(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2017 J.M.J. September 25, 2017 Sts. Cosmos and Damian Dear Family of Mary! Let’s contemplate the August 25 message as we await the September 25 message to come later today: “Dear children! Today I am calling you to be people of prayer. Pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and a meeting with the Most High. He will transform your hearts and you will become people of love and peace. Do not forget, little children, that Satan is strong and wants to draw you away from prayer. You, do not forget that prayer is the secret key of meeting with God. That is why I am with you to lead you. Do not give up on prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (August 25, 2017) Hopefully this beautiful message ignited a renewal in our prayer life this month. It is so easy to grow lukewarm in prayer. But with Our Lady’s help, we can persevere in prayer, praying until prayer becomes a joy for us! Our shipmate, Christina, wrote me about her experience of praying until it becomes a joy for us: Hi Cathy, This is so true. I’ve experienced this same “pray until” struggle at one time or another. Some days I really struggle; my prayer is dry and distracted, and I sometimes feel a bit discouraged thinking on its merit. But there have been times where after doing maybe 3 rosaries and a St. Michael chaplet where I start to feel His love and joy in my heart, too. It’s an uplifting feeling! And you’re right, Cathy, sticking with prayer and not giving up is definitely being active in spiritual warfare. It reminds me of something St. Louis de Montfort had said in True Devotion to Mary: “Always remember that the best Rosary is the one with the most merit in praying when it is hard than when it is easy.” And: “He who fights even the smallest distractions faithfully when he says even the very smallest prayer he will also be faithful in the great things…” It’s like that saying, “Don’t give up the ship!” We gotta just keep with prayer, even when it’s tough, and we will feel the love of the Lord within our hearts as Our Lady tells us! Christina Amen!! Let’s not give up, no matter what. Our Lady is depending on our prayers!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2017 PS. I will send out the message as soon as I get it today! PPS. Mary TV is running on empty! We have made significant upgrades to our equipment and manpower in Medjugorje, and we are running low on funds! If you have felt a nudge to donate to Mary TV, now is the time!! Thanks so much!!! Here is the link: https://marytv.tv/?page_id=1468
