Author: Cathy Nolan

Day 3 of the Youth Festival, 2021 – The procession with the Statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje! August 4, 2021 Day 4 of the Youth Festival Dear Family of Mary! Today is the 4th day of the Youth Festival!! We have been satiated in the love of God! How can there be room in our hearts for more? But there is more! Today we will have more Catechesis, more prayer, more joy! I especially love the prayerful singing, filled with life, faith, exuberance and joy!! It would seem that the young people could sing all night long!! Thank you, Mother, for your wonderful young people who are gathered together with you for the week of faith, prayer and joy!! I want to share with you a video that our team (Ella and Dario!) in Medjugorje made with short testimonies from participants in the festival. It is so filled with joy!! https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/?smid=icrJuis0TFX&slid=6HAZozrsm6t I also want to share this link to the very extensive teaching given to us by Cardinal Robert Sarah yesterday (August 3). It is very long with so much to digest. So this link to the entire talk will be something you will want to revisit. https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/?smid=icnR3Es0TSD&slid=6HAZozrsm6t You can view all the videos in our Festival Archive at this link: https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/ Here is the Schedule for Wednesday, Day 4 of the Festival! Join us at Mary TV!! WEDNESDAY, 4. 8. 2021 10.00 – Prayer – Catechesis – Testimonies 12.00 – The Angelus RECESS 16.00 – Daily Rosary ( Denis & Cathy ) 17.00 – Testimonies 18.00 – Parish Rosary 19.00 – Evening Holy Mass 21.15 – Theater and Musical Show (Cenacolo) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021 PS. Pray for our team! They are working day and night to provide the most spectacular coverage of the Festival!! Thank you, Mary TV Team in Medjugorje!!!

  Day 2 of the Youth Festival, 2021 – The Candlelight Ceremony From the Air!! August 3, 2021 Day 3 of the Youth FestivalDear Family of Mary!Today is Day 3 of the Youth Festival! Already so many beautiful memories have been made! Yesterday the young people climbed Apparition Hill to pray at the apparition site. It was at 6:00 am!And then from 10:00 am to Noon, there was Catechesis and testimony! Sanja Barisic shared the story of her life, which included so much suffering due to drugs. Sanja wandered for many years in pain until one day Our Lady reached into her life and saved her. We also heard from Fr. Matthew, from France, who shared his own miraculous conversion in Medjugorje! He is now a powerful priest, full of the Lord’s love! You will not want to miss the conclusion of the Evening Mass when there was Veneration of the Holy Cross, and the lighting of candles. It was spectacular!! You can watch these events and all the sessions of the Festival in the Archive “Youth Festival 2021” at this link: https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/ I would like to share some of the comments in the homily from last night’s evening Mass. They convey the wonder of Our Lady’s presence in Medjugorje. Fr. Miljenko Steko was the main celebrant for the Evening Eucharistic Celebration. He is the Franciscan Provincial of the area of Medjugorje, and has been part of the events of Medjugorje for many years. He spoke so tenderly of Our Lady. He said: “To this Youth Festival in Our Lady’s Medjugorje, with particular joy I speak to you, and I wish for you to feel the way man can feel, the way man can feel in the embrace of the most favored Mother, the Mother who became our Mother in the order of grace, that you may be happy. That you may be joyful and feel merciful and blessed while you are here. In the embrace of the one who is always here for you. Who unobtrusively lays her hand of grace on you and guides you thorughout your whole life. “Of the Mother who loves unconditionally! That is the word that the Holy Father used in the message that he gave to us (yesterday). He spoke about the unconditional love. It is the Mother who loves so much and embraces you under her mantle and receives you, and intercedes for you. And only the man who receives the love of his Mother can witness peace, happiness, welfare…the feeling when we are not afraid to say anything, because she would understand us! “The feeling that all of our worries, all of our anxieties and all of our difficulties can be surrendered into the hands that always greet us and embrace us with goodness. “She is the Mother of Reconciliation! And of those who are reconciled, she is the Mother of Salvation and of Faith. “She passes on to us what we have heard in the Gospel. What encouraged her life? ‘Do not be afraid of the living God! Do not be afraid.’ If it wasn’t for those words in your heart, I do not know how you would pass through so many borders and arrive here during this pandemic. And you came from all over the world. And you came from various peoples. You carry different cultures and you speak different languages. You dress in different ways. You eat different things. In many ways your are different. And yet, this is not an obstacle to your being here, joyful in God’s family! You can be one heart and one soul, united with Mary in prayer! Just like the Apostles were in the Cenacle “The Most Holy Virgin, completely directed to Christ, is the foundation of the Church and its faith experience. She becomes for you the privileged way to Christ, who is the Supreme Mediator. “The Cardinal (Cardinal Sarah) reminded us of that in the last words of his homily, when he said in his final sentences that we may be converted by Our Lady of Medjugorje! “The secular people, when they see such gatherings of the youth, are astonished and they wonder why these people gather in such great numbers. What is it that gathers them? What moves them to take on so many efforts, to overcome so many obstacles to come here? The world lives as if God does not exist. The world cannot understand it as long as they remain the way they are. “You are not the news for the great “media” of the world. If there was a scandal here, that would be news for them. Because the world it surprised that you are leaving behind the world of entertainment and you come here in this hot weather to pray for a week! The world cannot understand that. “But God and the Mother of God are here for them, and they patiently wait for them to accept the grace and consolation and to realize that man does not only live on bread but every word that comes from the mouth of God. “You, dear young brothers and sisters, know why you are here!! What gathered you here. You were gathered by the safety that God loves you immensely. He makes you capable to love yourself. By the power of His love He makes you brothers and sisters. He gathers you into one family of God’s people. It is so strong that after this encounter that love will go to all parts of the world. Because you will know that you are loved. And the one who knows that he is loved will not remain passive, but will respond in the same way, by love. “With Our Lady’s intercession in your hearts, you can penetrate the words of the Lord, “Love one another, just as I have loved you.” In that way you will love one another. That inner strength of love brought you here, despite all the difficulties, so that you may show that you are loved. So that you may witness to the world, that still does not know God, or who consciously refuses God, the patience that is God and His love….” (The first part of the Homily for the Evening Mass on Day 2 of the Youth Festival, Fr. Miljenko Steko!) Here is the link to Fr. Miljenko Steko’s homily: https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/?smid=icrtiVs0TJD&slid=6HAZozrsm6t Fr. Steko spoke so beautifully of the powerful love of Our Lady in Medjugorje! As you can see, he is totally aware of Our Lady’s presence in Medjugorje, and of her motherly guidance and care for all who come to her there!! We are all her children!! May we feel her presence in these days and rely completely upon her! Here is the Schedule for Tuesday, Day 3 of the Festival! Join us at Mary TV!! TUESDAY, 3. 8. 2021 10.00 – Prayer, Catechesis, Testimonies 12.00- The Angelus RECESS 16.00 – Daily Rosary ( Denis & Cathy ) 17.00 – Testimonies 18.00 – Parish Rosary 19.00 – Evening Holy Mass 20.30 – 21.30 Procession with Our Lady’s statue and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021 PS. Pray for our team! They are working day and night to provide the most spectacular coverage of the Festival!! Thank you, Mary TV Team in Medjugorje!!!

Day 1 of the Youth Festival, 2021 – From the Air!! August 2, 2021 Day 2 of the Youth Festival 2021 Dear Family of Mary! The Youth Festival began yesterday evening, with the prayer of the Rosary, and then the Solemn welcoming of all the nations represented at the festival. As always it was an inspiring moment to see all those flags presented to us. So many countries gathered together!! Then Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, the Apostolic Nuncio for Bosnia/Hercegovina, delivered a letter from Pope Francis, blessing the gathering and encouraging us to prayer and holiness. It was inspiring! Then Holy Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Sarah! The Cardinal spoke much about our call as Catholics, and the plight of our world today, with paganism growing and so little strength left in the Church. He called on us to run to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, our only hope and our source of life. He concluded with these moving words: “We remember from the Gospels the words that Jesus spoke at the Institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, “This is my Body, this is my Blood.” And we priests, who are the other Christs, we repeat these words, ‘This is my body, this is my blood.’ “And we adopt the teachings of the Church Fathers, especially St. Cyril of Alexandria, who expressed this about the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. ‘The Body of the Lord is life-giving. It is the Body of the Word of God the Father. It comes to purify me. it comes to edify me. I become that which I have received.’ “And now we know what was the great trial of the dark night of faith that St. Teresa of Calcutta underwent for 50 years. She always believed, but she was completely deprived of any consolation. Before the exposed Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, it was difficult for her to pray. She experienced dryness like so many saints before her, i.e. St. Theresa of Avila, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, to name just a few. “Some would ask Mother Teresa, ‘How can you love these excluded and abandoned people whose bodies are so disfigured?’ And her answer was, ‘Thanks to the Holy Eucharist, namely daily Holy Communion and Adoration.’ “Dear brothers and sisters, with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, who gave her Son to the world, when on the day of the Annunciation she gave her fiat, ‘Let it be done to me…’ let us work courageously for God’s work, seeking first of all and most of all for His Kingdom. Let us trust in Him. Let us be assured that everything else, namely His grace and eternal happiness will be granted to us besides. “I humbly implore you, let us approach the Sacred Eucharist, let us receive the Sacred Eucharist, and let us love Him in silence in Adoration. May Our Lady of Medjugorje convert us, and help us to do God’s work, and may she bless us all, Amen!” Cardinal Sarah rightly focused on our relationship to Jesus, present among us in the Eucharist, as our only hope of winning the battle for souls in our day. Only Jesus can give us the wisdom and strength to live a holy life full of joy and hope, like Mother Teresa did. And he called on Our Lady of Medjugorje to help us!!! This was a moment of intense joy for us all. Yes, Our Lady of Medjugorje! She will help us to know, love and serve her Son in the Blessed Sacrament! You can watch all the sessions of the Festival in the Archive “Youth Festival 2021” at this link: https://marytv.tv/youth-festival-2021/ Here is the Schedule for Monday, Day 2 of the Festival! It is a long and busy day!! Everything will be streamed live (accept the climb up Apparition Hill at 6:00 am!) Join us at Mary TV!! MONDAY, 2. 8. 2021 06.00 – 06.40 – Rosary on Apparition Hill at Our Lady’s statue (Recorded) 10.00 – Prayer Catechesis Testimonies 12.00 – The Angelus RECESS 16.00 – Daily Rosary (Denis & Cathy) 17.00 – Testimonies 18.00 – Parish Rosary 19.00 – Evening Holy Mass 20.30 – 21.30 – Meditation with candles Prayer before the Cross In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021 PS. Pray for our team! They are working day and night to provide the most spectacular coverage of the Festival!! Thank you, Mary TV Team in Medjugorje!!!

Our Lady, Champion General July 30, 2021 St. Peter Chrysologus Dear Family of Mary! As Fr. Leon told us: “Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, Fair as the moon, bright as the sun, Terrible as an army set in battle array?” (Song of Songs 6:10) It is Mary, Mother of Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords!  She is: “Yper-machịtikós Stratịgós.” “Super-fighting General.” “Champion Leader.” “Champion General” Remember in some medieval paintings of Our Lady, she is holding a huge bat and she’s beating these demons; she’s whacking the stuffing out of them. This is who she is, Our Champion General. We are at war, and it is a disaster if we don’t realize it. (Fr. Leon – Homily for All Saints Day 2020) We are at war. We always have been and on this earth we always will be. But our Queen is victorious. Let us pray to her as our Victor Queen: Litany of Our Lady of Victory Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us. Christ, 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 Ghost, Have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. Our Lady of Victory, Pray for us. Triumphant Daughter of the Father, Pray for us. Triumphant Mother of the Son, Pray for us. Triumphant Spouse of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us. Triumphant Choice of the Most Holy Trinity, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Immaculate Conception, Pray for us. Triumphant in Crushing the Head of the Serpent, Pray for us. Triumphant Over All the Children of Adam Pray for us. Triumphant Over All Our Enemies, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Embassy of the Angel Gabriel, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Espousal to St. Joseph, Pray for us. Triumphant at the Scene of Bethlehem, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Flight Into Egypt, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Exile, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Humble Dwelling at Nazareth, Pray for us. Triumphant in Finding Thy Divine Child in the Temple, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Earthly Life of Our Lord, Pray for us. Triumphant in His Passion and Death, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Resurrection, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Ascension, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Descent of the Holy Ghost, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Sorrows, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Joys, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy Entrance into the Heavenly Jerusalem, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Angels Who Remained Faithful, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Felicity of the Blessed, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Graces of the Just, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Announcement of the Prophets, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Desires of the Patriarchs, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Zeal of the Apostles, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Light of the Evangelists, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Wisdom of the Doctors, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Crowns of the Confessors, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Purity of the Numerous Bands of Virgins, Pray for us. Triumphant in the Triumph of the Martyrs, Pray for us. Triumphant in Thy All-Powerful Intercession, Pray for us. Triumphant under Thy Many Titles, Pray for us. Triumphant at the Hour of Our Death, Pray for us. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Spare us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord. Lamb of God, Who taketh away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us, Lord. V. Pray for us, O Blessed Lady of Victory! R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Let Us Pray. O Victorious Lady! Thou who has ever such powerful influence with Thy Divine Son, in conquering the hardest of hearts, intercede for those for whom we pray, that their hearts being softened by the rays of Divine Grace, they may return to the unity of the true Faith, through Christ, our Lord. Amen.In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021

Our Lady, Champion General July 29, 2021 Sts. Martha, Mary and Lazarus Dear Family of Mary! Here again is the message from Our Lady for July 25, 2021: “Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray. Little children, witness with your lives the joy that you are mine and God will heed your prayers and give you peace in this peaceless world where pride and selfishness reign. Little children, you be generous and be the love of my love, so that pagans can feel that you are mine and convert to my Immaculate Heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (July 25, 2021) I have noticed in this most recent message, that Our Lady is giving out orders with vigor! “…Be prayer for all those who do not pray!” “…Witness with your lives the joy that you are mine!” “…You be generous and be the love of my love…” She is giving us commands, much like a general in a battle would do. We are her children, and also her infantrymen. She has a job for us to do. And it is all about winning a battle. It is a battle for souls. Fr. Leon spoke about the battle that Our Lady is fighting with us on this earth in his homily of All Saints Day, November 1, 2020, at English Mass. It is a moving homily. Here is the link: https://marytv.tv/english-homily-in-medjugorje-2/?smid=N0LWfAsANYy&slid=IRBKmbjFsDA I just want to share the transcription of part of that homily, in which Fr. Leon talks about Our Lady as a commander in the battle: The scriptures apply to Our Lady – popularized by the Legion of Mary; there’s a clue in the word “Legion,” again, army term – it says, in the Song of Songs, Chapter 6, Verse 10: “Who is she that comes forth as the morning rising, Fair as the moon, bright as the sun, Terrible as an army set in battle array?” And lest we think that this is some kind of western exaggeration, the eastern church goes much further. They call Our Lady: “Yper-machịtikós Stratịgós.” Now, “Yper-machịtikós;” “Super-fighting.” “Stratịgós,” this is where we get the word “strategy” from; it means, “general.” “Super-fighting General.” Or, really, we translate this as, “Champion General,” or “Champion Leader.” In the “Akathistos Hymn,” we say that again and again.  “Champion General.” Remember in some medieval paintings of Our Lady, she is holding a huge bat and she’s beating these demons; she’s whacking the stuffing out of them. This is who she is, Our Champion General. We are at war, and it is a disaster if we don’t realize it. (Fr. Leon – Homily for All Saints Day 2020) We are at war and it is a disaster if we don’t realize it! Father Leon’s words give us great clarity. This is a battle between the Woman and her seed and Satan and his seed! Our lives are lived in a battle zone. It is a battle for eternal life. I feel very strongly that Our Lady has stepped out as our Champion General in these days. She is leading us in a battle for souls. And she needs us to follow her leadership. She has given us three commands in this message. They must be important for her to speak so directly to us. We need to try our best to do as she says!! “…Be prayer for all those who do not pray!” “…Witness with your lives the joy that you are mine!” “…You be generous and be the love of my love…” Let’s ask the Holy Spirit again to help us: Prayer for the Help of the Holy Spirit O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021

Be prayer for all those who do not pray… July 28, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! Here again is the message from Our Lady for July 25, 2021: “Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray. Little children, witness with your lives the joy that you are mine and God will heed your prayers and give you peace in this peaceless world where pride and selfishness reign. Little children, you be generous and be the love of my love, so that pagans can feel that you are mine and convert to my Immaculate Heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (July 25, 2021) “I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray…” We are often asked to pray for those who do not pray, to intercede for them, to say novenas on their behalf, but it is not so often that Our Lady calls us to “be prayer” for those who do not pray. This request comes from her heart. I feel an urgency in her words. “I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray…’ Those who do not pray are her children who are neglecting their relationship with God. They may not know Him at all, or they may have rejected Him due to some suffering in their lives. They may have never heard of Him. Or they may have never been shown how to pray. But the fact remains, they do not pray. Without prayer they are at risk. They are adrift in a world of danger. They have no compass. Without prayer, they cannot receive the love God has for them. They cannot begin to understand His call. They are rudderless and vulnerable. The devil can fill that void with temptations and false hopes. Without prayer, they are in great danger. Those who do not pray are like lost sheep without a shepherd. So Our Lady calls to us, “be prayer for all those who do not pray.” What can this mean? How can we be prayer for others? I asked Denis this question and he said: “Just pray. You pray. That is what it means. You be the one to pray…period.” I think he is right! There is no technique, no set of prayers, no attitude to take on. Our Lady has called us to pray the Rosary, to pray the Mass, to pray in Adoration, to pray Novenas and devotional prayer, to pray as we fast, to pray in the family, to pray the Scriptures, to pray in silence with the Lord…to pray. This is how we “be prayer.” And as we pray, she will gather our prayers and apply them to those who do not pray where ever she can. Those who do not pray will received the grace to pray, and they will be able to find their way! God will break through the barriers and come to their aid. May we “be prayer…” from now on, constantly! Let’s ask the Holy Spirit again to help us: Prayer for the Help of the Holy Spirit O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021

Prayer for the Help of the Holy Spirit! July 27, 2021 Dear Family of Mary! Here again is the message from Our Lady for July 25, 2021: “Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray. Little children, witness with your lives the joy that you are mine and God will heed your prayers and give you peace in this peaceless world where pride and selfishness reign. Little children, you be generous and be the love of my love, so that pagans can feel that you are mine and convert to my Immaculate Heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (July 25, 2021) I must admit that I do not feel ready to comment on or talk about this message. Our Lady is speaking to us very directly about the world that we live in. She is speaking forthrightly. So let’s just quiet our hearts and take some time to listen to her words before we speak about them. Read the message a few times, and then listen for direction from the Holy Spirit. It is much better to wait for direction from the Spirit, than to act or speak without reflection!! Prayer for the Help of the Holy Spirit O God, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart that I may perceive, into my mind that I may remember, and into my soul that I may meditate. Inspire me to speak with piety, holiness, tenderness and mercy. Teach, guide and direct my thoughts and senses from beginning to end. May your grace ever help and correct me, and may I be strengthened now with wisdom from on high, for the sake of your infinite mercy. Amen. In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021

I am calling you to be prayer… July 25, 2021 Feast of St. James Dear Family of Mary! Here is the message from Our Lady for July 25, 2021: “Dear children! I am calling you to be prayer for all those who do not pray. Little children, witness with your lives the joy that you are mine and God will heed your prayers and give you peace in this peaceless world where pride and selfishness reign. Little children, you be generous and be the love of my love, so that pagans can feel that you are mine and convert to my Immaculate Heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (July 25, 2021) In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph! Cathy Nolan Mary TV 2021