(c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017
Our Lady’s great love for us!
J.M.J.
June 22, 2018
37th Anniversary Novena Day 8
Dear Family of Mary!
“If you knew how much I love you, you would cry with joy. When anyone is before you, and asks you something, you will give it to him. I am before so many hearts, but they remain closed. Pray so that the world receives my love.” (June 21, 1984 Jelena)
Our Lady has come to give us her love. Let me share the witness of Musician Dorijan Skrobonja, posted on the parish website (http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/news/the-experience-of-one-medjugorje-pilgrim,6888.html ) :
“The special encounter with Medjugorje took place four years ago, when I came on a pilgrimage with my family. We always came here to give thanks to God and to receive blessings. I never thought that anything special should happen to me, but that was exactly what happened. My wife and I were going to the church, to pray there. I knelt and I began to pray. Suddenly, I felt warmth, love and gentleness that were being poured on me. It was in that moment that Mother conveyed a message to me: “Don’t you know how much I love you; why do you still question my love?”
I began to cry because of fear and embarrassment; I could feel how small my faith was. All of my worries, all of my burdens were released, I felt completely free, as if I was in the world of complete and utter love, warmth and tenderness. I felt ashamed to cry and I could feel people staring at me. My wife could see that something extraordinary was taking place.
It was that same night that I wrote the poem to Our Lady: ‘Tonight I stood beneath Thee, o Mother, I stood beneath Thee, Pure Tenderness’,” said Dorijan, who is a member of Aledory band together with his brother and they witness their faith with the music. “We are trying to live the messages of the Queen of Peace. Sometimes we are able to do that, sometimes we fail. I regret for not having been able to come to Medjugorje more often.”
This is a beautiful description of what it is like to encounter the love of Our Mother, Mary. She is waiting to pour out her love on all of us. We have only to ask! Let us pray!
The Annunciation
“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.”(May 22, 1986)
The Visitation
“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.”(June 25, 2013)
The Birth of Jesus
“Dear children, I am coming to you as a mother and I desire that in me, as in a mother, you may find your abode, consolation and rest. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, pray. Pray with humble devotion, obedience and complete trust in the Heavenly Father. Trust as I have trusted when it was said to me that I will bring the blessing of the promise. May out of your hearts, from your lips, always come forth ‘May your will be done!’ Therefore, trust and pray so that I can intercede for you before the Lord, for him to give you the Heavenly Blessing and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Then he will be able to help all those who do not know the Lord – you, apostles of my love, will help them to call him ‘Father’ with complete trust. Pray for your shepherds and place your trust in their blessed hands. Thank you.”(March 02, 2014)
The Presentation
“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 02, 2015)
The Finding in the Temple
“Dear children! As a mother, I desire to be of help to you. With my motherly love, I desire to help you to open your heart and to put my Son in the first place in it. Through your love for my Son and through your prayer, I desire for God’s light to illuminate you and God’s mercy to fill you. In this way, I desire for the darkness, and the shadow of death which wants to encompass and mislead you, to be driven away. I desire for you to feel the joy of the blessing of God’s promise. You, children of man, you are God’s children – you are my children. Therefore, my children, set out on the ways on which my love leads you, teaches you humility and wisdom, and finds the way to the Heavenly Father. Pray with me for those who do not accept me and do not follow me – those who, because of hardness of their hearts, cannot feel the joy of humility, devotion, peace and love – the joy of my Son. Pray that your shepherds, with their blessed hands, may always give you the joy of God’s blessing. Thank you.”(March 18, 2014)
Dear Mother Mary, we gather together to pray this novena, with deep gratitude for your presence in our midst. You have come to show us the way to heaven. The Heavenly Father has sent you to us to help us to repent and return to Him. You are coming to be the bond between us and the Heavenly Father, and to help us to love and serve His Son. You pray with us for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, because you have told us that when we have the Holy Spirit, we have everything. Therefore we ask that during this Novena you will help us to bond with you and through you with our Triune God who loves us so much. We ask that every grace can be poured out upon our shepherds, especially Pope Francis, during these nine days that they will be strengthened and purified for the days ahead, these most triumphant days of the Triumph of your Immaculate Heart! Thank you, dearest Mother!!!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018
