asdfasdf

February 20, 2020 Reflection – “Renew and live the Fast”

 
Renew and live the Fast!
(c)Anthony Zubac


February 20, 2020

Dear Family of Mary!

September 26, 1985 “Dear children! I thank you for all the prayers. Thank you for all the sacrifices. I wish to tell you, dear children, to renew the messages which I am giving you. Especially live the fast, because by fasting you will achieve and cause me the joy of the whole plan, which God is planning here in Medjugorje, being fulfilled. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


In looking for messages about fasting, I found at least 186!! Our Lady truly desires the fast. Over and over again, she has called for “prayer and fasting…” They go together. Prayer is powered by fasting and fasting only has meaning through prayer. Let’s hear what Fr. Leon says about fasting:

The fourth stone is fasting. Our Lady says to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays. Fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays. The best fast is on bread and water. With fasting you can suspend natural laws and stop wars. She also says she needs our fasting to convert other people.

My Jewish friend said to me once, you Catholics…when you say fasting you mean that you don’t eat in between meals. Think about our fasting. We have two days of fasting, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. That’s it. Only two days in Lent. Maybe 60 years ago we had more than 100 days of fasting. They are all gone now. On those two days – Ash Wednesday and Good Friday – you can have one full meal and then you can have two small meals that when added together don’t add up to one meal. We call this fasting. But this is what most people eat on a good day.

But fasting is powerful. Pray for the grace to be able to fast.

Although Our Lady invites us to fast, she is also strict. She says that no one is excused, not even the elderly. Only the sick. And then she says, for the sick, let him who smokes give up cigarettes. Let him who drinks give up alcohol. Let him who watches television, turn off the TV. In at least six early messages she says to turn off the TV. You don’t need it. (She might say the same thing about smart phones…)

But fasting is important. Now Ash Wednesday is coming up, and I know lots of people will tell you that rather than giving up something you should add on a new good thing to do. That is not entirely true. Giving up something that you are entitled to is powerful. Making a sacrifice is powerful. And Our Lady needs it. She said in Fatima almost a hundred years ago, more souls go to hell because no people pray and make sacrifices. (https://marytv.tv/fruit-of-medjugorje/   Fruit show 355)


Fr. Leon did a good job of sorting out issues about fasting. And Our Lady is really good at showing us the good in fasting! Here are several messages that we can pray over today. Fasting is a difficult interior struggle that helps us to put our selfish desires aside and focus on what God wants us to desire, i.e. love, holiness, service, gentleness, peace, hope, prayer, the Triumph and Jesus!! We are made strong and good by fasting. And Our Lady can gather up our sacrifices to do great and wonderful things for the world.

Messages about fasting from the Queen of Peace:

December 4, 1986 “Dear children! Today I call you to prepare your hearts for these days when the Lord particularly desires to purify you from all the sins of your past. You, dear children, are not able by yourselves, therefore I am here to help you. You pray, dear children! Only that way shall you be able to recognize all the evil that is in you and surrender it to the Lord so the Lord may completely purify your hearts. Therefore, dear children, pray without ceasing and prepare your hearts in penance and fasting. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


July 25, 1991 “Dear Children! Today I invite you to pray for peace. At this time peace is being threatened in a special way, and I am seeking from you to renew fasting and prayer in your families. Dear children, I desire you to grasp the seriousness of the situation and that much of what will happen depends on your prayers and you are praying a little bit. Dear children, I am with you and I am inviting you to begin to pray and fast seriously as in the first days of my coming. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


August 25, 1991 “Dear Children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realized. Satan is strong and wants to sweep away my plans of peace and joy and make you think that my Son is not strong in His decisions. Therefore, I call all of you, dear children, to pray and fast still more firmly. I invite you to self-renunciation for nine days so that, with your help, everything that I desire to realize through the secrets I began in Fatima, may be fulfilled. I call you, dear children, to now grasp the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I want to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, let us pray that everything I have begun be fully realized. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


October 25, 2000 “Dear children! Today I desire to open my motherly heart to you and to call you all to pray for my intentions. I desire to renew prayer with you and to call you to fast which I desire to offer to my Son Jesus for the coming of a new time – a time of spring. In this Jubilee year many hearts have opened to me and the Church is being renewed in the Spirit. I rejoice with you and I thank God for this gift; and you, little children, I call to pray, pray, pray – until prayer becomes a joy for you… Thank you for having responded to my call.”


January 25, 2001 “Dear children! Today I call you to renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you. Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil. Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future. I am with you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God. That is why draw closer to God and put Him in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


February 25, 2003 “Dear children! Also today I call you to pray and fast for peace. As I have already said and now repeat to you, little children, only with prayer and fasting can wars also be stopped. Peace is a precious gift from God. Seek, pray and you will receive it. Speak about peace and carry peace in your hearts. Nurture it like a flower which is in need of water, tenderness and light. Be those who carry peace to others. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


March 25, 2007 “Dear children! I desire to thank you from my heart for your Lenten renunciations. I desire to inspire you to continue to live fasting with an open heart. By fasting and renunciation, little children, you will be stronger in faith. In God you will find true peace through daily prayer. I am with you and I am not tired. I desire to take you all with me to Heaven, therefore, decide daily for holiness. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


March 18, 2007 “Dear children! I come to you as a Mother with gifts. I come with love and mercy. Dear children, mine is a big heart. In it, I desire all of your hearts, purified by fasting and prayer. I desire that, through love, our hearts may triumph together. I desire that through that triumph you may see the real Truth, the real Way and the real Life. I desire that you may see my Son. Thank you.”


In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
© Mary TV 2020




 
PS. (I know I keep sharing this information, but I want to be sure everyone sees this beautiful opportunity!!)   Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 19, 2020 Reflection – “Read the Scripture and live it!”

 
Read the Scriptures and Live it!



February 19, 2020

Dear Family of Mary!

January 25, 2006 “Dear children! Also today I call you to be carriers of the Gospel in your families. Do not forget, little children, to read Sacred Scripture. Put it in a visible place and witness with your life that you believe and live the Word of God. I am close to you with my love and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Our Lady has consistently called us to reverence and read the Bible. She asks us to place the Sacred Scriptures in a prominent place in our homes, and to read it together as a family. Fr. Leon spoke about the Bible, as the third stone in Our Lady’s plan this way:

The third stone is the Holy Bible. Our Lady says: “Put the Bible in a prominent place in the family home. Let everyone read from it, even the children. Root it in your heart. Read especially the Gospel.” Now here are we part of the Bible Belt here? (North Carolina) Yes? OK! You have to know that Bible, because it is our book. It’s a Catholic book! As Father said, we don’t have extra books (in our Bibles as Catholics) but it is just that the Protestants have mutilated it because of Martin Luther who threw out 7 books he didn’t like.

I remember at my seminary, a Protestant friend came around for dinner, and I was in the shower and he texted me and he said, “Revelations 3:12”, “Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice I will enter and I will dine with him.” So, I came out of the shower and saw this message and I thought “I’ll show him that Catholics know the Bible too.” So, I wrote back, “Genesis 3:12” “Behold I heard the sound of your voice in the garden, but I was naked and afraid and I hid myself.” (Much laughter) This is a true story!

Read the Bible, every day. Read especially the Gospels. As St. Jerome says, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” If you were courting, you would never believe your beloved if he said, “Oh, I don’t want to hear anything about you. Just let me love you.” You would say to that person, “Welcome to dumpsville, population: you.” Right? Get rid of him… It’s the same way, with Jesus. Would Jesus believe that we love Him if we don’t read the Bible? No. We have got to read it.

Also, the Bible is powerful. You know, my ancestors are from Singapore, but their ancestors are from Kerala, in Southwest India. It is very Catholic. And they all seem to be charismatic. I think there are a lot of Kerala priests throughout the United States. They are very big into Charismatic phenomena, and healing through the Scriptures. I have seen this. They will read the Word of God and people get healed. Through hearing the Word of God. So, remember that the Word of God is very powerful. When you Hear the Word of God at Mass you can be healed in your soul and in your body. Be aware of that. Be open to God and you will see miracles.

(Fruit of Medjugorje – show 355 – Fr. Leon Pereira speaking at St. Mark’s Church in North Carolina in 2019 –  https://marytv.tv/fruit-of-medjugorje/    )



I agree with Fr. Leon, that the Bible is very powerful. The Word of God is the Truth. And Truth is stronger than evil. If we are struggling in prayer or being tempted by the enemy, the Word of God will set us on a good path and free us from temptation. We need the Truth in our day, because so much confusion has been sown in our families and communities. The Bible holds that Truth for us, and can help us to stand on solid ground in our lives.

Here are a few things Our Lady has said to us about the Bible:

October 18, 1984 “Dear children! Today I call on you to read the Bible every day in your homes and let it be in a visible place so as always to encourage you to read it and to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


August 25, 1996 “Dear children! Listen, because I wish to speak to you and to invite you to have more faith and trust in God, who loves you immeasurably. Little children, you do not know how to live in the grace of God, that is why I call you all anew, to carry the word of God in your heart and in thoughts. Little children, place the Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your family, and read and live it. Teach your children, because if you are not an example to them, children depart into godlessness. Reflect and pray and then God will be born in your heart and your heart will be joyous. Thank you for having for responded to my call.”


April 25, 2005 “Dear children! Also today, I call you to renew prayer in your families. By prayer and the reading of Sacred Scripture, may the Holy Spirit, who will renew you, enter into your families. In this way, you will become teachers of the faith in your family. By prayer and your love, the world will set out on a better way and love will begin to rule in the world. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


January 25, 2006 “Dear children! Also today I call you to be carriers of the Gospel in your families. Do not forget, little children, to read Sacred Scripture. Put it in a visible place and witness with your life that you believe and live the Word of God. I am close to you with my love and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


Holy Thursday, April 19, 1984
To Jelena:
“I’m going to reveal a spiritual secret to you: if you want to be stronger than evil, make yourself a plan of personal prayer. Take a certain time in the morning, read a text from Holy Scripture, anchor the Divine word in your heart, and strive to live it during the day, particularly during the moment of trials. In this way, you will be stronger than evil.”


Finally, I just want to say that recently I have felt drawn to the Bible during prayer. I have felt the Holy Spirit encouraging me to reverence the Bible, because it is Holy! To kiss it when I open it. To hold it, even hug it, because it is the Word of God, that Word that saves us! The effect has been powerful for me. We are so blessed to have the Bible in our homes, to be able to read it, study it, and pray with it.

May we all grow in our relationship to the Holy Scriptures, because they are a defense against the enemy, a sure source of Truth, and a window into the Heart of God!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020


 
PS. (I know I keep sharing this information, but I want to be sure everyone sees this beautiful opportunity!!)   Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 18, 2020 Reflection – “Make Holy Mass your life!”

Make Holy Mass your life!



February 18, 2020

Dear Family of Mary!

The Second Stone that Our Lady offers us is Holy Mass! She asked the visionaries to attend Holy Mass daily, as well as the prayer group. Here is a message she gave through Jelena for the prayer group in 1984:

Friday, March 30, 1984
“My children, I wish that the holy Mass be for you the gift of the day. Attend it, wish for it to begin. Jesus gives Himself to you during the Mass. Thus, look forward to that moment when you are cleansed. Pray very much so that the Holy Spirit will renew your parish. If people attend Mass with luke-warmness, they will return to their homes cold, and with an empty heart.”

We can see how important Mass is for Our Lady. As she knows only too well, Jesus gives Himself to us during the Mass. What else need be said?

Fr. Leon spoke about the Holy Mass as the second stone in his talk in North Carolina:

The second Stone is Holy Mass. Our Lady said we must go to Holy Mass as often as possible and receive Communion in a state of grace. Go early. Prepare with silence before Mass. Never leave Mass without making your thanksgiving. She also said to the villagers that to those who habitually come late, it would be better for them not to come.

So, the Mass is obviously very important. Now do not think of the Mass as if it is boring or tedious. For example, if I said to you, you know my mother’s birthday, I’m tired of celebrating my Mother’s birthday, because you know she gets all her bingo pals, and they come around and they all make cake. And then they feed me cake. And in the usual perverse Indian way, they all say, “Oh, you are so fat now!!” And I’m tired of this abuse. (This story, by the way is fake, she doesn’t play bingo. But her friends do feed me cake and they do tell me I’m fat.)

So, if I said, alright, I have had enough of this abuse and I’m not going to celebrate my Mother’s birthday anymore, would that be ok? No!! The reason for that is that my Mother’s birthday is about her, not about me. Mass is not about what we get out of it. Mass is about what we have come to give Jesus. So, don’t ever think, oh I get nothing out of Mass. I’m bored. No. Who said it had anything to do with you? It’s got to do with what you have come to give Jesus.

What have you come to bring Jesus? What about the offertory? Because He wants your whole self, body and soul, put on the paten as the priest lifts it up. That is what He wants. So, remember the Mass is a celebration that takes place in heaven. It’s not about us down here. We are all caught up in the Heavenly worship.

(Fruit of Medjugorje – show 355 – Fr. Leon Pereira speaking at St. Mark’s Church in North Carolina in 2019 –  https://marytv.tv/fruit-of-medjugorje/   )

 

Father says it like it is! But I know he is leaving out unsaid. We DO get something out of Mass. Something incredible!! “Jesus gives Himself to you during the Mass!” The Mass is all about Jesus giving Himself entirely to us. And we cannot live without Him. He is our life!!

Below are five messages in which Our Lady speaks about Holy Mass. As we pray our Rosaries today, let’s ponder these messages, and grow more and more in love with Holy Mass!

Sometime in October 1984
“I would like to guide you spiritually, but I would not know how to help you, if you are not open. It suffices for you to think, for example, where you were with your thoughts yesterday during Mass. When you go to Mass, your trip from home to church should be a time of preparation for Mass. You should also receive Holy Communion with an open and pure heart; purity of heart and openness. Do not leave the church without an appropriate act of thanksgiving. I can help you only if you are accessible to my suggestions; I cannot help you if you are not open. The most important in spiritual life is to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, then peace will be established. When that occurs, everything changes around you. Things will change.”

April 3, 1986 “Dear children! I wish to call you to a living of the Holy Mass. There are many of you who have sensed the beauty of the Holy Mass, but there are also those who come unwillingly. I have chosen you, dear children, but Jesus gives you His graces in the Mass. Therefore, consciously live the Holy Mass and let your coming to it be a joyful one. Come to it with love and make the Mass your own. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


April 25, 1988 “Dear children! God wants to make you holy. Therefore, through me He is inviting you to complete surrender. Let Holy Mass be your life. Understand that the church is God’s palace, the place in which I gather you and want to show you the way to God. Come and pray. Neither look at others nor slander them, but rather, let your life be a testimony on the way of holiness. Churches deserve respect and are set apart as holy because God, who became man, dwells in them day and night. Therefore, little children, believe and pray that the Father increase your faith, and then ask for whatever you need. I am with you and I am rejoicing because of your conversion and I am protecting you with my motherly mantle. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


January 25, 1998 “Dear children! Today again I call all of you to prayer. Only with prayer, dear children, will your heart change, become better, and be more sensitive to the Word of God. Little children, do not permit satan to pull you apart and to do with you what he wants. I call you to be responsible and determined and to consecrate each day to God in prayer. May Holy Mass, little children, not be a habit for you, but life. By living Holy Mass each day, you will feel the need for holiness, and you will grow in holiness. I am close to you and intercede before God for each of you, so that He may give you strength to change your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


August 2, 2008 “Dear children; In my coming to you, here among you, the greatness of God is reflected and the way with God to eternal happiness is opened. Do not feel weak, alone or abandoned. With faith, prayer and love climb to the hill of salvation. May the Mass, the most exalted and most powerful act of your prayer, be the center of your spiritual life. Trust and love, my children. Those whom my Son chose and called will help you in this as well. To you and to them especially, I give my motherly blessing. Thank you.”


Thank you, dearest Mother, for the five stones. You have given us a road map for our lives in these stones. May we follow you with joy and trust, into the depths of the spiritual life!
 
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020



 
PS. (I know I keep sharing this information, but I want to be sure everyone sees this beautiful opportunity!!)   Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 17, 2020 Reflection – “Pray with the heart!”

 
Pray with the heart!



February 17, 2020
The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order

Dear Family of Mary!

October 25, 1989 “Dear children! Today also I am inviting you to prayer. I am always inviting you, but you are still far away. Therefore, from today, decide seriously to dedicate time to God. I am with you and I wish to teach you to pray with the heart. In prayer with the heart you shall encounter God. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray! Thank you for having responded to my call.”

This week we are going to review the Five Stones of Our Lady. These Stones are the five basic requests Our Lady has made of us, her program for our healing and strengthening as her apostles. The first stone is “Prayer with the heart!” It is the basic stone, the basic call she has given us. I have transcribed a somewhat hilarious description of this stone, according to Fr. Leon Pereira! It is from a talk he gave in North Carolina in March of 2019 at a conference at St. Mark’s Church. You can watch her talk in the Fruit of Medjugorje archive, Show 355!

Fr. Leon speaks about the first stone, Pray with the Heart:

The five stones are really the heart of Our Lady’s messages in Medjugorje. The are called the “Five Stones” because of David the shepherd boy. He goes to meet Goliath with a sling and five pebbles from the stream. So, these are five weapons that Our Lady gives us.

And the first weapon she says, is “Pray with the heart.” Pray from the heart. Pray with words that comes from the heart. Don’t just say words from the lips. I want you to think about when we apologize. You know, when you say “sorry”. I know you are all polite. Americans are all very polite. And you are sincere. In England we are not so sincere!! We are masters of passive-aggression. If someone steps on my foot or bumps into me, I will turn to them and say, “Sorry…” Meaning, “get off my foot you idiot!” Or more and more you get to be someone like a politician caught in hanky-panky. And he or she will say, I am sorry for the distress this has caused for the people I represent and for my family. Meaning…I am sorry I got caught, I wish I could get away with it. (I’m a bit cynical)

But when a small child says sorry, they cry. They cry because they mean it. The sorry comes from the heart. This is what Our Lady means by pray with the heart. Pray and mean it.

But she says something quite mysterious. She says, “Pray the Rosary from the heart.” What is the Rosary? The Rosary is a time machine. Because when you pray the third Joyful Mystery, you are not just imagining the first Christmas. The power of the first Christmas comes to you today. Now, wherever you are. So, it is a time machine in that sense.

I want to tell you a quick story, I need to tell you this story to emphasis the Rosary. When I was a kid my parents went out for the evening and left us to mind ourselves. We got bored, we took down all the black and white photo albums. And we were looking through these pictures of my grand mother’s family and we were saying, “Oh look, we are not in these pictures. So, what can we do about that to set that straight? So, we got a big orange crayon and we drew ourselves in. So, at my mother’s baptism there is a great big, gigantic stick figure of my sister, looming over the cradle with a crazy grin. At my parent’s wedding, all four of us were waving in the front row!

This reminds me of Renaissance paintings in Italy. Why? (It was a masterpiece, even if I do say so!!) Why? Because what do you get? You get the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, with Our Lady, St. Joseph, Angels, wise men, shepherds, and…Don Cossimo and his wife, Donna Fabritsia. What are they doing there? That is what the Rosary is, your orange crayon to draw yourself into that Masterpiece. It’s a time machine. The power of those mysteries comes to you today. Now, when you pray the Rosary.

Now, Our Lady began with the villagers slowly. She said, “Pray the seven Our Fathers, Hail Marys and Glory Bes.” This was the tradition in the village, and they asked her if they should pray it and she said yes. They prayed it every day. Then she said, “Please add the Apostles Creed.” So, they did. By the way that is her favorite prayer. Then after a few months she said, “I would like you to pray five decades of the Rosary.” So, they did. And a few months after that she said, “Now pray every day fifteen decades of the Rosary.” The complete Rosary. And when she said that, the villagers said, “that’s too much.” Impossible.

And she said, “You do not understand what little time this takes up.” What did she mean by that? If you take up the Rosary and pray it properly, it will take you fifteen minutes. This is slowly. In Singapore where I grew up, we used to “gabble” the Rosary, saying it quickly. Even in Singapore we called it “Irish Beads, because we said it so quickly. If you have ever been to Ireland, you will know what I mean. And I remember a friend of mine said, “You Catholics, you are so weird. What is so blessed about a monk’s women?” We scratched our heads, what is he talking about? We didn’t understand until we started the Rosary…Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed art thou a monk’s women…” (Ha ha!)

So slow down!!

Remember the Rosary is powerful. The demons hate the Rosary. During exorcisms the demons will say, “We hate that thing.” They use a bad word for it. Then they say that thankfully most priests don’t promote it anymore. But the Rosary is powerful! Every Hail Mary is a hammer blow to Satan’s head. Every Rosary destroys their power. Chains that bind the demons. But don’t pray it just because it eliminates evil, pray because it sanctifies us. And Our Lady asks for it. She says, “Pray the Rosary from the heart every day.” (Fruit of Medjugorje – show 355 – Fr. Leon Pereira speaking at St. Mark’s Church in North Carolina in 2019 –  https://marytv.tv/fruit-of-medjugorje/  )

 
PS.  Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 14, 2020 Reflection – Be Mine, Valentine!

I hold you all in my arms.  You are mine!



February 14, 2020
Sts. Cyril and Methodius

Dear Family of Mary!

Today is Valentine’s Day. This is the day we send each other hearts and flowers and candy and profess our love for each other. Many cards say: “Be mine! Valentine!” Well Our Mother has sent us some Valentines hidden in her messages. She loves us and wants us to be hers!! She is serious about it. She wants her children to be solidly connected to her, in the strongest of family ties. She is our Mother. She wants us to be hers!!

Here are some messages in which Our Lady calls us to “Be Mine”!! We can pray the Rosary for Our Lady’s intentions (which is just like giving her roses), and profess that we are hers today and always!!

A Valentine Rosary for Mother Mary!

1st Decade: Mary holds us in her arms!

Thursday, February 23, 1984
“I hold all of you in my arms. You are mine. I need your prayers so that you may be mine. I desire to be all yours and for you to be all mine. I receive all your prayers. I receive them with joy.”


2nd Decade: Mary gives us the knowledge that we are hers!

May 25, 1988 “Dear children! I am inviting you to a complete surrender to God. Pray, little children, that satan may not carry you about like the branches in the wind. Be strong in God. I desire that through you the whole world may get to know the God of joy. By your life bear witness for God’s joy. Do not be anxious nor worried. God himself will help you and show you the way. I desire that you love all men with my love. Only in that way can love reign over the world. Little children, you are mine. I love you and want you to surrender to me so that I can lead you to God. Never cease praying so that satan cannot take advantage of you. Pray for the knowledge that you are mine. I bless you with blessings of joy. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


3rd Decade: Mary teaches us how to witness that we are hers!

April 25, 1992 “Dear children! Today also I invite you to prayer. Only by prayer and fasting can war be stopped. Therefore, my dear little children, pray and by your life give witness that you are mine and that you belong to me, because satan wishes in these turbulent days to seduce as many souls as possible. Therefore, I invite you to decide for God and He will protect you and show you what you should do and which path to take. I invite all those who have said ‘yes’ to me to renew their consecration to my Son Jesus and to His Heart and to me so we can take you more intensely as instruments of peace in this unpeaceful world. Medjugorje is a sign to all of you and a call to pray and live the days of grace that God is giving you. Therefore, dear children, accept the call to prayer with seriousness. I am with you and your suffering is also mine. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


4th Decade: Mary give us a new life with Jesus, because we are hers!

April 25, 2018 “Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.”


5th Decade: Mary says that she wishes to have all of us, that we all are hers!

Monday, February 25, 1985
To Jelena:
“Know that I love you. Know that you are mine. I do not wish to do anything more for anyone that I do not wish to do for you. Come all of you to me. Remain with me and I will be your Mother always. Come, because I wish to have all of you.”


Have a beautiful day today, basking in the knowledge that Mary wants you!! She really wants you to be her very own child. May we all say yes to her desire and respond: Be Mine, Mother Mary!!!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020

/by
asdfasdf

February 13, 2020 Reflection – A Humble Devotion


Today I call you to a humble, my children, a humble devotion…



February 13, 2020

October 2, 2010 “Dear children; Today I call you to a humble, my children, humble devotion. Your hearts need to be just. May your crosses be your means in the battle against the sins of the present time. May your weapon be patience and boundless love, a love that knows to wait and which will make you capable of recognizing God’s signs, that your life, by humble love, may show the truth to all those who seek it in the darkness of lies… My children, my apostles, help me to open the paths to my Son. Once again, I call you to pray for your shepherds. Alongside them, I will triumph. Thank you.”


Our Lady told us so much in this message. It is truly from the depths of her heart. Humility, justice, the bearing of crosses, patience, boundless love, truth…all these things are the deep realities of Jesus and Mary. We are given these beautiful graces as we learn to live the life of faith, as we follow Jesus and Mary into the depths of the spiritual life. But truly it is humility that wins for us all the other graces and virtues.

St. Faustina followed Jesus and Mary in her daily life, and the fruit was the great Devotion to the Divine Mercy. Her Diary contains so much humility, beauty, and truth. Here is a joyful entry, #1306, in which St. Faustina sings the praises of a humble soul. Truly it was through humility that all the other graces were won in her life:

O humility, lovely flower, I see how few souls possess you. Is it because you are so beautiful and at the same time so difficult to attain? O yes, it is both the one and the other. Even God takes great pleasure in her. The floodgates of heaven are open to a humble soul, and a sea of graces flows down upon her. O how beautiful is a humble soul! From her heart, as from a censer, rises a varied and most pleasing fragrance which breaks through the skies and reaches God Himself, filling His Most Sacred Heart with joy. God refuses nothing to such a soul; she is all-powerful and influences the destiny of the whole world. God raises such a soul up to His very throne, and the more she humbles herself; the more God stoops down to her, pursuing her with His graces and accompanying her at every moment with His omnipotence. Such a soul is most deeply united with God. O humility, strike deep roots in my whole being. O Virgin most pure, but also most humble, help me to attain deep humility. Now I understand why there are so few saints; it is because so few souls are deeply humble. (Diary 1306)

May we all grow in our love of humility and a deeper understanding of the joy of living a humble life. In humility, many other souls are blessed.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020


 
PS.  Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 12, 2020 Reflection – “A trial which the Church must take up…”


Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of Medjugorje, pray for us!


February 12, 2020

Dear Family of Mary!

April 25, 2015 “Dear children! I am with you also today to lead you to salvation. Your soul is restless because your spirit is weak and tired from all worldly things. You, little children, pray to the Holy Spirit that He may transform you and fill you with His strength of faith and hope, so that you may be firm in this battle against evil. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Yesterday, at the Evening Mass in Medjugorje, a young priest gave a beautiful homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes. He spoke about the apparitions in Lourdes, and then made a comparison with the apparitions in Medjugorje. I have transcribed the second half of his beautiful homily, so that we can hear his words about Our Lady and what she is leading us to in this day in Medjugorje. You can hear the entire homily on Mary TV in the Archive of the Evening International Mass in Medjugorje (https://marytv.tv/english-mass-in-medjugorje-13/  )

After describing the amazing events in Lourdes, the homilist continued:

The Blessed Virgin Mary once again today invites us to become part of her legion in the battle against the powers of evil, even in the Catholic Church! As a sign of our participation in her offensive, for centuries she has asked of us conversion of heart, great dedication to Holy Confession, Holy Eucharist, the daily prayer of the Rosary, endless prayer, and accepting suffering for the salvation of the world.

Brothers and sisters, it could seem to us that this is to little. But in the Hands of the Good God, in whom nothing is impossible, this is a very strong weapon. As at that time when little David with a little stone and sling shot, defeated a giant, Goliath, who was armed with a sword. We today, armed with the little beads of the Rosary in daily prayer, can strongly resist our wicked opponent, and conquer and defeat him.

The battle between God and His enemy has always been through history, very severe, and that is the same today as well. The Church today is deeply in the swamp of secularism, which desires to turn the world away from God, to be without God and without God’s law. And the swamp of relativism which desires to blow away the unchangeable truth about God which is the Gospel. And religious indifference which remains unchanged and does not value the higher things which are of God and eternal life.

The battle, brothers and sisters, has many victims. Many families and individuals are destroyed. Even before he was elected pope, St. John Paul II, as Cardinal Wojtyla in 1976, said:

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up and face courageously…” 

Relativism has entered into the Church and that is why it is shaken at this moment. Brothers and sisters, the Church doesn’t have a problem with unbelievers, pagans who belong to false religions or atheists. Today the problem is the unfaithful believer, who instead of loving his fellow man and carrying the light into the world, remains unfaithful to his task.
 
But one thing is certain. The ultimate victory belongs to God. And that will become true thanks to Mary as well. The Woman of the Book of Genesis and the Woman of the Book of Revelation, who confronts the old enemy, Satan. And she will crush his head.

At the Grotto of Lourdes, the Blessed Virgin Mary told us that true happiness, perfect happiness is only in heaven. Man has no peace under this sky if he does not accept the eternal truth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This is what Our Lady of Lourdes said. “I cannot promise you that you will be happy in this world, but in the next.”

Brothers and sisters, this is what we truly need today. The life of Bernadette very clearly showed. She was blessed to see Our Lady, but a cross was deeply planted in her. She was worn out by Tuberculosis and she died at the young age of 35. But she accepted to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

The example of such saints we need so much today. We must not allow ourselves to adjust to the world. We must fight for the light of Christ. So that it may enter my own life, so that it may enter my family, and that it may enter the peoples of the world. Not the customs of human emptiness, not our ways but Christ’s way. Only then will a new spring come to the Church, that will be reflected to the entire world.

The transformation of Christians will happen, if they receive the power and strength from above. Mary is full of grace. Because of that, brothers and sisters, she is crushing satan. Only Christians, in prayer, in penance, and in the grace of Christ Jesus, Our King, can resist and win as Mary did. She, Woman and Mother, remains for all times as a role model of faith to us. A role model of persistent love and the battle for the good of man. Her example of life, her suffering, her presence at the Cross on Golgotha, must be deeply imprinted on our hearts when we find ourselves alone on our own Golgotha’s. Then we can call to her and ask her, with her Son, to be with us on our journeys to heaven.

Brothers and Sisters, God created us for heaven. He created us for eternity. He created us for Himself. That is why Mary remains the Morning Star which always illuminates and gives light through the centuries and directs us to God’s love for every single person. For ever and ever. Amen


In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020

/by
asdfasdf

February 11, 2020 Reflection – You are worthy to work for Heaven!


Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of Medjugorje, pray for us!


February 11, 2020
Our Lady of Lourdes

Dear Family of Mary!

As I was praying about this reflection I thought to look back at some of the previous reflections I have written for the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. Amazingly, I came upon this reflection from February 11, 2015. It isn’t about Our Lady of Lourdes, but it is exactly what I have been thinking about all day. Our Lady’s plan!! I have been feeling strongly that Our Lady needs us to listen to her call and really take it to heart, responding with our lives. If you read yesterday’s reflection you will understand. Fr. Leon made it clear that we must live the messages and not just hear them like Herrod heard John the Baptist. Herrod never took what John the Baptist said seriously. What a mistake that was. But we can make the same mistake!
 
So here is my reflection from 5 years ago. It is about the very same thing!!

(The February 11, 2015 Reflection)
 
“Dear children! I am here, I am among you. I am looking at you, am smiling at you and I love you in the way that only a mother can. Through the Holy Spirit who comes through my purity, I see your hearts and I offer them to my Son. Already for a long time I have been asking of you to be my apostles, to pray for those who have not come to know God’s love. I am asking for prayer said out of love, prayer which carries out works and sacrifices. Do not waste time thinking about whether you are worthy to be my apostles. The Heavenly Father will judge everyone; and you, love Him and listen to Him. I know that all of this confuses you, even my very stay among you, but accept it with joy and pray that you may comprehend that you are worthy to work for Heaven. My love is upon you. Pray that my love may win in all hearts, because that is the love which forgives, gives and never stops. Thank you.” (February 2, 2015)
 
“I know that all of this confuses you, even my very stay among you, but accept it with joy and pray that you may comprehend that you are worthy to work for Heaven.”
 
Just as judging ourselves and others only leads to wasted time, so can trying to figure out what God is doing! Our Lady is right. We do get confused when we try to see the bigger picture and figure out what God’s plan really is for Medjugorje. Why is Our Lady with us so long? When will the secrets happen? Why did God pick Medjugorje? Etc. Etc.
 
Our Lady has never given us the blueprint of her plan. She has mentioned that there is a plan; that the Heavenly Father has sent her to us in Medjugorje; that she has come to bring peace. But we are left in the dark about a lot.
 
Our Lady has instead been consistently drilling into our hearts and heads the need for our own conversions, and the necessity that we live her messages. This part of her plan has not been left in the dark. She gave us our marching orders in 1987, when she began the messages on the 25th of each month:
 
January 25, 1987 The first apparition of the 25th of the month, given to Marija, for the parish: “Today I want to appeal to all of you to start living a new life from this day on. Dear children, I wish that you would understand that God has chosen each one of you to have a part in the great plan for the salvation of mankind. You cannot fully understand how great your role is in God’s design. For that reason, pray, dear children, so that through prayer, you may be able to know your role in God’s plan. I am with you, so that you may be able to realize it fully.”
 
Our Lady told us that each one of us has a role to play in the plan given by God through her. That role is a unique one for each one of us. Each of her children has their own specific job to do, fitted to their individual gifts and life situations. Each one of us has a role in the plan of salvation which can only be discovered through prayer.
 
And ever since that day Our Lady has been molding us and fashioning us according to her plan, through her messages. Here is one that particularly touches me:
 
August 02, 2014 “Dear children, the reason that I am with you, my mission, is to help you for ‘good’ to win, even though this does not seem possible to you now. I know that you do not understand many things as I also did not understand everything, everything that my Son explained to me while He was growing up alongside me – but I believed Him and followed Him. I ask this of you also, to believe me and to follow me. However, my children, to follow me means to love my Son above everything, to love Him in every person without making differences. For you to be able to do this, I call you anew to renunciation, prayer and fasting. I am calling you for the Eucharist to be the life of your soul. I am calling you to be my apostles of light who will spread love and mercy through the world. My children, your life is only a blink in contrast to eternal life. And when you come before my Son, in your hearts He will see how much love you had. In order to spread love in the right way, I am asking my Son, through love, to grant you unity through Him, unity among you, unity between you and your shepherds. Through them my Son always gives Himself to you anew and renews your soul. Do not forget this. Thank you.”
 
The plan has not changed. Salvation! The Good to win! That is the goal. And we are being called to believe and follow Our Lady in that plan just as she followed Jesus. It is a plan that involves our own conversion, our seeking after holiness, and our acceptance of Our Lady’s call to be her apostles. Each one of us answers that call in our own lives, in our own situations, with our own gifts and limitations, through love. This was the plan in 1981, in 1987, in 2014, and today. “I know that all of this confuses you, even my very stay among you, but accept it with joy and pray that you may comprehend that you are worthy to work for Heaven.”
 
We don’t need to know the big picture, we just need to believe and follow our Mother. She is leading us in this vast, worldwide plan of salvation that will take place through Jesus. Our role is to be those who are saved, and who witness that salvation to those who do not yet know the love of Jesus. This is a big enough plan for us, it is enough to know and to accept with joy!
 
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2015 and 2020!

 
PS.  Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 10, 2020 Reflection – Live my messages!


Live my messages!
(c) Mary TV/Anthony Zubac

February 10, 2020
St. Scholastica, Virgin

Dear Family of Mary!

January 25, 1993 “Dear children! Today I call you to accept and live my messages with seriousness. These days are the days when you need to decide for God, for peace and for the good. May every hatred and jealousy disappear from your life and your thoughts and may there only dwell love for God and for your neighbor. Thus, and only thus shall you be able to discern the signs of the time. I am with you and I guide you into a new time, a time which God gives you as grace so that you may get to know him more. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Our Lady has asked us many times to live her messages. She gives them to us to help us through these very important and difficult times. But She even gets a little disappointed in us, because we are so easily distracted from her messages. Like all children, we lose our concentration, and resolve. And so, she continues to call us to live her messages.
 
On Friday, February 7, Fr. Leon gave a homily about living the messages that was very helpful. Our shipmate, Stephanie, transcribed it for us!! Fr. Leon has a way of saying things that makes it all quite clear!

Here is the Homily by Fr. Leon during English Mass — Friday, February 7, 2020:

Homily
The family of Herod is very complicated. King Herod the Great, so called “the Great,” – the one who tried to kill Jesus when He was an infant – had a number of sons. One of them is Herod Antipas; the one you hear of in the gospel today.   Now, Herod; let me see, first of all, his niece, Herodias, had been married to one of his brothers called Herod Philip, by whom she had a daughter called Salome. Later she divorced her uncle, and married another uncle, Philip; also called Philip. This is very confusing. And, then she divorces Philip and marries Herod Antipas. And then John the Baptist comes on the scene and says to him, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
 
Now, telling the truth to people is a difficult thing, and yet we are duty bound to this. It is one of the Acts of Mercy, to instruct the ignorant; to tell them, for the sake of their souls. But we have to do this with charity. John the Baptist; notice, he doesn’t come to Herod and say, “Oh, let me accompany you in your journey of adultery, and, you know, slowly, hopefully before you die, it will all work out and you’ll repent.” No, he says to him, “It is not lawful.” Because, John the Baptist loves Herod. He cares for his soul. He cares too much to lie to him.
 
On the other hand, we have Herod. Herod is a very confusing character. Because he seems to believe certain things about the faith. He believes in the resurrection. When he hears about Jesus, he says, “This is John whom I beheaded, and he has risen from the dead.” So, he actually believes in resurrection, which is a curious thing. But at the same time, it says: He kept him in prison, and he was very much perplexed by John, and yet he liked to listen to him.
 
Whenever I hear these words, especially, I think about Medjugorje. How many of us have been coming for years and years to Medjugorje? How many people have come here and heard the messages? But, how few of us put them into practice?
 
Now, I’m not here, I don’t delight in pointing fingers and saying, “Oh, you have failed to live the message of Medjugorje.”   I remember even before speaking about The Five Stones, I thought, before I even speak about them, I must live them. No one is going to listen to a fat priest talk about fasting. Okay, and that’s paraphrasing. St. John Chrysostom actually says that; he says, if you’re fat and greedy, who’s ever going to listen to you when you talk about fasting?
 
We must live the messages. Our Lady doesn’t come here and just give messages just to titillate us, to delight us. And we think, “Oh isn’t it marvelous she’s here.” And then we go off and forget about her messages. If we don’t live them, we are like Herod. Herod loved listening to John but didn’t want to act on anything he said. And it didn’t do him any good; it didn’t do him any favors! Herod ended up in a worse place. Because, to his adultery, he adds murder. And then lust – he lusts after his own great niece, Salome. Then, he adds, to that, he adds cowardice; because he is afraid of looking bad in front of his friends.
 
None of this does us any good, if we don’t live Our Lady’s messages. Every day in the news you can see how – I’m not going to comment on any one thing – but lots and lots of things are taking place in the world that show us, things are moving in a certain direction. And if we are not constant in the faith, if we don’t actually live our faith, what good does it do us?
 
What good does it do us if we say that we are here in Medjugorje and then we fight with each other, provoke quarrels, maybe deliberately misunderstand each other – or not deliberately misunderstand each other – but still, revel in fighting and quarreling and anger. What good does this do any of us? We are then like Herod. Not living God’s will, but our own, our own will, our own stubbornness. And this certainly does not make for peace. This is not being a child of the Queen of Peace.

(You can listen to the homily here: https://marytv.tv/english-mass-in-medjugorje/  – remember it is 020720)

Let’s pray for one another that we can all grow in living Our Lady’s messages!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020
 
 PS.  Mike Nolan is leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje from April 13 to 22, 2020!  Denis and I will be joining the group!  There is still room for more pilgrims. Join us!!   Here is Mike’s contact information and website:

Mike Nolan:
mnolan6@me.com
574-335-9952

/by
asdfasdf

February 7, 2020 Reflection – My Son, who feeds you with his Body….


The cave where the martyrs were killed at Siroki Brijeg on February 7, 1945
(c) Mary TV/Anthony Zubac

February 7, 2020
The 30 Franciscan Martyrs of Siroki Brijeg

Dear Family of Mary!

“…You will find strength in the Eucharist-my Son who feeds you with His Body and strengthens you with His Blood…” (February 2, 2020)

St. Faustina wrote a beautiful litany to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Her prayer will help us to strengthen our devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist:

St. Faustina’s Litany to the Blessed Host

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the testament of God’s mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus as proof of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained life eternal and of infinite mercy, dispensed in abundance to us and especially to poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the mercy of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit toward us, and especially toward poor sinners.

O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the infinite price of mercy which will compensate for all our debts, and especially those of poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fountain of living water which springs from infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the fire of purest love which blazes forth from the bosom of the Eternal Father, as from an abyss of infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the medicine for all our infirmities, flowing from infinite mercy, as from a fount, for us and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom is contained the union between God and us through His infinite mercy for us, and especially for poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, in whom are contained all the sentiments of the most sweet Heart of Jesus toward us, and especially poor sinners.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in all the sufferings and adversities of life.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of darkness and of storms within and without.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in life and at the hour of our death.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of adversities and floods of despair.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of falsehood and treason.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the darkness and godlessness which inundate the earth.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the longing and pain in which no one will understand us.

O Blessed Host, our only hope in the toil and monotony of everyday life.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope amid the ruin of our hopes and endeavors.
 
O Blessed Host, our only hope in the midst of the ravages of the enemy and the efforts of hell.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when the burdens are beyond my strength and I find my efforts are fruitless.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when storms toss my heart about and my fearful spirit tends to despair.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my heart is about to tremble, and mortal sweat moistens my brow.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when everything conspires against me and black despair creeps into my soul.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my eyes will begin to grow dim to all temporal things and, for the first time, my spirit will behold the unknown worlds.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my tasks will be beyond my strength and adversity will become my daily lot.
 
O Blessed Host I trust in You when the practice of virtue will appear difficult for me and my nature will grow rebellious.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when hostile blows will be aimed against me.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when my toils and efforts will be misjudged by others.
 
O Blessed Host, I trust in You when Your judgments will resound over me; it is then that I will trust in the sea of Your mercy. Amen.  (Diary 356)

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020

PS. Today is the 75th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of the 30 Franciscan Friars of Siroki Brijeg. WE know that Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament was their strength!! Here is a short paragraph about these powerful martyrs:

“The Thirty Franciscan Martyrs of Siroki Brijeg. Thousands of pilgrims visit the Franciscan Monastery in Siroki Brijeg every year, about one hour distant from Medjugorje. On 7th February 1945 the Communist soldiers arrived and said, “God is dead, there is no God, there is no Pope, there is no Church, there is no need of you, you also go out in the world and work.” The communists forgot that the Franciscans were working, most of the Franciscans were teaching in the adjoining school. Some of the Franciscans were famous professors and had written books. The communists asked them to remove their habits. The Franciscans refused. One angry soldier took the Crucifix and threw it on the floor. He said, “you can now choose either life or death.” Each of the Franciscans knelt down, embraced the Crucifix and said, “You are my God and my All.” The thirty Franciscans were taken out and slaughtered and their bodies burned in a nearby cave where their remains lay for many years. Today they are buried inside the Franciscan church. In our Gospel today Jesus said, “if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven.” The thirty Franciscan martyrs of Siroki Brijeg are a powerful example of declaring oneself in the presence of others for Jesus. They lived something else Jesus also said in the Gospel, ‘Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; fear him rather who can destroy both body and soul in hell.’
http://sirokibrijegofs.org/siroki-brijeg-martyrs/ 

As we remember these holy men, we can ask for their intercession for us in these days, that we will be faithful to Jesus to the very end of our lives.

/by