J.M.J
September 30, 2014
St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children! Also today I call you to also be like the stars, which by their light give light and beauty to others so they may rejoice. Little children, also you be the radiance, beauty, joy and peace - and especially prayer - for all those who are far from my love and the love of my Son Jesus. Little children, witness your faith and prayer in joy, in the joy of faith that is in your hearts; and pray for peace, which is a precious gift from God. Thank you for having responded to my call."
I
have been studying the Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The
Joy of the Gospel) of Pope Francis and it struck me that Our Lady's
message pretty much sums up what the Holy Father teaches us in it. Pope
Francis is very much aware that we, as Catholics, have been given the
pearl of great price, and we have to stop hiding it away, for our own
enjoyment, and instead hold it up for all to see. We have to share the
radiance, beauty and joy of the Gospel, as the good news for all men.
And we have to do this first of all by our lives.
And
really, this is what Our Lady has been saying to us for all these many
years! She asks us to "be like the stars!" Stars are our nightly
companions who people the skies, and guide us on our way. They make us
aware of the vastness of God's creation, and somehow at the same time
comfort us with the realization that the God who made them, loves us!
Well,
I want to share with you the prayer to Our Lady that Pope Francis gave
us at the end of the exhortation, because it is so much a prayerful
response to this message! It is as if the two of them are writing these
things together!
(288)...It
is the Risen Christ who tells us, with a power that fills us with
confidence and unshakeable hope: "Behold, I make all things new" (Rev
21:5). With Mary we advance confidently towards the fulfilment of this
promise, and to her we pray:
Mary, Virgin and Mother,
you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own "yes"
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
Filled with Christ's presence,
you brought joy to John the Baptist,
making him exult in the womb of his mother.
Brimming over with joy,
you sang of the great things done by God.
Standing at the foot of the cross
with unyielding faith,
you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,
and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit
so that the evangelizing Church might be born.
Obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection,
that we may bring to all the Gospel of life
which triumphs over death.
Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,
that the gift of unfading beauty
may reach every man and woman.
Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,
pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are,
that she may never be closed in on herself
or lose her passion for establishing God's kingdom.
Star of the new evangelization,
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world.
Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for God's little ones,
pray for us.
Amen. Alleluia!
(n.288 - Evangelii Gaudium - Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis)
Mary Star of the new Evangelization, pray for us!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2014
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
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