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Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY

April 11, 2015, 11:33 am
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(c)Mary TV 2015 

J.M.J.
April 10, 2015
Easter Friday
Divine Mercy Novena - Day Eight

Dear Family of Mary!

Today we pray for the Souls in Purgatory. Jesus told St. Faustina that between Him and all souls there is a bottomless abyss that separates us from Him. But He told her this abyss is filled with His Mercy which lifts us to Himself. May the Souls be lifted up to Jesus on this Feast of Divine Mercy! 

"Dear children, give the gift of your life to me and completely surrender to me so that I may help you to comprehend my motherly love and the love of my Son for you. My children, I love you immeasurably and today, in a special way, on the day of the birth of my Son, I desire to receive each of you into my heart and to give a gift of your lives to my Son. My children, Jesus loves you and gives you the grace to live in His mercy, but sin has overtaken many of your hearts and you live in darkness. Therefore, my children, do not wait, say 'no' to sin and surrender your hearts to my Son, because only in this way will you be able to live God's mercy and, with Jesus in your hearts, set out on the way of salvation." (December 25, 2012. Jakov)

Jesus speaks to with St. Faustina:

+ Hail to You, Eternal Love, my Sweet Jesus, who have condescended to dwell in my heart! I salute You, O glorious Godhead who have deigned to stoop to me, and out of love for me have so emptied Yourself as to assume the insignificant form of bread. I salute You, Jesus, never-fading flower of humanity. You are all there is for my soul. Your love is purer than a lily, and Your presence is more pleasing to me than the fragrance of a hyacinth. Your friendship is more tender and subtle than the scent of a rose, and yet it is stronger than death. O Jesus, incomprehensible beauty, it is with pure souls that You communicate best, because they alone are capable of heroism and sacrifice. O sweet, rose-red blood of Jesus, ennoble my blood and change it into Your own blood, and let this be done to me according to Your good pleasure.

Know, My daughter, that between Me and you there is a bottomless abyss, an abyss which separates the Creator from the creature. But this abyss is filled with My mercy. I raise you up to Myself, not that I have need of you, but it is solely out of mercy that I grant you the grace of union with Myself.

Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them. My mercy works in all those hearts which open their doors to it. Both the sinner and the righteous person have need of My mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy.

Let souls who are striving for perfection particularly adore My mercy, because the abundance of graces which I grant them flows from My mercy. I desire that these souls distinguish themselves by boundless trust in My mercy. I myself will attend to the sanctification of such souls. I will provide them with everything they will need to attain sanctity. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is - trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive. Souls that trust boundlessly are a great comfort to Me, because I pour all the treasures of My graces into them. I rejoice that they ask for much, because it is My desire to give much, very much. On the other hand, I am sad when souls ask for little, when they narrow their hearts. (1575 - 1578 Diary)

Divine Mercy Novena Day Eight:

Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.


The Chaplet may be found at this link:

http://thedivinemercy.org/message/devotions/praythechaplet.php 
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2015
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Pope Francis, Now Is The Time For Mercy

April 12, 2015, 5:53 pm
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Pope Francis venerates the cross on Good Friday 2015. Credit: L'Osservatore Romano.
Pope Francis venerates the cross on Good Friday 2015. Credit: L'Osservatore Romano.
By Ann Schneible


Vatican City, Apr 11, 2015 / 11:12 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In a world marked by suffering and fierce persecution – especially of Christians – now “is the time for mercy,” Pope Francis said, speaking at the vigil for the Feast of Divine Mercy.

Reflecting on the ongoing persecution faced by Christians, the Pope said, “our prayer is all the more intense and becomes a cry for help to the Father, who is rich in mercy, that he may sustain the faith of our many brothers and sisters who are in pain.”

For our part, we are to seek the grace of “conversion of our own hearts,” whereby we are moved “from indifference to compassion,” he added.

The pontiff made these remarks during his homily for Evening Vespers in St. Peter’s Basilica, minutes after a public proclamation of the Jubilee for Mercy in front of the Holy Door.

The Jubilee is an Extraordinary Holy Year that will open this year on Dec. 8 – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception – and will close Nov. 20, 2016 with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

The Pope first announced the Year of Mercy on March 13, the second anniversary of his pontifical election, during a Lenten penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Mercy is a theme that is dear to Francis, and is the central topic of his episcopal motto “miserando atque eligendo,” which he chose when ordained a bishop in 1992.

Speaking the evening before the Feast of Divine Mercy, which falls on the first Sunday after Easter, Pope Francis recalled Jesus’ words to his disciples, “Peace be with you!”

During the Easter season, he said, this concept of peace “remains the desire of so many people who suffer unprecedented violence of discrimination and death simply because they bear the name ‘Christian’.”

Regardless of life’s difficulties and sufferings, the pontiff said – citing St. Paul – the hope of salvation won for us the mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection “continues to grow.”

“The mercy of God is poured out upon us, making us just and giving us peace,” he said. “This is a time for the Church to rediscover the meaning of the mission entrusted to her by the Lord on the day of Easter: to be a sign and an instrument of the Father’s mercy.”

Pope Francis explained that he declared this Jubilee of mercy because we are living at a “time of great historical change” which calls the Church “to offer more evident signs of God’s presence and closeness.”

This period in history is a time where the faithful “need to be vigilant and to reawaken in ourselves the capacity to see what is essential,” he said.

“This is the time for mercy.”

The aim of Jubilee Year of Mercy is to encourage the faithful to “welcome the numerous signs of the tenderness which God offers to the whole world,” the Pope continued.

These signs of God’s tenderness are especially offered to the suffering, the alone, the abandoned, and those “without hope of being pardoned or feeling the Father’s love.”

“It is the favourable time to heal wounds,” he stressed, “a time not to be weary of meeting all those who are waiting to see and to touch with their hands the signs of the closeness of God, a time to offer everyone the way of forgiveness and reconciliation.”

Pope Francis concluded his short address by calling on Mary to help the faithful “comprehend the task to which we have been called” during this Holy Year of Mercy, helping to experience the year “as faithful and fruitful witnesses of Christ.”
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April 12, 2015, 6:12 pm
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The First Encounter of the Charismatic Prayer Groups begins in Medjugorje

date: 10.04.2015.
As the first encounter of the Charismatic Prayer Groups, coordinated in Renewal in the Holy Spirit of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, is about to begin here in Medjugorje, we had a chance to talk to Damir Zukanom and Lordan Ljubenkov, the representatives of the Initiative for joining the prayer communities in Renewal in the Holy Spirit “There will be more than 1000 members of the communities who will participate in this encounter in Medjugorje.
 This idea has been burning for many years in the hearts of members of these communities from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is the fruit of the desire which grew in our hearts and which has brought us together here in Medjugorje.
 There are around 60 prayer communities in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina which were like isolated islands in their regions. This is the first initiative to bring together every one of these community from our countries ”, said Damir and Lordan. This encounter is taking place in Medjugorje from April 10-12, 2015.
http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/

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Joy of the Risen One

April 13, 2015, 5:47 pm
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Featured article from April's Spirit of Medjugorje
Joy of the Risen One
By Cathy Nolan

   “Dear children! I am looking at you and in your hearts I do not see joy. Today I desire to give you the joy of the Risen One, that He may lead you and embrace you with His love and tenderness. I love you and I am praying for your conversion without ceasing before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call” (October 25, 2011).

      Our Lady wants to give us the joy of the Risen One. She wants us to be filled with the new life that Jesus offers us through His death and resurrection, the new life of freedom from our sins. Jesus Himself waits in the confessional to embrace us with His love and tenderness. This is where we can meet Him and receive His joy! [My husband] Denis and I just watched a video on the Mary TV website that captures this process of Our Lady leading someone to Jesus for this tender embrace. It is the testimony of Fr. Rick Wendell, given at the Notre Dame Conference a few years ago. 
     Fr. Rick describes his encounter with joy during his talk. I will quote a bit now. But I highly recommend that you all go to our website and watch his testimony. It is found on the “Fruits of Medjugorje” archive, #42. Fr. Rick talks about his confession, penance and healing in Medjugorje: 
     “So I met this guy [a priest in Medjugorje] and I immediately knew that he would understand the gravity of the things that I had done. So I went to look for confession. And I went down [to the church], and it was kind of raining out, so there wasn’t anyone outside. And I thought ... ‘Lord, I really would like to go to confession with Fr. Mike,’ and he walked right into my peripheral vision, just right there, with an umbrella! He sat down and he heard many hours of my confession. And he had those gifts of the confessional for when we get to the really difficult things that we have said and done that are so humiliating that we don’t even want to go there in our mind. But Father Mike would say, ‘This is what you were doing, but this is what you were thinking.’ For hours [he heard my confession]...When he laid his hand on my head for absolution, heat came out of his hands. I didn’t know what it was; I just knew that it was. 
     “Then he gave me a non-standard penance. I had tried to go to confession before about the same stuff but the priest would say, ‘For your penance say 5 Hail Marys…’ Now, that’s not the priest’s problem, but it just didn’t seem enough...5 Hail Marys....maybe for the first bad thought I ever had, but not the rest...Then he said, ‘I want you to go to Krizevac and take your shoes off ...and that’s not penance, that’s just to equalize you to the people who come here who are older, infirm, incapable of doing it. You are young and strong. You take off your shoes and then you are to pray for every person you have hurt.’

Confessionals in Medjugorje
      “The next morning I got up and I walked across the fields. It was early dawn, because I didn’t want anybody to see what I was doing, right... did not want anybody to see what I was doing. I was looking to the stray dogs for company. I was dreading it. I got to Krizevac, took off my shoes and I left them at the bottom... the thing was, that when I went up and started praying, I could remember the names [of everyone I had hurt]. I could remember the lies, the seductions, the bad business deals, all the things I had done. I could remember the people’s names. So I sobbed all the way up. I knew the gravity of what I had done. All the way up and all the way down. There was a crucifix at the bottom, and I threw myself at the foot of the cross and I begged for my life, because I knew that I could live a perfect life from then on and never make up for it all [my sins]. There were people who died because of me. I could never make it up. But somehow I really felt forgiven. Really! 
     “I put my shoes on. And I walked down to the church. I got down there and ran into Fr. Mike Canary, and he said, ‘Come with me.’ He took me into one of the classrooms and there were 20 people there that I didn’t know. They were praying...the never ending ‘Amen’ song etc. He said it was a healing service and he put on a little mini stole, the traveling purple stole, and he prayed over people. Nothing happened to anyone. I walked up, I wasn’t thinking, and I get about three feet away from him and out of my mouth came, involuntarily, ‘I have many scars on my heart and what I want is the Holy Spirit.’ I thought to myself: ‘That’s pretty weird!!’ I wasn’t expecting to say anything, let alone that... 
     “He didn’t say anything. He took some blessed oil and made the Sign of the Cross on my forehead. He put one hand on my head and the other on my heart, and the Holy Spirit came down with power!!! It was so powerful that I got frightened, not in the scared sense, but in the awesome sense, like ‘OH MY!!’ For me it was like, for those who know Star Trek, if you ever stuck your head in the ‘anti-matter.’ It was a regular field of power. And it stopped above my heart. And then he spoke directly to it, and said, ‘Let there be no more doubt, let there be no more fear.’ And it was like the biggest breath of air I ever took, all of a sudden, right down to the bottoms of my feet, filled beyond my imagination, an ecstatic experience – more fun than any drug experience, by a long shot...It was better than Christmas magnified. It was like way out there...And the more I opened my heart, the more He filled me; the more I opened myself, the more He filled me; the more I opened myself, the more He filled me, until I really couldn’t even make a distinction between God and myself. It was just union...I didn’t know how long you could stay there. Again, a timeless experience. 
     “Then I kind of relaxed away from it, and as I did, I realized I was lying on the floor, my body was stiff. It was so stiff it was like you got plugged into a bazillion volts and my toes were straight out, and I was so stiff you could have put me on the back of two chairs like magicians use with their dummies...I was really that stiff. Fr. Mike was on one side with his hand on my chest, and Bill Curry (18 years old, six months before had been an absolute drunk and God had delivered him from being face down in the gutter) was praying on the other side, and into this relaxation came this warmth. I had known winning the big game, falling in love, all those kinds of things, but in my life, I had never known JOY! It was sappy. Father Mike said I nearly broke his back I hugged him so hard. I loved everybody! I ended up walking around in a tee shirt because I was emanating heat all the time.” (Fr. Rick Wendell - Notre Dame Conference. 2008. View it at http://www.marytv.tv/
     What a great description of the joy of union with God, through redemption! Fr. Rick Wendell was given a foretaste of heaven that day in Medjugorje. He was forgiven, did penance, and received the Holy Spirit in power! Union with God is JOY!! This is what Our Lady wants for all of us. Oh, come Holy Spirit, come!!

“Confession is the soul’s bath. Even a clean and unoccupied room gathers dust. Return after a week and you will see that it needs dusting again!” ~St. Pio of Pietrelcina.
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Divine Mercy Cuteness

April 14, 2015, 2:23 pm
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Prayer...'O Loving Jesus, Meek Lamb of God

April 14, 2015, 4:56 pm
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Prayer 'O Loving Jesus, Meek Lamb of God. . .' attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux 

 O Loving Jesus, Meek Lamb of God, I miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of Thy Shoulder on which Thou didst bear Thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy Flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other wound of Thy Most Blessed Body. I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross, to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross.

 According to Saint Bernard, he asked Jesus which was His greatest unrecorded suffering and the wound that inflicted the most pain on Him in Calvary and Jesus answered: "I had on My Shoulder, while I bore My Cross on the Way of Sorrows, a grievous Wound which was more painful than the others and which is not recorded by men. Honor this Wound with thy devotion and I will grant thee whatsoever thou dost ask through its virtue and merit and in regard to all those who shall venerate this Wound, I will remit to them all their venial sins and will no longer remember their mortal sins.

" In the twelfth century Pope Eugenius III approved of the promises with regards to this prayer.
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Only by the Holy Spirit can we recognize the risen Christ

April 16, 2015, 5:18 pm
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THE GOLDEN ARCH

"He Whom God has exalted at His right hand as Ruler and Savior is to bring repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We testify to this. So too does the Holy Spirit, Whom God has given to those that obey Him." -Acts 5:31-32

To have Easter, we must have Pentecost. Only by the Holy Spirit can we recognize the risen Christ. To receive the Holy Spirit and to live our new life in the Spirit, we must obey God (Acts 5:32).
The Greek word translated "obey" in Acts 5:29, 32 is not the common Greek word for obedience. It includes the prefix "arch," connoting "first" and "authority." In English, we use this prefix in the words "archbishop" and "archangel." Thus, to receive the Holy Spirit we need "arch-obedience." We need more than a utilitarian or even begrudging obedience. We need obedience in which we are consciously submissive to God-given authority. We also need an obedience in which God is put first, and all authorities contrary to Him are disobeyed (Acts 5:29) if they are contrary to God. In "arch-obedience," we are humble before God and rebellious against all authorities rebelling against God. Therefore, "arch-obedience" is confrontational and dangerous. All martyrs had "arch-obedience" and therefore had the Holy Spirit.
Be "arch-obedient." Receive the Holy Spirit. Meet the risen Christ.

 Father, may I love You so much that I am willing to risk my life for You.

 "Whoever believes in the Son has life eternal. Whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure the wrath of God." -Jn 3:36
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Fr. Joe Whalen's Corner

April 16, 2015, 5:38 pm
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Fr. Joe's Corner:


"FORGIVENESS is necessary before we receive God's healing graces and for spiritual growth.

Even little forgotten unforgivingnesses keep us bound in suffering after death.
Your forgiveness can trigger someone else’s conversion!
Spiritual healing precedes physical healing. God wants to heal you from the inside out.The most powerful healing we can receive on earth is our reconciliation with God broken through sin. There is no limit on how many times we can receive the great Sacrament of Reconciliation, and the graces we receive are limitless!
When we are truly sorry for offending God, and breaking His Commandments, confession becomes transformation.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation doesn’t just empty us of the past; it also fills us with God’s grace for the future.
In confession, Jesus lifts the weight of our past sins from our shoulders so that we can go out into the world free from guilt, inspired by grace to say an even firmer no to sin than before.
Jesus has given us the grace of confession not only to forgive us but also to strengthen us against temptation.
Don't miss the opportunity to go to confession.
And when you do, know that the grace is there both to absolve and to fill you with divine grace.
A Grace that brings you closer to Jesus and strengthens you against temptation."
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BLESSED ARE THOSE PERSECUTED

April 18, 2015, 11:44 am
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"That day saw the beginning of a great persecution of the church in Jerusalem." -Acts 8:1

Jesus says the persecuted are happy and the kingdom of God is theirs (Mt 5:10). We should be glad and rejoice if insulted, persecuted, or slandered because of our faith in Jesus (Mt 5:11-12). "Happy are you when you are insulted for the sake of Christ, for then God's Spirit in Its glory has come to rest on you" (1 Pt 4:14). The Bible clearly teaches persecution makes us happy. But we're not persecuted much in this country at this time. Could it be that this is why we're not happy?

We live in an age of persecution. Christians in almost half the world face savage persecution because of communism and totalitarian regimes. Yet these Christians are happy because they are seeing great revival and evangelization, just as Philip saw in Samaria. "There were many who had unclean spirits, which came out shrieking loudly. Many others were paralytics or cripples, and these were cured. The rejoicing in that town rose to fever pitch" (Acts 8:7-8).

Look at the persecution and evangelization throughout Africa and South Korea. Look at the unprecedented revival of Christian communities in South America, Central America, and the Philippines. Persecution prepared the way for these great movements of God. However, we in the USA sit on the sidelines. Let's repent, commit ourselves to Jesus as Lord, receive the Spirit, and become mature Christians. Let's become persecutable and get in on God's action.

Jesus, may I let You get me off the bench and into the game.

"No one who comes will I ever reject." -Jn 6:37
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Medjugorje Minute by Wayne Weible 04/17/15

April 18, 2015, 11:48 am
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The Medjugorje Message: Mercy and Medjugorje

April 18, 2015, 11:50 am
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Pray and Fight

April 19, 2015, 3:41 pm
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(c)MaryTV 2014

J.M.J.  
April 20, 2015

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! Also today the Most High permits me to be with you and to lead you on the way of conversion. Many hearts have shut themselves to grace and have become deaf to my call. You, little children, pray and fight against temptation and all the evil plans which the devil offers you through modernism. Be strong in prayer and with the cross in your hands pray that evil may not use you and may not conquer in you. I am with you and pray for you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (March 25, 2015)

I believe that Our Lady is quite serious in this message, that she is warning us that one of our hardest battles in these days will be temptation from the enemy. He will attack us with lies, evil insinuations, distrust of God and our friends and family, fear of the future and exaggerated fear for ourselves. He wants to sidetrack us from our life of prayer and service. He wants us to be paralyzed by fear. He wants to conquer in us and draw us into despair.

We must be doing something right for the enemy to pay any attention to us! We are on the right path with Our Lady.

This weekend I experienced a battle during the night. I was not feeling well, and sleep was difficult. But it was the terrible influx of fearful and disparaging thoughts that made me toss and turn. I remembered this message, and immediately got my rosary out, and began to pray. I prayed and prayed, trying to ignore the thoughts that were bombarding me. It was the rosary that kept me at peace, and finally the temptations ceased.

The next morning, in prayer, I asked St. Faustina to speak to me through her Diary and opened to this remarkable passage:

January 17, 1938. Today, since early in the morning, my soul has been in darkness. I cannot ascend to Jesus, and I feel as though I have been forsaken by Him. I will not turn to creatures for light, because I know that they will not enlighten me if Jesus wills to keep me in darkness. I submit myself to His holy will and suffer. Still, the struggle is becoming more and more desperate. During Vespers, I wanted to unite myself with the sisters through prayer. 

When I went, in my thoughts, to the chapel, my spirit was plunged into even greater darkness. Total discouragement came over me. Then I heard Satan's voice: "See how contradictory everything is that Jesus gives to you: He tells you to found a convent, and then He gives you sickness; He tells you to set about establishing this Feast of Mercy while the whole world does not at all want such a feast. Why do you pray for this feast? It is so inopportune." My soul remained silent and, by an act of will, continued to pray without entering into conversation with the Spirit of Darkness. Nevertheless, such an extraordinary disgust with life came over me that I had to make a great act of the will to consent to go on living....  

And again I heard the tempter's words: "Ask for death for yourself, tomorrow after Holy Communion. God will hear you, for He has heard you so many times before and has given you that which you asked of Him." I remained silent and, by an act of will, I began to pray, or rather, submitted myself to God, asking Him interiorly not to abandon me at this moment. It was already eleven o'clock at night, and there was silence all around. The sisters were all asleep in their cells, and my soul alone was struggling with great exertion.

The tempter went on: "Why should you bother about other souls? You ought to be praying only for yourself. As for sinners, they will be converted without your prayers. I see that you are suffering very much at this moment. I'm going to give you a piece of advice on which your happiness will depend: Never speak about God's mercy and, in particular, do not encourage sinners to trust in God's mercy, because they deserve a just punishment. Another very important thing: Do not tell your confessors, and especially this extraordinary confessor and the priest in Vilnius, about what goes on in your soul. I know them; I know who they are, and so I want to put you on your guard against them. You see, to live as good nun, it is sufficient to live like all the others. Why expose yourself to so many difficulties?"

I remained silent, and by an act of will I dwelt in God, although a moan escaped from my heart. Finally, the tempter went away and I, exhausted, fell asleep immediately. In the morning, right after receiving Holy Communion, I went immediately to my cell and falling on my knees I renewed my act of submission in all things to the will of God. "Jesus, I ask You, give me the strength for battle. Let it be done to me according to Your most holy will. My soul is enamored of Your most holy will."

At that moment, I saw Jesus, who said, I am pleased with what you are doing. And you can continue to be at peace if you always do the best you can in respect to this work of mercy. Be absolutely as frank as possible with your confessor.

Satan gained nothing by tempting you, because you did not enter into conversation with him. Continue to act in this way. You gave Me great glory today by fighting so faithfully. Let it be confirmed and engraved on your heart that I am always with you, even if you don't feel My presence at the time of battle. (1496 - 1498 Diary)

Notice how the enemy uses some familiar tactics to draw us out of God's will. He makes it sound like he is on our side, that God is unfair, the God will change His mind and we will have wasted our time. He turns our gaze in on ourselves, on our needs and fears, rather than on God. He would have us close in on ourselves. He tries to tell us not to trust our confessor, and not to share what we are experiencing with those who love us, so that we end up isolated and alone. All these tactics have one aim, to make us stop trusting in God and the Church. It is easy to see the lies after the fact, but when we are suffering or alone it can be difficult.

It was a comfort to know that St. Faustina experienced this kind of attack, and that she won against it by prayer and silent trust in God. This is our strength! I believe that one of our great works for God is to stand firm, and pray in the midst of temptation. We can save many others who do not know how to fight through our steadfastness and faith. We can help Our Lady to defeat her enemy. For it is she that he hates the most.

I knew that Our Lady was with me, as I prayed that night. I didn't feel her presence, but I believed that she was with me because she has told me so in her messages many times. "I am with you and pray for you." I have also heard from some of you that you have been experiencing this kind of battle. Eunice told me that she plays a recording of the rosary all night long as she sleeps, so that whenever she wakes, the Hail Mary is sounding in her ears. Denis does the same thing with his iPhone. He plays our daily rosary as he goes to sleep and it helps in the fight.

We must be really gaining ground for the Kingdom of Heaven! Be encouraged and keep up the fight!! We are winning!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2015
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The Medjugorje Message: Pope tells journalist: “Go to Medjugorje”

April 20, 2015, 9:00 am
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Why is American Catholic Media so Afraid of Medjugorje?

April 21, 2015, 1:53 pm
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Why is American Catholic Media so Afraid of Medjugorje?E-mail

  
Search Medjugorje  in “Google News” and you  will find dozens of articles from European magazines, particularly glossy Italian magazines discussing news worthy events and celebrations taking place in Medjugorje, now one  the fastest growing tourist destinations in Europe.   You will also find a handful of stories about Medjugorje written by American journalists, but the content there is not so happy. 
American Catholic media publishes stories about Medjugorje that are positioned  in a negative light – articles about censorship of Medjugorje public events, limitations on Medjugorje “Seer” activities, Pope Francis NOT going to Medjugorje.  Medjugorje is a “fraud!”, etc.   American Catholic media reporting on Medjugorje is universally negative.
In stark contrast, last week, Italian magazines gleefully reported a meeting between Pope Francis and  Paolo Brosio. Paolo Brosio is  a famous Italian journalist, TV personality and now full time advocate for Medjugorje .  The writers wrote about the warm welcome the Pope gave the Medjugorje promoter. The articles were accompanied by large glossy photographs of a smiling Pope including one of Pope Francis happily receiving gifts from Medjugorje.  It was reported that the Pope recognized Mr. Brosio’s Medjugorje experience as the Virgin Mary’s work:
“He hugged me, I told him my story. And he said that is definitely the work of the Madonna which is great. I gave him the shirt (for Brosio’s current Medjugorje hospital project, ed.), I had a picture taken, and look at it: it says more than a thousand words. I understood that he is very much aware of Medjugorje as a great confessional. The impression is that there is a large opening and a great willingness,” Brosio told the Italian news portal The news magazines reported that Pope Francis had asked for the private meeting to specifically talk about Medjugorje. The meeting lasted forty minutes as Pope Francis encouraged Mr. Brosio to tell him about his personal conversion and all that he knew about the fruits of Medjugorje. Source Wayne Weible/ Medjugorje Today
In an  interview for the Italian magazine Chi, Mr. Brosio said that during meeting at the Vatican Pope Francis said:  “GO TO MEDJUGORJE and tell everyone you have spoken to the real Pope.” 
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The dichotomy between USA Catholic media reporting on Medjugorje with that of European is so striking that it begs the question of its origin. Why is America Catholic media so collectively negative towards Medjugorje?
It seems European media reports on Medjugorje for what it is – an extremely intriguing spiritual mystery important to millions of Catholic and non-catholic alike. Millions of people have been to Medjugorje. Medjugorje is a hugely popular tourist destination. The Vatican is deeply involved in an extensive investigation of Medjugorje.
American journalist, on the other hand, takes a passive approach on Medjugorje. Rather than report on the extraordinary activity taking place at Medjugorje they, almost cowardly, hide behind proclamations issued by American bishops on how to speak about Medjugorje. Where is the journalistic freedom and investigative reporting we should expect from our Catholic media?
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The Spirit and the Word

April 22, 2015, 5:16 pm
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THE PEOPLE OF THE WORD

"The members of the church who had been dispersed went about preaching the word." -Acts 8:4

The Jewish people loved God's Word. God called them to meditate on it day and night (Jos 1:8; Ps 1:2). They considered it more precious than thousands of gold and silver pieces (Ps 119:72).

However, Christians were even more devoted to God's Word than the Jews. After Jesus spent the day of His resurrection teaching the Bible for about seven miles in the afternoon (Lk 24:27) and for several hours in the evening (Lk 24:45), the early Christians got the message that God's Word was extremely important. From the moment the Church began at Pentecost, the members of the Church devoted themselves to learning, living, and teaching God's Word (Acts 2:42). The apostles concentrated on the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4) to the point that they were repeatedly thrown in jail for their uncompromised and unstoppable proclamation of God's Word (see Acts 5:42).

 Stephen proclaimed God's Word so boldly and courageously that he became the first martyr (Acts 7:2ff). Philip preached the Word even as he was escaping persecution (Acts 8:4-5). Moreover, the Spirit even told Philip to run up to a stranger from Ethiopia and teach God's Word (Acts 8:29ff). The first believers ever called "Christians" were only given that name after a year of intensive Bible study (Acts 11:26). The members of the church at Beroea welcomed the Word with great enthusiasm and studied God's Word each day (Acts 17:11). The spirit of the early Church is well expressed by St. Jerome: "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ" (Catechism, 133).

 Father, may our hearts burn as the risen Jesus interprets the Scriptures for us this Easter season (see Lk 24:32).

"No one who comes will I ever reject, because it is not to do My own will that I have come down from heaven, but to do the will of Him Who sent Me." -Jn 6:37-38
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The Medjugorje Message: Archbishop testifies to the fruit of Medjugorje

April 24, 2015, 1:35 pm
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Our Lady's Message to Marija of April 25, 2015

April 25, 2015, 11:56 am
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"Dear children! I am with you also today to lead you to salvation. Your soul is restless because your spirit is weak and tired from all worldly things. You, little children, pray to the Holy Spirit that He may transform you and fill you with His strength of faith and hope, so that you may be firm in this battle against evil. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call."

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Dear Family of Mary

April 27, 2015, 10:19 am
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Vicka in prayer! Body and soul in communion with God!
(c)Mary TV 2014

J.M.J.  
April 27, 2015

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children! I am with you also today to lead you to salvation. Your soul is restless because your spirit is weak and tired from all worldly things. You, little children, pray to the Holy Spirit that He may transform you and fill you with His strength of faith and hope, so that you may be firm in this battle against evil. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call." (April 25, 2015)

Our Lady continues to be serious about the battle that we are in. She wants us to be equipped for the fight against evil. Maybe the most important preparation for us is a good understanding of who we are. We have been living in a society that seems to want to walk away from God and not recognize that we are creatures made by Him. We are being fed lots of misinformation about who we are and how we are made. Our enemy will use this misinformation to confuse us and tempt us away from God and His plan for us. And so Our Lady is giving us the truth about ourselves.

In this message she brings up something that can be a bit difficult to understand. She says: "Your soul is restless because your spirit is weak and tired from all worldly things." As soon as I read this sentence I realized that it is easy to be confused about soul and spirit. What is the relationship between our soul and our spirit? Are they the same thing?

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church there is a discussion called "Body and Soul but Truly One" (n. 362 to 368) in which we are taught about our being, soul and body:

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" (Gen 2:7). Man whole and entire, is therefore willed by God.

In Sacred Scripture the term "soul" often refers to human life or the entire human person. But "soul " also refers to the inner most 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.

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. (n. 362 - 364)

Our soul is our spiritual principle and makes us capable of communion with God. But the Catechism does talk about soul and spirit, though briefly:

Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit: St. Paul for instance prays that God may sanctify his people "wholly," with "spirit and soul and body" kept sound and blameless at the Lord's coming (1 Thess 5:23). The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul. "Spirit" signifies that from creation man is ordered to a supernatural end and that his soul can gratuitously be raised beyond all it deserves to communion with God. (367)

I had to read this several times before it started making sense. I think the Church is saying that spirit and soul are both aspects of our spiritual being, but that they are not separate entities. Our soul is our spiritual principle, and because it is spiritual, or spirit, it orders us toward God who is supernatural and Spirit. It is because of our spirit that we can communicate with the Lord and receive from Him.

The Church works very hard to make us understand that we are not a conglomerate of different things somehow loosely pasted together. Just as our body and our soul are one being, so in our soul there is spirit but it is not distinct from our soul. It is important. Dualism can result in much abuse of our person. We can't dissect ourselves and examine our parts. The body and soul and spirit are one unit, completely necessary to our person.

Well, I am babbling. But I think it is important to work at understanding this point, because the new age and other philosophies are wreaking havoc with lives by changing the understanding of who we are and how we were made.

That said, Our Lady does talk about our spirit and our soul, and how they interrelate. Tomorrow I want to share a very nice email I received about our tired spirit and our restless soul. Christina from New Jersey makes some very good points from Scripture for us to pray about.

So, for now, let's puzzle this out as best we can, so that we can really follow Our Lady well. As she told us, "I am with you also today to lead you to salvation."

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2015

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Medjugorje: - Marriage Prayer

April 29, 2015, 10:59 am
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Now let me tell you about a most beautiful tradition the Croatian people have for marriages.

In the town of Siroki-Brijeg, not one single divorce has been recorded among its 13,000 inhabitants. Not one single family has broken up in living memory. Does Herzegovina enjoy a special favor from heaven? Is there a magic formula that keeps the demon of division at bay?

The answer is very simple! For centuries, because of the pressure from the Turks and then the Communists, the people sufferedcruelly as their Christian faith was always threatened. They knew through experience that salvation comes through the Cross of Christ. It does not come from disarmament plans, from humanitarian aid or peace treaties, even if these things may bring limited benefits. The source of salvation is the Cross of Christ! These people possess a wisdom that does not allow them to be duped over questions of life and death. That is why they have indissolubly linked marriage with the Cross of Christ. They have founded marriage, which brings forth human life, on the Cross, which brings forth divine life.

The Croatian marriage tradition is so beautiful that it is beginning to take hold in Europe and America!

When a young couple is preparing for marriage, they are not told that they have found the ideal partner. No! What does the priest say?

"You have found your cross. And it is a cross to be loved, to be carried, a cross not to be thrown away, but to be cherished."

In Herzegovina, the Cross represents the greatest love and the crucifix is the treasure of the home.

When the bride and groom set off for the church, they bring a crucifix with them. The priest blesses the crucifix, which takes on a central role during the exchange of vows. The bride places her right hand on the crucifix and the groom places his hand over hers. Thus the two hands are bound together on the cross.The priest covers their hands with his stole as they proclaim their vowsto be faithful, according to the rites of the Church.
 
  Fr. Jozo Kovko explains that the bride and groom do not then kiss each other, they rather kiss the cross. They know that they are kissingthe source of love. Anyone close enough to see their two hands joined over the cross understands clearly that if the husband abandonshis wife or if the wife abandons her husband, they let go of the cross. And if they abandon the cross, they have nothing left. They have lost everything for they have abandoned Jesus. They have lost Jesus.

After the ceremony, the newlyweds bring the crucifix back and give it a place of honor in their home. It becomes the focal point of family prayer, for the young couple believes deeply that the family is born of the Cross. When a trouble arises, or if a conflict breaks out, it is before this cross that they will seek help. They will not go to a lawyer, they will not consult a fortune-teller or an astrologer, they will not rely on a psychologist to solve the problem. No, they will go straight before their Jesus, before the cross. They'll get on their knees there and in front of Jesus, they will weep their tears and pour out their hearts, and above all exchange their forgiveness. They will not go to sleep with a heavy heart because they will have turned to their Jesus, the only One who has the power to save.

They will teach their children to kiss the cross every day and not to go to sleep like pagans without having thanked Jesus first. As for the children, as far back as they can remember, Jesus has always been the friend of the family, respected and embraced. They say "nighty-night" to Jesus and kiss the cross.
 (As Fr. Jozo says,"They go to sleep with Jesus, not with a teddy bear!"). They know that Jesus is holding them in his arms and that there is nothing to be afraid of, and their fears melt away in their kiss to Jesus.

Dearest Gospa, please extend the blessing of this beautiful marriage to the whole family of your children!

Sr. EmmanuelFebruary 1, 2002


This is the prayer that they use in Medjugorje while holding the Crucifix during the marriage ceremony.............................................................................

Before_______and_______say their vows to one another, I want to bless this crucifix, which they hold as they say their vows (priest says this)

The Crucifix is the symbol of our Christian faith, ___________ and _________ will keep this crucifix as a precious memento placing it in a special place in their home. In the years ahead, hopefully this will be their place of family prayer; the place where they will bring to the Lord their sorrows and their joys, their hopes and their disappointments.

This crucifix will be a constant reminder to them that we all have to die, in order to live. _________ and __________ will have to die to their individual single ways of life, in order to come to a new life together.

This crucifix will be a sign to them that no matter what the offense, no matter what the hurt, there is forgiveness. It will be a sign that no matter how bad things get, there is hope. It will be a sign to them that
love is more important than any issue in their lives.

And so we bless this crucifix and ask that it be a blessing on the home of __________and ___________.

(After blessing the Crucifix)

I hold the base of this crucifix and bow as the representative of all of you in the Church, the Body of Christ, ___________and________, please place your hands together over the Body of Christ as you say your vows to one another.

(After saying their vows the Bride and Groom can each kiss the crucifix. It is then placed on the altar for the rest of the mass.)

For Those Who Are Already Married:....

When we tell the pilgrims what a wonderful tradition Croatians have for the sacrament of marriage, people who are already married express some sadness.  They tell us that if they had known, they would have loved to apply this tradition to their own wedding! Fortunately, with the Living God, nothing is ever too late!

Here is what we suggest to those who want to take advantage of the grace: for your wedding anniversary, ask your priest the favor of renewing your wedding promises during the parish mass, in a more or less discreet manner, according to what the priest judges appropriate. On this day, he will bless you as a couple.

 Bring a beautiful crucifix with you as the Croatians do. The priest will put it in his hand, on top of his stole, the wife will put her hand on the cross and the husband will put his hand on his spouse's hand. Then, pronounce your prayer and renew your vows to each other.

 Jesus will be the cement of your unity and your greatest friend. Your love will be grounded and anchored on His fidelity to communicate to you the Divine love He has in store for your family. Jesus will be your center, your rock and your citadel! Back home, hang up the Cross on your bedroom wall. Pray together every night in front of the Cross and, if necessary, ask each other for forgiveness. Then, no need to fear the Destroyer for, as St Paul tells us: "If God is for us, who will be against us ?!"


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Medjugorje: The Voice of Peace

May 1, 2015, 11:31 am
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