Author: Cathy Nolan

The Assumption!   August 15, 2023 The Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dear Family of Mary! Today we celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven, body and soul!!! She is in Heaven, for all eternity, filled with the joy of God, yet still concerned for Her children here on earth. And so She has come to us in these difficult days to guide us on our journey to Heaven with Her loving presence, in Medjugorje. She told us: February 2, 2016 “Dear children, I have called you and am calling you anew to come to know my Son, to come to know the truth. I am with you and am praying for you to succeed. My children, you must pray much in order to have all the more love and patience; to know how to endure sacrifice and to be poor in spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, my Son is always with you… His Church is born in every heart that comes to know Him. Pray that you can come to know my Son; pray that your soul may be one with Him. That is the prayer and the love which draws others and makes you my apostles. I am looking at you with love, with a motherly love. I know you; I know your pain and sorrows, because I also suffered in silence. My faith gave me love and hope. I repeat, the Resurrection of my Son and my Assumption into Heaven is hope and love for you. Therefore, my children, pray to come to know the truth; to have firm faith which will lead your heart and which will transform your pain and sufferings into love and hope. Thank you.” Our Lady’s Assumption into Heaven is hope and love for us! She shows us the way to eternal happiness. She is with us to help us find that way and walk in it! May we listen always to her wise counsel, and follow her example of humility, purity, and love! Let us pray: Prayer on the Assumption of Our Lady in Honor of Pope Pius XII O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and Mother of all! We believe with all the fervor of our faith in your triumphal Assumption, both in body and soul, into Heaven, where you are acclaimed as Queen by all the choirs of angels and all the legions of saints; and we united with them to praise and bless the Lord who has exalted you above all other pure creatures, and to offer you the tribute of our devotion and our love. We know that your gaze, which on earth watched over the humble and suffering humanity of Jesus, is filled in Heaven with the vision of that humanity glorified, and with the vision of Uncreated Wisdom; and that the joy of your soul in the direct contemplation of the adored Trinity, causes your heart to throb with overwhelming tenderness. And we, poor sinners, whose body weighs down the flight of the soul, beg you to purify our hearts, so that, while we remain here below, we may learn to see God, and God alone, in the beauties of his creatures. We trust that your merciful eyes may glance down upon our miseries and sorrows, upon our struggles and our weaknesses; that your countenance may smile upon our joys and our victories; that you may hear the voice of Jesus saying to you of each one of us, as he once said to you of his beloved disciple: “Behold your son.” (from Blessed Art Thou by Richard J. Beyer, Ave Maria Press, 1996) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv

Mary, the Ark of the Covenant!   August 9, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! Day 4 of our preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Pope Benedict XVI wrote: 4. “Mary is the Ark of the Covenant because she welcomed Jesus within her; she welcomed within her the living Word, the whole content of God’s will, of God’s truth; she welcomed within her the One who is the new and eternal Covenant, which culminated in the offering of his Body and his Blood: a body and blood received through Mary. Therefore Christian piety rightly turns to Our Lady in the litanies in her honour, invoking her as Foederis Arca, that is, “the Ark of the Covenant”, the Ark of God’s presence, the Ark of the Covenant of love which God desired to establish with the whole of humanity, in Christ, once and for all.” Our Lady is the Ark! She carried the Son of God in her womb, nourished Him, protected Him, gave Him birth, and raised Him. She faithfully and generously laid her life down for Jesus. And so the Father called her to be at her Son’s side in Heaven, body and soul, to continue her role as Mother. She is there to intercede with Jesus, for all her other children! Us!! She has told us: May 2, 2019 ” Dear children, With a motherly love I am calling you to respond to the great love of my Son, with pure and open hearts, with complete trust. I know the greatness of His love. I carried Him within me, the Host in the heart, the light and the love of the world. My children, also my addressing you is a sign of the love and tenderness of the Heavenly Father – a big smile filled with the love of my Son, a call to eternal life. Out of love, the Blood of my Son was shed for you. That Precious Blood is for your salvation, for eternal life. The Heavenly Father created man for eternal happiness. It is not possible for you who know the love of my Son and who follow Him, to die. Life triumphed; my Son is alive. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, may prayer show you the way and the means of spreading the love of my Son – prayer in the most exalted form. My children, also when you strive to live the words of my Son, you are praying. When you love the people whom you meet, you are spreading the love of my Son. It is love that opens the doors of Paradise. My children, from the beginning, I prayed for the Church. Therefore, I am also calling you, apostles of my love, to pray for the Church and her servants – for those whom my Son called. Thank you.” Our Lady shares that intimate detail, that overwhelming miracle! She carried the Son of God in her womb. Jesus has her DNA! Our Lady is the Mother of God!! As Pope Benedict said: she welcomed within her the One who is the new and eternal Covenant, which culminated in the offering of his Body and his Blood: a body and blood received through Mary. May we never stop thanking Our Lady for the gift of Her Son!! May we, throughout eternity honor her as the Ark! Let us pray: Mother Mary, your Assumption into Heaven did not take you away from us, but rather opened the way for you to draw close to each one of us and mother us with your incredible love. You are here with us today. We want to draw very close to you, and to be guided by you in everything. Mother please make us presentable, and then present us to your Son, that we might live with Him and You in Heaven forever! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv        

August 10, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! Day 3 of our preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Pope Benedict XVI wrote: 3. By looking at Mary’s Assumption into Heaven we understand better that even though our daily life may be marked by trials and difficulties, it flows like a river to the divine ocean, to the fullness of joy and peace. We understand that our death is not the end but rather the entrance into life that knows no death. Our setting on the horizon of this world is our rising at the dawn of the new world, the dawn of the eternal day.” (Pope Benedict XVI) The Assumption does show us that life does not end at death. Our Lady’s life flowed on, without a break, into Heaven. And we are called to see our lives in just this way…a natural progression into eternity! Our Lady has been preparing us through her messages for that natural progression. Here is an example: August 25, 2006 “Dear children! Also today I call you to pray, pray, pray. Only in prayer will you be near to me and my Son and you will see how short this life is. In your heart a desire for Heaven will be born. Joy will begin to rule in your heart and prayer will begin to flow like a river. In your words there will only be thanksgiving to God for having created you and the desire for holiness will become a reality for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Our Lady calls us to a life of prayer, in which we will begin to see the far off horizon of Heaven, and our hearts will yearn for that place where God is waiting for us. Our prayer will flow like a river, carrying us to our destination. Holiness, love, peace, a desire for God… these will move us along our way! That was Mary’s way as well! Let us pray: Mother Mary, your Assumption into Heaven did not take you away from us, but rather opened the way for you to draw close to each one of us and mother us with your incredible love. You are here with us today. We want to draw very close to you, and to be guided by you in everything. Mother please make us presentable, and then present us to your Son, that we might live with Him and You in Heaven forever! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv

Mary became the Lord’s dwelling place!   August 9, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! Day 2 of our preparation for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Mr. Perna chose the following quote from Pope Benedict XVI as #2: 2. “St Augustine says: “Before conceiving the Lord in her body she had already conceived him in her soul”. She had made room for the Lord in her soul and thus really became the true Temple where God made himself incarnate, where he became present on this earth. Thus, being God’s dwelling place on earth, in her the eternal dwelling place has already been prepared, it has already been prepared for ever. And this constitutes the whole content of the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary, body and soul, into heavenly glory, expressed here in these words. Mary is “blessed” because – totally, in body and soul and for ever – she became the Lord’s dwelling place. If this is true, Mary does not merely invite our admiration and veneration, but she guides us, shows us the way of life, shows us how we can become blessed, how to find the path of happiness.” (Pope Benedict XVI) Our Lady is so much more than we can probably ever understand! But Pope Benedict nailed it here! Our Lady, in her purity and total love for God made a place for God to dwell in her very person, freely given. She prepared her heart and soul for the Lord to enter in, and He did! We were saved by the Incarnation, which Mary anticipated by her love for God! She is the dwelling place of God, the Tabernacle of the Most High! It is more than we can ever understand! Here are amazing words of wisdom from Our Lady about her role in the Incarnation of Jesus: February 2, 2020 “Dear children, by the act of the decision and love of God, I am chosen to be the Mother of God and your mother. But also by my will and my immeasurable love for the Heavenly Father and my complete trust in Him, my body was the chalice of the God-man. I was in the service of truth, love and salvation, as I am now among you to call you, my children, apostles of my love, to be carriers of truth; to call you to spread His words, the words of salvation, by your will and love for my Son: that with your actions you may show, to all those who have not come to know my Son, His love. You will find strength in the Eucharist – my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood. My children, fold your hands [in prayer] and look at the Cross in silence. In this way, you are drawing faith to be able to transmit it; you are drawing truth to be able to discern; you are drawing love that you may know to love truly. My children, apostles of my love, fold your hands [in prayer], look at the Cross. Only in the Cross is salvation. Thank you.” Mother Mary, your Assumption into Heaven did not take you away from us, but rather opened the way for you to draw close to each one of us and mother us with your incredible love. You are here with us today. We want to draw very close to you, and to be guided by you in everything. Mother please make us presentable, and then present us to your Son, that we might live with Him and You in Heaven forever! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv

Assumed into Heaven, Mary is still close to us!   August 8, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! As I was preparing for these reflections before the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I came across an article written by Tom Perna (www.tomperna.org) For the Assumption, Tom compiled 7 quotes about the Assumption from Pope Benedict XVI. They are really good quotes! So I am going to share one a day, and match each quote to a message from Our Lady. I hope this works!! Thank you to Mr. Perna for his wonderful article. The first quote: 1. “While she lived on this earth she could only be close to a few people. Being in God, who is close to us, actually, “within” all of us, Mary shares in this closeness of God. Being in God and with God, she is close to each one of us, knows our hearts, can hear our prayers, can help us with her motherly kindness and has been given to us, as the Lord said, precisely as a “mother” to whom we can turn at every moment.” (Pope Benedict XVI) We see what a great gift the Assumption was, not only to Our Lady, but to us! By her Assumption she was given the way to be our Mother in a very intimate way. The Father wanted it to be this way. He knew we would need Her as our Mother! Our Lady has told us: June 25, 2013 “Dear children! With joy in the heart I love you all and call you to draw closer to my Immaculate Heart so I can draw you still closer to my Son Jesus, and that He can give you His peace and love, which are nourishment for each one of you. Open yourselves, little children, to prayer – open yourselves to my love. I am your mother and cannot leave you alone in wandering and sin. You are called, little children, to be my children, my beloved children, so I can present you all to my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Mother Mary, your Assumption into Heaven did not take you away from us, but rather opened the way for you to draw close to each one of us and mother us with your incredible love. You are here with us today. We want to draw very close to you, and to be guided by you in everything. Mother please make us presentable, and then present us to your Son, that we might live with Him and You in Heaven forever! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv  

My Assumption into Heaven   August 7, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! We find ourselves in the midst of the novena before the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This Feast commemorates one of the four dogmas of Our Lady: The Immaculate Conception Her Perpetual Virginity Her Divine Motherhood Her Assumption into Heaven Our Lady was assumed into heaven body and soul. She dwells with God for eternity! And she has been sent to us in these days to help us through a very difficult moment in history. We are so blessed to be called to join her in her mission for these days, which originates from Medjugorje! I think this message is helpful in understanding Our Lady’s mission in Medjugorje. I believe she has come to raise up an army of true believers who will stand firm in the truth and help others to discover the truth. She is forming us and here is how: February 2, 2016 “Dear children, I have called you and am calling you anew to come to know my Son, to come to know the truth. I am with you and am praying for you to succeed. My children, you must pray much in order to have all the more love and patience; to know how to endure sacrifice and to be poor in spirit. Through the Holy Spirit, my Son is always with you… His Church is born in every heart that comes to know Him. Pray that you can come to know my Son; pray that your soul may be one with Him. That is the prayer and the love which draws others and makes you my apostles. I am looking at you with love, with a motherly love. I know you; I know your pain and sorrows, because I also suffered in silence. My faith gave me love and hope. I repeat, the Resurrection of my Son and my Assumption into Heaven is hope and love for you. Therefore, my children, pray to come to know the truth; to have firm faith which will lead your heart and which will transform your pain and sufferings into love and hope. Thank you.” Our Lady tells us that Jesus’ Resurrection and her Assumption are the two tent pegs that stabilize our faith and our hope in eternal life! They show us the way. By following Jesus and Mary, imitating their lives and clinging to them in prayer, we will find our way to heaven, and hopefully bring many with us! This is our task. This is our hope and our joy! Let’s meditate on the Assumption this week, letting that truth fill us with strength and hope. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv  

Mother of pure love!   August 4, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! On this final day before your birthday, Mother Mary, we come to you asking to experience and understand in a deeper way, your love. Your love can accomplish anything! Your love is so pure, so strong and so determined! Your love can see us through anything! We need your love, Mother. Mother Mary has told us: May 22, 1986 “Dear children! Today I wish to give you my own love. You do not know, dear children, how great my love is, and you do not know how to accept it. In various ways I wish to show it to you, but you, dear children, do not recognize it. You do not understand my words with your heart and neither are you able to comprehend my love. Dear children, accept me in your life and so you will be able to accept all I am saying to you and to which I am calling you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Mother help us to understand your words with our hearts!! Here is another prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo: Gracious Lady, you are a mother and virgin; you are the mother of the body and soul of our Head and Redeemer; you are also truly mother of all the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. For through your love, you have cooperated in the begetting of the faithful in the Church. Unique among women, you are mother and virgin; mother of Christ and virgin of Christ. You are the beauty and charm of earth, O Virgin. You are forever the image of the holy Church. Through a woman came death; through a woman came life, yes, through you, O Mother of God. Amen Mother, help us to better comprehend your love, so as to better receive it and grow holy in your care. We need you at every moment. May we give glory to you and through you give glory to your Son, Jesus Christ! Happy Birthday tomorrow!!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv

Mary, Mother of Mercy   August 3, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! We continue our personal retreats with Our Lady before her birthday on August 5th! Our Lady is the Mother of Mercy! She embodies God’s mercy in every way. She is always ready to help us in our needs. We call on her instinctively when we are in trouble. She never fails us. Mary, Mother of Mercy, save us!! She has told us: March 25, 2017 “Dear children! In this time of grace, I am calling all of you to open your hearts to God’s mercy, to begin a new life through prayer, penance and a decision for holiness. This time of spring moves you to a new life, to a renewal, in your thoughts and hearts. Therefore, little children, I am with you to help you to say ‘yes’ to God and to God’s commandments with resoluteness. You are not alone; I am with you through the grace which the Most High gives me for you and your descendants. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Here is a prayer by St. Cyril of Alexandria that may help us to enter into Mary’s gift of peace to us: St. Francis of Assisi Mary, our Queen, Holy Mother of God, we beg you to hear our prayer. Make our hearts overflow with divine grace and resplendent with heavenly wisdom. Render them strong with your might and rich in virtue. Pour down upon us the gift of mercy so that we may obtain the pardon of our sins. Help us to live in such a way as to merit the glory and bliss of heaven. May this be granted us by your Son Jesus who has exalted you above the angels, has crowned you as Queen, and has seated you with Him forever on his refulgent throne. Amen. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv I encourage you all to go to the archives and experience the Youth Festival 2023 again and again!! https://marytv.tv/2023-youth-festival/  

Our Lady brings us peace…   August 2, 2023 Dear Family of Mary! We continue our personal retreats with Our Lady before her birthday on August 5th! Our Lady has come to us as the Queen of Peace. Her whole mission is to bring peace to earth. And we are called to help her with that mission. This means we need peace in our own hearts, the peace she brings, the peace which is Jesus. She has told us: January 25, 1996 “Dear Children! Today I invite you to decide for peace. Pray that God give you the true peace. Live peace in your hearts and you will understand, dear children, that peace is the gift of God. Dear children, without love you cannot live peace. The fruit of peace is love and the fruit of love is forgiveness. I am with you and I invite all of you, little children, that before all else forgive in the family and then you will be able to forgive others. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Here is a prayer by St. Cyril of Alexandria that may help us to enter into Mary’s gift of peace to us: St. Cyril of Alexandria We honor you, O Mary, Mother of God, treasure of the universe, inextinguishable flame, crown of virginity, scepter of the true faith, indestructible temple, tabernacle of the one whom the world cannot contain, and mother and virgin. … In your virginal womb you enclosed the immense and incomprehensible One. Through you the Trinity is glorified and the cross is celebrated and adored everywhere on earth. Through you the heavens exult with joy, the angels and archangels are glad, demons are put to flight, the demon tempter is cast out of heaven, and our fallen nature has again been assumed into heaven. … It is through you that the only-begotten Son of God, who is the Light, shone amid the nations who were seated in darkness and the shadow of death. What human voice can ever worthily celebrate the ineffable greatness of Mary? She is mother and virgin at the same time. Through her peace has been restored to the world. What peace? Our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Mary has brought forth! (St. Cyril of Alexandria (382-444)) In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan www.marytv.tv I encourage you all to go to the archives and experience the Youth Festival 2023 again and again!! https://marytv.tv/2023-youth-festival/