Fr. Martin’s
reflection on - Our Lady’s Message
25th
February 2018
“Dear children, In this time of grace I am calling all of you to open
yourselves and to live the commandments which God has given you, that they may
lead you through the Sacraments on the way of conversion. The world and worldly
temptations are testing you, but you, little children, look at God’s creatures
which He has given to you in beauty and humility and, little children, love God
above everything and He will lead you on the way of salvation. Thank you for
having responded to my call.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters of Medjugorje North East and
beyond,
Our Heavenly Mother the Queen of Peace visits us so
that a new Spirit of God may settle in our hearts and souls, and over
humanity. The depths of Our Lady’s love is sensed as we reflect on this month’s message, a love that
is all tenderness and full of compassion.
In her school of love that we call ‘Medjugorje’, where
the Spirit teaches us how to Pray and believe with the heart, Mary comes to us
with the Gospel message of Repentance and Conversion. The new Spirit of God
that Mary wants us to receive is the spirit of ‘Faith’ and ‘Belief.’
Our Lady is the Queen of Prophets and in these times,
when so many have lost Peace and the way to God through prayer and faith, when
so many are walking close to darkness, Mary shows us again the foundations of
our Life with God, because she wants to guide us towards heaven which is our
goal. That is why Mary mentions “The
Commandments” and the “Sacraments” the treasures God has given us to
lead us to Paradise. Let us permit
ourselves to be led by Mary and led to Heaven by her, to learn to obey her
advice, and so to stay on the path of Belief and Prayer. The pace of this world and its temptations
bring us more and more into the danger of losing heart and soul, a danger which
Our Lady specifically refers. “The
world and temptations are testing you.”
Amidst these dangers Mary points out for us ‘the
Commandments and the Sacraments on our way of Conversion.’ All of us are being tested by worldly
temptations and Mary awakens us to this awareness. We are all being tested today by worldliness
and the unbelief around us, but Mary awakens us to the sure route that will
guide us to Heaven.
The Commandments are the way to love God with all our
hearts so as to give the loving response to the love
he has shown us, by giving the Lord the first place in our hearts.
“you shall love the Lord your God, with all your
heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt: 22.37)
When Our Lady asks us to, “Live the commandments
which God has given you.” It is a reminder of the Gospel call
to love, and to our own human dignity.
Whilst the commandments are our obligations in the Christian moral life,
their foundations are always in our love for God and neighbour. The Commandments guide our interior intentions
of the heart as well as our external behaviour to lead us into the fullness of
truth. By seeing the full demands of the
Commandments (three in relation to God, seven in relation to neighbour), Mary
wants us to recognise our deepest need for Jesus and his grace, making the “Commandments
and the Sacraments our Way of Conversion” the turning of our hearts
to the love of Our Heavenly Father.
When Jesus ascended into Heaven his Divine power
passed over into the Sacraments which he left us. Mary invites us to better reflect and
internalise what a great treasure we have in just one Sacrament. Each Sacrament
we receive should always be a personal encounter with the Risen Jesus, a
personal meeting with Him. It is only in
the Sacraments that we encounter the Divine Love that helps us live the
Commandments- “On our way to Conversion.” The Sacraments
are so much part of our Catholic life that sometimes we take them for granted,
but Mary reminds us that in and through them we find new life and are
strengthened against worldly temptations.
Mary concludes by inviting us to “Love God
above everything” so that he can lead us on the way to
Salvation. Mary is our Mother and loves
us as a Mother. She wants to protect and
help us, she points out for us our safest route through all worldly
temptations. She is our Morning Star who is leading us across the desert of
temptation to the Oasis of Peace. Let us listen to her voice.
Let us Pray:
We adore you O Jesus,
we love you, and we believe in you. Thank you for your every word,
for your two Commandments,
“Love the Father above all and others as
yourself.”
We love your Father for the ten Commandments that He
has given us. Give us love for the
world,
for your commandments of love,
for the ten commandments and for the strength to live
these commandments in all situations.
Jesus, you know how many are against you,
against your word,
against your love,
against your commandments.
You know how many are full of hate and refuse the commandments
of Love.
We adore you O Jesus and we ask that all unbelievers
and atheists and every baptised person be given a special Love for your
commandments. We ask you
to make yourself known to people who do not know you
and to all those people who do your will.
Do not allow the enemy to deceive us by destroying
your command to love in our hearts.
Our one desire is that your commandments be the hope,
the light,
the truth and the love to the whole world.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving us the means to allow us
to share in your holiness-the Sacraments.
In Baptism, we receive your holiness and we thank you
for the Holy Mass and Eucharist-your presence with us. Thank you, Jesus, in the
name of all Catholics, for Confession that cleanses the soul.
Thank you for the Sacrament of Matrimony to make
marriages holy, and Ordination that configures a man to you.
Thank you, Jesus,
for your life in the Sacraments.”
(Fr.
Slavko Barbaric-Sept, 25th
1992)
God Bless
Fr Martin