Day: December 23, 2019

    Pilgrims bask in the peace of Our Lady on Apparition Hill (c) Anthony Zubac     December 23, 2019 Christmas Novena Day 9 Dear Family of Mary! Today we pray to accept Our Lady’s special blessing which she brings from heaven for us in Medjugorje: December 25, 1988 “Dear children! I call you to peace. Live it in your heart and all around you, so that all will know peace, peace that does not come from you but from God. Little children, today is a great day. Rejoice with me. Glorify the Nativity of Jesus through the peace that I give you. It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace. Today I give you my special blessing. Bring it to all creation, so that all creation will know peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.” In this message Our Lady uses the word “peace” seven times!! In her messages over the years she has used the word “peace” over 500 times! Peace is the central theme for Our Lady of Medjugorje. In this message from 1988 she makes it clear: “It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace.” God has sent Our Lady to earth in order to bring peace to His beleaguered children. He once sent His Son, through Mary, to bring peace. That first Christmas night, Jesus was born, the King of Peace. Didn’t the angels proclaim it to the shepherds?    And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”   When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” (Luke 2:8-15) The angels proclaimed “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth PEACE among men with whom he is pleased!”   Jesus’ coming brought the possibility of peace on earth, something that had not been known since Adam and Eve. Along with sin, there came strife and war. Human relationships were broken, among nations, within nations, in cities and towns, in families, and even within each human heart. Nowhere was there real peace, the peace that comes from God. It just couldn’t take root. Jesus is our peace and gives us peace. And Our Lady has come in these days to teach us how to receive His peace. Her messages are full of sound advice for us in that regard. And along with her messages she brings her blessing. I think that her blessing is the blessing of peace. She says as much in this message:   “It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace. Today I give you my special blessing. Bring it to all creation, so that all creation will know peace.” Our Lady’s blessing is peace. She gives that blessing to all who come to Medjugorje. It is evident. What is the most common comment we hear from pilgrims during and after their pilgrimage? “I have never felt so much peace as I do in Medjugorje.” They all feel that peace. It permeates the atmosphere. It fills each heart with calm and quiet. It characterizes every experience. Peace, peace, peace! This is Our Lady’s blessing. It gives the soul a chance to heal. It gives the mind time to process memories and thoughts, and put them in order. It gives the body a chance to heal from stress and overwork. It gives the heart the trust necessary to open to God. This peace is a healing balm. It is Our Lady’s presence that brings peace. And so, today, on the last day of our novena, let’s pray for the special blessing of Our Lady! Let’s pray for it. We need her blessing very much in these days, so we can carry it to all creation. Now is the time for peace! Let us pray:    May the Virgin Mary help us to open the doors of our hearts to Christ, Redeemer of man and of history; may she teach us to be humble, because God looks upon the lowly; may she enable us to grow in understanding the value of prayer, of inner silence, of listening to God’s Word; may she spur us to seek God’s will deeply and sincerely, even when this upsets our plans; may she encourage us while we wait for the Lord, sharing our time and energies with those in need.   Mother of God, Virgin of expectation, grant that the God-who-comes will find us ready to receive the abundance of his mercy.   May Mary Most Holy, “Woman of the Eucharist” and Virgin of Advent, prepare us all to joyfully welcome Christ’s coming and to celebrate worthily his sacramental presence in the mystery of the Eucharist. Amen -St. John Paul II   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!Cathy Nolan©Mary TV 2019