Fight against Egoism.
(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017 J.M.J. February 1, 2017 Dear Family of Mary! “Dear children! Today I am calling you to pray for peace: peace in human hearts, peace in the families and peace in the world. Satan is strong and wants to turn all of you against God, and to return you to everything that is human, and to destroy in the heart all feelings towards God and the things of God. You, little children, pray and fight against materialism, modernism and egoism, which the world offers to you. Little children, you decide for holiness and I, with my Son Jesus, intercede for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”(January 25, 2017) The last “ism” that Our Lady warns us about is “egoism”. First, Our Lady used the word “egoism”, not “egotism”. This is significant. Egotism is “the tendency to think only about yourself and consider yourself better and more important than other people.” Egotism is the opposite of humility. Our Lady would certainly oppose egotism. Didn’t she tell us on January 2, 2017: “You must be little. You must make yourselves smaller than others; with the help of faith to be filled with His love.”Our Lady wants us to learn true humility, which is always placing someone else ahead of your own interests. But she used the word “egoism” in the January 25 message. Egoism is a philosophical construct, in which the only good is subjective, since only actions and things that are desirable and advantageous for the self are considered good. The needs and desires of others are of no interest to one who lives by the norms of egoism. Here is a simple description of “egoism”: Ethical egoism is a normative or prescriptive philosophical view. It does not describe how people behave, rather, it describes how people “ought” to behave…Ethical egoism differs from other ethical positions because it suggests that the interest of others should never be a factor in moral decision-making. An ethical egoist believes that self-sacrifice is not a moral action and that she should help others only insofar as it would offer her a tangible benefit in the long run…Most people would likely be uncomfortable with the kind of actions that ethical egoism prescribes. For example, if you saw a drowning child and could easily save them, an ethical egoist might state that you should only save the child if you would receive a personal benefit. For example, if a news crew were in the area and the rescue brought publicity, it might be worth it. However, if you were discomforted because you had to drive home in wet clothes for a long period, it might not be worth it. Another factor could be that you’d feel good because of the action you took, which could be construed as ethical behavior by an ethical egoist. http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/advantages-disadvantages-ethical-egoism-9702.html We can see that egoism is directly opposed to the way of Jesus. Jesus gave his life on the Cross to save us. He died so that we might live. He didn’t do it for the publicity! He gave up everything for us. As it says in Mark 10:45: “For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the way to life, to joy, and to all that is good! So we have discussed the big three: Materialism, Modernism, and Egoism. Together they pretty much describe the troubles of our world. We have a lot of work to do, don’t we! To fight these evil temptations visited upon us by the enemy, we need help! And that help is here. Our Lady has come to Medjugorje to bring us back to her Son, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the answer to all three of these plagues. In Him, with Him and through Him, we can find freedom from the isms that engulf us. I am excited because tomorrow we will receive another message from Our Lady! Let’s pray in great hope and expectation!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2017