Author: Cathy Nolan

https://www.lepantoin.org/novena-to-our-lady-of-victory/ (source of this picture of the battle of Lepanto, Our Lady of Victory)   October 7, 2020 Our Lady of the Rosary Dear Family of Mary! Today is the day that the Mary TV shipmates and our friends, under the guidance of Fr. Leon, will make our Consecration to Jesus through Mary, according to St. Louis de Montfort!  Starting on September 4, each day for 33 days we have prayed in preparation for this consecration.  You can view the videos of the daily prayers at this link: https://marytv.tv/consecration-to-jesus-through-mary/ If you were not able to pray with us, you can always do the prayers yourself, using these videos!!  It is very powerful! Our Lady said to us in Medjugorje: “Dear children! Today I am very happy because there are many who want to consecrate themselves to me. Thank you. You have not made a mistake. My Son, Jesus Christ, wishes to bestow on you special graces through me. My Son is happy because of your dedication. Thank you for having responded to my call.” May 17, 1984 Today we pray the Consecration Prayer, making our promises to Jesus through Mary!  Here is the prayer! Consecration Prayer to Jesus through Mary – St. Louis de Montfort O Eternal and incarnate Wisdom! O sweetest and most adorable Jesus! True God and true man, only Son of the Eternal Father, and of Mary, always virgin! I adore Thee profoundly in the bosom and splendours of Thy Father during eternity; and I adore Thee also in the virginal bosom of Mary, Thy most worthy Mother, in the time of Thine incarnation. I give Thee thanks for that Thou hast annihilated Thyself, taking the form of a slave in order to rescue me from the cruel slavery of the devil. I praise and glorify Thee for that Thou hast been pleased to submit Thyself to Mary, Thy holy Mother, in all things, in order to make me Thy faithful slave through her. But, alas! Ungrateful and faithless as I have been, I have not kept the promises which I made so solemnly to Thee in my Baptism; I have not fulfilled my obligations; I do not deserve to be called Thy child, nor yet Thy slave; and as there is nothing in me which does not merit Thine anger and Thy repulse, I dare not come by myself before Thy most holy and august Majesty. It is on this account that I have recourse to the intercession of Thy most holy Mother, whom Thou hast given me for a mediatrix with Thee. It is through her that I hope to obtain of Thee contrition, the pardon of my sins, and the acquisition and preservation of wisdom. Hail, then, O immaculate Mary, living tabernacle of the Divinity, where the Eternal Wisdom willed to be hidden and to be adored by angels and by men! Hail, O Queen of Heaven and earth, to whose empire everything is subject which is under God. Hail, O sure refuge of sinners, whose mercy fails no one. Hear the desires which I have of the Divine Wisdom; and for that end receive the vows and offerings which in my lowliness I present to thee. I, N_____, a faithless sinner, renew and ratify today in thy hands the vows of my Baptism; I renounce forever Satan, his pomps and works; and I give myself entirely to Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Wisdom, to carry my cross after Him all the days of my life, and to be more faithful to Him than I have ever been before. In the presence of all the heavenly court I choose thee this day for my Mother and Mistress. I deliver and consecrate to thee, as thy slave, my body and soul, my goods, both interior and exterior, and even the value of all my good actions, past, present and future; leaving to thee the entire and full right of disposing of me, and all that belongs to me, without exception, according to thy good pleasure, for the greater glory of God in time and in eternity. Receive, O benignant Virgin, this little offering of my slavery, in honour of, and in union with, that subjection which the Eternal Wisdom deigned to have to thy maternity; in homage to the power which both of you have over this poor sinner, and in thanksgiving for the privileges with which the Holy Trinity has favoured thee. I declare that I wish henceforth, as thy true slave, to seek thy honour and to obey thee in all things. O admirable Mother, present me to thy dear Son as His eternal slave, so that as He has redeemed me by thee, by thee He may receive me! O Mother of mercy, grant me the grace to obtain the true Wisdom of God; and for that end receive me among those whom thou lovest and teachest, whom thou leadest, nourishest and protectest as thy children and thy slaves. O faithful Virgin, make me in all things so perfect a disciple, imitator and slave of the Incarnate Wisdom, Jesus Christ thy Son, that I may attain, by thine intercession and by thine example, to the fullness of His age on earth and of His glory in Heaven. Amen. ——————————- Sign your name here. ——————- Date   Congratulations to all who have participated in this wonderful 33 days of prayer!!  May Our Lady of the Rosary, (Our Lady of Victory), take us into her most motherly care, and bring us safely into the harbour of Heaven! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020  

October 6, 2020 St. Bruno Dear Family of Mary! Today’s Gospel is one of my favorites!  It is a very good image for us when we approach prayer. Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha ­welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”  Luke 10:38-42 With Jesus present in the house, Martha chose to get busy about many things, while Mary chose to focus completely on Jesus, the Guest.  That evening with Jesus was a once in a lifetime!  And Mary got it.  It wasn’t about the duty of hosting Him, it was about listening to Jesus and taking in His presence. Our Lady has tried to help us get this lesson straight in her messages.  She has asked us many times to “choose [Jesus] before everything and above everything…”  She has said, “put God in the first place in your life…”  She knows that we can fall into the trap of serving Jesus without first listening to and relating to Jesus.  When we do that, we lose our connection with our Savior, and soon can get quite lost. Here are five message that may help us to examine our choices, and renew our desire to choose the better part: January 25, 1990 “Dear children! Today I invite you to decide for God once again and to choose Him before everything and above everything, so that He may work miracles in your life and that day by day your life may become joy with Him. Therefore, little children, pray and do not permit satan to work in your life through misunderstandings, the non-understanding and non-acceptance of one another. Pray that you may be able to comprehend the greatness and the beauty of the gift of life. Thank you for having responded to my call.” March 25, 1996 “Dear children! I invite you to decide again to love God above all else. In this time when due to the spirit of consumerism one forgets what it means to love and to cherish true values, I invite you again, little children, to put God in the first place in your life. Do not let satan attract you through material things but, little children, decide for God who is freedom and love. Choose life and not death of the soul, little children, and in this time when you meditate upon the suffering and death of Jesus I invite you to decide for life which blossomed through the Resurrection, and that your life may be renewed today through conversion that shall lead you to eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call…” December 25, 2006 “Dear children! Also today I bring you the newborn Jesus in my arms. He who is the King of Heaven and earth, He is your peace. Little children, no one can give you peace as He who is the King of Peace. Therefore, adore Him in your hearts, choose Him and you will have joy in Him. He will bless you with His blessing of peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.” July 25, 1996 “Dear children! Today I invite you to decide every day for God. Little children, you speak much about God, but you witness little with your life. Therefore, little children, decide for conversion, that your life may be true before God, so that in the truth of your life you witness the beauty God gave you. Little children, I invite you again to decide for prayer because through prayer, you will be able to live the conversion. Each one of you shall become in the simplicity, similar to a child which is open to the love of the Father. Thank you for having responded to my call.” June 25, 1997 “Dear children! Today I am with you in a special way and I bring you my motherly blessing of peace. I pray for you and I intercede for you before God, so that you may comprehend that each of you is a carrier of peace. You cannot have peace if your heart is not at peace with God. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray, because prayer is the foundation of your peace. Open your heart and give time to God so that He will be your friend. When true friendship with God is realized, no storm can destroy it. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Tomorrow we will make our Consecration to Jesus through Mary!  Fr. Leon has led us in the 33 Day Consecration!  He has done a wonderful job.  Let’s pray in thanksgiving for his service to us in guiding us towards Jesus!! May we all choose the better part today and tomorrow and always! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan © Mary TV 2020    

October 5, 2020 St. Faustina Kowalska Dear Family of Mary! “…do not forget, little children, that prayer and fasting work miracles in you and around you…” (September 25, 2020) Our Lady has encouraged us to prayer and fasting since the very beginning of her apparitions in Medjugorje.  She tells us that miracles happen because of our prayer and fasting.  And indeed it is so!  Though we may not see the results of our prayer and fasting in this life, we will rejoice over the miracles that have been wrought through our intercession in Heaven.  God needs our prayer.  It is a gift that we can give, a gift that is pure when freely offered for others. St. Faustina was a prayer warrior!  She was asked to pray for many souls during her short life as a sister.  Here is one example: During the night, I was suddenly awakened and knew that some soul was asking me for prayer, and that it was in much need of prayer. Briefly, but with all my soul, I asked the Lord for grace for her. The following afternoon, when I entered the ward, I saw someone dying, and learned that the agony had started during the night. When I verified it – it had been at the time when I had been asked for prayer. And just then, I heard a voice in my soul: Say the chaplet which I taught you. I ran to fetch my rosary and knelt down by the dying person and, with all the ardor of my soul, I began to say the chaplet. Suddenly the dying person opened her eyes and looked at me; I had not managed to finish the entire chaplet when she died, with extraordinary peace. I fervently asked the Lord to fulfill the promise He had given me for the recitation of the chaplet. The Lord gave me to know that the soul had been granted the grace. He had promised me. That was the first soul to receive the benefit of the Lord’s promise. I could feel the power of mercy envelop that soul. When I entered my solitude, I heard these words: At the hour of their death, I defend as My own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same. When this chaplet is said by the bedside of a dying person, God’s anger is placated, unfathomable mercy envelops the soul, and the very depths of My tender mercy are moved for the sake of the sorrowful Passion of My Son. Oh, if only everyone realized how great the Lord’s mercy is and how much we all need that mercy, especially at that crucial hour!  (Diary 809-811) St. Faustina prayed and sacrificed for souls on a daily basis.  Today is her Feast Day and the day that she died.  Let’s ask her to pray for us from heaven, to grow in our commitment to prayer and fasting, so that many miracles will take place, miracles of love, conversion, healing, and especially salvation!  We want to see miracles happen in us and around us!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020

October 2, 2020 The Holy Guardian Angels Dear Family of Mary! “May the measure of your [way of] living be love…” (September 25, 2020) Now let’s look at Scripture to see more in detail the way of Love: 1Cor.13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends; as for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect and our prophecy is imperfect; but when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Mother, Teach us to love!! “Dear children, Today, with my motherly heart, I call you gathered around me to love your neighbor. My children, stop. Look in the eyes of your brother and see Jesus, my Son. If you see joy, rejoice with him. If there is pain in the eyes of your brother, with your tenderness and goodness, cast it away, because without love you are lost. Only love is effective; it works miracles. Love will give you unity in my Son and victory of my heart. Therefore, my children, love.” September 2, 2008 In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020

    October 1, 2020 St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor of the Church Dear Family of Mary! “Dear children! …May the measure of your [way of] living be love…” (September 25, 2020) Our Lady can say so much with so few words!  On this wonderful feast day of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, let’s listen to her as she recounts her great discovery of her vocation in the Church.  To be love in the heart of the Church, this we can all strive to become! St. Therese wrote these words to her sister, Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart: During my meditation, my desires caused me a veritable martyrdom, and I opened the Epistles of St. Paul to find some kind of answer.  Chapters 12 and 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians fell under my eyes.  I read there, in the first of these chapters, that all cannot be apostles, prophets, doctors, etc., that the Church is composed of different members, and that the eye cannot be the hand at one and the same time.  The answer was clear, but it did not fulfill my desires and gave me no peace.  But just as Mary Magdalene found what she was seeking by always stooping down and looking into the empty tomb, so I, abasing myself to the very depths of my nothingness, raised myself so high that I was able to attain my end.  Without becoming discouraged, I continued my reading, and this sentence consoled me: “Yet strive after the better gifts, and I point out to you a yet more excellent way.” (1Cor 12 :31) And the Apostles explains how all the most perfect gifts are nothing without LOVE!  That Charity is the excellent way that leads most surely to God. I finally had rest.  Considering the mystical body of the Church, I had not recognized myself in any of the members described by St. Paul, or rather I desired to see myself in them all.  Charity gave me the key to my vocation.  I understood that if the Church had a body composed of different members, the most necessary and most noble of all could not be lacking to it, and so I understood that the Church had a Heart and that this Heart was Burning with love!  I understood it was Love alone that made the Church’s members act, that if Love ever became extinct, apostles would not preach the Gospel and martyrs would not shed their blood.  I understood that Love comprised all vocations, that love was everything, that it embraced all times and places…in a word, that it was eternal! Then, in the excess of my delirious joy, I cried out; O Jesus, my Love…my vocation, at last I have found it… My vocation is Love! Yes, I have found my place in the Church and it is You, O my God, who have given me this place; in the heart of the Church, my Mother, I shall be Love!  Thus I shall be everything, and thus my dream will be realized! (Story of a Soul – the Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux. Trans. John Clarke, O.C.D.  p.193-194) Dear St. Therese, please pray for us as we strive to live our vocations through love.  We know that only Divine Love can transform the world, but that Love wants to work through each one of us to save souls and bring peace.  Our Lady is with us in a very special way to guide us into that love.  Pray for us to recognize our call, as you did so well.  Pray that we can become love! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020  

September 30, 2020 St. Jerome, Priest and Doctor of the Church Dear Family of Mary! “May the measure of your [way of] living be love…”  (September 25, 2020) LITANY OF LET LOVE Father, good and ever-faithful. Jesus, Savior ever-merciful. Holy Spirit, well-spring of true life and love. I give You permission. Reign in my heart, mind, soul, and life. Let Your Love come into my past, present and future. Let Your Love unfold in me. That I Let Love reveal who I am, God, in Whose Image I’ve been made, Father me. That I Let Love define me, God, in Whose Likeness I’ve been formed, shape me. That I Let Love with courage and hope, God, to Whose glory I’ve been called, be my strength. That I Let Love forgive me, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love love me to the depths of my being, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love heal and glorify my wounds, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love free me from sin, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love liberate me from all my fears, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love reconcile me to wholeness and peace, Save me Lord Jesus. That I Let Love awaken me, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love lead me in every moment, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love challenge me to live in and for love, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love grow my mind, heart, and soul, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love draw me to live in the truth, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love transform me into the life of Christ, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love fill me to overflowing, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love captivate my heart, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love live in me, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love inspire me, Come Holy Spirit. That I Let Love cherish me, Father, hold me in Your Heart. That I Let Love receive me, Jesus, keep me in your wounds. That I Let Love be my rock and security, Spirit, keep me in your peace. That I Let Love ask from me, Let Your will be done Father. That I Let Love in, Let Your Will be done Father. That I Let Love live in me, Let Your Will be done Father. That I Let Love go, Let Your Will be done Father. That I Let Love give, Let Your Will be done Father. That I Let Love speak, Let Your will be done Father. That I Let Love call my name, Let Your will be done Father. That I Let Love bring me somewhere new, Blessed Trinity, reign over my life. That I Let Love be the adventure, Blessed Trinity, reign over my life. That I Let Love write the score, Blessed Trinity, reign over my life. That I Let Love win the victory, Blessed Trinity, reign over my life. That I Let Love be the answer, Blessed Trinity, reign over my life. Amen. (Written by Sr. Mariae Agnus Dei, SV – the Sisters of Life – https://sistersoflife.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Mobile-Litany-of-Let-Love.pdf  ) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020  

  September 29, 2020 St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael, Archangels Dear Family of Mary! September 25, 2020″Dear children! I am with you for so long because God is great in His love and in my presence. I am calling you, little children: return to God and to prayer. May the measure of your [way of] living be love and do not forget, little children, that prayer and fasting work miracles in you and around you. May everything you do be for the glory of God, and then Heaven will fill your heart with joy and you will feel that God loves you and is sending me to save you and the earth on which you live. Thank you for having responded to my call.” In this most recent message Our Lady calls us to return to God and to prayer.  We all can feel the need for more determined prayer in these days when the devil is manifesting himself so boldly in our countries.  On this Feast Day of the Holy Archangels, let’s add this powerful Chaplet of St. Michael to our daily prayers.  St. Michael wishes to do battle for us, as do all the angels.  Let’s ask them to do just that, to come and fight with us and for us against the darkness that wants to blot out the Light.  Our Lady is confident that if we return to prayer and fasting, if we love and pray, miracles will happen!  St. Michael, come and bring the Heavenly Host with you to defeat the enemy of our souls. The Chaplet of St. Michael O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc. [Say one Our Father and three Hail Marys after each of the following nine salutations in honor of the nine Choirs of Angels] By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Seraphim may the Lord make us worthy to burn with the fire of perfect charity. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Cherubim may the Lord grant us the grace to leave the ways of sin and run in the paths of Christian perfection. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Thrones may the Lord infuse into our hearts a true and sincere spirit of humility. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Dominations may the Lord give us grace to govern our senses and overcome any unruly passions. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Virtues may the Lord preserve us from evil and falling into temptation. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Powers may the Lord protect our souls against the snares and temptations of the devil. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Principalities may God fill our souls with a true spirit of obedience. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Archangels may the Lord give us perseverance in faith and in all good works in order that we may attain the glory of Heaven. Amen. By the intercession of St. Michael and the celestial Choir of Angels may the Lord grant us to be protected by them in this mortal life and conducted in the life to come to Heaven. Amen. Say one Our Father in honor of each of the following leading Angels: St. Michael, St. Gabriel, St. Raphael, and our Guardian Angel. Concluding prayers: O glorious prince St. Michael, chief and commander of the heavenly hosts, guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits, servant in the house of the Divine King and our admirable conductor, you who shine with excellence and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil, who turn to you with confidence and enable us by your gracious protection to serve God more and more faithfully every day. Pray for us, O glorious St. Michael, Prince of the Church of Jesus Christ, that we may be made worthy of His promises. Almighty and Everlasting God, Who, by a prodigy of goodness and a merciful desire for the salvation of all men, has appointed the most glorious Archangel St. Michael Prince of Your Church, make us worthy, we ask You, to be delivered from all our enemies, that none of them may harass us at the hour of death, but that we may be conducted by him into Your Presence. This we ask through the merits of Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020  

  September 28, 2020 St. Wenceslaus, St. Lawrence Ruiz Dear Family of Mary! Father Leon will not be celebrating Mass in Medjugorje this week because he is ill.  But he did write this beautiful homily for the Mass of Sunday, September 27, 2020.  He gave us permission to share it with you all.  As usual, Fr. Leon does not pull any punches, but speaks the truth plainly.  He is always so helpful!  Let’s pray for Fr. Leon to recover quickly, as we miss his pastoral guidance! Twenty-sixth Sunday of the Year. Fr Leon Pereira OP preaches on the parable of the man with two sons. Running through the Scriptures is the recurring theme of two sons, rivals before their father. Ishmael and Isaac are pitted against each other for their father Abraham’s legacy. Esau and Jacob squabble for the same from Isaac. Ephraim and Manasseh are not favored in the order desired by Joseph. The twin sons of Judah, Perez and Zerah, struggle in the womb with each other. Adonijah and Solomon compete for their father David’s throne. The prodigal son and his brother are rivals for their father’s property and love. This theme is the struggle to be acceptable to the Father. In the beginning, Abel’s offering was accepted by God, but Cain’s was not. It ended with murder, the first murder. The slain brother’s blood cries out to God for vengeance. All this because both struggled to be the Father’s accepted son. How often in our own families is one child accepted, while the other spends a lifetime trying to win favor? How often is the one who never visits the golden child, and the long-suffering child who does everything for her parents is taken for granted, and endures the endless praises of their selfish sibling? The need to be the accepted child runs deep within us. Our modern obsession with celebrity, the pressure to be young, fresh, strong, beautiful—what else is it than the unquenchable yearning to be accepted by the Father they do not know yet yearn for? Why else are Christians so frightened of admitting their sins? The fear of being the unacceptable child remains. When the parent in question is the perfect Heavenly Father, how can anyone hope to be the accepted and loved child? One solution is to shift the goalposts. Modern Evangelicals dispute a teaching they call ‘hyper-grace’—an exaggeration which denies the necessity of repentance and confession of sins and considers the moral law as pharisaical legalism. By shifting the parameters of what it means to be the acceptable child of the Father, whose only-begotten Son tells us to ‘Be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Matt 5:48), we make ourselves perfect and acceptable. The Catholic equivalent (‘mercy-plus’) is the travesty of divine mercy without repentance. The heresy of Jansenism believed man was totally depraved, and unable to be made anew even by God’s grace. It sinned against hope by giving in to despair. The new Jansenism of mercy-plus sins against hope by giving in to presumption. At first glance it looks positive. Heaven is for everyone, only because there is no Hell. One does not need to be in a state of grace to receive Communion, because it is not even possible. No Christian is called, by God’s grace, to heroism—because the moral life is impossible. This is not raising the prodigals from their grime and muck but rebranding their pigsties ‘palaces’. The new pharisees misuse words like ‘accompaniment’ while stranding people exactly where they’ve been, with their vices christened ‘virtues’. Their presumption is a childish rebellion, and deep down it blames God—it’s His fault for asking us to be perfect, creatures He made imperfect! The fear of honestly and contritely confessing our sins, common to Evangelical hyper-grace and Catholic mercy-plus, is the fear lurking within us all of being the unacceptable child. But since this is somehow God’s fault, we can shift the goal-posts and call evil good, or at least tolerable. To be acceptable, we can’t afford to confess anything substantial or true; certainly nothing which corresponds to actual sins. In the Gospel the son who is truly accepted is the one who is bad. The son who has a superficial perfection is the one who actually resists the Father’s will. But the one who kicked, screamed, and fought—he is the acceptable child, the one who in the end proves his love for the Father. The perfect child does not exist. We cannot be the perfect, acceptable son or daughter we would like to be. Becoming the acceptable child is a matter of repentance: of letting go of the past in the face of the future we are offered, of accepting that we cannot—by our own efforts—do the Father’s will. Only in the only-begotten perfect Son, by His wounds and His grace, are we made anew. You see, the Gospel tells us the favored ones are not the pharisees who have rebranded perfection, while themselves remaining white-washed sepulchers, but the whores and crooks who desire Jesus not on their own terms, but His. This Homily was first published by Fr. Leon here: https://www.torch.op.org/torch/a-man-had-two-sons Our Lady once said to us: August 25, 2001 “Dear children! Today I call all of you to decide for holiness. May for you, little children, always in your thoughts and in each situation, holiness be in the first place, in work and in speech. In this way, you will also put it into practice; little by little, step by step, prayer and a decision for holiness will enter into your family. Be real with yourselves and do not bind yourselves to material things but to God. And do not forget, little children, that your life is as passing as a flower. Thank you for having responded to my call.” We can become the son who says no at first but eventually does the will of his father…Our Lady will help us get there. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020