The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2016 JMJ September 8, 2016 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dear Family of Mary! When Jakov wished Our Lady a happy birthday on this day in 1981 she answered him: Tuesday, September 8, 1981 Jakov wishes the Blessed Virgin a happy birthday. She answers: “It is for me a beautiful day. With respect to you, persevere in the faith and in prayer. Do not be afraid. Remain in joy. It is my desire. Let joy appear on your faces. I will continue to protect Father Jozo.” Our Lady receives with joy the remembrance of her birth by the Church. Our love and praise of Mary makes her happy! We can give her a beautiful day by loving her. But she responded to Jakov with motherly care. She told him to do several things. Remember this was the first year of the Apparitions, and Jakov was a little boy. What did she say? Persevere in faith and in prayer. Do not be afraid. Remain in joy. Let joy appear on your faces. The little visionary needed to hear these words. He had been interrogated, watched, followed, and suspected by the police. His whole life had been turned upside down by the apparitions. Every night he was at church, greeting Our Lady and praying at Holy Mass. He needed to be encouraged and directed by Our Lady. I think we need the very same advice from Mother Mary today! She is a sure guide for each of us on our way to heaven. St. Louis de Montfort tells us that Mary is the Secure Way to God: Rest assured that the more you turn to Mary in your prayers, meditations, actions and sufferings, seeing her if not perhaps clearly and distinctly, at least in a general and indistinct way, the more surely you will discover Jesus. For he is always greater, more powerful, more active, and more mysterious when acting through Mary than he is in any other creature in the universe, or even in heaven. Thus Mary, so divinely-favored and so lost in God, is far from being an obstacle to good people who are striving for union with him. There has never been and there never will be a creature so ready to help us in achieving that union more effectively, for she will dispense to us all the graces to attain that end. As a saint once remarked, “Only Mary knows how to fill our minds with the thought of God.”Moreover, Mary will safeguard us against the deception and cunning of the evil one. Where Mary is present, the evil one is absent. One of the unmistakable signs that a person is led by the Spirit of God is the devotion he has to Mary, and his habit of thinking and speaking of her. This is the opinion of a saint, who goes on to say that just as breathing is a proof that the body is not dead,so the habitual thought of Mary and loving converse with her is a proof that the soul is not spiritually dead in sin. Since Mary alone has crushed all heresies, as we are told by the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (Office of B.V.M.), a devoted servant of hers will never fall into formal heresy or error, though critics may contest this. He may very well err materially, mistaking lies for truth or an evil spirit for a good one, but he will be less likely to do this than others. Sooner or later he will discover his error and will not go on stubbornly believing and maintaining what he mistakenly thought was the truth. Whoever then wishes to advance along the road to holiness and be sure of encountering the true Christ, without fear of the illusions which afflict many devout people, should take up “with valiant heart and willing spirit” this devotion to Mary which perhaps he had not previously heard about. Even if it is new to him, let him enter upon this excellent way which I am now revealing to him. “I will show you a more excellent way.” (True Devotion to Mary. Par 165-168) Our Lady is with us to show us the way to her Son. She knows what she is doing. She will guide us simply and effectively. Let’s listen to her messages, and follow her with hearts full of love! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2016 PS. The pilgrimage that Mike Nolan is leading on October 3 – 14 still has room. The air fares are quite low. If you have been waiting for the right time to go to Medjugorje, this may be it!! Mike Nolan 574-335-9952