lined up for this conference. I will speak on Saturday morning on the Messages of Medjugorje, a way of life! I would love to see any of you who can make it.
Conference Info: Woodlake Inn, 500 Leisure Lane, Sacramento, CA 95815
916-686-6354 for information.
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