Author: Cathy Nolan

February 23, 2024 Reflection – Say “yes” to God and He will give to you in abundance.

Say ‘yes’ to God and he will give to you in abundance! February 23, 2024 St. Polycarp Dear Family of Mary! I want to share just one message today from Our Lady! It is from 2006. She longs for us to enter into Lent with a heart ready for God and His gifts. Here is the message: February 25, 2006  “Dear children! In this Lenten time of grace, I call you to open your hearts to the gifts that God desires to give you. Do not be closed, but with prayer and renunciation say ‘yes’ to God and He will give to you in abundance. As in springtime the earth opens to the seed and yields a hundredfold, so also your heavenly Father will give to you in abundance. I am with you and love you, little children, with a tender love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” All we need this Lent is to have an open heart towards God, and He will do the rest. May we approach the Lord with open hearts, with a willingness to hear God’s voice and to follow His lead. He will do the rest! Thank you, everyone, for receiving these little reflections! I am grateful for each one of you. But I need to ask a favor of you all! Next week (February 26 to March 1) Denis and I will be visiting our daughter and son-in-law, and their 4 children! In order to make the most of our time, I need to ask that you will allow me to take a break from these Reflections, and from the Moments with Mary. Denis and I will hopefully be able to keep up the Daily Rosary and Hour of Mercy, but I can’t do everything!! So here is the notice: February 26 through March 1, 2024 No Reflections and No Moments with Mary! We will resume the next week (March 4!!) Thank you for your patience! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024    

February 22, 2024 Reflection – Meditate the mysteries of the Rosary

Meditate the mysteries of the Rosary   February 22, 2024 Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle Dear Family of Mary! Today’s Gospel Reading: When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16:13-19) On this Feast Day of the Chair of Peter the Apostle, we ponder God’s choice of Peter as the the head of the Church. This was God the Father’s choice! He revealed it to Jesus through the answer Peter gave to His question, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered plainly, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And from then on Peter carried that very heavy burden, the call to carry the Keys of the Kingdom!! All of this was a mystery to Peter at the time! We can only imagine how baffled Peter was. What was Jesus talking about? But as Peter followed Jesus through the Passion, Death, Resurrection and the Ascension, the mystery began to make sense. Peter learned how to follow Jesus and listen to the Holy Spirit. His life became more and more an expression of the love for Jesus, and he was able to lead his brethren into a world desperate for that love. Our Lady wants us to follow Peter down that same path, by living the mysteries! But it is easier for us, because we have the mysteries in the Holy Rosary to guide us. Those mysteries speak to our own particular mysteries and help us to trust and follow the Holy Spirit just as Peter did. Listen to Our Lady’s explanation: September 25, 2019 “Dear children! Today I am calling you to pray for my intentions so that I may help you. Little children, pray the Rosary and meditate the mysteries of the Rosary because, in your life, you are also passing through joys and sorrows. In this way, you are transforming the mysteries into your life, because life is a mystery until you place it into God’s hands. In this way, you will have the experience of faith like Peter who met Jesus and the Holy Spirit filled his heart. Little children, you are also called to witness by living the love with which, day by day, God wraps you with my presence. Therefore, little children, be open and pray with the heart in faith. Thank you for having responded to my call.” We are called to witness like Peter. And we have Our Lady with us to help us, just as St. Peter had her with him throughout the public ministry of Jesus and in in the Upper Room as well! Our Lady can help us to understand our personal mysteries, through the prayer of the Rosary. She knows just what we are going through. May we ponder the mysteries of our own lives, in the light of the mysteries of the Rosary! Let us be open and pray with the heart in faith! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 21, 2024 Reflection – Also today I call you to pray for peace.

Also today I call you to pray for peace.   February 21, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! March 25, 2003  “Dear children! Also today I call you to pray for peace. Pray with the heart, little children, and do not lose hope because God loves His creatures. He desires to save you, one by one, through my coming here. I call you to the way of holiness. Pray, and in prayer you are open to God’s will; in this way, in everything you do, you realize God’s plan in you and through you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady calls us to pray for peace. She knows that it is only through God’s grace that we will be able to find and live out God’s plan for peace in the world. We very much want to help her in her peace plan for the world. And we know it is first of all a matter of intense prayer. Here is a prayer written by Pope Benedict XVI in which he asks Our Lady to guide us in the prayer for peace: May the Virgin Mary give us her Son, may she show us the Face of her Son, the Prince of Peace. May she help us to remain in the light of this face that shines upon us (cf. Nm 6:25), in order to rediscover all the tenderness of God the Father; may it be she who supports us in invoking the Holy Spirit so that he will renew the face of the earth and transform hearts, dissolving their hardness in the face of the disarming goodness of the Child who was born for us. May the Mother of God accompany us in this New Year; may she obtain for us and for the whole world the desired gift of peace. Amen. (Pope Benedict XVI – Feast of Mary the Mother of God, 2011) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 20, 2024 Reflection – I am calling you to pray with your whole heart…

I am calling you to pray with your whole heart…   February 20, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! November 13, 1986 “Dear children! Today again I am calling you to pray with your whole heart and day by day to change your life. Especially, dear children, I am calling that by your prayers and sacrifices you begin to live in holiness, because I desire that each one of you who has been to this fountain of grace will come to Paradise with the special gift which you shall give me… and that is holiness. Therefore, dear children, pray and daily change your life in order to become fully holy. I shall always be close to you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” In this beautiful message, Our Lady calls us to “Pray with your whole heart…” Usually she simply says to pray with the heart! But in this message she doubled down! “Pray with your whole heart…” We feel her intensity! She knows how much we need to change our lives, to leave sin behind, and to move into the purity of God’s love. She knows how important it is to be whole-hearted. If we keep back a little bit of our heart, we will be vulnerable. The enemy finds our weaknesses and gains entrance into our hearts through them. We need to be whole-hearted with God. All or nothing. Lent is a time when we test ourselves through prayer, fasting, and penance to see where our hearts are divided. Once we discover those chinks in our armor, we can bring them to prayer, and ask Jesus to deliver us and show us how to repent and change. This is such a freeing fruit of Lent!! Our Lady tells us: Today again I am calling you to pray with your whole heart and day by day to change your life. May it be so! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024  

February 19, 2024 Reflection – Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good…

Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good…   February 19, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! Today I want to share with you an excerpt from an astonishingly beautiful homily by St. John Chrysostom. St. John describes the glory of prayer!! It continues to take my breath away. Since Our Lady has called us to prayer, I think this homily will help us respond to her call: From a homily by John Chrysostom, bishop (Supp. Hom. 6 De precatione: PG 64, 462-466) Prayer is the light of the spirit Prayer and converse with God is a supreme good: it is a partnership and union with God. As the eyes of the body are enlightened when they see light, so our spirit, when it is intent on God, is illumined by his infinite light. I do not mean the prayer of outward observance but prayer from the heart, not confined to fixed times or periods, but continuous throughout the day and night. Our spirit should be quick to reach out toward God not only when it is engaged in meditation; at other times also, when it is carrying out its duties, caring for the needy, performing works of charity, giving generously in the service of others, our spirit should long for God, and call him to mind, so that these works may be seasoned with the salt of God’s love, and so make a palatable offering to the Lord of the universe. Throughout the whole of our lives we may enjoy the benefit that comes from prayer if we devote a great deal of time to it. Prayer is the light of the spirit, true knowledge of God, mediating between God and man. The spirit, raised up to heaven by prayer, clings to God with the utmost tenderness; like a child crying tearfully for its mother, it craves the milk that God provides. It seeks the satisfaction of its own desires, and receives gifts outweighing the whole world of nature. Prayer stands before God as an honored ambassador. It gives joy to the spirit, peace to the heart. I speak of prayer, not words. It is the longing for God, love too deep for words, a gift not given by man but by God’s grace. The apostle Paul says: “We do not know how we are to pray but the Spirit himself pleads for us with inexpressible longings.” When the Lord gives this kind of prayer to someone; he gives him riches that cannot be taken away, heavenly food that satisfies the spirit. One who tastes this food is set on fire with an eternal longing for the Lord: his spirit burns as in a fire of the utmost intensity. Practice prayer from the beginning. Paint your house with the colors of modesty and humility. Make it radiant with the light of justice. Decorate it with the finest gold leaf of good deeds. Adorn it with the walls and stones of faith and generosity. Crown it with the pinnacle of prayer. In this way you will make it a perfect dwelling place for the Lord. You will be able to receive him as in a splendid palace, and through his grace you will already possess him, his image enthroned in the temple of your spirit. (St. John Chrysostom!) I have no words! This homily is heavenly, celestial, full of grace, straight from the Holy Spirit!!!! Read it many times, it will continue to fill you with awe at the gift of prayer! Here is a message from Our Lady that echoes St. John’s homily: October 2, 1986 “Dear children! Today again I am calling you to pray. You, dear children, are not able to understand how great the value of prayer is as long as you yourselves do not say: ‘now is the time for prayer, now nothing else is important to me, now not one person is important to me but God.’ Dear children, consecrate yourselves to prayer with a special love so that God will be able to render graces back to you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady is such a wise mother. She knows exactly how to help us begin to love prayer just as St. John Chrysostom loved prayer. This is exactly what we need in these days! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 16, 2024 Reflection – Pray, pray, pray…

Pray, pray, pray…   February 16, 2024 Friday after Ash Wednesday Dear Family of Mary! Here is another message in which Our Lady calls us to personal prayer. She will never give up on this call, because it is foundational for each one of us! May this weekend be a time to pray, pray, pray!! August 25, 2010 “Dear children! With great joy, also today, I desire to call you anew: pray, pray, pray. May this time be a time of personal prayer for you. During the day, find a place where you will pray joyfully in a recollected way. I love you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.” In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 15, 2024 Reflection – Today also I am calling you to prayer!

Today also I am calling you to prayer!   February 15, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! I would like to continue our response to Our Lady’s message of January 25, 2024: “Dear Children, may this time be a time of prayer.” Prayer is the foundation of our relationship with God. Prayer is our lifeline! Our Lady can teach us so much about prayer, is we listen with our hearts to her messages! April 25, 1987 “Dear children! Today also I am calling you to prayer. You know, dear children, that God grants special graces in prayer. Therefore, seek and pray in order that you may be able to comprehend all that I am giving here. I call you, dear children, to prayer with the heart. You know that without prayer you cannot comprehend all that God is planning through each one of you. Therefore, pray! I desire that through each one of you God’s plan may be fulfilled, that all which God has planted in your heart may keep on growing. So pray that God’s blessing may protect each one of you from all the evil that is threatening you. I bless you, dear children… Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady tells us that without prayer we cannot comprehend all that God is planning through each one of us. She knows! Remember the Annunciation. Our Lady was in prayer, and the Lord could send Gabriel to her with His plan for the salvation of the whole world, through Mary’s yes! The future of the entire human race was at stake. What if she had given up on prayer, or stayed up too late the night before. I don’t mean to be silly. But, the point is that our prayer matters. Just like Mother Mary’s prayer prepared her for Gabriel’s announcement, so our prayer will prepare us for God’s plan in our life. We don’t want to miss it!! So….PRAY!!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 14, 2024 – Now is the acceptable time!!!

Now is the Acceptable Time!!   February 14, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! “Brothers and sisters: We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. Working together, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2Cor. 5:20-6:2) This is Ash Wednesday, 2024! We have arrived at a very important time of grace that the Church offers to us. We can take these weeks ahead as an opportunity to put aside our worldly desires and focus on God’s desires for us! What a lovely opportunity!! Our Lady told us: February 25, 2007 “Dear children! Open your heart to God’s mercy in this Lenten time. The heavenly Father desires to deliver each of you from the slavery of sin. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time and through meeting with God in confession, leave sin and decide for holiness. Do this out of love for Jesus, who redeemed you all with his blood, that you may be happy and in peace. Do not forget, little children: your freedom is your weakness, therefore follow my messages with seriousness. Thank you for having responded to my call.” What a loving God we have. He takes us so seriously! He wants us to have a good long time to be healed of our sins and washed clean of all our failures and faults. He loves us. And so He provides this season of Lent as a prolonged time of healing for our souls. Let’s not waste a second of it. Now is the acceptable time! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c) Mary TV 2024

February 13, 2024 Reflection – Pray to the Holy Spirit!

Pray to the Holy Spirit… February 13, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! In her last message Our Lady told us: “Dear Children! May this time be a time of prayer.” (January 25, 2024) I am so glad she spoke these words to us on that day. As we have been trying to live these words, it seems that our prayer has changed! Our prayer is growing in so many ways. But I think one of the most powerful ways it is changing is that we are now calling on the Holy Spirit much more often. I am so happy that we are calling on the Holy Spirit in our personal prayer times! This is so powerful! Let’s keep this practice of calling on the dear Holy Spirit whenever we enter into prayer, and even when we are working or studying or in a conversation! In this message for today, Our Lady advises us to “Pray to the Holy Spirit…” for specific help in our lives today: April 25, 2015 “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…” Our Lady tells us to pray to the Holy Spirit so that He may transform us and fill us with His strength of faith and hope!! Truly this is the job of the Holy Spirit. He transformed the Apostles in just this way. They were huddled in the Upper Room after Jesus’ death on the Cross. They were terrified that the same end awaited them. They didn’t know what to do! Until Pentecost happened!! The Holy Spirit fell upon them and they were set on fire with zeal for the Gospel. They were changed forever. They won the battle against evil in their day, through their incredible witness of Jesus. We are entering Lent tomorrow, and we might see this as our time in the Upper Room, waiting for the Holy Spirit to fall upon us, to make us true apostles of the Good News of Jesus! Let’s pray to become transformed and filled with the Holy Spirit’s strength of faith and hope this Lent. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV

February 12, 2024 Reflection – Pray to the Holy Spirit…

Pray to the Holy Spirit…   February 12, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! “Dear Children! May this time be a time of prayer.” (January 25, 2024) This is a time of prayer, as Our Lady told us!! And now that we are about to enter the Season of Lent, it is even more expedient to make this a time of prayer!! Here is another message from Our Lady about personal prayer. I find these messages very encouraging and helpful! Mother Mary knows all about prayer!! May 25, 2003 “Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Renew your personal prayer, and in a special way pray to the Holy Spirit to help you pray with the heart. I intercede for all of you, little children, and call all of you to conversion. If you convert, all those around you will also be renewed and prayer will be a joy for them. Thank you for having responded to my call.” I must admit that I often forget to ask the Holy Spirit to help me to pray!! In my personal prayer, I somehow feel like I need to go it alone. But of course that attitude gets me no where!! We cannot even call Jesus our Lord without the help of the Holy Spirit!! Today I intend to invoke the Holy Spirit at the beginning of my personal prayer, and when I begin the Rosary, and when I go to Holy Mass! Just think of the possibilities. “Dear Holy Spirit! Please come to me right now. Cover me with your protection and light. Help me to pray with my heart right now, to speak to Jesus with all of my heart, to honor the Father with all of my heart, and to thank you for your protection and help, with all of my heart. Come, Holy Spirit, help me to pray with the heart! Amen” In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV