Author: Cathy Nolan

  Be my apostles, be my river of love. January 12, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! In Fr. Slavko’s last homily, November 24, 2000, he said that Our Lady needs us.  Here are his words: I would like to say once again ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my heart for all the people who responded in their own way to the message of the Virgin Mary.  As Mary has emphasized, it is always good to know that we are very important for her, that she can do nothing without us. When we heard her say, ‘thank you’ for the first time, we were a bit surprised because usually we are the ones appealing to God.  It is good to expect everything from God and therefore to be in Adoration in front of the All Powerful.  But we have heard Our Lady say, “I need you, you are so important for me, without you I can do nothing.”  Very often we do not want to believe it, even if it is the case. We might think that Our Lady would not need us because she is already in Heaven!  But we have to understand that she doesn’t need us for herself, she needs us for the millions of her children who are on earth and in peril.  She is thinking of all of her children.  And she needs us to help her bring them safely into the arms of her Son. We may feel inadequate, untrained, unable to help her.  But we have to set aside our own doubts and listen to her words.  We need to do what she tells us to do!  Here are five messages in which she tells us how much she needs us.  We can meditate on them during a rosary today, letting her words sink deeply into our hearts.  We have a job yet to do for our Mother! “Dear children, I need you. I call you and ask for your help. Make peace with yourselves, with God and with your neighbors. Then help me. Convert unbelievers. Wipe the tears from my face.” (11/02/2004) “Dear children! I am calling you because I need you. I need hearts ready for immeasurable love. Hearts that are not burdened by vanity. Hearts that are ready to love as my Son loved, that are ready to sacrifice themselves as my Son sacrificed Himself. I need you. In order to come with me, forgive yourselves, forgive others and adore my Son. Adore Him also for those who have not come to know Him, those who do not love Him… Therefore, I need you. Therefore, I call you. Thank you.” (07/02/2009) “Dear children, as my eyes are looking at you, my soul is seeking those souls with whom it desires to be one – the souls who have understood the importance of prayer for those of my children who have not come to know the love of the Heavenly Father. I am calling you because I need you. Accept the mission and do not be afraid, I will strengthen you. I will fill you with my graces. With my love I will protect you from the evil spirit. I will be with you. With my presence I will console you in difficult moments. Thank you for your open hearts. Pray for priests. Pray that the unity between my Son and them may be all the stronger, that they may be one. Thank you.” (09/02/2012) “Dear children, with much love and patience I strive to make your hearts like unto mine. I strive, by my example, to teach you humility, wisdom, and love because I need you; I cannot do without you my children. According to God’s will I am choosing you, by His strength I am strengthening you. Therefore, my children, do not be afraid to open your hearts to me. I will give them to my Son and in return, He will give you the gift of Divine peace. You will carry it to all those whom you meet, you will witness God’s love with your life, and you will give the gift of my Son through yourselves. Through reconciliation, fasting and prayer, I will lead you. Immeasurable is my love. Do not be afraid. My children, pray for the shepherds. May your lips be shut to every judgment, because do not forget that my Son has chosen them and only He has the right to judge. Thank you.”  (01/02/2013) “Dear children! Today I call you to love with all your heart and with all your soul. Pray for the gift of love, because when the soul loves it calls my Son to itself. My Son does not refuse those who call Him and who desire to live according to Him. Pray for those who do not comprehend love, who do not understand what it means to love. Pray that God may be their Father and not their Judge. My children, you be my apostles, be my river of love. I need you. Thank you.” (03/18/2010) Yes, Mother!  We, your children, want to be your apostles, your river of love!  Show us the way! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

The strength and love for all people January 11, 2021 Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Dear Family of Mary! Today I want to share with you the last homily that Fr. Slavko Barbaric gave.  It was at mass in Medjugorje on November 24, 2000.  He celebrated a special mass with a group of pilgrims from Germany, and honored Franz Gollowitsch, the organizer of the pilgrimage.  This was Franz’s 250th pilgrimage!  He had been bringing people to Medjugorje for many years! Fr. Slavko spoke about the importance of living Our Lady’s messages.  Here is his homily: I would like to say once again ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my heart for all the people who responded in their own way to the message of the Virgin Mary.  As Mary has emphasized, it is always good to know that we are very important for her, that she can do nothing without us. When we heard her say, ‘thank you’ for the first time, we were a bit surprised because usually we are the ones appealing to God.  It is good to expect everything from God and therefore to be in Adoration in front of the All Powerful.  But we have heard Our Lady say, “I need you, you are so important for me, without you I can do nothing.”  Very often we do not want to believe it, even if it is the case. God wants each one of us, in the time and in the situation in which we find ourselves.  He wants us and has blessed us with talents which he wants to develop in us through His Grace and His Spirit so that we can use them to serve Him.  The person who uses his talents loves, believes, hopes, helps others, and thinks of them; he is indispensable in the time and the situation in which God has placed him. I have said this often to people who criticize others too much and also to those who think that they would have acted differently towards God if they were in another’s place:  “If God had believed that you could live better and serve better in another place or time, He would not have put you here but in another place or time. He would not have put you here but in another situation.  Don’t wish you were in another’s place: but rather open your eyes and ears more to the time in which you live, to the people with whom you live.  That is your first task: here, you are needed; here, you are important for God; here, God can do nothing without you.” On the one hand, we receive the love of God and the same love reaches out to others through us.  When we receive consolation from God, we must share it with others.  And it is only in the time and situation in which we are that we can do what God wants, because here He can do nothing without us.  There is one thing that Mary has certainly succeed in doing during these 19 years and 5 months; many people who limited themselves to Sunday Mass have become very active in their Christian life thanks to the messages.  That is why we can say today, ‘thank you’ because, throughout the world, there are people who are very faithfully sharing the messages of Mary. A Croatian priest, a missionary in India, told me that every Saturday the evening program of Medjugorje is celebrated not only in one parish, but in several parishes.  It is also for this reason that Mary, in her latest message, could say that she thanks God and rejoices in the fact that so many people came for this anniversary and that the Church is renewed in the Spirit. I believe that we can still change many things, for example, ourselves, the Church, and our family in order to see with the eyes of Mary.  We are often tempted, to judge them.  There are, no doubt, problems.  But Mary sees the world in a different way.  She sees the good, even if there is only a small amount of it and that it is not enough.  She sees it and gives thanks for it.  Gratitude is the best rule of education.  If you want to learn how to educate someone, you must first see the good in him, even if there is only a small amount.  Next, you have to look at his potential and work with him on that.  If we are blind to all of that, only seeing the negative side, that which is not perfect, which doesn’t agree with us, then we begin to criticize, to condemn, to refuse.  Mary sees the good in the world.  She also sees what can be improved and works on these aspects. Read the messages!  The messages are positive, they give hope, courage.  Mary has awoken in us positive strengths and we want to thank her for that.  Those who follow Mary have no time for criticism.  Mary encourages us to act, even when we think that it is something that can upset us, that is not easy for us or is not within our reach.  It is only then that we can enter the third millennium with Mary and Jesus.  So, ‘thank you’ to all those throughout the world who follow Mary, who continue to come and organize. Let us thank Franz Gollowitsch again for his work.  He has come to Medjugorje all this time, even during the most terrible moments of the war.  Today as always, Franz Gollowitsch is a man indefatigably helping our sick, our refugees and our orphans.  His coach was and is always full of material aid.  I don’t know how he manages to pass police checks but it seems that there again he has contacts.  We thank him for that, and we want to accompany him in prayer, him and all those who have come with him, during this Mass. So a new era, a springtime, as Mary says, will be able to happen.  It does not coincide with the calendar, but it is the objective of a new decision.  There where we believe everything to be cold, destroyed and in ruin, there we can begin a new path.  If you decide to love God and others as yourself, and if many do the same thing, the new era will happen.  Amen Fr. Slavko studied Our Lady’s messages. He had learned to think like Our Lady!  And in this homily, the last homily he gave us, he left us words to remember.  Truly, Fr. Slavko understood how Our Lady looked at us.  She is a realist.  She sees us, in our imperfect form but it doesn’t stop her from calling us.  She will take us as we are and begin to build in us all the graces and gifts that we need to help her, and help Jesus.  And she wants us to start with others in a similar way, as they are. In our day, Our Lady is still relating to us in this same beautiful and patient way.  She is calling us to start where we are and move forward for the good, regardless of how bad things may seem.  As Fr. Slavko said, “There where we believe everything to be cold, destroyed and in ruin, there we can begin a new path.  If you decide to love God and others as yourself, and if many do the same thing, the new era will happen.”  Amen, and Amen! “Dear children! Today when Heaven is near to you in a special way, I call you to prayer so that through prayer you place God in the first place. Little children, today I am near you and I bless each of you with my motherly blessing so that you have the strength and love for all the people you meet in your earthly life and that you can give God’s love. I rejoice with you and I desire to tell you that your brother Slavko has been born into Heaven and intercedes for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (11/25/2000) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan © Mary TV 2021

  “Surrender your hearts to Jesus!” January 8, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! “…That is why, my children, surrender your hearts to Jesus and permit Him to begin to rule your lives, because only in this way, will you accept the present and be able to face the world in which you live today. With Jesus, every fear, suffering, and pain disappear, because your heart accepts His will and everything that comes into your life. Jesus will give you the faith to accept everything and nothing will distance you from Him — because He firmly holds you by the hand and does not permit for you to distance and lose yourselves in difficult moments — because He has become the Lord of your life. (12/25/20 – Jakov) Our Lady knows the great power of Jesus’ love, the great peace of living with Jesus day in and day out, the great hope of placing our lives in Jesus’ hands! May we listen to her words, and surrender ourselves to Jesus: Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy Jesus, hear us Jesus, hear us Jesus, graciously hear us Jesus, graciously hear us God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us God, the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on us Jesus, Splendor of the Father, have mercy on us Jesus, Brightness of eternal Light, have mercy on us Jesus, King of Glory, have mercy on us Jesus, Sun of Justice, have mercy on us Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, have mercy on us Jesus, most amiable, have mercy on us Jesus, most admirable, have mercy on us Jesus, the mighty God, have mercy on us Jesus, Father of the world to come, have mercy on us Jesus, Angel of Great Council, have mercy on us Jesus, most powerful, have mercy on us Jesus, most patient, have mercy on us Jesus, most obedient, have mercy on us Jesus, meek and humble of heart, have mercy on us Jesus, Lover of Chastity, have mercy on us Jesus, our Lover, have mercy on us Jesus, God of Peace, have mercy on us Jesus, Author of Life, have mercy on us Jesus, Model of Virtue, have mercy on us Jesus, zealous for souls, have mercy on us Jesus, our God, have mercy on us Jesus, our Refuge, have mercy on us Jesus, Father of the Poor, have mercy on us Jesus, Treasure of the Faithful, have mercy on us Jesus, good Shepherd, have mercy on us Jesus, true Light, have mercy on us Jesus, eternal Wisdom, have mercy on us Jesus, infinite Goodness, have mercy on us Jesus, our Way, and our Life, have mercy on us Jesus, joy of the Angels, have mercy on us Jesus, King of the Patriarchs, have mercy on us Jesus, Master of the Apostles, have mercy on us Jesus, Teacher of the Evangelists, have mercy on us Jesus, Strength of Martyrs, have mercy on us Jesus, Light of Confessors, have mercy on us Jesus, Purity of Virgins, have mercy on us Jesus, Crown of all Saints, have mercy on us Be merciful, spare us O Jesus Be merciful, graciously hear us, O Jesus From all evil, deliver us, O Jesus From all sin, deliver us, O Jesus From Thy wrath, deliver us, O Jesus From the snares of the devil, deliver us, O Jesus From the spirit of fornication, deliver us, O Jesus From everlasting death, deliver us, O Jesus From the neglect of Thy inspirations, deliver us, O Jesus Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Nativity, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Infancy, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy most divine Life, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Labors, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Agony and Passion, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Cross and Dereliction, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Sufferings, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Death and Burial, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Resurrection, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Ascension, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Joys, deliver us, O Jesus Through Thy Glory, deliver us, O Jesus Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, spare us, O Jesus Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Jesus Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, have mercy on us, O Jesus Jesus hear us Jesus, graciously hear us Let us pray: O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast said, “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you”; mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the grace of Thy most divine love, that we may love Thee with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions, and never cease to praise Thee Make us, O Lord, to have a perpetual fear and love of Thy holy name, for Thou never frailest to govern those who Thou dost solidly establish in Thy love. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

“Children, is your heart open towards Jesus?   January 7, 2021 St. Raymond of Penafort Dear Family of Mary! “…Children, is your heart open towards Jesus? Have you completely surrendered your life into His hands? Have you accepted Jesus as your father, to whom you can always turn and in Him find consolation and everything you need to live true faith?…” (12/25/20 Jakov) Our Lady asks us very good questions in her message through Jakov.  They are foundational questions.  She wants us to look at our relationship to Jesus and be honest with ourselves.  How open am I to Jesus?  Do I have secrets in my heart that I do not want to share with Him?  Am I afraid of Jesus?  Do I really believe He is my God?  Have I closed my heart to His presence in the Eucharist?  Have I completely surrendered my life to Jesus, given it into His hands?  Do I hold on to certain habits or desires that Jesus would like me to change?  Am I stubborn?  Am I lazy?  What keeps me from surrendering to Jesus? And do I believe that Jesus is my father, the one I can always count on to care about me and console me, and provide for me as His little one? Good questions. Fr. Slavko Barbaric understood that we have to answer these questions.  In his meditations for Adoration, at St. James, he prayed so sweetly and deeply for us before Jesus.  Here is one of his prayers during Adoration: “Be praised, my Lord, for eternity, because with Your Words You are calling me to Yourself.  You are my Lord and my master.  It is only You Who I want to serve and no-one else.  In this moment I place at Your feet all my worries and fears, my sadness, and my mistrust.  I entrust to You everything that is tormenting me.  Life is difficult when we are bound, held captive, and overwhelmed by our concerns.  But You, in your love, You offer us the freedom of birds and the beauty of lilies. Because of my worries and plans, I don not have the time for those close to me, not even for my friends.  And yet, You promised me that You would take care of me… “Oh my God, You want me to become like a child, so that from the early morning until late at night I live joyfully with total devotion to You, without wracking my brain as to how I should continue.  Naturally, I also wonder if it is possible to live in such a carefree manner.  Yes, it’s possible because You tell me that it is, Lord Jesus.  I will certainly understand it when I reach the point when You are everything to me and my highest good.  My Jesus, How could You not be praised, not be adored!  How could I not pray to You day and night!  Therefore, My Jesus, make me understand that You are the only love, the ultimate goal of my life!”  (“Medjugorje and Fr. Slavko Barbaric” p. 259) As we begin this new and very challenging year, may we draw ever closer to Jesus.  Mother Mary, pray for us!  Fr. Slavko, pray for us! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021  

Jesus is here beside you… January 6, 2021 St. Andre Bessette Dear Family of Mary! ”Dear children! Also today Jesus is here beside you, even when you think that you are alone, and that light does not exist in your life. He is here and has never left you or distanced Himself from you. The light of His birth illuminates this world and your life. His Heart is always open towards you, to receive your every pain, every trial, fear and need. His arms are extended towards you, that as a father, He may embrace you and tell you how important you are for Him, how much He loves you and cares for His children. …” (12/25/20 – Jakov) Our Lady assures us that Jesus is with us, beside us, very near to us, all the days of our lives.  We think He is far off, but He never leaves us alone.  We think all is dark, but Jesus lights our way by His great love.  His Heart is always open to us, and He attends to our needs like a very patient and loving father…He is the best of fathers. Our Lady’s words are like a healing balm for us.  She speaks the truth!  Jesus loves us, individually, with His immense love.  We need to let His love in.  We need to breath His love in.  Take it into our souls and be filled by it. Here is a Psalm that seems to express the same thing.  Let’s pray it today with real openness of heart: Psalm 63 A Psalm of David when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is. So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory. Because thy steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise thee. So I will bless thee as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on thy name. My soul is feasted as with marrow and fat, and my mouth praises thee with joyful lips, when I think of thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the watches of the night; for thou hast been my help, and in the shadow of thy wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to thee; thy right hand upholds me. But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth; they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals. But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall glory; for the mouths of liars will be stopped. We may feel that we are in a dessert, a wasteland, like David.  But truly God is with us.  Jesus is near us, never leaving us.  We are His beloved children.  May we never forget this.  We are not alone.  We are loved. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021        

Have you accepted Jesus as a father? January 5, 2021 St. John Neumann Dear Family of Mary! Here is the December 25, 2020 message given through Jakov.  He has his yearly apparition on Christmas Day and receives a message.  And this year the message is exceptionally detailed and powerful.  Let’s review it again: ”Dear children! Also today Jesus is here beside you, even when you think that you are alone, and that light does not exist in your life. He is here and has never left you or distanced Himself from you. The light of His birth illuminates this world and your life. His Heart is always open towards you, to receive your every pain, every trial, fear and need. His arms are extended towards you, that as a father, He may embrace you and tell you how important you are for Him, how much He loves you and cares for His children. Children, is your heart open towards Jesus? Have you completely surrendered your life into His hands? Have you accepted Jesus as your father, to whom you can always turn and in Him find consolation and everything you need to live true faith? That is why, my children, surrender your hearts to Jesus and permit Him to begin to rule your lives, because only in this way, will you accept the present and be able to face the world in which you live today.  With Jesus, every fear, suffering, and pain disappear, because your heart accepts His will and everything that comes into your life. Jesus will give you the faith to accept everything and nothing will distance you from Him — because He firmly holds you by the hand and does not permit for you to distance and lose yourselves in difficult moments — because He has become the Lord of your life. I bless you with my motherly blessing.” Our Lady is giving us a real encouragement in this message.  She sees how very difficult our lives have become, due to the crisis in the world.  And she is directing our eyes towards the only source of hope and light for us, to the Lord Jesus! I want to address one particular section of the message today, since many people have asked about it.  It is this section: His arms are extended towards you, that as a father, He may embrace you and tell you how important you are for Him, how much He loves you and cares for His children. Children, is your heart open towards Jesus? Have you completely surrendered your life into His hands? Have you accepted Jesus as your father, to whom you can always turn and in Him find consolation and everything you need to live true faith? Of course it sounds odd to call Jesus our father.  Isn’t He the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of the Father?  How can we call Him Father when we have a Father in Heaven.  Isn’t Jesus our brother? As I prayed about this section, I became convinced that Jesus can indeed be experienced as a Father for each of us.  Look at the words Our Lady used in the message: His arms are extended towards you, that as a father, He may embrace you… Isn’t this the classic gesture of fatherly love, that the father extends his hands towards the child and draws him close to him, embracing him? And tell you how important you are for Him, how much He loves you and cares for His children… Doesn’t a father give his children confidence by expressing his deep love for the child, making sure the child knows that he is of great value to the father and that he is cared for?  This is fatherly love! I believe that Jesus does all of these things for us each day, as we pray to Him.  He loves us with Fatherly love.  Why?  Because He and the Father are one.  Jesus loves like the Father loves.  Jesus has the same heart as the Father.  Jesus can love us as a father because He has the Father’s heart. As I was transcribing Fr. Robert Rieger’s homily for yesterday’s reflection, I noticed that Fr. Robert also talked about Jesus’ fatherly qualities.  Here is what Fr. Robert said: “But you know, getting to know Jesus and loving Jesus and talking to Jesus and understanding Jesus, we first need to understand that everything that I read and love and adore and admire in Him, is probably what speaks to me the most and is probably what is calling me to be Him.  So if I admire His paternal strength and His way of blessing people so that the best of them comes out, and that means the elderly and babies, sinner and prostitutes, and fishermen…it doesn’t matter who it is…Jesus is a powerful father figure!” Yes!  Jesus is a powerful father figure!  He loves us like a father, wanting the best for us, calling out the best in us, giving us confidence and courage, showing us that we have value in His eyes, nurturing us as we grow in the Spirit.  Jesus is good a fathering! This doesn’t take away from the Heavenly Father, as father.  Jesus and the Father are one!  Jesus does what the Father is doing.  The Father is fathering all of us!  And Jesus is fathering us with Him.  The Son of God is a very good father!! Let’s take time in silence to let this fatherly love that Jesus has for us to penetrate our souls and our hearts.  Jesus loves us with a father’s heart.  He wants the best for us.  He wants us to grow in holiness and righteousness, in joy and hope!  Jesus wants us to flourish.  He has a father’s wisdom, and He spent His entire public ministry trying to communicate that wisdom to us, so we could become strong and wise children.  Let’s give Jesus permission to love us with his fatherly love!  “But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Lk 18:16) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2020      

Fr. Robert Rieger at English Mass in Medjugorje January 4, 2021 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Dear Family of Mary! I want to share with you all today a very stunning homily given at the English Mass in Medjugorje, yesterday, January 3, 2021.  Fr. Robert Rieger spoke powerfully about allowing Jesus to be the “blueprint” of our life, allowing Jesus to live in us, to be “born” in our hearts, so that He can grow up in us and direct our lives in His image.  I have transcribed it for you here, but it is more powerful to see and hear him speak it. Here is the link to the video on our website: https://marytv.tv/english-homily-in-medjugorje-2/?smid=rkRQLisYWa1&slid=IRBKmbjFsDA May Fr. Robert’s words be a blessing for each of us for 2021! Fr. Robert Rieger – English Mass in Medjugorje, January 3, 2021 “The Word was in the beginning with God, and all things were made through Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made.  In Him was life and the life was the light of men.” Here we are speaking about Christ. Everything was made, in Him, through Him, in view of Him.  Which means that Christ is the blueprint of everything, above all, of us!  Of man and woman. You know if we want to know what it means to be a man, if we want to know what it means to be a woman, we need to understand Christ.  It is because of Him that we are made.  His image is implanted in us.  And I become truly myself, I become truly Robert, in the measure that I let this blueprint, Christ in me, grow up. And I will be the masculine form of Christ.  Others will be the feminine form of Christ.  You have to let the “God blueprint” in you take possession of you.  To give you form and give you direction.  And it is something we take upon ourselves with freedom.  We can actually abort this mystery.  We can actually say, “No, I’m going to decide myself what I want to be and how I want to be. Now I want to invent my own life.” And it can only be a failure.  Because when we let Jesus Christ direct our life, it will have a true direction and I will know what I need to do with myself.  I will know how to direct my gesture, my choices, my attitudes, and master my emotions…when I know who I am to become.  This is the positive form of the saying, “We become what we worship.  We become what we adore.”  Positively.  We can actually adore money, we can adore lust, even adore, or worship evil.  And I will become what I adore. But if I adore Christ, if I worship Him, the power of Him in me will transform me slowly but surely into Him.  Which is why it says later on, “To those who received Him, who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God.” So this has some very practical implications for our lives.  And it helps us to understand when Mary says, “Pray that Jesus may be born again in you.”  It is sort of like saying, “Jesus, when You are born in me and you grow in me, and You grow with me, it is almost the contrary.  I am born in Him, and I become Him, and gradually my eyes, my gestures, my words, and my way of being communicates Christ in the world.  Which is of course, exactly what the world needs.  Christ people all over the place. And this is possible, Jesus Himself said, “You will do what I do, but you will do things even greater than Me.”  Meaning that He wants to be able to live His life again in us.  The blueprint of my life is Him. So what are the practical implications of this?  A couple in the short time we have.  I will only mention two.  But you know, getting to know Jesus and loving Jesus and talking to Jesus and understanding Jesus, we first need to understand that everything that I read and love and adore and admire in Him, is probably what speaks to me the most and is probably what is calling me to be Him. So if I admire His paternal strength and His way of blessing people so that the best of them comes out, and that means the elderly and babies, sinner and prostitutes, and fishermen…it doesn’t matter who it is…Jesus is a powerful father figure!  Now if you admire that and say that’s fantastic, it is probably calling you to the same thing, because you have this gift!  The blueprint of this paternity is written in you.  And you have to start giving it expression, which means, practically, that you have to decide to start blessing people who come towards you.  To want to promote the gifts, to promote their beauty, deciding that they must emerge.  And that is a decision, that is a very concrete, practical decision.  That not only blesses people and actually helps them to emerge, but it gives Jesus, the Christ in you, more space to express Himself.  And the more expression we give to Jesus, the more space He will take in your life. That is one.  The strength of Jesus when He fights evil.  The first thing He does after His baptism, is He is sent in the Spirit, into the desert by the Holy Spirit, to confront evil.  You know, the idea that a Christian is a weak, feeble, wishy-washy piece of nothing, is just false if you understand the strength of Jesus, the power of Jesus to stand up to evil, to stand up to injustice, to try and break down all systems of evil and all systems of sin.  You know we have a very powerful man.  And if that is what you admire in Jesus, then He is calling it out of you.  And He is saying, “You, too!  You can be the strength!” But in particular, what touches me, which I think is my personal calling, is when I look at the relationship of Jesus with women.  There is something extraordinary, never before in history, and rarely do we see it since Him.  The incredible freedom that Jesus has with women.  Promoting them, raising them up, restoring their dignity, their place in society, healing them.  There is something very, very special in the way that Jesus relates to Mary, that denounces the hardness in the heart of men and women. You know He said explicitly to the Pharisees, “The reason there is divorce, Moses has permitted you to divorce, is because of the hardness of your hearts. And it wasn’t like that at the beginning, and its not like that now.  The blueprint of Christ in each one of us isn’t the hardness of the heart.  It isn’t the need to dominate, and to despise and to revile, is not part of the blueprint.  You can fight against that within yourself.  And you can let the new heart of Christ grow up within you and animate your relationships. So, Jesus is not the founder of stereotypes, i.e., the man has to be like this, and the woman has to be like that.  He is not the founder of this.  He is the founder of a new humanity, a resurrected humanity.  He is the founder of the capacity we have to be transformed.  To convert our lives.  To decide to cast away the evil habits and the bad habits that we have.  He is the founder of the capacity that we have to change our relationships. To bless relationships.  To fight evil. To emerge in this world with His power.  He is the founder of that.  And it is always new.  He does new things all the time.  There is a surprise awaiting when someone allows the Jesus we adore, to take possession of their life. https://marytv.tv/english-homily-in-medjugorje-2/?smid=rkRQLisYWa1&slid=IRBKmbjFsDA Our Lady once said to us: November 25, 1989 “Dear children! I am inviting you for years by these messages which I am giving you. Little children, by means of the messages I wish to make a very beautiful mosaic in your hearts, so I may be able to present each one of you to God like the original image. Therefore, little children, I desire that your decisions be free before God, because He has given you freedom. Therefore pray, so that, free from any influence of satan, we may decide only for God. I am praying for you before God and I am seeking your surrender to God. Thank you for responding to my call.” Amen, and Amen! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021    

Archbishop Hoser and Cardinal Barbarin! January 1, 2021 Feast of the Mother of God Dear Family of Mary! The Vigil Mass of the Mother of God was celebrated by Cardinal Phillippe Barbarin, who was visiting Medjugorje for the first time from France!  He was so warm and excited to be in Medjugorje.  And at the end of Holy Mass, Archbishop Henryk Hoser spoke a few words in welcome to the Cardinal.  His comments are beautiful!  So we have transcribed them for you today. Arch Bishop Henryk Hoser – welcoming Cardinal Phillippe Barbarin after Vigil Mass of the Feast of the Mother of God: Your Eminence, Cardinal Barbarin, we are at the end of the first Holy Mass of the New Year!  Thank you for your presence! You, as Cardinal, represent all the Cardinals of the Universal Church, and at the same time the Church in France.  France is called the First Daughter of the Church!  And France was evangelized 2000 years ago.  Our region here has an equally long history.  The Balkan region belonged to the Roman Empire, so the evangelization, the Word of God, came here very early on. I would like to thank you for all of us present here: the parishioners here (there are many of them), the pilgrims who are fewer than usual due to the situation today, and all of us present here, connected by television, radio, and internet. Our parish is in the service of our parishioners, people from this country, and from the surrounding countries, and it attracts people from all over the world.  On an annual basis, we have between 1 to 1 ½ million pilgrims who come here.  Together with you, we pray that this new year, 2021, will be the year of opening, so that all those who yearn for Medjugorje can come here. Medjugorje is a significant place of spirituality.  Pilgrims come from far away, and here they discover an atmosphere of peace, of prayer, of adoration.  And they find their way to faith and eternal life.  Every year in Medjugorje there are numerous conversions.  Profound conversions that make people new!  In the last years, there have been born over 800 new vocations of Friars and priests.  It is a place of grace.  It is all God’s grace! And we in a special way venerate Mary, who is the Queen of Peace, which we have spoken of before.  The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace, the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, leads us through life and through this world.  And she always directs us to her Son. So we rejoice that we are together, and that we share the same hopes for the future.  We deeply believe that Jesus Christ is the Master of history.  And together with Him, we go through the stormy seas and the deserts of the life.  We wish you a happy journey, and a continuation of your mission for the good of France and all peoples of this world.  Thank you. (Welcoming words from Archbishop Hoser to Cardinal Barbarin) The Vigil Mass for the Feast of the Mother of God was filled with joy!  Truly the Holy Spirit fell upon all present, even those of us viewing the Mass from around the world could feel the Spirit!  I believe God wants to bless us in 2021.  We only need to be open to the coming of the Holy Spirit.  He wants to bless us and give us many gifts, so that we are equipped for the days ahead. Let us pray as this New Year begins: Come Holy Spirit Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made. O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above. Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God’s hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue. Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o’erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply. Far from us drive the foe we dread and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside. Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest. Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2021   Here is the link to find the list on our website: https://marytv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Saints-List-2020.pdf      

Time to pick a saint! December 31, 2020 Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas St. Sylvester 1, Pope Dear Family of Mary! As 2020 draws to a close, and we enter into a New Year, this is a good time to choose a new saint for 2021!  Our Mary TV family has a tradition of choosing a saint for the year, by printing out a list of saints which is then cut up, so that each saint is presented on a slip of paper.  The saints are then placed in a container.  On New Year’s Day the family or prayer group can gather and pray for each person for a blessing, and the person can then pick a saint from the container.  That saint is the saint that chooses them!! Our Lady has encouraged us to take the saints as our examples and to follow their example.  Here is one message: October 25, 2020 “Dear children, At this time, I am calling you to return to God and to prayer. Invoke the help of all the saints, for them to be an example and a help to you. Satan is strong and is fighting to draw all the more hearts to himself. He wants war and hatred. That is why I am with you for this long, to lead you to the way of salvation, to Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Little children, return to the love for God and He will be your strength and refuge. Thank you for having responded to my call.” The saint that chooses us can become a daily example and help to us of how to live in the light, and an encouragement on the way to holiness.  It is amazing how meaningful the saint that we receive can be. Here is an example that I shared last year: On the way out of church on Sunday, our parish had baskets of saints prepared for choosing a saint, and each parishioner was invited to choose a saint for 2020.  It was wonderful to see the people praying and then diving into the container to receive their saint.  One man was encouraging his children to choose a saint, and he seemed so excited.  As we passed, he said to us, “This is just wonderful!  I just chose my saint, and guess who it is!!!”  Then he held up the paper and on it was written, “The Sacred Heart of Jesus”.  His face was filled with joy and light!!  Having Jesus as his saint for 2020 was an inexpressible joy!!  He told us he was so very happy and stunned!! Choosing a saint can actually change your life!  So if you haven’t started this tradition in your family or parish, I am including a PDF of our list of saints for 2020 (since I haven’t been able to update the list this year).  You can print this list out, and cut it up, and then pray together for the saint that will choose you!! Let’s not forget that tomorrow is the Feast of the Mother of God.  This title of Mary is so important and earth shaking!!  Let’s pray to understand it more and more!  May 2021 be the year that the Mother of God will triumph in the sinful world and be crowned as Queen of Heaven and Earth for all to see!! In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2020 Here is the link to find the list on our website: https://marytv.tv/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Saints-List-2020.pdf