(c)Mary TV 2015
J.M.J
February 9, 2015
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children! I am here, I am among you. I am looking at you, am smiling at you and I love you in the way that only a mother can. Through the Holy Spirit who comes through my purity, I see your hearts and I offer them to my Son. Already for a long time I have been asking of you to be my apostles, to pray for those who have not come to know God's love. I am asking for prayer said out of love, prayer which carries out works and sacrifices. Do not waste time thinking about whether you are worthy to be my apostles. The Heavenly Father will judge everyone; and you, love Him and listen to Him. I know that all of this confuses you, even my very stay among you, but accept it with joy and pray that you may comprehend that you are worthy to work for Heaven. My love is upon you. Pray that my love may win in all hearts, because that is the love which forgives, gives and never stops. Thank you." (February 2, 2015)
"I am asking for prayer said out of love, prayer which carries out works and sacrifices."
What is prayer like when it is not said out of love?
We
can pray out of other motivations. Fear is one. Prayer said out of fear
might consist of frantic petitions for help, for healing, for
deliverance. They are the prayer of a bird caught in a snare. God hears
our fearful prayers. He knows we are weak, lost, needy and vulnerable.
He is happy that we turn to Him in our need. And He will answer.
We
can pray out of habit. Maybe we have built up a daily routine of prayer
because we believe in God and the teachings of the Church. We can pray
morning prayer, the rosary, evening prayer, etc. Such a habit can only
be good. God will reach into our lives through such a prayer, giving us
moments of illumination and invitation to follow Him.
We
can pray out of anger or frustration. We are often challenged and hurt
by our daily life, at work, at home, at school, even at church. Our
dignity can be wounded, our self-esteem damaged. We can be cheated or
treated unjustly. We can even have old memories of childhood wounds from
family and friends that cause us to have buried anger and frustration,
which can eat away at our peace and even our health. We can also be
angry at God for all of the above. This kind of prayer is also heard by
God. He would rather we let it loose on Him, than walk around with pent
up rage. This kind of prayer can begin a process of healing and
reconciliation, if we truly follow the Lord in it.
But Our Lady asks us to pray out of another motivation. She says, "I am asking for prayer said out of love..."
Prayer said out of love. Prayer with the heart. When we love the Lord,
we choose to spend time with Him, to talk to Him, and to listen to Him,
and to just be with Him. This is prayer out of love.
Fr. Jacques Philippe says it this way:
To
pray is to spend time freely with God just for the joy of being
together. It is to love, because giving our time means giving our lives.
Love does not mean primarily to do something for the other person, it
means being there with them. Prayer trains us to be there with God, in a
simple act of loving attention." (p. 12)
Our Lady continues to tell us that prayer said out of love bears fruit since it is "prayer which carries out works and sacrifices."
Fr. Philippe explains how this happens:
The
marvel of it is that as we learn to be there with God alone, we learn
by that very fact to be there for other people. People with a
long-established prayer life possess a noticeable quality of attention,
presence, listening, and availability, which people whose whole lives
are given over to activity are often incapable of. Prayer gives rise to
sensitivity, respect, and attention, precious gifts for those whom we
encounter on our way.
There
is no more beautiful and effective school of attention to our neighbor
than perseverance in prayer. It would make no sense to set prayer in
opposition to or in conflict with love of neighbor. (p. 12-13)
As
we learn to love God, to spend time with Him in prayer, we learn to
love our neighbor and spend time with him as well. We learn to notice
our neighbor and his needs. We become those who serve and sacrifice for
others.
"I am asking for prayer said out of love, prayer which carries out works and sacrifices."
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2015
PS. Jacques Philippe. "Thirsting for Prayer" Scepter Publishers.
https://www.scepterpublishers.
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
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