Mary TV: December 31, 2018 Reflection - Thanksgiving for 2018

 

Thank you, Dearest Mother, for leading us through 2018

(c) Anthonly Zubac 2018

December 31, 2018
New Years Eve

 

Dear Family of Mary!

We at Mary TV want to thank all of you for your participation in our broadcasts from Medjugorje over the past year. It's no small thing choosing to be with Our Lady in Medjugorje - even if our only option is by way of the digital sea: "My Son promised me that evil will never win, because you, the souls of the just, are here!" (11/2/14)  To be with Our Lady, in Medjugorje, even over the internet, adds strength to her intercession!  Jesus hears our prayers! 
We have prayed together "live" (and archived) in Medjugorje:

 

Daily Divine Mercy Chaplets

Daily Rosary with Denis and Cathy,

Daily Evening Rosary with St. James Parish,

Daily Evening International Mass with St. James Parish,

Daily English Mass in Medjugorje

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar at least twice a week,

Climb up Apparition Hill on Sunday's with the parish!
And we have attended "live" or viewed later many special events:
Mirjana's 2nd of the month Apparitions

Mirjana's March 18 Apparition

The Youth Festival in August
The Cenacolo Christmas Play

Weekly Testimonies from pilgirms on Fruit of Medjugorje

Special talks by Archbishop Hoser

Sanctuary Snippets from Fr. Leon

 

And of course we have the possibility to pray "live" at Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain with our live camera, taking personal time with Our Lady and Jesus in those holy spots.

 

Our prayer together in Medjugorje is powerful. Our Lady is calling us to help her through our prayers and sacrifices to bring about the peace that she longs for in the world. This is a work of mercy and joy!
Thank you to all of you who make the work of Mary TV possible, through your prayers, sacrifices, and financial support. We could not do it without you. Together we are helping Mother Mary reach her children all over the world!
We have come to the end of 2018! With thanksgiving to God, we want to pray in the New Year! Tonight we will have an opportunity to pray along with the parish, bringing in the New Year and honoring Our Lady as Mother of God! Here is the schedule: (all times are Medjugorje time)

3:00 pm - Hour of Mercy

4:00 pm - The Daily Rosary with Denis and Cathy

5:00 pm - The Evening Rosary with St. James Parish

6:00 pm - International Mass with the Parish

10:00 pm - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in St. James Church

11:30 pm - Midnight Mass with Archbishop Henryk Hoser (and two more bishops)

 

So you see, we will pray in the New Year!!!
Thank you again to all of you!! May we stay the course in 2019, growing ever more connected to Our Lady and her plans, praying unceasingly for her plans and serving her Son with our lives!
Blessed New Year!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan and the whole Mary TV Team!
©Mary TV 2018

 

 PS.  If you feel called to support Mary TV, here is a link to our Donation Page.  Thank you in advance for your support!!

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"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 28, 2018 Reflection - Litany to the Infant Jesus

 

Cenacolo Play 2017 - The Holy Family

(c) Mateo Ivankovic

Blessed Christmas!!!

December 28, 2018
The Holy Innocents

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! I am carrying to you my Son Jesus who is the King of Peace. He gives you peace and may it not be only for you but, little children, carry it to others in joy and humility. I am with you and am praying for you in this time of grace which God desires to give you. My presence is a sign of love here while I am with you to protect you and lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."  (December 25, 2018)

LITANY OF THE INFANT JESUS

Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy,
Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy,
Lord have mercy, Lord, have mercy.

Infant Jesus, hear us,
Infant Jesus, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven, graciously hear us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, graciously hear us.
God the Holy Ghost, graciously hear us.
Holy Trinity, One God, graciously hear us.

Infant Jesus, Have mercy on us.
Infant, very God, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Son of the Living God, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Son of the Virgin Mary, Have mercy on us.
Infant, begotten before the morning star, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Word made flesh, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Wisdom of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Purity of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, only Son of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, First-Born of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.

Infant, Image of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Creator of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Splendor of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Honor of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, equal to Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, subject to Thy mother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Joy of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Riches of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Gift of Thy Father, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Offering of Thy mother, Have mercy on us.

Infant, precious fruit of a virgin, Have mercy on us. 

Infant, Creator of man, Have mercy on us.

 

Infant, Power of God, Have mercy on us.
Infant, our God, Have mercy on us.
Infant, our Brother, Have mercy on us.
Infant, perfect Man from Thy conception, Have mercy on us.
Infant, ancient in wisdom from Thy childhood, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Father of ages, Have mercy on us.
Infant, of days, Have mercy on us.
Infant, giving life, and nourished at the breast, Have mercy on us.

Infant, Eternal Word, and making Thyself dumb, Have mercy on us.
Infant, weeping in the crib, Have mercy on us.
Infant, thundering in Heaven, Have mercy on us.
Infant, terror of hell, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Joy of Paradise, Have mercy on us.
Infant, dreaded by tyrants, Have mercy on us.
Infant, desired by the Magi, Have mercy on us.
Infant, exiled from Thy people, Have mercy on us.

Infant, King in exile, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Destroyer of idols, Have mercy on us.

Infant, Vindicator of the glory of God, Have mercy on us.
Infant, strong in weakness, Have mercy on us.
Infant, powerful in abasement, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Treasure of Grace, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Fountain of Love, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Author of the blessings of Heaven, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Repairer of the evils of earth, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Head of the angels, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Stem of the patriarchs, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Word of the prophets, Have mercy on us.

Infant, Expectation of nations, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Joy of the shepherds, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Light of the Magi, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Salvation of children, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Hope of the just, Have mercy on us.
Infant, Teacher of doctors, Have mercy on us.
Infant, First-fruits of the saints, Have mercy on us.

Be merciful, Spare us, O Infant Jesus,
Be merciful, Graciously hear us, O Infant Jesus.

From the bondage of the children of Adam, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the slavery of the devil, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the corruption of the world, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the lust of the flesh, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the pride of life, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the immoderate desire of knowledge, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the blindness of mind, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From the perversity of will, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
From our sins, Infant Jesus, deliver us.

Through Thy most pure conception, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most humble birth, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy tears, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most painful circumcision, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most glorious epiphany, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most devout presentation, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most innocent conversation in the world, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy most holy life, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy poverty, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy sorrows, Infant Jesus, deliver us.
Through Thy labors and travails. Infant Jesus, deliver us.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
 Spare us, O Infant Jesus,
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Infant Jesus,
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us, O Infant Jesus.

Infant Jesus, hear us,
Infant Jesus, graciously hear us.

LET US PRAY

O Lord Jesus, Who allowed the greatness of Thy incarnate divinity and most sacred humanity to be born in time, to become a little child, and to suffer bitter death, grant that we may acknowledge infinite wisdom in the silence of a child, power in weakness, majesty in abasement, so that adoring Thy humility and littleness on earth we may contemplate Thy glories in Heaven. We ask this of Thee, who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, lives and reigns God, forever and ever. Amen.

https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/litany-of-the-infant-jesus/
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

 

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Annual Apparition to Jakov on December 25th 2018

Annual Apparition to Jakov on December 25th 2018 "Dear children, on this day of grace, I am calling you to love. Little children, God loves you immeasurably and that is why, little children, full of trust and without looking back and without fear, completely surrender your hearts to Him so that God may fill them with His love. Do not be afraid to believe in His love and mercy, because His love is stronger than every one of your weaknesses and fears. Therefore, my children, full of love in your hearts, trust in Jesus and say your 'yes' to Him, because He is the only way which leads you to the Eternal Father."

December 25, 2018 Message from Our Lady

Bethlehem Scene in St. James Church, Medjugorje (c) Anthony Zubac Blessed Christmas!!!   December 25, 2018 Christmas Day! Dear Family of Mary! Here is the message for today, December 25, 2018 - Christmas Day!! "Dear children! I am carrying to you my Son Jesus who is the King of Peace. He gives you peace and may it not be only for you but, little children, carry it to others in joy and humility. I am with you and am praying for you in this time of grace which God desires to give you. My presence is a sign of love here while I am with you to protect you and lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."    In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan © Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." Saint John Paul II Be connected! www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 23, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 9 - Our Lady's blessing

 

Pilgrims bask in the peace of Our Lady on Apparition Hill

(c) Anthony Zubac

 

December 23, 2018
4th Sunday of Advent

Christmas Novena Day 9
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we pray to accept Our Lady's special blessing which she brings from heaven for us in Medjugorje:

December 25, 1988 "Dear children! I call you to peace. Live it in your heart and all around you, so that all will know peace, peace that does not come from you but from God. Little children, today is a great day. Rejoice with me. Glorify the Nativity of Jesus through the peace that I give you. It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace. Today I give you my special blessing. Bring it to all creation, so that all creation will know peace. Thank you for having responded to my call."

In this message Our Lady uses the word "peace" seven times!! In her messages over the years she has used the word "peace" over 500 times! Peace is the central theme of Our Lady of Medjugorje. In this message from 1988 she makes it clear: "It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace."

God has sent Our Lady to earth in order to bring peace to His beleaguered children. He once sent His Son, through Mary, to bring peace. That first Christmas night, Jesus was born, the King of Peace. Didn't the angels proclaim it to the shepherds?   

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

 

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." (Luke 2:8-15)

The angels proclaimed "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE among men with whom he is pleased!"

 

Jesus' coming brought the possibility of peace on earth, something that had not been known since Adam and Eve. Along with sin, there came strife and war. Human relationships were broken, among nations, within nations, in cities and towns, in families, and even within each human heart. Nowhere was there real peace, the peace that comes from God. It just couldn't take root.

Jesus is our peace and gives us peace. And Our Lady has come in these days to teach us how to receive His peace. Her messages are full of sound advice for us in that regard. And along with her messages she brings her blessing. I think that her blessing is the blessing of peace. She says as much in this message:

 

"It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace. Today I give you my special blessing. Bring it to all creation, so that all creation will know peace."

Our Lady's blessing is peace. She gives that blessing to all who come to Medjugorje. It is evident. What is the most common comment we hear from pilgrims during and after their pilgrimage? "I have never felt so much peace as I do in Medjugorje." They all feel that peace. It permeates the atmosphere. It fills each heart with calm and quiet. It characterizes every experience. Peace, peace, peace!

This is Our Lady's blessing. It gives the soul a chance to heal. It gives the mind time to process memories and thoughts, and put them in order. It gives the body a chance to heal from stress and overwork. It gives the heart the trust necessary to open to God. This peace is a healing balm. It is Our Lady's presence that brings peace.

And so, today, on the last day of our novena, let's pray for the special blessing of Our Lady! Let's pray for it. We need her blessing very much in these days, so we can carry it to all creation. Now is the time for peace!

Let us pray:

  

May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

 

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

 

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist. Amen -St. John Paul II

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

PS.  Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.  Mary TV's schedule for live streaming will be a bit different. 

3:00 pm Medj - Hour of Mercy

4:00 pm Medj - Daily Rosary

5:00 to 7:00 pm Medj - there will be no live evening program, to give our team time to set up for the Cenacolo Christmas Play
7:00 pm  Medj - The Cenacolo Christmas Play  (also subject to weather)

12:00 am Medj -  Midnight Mass from Medjugorje!  (This is tentative.  To be announced)

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 22, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 8 - Encourage each other!

The Holy Family as presented in the Cenacolo Christmas Play 2017

(c) Mateo Ivankovic

 

December 22, 2018
Christmas Novena Day 8
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we pray that we will have courage and become an encouragement to others. We live in difficult times, and it is a temptation to flag in our zeal. But Our Lady is with us to encourage us, and wants us to turn and encourage each other. Here is our message:

December 25, 2001 "Dear children! I call you today and encourage you to prayer for peace. Especially today I call you, carrying the newborn Jesus in my arms for you, to unite with Him through prayer and to become a sign to this peaceless world. Encourage each other, little children, to prayer and love. May your faith be an encouragement to others to believe and to love more. I bless you all and call you to be closer to my heart and to the heart of little Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call."

I think it is important that Our Lady brought Baby Jesus with her on Christmas Day, 2001. She was reminding us of something. We know that little ones in their complete dependence, draw out of their parents an extreme form of courage. Parents with tiny ones never really sleep, they always have one eye open, in case their child would need them. There is a constant vigilance for parents of newborns. Talk about courage! Talk about being signs of encouragement to others. Such self-sacrifice makes those who know them marvel. Such love!!
I wonder if Our Lady wanted us to remember the courage it took for her to give birth to Jesus and raise Him in such difficult circumstances. She was the most courageous of all parents. She gave birth in a stable. She was far from her family and had no one but Joseph to help her. She had to flee Bethlehem to protect little Jesus from Herod's men who were sent to kill Him. She and Joseph lived with Baby Jesus as refugees in Egypt for many months, until it was safe to return to Nazareth. They were poor, hardworking people with no status. Mary had much to be vigilant about, but she had courage, because she had complete trust in the Father and total love for her Infant Son and she knew the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
She would never boast about it, but Mary showed incredible courage and in that courage became an encouragement for others. Now she encourages us so much, if we meditate on her life. In turn, she wants us to encourage each other. We need to cheer one another on in the journey we are taking together through life. We need to smile at each other; say words of truth, hope and love; serve one another kindly and generously, and just be good to each other. This is the most basic way to be encouragers. But mostly we need to share our faith with others. They need it so much.
May the incredible courage of Mary, as she mothered little Jesus, encourage us as we face the difficulties of our day. May we respond with trust and love, and turn to encourage our neighbors.
Let us pray:

May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.   -St. John Paul II

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 21, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 7 - Seeking and Yearning!

My soul yearns for thee in the night,

my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee.

(c) Anthony Zubac 2018

    
 

 

December 21, 2018
Christmas Novena Day 7
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we ask for the grace to yearn for peace and to seek it! Our Lady tells us that we must pray, pray, pray if we want our yearning to be fulfilled.

December 25, 1998 "Dear children! In this Christmas joy I desire to bless you with my blessing. In a special way, little children, I give you the blessing of little Jesus. May He fill you with His peace. Today, little children, you do not have peace and yet you yearn for it. That is why, with my Son Jesus, on this day I call you to pray, pray, pray, because without prayer you do not have joy or peace or a future. Yearn for peace and seek it, for God is true peace. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady tells us it is good to yearn. It is important to seek. We must desire what is most important and in our hearts hold vigil for it. Seeking is a function of hope. We receive hope from the Lord, the true hope which is based on our true destiny of life with God for eternity. Hope is hope when it is hope for God. It is the same with yearning and seeking. We yearn for Jesus; we pine for Him. We need Him more than life itself. This is proper yearning.

It is interesting that Our Lady brings Baby Jesus with her on Christmas Day. She brings the source of all our hope, the object of all our yearning and the one we seek. She brings Him to bless us and to give us His peace. Everything is there for us on that day!

But we know that we cannot rest on the grace of one day. We must live our lives. And in doing so, it is through prayer that we will find what our hearts desire. We will find union with Jesus, and true peace. Our Lady says, "That is why, with my Son Jesus, on this day I call you to pray, pray, pray, because without prayer you do not have joy or peace or a future." Prayer helps us to express our yearning and our seeking.

Prayer helps us connect with the Lord, who is the answer to all our yearning and seeking. And prayer opens our hearts to the graces the Lord wants to give us so that we can travel through this world of time and space, and finally enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven for which we yearn.

Yearning and seeking is indeed what fills much of the Old Testament. Our older brothers, the Hebrew people, yearned for God and sought Him as best they could. We can pray as they did. They show us how to express the depths of our hearts to God. Jesus will always answer such prayer.  

My soul yearns for thee in the night,
my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee.
For when thy judgments are in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isa 63:9)
It is good to seek the Lord, to yearn for Him. It is this kind of prayer that will keep us moving in the right direction!!
Let us pray:
May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist. -St. John Paul II
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2018

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 20, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 6 - Conversion

A Pilgrim leans on the Risen Christ Statue in prayer!

(c) Anthony Zubac

    
 

 

December 20, 2018 Christmas Novena Day 6 - Conversion

Dear Family of Mary!

Even on Christmas Day Our Lady spoke about conversion. Every day, it seems, is a day to convert. As the Psalmist says: "O that today you would hearken to his voice! Harden not your hearts" (Ps 95:7-8)! God speaks to us every day, calling us to turn to Him, to follow Him, to listen to Him, to love Him. O, that on this day and every day, may we listen and turn, which is to convert. Even on Christmas Day, and maybe especially on Christmas Day, we are called to conversion, because we are shown our Savior, come as a little child, to lead us in our turning back to God!
Our Lady has told us:

December 25, 2002 "Dear children! This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials for all those who desire to follow the way of peace. Because of that, little children, again I call you to pray, pray, pray, not with words but with the heart. Live my messages and be converted. Be conscious of this gift that God has permitted me to be with you, especially today when in my arms I have little Jesus - the King of Peace. I desire to give you peace, and that you carry it in your hearts and give it to others until God's peace begins to rule the world. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Mother has been sent by God to us in this time, to give us peace, and to help us convert and find our way to God. She has come amidst great turmoil on the earth. Never has godlessness been so prevalent. Never have so many suffered so much at the hands of evil. Into this turmoil, the Queen of Peace is descending, bringing the King of Peace in her arms. She has come to help us live every day in conversion of heart and great prayer.
This is a time of great stress, but of even greater grace. May we use every moment to convert, to turn to God. We may in fact turn the tide as well, and bring a time of peace as Our Lady wishes and desires.
Let us pray:

 

May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist. -St. John Paul II

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 19, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 5 - May the King of Peace bless you today

May the King of Peace bless you today and give you peace!

(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

    
 

 

December 19, 2018
Christmas Novena Day 5 - Peace
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we pray for peace. Our Lady has come as the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje. Her focus throughout these 37 years has been to establish peace.

"Dear children! Today I rejoice with you and I am praying with you for peace: peace in your hearts, peace in your families, peace in your desires, peace in the whole world. May the King of Peace bless you today and give your peace. I bless you and I carry each one of you in my heart. Thank you for having responded to my call."

December 25, 1994  

 

Our Lady shows us the hierarchy of peace in this message. Peace does not start with governments and the powerful people. Peace is not a political agenda. Peace is far more personal and difficult than that.

Our Lady says that she is praying for us for peace. This is amazing! She is intimately connected to us, as our Mother and our intercessor! Her prayers are probably what is keeping us afloat.

But her list of objectives for peace teaches us so much:

Peace in your hearts: Our Lady begins here. In our hearts. There will be no peace in the world if there is not peace in our hearts. And there will be no peace in our hearts unless we take responsibility for it. No one can make us peaceful. We must choose to build peace in our hearts. With God's forgiveness and help, and Our Lady's prayers, we must make peace in our hearts, through forgiveness of all who have wounded us, through humility and profound repentance for our sins, through letting go of our past and embracing God's future for us, and for choosing love, we can make peace in our hearts. Peace in our hearts is a daily process in which we surrender to God our entire self, and joyfully let Him lead us!

Peace in your families: As we build peace in our hearts, it will spread to our families. Forgiveness, generosity, repentance, humility, and love coming from us can heal many wounds in our families. And prayer for our families can change so much. We can take the first step for peace in our families, and then God can do the rest!

Peace in your desires: This is always a sure sign of our conversion, when we begin to desire what makes for peace. God knows what will make peace in our lives and in the world. He knows how we fit into the grand scheme. So if we turn to Him to give us His desires for us, we will help to build peace all around us. It is a matter of choosing the life we were destined to live!

Peace in the whole world: It seems impossible that by building peace in my small and unimportant life, I can help to change the whole world. But it is true, because we are each very important to Our Lady's plan. Peace depends on each one of us. God loves and respects each of us so much that He would have it no other way. We are all part of His great plan for peace.

May the King of Peace bless you today and give you peace!

Let us pray:

    

May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.

St. John Paul II

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

 

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 18, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 4 - Open your heart to God!

  Open your hearts to Jesus!

(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

    
 

 

December 18, 2018

Christmas Novena Day 4
Dear Family of Mary!
Open your heart to Jesus! This is Our Lady's constant plea:

 

December 25, 1987 "Dear children! Rejoice with me! My heart is rejoicing because of Jesus and today I want to give Him to you. Dear children, I want each one of you to open your heart to Jesus and I will give Him to you with love. Dear children, I want Him to change you, to teach you and to protect you. Today I am praying in a special way for each one of you and I am presenting you to God so He will manifest Himself in you. I am calling you to sincere prayer with the heart so that every prayer of yours may be an encounter with God. In your work and in your everyday life, put God in the first place. I call you today with great seriousness to obey me and to do as I am calling you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

It seems that Our Lady knows that our hearts are rarely open to God. We are prone to closing them up, even locking them and hiding the key. We might think that it is safer to be locked away, to be in hiding, as it were, from God and probably everyone else. We have experienced the shock of being misunderstood, abused or rejected by others. We know how sad and ashamed this rejection can make us feel. Doesn't it make sense to just close our hearts and hide away?

 

Sin has created this inclination. Adam and Eve hid from God after they disobeyed Him. They knew that they had blown it, but somehow, hiding offered them a way out. They were afraid to meet God in the Garden after their eyes had been opened to sin, and to their own nakedness (which signifies their vulnerability).
So, like our first parents, we also sin and hide, or experience others sinning against us, and hide. We just want to be safe inside. Our Lady knows this. And so she calls to us, "Dear children, I want each one of you to open your heart to Jesus and I will give Him to you with love." This is Our Lady's offer. If we will take a chance to open our hearts, she will place Baby Jesus in them. Who is afraid of a tiny baby? Who would want to hide from the New Born King? Baby Jesus is the key to healing our need to hide from God. He is a Baby!! He comes to receive our love and to entrust Himself to us! His presence in our hearts will heal them of shame and guilt and fear and loneliness.
Come, Baby Jesus, and enter my heart and never leave it!!!

Let us pray:
May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.   -St. John Paul II

We can add our Rosary to these prayers as part of the Novena!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 17, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 3-- Hope!

  Priests and religious at Mirjana's Apparition exercising the gift of hope!

(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

    
 

 

December 17, 2018

Christmas Novena Day 3 - Hope!

Dear Family of Mary!

Today we are praying for an increase in our hope. Hope can be a tricky virtue to understand. We can think that hope has to do with achieving or receiving the things we think we need in this life. We can set God up as the one who will give us what we hope for, forgetting that God has a much bigger plan in mind and that our hoped for desires may actually be detrimental to us. The Catechism tells us:

Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 1817)

The hope that comes from God is a gift that helps to purify our desires! We start to want the things of heaven more than the things of earth. We start to have a fire in our hearts for Jesus and His love which burns away all our lower desires and helps us to see our life in terms of eternity.

The Virtue of Hope sets our eyes on God. It shows us what is awaiting us, and keeps us positive and moving ahead because we know that God is faithful and will not let us down. Our hope is secure in God!

It is nearly impossible to live without hope. So that is what the enemy does to us, takes away all hope, because we lose sight of what we should be hoping for and feel only the loss of the things of earth.

In this message Our Lady gives us everything we need for a solid Hope:

December 25, 2016 "Dear children! With great joy, today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for Him to give you His peace. Open your hearts, little children, and be joyful that you can receive it. Heaven is with you and is fighting for peace in your hearts, in the families and in the world; and you, little children, help with your prayers for it to be so. I bless you with my Son Jesus and call you not to lose hope; and for your gaze and heart to always be directed towards Heaven and eternity. In this way, you will be open to God and to His plans. Thank you for having responded to my call."

How can we lose hope when we have such a Mother!! How can we lose hope when Jesus is our Brother and Lord?

 

Let us pray:

 

May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.   -St. John Paul II

We can add our Rosary to these prayers as part of the Novena!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 16, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 2- Joy!

 

         

The joy of this little one is an image of the joy that Baby Jesus can give to us if we open ourselves to Him this Christmas! 

(c) Anthony Zubac

 

December 16, 2018
Third Sunday of Advent
Dear Family of Mary!
Today the priest wears rose colored vestments to signify that we should rejoice because our Savior has come and will come again! We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb, and our life with Christ is secured! The words of the Collect for this day say it well:

"O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing, through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever."
So today we will pray for the gift of joy! Our Lady has often encouraged us to be joyful. Here is one message:

"Dear children! Today I am with you in a special way, holding little Jesus in my lap and I invite you, little children, to open yourselves to His call. He calls you to joy. Little children, joyfully live the messages of the Gospel, which I am repeating in the time since I am with you. Little children, I am your Mother and I desire to reveal to you the God of love and the God of peace. I do not desire for your life to be in sadness but that it be realized in joy for eternity, according to the Gospel. Only in this way will your life have meaning. Thank you for having responded to my call. (December 25, 1996)

Baby Jesus calls us to joy!!! Is it not true that babies call us to joy? You cannot look upon a little one without smiling inside and out. Their innocence, their inquisitiveness, their openness and trust, their beauty, everything about them calls forth a response of joyful delight in us. How much more does the Baby Jesus evoke joy in our souls as we behold Him in His Nativity in Bethlehem.
Our Lady brings Jesus to us in a special way at Christmas. In this apparition, she was holding Him on her lap. She wants us to be intimate with Her Son. This is all she desires, to bring us into close proximity to Him, and to let His pure love penetrate us to the depths.
May we meditate on the Infant Jesus every day of this novena and every day afterwards. Baby Jesus is calling us to joy! May we respond to His call with open hearts and trust! Let us pray:
May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.

Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.

May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.   -St. John Paul II

We can add our Rosary to these prayers as part of the Novena!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 15, 2018 Reflection - Christmas Novena Day 1

The parish arrives at the Apparition Site on Mt. Podbrdo!      (c) Anthony Zubac   December 15, 2018 Christmas Novena Day One Dear Family of Mary! Today we begin the Christmas Novena with the Parish of St. James! Our team will climb with the parishioners each day, praying the Rosary and preparing for Jesus' Birth. The climb is at 2:00 pm each day. Then at 3:00 pm Mary TV will pray the Hour of Mercy, including our novena prayers. www.marytv.tv  Here are our prayers for today: Christmas Novena Day 1 The Gift of Faith "Dear children! I call you today and encourage you to prayer for peace. Especially today I call you, carrying the newborn Jesus in my arms for you, to unite with Him through prayer and to become a sign to this peaceless world. Encourage each other, little children, to prayer and love. May your faith be an encouragement to others to believe and to love more. I bless you all and call you to be closer to my heart and to the heart of little Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call." (December 25, 2001)   Our Lady desires that our faith will be an encouragement to others! Our faith can be contagious! Think of how the shepherds' faith grew when they saw the angels singing and praising God on Christmas night, and then found the New Born Baby Jesus in the stable! They must have left, changed forever! A King, born in a stable? A Child, so poor and small who would rule the world one day! May we allow little Jesus to increase our faith this Christmas too! Let us pray:      May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God's Word; may she spur us to seek God's will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need. Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy. May Mary Most Holy, "Woman of the Eucharist" and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ's coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist.  (St. John Paul II) Now let us pray the 7-7-7 prayer, or the Rosary as we have time! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." Saint John Paul II Be connected! www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 14, 2018 Reflection - A Preparation for Christmas

 

The parishioners of St. James Parish  

climbing Apparition Hill for the Christmas Novena 

 

(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2016  

 

 

December 14, 2018
St. John of the Cross

 

Dear Family of Mary!
Christmas is approaching!! Let's listen to Our Lady's message from last Christmas!

 

December 25, 2017 "Dear children! Today I am bringing to you my Son Jesus for Him to give you His peace and blessing. I am calling all of you, little children, to live and witness the graces and the gifts which you have received. Do not be afraid. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to be joyful witnesses and people of peace and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Last year Our Lady spoke these consoling and encouraging words to us! She told us she was bringing her Son, Jesus, to us to give us His peace and blessing! Vicka says that on Christmas Day Our Lady brings the Baby Jesus with her for the apparition. What a special moment that must be for Vicka! But Our Lady is speaking to all of us in this message. She brings Jesus to each of us as well!!
Our Lady told us she wanted us to live the call we have been given by her. She wants us to witness the graces and gifts we have been given in Medjugorje. Mary TV has an ever growing archives of testimonies that do just that! Pilgrims from all over the world have shared their stories. You can see them in the "Fruit of Medjugorje" archive on our homepage! Each person is so unique, each story is surprising and joyful. Thank you to all who have shared your witness over the years!
Finally, Our Lady told us these precious words: "Do not be afraid. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to be joyful witnesses and people of peace and hope." Fear stops grace. Fear keeps grace out. Fear denies grace an entrance into our hearts. And it stops us from sharing our graces with others. Instead we need the Holy Spirit, who frees us from all fear, to come into our hearts and empower us to share the good news! Maybe we need to pray for the Holy Spirit to come to us this Christmas, along with Baby Jesus!
Here is a good way to prepare for Christmas 2018~
Tomorrow (December 15, 2018) St. James Parish begins the annual Christmas Novena! They will climb Apparition Hill each day for nine days before Christmas, praying the Rosary. Mary TV will stream the climb each day, live! It is a beautiful way to prepare for The Nativity of Christ!

 

ST JAMES PARISH CHRISTMAS NOVENA

Dec 15 through Dec 23

2:00 pm Medj time, 8:00 am EST

www.marytv.tv

 

Denis and I will follow each day's novena climb with our usual "Hour of Mercy" prayer time at 3:00 pm Medjugorje time (9:00 am EST) in which we will add a very simple novena prayer to Jesus in honor of His Birthday! Join us!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan

© Mary TV 2018

 

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."
Saint John Paul II
Be connected!
www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 13, 2018 Reflection -May your hearts be illuminated with the light and love of my Son!

The Youth Festival in Medjugorje Participants singing and dancing for the Lord! (c) Tony Zubac 2018      December 13, 2018 St. Lucy   Dear Family of Mary! "...Apostles of my love, along with prayer and sacrifice, may your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of my Son. May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and bring them back to my Son. I am with you..." (December 2, 2018) "May your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of my Son..." Our Lady has said this quite often to us. She wants the love and light of Jesus to shine through us somehow! It can sound rather mysterious. How does the light of Jesus shine through us? This question has been central to the writings of Caryll Houselander. She is a spiritual writer who lived in the first half of the 20th century. She had a difficult childhood and she lived through World War II in London! So she understands suffering. When she writes about Jesus, she speaks from a deep understanding of His love for her and for all people, and a deep understanding of His suffering for all of us. That suffering is what saved Caryll from despair and set her feet on level ground as an adult. Here is an excerpt from Caryll's letters (found in the Magnificat for December 2018, P 56) Now he comes to be born in the narrowness of our lives, to be incarnate in us, to give his love to the world through us, through our flesh and blood. That is one meaning of the Incarnation. The reason why we are where we are this Christmas, in this house, family, office, workroom, hospital, or camp, is because it is here in this place that Christ wants to be born, from here that he wants his life to begin again in the world. The reason why we are with these particular people is because it is precisely to these people that Christ wants us to give his love. This year we are his trustees for these people; he has put his love for them into our hands, into our hearts. We did not choose this place- Christ has chosen it. We did not choose these people- Christ has chosen them.   We are asked one thing: to have the humility and courage to open the secret place of our heart to Christ, conscious though we are that it is as derelict as the stable, and that his light will reveal the mouse and the spider. It may have been puzzling, even to Mary, how Christ was giving his life to the whole world in the obscurity of Bethlehem, but enough for her that this was his way. It still is, and he himself is the way, the only way to our peace. Because the Word of God was humble as the bleating of a lamb, lost along the darkness, today the voices of men and angels are a great choir singing in the light, "Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, give us peace."   When we are illuminated with the light and love of Jesus, it means He is living in us, shining in our hearts, moving us to acts of love that He wants us to perform. Jesus comes to stay in us, not to hide, but to shine forth to all those we meet, giving them His love and courage and hope and comfort and support for the road they must travel. Our job is not to manage things, but to let Jesus burst out of our littleness with His exuberant and childlike love. He wants to love those we will encounter. That's His plan! Well, Caryll always makes everyday life seem like a miracle! And she's right, because it is! The miracle of our God who loves us, each, individually, cannot be contained. It is an explosion of joy that must break forth!         "May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and bring them back to my Son." In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan © Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." Saint John Paul II Be connected! www.marytv.tv

Mary TV: December 12, 2018 Reflection - Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Tilma of St. Juan Diego     December 12, 2018 Our Lady of Guadalupe (I am sharing a reflection I wrote in 2016 for this feast. I hope you don't mind. It says everything I would want to say today!!)   Dear Family of Mary!   Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!! St. Juan Diego received a miraculous image of Our Lady on his simple Tilma, while presenting to his bishop the miraculous roses that bloomed on Tepeyac Hill in December. He thought that the roses would be proof to the bishop that Our Lady had appeared to him. But Our Lady had an even more amazing sign to give. She appeared to the bishop when Juan Diego opened his Tilma! She left her image on the poor Tilma of poor Juan Diego!   There is much written about the miraculous image, too much for me to list. But Our Lady staked her claim in Mexico that day, coming to save the little ones, the natives who needed her so much. It seems that if Our Lady could leave such an amazing sign in Mexico City, a Tilma that should have decayed hundreds of years ago upon which an image floats of a Woman with Child, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of 12 stars, and all kinds of other incredible signs embedded in it, then she can easily leave another sign in Medjugorje. She has promised to do so. We can depend on her! Thursday, October 22, 1981 After many people saw the cross on Mt. Krizevac transform itself into a light, and then into a silhouette of Our Lady, she said: "All of these signs are designed to strengthen your faith until I leave you the visible and permanent sign." The permanent sign will strengthen our faith for the times we are in. Our Lady has spoken to us very little about the permanent sign, but she did say this: Friday, June 24, 1983 "The sign will come, you must not worry about it. The only thing that I would want to tell you is to be converted. Make that known to all my children as quickly as possible. No pain, no suffering is too great to me in order to save you. I will pray to my Son not to punish the world; but I beseech you, be converted. You cannot imagine what is going to happen nor what the Eternal Father will send to earth. That is why you must be converted! Renounce everything. Do penance. Express my acknowledgement to all my children who have prayed and fasted. I carry all this to my Divine Son in order to obtain an alleviation of His justice against the sins of mankind. I thank the people who have prayed and fasted. Persevere and help me to convert the world." Certainly, the permanent sign is not a trivial thing. It will be a moment of conversion for the whole world, a moment that will be critical. Our Lady wants us to convert now, before the sign. Convert and help her to bring conversion graces to other!   Our Lady dictated this lovely prayer to Jelena Vasilj in 1984, as a help for the prayer group in their conversion. We can pray it today for our own conversion and the fulfillment of Our Lady's plan in Medjugorje.   Holy Thursday, April 19, 1984 How to Give Oneself to Mary, Mother of Goodness, of Love and of Mercy (Given by Our Lady to Jelena Vasilj, 4/19/1984) Oh my Mother! Mother of goodness, love and mercy! I love you immensely, and I offer myself to you. Through your goodness, your love, And your mercy, save me! I wish to be yours. I love you immensely And I wish that you protect me. In my heart, oh mother of goodness, Give me your goodness, So that I go to Heaven. I ask you for your immense love That you may give me the grace That I will be able to love each one Just like you loved Jesus Christ. I ask you in grace That I be able to be merciful* to you. I offer myself completely to you And I wish that you will be with me at each step, Because you are full of grace. I wish never to forget your grace, And if I should lose it, I will ask, make me find it again. Amen. *According to Fr. Slavko, this statement means: That I know how to love your will when it differs from mine. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2018

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." Saint John Paul II Be connected! www.marytv.tv