With all the strength of my heart, I love you…
(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017 J.M.J. August 23, 2017 St. Rose of Lima Dear Family of Mary! January 2, 2008 “Dear children! With all the strength of my heart, I love you and give myself to you. As a mother fights for her children, I pray and fight for you. I ask you not to be afraid to open yourselves, so as to be able to love with the heart and give yourselves to others. The more that you do this with the heart, the more you will receive and the better you will understand my Son and His gift to you. Through the love of my Son and me, may you all be recognized. Thank you.” “Dear children! With all the strength of my heart, I love you and give myself to you.” Can you imagine a heart stronger than Our Lady’s heart? She said “yes” to the Father and accepted His Son in her womb, knowing she would be misunderstood by many. But her heart was strong. Mary ran to help Elizabeth without a thought to her own needs, because her heart was strong! When the only shelter available was a stable, she gave birth to Jesus there without complaint because her heart was strong. She received the prophecy of Simeon, that a sword would pierce her heart too, but she did not shrink back because her heart was strong. She fled with Joseph and little Jesus into Egypt because Herod wanted to kill her Child. But her heart was strong. When Jesus was misunderstood and opposed she stood beside Him. Her heart was strong. When Jesus was mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, given His cross, and crucified upon it, she stood very near. She did not blink. Her heart was strong with love. And the Resurrection and Ascension only made her heart stronger still, until the Spirit came through her heart, as she interceded for the new Church at Pentecost. Her heart was so strong. This is the heart with which Mary loves us today! This is the love she pours out upon us. Indeed, this is the heart that fights for us: “As a mother fights for her children, I pray and fight for you.” Our Lady fights for us. She never gives up. No matter how we fail, no matter how weak we are, she stands by our side to help us get up and try again. She intercedes for us to the Father and the Son, and she runs interference for us when our enemies attack. She is tireless on our behalf. We should be filled with confidence in her motherly protection. “I ask you not to be afraid to open yourselves, so as to be able to love with the heart and give yourselves to others.” So what does she ask of us in return? She asks us not to be afraid, to open ourselves to the needs of others, to show them the love we have received from her. Pass it on! Give what we have been given. Be those who fight for others, who are tireless is loving those around us. Pay it forward!! “The more that you do this with the heart, the more you will receive and the better you will understand my Son and His gift to you.” The more we love the more we will understand what Jesus has been doing for us all along. The more we will understand Our Lady. We will “get it”. And together with Our Lady we will begin to spread that love everywhere. “Through the love of my Son and me, may you all be recognized. Thank you.” In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2017