[July] Monthly Update from Sr. Emmanuel in Medjugorje

 

Children of Medjugorje 2017 Permission is granted to publish this text under 2 conditions: 1.) No word may be altered or changed; 2.) Indicate the source as: Sremmanuel.org   July 16, 2017 Our Lady of Mount Carmel Dear Children, Praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On July 2, 2017, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross in the midst of a very large crowd. After the apparition, she shared the following message from Our Lady:  "Dear children, thank you for continuing to respond to my invitations and for gathering here around me, your heavenly mother. I know that you are thinking of me with love and hope. I, too, feel love for all of you, just as my most beloved Son also feels it: He who, through his merciful love, is always sending me to you anew; He who was man; He who was and is God - one and triune; He who suffered in body and soul for your sake; He who made Himself bread to feed your souls and thus to save them. My children, I am teaching you how to be worthy of His love, to direct your thoughts to Him, to live my Son.   Apostles of my love, I am covering you with my mantle, because as a mother I desire to protect you. I am imploring you to pray for the whole world. My heart is suffering. Sins are multiplying, they are too numerous. But with the help of those of you who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, my heart will triumph. Love my Son above all and the whole world through Him. Never forget that each of your brothers, within himself, carries something precious - the soul. Therefore, my children, love all those who do not know my Son, so that through prayer and the love which comes through prayer, they may become better; that the goodness in them could win; that souls could be saved and have eternal life. My apostles, my children, my Son told you to love one another. May this be inscribed in your hearts and with prayer, try to live that love. Thank you." Mirjana said that Our Lady was sad. Watch a video of the apparition here: God Bless the Children   An Italian mom sent me this word from her little Paola who is 8 years old: One day she said to her, "Paola, why do you never send a kiss to Our Lady who is in the frame above your bed?"   She responded, "But mum, this is not the true Mary! The kiss I send to her is through the window towards heaven.  This way, it goes immediately to the true Mother of God!"  See How Easily God is Moved!   Little Maria-Pia was born in Italy on May 13th of this year. She gestated in her mother's womb for only 6 months, and weighed only 1.2 lbs when she was born. In other words, she was fighting to stay alive. Imagine the anguish!  Very soon after her birth, it was discovered that Maria-Pia had a lung infection, and was in respiratory distress. She needed to be placed in an incubator. Her parents, being very fervent Catholics, received special permission from the doctors to have Maria-Pia Baptized in the intensive care unit. It was a special moment of grace for the whole family! They immediately began to pray and from the moment the Sacrament was conferred, everyone felt a great sense of serenity. Now that she had become a child of God, their little Maria-Pia was in the hands of the best Father there is. Despite the doctors' somber prognosis that the child's life was in danger and that the coming days would be critical, a certainty and peace came over the family that could not be disturbed. Her grandfather, Davide, who often accompanies pilgrims to Medjugorje, immediately had an intuition in his heart, something that seemed obvious: in addition to verbal prayer, something very hands-on and demanding had to be done, something that would involve both body and soul. He suggested to all the men in the family to go on pilgrimage by foot. So Davide sent a message through WhatsApp to each of them, explaining what he had in mind, and inviting them all to come to his house at 6am the following Saturday (May 27th). From there, they would walk almost 9.5 miles to a shrine dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is venerated in this place under the name of "Beata Vergine della Sassola". In other words, a total of 19 miles on foot both ways, to unify their supplications, and beg heaven to save little Marie-Pia.   To his great surprise, he received immediate and unanimous answers: "We will all be there!" And on that Saturday 15 men walked in the blazing sweltering sun, happy and peaceful, chanting as they marched to the sound of the rosaries prayed with fervor, in light of the life-threatening emergency. They finally reached the shrine and attended Mass, all covered in sweat. There, a great surprise awaited them: their wives had come first! Without informing their husbands, they decided among themselves to join them and finish the pilgrimage with them. Their hearts filled with unspeakable joy, the whole family came to the Sanctuary and prayed a last prayer to rattle the Heavens above. The Lord's answer came swiftly! Less than a day later, on May 28th, they learned that little Maria-Pia was starting to respond to antibiotics and that the infection was receding. They were ecstatic! Grandfather Davide cried with joy! Two days later, the mother conveyed another piece of good news: the child was breathing without medical assistance and her small heart problem had resolved by itself. At present, 2 months later, little Maria-Pia is doing well. She is growing little by little and her family follows her progress closely. To thank God for the gift of life and for His protection, grandfather Davide repeated the same pilgrimage on foot, his heart overwhelmed with joy.   What can we learn from this beautiful testimony? Tons of graces are suspended above us, ready to shower down onto those who choose to believe, to take action and to express their gratitude. Sometimes, you need to be a bit forceful with God! God is easily moved, and He Himself inspires His children with the initiatives to take so that He can have the joy of granting them. Davide and his family did everything in their power, and God did the rest! Today, you may not have a little Maria Pia fighting for her life; but you probably have a burden on your heart. Whatever that burden may be, remember that Heaven is ready to bless you! Of course, fulfillment or healing is not automatic. However, as Our Lady said, many more healings would be granted if one prayed from the heart and abandoned sin (through a sincere confession). It is enough then to just enter into the certainty that God loves us infinitely and that His dream is to shower us with grace, according to His wisdom.   Warning From Fatima on July 13, 1917   Just 100 years ago Our Lady showed hell to the three little shepherds of Fatima.  There she told them:  You have seen hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. It is to save them that God wants to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If you do what I tell you, many souls will be saved, and there will be peace. This war will end, but if men do not refrain from offending God, another and more terrible war will begin during the pontificate of Pius XI... To prevent this, I shall come to the world to ask that Russia be consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, and I shall ask that on the First Saturday of every month Communions of reparation be made in atonement for the sins-of the world. If my wishes are fulfilled, Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, then Russia will spread her errors throughout the world, bringing new wars and persecution of the Church; the good will be martyred and the Holy Father will have much to suffer; certain nations will be annihilated. But in the end my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and the world will enjoy a period of peace. In Portugal the faith will always be preserved... At the end of what? 36 years of apparitions in Medjugorje have taught us how to live in the grace of God, and how not to offend God anymore. Let's not take the risk to ignore this motherly voice that only seeks to avoid the worst for us! Each one of us can hasten this triumph and therefore avoid a lot of suffering.  Pentecost in Rome!   Our Lady doesn't hide from us that her heart is suffering because sins are multiplying, they are very numerous, as she said.  In fact, sin has never brought any blessing!  According to spiritual logic we will have to suffer from today's explosion of sins if we do not enter into a sincere contrition and if we do not change the direction of our life.    Pope Francis and Patti Mansfield offer praise during an event for the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. But the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart is today closer than ever.  This is why I intend to quote here a prophesy given by Patti Mansfield on June 3rd 2017 during the Pentecost gathering in Rome with Pope Francis at Circo Massimo:   "Brothers and sisters! As we were praying in the Spirit the Lord gave me a word and it was this: Lift up your eyes and see, that the fields are white for harvest. And if you would obey me, and if you would obey the prompting of my spirit, you will yet see, infinitely more than you can ask or imagine. You will yet see the power of my Spirit descend upon the human race. I tell you, the fields are white for harvest, but I need your obedience, I need your docility, I need your faith, and you will yet see marvels that will astound you, infinitely more than you can ask or imagine, for the glory of my name." NB: I invite you to read again the messages of Fatima. St. John Paul II said in March 1984, after having consecrated the world to the Immaculate heart of Mary, "Medjugorje is the continuation and realization of Fatima." You may find them online here: https://www.ewtn.com/fatima/third-apparition-of-our-lady.asp. Also, for the children, check out Sister Emmanuel's book: Children, Help My Heart to Triumph here: https://sremmanuel.org/product/children-help-my-heart-to-triumph/ My Live Broadcast in French   The next live broadcast will take place on September 3rd at 9 p.m. (BiH time). I will speak in French about the message of the 2nd. Then I will take questions from broadcast listeners in English or French. The June 26th live broadcast can be seen at:   Post Scripts   1. Patti Gallagher Mansfield was a participant in the February 1967 "Duquesnes Weekend" which marked the beginning of the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church.   2. Our next missions will be - God willing, in Spain (September), Italy (October), Argentina, Uruguay and Chile (November). Your prayers for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and an openness to the Gospa is most welcome! 3. Download MP3s and give them away! Click here to see all that's available! https://sremmanuel.org/product-category/download/ 4. Check out our FB page https://www.facebook.com/sr.emmanuelmaillard/ 5. Follow the evening program of the parish of Medjugorje, translated into English at: http://medjugorje.hr/en/live-streaming/ 6. Write a letter to Our Lady! Mail it to "Queen of peace", BP 2157, F - 06103 Nice cedex, France. We will deliver it to one of the visionaries, and Mary will answer you in prayer. 7. Sign up to receive the 'monthly news from Medjugorje' by Sr. Emmanuel In French: gospa.fr@gmail.com English: commentscom@gmail.com German: wolfgang@trautmann.caItalian: vannalvisepg@gmail.comSpanish: gisele.riverti@gmail.com Flemish: gclaes@scarlet.beCroatian: djeca.medjugorja@gmail.com Arabic: friendsofmary@live.com Portuguese: medjugorje.portugal@gmail.comChinese: teresamedj@gmail.com  Children of Medjugorje, INC, PO Box 18430, Denver, CO 80210 Sr. Emmanuel | Sr.emmanuelmaillard@gmail.com | www.sremmanuel.org See what's happening on our social sites:

Mary TV: July 14, 2017 Reflection - Open the door of your heart to Jesus!

      

    (c) Mary TV 2015

J.M.J.

July 14, 2017

St. Kateri Tekakwitha


Dear Family of Mary!   

"Dear children! I invite you to open the door of your heart to Jesus as the flower opens itself to the sun. Jesus desires to fill your hearts with peace and joy. You cannot, little children, realize peace if you are not at peace with Jesus. Therefore, I invite you to confession so Jesus may be your truth and peace. So, little children, pray to have the strength to realize what I am telling you. I am with you and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (January 25, 1995)

Here is an exquisite explanation of what it means to "open the door of your heart to Jesus", written by Saint Ambrose. Enjoy!!!   

From an exposition of psalm 118 by Saint Ambrose, bishop

(Nn. 12.13-14: CSEL 62, 258-259)

God's temple is holy; you are his temple

My Father and I will come and make our home with him. Let your door stand open to receive him, unlock your soul to him, offer him a welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the sun of the everlasting light that shines on every man. This true light shines on all, but if anyone closes his window he will deprive himself of eternal light. If you shut the door of your mind, you shut out Christ. Though he can enter, he does not want to force his way in rudely, or compel us to admit him against our will.

Born of a virgin, he came forth from the womb as the light of the whole world in order to shine on all men. His light is received by those who long for the splendor of perpetual light that night can never destroy. The sun of our daily experience is succeeded by the darkness of night, but the sun of holiness never sets, because wisdom cannot give place to evil.

Blessed then is the man at whose door Christ stands and knocks. Our door is faith; if it is strong enough, the whole house is safe. This is the door by which Christ enters. So the Church says in the Song of Songs: The voice of my brother is at the door. Hear his knock, listen to him asking to enter: Open to me, my sister, my betrothed, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is covered with dew, and my hair with the moisture of the night.

When does God the Word most often knock at your door?-When his head is covered with the dew of night. He visits in love those in trouble and temptation, to save them from being overwhelmed by their trials. His head is covered with dew or moisture when those who are his body are in distress. That is the time when you must keep watch so that when the bridegroom comes he may not find himself shut out, and take his departure. If you were to sleep, if your heart were not wide awake, he would not knock but go away; but if your heart is watchful, he knocks and asks you to open the door to him.

Our soul has a door; it has gates. Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, eternal gates, and the King of glory will enter. If you open the gates of your faith, the King of glory will enter your house in the triumphal procession in honor of his passion. Holiness too has its gates. We read in Scripture what the Lord Jesus said through his prophet: Open for me the gates of holiness.

It is the soul that has its door, its gates. Christ comes to this door and knocks; he knocks at these gates. Open to him; he wants to enter, to find his bride waiting and watching.

(Found in the Office of Readings for July 13!)

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 13, 2017 Reflection - The Kingdom of Heaven

     

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 13, 2017
St. Henry
Dear Family of Mary!

Jesus said to his Apostles:

"As you go, make this proclamation:

'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (Mt 10:7)

What has Our Lady said about the Kingdom of Heaven? Here are five messages to ponder:

July 2, 2010 "Dear children; my motherly call, which I direct to you today, is a call of truth and life. My Son, who is life, loves you and knows you in truth. To come to know and to love yourself, you must come to know my Son; to come to know and to love others, you must see my Son in them. Therefore, my children, pray, pray, that you may comprehend and surrender with a spirit that is free, be completely transformed and, in this way, may have the Kingdom of Heaven in your heart on earth. Thank you!"

August 2, 2010 "Dear children! Today I call you, together with me, to begin to build the Kingdom of Heaven in your hearts; that you may forget that what is personal and, led by the example of my Son, think of what is of God. What does He desire of you? Do not permit satan to open the paths of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son. My children, they are false and last a short while. My Son exists. I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God; I offer you the Kingdom of God. Thank you."

December 2, 2010 "Dear children; Today I am praying here with you that you may gather the strength to open your hearts and thus to become aware of the mighty love of the suffering God. Through His love, goodness and meekness, I am also with you. I invite you for this special time of preparation to be a time of prayer, penance and conversion. My children, you need God. You cannot go forward without my Son. When you comprehend and accept this, what was promised to you will be realized. Through the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of Heaven will be born in your hearts. I am leading you to this. Thank you."

November 02, 2014 "Dear children, I am with you with the blessing of my Son, with you who love me and who strive to follow me. I also desire to be with you who do not accept me. To all of you I am opening my heart full of love and I am blessing you with my motherly hands. I am a mother who understands you. I lived your life and lived through your sufferings and joys. You who are living in pain understand my pain and suffering because of those of my children who do not permit the light of my Son to illuminate them; those of my children who are living in darkness. This is why I need you - you who have been illuminated by the light and have comprehended the truth. I am calling you to adore my Son so that your soul may grow and reach true spirituality. My apostles, it is then that you will be able to help me. To help me means to pray for those who have not come to know the love of my Son. In praying for them you are showing to my Son that you love Him and follow Him. My Son promised me that evil will never win, because you, the souls of the just, are here; you who strive to say your prayers with the heart; you who offer your pain and suffering to my Son; you who comprehend that life is only a blink; you who yearn for the Kingdom of Heaven. All of this makes you my apostles and leads you towards the victory of my heart. Therefore, my children, purify your hearts and adore my Son. Thank you."

November 02, 2015 "Dear children, anew I desire to speak to you about love. I have gathered you around me in the name of my Son according to His will. I desire that your faith be firm, flowing forth from love. Because, those of my children who understand the love of my Son and follow it, live in love and hope. They have come to know the love of God. Therefore, my children, pray, pray so as to be able to love all the more and to do works of love. Because, faith alone without love and works of love is not what I am asking of you: my children, this is an illusion of faith. It is a boasting of self. My Son seeks faith and works, love and goodness. I am praying, and I am also asking you to pray, and to live love; because I desire that my Son, when He looks at the hearts of all of my children, can see love and goodness in them and not hatred and indifference. My children, apostles of my love, do not lose hope, do not lose strength. You can do this. I am encouraging and blessing you. Because all that is of this world, which many of my children, unfortunately, put in the first place, will disappear; and only love and works of love will remain and open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven. I will wait for you at this door. At this door, I desire to welcome and embrace all of my children. Thank you!"

Our Lady is waiting at the door to the Kingdom of Heaven for each one of us. She waits to embrace us! May we do all we can to enter that Kingdom of love and peace today through Jesus and His call.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 12, 2017 Reflection - My Apostles

    

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 12, 2017
Dear Family of Mary!

 

Our Lady needs apostles who are formed by her love. How can we be her apostles? How can we be those who are sent out to spread the Good News under Our Lady's guidance? Here are a few things she has told us:

"Apostles of my love, I am covering you with my mantle, because as a mother I desire to protect you. I am imploring you to pray for the whole world..." (July 2, 2017)   

"Only through prayer will you become my apostles of peace in this world without peace. That is why, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you." (November 25, 1999)

 

"May prayer and fasting strengthen you so that you can live as the Heavenly Father would desire; that you may be my apostles of faith and love; that your life may bless those whom you meet; that you may be one with the Heavenly Father and my Son." (May 02, 2013)

 

"My children, I am gathering you as my apostles and am teaching you how to bring others to come to know the love of my Son; how to bring to them the Good News, which is my Son." (October 02, 2013)

 

"Dear children, for you to be able to be my apostles and to be able to help all those who are in darkness, to come to know the light of the love of my Son, you must have pure and humble hearts. You cannot help for my Son to be born in, and to reign in, the hearts of those who do not know Him, if He does not reign - if He is not the King - in your heart. I am with you. I am walking with you as a mother. I am knocking on your hearts. They cannot open because they are not humble. I am praying, and you my beloved children also pray, that you may be able to open pure and humble hearts to my Son and to receive the gifts which He has promised you. Then you will be led by the love and strength of my Son. Then, you will be my apostles who everywhere around them spread the fruits of God's love. My Son will act from within you and through you, because you will be 'one'. My motherly heart yearns for this - for unity of all of my children - through my Son. With great love I bless, and pray for those who are chosen by my Son - for your shepherds. Thank you." (January 02, 2014)

 

"Dear children, with motherly love I desire to teach you sincerity, because I desire that, in your actions as my apostles, you be exact, resolute, and above all sincere. I desire that, by the grace of God, you be open for a blessing. I desire that by fasting and prayer you obtain from the Heavenly Father the cognition of what is natural and holy - Divine. Filled with cognition, under the shelter of my Son and myself, you will be my apostles who will know how to spread the Word of God to all those who do not know of it; and you will know how to overcome obstacles that will stand in your way. My children, by means of a blessing, God's grace will descend upon you and you will be able to retain it through fasting, prayer, purification and reconciliation. You will have the efficiency which I seek of you. Pray for your shepherds that the ray of God's grace may illuminate their ways. Thank you."  (February 02, 2014)

 

"Every prayer that comes out of love unites you with my Son and the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit illuminates you and makes you my apostles - apostles who will do everything they do in the name of the Lord." (June 02, 2014)

 

Mother, help us to become your true apostles of love, so that we may share that love with all those we meet each day.

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 11, 2017 Reflection - The Lord is my Shepherd

   

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 11, 2017
St. Benedict
Dear Family of Mary!
"At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." (Mt 9: 36)

I feel sure that when Jesus sees the crowds today, he has the same pity for us that He had when He walked the earth. We are indeed like sheep without a shepherd.

 

In the Revised Standard Version this passage reads like this:

 

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." (Mt 9: 36)

 

Indeed, we are harassed and helpless. Harassed by all the powers of this world that want to use us, devour us, trample on us, lie to us, disfigure us, lead us away from God and peace. Helpless, because we are no match for those powers. And without faith, without Jesus, we are at their mercy.

 

Our Lady is with us to lead us into the safety of our Shepherd's care. She is teaching us the way back to Jesus, the way to draw close to Him, and to follow Him. She told us:

November 25, 2006 "Dear children! Also today I call you to pray, pray, pray. Little children, when you pray you are close to God and He gives you the desire for eternity. This is a time when you can speak more about God and do more for God. Therefore, little children, do not resist but permit Him to lead you, to change you and to enter into your life. Do not forget that you are travelers on the way toward eternity. Therefore, little children, permit God to lead you as a shepherd leads his flock. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Jesus' compassion and pity await us, if we turn to Him. If we pray, pray, pray, we will be close to Him, and He will give us the right desire, the desire to be with Him in eternity. We will not be subject to our enemies and we will not be helpless. Jesus will lead us as a shepherd leads His flock directly into the Father's arms.

 

Let's pray Psalm 23 today, and allow our Shepherd to show us His mercy, His compassion as we pray:

 

Psalm 23

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;

he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil;

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff,

they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

thou anointest my head with oil,

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for ever.

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 10, 2017 Reflection - Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive....

  

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 10, 2017 

Dear Family of Mary!

Today, Our Lady has put on my heart a topic which is central to our entire relationship with God and with our human family. It is forgiveness. Forgiveness is an act of love that must be played out every day of our lives. It is central to our relationship with God, because we are fallen, and sin constantly dogs us. We sin. And it is only by returning to the Lord and asking to be forgiven that we can be saved from sin. But likewise, in our relationships with one another we sin, and they sin, and without the power of forgiveness we all would be sundered from one another. Peace depends on our willingness to forgive and to ask forgiveness of God and our neighbor. As Our Lady told us:

 

September 2, 2010 "Dear children; I am beside you because I desire to help you to overcome trials, which this time of purification puts before you. My children, one of those is not to forgive, and not to ask for forgiveness. Every sin offends love and distances you from it and love is my Son. Therefore, my children, if you desire to walk with me towards the peace of God's love, you must learn to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. Thank you."

 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about forgiveness:

 

V. "AND FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES, AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US"

2838 This petition is astonishing. If it consisted only of the first phrase, "And forgive us our trespasses," it might have been included, implicitly, in the first three petitions of the Lord's Prayer, since Christ's sacrifice is "that sins may be forgiven." But, according to the second phrase, our petition will not be heard unless we have first met a strict requirement. Our petition looks to the future, but our response must come first, for the two parts are joined by the single word "as."

And forgive us our trespasses . . .

2839 With bold confidence, we began praying to our Father. In begging him that his name be hallowed, we were in fact asking him that we ourselves might be always made more holy. But though we are clothed with the baptismal garment, we do not cease to sin, to turn away from God. Now, in this new petition, we return to him like the prodigal son and, like the tax collector, recognize that we are sinners before him. 133 Our petition begins with a "confession" of our wretchedness and his mercy. Our hope is firm because, in his Son, "we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." 134 We find the efficacious and undoubted sign of his forgiveness in the sacraments of his Church. 135

2840 Now - and this is daunting - this outpouring of mercy cannot penetrate our hearts as long as we have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us. Love, like the Body of Christ, is indivisible; we cannot love the God we cannot see if we do not love the brother or sister we do see. 136 In refusing to forgive our brothers and sisters, our hearts are closed and their hardness makes them impervious to the Father's merciful love; but in confessing our sins, our hearts are opened to his grace.

2841 This petition is so important that it is the only one to which the Lord returns and which he develops explicitly in the Sermon on the Mount. 137 This crucial requirement of the covenant mystery is impossible for man. But "with God all things are possible." 138

. . . as we forgive those who trespass against us

2842 This "as" is not unique in Jesus' teaching: "You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect"; "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful"; "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." 139 It is impossible to keep the Lord's commandment by imitating the divine model from outside; there has to be a vital participation, coming from the depths of the heart, in the holiness and the mercy and the love of our God. Only the Spirit by whom we live can make "ours" the same mind that was in Christ Jesus. 140 Then the unity of forgiveness becomes possible and we find ourselves "forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave" us. 141

2843 Thus the Lord's words on forgiveness, the love that loves to the end, 142 become a living reality. The parable of the merciless servant, which crowns the Lord's teaching on ecclesial communion, ends with these words: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." 143 It is there, in fact, "in the depths of the heart," that everything is bound and loosed. It is not in our power not to feel or to forget an offense; but the heart that offers itself to the Holy Spirit turns injury into compassion and purifies the memory in transforming the hurt into intercession.

2844 Christian prayer extends to the forgiveness of enemies, 144 transfiguring the disciple by configuring him to his Master. Forgiveness is a high-point of Christian prayer; only hearts attuned to God's compassion can receive the gift of prayer. Forgiveness also bears witness that, in our world, love is stronger than sin. The martyrs of yesterday and today bear this witness to Jesus. Forgiveness is the fundamental condition of the reconciliation of the children of God with their Father and of men with one another. 145

2845 There is no limit or measure to this essentially divine forgiveness, 146 whether one speaks of "sins" as in Luke (11:4), "debts" as in Matthew (6:12). We are always debtors: "Owe no one anything, except to love one another." 147 The communion of the Holy Trinity is the source and criterion of truth in every relation ship. It is lived out in prayer, above all in the Eucharist. 148  God does not accept the sacrifice of a sower of disunion, but commands that he depart from the altar so that he may first be reconciled with his brother. For God can be appeased only by prayers that make peace. To God, the better offering is peace, brotherly concord, and a people made one in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 149

 

 

Notes:

133 Cf. Lk 15:11-32, 18:13. 

134 Col 1:14; Eph 1:7. 

135 Cf. Mt 26:28; Jn 20:23. 

136 Cf. l Jn 4:20.

137 Cf. Mt 6:14-15; 5:23-24; Mk 11:25.
138 Mt 19:26.
139 Mt 5:48; Lk 6:36; Jn 13:34.
140 Cf. Gal 5:25; Phil 2:1,5.
141 Eph 4:32.
142 Cf. Jn 13:1.
143 Cf. Mt 18:23-35.
144 Cf. Mt 5:43-44.
145 Cf. 2 Cor 5:18-21; John Paul II, DM 14.
146 Cf. Mt 18:21-22; Lk 17:3-4.
147 Rom 13:8.
148 Cf. Mt 5:23-24; I Jn 3:19-24.
149 St. Cyprian, De Dom. orat. 23: PL 4, 535-536; cf. Mt 5:24.

English Translation of the Cathechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America © 1997, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.

The way to peace lies through forgiveness!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 7, 2017 Reflection - Try to live that love...

 

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 7, 2017
Dear Family of Mary!

"My apostles, my children, my Son told you to love one another. May this be inscribed in your hearts and with prayer, try to live that love. Thank you." (July 2, 2017)    

1Cor.13

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels,

but have not love,

I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

And if I have prophetic powers,

and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,

and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains,

but have not love,

I am nothing.

If I give away all I have,

and if I deliver my body to be burned,

but have not love,

I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind;

love is not jealous or boastful;

it is not arrogant or rude.

Love does not insist on its own way;

it is not irritable or resentful;

it does not rejoice at wrong,

but rejoices in the right.

Love bears all things,

believes all things,

hopes all things,

endures all things.

Love never ends;

as for prophecies,

they will pass away;

as for tongues,

they will cease;

as for knowledge,

it will pass away.

For our knowledge is imperfect

and our prophecy is imperfect;

but when the perfect comes,

the imperfect will pass away.

When I was a child,

I spoke like a child,

I thought like a child,

I reasoned like a child;

when I became a man,

I gave up childish ways.

For now we see in a mirror dimly,

but then face to face.

Now I know in part;

then I shall understand fully,

even as I have been fully understood.

So faith, hope, love abide, these three;

but the greatest of these is love.
(1 Cor. 13: 1-13)

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 6, 2017 Reflection - Love all those who do not know my Son.

 

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 6, 2017
St. Maria Goretti
Dear Family of Mary!

"Never forget that each of your brothers, within himself, carries something precious - the soul. Therefore, my children, love all those who do not know my Son, so that through prayer and the love which comes through prayer, they may become better; that the goodness in them could win; that souls could be saved and have eternal life..." (June 2, 2017 Message)

Our Lady never forgets her children, never. She constantly is teaching us not to forget them either. She asks us here to see each person as precious. Each person has a living soul. We are created as spiritual beings, made to live with God forever. Once created, our soul will never perish. Here is what the Catechism tells us:

 

362 The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic language when it affirms that "then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.

 

363 In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person. But "soul" also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God's image: "soul" signifies the spiritual principle in man.

 

364 The human body shares in the dignity of "the image of God": it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:

 

Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason, man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.

 

365 The unity of soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the "form" of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but rather their union forms a single nature.

 

366 The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God - it is not "produced" by the parents - and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection.

 

(Catechism of the Catholic Church: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p6.htm   )

 

We are each so very special, so important to God, so precious! Knowing this, we understand how the saints have suffered and died for others, even for their persecutors. The saint we celebrate today, St. Maria Goretti, was brutally murdered by a young man who knew her well. He stabbed her 14 times in a rage because she would not submit to his desires. But she forgave him just before she died. She said she wanted him to be in heaven with her. It is said that Alessandro experienced a vision of Maria 6 years later in prison, and that he was converted and became repentant. Maria truly was a vehicle for Alessandro's conversion, and he did become better, goodness did win in him, due to Maria's love and forgiveness.

 

Maria Goretti is a good example of what Our Lady is asking of us. We too can "love all those who do not know my Son, so that through prayer and the love which comes through prayer, they may become better; that the goodness in them could win; that souls could be saved and have eternal life."

 

May we see each person as they truly are, humans who are soul and body, meant for eternal life with God. May we have reverence for each other, and encourage each other on our road to heaven, like St. Maria Goretti.

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2017

 

Here is a link to the story of St. Maria Goretti:

 

https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/st-maria-goretti-alessandro-serenelli/  

 

 

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

Mary TV: July 5, 2017 Reflection - Love Jesus above all...

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 5, 2017

St. Anthony Zaccaria

St. Elizabeth of Portugal

 

Dear Family of Mary!

 

"Love my Son above all and the whole world through Him..."
Fr. Leon spoke about this very reality at Mass on July 2, the day we received this message. Here is an excerpt from his homily at St. James Church.

 

Love is not about feelings. Love is a choice. I choose what is good for the other person, as one of the other fathers said in a quote from St. Thomas Aquinas, "Love is to choose the good of the other." It is not about emotions.

 

One day your husband or wife is going to make you feel awful. And because they are so close to you they are going to make you feel really awful. They have the power to wound you, truly. And then what happens, do you walk out? No, love is more than that. Love is a choice.

 

So you can't love your husband or wife and make them your goal. Marriage is only for this life, only until death. Don't get carried away. I will love you forever. Yeah, in heaven. But you might have two wives by the time you get to heaven. You might have lost the first one and married another one.

 

If you don't love Jesus first, your love for your husband or wife will fail. If you don't love Jesus first, your love for your children will fail. And your love for your parents will fail. If Jesus is not in the middle. Jesus must always be in the middle.

 

In the Gospel that you heard today (Mt 10: 37-42), it is as if this family is falling apart. "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me..." It is almost as if you have to abandon your family, that is how Jesus seems to put it. But think about the dysfunctional family that we all know about. Remember the parable of the prodigal son.

 

Here you have a very dysfunctional family. The younger son says "give me the share that is due to me." In other words, when to you inherit the money? When your father dies. So he is saying to his father, "Hurry up and die. I hate you already. I just want the money." And he goes off. The elder son says, "All these years I worked for you and you never gave me so much as a kid." In other words, "I have been putting up with you for the money too. And I don't really care that much." This is a very dysfunctional family.

 

And then when the younger son comes back, the elder one says, "When this, your son, went off carousing...." He says, "This, your son..." And the father has to remind him, "No this your brother!"

 

Now there is one innocent person in this whole story. One innocent person. Do you know who it is? Yes, the fatted calf. The fatted calf is the innocent person in that whole family. The fatted calf is a symbol of Jesus. Jesus, the Lamb of God. The one who is dumb before its shearers, who suffers for us all. "The Lamb who is forever slain," as it says in Revelations.

 

Jesus is the one who can unite our families. Jesus is the one who can convert our families. It is only in loving God that we truly love other people. (From the homily given by Fr. Leon on July 2, 2017, at English Mass in Medjugorje - http://marytv.tv/?page_id=192  )

 

Jesus has to be in the middle! He is who we love with our whole being, and then through Him, we will be able to love our neighbor. Jesus will make it possible. through Jesus we will be able to forgive, care for and comfort our husband or wife, children, family, and larger community. This is the only way love can flourish.

And so, let us love Jesus above all and the whole world through Him!

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2017

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

Mary TV: July 4, 2017 Reflection - Chosen Souls...

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 4, 2017

 

Dear Family of Mary!

 

"My heart is suffering. Sins are multiplying, they are too numerous. But with the help of those of you who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, my heart will triumph." (July 2, 2027)

 

Mirjana told us that Our Lady was sad. Our Lady, herself told us that her heart is suffering. She sees the world from heaven, she knows the choices being made, the sins that are being committed, the sorrows that are being multiplied. Her compassionate heart must be breaking. But she is courageous. She turns immediately from that sorrow to the hope of her plan. With our help, with the help of chosen souls who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, she says that she can win against evil. Her heart will triumph.

 

Our Lady's hope is for us. We are the army that Our Lady is building, an army of those who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy. We can see how over these years of Our Lady's presence in Medjugorje she has been forming us in humility, love, hiddenness and holiness. Her messages are a school of holiness. She has taught us to pray with the heart, to live our whole lives for Jesus, to fast, to stay close to the Sacraments, to be humble children of Mother Church. We are her army.

 

I found a passage from St. Faustina's Diary in which Jesus describes the chosen souls who are hidden but shine brilliantly, dispelling the darkness.

 

The Lord has given me to know how much He desires the perfection of chosen souls.

Chosen souls are, in My hand, lights which I cast into the darkness of the world and with which I illumine it. As stars illumine the night, so chosen souls illumine the earth. And the more perfect a soul is, the stronger and the more far-reaching is the light shed by it. It can be hidden and unknown, even to those closest to it, and yet its holiness is reflected in souls even to the most distant extremities of the world. (Diary 1601)

 

Jesus and Mary are calling us to be hidden, modest, humble, filled with love and holy, so that we can bring about the triumph of their hearts in this dark and sorrowful world. It doesn't matter if anyone ever knows our efforts to become holy, the effect will be the same. The light of Christ will penetrate souls and save them, if we do our job.

 

May the Triumph happen! May it be so!

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2017

 

 

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

July 2, 2017 Message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace

  Mirjana greets Our Lady on July 2, 2017 
  (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

The Message of July 2, 2017, given through Mirjana at the Blue Cross

 

"Dear children, thank you for continuing to respond to my invitations and for gathering here around me, your heavenly mother. I know that you are thinking of me with love and hope. I, too, feel love for all of you, just as my most beloved Son also feels it: He who, through his merciful love, is always sending me to you anew; He who was man; He who was and is God - one and triune; He who suffered in body and soul for your sake; He who made Himself bread to feed your souls and thus to save them.

 

My children, I am teaching you how to be worthy of His love, to direct your thoughts to Him, to live my Son. Apostles of my love, I am covering you with my mantle, because as a mother I desire to protect you. I am imploring you to pray for the whole world.

 

My heart is suffering. Sins are multiplying, they are too numerous. But with the help of those of you who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, my heart will triumph. Love my Son above all and the whole world through Him. Never forget that each of your brothers, within himself, carries something precious - the soul. Therefore, my children, love all those who do not know my Son, so that through prayer and the love which comes through prayer, they may become better; that the goodness in them could win; that souls could be saved and have eternal life.

 

My apostles, my children, my Son told you to love one another. May this be inscribed in your hearts and with prayer, try to live that love. Thank you." (July 2, 2017)

 

Mirjana said that Our Lady was sad.

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

Mary TV 2017

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