Mary TV: November 30, 2023 Reflection - The Theological Virtue of Love

 

The Theological Virtue of Love

The Theological Virtue of Love

November 30, 2023

Dear Family of Mary!

Here, again, is the message from Our Lady of Medjugorje for November 25, 2023:

Dear children! May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope. Thank you for having responded to my call. (November 25, 2023)

Before we examine the Theological Virtue of Hope, I want to examine the Virtue of Love (Charity). Tomorrow we will tackle Hope.

The Catechism tells us about the Theological Virtue of Love (Charity):

Charity

1822 Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.

1823 Jesus makes charity the new commandment. 96 By loving his own "to the end," 97 he makes manifest the Father's love which he receives. By loving one another, the disciples imitate the love of Jesus which they themselves receive. Whence Jesus says: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love." And again: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." 98

1824 Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law, charity keeps the commandments of God and his Christ: "Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love." 99

1825 Christ died out of love for us, while we were still "enemies." 100 The Lord asks us to love as he does, even our enemies, to make ourselves the neighbor of those farthest away, and to love children and the poor as Christ himself. 101

The Apostle Paul has given an incomparable depiction of charity: "Charity is patient and kind, charity is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Charity does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Charity bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." 102|

1826 "If I . . . have not charity," says the Apostle, "I am nothing." Whatever my privilege, service, or even virtue, "if I . . . have not charity, I gain nothing." 103 Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: "So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity." 104

1827 The practice of all the virtues is animated and inspired by charity, which "binds everything together in perfect harmony"; 105 it is the form of the virtues; it articulates and orders them among themselves; it is the source and the goal of their Christian practice. Charity upholds and purifies our human ability to love, and raises it to the supernatural perfection of divine love.

1828 The practice of the moral life animated by charity gives to the Christian the spiritual freedom of the children of God. He no longer stands before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who "first loved us": 106

If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of children. 107

1829 The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion:

Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest. 108

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Par. 1822 to 1829)

Remember that Charity is a virtue that we receive from God. Jesus is Himself Love Incarnate. His every act, every word, every prayer to the Father was and is Love. To live the Virtue of Love we must live Jesus. We must receive Him and let Him live in us. The Saints show us this reality. It is a mystery beyond human understanding, but it is real. And we experience it at every Mass. Jesus died for us out of His great Love. We are his beloved children. So we see in this Theological Virtue the culmination of all the Virtues.

Read this over a couple of times, because it is dense!! More tomorrow!!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 29, 2023 Reflection - The Theological Virtues

 

The Theological Virtues

The Theological Virtues

 

November 29, 2023

Dear Family of Mary!

 

Here, again, is the message from Our Lady of Medjugorje for November 25, 2023:

Dear children! May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope. Thank you for having responded to my call. (November 25, 2023)

Our Lady tells us that we need "the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace" to be felt in our hearts. We need it to be felt in our families. And we need it to be felt in the world! This joy of the expectation of the King of Peace has a name. It is Hope! When we expect something good to come, we have hope. And nothing is more good than the coming of Jesus, the King of Peace! So we need to feel Hope in our whole being, as we thrill in expectation of Jesus' coming!

 

This Gift of Hope has me thinking. There are three Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. These virtues are not manmade, but given to us by God. I want to present to you what our Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us about these three Virtues so we will understand their incredible importance, especially Hope. Here is the intro and first virtue, Faith:

 

II. THE THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES

1812 The human virtues are rooted in the theological virtues, which adapt man's faculties for participation in the divine nature: 76 for the theological virtues relate directly to God. They dispose Christians to live in a relationship with the Holy Trinity. They have the One and Triune God for their origin, motive, and object.

 

1813 The theological virtues are the foundation of Christian moral activity; they animate it and give it its special character. They inform and give life to all the moral virtues. They are infused by God into the souls of the faithful to make them capable of acting as his children and of meriting eternal life. They are the pledge of the presence and action of the Holy Spirit in the faculties of the human being. There are three theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity. 77

Faith

 

1814 Faith is the theological virtue by which we believe in God and believe all that he has said and revealed to us, and that Holy Church proposes for our belief, because he is truth itself. By faith "man freely commits his entire self to God." 78 For this reason the believer seeks to know and do God's will. "The righteous shall live by faith." Living faith "work[s] through charity." 79

1815 The gift of faith remains in one who has not sinned against it. 80 But "faith apart from works is dead": 81 when it is deprived of hope and love, faith does not fully unite the believer to Christ and does not make him a living member of his Body.

 

1816 The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it: "All however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to follow him along the way of the Cross, amidst the persecutions which the Church never lacks." 82 Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation: "So every one who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." 83

 

Read this over a couple of times, because it is dense!! More tomorrow!!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 28, 2023 Reflection - The expectation of the King of Peace!

 

The expectation of the King of Peace!

The expectation of the King of Peace

November 28, 2023

Dear Family of Mary!

Here, again, is the message from Our Lady of Medjugorje for November 25, 2023:

Dear children! May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope. Thank you for having responded to my call. (November 25, 2023)

Our Lady gave us two important ways to prepare for the coming of the King of Peace: prayer for peace and good deeds. She wants us to build peace into our lives with these two practices. Praying for peace must be a constant. Every Rosary, every Holy Mass, every hour spent in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, must be an expression to God of our need for peace, our desire for peace in our lives and the lives of others. And every generous act for our neighbor must be a step towards peace.

But how can these two actions prepare us for the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace?

Let's hear from St. John the Baptist who was the first to prepare the people for the coming of the King of Peace:

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberi-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysani-as tetrarch of Abilene, in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

And the multitudes asked him, "What then shall we do?" And he answered them, "He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise."

Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, "Teacher, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Collect no more than is appointed you."

Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what shall we do?" And he said to them, "Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages."

As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, John answered them all, "I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people. (Luke 3:1-18, RSV-CE)

We see that St. John knew very well how to prepare for the coming of the King of Peace. His instructions were very like Our Lady's because they made for peace! He taught them to do good deeds, and to work for peace through repentance. He taught them that God is real, and He is Lord, and He is coming! They were moved towards repentance and the good. We can heed John's words as well, for they mean the same for us as they did 2000 years ago.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 27, 2023 Reflection - Prayer for peace and good deeds!

 

Prayer for peace and good deeds!

November 27, 2023

Dear Family of Mary!

Here, again, is the message from Our Lady of Medjugorje for November 25, 2023:

Dear children! May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope. Thank you for having responded to my call. (November 25, 2023)

Our Lady used a word I have not heard her say before: interwoven.

"May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds..."

This message is given just before Advent and so we can assume she is telling us how to live this time of Advent. In the message she used an image that I am sure she was well acquainted with during her life on earth.

Women in the Middle East worked very hard. They must have had to weave cloth to make clothing. If they were poor they could not buy cloth, so they would have to do the weaving themselves. I suspect Our Lady knew how to weave.

She knows that the threads for the weaving must interlock in such a way so that the cloth will be strong, tight, and have no gaps. She wants us to weave together the threads of our life so that what we do will be strong, tight and have no gaps.

The main threads she mentioned to us are prayer for peace and good deeds. These threads in our life must fit together and make a strong cloth. Prayer for peace is essential for the whole world right now. All men need peace in order to live and grow properly. Prayers for peace are essential. And good deeds create peace where we live. Our generosity, service of others, and kindness can give peace to our neighbors. So with these two threads we can make peace a reality!

May we find our way to interweave our prayer for peace and our good deeds this Advent, as Mother has asked!! May it be so!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Medjugorje, Our Lady's Message on November 25, 2023 Given to Marija

 

Medjugorje, Our Lady's Message

on November 25, 2023

Given to Marija

“Dear children!

May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope.

Thank you for having responded to my call.”

www.sremmanuel.org

Children of Medjugorje, INC | Kacide 5, Medjugorje, 88266 Bosnia & Herzegovina

Mary TV: November 24, 2022 Reflection - You are my extended hands...

 

You, little children, are my extended hands...

November 24, 2023

St. Andrew Dung-Lac

Dear Family of Mary!

As we wait for tomorrow's message from Our Lady, let's review the message we received last month. It is a very serious message, one that requires our full attention and response:

October 25, 2023

"Dear children!

Winds of evil, hatred and peacelessness

are blowing through the earth to destroy lives.

That is why the Most High sent me to you,

to lead you towards the way of peace

and unity with God and people.

You, little children, are my extended hands:

pray, fast and offer sacrifices for peace -

the treasure for which every heart yearns.

Thank you for having responded to my call."

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 23, 2022 Reflection - Give thanks!

 

Give thanks!

November 23, 2023

St. Clement I, St. Columban, Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro

And Thanksgiving Day in the USA

Dear Family of Mary!

Today is a special day in my country, the United States. It is Thanksgiving Day which is a day set aside to thank God for all his blessings to our nation. Our Lady has taught us to give thanks as well. She wants us to live our whole lives in thanksgiving to God for even the tiniest gift. Let's let her words guide us:

August 25, 1988

"Dear children!

Today I invite you all

to rejoice in the life which God gives you.

Little children,

rejoice in God, the Creator,

because He has created you so wonderfully.

Pray that your life be joyful thanksgiving

which flows out of your heart

like a river of joy.

Little children,

give thanks unceasingly

for all that you possess,

for each little gift

which God has given you,

so that a joyful blessing

always comes down from God upon your life.

Thank you for having responded to my call."

God bless us all this Thanksgiving Day and always!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 22, 2022 Reflection - I am calling you to strong prayer!

 

I am calling you to strong prayer!

November 22, 2023

St. Cecilia

Dear Family of Mary!

September 25, 2023

"Dear children!

I am calling you to strong prayer.

Modernism wants to enter into your thoughts

and steal from you the joy of prayer

and of meeting with Jesus.

That is why, my dear little children,

renew prayer in your families,

so that my motherly heart may be joyful

as in the first days,

when I had chosen you,

and day and night prayer resounded --

and Heaven was not silent

but abundantly bestowed peace

and blessing on this place of grace.

Thank you for having responded to my call."

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv

Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 21, 2022 Reflection - Pray with the heart...

 

 

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary  November 21, 2023 The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dear Family of Mary! Today's Memorial presents to us the moment that Our Lady was presented at the temple, where she would pray and serve as a young girl. Though it is not part of Scripture, it is well accepted as an important event in Our Lady's life. How hard it must have been for Mary to go and live in the Temple, which was a public place where men dominated the scene. She was leaving her parents for the first time, and putting herself in the hands of strangers. I can only imagine her feelings. But, she was also going to live where God Himself dwelt. This was the place where her people could come to pray and encounter the Lord. Imagine the joy for Our Lady, to be in the presence of God day and night!! Mary knew how to raise her heart toward Heaven. She constantly felt the love of God in her heart. She was in complete union with the Lord. And so it is not a surprise that she wants us to have that same union. In this message from August 25, 2023, she leads us to that union of heart to Heart: August 25, 2023  "Dear children! In this time of grace, I am calling you to prayer with the heart. May your hearts, little children, be raised in prayer towards Heaven, so that your heart may feel the God of love who heals you and loves you with immeasurable love. That is why I am with you, to lead you on the way of conversion of heart. Thank you for having responded to my call." May we imitate our Mother by practicing prayer until we feel the God of love in our hearts and are healed and blessed by Him. May our hearts be converted as she asks! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2023                          Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." St. John Paul II Be Connected! www.marytv.tv Mary TV | P.O. Box 899, Notre Dame, IN 46556

Mary TV: November 20, 2022 Reflection - Be witnesses of love and peace...

Be witnesses of love and peace...

November 20, 2023

Dear Family of Mary!

July 25, 2023

"Dear children!

In this time of grace,

in which the Most High sends me to you

to love you and guide you

on the way of conversion,

offer your prayers and sacrifices

for all those who are far away

and have not come to know God's love.

You, little children,

be witnesses of love and peace

for all peaceless hearts.

Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady asks us, in this message, to receive all the graces she is sending us with the desire to then turn and share those graces with those who are "far away and have not come to know God's love." She wants us to be open handed with all the good that she offers us. Through our prayer and sacrifice and witness, we can share what we have been given in Medjugorje. This is a great blessing for us, if we do it. We will be blessed by God for giving away what we have received.

May we learn each day how to receive the graces of Medjugorje, and in turn share them with those we meet. We will be witnesses of love and peace for all peaceless hearts.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

(c) Mary TV 2023

Mary TV. Inc. | www.marytv.tv

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world."

St. John Paul II

Be Connected!

www.marytv.tv