October 17, 2018
St. Ignatius of Antioch
Dear Family of Mary!
“…To come to know His love, to follow in His footsteps, means to have a wealth of spirituality. This is the wealth which gives good feelings and sees love and goodness everywhere…” October 2, 2018)
Our Lady speaks to us of wealth in this message. An unusual topic! She tells us that if we come to know Jesus’ love, and we follow His footsteps, we will be rich!! We will have an overflow of the spiritual gifts!
We all like the idea of being rich, of having a surplus of all we need. But do we realize how really wealthy we are when we have Jesus as our Lord, our Guide, our Teacher, our Savior and our God?
Usually we associate following Jesus with giving up things. Giving up the world. Giving up our life. Giving away all we have. But in the wonderful heavenly logic of Jesus, that giving up of things of this world leads to having an abundance in heaven. And we even experience a fullness in this life that far surpasses worldly riches. It is the joy of knowing Christ’s love.
But we can talk about the riches of knowing Christ all we want, and still not understand it. It is in the act of following Jesus that we get the good feelings Our Lady mentions. It is in following Jesus that we will begin to see love and goodness everywhere. We will feel so rich. But it is not by talking about it, but by doing it!
I collected five New Testament Scriptures that mention riches or treasures in reference to Jesus. They may be helpful for meditation during a rosary. I think Our Lady is offering us something really powerful. She wants us to really be rich, wealthy, stuffed with treasure!! She wants us to know and love her Son!
“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3: 8-10)
“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” (Matt 19:21)
“Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:33-34)
“For I want you to know how greatly I strive for you, and for those at La-odice’a, and for all who have not seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:1-3)
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matt 6: 19-21)
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018
