Be Prayer!!
(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2017 J.M.J. November 6, 2017 Dear Family of Mary! “Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer in this time of grace. You all have problems, afflictions, sufferings and lack of peace. May saints be models to you and an encouragement for holiness; God will be near you and you will be renewed in seeking through your personal conversion. Faith will be hope to you and joy will begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (October 25, 2017) One of the pilgrims on our pilgrimage in early October has shared with us her beautiful experience of what it means to “Be Prayer!” Thank you, Patty, for sharing the fruit of your pilgrimage! Hi Cathy, (Hi Denis and Michael!) I was able to pray the rosary with you and Denis this morning (Thursday’s Rosary) and want to let you know how deeply Our Lady is using Mary TV to pour out her graces on all of us. I also want to share some of the graces I received on the pilgrimage. Denis is right that Michael lets Our Lady lead the pilgrimage. I could see her guiding hand in every moment I was there, with every interaction. I feel so loved that Our Lady placed me under Michael’s care for my time there. And, within Mary TV’s family!!! Such love!!! Our Lady’s message: “Be prayer” was the message of Medjugorje for me. Be prayer and not ego!!! She let me see that every time I experienced a small irritation in the midst of Medjugorje crowds, it was my ego that was doing the perceiving, instead of my spirit surrendered to Her. For example, the woman who lit up her cigarette and was talking while I was trying to listen to Vicka was NOT the source of my irritation. My not-surrendered ego caused this to happen. Our Lady spoke to my heart gently about this woman, “She is my precious daughter. I brought her here. Help her to see Vicka more clearly.” Hahaha! This meant offering her my spot on the street that had a view of Vicka. Once I did so, the peace that passes all understanding flooded my heart. Another example: I remained at the top of mountain to pray at the Cross after the rest of the group left. I craved silent prayer. Hahaha! Well, 4 young women in their twenties, dressed in very stylish clothes, arrived just then with their mother and uncle. I am not sure where the mother and uncle went, but these young Spanish women were chatting and laughing an using the base of the Cross as the backdrop for pictures and selfies. They were posing and laughing…and of course, I was irritated and a bit judgmental. Once, I considered speaking to them about this being a place of prayer, but Our Lady stopped me because it was my ego motivating my speech. I was clearly irritated. Instead, Our Lady urged me to pray for them and to enjoy their chatter as youthful life! And, just to make sure I did not miss the point, when I decided to go back down the mountain, the young women also decided to go back down the mountain. And, when it became tricky for me in places walking down, the young women stayed with me and encouraged me!!! Our Lady has the best sense of humor in her teachings. This lesson has continued from that moment on. Another insight from Our Lady is this meditation/prayer she gave to me while praying during Eucharistic Adoration: Jesus, I believe in you. Jesus, I surrender all to you. Jesus, I rejoice in you. Jesus, I intercede with you. Jesus, I trust all to you. She wants me to live this. As I reflect on this more, I think this is what it means for me to “BE prayer” : believe, surrender, rejoice, intercede, trust. Lots of love and prayers! Patty It always amazes me how easily Our Lady can speak to us in Medjugorje. She has a direct line into our hearts there, and seems able to instruct us personally. Oh what a grace it is to go to Medjugorje!! I agree with Patty also about Michael. He is a very prayerful presence for the pilgrims. God bless all of us this day, and may we “Be Prayer” today and every day. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2017 PS. Mike’s info is here: http://pilgrim-medj.com/