Day: July 4, 2018

(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2017 July 5, 2018 St. Elizabeth of Hungary Dear Family of Mary! “…My children, you are given the freedom to choose, but, as a mother, I implore you to choose the freedom for the good…” (July 2, 2018) Our Lady often reminds us that we are free. God has created us with autonomous wills. We must choose the way we will go in life. In fact, our lives are filled each day with choices. And she wants us to practice choosing the good, always! Mother Church teaches us about our freedom and our choices in The Catechism of the Catholic Church. In Part Three, Section One, Chapter One, the Catechism explains the dignity of the Human Person. In Article 7 it talks about the virtues (those habits that orient us towards the good) in this way: 1803 “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”(Phil. 4:8) A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. (St. Gregory of Nissa) 1804 Human virtues are firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions, order our passions, and guide our conduct according to reason and faith. They make possible ease, self-mastery, and joy in leading a morally good life. The virtuous man is he who freely practices the good. The moral virtues are acquired by human effort. They are the fruit and seed of morally good acts; they dispose all the powers of the human being for communion with divine love. As Our Lady implores us, let’s desire to choose the good, using our God-given freedom for the good! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2018

(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2018 July 4, 2018 Dear Family of Mary! “…I know that you seek me and that is why I am praying to my Son for you, my Son who is united with the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit-the Paraclete-my Son who leads souls to the Kingdom from where He came, the Kingdom of peace and light…” (July 2, 2018) Our Lady tells us that she knows we are seeking her. Those of us who go to Medjugorje, and who live her messages, are indeed seeking her. We want very much to know our Mother, and live with her as her children. And she wants that too. But having Mary as our Mother means a great deal more than just having her motherly care. It means that we become those who seek Jesus, because Mary will only lead us to Jesus. He is everything to her. There is no separation. That is why she tells us that she will pray to her Son for us. She takes our desire for her, and through it leads us directly to Jesus, who is her sole desire as well. St. Louis de Montfort understood Mary to be the best and surest way to Jesus. “True Devotion to Mary” is all about Mary leading us to Jesus. He wrote in paragraph 50: Since she is the sure means, the direct and immaculate way to Jesus and the perfect guide to him, it is through her that souls who are to shine forth in sanctity must find him. He who finds Mary finds life, that is, Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life. But no one can find Mary who does not look for her. No one can look for her who does not know her, for no one seeks or desires something unknown. Mary then must be better known than ever for the deeper understanding and the greater glory of the Blessed Trinity. In these latter times Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, power and grace; in mercy, to bring back and welcome lovingly the poor sinners and wanderers who are to be converted and return to the Catholic Church; in power, to combat the enemies of God who will rise up menacingly to seduce and crush by promises and threats all those who oppose them; finally, she must shine forth in grace to inspire and support the valiant soldiers and loyal servants of Jesus Christ who are fighting for his cause. (n50. True Devotion to Mary) Mary always leads us to Jesus who in turn will lead us to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and to heaven. St. Louis is inspired when he says that to find Jesus, in these days, souls much find Mary. That means they must be told about her. She needs apostles who will lead souls to her, so she can lead those souls to Jesus. In these latter days, Mary has been sent on a rescue mission for all of us, because these are the final days of spiritual warfare, in which many souls are in danger of being lost forever. She must be made know, so that she can make Jesus known. She is the light bearer in our times. Our Lady prays for us to her Son, and her Son asks us to make His Mother more known, so that all souls in danger will find their way to Him through Mary. That is the plan of salvation in these most terrible times. Mary is the sure way to Jesus. We are on that way. May we show others that way as well. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2018