With peace in the soul…
(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017 J.M.J. September 6, 2017 Dear Family of Mary! “You do not comprehend pain. You do not comprehend that through the love of God you need to accept pain and endure it. Every human being will experience it to a lesser or greater measure. But with peace in the soul and in a state of grace, hope exists; this is my Son, God, born of God.” (September 2, 2017) Our Lady makes it very clear that we do not comprehend pain. Pain, whether physical, mental, or spiritual, is to be avoided. It is something that weighs us down, exhausts us, confuses us. Pain hobbles us, makes us feel unable to cope, frightens us and cripples us. But Our Lady tells us that “through the love of God you need to accept pain and endure it.” What does this mean? I take it to mean that if we love God, if we seek Him and His will, and we are focused on serving Him alone, we will see pain in a different way. The God we serve, who leads us through our life, will help us to bear our pain. He will show us how to endure it. He will even use this pain to the benefit of others. He will make our pain part of His plan for redemption. This God we love will help us to pick up our cross and follow Him. Rather than try to escape a difficulty or cross, even physical pain, we can accept it in faith. Much of the disorder in human society comes from trying to flee from pain. Drugs, alcohol, consumerism, and many other disorders are all attempts to mask and run from pain. They only cause more pain. But what if we could turn to the Lord when pain appears, place our lives in His hands, and quietly trust Him to see us through the pain? What then? Our Lady tells us that “with peace in the soul” we will have hope, we will have Jesus. This peace comes from our complete trust in Jesus. And she also says that “in a state of grace” we will see that hope exists. If we have confided our lives to Jesus, and we are seeking His forgiveness in confession, we will be in a state of grace. In that state, our hearts are continually nourished and strengthened by the Holy Spirit. We are strong enough to face our suffering because we have the Holy Spirit acting in us. So peace, which comes from surrender, and holiness, which comes from being in a state of grace, will produce hope in our lives, the great gift of God that keeps us focused on eternity. In the lives of the saints, we see many holy ones who have faced incredible pain with the strength and hope that Our Lady describes for us. I think of St. Maximilian Kolbe who chose to die of starvation in the Nazi prison camp in place of another prisoner. He was able to endure incredible pain, because his hope was invincible. He had great peace in his soul, and was in a state of grace. His eyes were on heaven, and his heart was able to love all those around him. This is heavenly strength and endurance. But it was not just from his strong character, it was from the peace and hope that God filled him with. May we all learn from Our Lady this important lesson. Pain is not our enemy. Pain is a fact of life. We are able to endure pain if we are with Jesus, in peace of soul and a state of grace. Then the Father will be able to use our suffering for His glory. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2017 PS. Please don’t get me wrong…I am just learning this stuff myself. I think Our Lady wants us to examine our relationship to pain so that we can triumph over it with peace and holiness of life! I am ready to try!