My Son, by his sacrifice, exalted love!
(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2016 J.M.J. December 14, 2016 St. John of the Cross Dear Family of Mary! “…My Son, by His sacrifice, exalted love. Therefore, live with Him so that you may have strength and hope; that you may have the love which is life and which leads to eternal life. Through God’s love, I am also with you, and will lead you with motherly love. Thank you.” (December 2, 2016) It might be easy to overlook these last words of the December 2 message. But they are dynamite! “My Son, by His sacrifice, exalted love.” Jesus, dying on the Cross, revealed to the world a kind of love that surpasses all loves. It is a love that has no self-interest. A love that chooses the beloved over its own life. It is a love that offers everything for the beloved. A love that knows no bounds, no limits, no requirements. It is a love freely given, no strings attached. Jesus, raised up on the Cross, taught a sermon on love that will never be equaled. He forgave and made excuses for his murderers, welcomed a thief into His Kingdom, accepted total abandonment as His lot, thirsted for souls, and gave us His own Mother to be our Mother. He gave away everything for us. And in His total annihilation saved us from eternal damnation. He rescued us all by His exalted love. Jesus taught us what love really is. If we live with Him now, we will learn that kind of love, and it will be our strength and hope. It will lead us to life! We will be able to endure all things for love of Him. Because He first loved us, we will know what it is like to be truly loved. And we will be so happy. Our Lady, having been given to us by Jesus on the Cross, now lives out her motherly role in our lives, by leading us to her Son. She is with us to lead us. So we are not alone. She will help us to imitate the exalted love of Jesus. Today is the Memorial of St. John of the Cross, the saint of love. He wrote many things about His love for Jesus that are obscure, difficult, and incredibly strong. Here is a quote that Denis loves to share: “Disinterested love for God; love freely given to God in prayer is of the greatest benefit to the Church and what she needs most. One act of pure love profits the Church more than all the good works in the world.” St. john of the Cross St. John knows about disinterested love, about love freely given back to God for all He has done for us. He knows the grace for good that is discovered in this love. Our Lady wants us to discover this love too, and to live in it. It will guide us to heaven. St. John of the Cross, pray for us. Mary, Mother of Jesus, pray for us! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2016 PS. Tomorrow, December 15, 2016, Mary TV will stream St. James Parish Christmas Novena, live! What a wonderful way to prepare for the Birth of our Lord! When: 2:00 pm Medjugorje time (8:00 am EST) – December 15 to 23, 2016! Where: Apparition Hill, Medugorje What: A climb up Apparition Hill, praying the joyful and sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with the Parish. Join us at www.marytv.tv for this live event, shown on our Channel Window on the home page. Also, we will live stream this Novena on our Facebook page, Medjugorje Mary TV. https://www.facebook.com/marytv.tv/ Join us for this live event from December 15 to 23, 2016! If you are on Facebook with us, please “like” and “share” the event so we can spread the word about Medjugorje and Our Lady’s presence!