Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
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Can you believe it? I’m actually posting Mary‘s Medjugorje‘s message on that day She sent it! Sorry for the long delays between posts but I’ve been very busy lately. Here’s Mary’s message of April 25, 2010:
Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Her message is simple — ask for Her help (and the aid of the saints) and She will give it to you. Mary is queen of Heaven and She desires nothing more than seeing you in Jesus‘ graces. We just have to remember to ask for the right things. Do you know what they are? I’ll give you a clue. It’s not money, wealth, fame, or power. You see, no one ever got into heaven because they were wealthy. St. Peter doesn’t ask how large your house was or what position you held in your company before opening the Pearly Gates for you. None of that matters in the eyes of Jesus. In fact, many times in the Gospel Jesus tells people how devotion to material wealth hampers you from receiving His graces (think of the story of the rich man). So let us remember to pray and ask Mary for the right things and the only truly important thing — to be close to Her son, Jesus Christ.
Mary’s message at Medjugorje on March 25, 2010: Dear children! Also today I desire to call you all to be strong in prayer and in the moments when trials attack you. Live your Christian vocation in joy and humility and witness to everyone. I am with you and I carry you all before my Son Jesus, and He will be your strength and support. Thank you for having responded to my call.
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Dear children! Also today I desire to call you all to be strong in prayer and in the moments when trials attack you. Live your Christian vocation in joy and humility and witness to everyone. I am with you and I carry you all before my Son Jesus, and He will be your strength and support. Thank you for having responded to my call.
This message ties nicely with many of the Sorrowful Mysteries. First, Mary asks us to be strong in prayer in times of great difficulty. This sounds very much like the First Sorrowful Mystery where Jesus prayed to the Father for strength before Judas betrayed Him and handed Him over to the authorities to be crucified. All too often we tend to move away from God in our trials of life or blame Him when bad things befall us. But Mary asks us to not only pray in these times, but remain joyful and humble in our faith for all to see.
Mary also talks of “carrying” us before Jesus Christ who will provide us strength and support. This reminds me of the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery where Jesus took up His cross. In my meditation on this rosary mystery I discuss how our love of God will help us through the difficult times in our life. Jesus ultimately overcame the pain and torment of the crucifixion by rising from the dead. Likewise, Mary reminds us that our faith and love in Jesus Christ will ultimately help us overcome any problems we encounter in this world. While some will overcome these trials in this life through the intercession of miracles, others may need to be patient as their comfort will come in the next one in the kingdom of Heaven.
What do you pray for during Easter? Peace? Understanding? Forgiveness? Thanksgiving? There seem to be so many things to ask of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ on Easter. I often have a hard time collecting all my thoughts and putting them into the words of a prayer. But I think my third grade nephew sums it up beautifully in a prayer he wrote in school.
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What do you pray for during Easter? Peace? Understanding? Forgiveness? Thanksgiving? There seem to be so many things to ask of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ on Easter. I often have a hard time collecting all my thoughts and putting them into the words of a prayer. But I think my third grade nephew sums it up beautifully in a prayer he wrote in school:
God, l love everything you have given me but I would like one more thing. I would like an amazing Easter. Everyone should go to Mass and pray before eating. I would like people to remember that Easter is the day Jesus died on the cross and not just a day when the Easter Bunny comes to your house to hide eggs so you can find them and open them in the morning. We should spend more time praying than usual because it is Easter. We should share more, pray more, show more respect, help one another, and do something when we are asked the first time. God, can you please help us have a fantastic Easter? Amen.
I don’t think it can be said any better. Imagine how great the world would be if we all lived this prayer, not just today but every day. Happy Easter!
Almost a year ago a visitor left a comment mentioning the website “Come Pray the Rosary” (thanks Jack!). This website is a perpetual, online Rosary prayer session with others around the world. The prayer is set to video of various holy places and works of religious art. You can also leave prayer intentions if you like. You can pray alone and start at the beginning of a mystery instead of joining a mystery already in progress. I know that sometimes we all need a little “kick” to start praying and that is what this site offers. It may sound silly, but sometimes a voice set to a little video is the catalyst I need to get in that praying mood. Guided rosary prayer also helps us focus our minds since they have a tendency to wonder when we pray silently by ourselves (or at least I suffer from this at times).
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Welcome to Holy Week! I hope you have had a productive Lenten season as you prepare for the glorious redemption of Christ our King. Personally, I prepared well during Lent in certain areas (my Lenten sacrifice, attending Stations of the Cross, etc.) and have not quite lived up in other areas (reading the Bible, fasting, etc.). But, like in other parts of life (and iterated many times in the Gospels) it is not how you start, but how you end that counts. So I hope to make this a very productive Holy Week. In that spirit, I want to introduce you to a little gem of a website called “Come Pray the Rosary.”
A year ago a visitor left a comment mentioning the website “Come Pray the Rosary” (thanks Jack!). This website is a perpetual, online Rosary prayer session with others around the world. The prayer is set to video of various holy places and works of religious art. You can also leave prayer intentions if you like. You can pray alone and start at the beginning of a mystery instead of joining a mystery already in progress. I know that sometimes we all need a little “kick” to start praying and that is what this site offers. It may sound silly, but sometimes all it takes is a voice set to a little video to be a catalyst to get into that praying mood. Guided rosary prayer also helps us focus our minds since we have a tendency to wonder when we pray silently by ourselves (or at least I suffer from this at times).
So you will now see a new link on the left-hand side of my website which will open “Come Pray the Rosary” in a new browser window. Give it a try if you are looking for new ways of rosary meditation and prayer.
Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.
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Dear children, In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.
Mary offers us Her help to become closer to Her son, Jesus Christ. This message reminds me of the Fourth Glorious Mystery where Mary was assumed into Heaven to guide us through the trials of life. Our faith tells us that with the help of Mary and the saints we can triumph over sin and temptation to find ourselves in God‘s grace.
In our prayers, let us remember those who are in despair or far from God’s grace. We should pray for those who cannot believe that God loves them and desperately desires our love in return. As Mary’s message points out, God will forgive all our sins, no matter how serious, and reunite us in His grace.
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in Heaven. Particularly in this time of Lent we must make a sincere effort to put Jesus first in our lives and honor Him the way He deserves.
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in Heaven. Particularly in this time of Lent we must make a sincere effort to put Jesus first in our lives and honor Him the way He deserves.
We are often very much like the Roman soldiers who pretended to pay Jesus homage. Sure, we may say that we are good Christians. We might recite prayers every night and go to Mass every Sunday. But do we truly believe that Jesus Christ is our king and savior? Will we follow Him even when times are difficult and our faith runs contrary to society’s norms? Or is our faith something done in isolation and detached from our “normal” lives? For example, how many of your beliefs conflict with the Church’s teachings? Or, when faced with a difficult situation, how often do you tell a “little white lie” or commit some other easy sin to serve your own ends? Do you go to Confession without intending to truly turn away from your sins and live with a converted heart? There are so many ways where we pretend to follow Jesus but our actions tell a different story. And while our transgressions may seem small and inconsequential, they are like the little thorns on the crown we offer to Jesus. When meditating upon this mystery think about how sincerely you praise and honor Jesus. Do you practice and live the faith you profess or are you like the Roman soldiers who only pretended to honor Jesus?
For whose kingdom are you living? We too often live for this worldly kingdom and not for Jesus’ kingdom of Heaven. There are so many things that compete for our attention — money, power, possessions, and lust just to name a few. But we must remember this verse from the Gospel of Matthew (6:24):
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
But how we try. However, as the verse says, by trying to serve two masters we often end up serving only one. Since money and possessions are physical, quantifiable things it is often easier to live for them than it is to live for our treasures in Heaven. After all, we only have it on faith that the riches of Heaven will far outweigh anything made in this world. But since our eternal reward isn’t something advertised during the Super Bowl by a fancy advertising agency, we too often kick it aside for the things that we can see, hear, and touch.
Ask yourself in this time of Lent, what master are you serving? What type of crown do you offer Jesus Christ?
We are entering a very special time of the year. People all around the globe will come together and really show the extent of the human spirit. People from different countries, languages, and cultures will be united for a few weeks with a common purpose. It will be difficult and require many sacrifices. But in the end, some people will rise up and find a strength they never knew they had and emerge triumphant. Are you ready for… Lent?
We are entering a very special time of the year. People all around the globe will come together and really show the extent of the human spirit. People from different countries, languages, and cultures will be united for a few weeks with a common purpose. It will be difficult and require many sacrifices. But in the end, some people will rise up and find a strength they never knew they had and emerge triumphant. Are you ready for… the Olympics Lent?
Much like the Olympic games, Lent and Easter are not ordinary times of the year. It is a special time where we set aside our usual routine and really focus on becoming stronger in our faith. It is a time to really push ourselves spiritually so that we may win that eternal “gold medal” — God’s grace and a place in His heavenly kingdom. Athletes train for years in preparation for the Olympics. Similarly, we must train and build our spiritual muscles in order to get the most out of this holy season. Similar to last year’s Lenten article, here are some things you can do to earn that “Lenten Gold”
Fast: This can be the toughest form of meditation and prayer. Fast by consuming only one full meal during the day (two smaller meals are allowed to maintain strength). While most people are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, become a Lenten Olympian by fasting more often. Try fasting once or twice a week during Lent. Not ready for that gold medal? Just try skipping desserts and avoiding snacks. God sees every small sacrifice.
Pray: Allow extra time for prayer. Wake up five minutes earlier and spend that time in silent meditation. Remain conscious of Lent by praying throughout the day. Leaving work? Coming back from lunch? Running an errand? Say a small prayer at any of these times as a reminder of your faith. Want to go for the gold? Check with your parish for Stations of the Cross, Adoration, and other Lenten events.
Sacrifice: In the Olympics, earning your place on the podium takes hard work and sacrifice. You have to constantly adhere to a strict training regiment and never “slack off” or become lazy. Likewise, making the most of Lent requires making sacrifices. Give up something difficult like watching television or browsing the internet. Give up snacking. Give up alcohol. Replace your “guilty little pleasures” with prayer and build those spiritual muscles.
Know the Rules: Olympic athletes need to understand the rules of their sport in order to win. Skiers must know the twists and turns of a hill so that they can stay on the best path and achieve a winning time. Hockey players need to know what actions result in a penalty and avoid making them. How do you expect to be a Lenten superstar if you do not understand the rules of the game? Read Bible passages. Read a few pages of the Catechism every night. Learn apologetics. If you are feeling really ambitious, read one of the Holy Father’s encyclicals. Knowing your faith will keep you on that winning path.
Confession: Even Olympic athletes have bad days. Sometimes a ski jumper gets out of position and doesn’t get as much distance as he should. Sometimes a figure skater falls while trying to land after a difficult leap. But what do they all do? They get back up, learn from their mistakes, move on, and try to do better the next time. To be a Lenten athlete we also need to learn from our mistakes, get up, and move on. Go to Confession. Purge yourself of your sins, listen to the priest giving you absolution, do your penance, and move on and live in God’s graces. Want to go for the gold? Try to convince a loved one who hasn’t received the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a long time to go during Lent.
Have a Plan: Olympic athletes set goals. Skiers have a target time they have to beat in order to win a medal. Figure skaters have a list of moves they need to complete in their routines. They just don’t go out there without a strategy and hope that it all comes together. Likewise, have a plan for Lent. Make a list of all the spiritual goals you want to accomplish before Easter. Start now and continually add to the list as you think of new ways to make this Lent an extra special time of prayer.
The holiest time of the year begins in a few days. Are you prepared? Are you ready to win that spiritual gold medal? Please share in the comments any other ways we can all become Lenten superstars.
Dear children; With motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God’s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your consience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you.
Our Lady’s message to Mirjana on February 2, 2010
Dear children; With motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God‘s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your consience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you.
Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
This rosary meditation focuses on The Second Glorious Mystery — The Ascension. After rising from the dead in the First Glorious Mystery, Jesus physically ascended into Heaven. We profess this every time we recite the Apostle’s Creed — “On the third day He rose again; He ascended into Heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We must remember that ultimately we will have to account for our thoughts, words, and actions in front of Jesus who reigns in Heaven. However, the Church gives us tools that allow us to remain close to God and correct our faults before facing our final judgment.
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This rosary meditation focuses on The Second Glorious Mystery — The Ascension. After rising from the dead in the First Glorious Mystery, Jesus physically ascended into Heaven. We profess this every time we recite the Apostle’s Creed — “On the third day He rose again; He ascended into Heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” We must remember that ultimately we will have to account for our thoughts, words, and actions in front of Jesus who reigns in Heaven. However, the Church gives us tools that allow us to remain close to God and correct our faults before facing our final judgment.
“He will come again to judge the living and the dead.” Like many people, I find the idea of judgment scary. The word “judgment” conveys a trial, assessing guilt, and handing out punishment; none of which are very pleasant. In life, judging has a very negative connotation. We hear how we shouldn’t be so judgmental. Even when we are guilty (either legally or morally) many of us try to avoid admitting our faults and accepting the consequences. Instead we hide, we lie, or play the “blame game.” Deep down we want to be innocent, sinless, and virtuous but we often miss that mark. But in professing our inevitable judgment in the Apostle’s Creed we remind ourselves that we need to work at becoming more Christ-like. Understanding that our actions have consequences motivates us to avoid sin. And we avoid sin, not just to avoid punishment, but also realizing that sin separates us from Jesus Christ whom we love.
The purpose of knowing of our coming judgment is not to scare or depress us. In fact, God does not want to punish any of us. He desires all of us to one day enter into His kingdom. And He provides tools to help us avoid a harsh judgment. The most obvious tool He gives us is the Sacrament of Confession. This is our opportunity to set things straight with the Lord and remain in His grace. It’s our way of doing small course corrections so that we can remain on the path that ultimately leads us into His kingdom of Heaven. To put it another way, by routinely confessing our sins we confront our shortcomings while they are still small and manageable. Without acknowledging our sins those small shortcomings can turn into major problems and separate us from God’s grace not to mention make our lives miserable.
Another tool at our disposal to live in God’s graces is prayer. When we center our lives around God through prayer, that means we are not centering it around sin. In other words, earnest prayer can never be sinful so when we live a life of prayer we live without sin (unfortunately, no one has been able to obtain this lofty goal 100% of the time). The fact that we pray means that we acknowledge that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and hears our prayers. After all, what would be the point of praying if we did not believe that Jesus hears us and guides us? When we pray we focus, even if only for a short time, on the Lord and ask for His help, thank Him, and listen to how He calls us to live. In short, we ask for the strength to live for His kingdom and earn our place that He has prepared for us when he ascended into Heaven.
When we meditate on this mystery, may we remember that our ultimate destination is Heaven. May we show our love for the Lord by not delaying our arrival in Heaven with a detour in Purgatory. And may we avoid mortal sin and risk loosing His kingdom entirely. Remembering our final judgment is not a terrible thing. Like remembering the consequences of breaking civil laws, we must always be mindful of the natural law that God imprints on our hearts and minds. Doing so will not only have its benefits in the afterlife, but will also manifest itself as an inner happiness in this life. Let us also remember to pray for those who are far from God’s graces. Let us pray for those who do not want to confront their eventual judgment but instead choose to hide, lie, and redirect blame. Because, as the old saying goes, “You can run, but you can’t hide.”
This rosary meditation focuses on the Third Sorrowful Mystery — The Crowning of Thorns. The Roman soldiers mocked Jesus by dressing Him in royal purple and crowning Him with thorns (Mk. 15:17). They then mocked Him and pretended to pay Him homage (Mk. 15:19). Would the soldiers have acted so cavalier and arrogant if they truly understood who it was they were mocking? While we are not as brazen as those soldiers, we often mock Jesus by giving lip service to our faith. Instead of faithfully following Jesus, we too often dishonor Him by putting the fleeting treasures of this life in front of the treasures waiting for us in 
