May your hearts be filled with joy and faith in God; that, little children, you may have complete trust in His holy will.
December 7, 2021
St. Ambrose
Dear Family of Mary!
In this time of darkness, Our Lady is with us to lead us to her Son, and to fill our hearts with joy and faith:
"May your hearts be filled with joy and faith in God; that, little children, you may have complete trust in His holy will." (November 25, 2021)
No matter the fears that surround us, we must be children of God who trust in His holy will for us, which is love and mercy. Nothing should shake us in this regard.
Our Lady has been with us in this miraculous way for 40 years, preparing us for these days. She has walked with us every step of those 40 years, coming every day to the visionaries and remaining in Medjugorje to minister to the pilgrims. She has given us so many messages, all with a unique gift for us, a small encouragement to follow her on the road to holiness and trust.
I am learning that Our Lady's messages are not meant to be intellectual communications. They certainly carry the truth and can spark such commentary. But Our Mother's messages are given to us as guidance for the way. She is leading us, one day at a time, through her messages into the will of God, into the love of God, into the way of God for us in this battle that we are living through. Her messages tell us what to do and must be lived.
If Our Lady tells us to fill our hearts with joy and faith in God, we need to do it. We need to open our hearts to the joy of God, to all the good that God has done for us, to His great love which is joy. Then we need to fill our hearts with more faith, by simply giving thanks for all God has done for us in our lives, in this very day, this moment. Gratitude to what has been given deepens our faith in God's plan for our future.
With this foundation of joy and faith, we will be able to trust God for our future. We will be able to trust His Holy will!! And that means we will not be paralyzed by fear of the future, we will be ready to follow the Lord wherever He leads.
I want to share a beautiful litany written by one of the Sisters of Life. It is a Litany of Trust. I have shared it before, but I think it will help us to do as Our Lady has asked us to do, to fill our hearts with joy and faith, and trust in God's holy will. Let's pray this Litany as a help in doing what Our Lady asks:
LITANY OF TRUST
written by the Sisters of Life
From the belief that I have to earn Your love
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that I am unlovable
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the false security that I have what it takes
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear that trusting You will leave me more destitute
Deliver me, Jesus.
From all suspicion of Your words and promises
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the rebellion against childlike dependency on You
Deliver me, Jesus.
From refusals and reluctances in accepting Your will
Deliver me, Jesus.
From anxiety about the future
Deliver me, Jesus.
From resentment or excessive preoccupation with the past
Deliver me, Jesus.
From restless self-seeking in the present moment
Deliver me, Jesus.
From disbelief in Your love and presence
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of being asked to give more than I have
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the belief that my life has no meaning or worth
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the fear of what love demands
Deliver me, Jesus.
From discouragement
Deliver me, Jesus.
That You are continually holding me, sustaining me, loving me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That Your love goes deeper than my sins and failings and transforms me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That not knowing what tomorrow brings is an invitation to lean on You
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You are with me in my suffering
Jesus, I trust in You.
That my suffering, united to Your own, will bear fruit in this life and the next
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You will not leave me orphan, that You are present in Your Church
Jesus, I trust in You.
That Your plan is better than anything else
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You always hear me and in Your goodness always respond to me
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You give me the grace to accept forgiveness and to forgive others
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You give me all the strength I need for what is asked
Jesus, I trust in You.
That my life is a gift
Jesus, I trust in You.
That You will teach me to trust You
Jesus, I trust in You.
Amen
(SISTERS OF LIFE, Annunciation Motherhouse, 38 Montebello Road, Suffern, NY 10901
May your hearts be filled with joy and faith in God; that, little children, you may have complete trust in His holy will.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please no anonymous comments. I require at least some way for people to address each other personally and courteously. Having some name or handle helps.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.