Peace, Peace, Peace.
(c) Mary TV 2013
J.M.J
April 10, 2014
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear Children, do not tire of prayer. Pray for peace, peace, peace." (June 25, 2002, Ivanka)"Dear children! Do not be afraid, I am always with you. Open your heart for love and peace to enter into it. Pray for peace, peace, peace." (June 25, 2003 Ivanka)"Dear children, love each other with the love of my Son. Peace, peace, peace." (June 25, 2005 Ivanka)"Dear children, I call you to be apostles of peace. Peace, peace, peace." (June 25, 2009 Ivanka)
Ivanka's messages, given on June 25
each year, are brief and to the point. And it seems the main point is
peace. She is the visionary who saw the terrible bloodbath in Rwanda, in
a vision. Our Lady wanted us to pray for peace in that country. And she
still calls us to pray for peace, in our own countries and in our own
hearts.
Fr.
Slavko wrote a book "Follow Me With Your Heart" which is a guide for
pilgrims coming to Medjugorje. He characterizes Medjugorje as a "School
of Peace". I believe this is the main charism of Medjugorje. Peace. This
is the gift God is giving to us in Medjugorje, a gift we may not value
or understand deeply enough. It is the basic need of our time.
I want to quote a bit of Fr. Slavko's introduction, because it says so well what I am trying to say!
The
moment you decided to be a pilgrim and to come to this holy Sanctuary,
either consciously or unconsciously, you decided to enroll in the
"School of Peace". The teacher of this school is Mary, the Queen of
Peace. In Her messages, She often repeats that She has come to help us
find peace. This school, like any other, is not easy. In fact, it can be
very difficult. Yet, in this world without peace, the most beneficial
study you can ever decide for is to learn to live peace in your heart
and to become an apostle of peace.
The
goal of this school is PEACE. The main subjects are CONVERSION, PRAYER,
FASTING and FAITH. Mary, as a mother, is very practical and calls us to
pray the Rosary daily, to celebrate the holy Mass every Sunday and feast day, to confess monthly, and to read the holy Bible daily.
All
these practical 'exercises' have a single goal which is to teach us to
grow in the love for every life; "respecting, defending, loving and
serving every life". (The Gospel of Life, no. 5 - Holy Father,
Pope John Paul II). It is in this way that the conditions for peace,
which are very concrete, are fulfilled. Every day and every encounter
with others in our life reveals how far we have progressed towards
peace.
In
other words, in this school, you find yourself in the same school in
which Jesus found Himself. He, who is our Peace, passed His last
examination as the King of Peace when He forgave from the Cross. This
was also the moment when Mary passed Her examination in becoming the
Queen of Peace. That is why it is not strange at all that she teaches us
unconditional love towards every person. This last test of
unconditional love in the School of Peace is before our own cross. It is
there that we look to the Cross of Jesus, beneath which Mary stood and
taught us to forgive. She calls us to come to the Cross of Jesus, to
discover His love in suffering and to forgive.
By
accepting the curriculum of this school, you have started the journey
on the most beautiful road for which every human heart longs. Fear not.
Proceed courageously with Mary. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric. "Follow me with
Your Heart." p. 7,8)
We
are approaching Holy Week, the final exam for Jesus and Mary. As we
accompany them through the Passion, may we learn well from them how to
pass our own exam. May we learn to embrace our cross, and forgive,
forgive, forgive. May we pray for peace, peace, peace!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2014
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Blessed John Paul II
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