Seek the Lord While He May be Found

"Dear children! With joy, I call you all to live my messages with joy; only in this way, little children, will you be able to be closer to my Son. I desire to lead you all only to Him, and in Him you will find true peace and the joy of your heart. I bless you all and love you with immeasurable love. Thank you for having responded to my call." June 25 2010 Message to Marija

June 25, 2010 marked the 29th Anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions in Medjugorje. Her mission is one of peace and love. In Her own words she tells us, “I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God.”

Prayer is the center of Our Lady's plan and is the most frequent message in Medjugorje.

Our Lady asks us to pray 3 hours each day, and to pray with the heart. To pray with the heart is to pray with love, trust, abandonment, and concentration. She asks us to say the Rosary.

In Medjugorje Our Lady asks us to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays from midnight to midnight on bread and water. Our Lady tells us that this is the "best" fast. The amount of bread and water you consume or the frequency at which you consume it does not matter. What matters is we make this sacrifice and offer it to God.

Our Lady said: "You have forgotten the Bible." She asks us to read our bible everyday and to let it be in a visible place in our homes.

Our Lady asks us to go to monthly confession.

Our Lady asks us to attend Sunday Mass, and when possible, daily Mass. Our Lady wants us to see the Holy Mass as "the highest form of prayer" and "the center of our lives".

Today I was reading a blog post from "Road Beyond 50", titled, A plea. He quoted Isaiah 55:6

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call Him while he is near.

This scripture passage reminds me so much of Our Lady's desire to lead us all to her Son.

The Love of Eternal Wisdom

God of my fathers, LORD of mercy, you who have made all things by your word

And in your wisdom have established man to rule the creatures produced by you,

To govern the world in holiness and justice, and to render judgment in integrity of heart:

            Give me Wisdom…..

Send her forth from your holy heavens and from your glorious throne dispatch her that she may be with me and work with me, that I may know what is your pleasure.

For she knows and understands all things, and will guide me discreetly in my affairs and safeguard me by her glory; Thus my deeds will be acceptable, and I shall judge your people justly and be worthy of my father's throne.  

 From the book of Wisdom 9

Solomon did not ask God for worldly possessions; instead he asked for wisdom, that he may serve the Lord and govern the people in holiness and justice.

How do we find the wisdom that we seek?

He who wishes to become wise and perfect, must put into practice these three golden counsels, which Eternal Wisdom spoke to St Arsenius: Flee, hide, be silent….Flee as  much as possible from the company of men, as the greatest saints have done.” Imitation of Christ, bk.I,ch.20,no1 

            

Let your life be hidden with Christ in God; be silent in the company of men that you may converse with Divine Wisdom.  "He who knows how to keep silent is a wise man." Sir 20:5

           

St. Louis de Montfort tells us in, The Love of Eternal Wisdom, that we must fast, watch before the Blessed Sacrament, talk with God during the silent hours of the night and practice other austerities, as exemplified in the lives of the holy penitents.

In the loud and busy world we all live in it is hard to find the silence we need to hear the voice of Divine Wisdom. We must flee, hide and be silent. No matter how busy we are we must make the time. 

"Dear children! Today I am calling you to renew
your hearts. Open yourselves to God and surrender to him all your
difficulties and crosses so, God may turn everything into joy.
Little children, you cannot open yourselves to God if you do not
pray. Therefore, from today, decide to consecrate a time in the
day only for an encounter with God in silence. In that way you
will be able, with God, to witness my presence here. Little
children, I do not wish to force you. Rather freely give God your
time, like children of God. Thank you for having responded to my
call." BVM, July 25, 1989

Let My Cup Overflow

“For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” Matthew 7:2



Dear Jesus,

I want to offer this day to you in love, to unit my every thought, every word and every action with you. Remove from my heart any unkind or critical thoughts or speech and please use me today as you will, so that your will is my will.

May I share a large measure of your love with all those I come in contact with today ,that they too might recognize in me the greatness of your loving kindness and in turn sing your praises.
In your name I pray. Amen


"I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth." Ps 34: 2

Fearless Fridays

“They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.” ~ Psalm 112:7-8 NLT

Welcome to Fearless Fridays!
A day where I commit to pray for you.

I have join Angela   of Free Spirit Haven and other precious prayer warriors that have also committed to pray for you, your families and friends.

To participate in Fearless Fridays please leave a comment sharing your prayer request.

You don't have to list details.


Pray for God's will alone to be done in our lives.

God knows all the details.

God knows all of our needs.
So... when I ask for your prayers I believe that God will answer them.

“Dear children! God gave you the grace to live and to defend all the good that is in you and around you, and to inspire others to be better and holier; but Satan, too, does not sleep and through modernism diverts you and leads you to his way. Therefore, little children, in the love for my Immaculate Heart, love God above everything and live His commandments. In this way, your life will have meaning and peace will rule on earth. Thank you for having responded to my call. ” BVM May 25, 2010


May the Sacred Heart of Jesus hold you close to his heart today and always.

May Our Adoration Never Cease

 For the past several days the Lord has invited me to Adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament. There is a church close to my work, so I have been spending my lunch time with Jesus.

While I am  before the Lord in prayer, many people come to mind, family members, friends from long ago, political leaders and even Supreme Court judges. Their names and faces astound me, some of them aren’t even people I’ve seen or thought of in such a long time, but I know I was brought here to pray for their needs and the needs of the whole world.

The good Lord always needs prayer warriors, and I see that I am not alone. Many other people have been called here to pray too. For these past days I have noticed a steady stream of worshipers in and out ; my heart rejoices to be in their company.

As I thumbed through my prayer book, I came across these words:

“Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world. May our adoration never cease.” Pope John Paul II

“Indeed, this is the will of My Heavenly Father, that everyone who looks upon the Son, and

believes in Him, shall have eternal life. Him I will raise up on the last day.” John 6:40

 

One

My soul longs for your sweet embrace, my Lord

And my ears yearn for the sound of your gentle call.

My heart waits for the fire of your love to warm
The areas that have grown cold with time,
How I long to be with you.

So I run to where I know I’ll find you,
Where I know you will be waiting for me.

Here I find your sweet embrace,
Your gentle voice that woos me.

As I kneel before you my restlessness subsides.
Peace is mine once again.

I hear your voice, your word that guides me.
My hands tremble as they stretch forth to accept your
Precious body and partake of your precious blood.

With such eagerness I raise you to my lips.
Transform my heart as you transformed this bread and wine
Is the cry of my soul.

The joy of your holy presence consumes me,
We are one.

One Flame , One Heart

My Jesus, You are Love that is not loved. You are ignored by those You died for and hated by Your Enemies. Your children have become lukewarm and lost their zeal for Your honor and glory. We think more of ourselves and our crosses than Your sorrow over our sins. As You cry—we laugh, for our minds and hearts have become insensitive to the dangers around us.
We seem to be buried deep in the ice of our indifference, but we cry out to Your sorrowful Heart and beg You to let Your Merciful Love shine upon us and melt the coldness within. We have been deceived by the lure of riches and the spirit of the world. We have become an affluent, technological society, advanced beyond all the ages of the past. But, my Lord, we are still the most deprived, the most poor and the most hungry people ever to inhabit Your earth. It is sad to realize that in the age when man has spoken to man from the moon, he has not reached or spoken to the God in his heart.
In using the mind You have given us to plumb the secrets of creation—we ignore the God of creation residing in our hearts. We are like children absorbed in building castles in the sand and forgetting the security of living in a house built on rock.
Let us contemplate Your Heart, Lord Jesus, a heart that is loving each one of us with a personal love. We desire to make reparation to Your Sacred Heart by dedicating our lives to following the gospel, to loving as You love, to doing the Father's Will and to radiating the joy that comes from loving hearts. Our sins are beyond comprehension, our weaknesses like the grains of sand on the shore, but Your love encompasses all things and makes all things new. Let our lives be a witness to the power of Your Sacred Heart as it fills our souls with the fire of its Love. Let all of heaven sing out in a loud voice, "Love is loved by those whose tiny spark has become one flame with the unlimited fire of His Sacred Heart." 
Mother Angelica, EWTN

Oh Sacred heart of Jesus have mercy on us.

Accept the Light

“If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell fire .  Matthew 18:8

What leads us to sin? For each of us it is something different. For some of us it is the sin of pride, for some of us it is unforgivness, for some of us it may be various forms of addiction.

Jesus knows us well. Therefore, he uses forceful language when he urges us to choose a life that will endure, rather than an unending death that leads us to  separation.  The choice we are called to make is the choice of conformity. Jesus asks us to conform our will to the will of Our Heavenly Father. He calls us to wholeness.

"Dear Children, Today I call you with prayer and fasting to clear the path in which my Son will enter into your hearts. Accept me as a mother and a messenger of God's love and His desire for your salvation. Free yourself of everything from the past which burdens you, that gives you a sense of guilt, that which previously led you astray in error and darkness. Accept the light. Be born anew in the righteousness of my Son. Thank you." BVM  June 2, 2010 Message

Thank you for the sacraments you bless me with, especially the sacrament of reconciliation which allows me to free myself from binding guilt and draws me back to your light. Amen 

Indeed, It Was Good

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

 Genesis 1, 31

Waves that swell and crash to the shore,
tell  more of a tale than they told before.

Seashells that once glinted pearly white,
have a crimson tint in the bright sunlight.

The pelican struggles to stretch out her wings,
and  beachgoers wonder what the future will bring.

Scenes like these play out along the shore
as millions of gallons of crude oil pour.

What some had considered their own paradise,
they now are calling a toxic waste site.

Oh people of God, I beg you to pray
and continue it on by night and by day,

That we do what we can and do what we should,
for what the Lord gave us was, indeed, very good.

Gulf Coast Oil Disaster: One Family's Plight

 Sister Anne Marie , of Franciscan Life shares her reflection on the Gulf Oil Spill and I wanted to pass it on to you.

The power of prayer and fasting are so great. Please continue to pray and fast for the environmental catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico

“The assembly gathered together to prepare for battle and to pray and implore mercy and compassion…That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their clothes.” (1 Mc 3, 44-47)

A Call for Bread

Fasting has become a forgotten religious Biblical and Christian theme. And its concepts are largely lost in the Church.


Today, we know that many illnesses are caused by excessive eating and drinking. Obesity is on the rise in adults and children and many of us have developed a disorderly relationship with food in general. As a result of this, many people are returning to a more natural and healthy way of eating.

Throughout the Old and New Testament we see that fasting has always been connected with prayer as a means to peace. Prophets fasted before accepting their service as prophets and before special revelations. Jesus fasted prior to His public life and said that those that are His own will also fast.

Our Lady calls us to peace, fasting, prayer and conversion. She calls everyone to pray all three Mysteries of the Rosary and to fast two days a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays.

To many people this call seems excessive, unrealistic and impossible. Yet, the history of fasting shows the Jewish people already fasted two days, on Mondays and Thursdays.

Jesus did not discard the value of fasting nor did He forbid fasting twice a week. He only forbade judging others.

In calling us to fast two days a week, Mary remains in the tradition of Her Israelite nation and reminds us of the multi- century tradition of the Eastern and Western Church. 1

August 14, 1984 (Tuesday) This apparition was unexpected. Ivan
was praying at home. After that he started to get ready to go to
Church for the evening services. By surprise Our Lady appeared to
him and told him to relate to the people. "I would like the
people to pray along with me these days. And to pray as much as
possible! And to fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays, and
every day to pray at least one Rosary: the joyful, sorrowful and
glorious mysteries." Our Lady asked that we accept this message
with a firm will. She especially requested this of the
parishioners and the faithful of the surrounding places.


I offer this day of fasting and prayer, to which You call me, for Your intentions so that peace may enter into every heart, into every family, into the Church and into the world. Amen

 
1  Fasting with the Heart, Fr. Slavko Barbaric