The joy of the expectation of the King of Peace
November 28, 2023
Dear Family of Mary!
Here, again, is the message from Our Lady of Medjugorje for November 25, 2023:
Dear children! May this time be interwoven with prayer for peace and good deeds, so that the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace may be felt in your hearts, families and in the world which does not have hope. Thank you for having responded to my call. (November 25, 2023)
Our Lady gave us two important ways to prepare for the coming of the King of Peace: prayer for peace and good deeds. She wants us to build peace into our lives with these two practices. Praying for peace must be a constant. Every Rosary, every Holy Mass, every hour spent in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, must be an expression to God of our need for peace, our desire for peace in our lives and the lives of others. And every generous act for our neighbor must be a step towards peace.
But how can these two actions prepare us for the joy of the expectation of the King of Peace?
Let’s hear from St. John the Baptist who was the first to prepare the people for the coming of the King of Peace:
“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberi-us Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysani-as tetrarch of Abilene, in the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
He said therefore to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
And the multitudes asked him, “What then shall we do?” And he answered them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than is appointed you.”
Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.” (Luke 3:1-18, RSV-CE)
We see that St. John knew very well how to prepare for the coming of King of Peace. His instructions were very like Our Lady’s because they made for peace! He taught them to do good deeds, and to work for peace through repentance. He taught them that God is real, and He is Lord, and He is coming! They were moved towards repentance and the good. We can heed John’s words as well, for they mean the same for us as they did 2000 years ago.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
(c) Mary TV 2023
