To Jesus Through Mary

"And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?' And the angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.'" - Luke 1:34-35

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a splendid holiday with family and friends. This is a joyous season because even after Christmas day we still celebrate our Savior's birth until the Epiphany in January. The Nativity of Jesus is so beautiful to meditate on. As we reflect on this we recognize how Jesus was brought into the world, through the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the flesh. God became human, which no one had expected at the time, to save humankind from sin and lead us to salvation. Without Mary, His mother, this could have never happened! This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas itself entirely revolves around the fact that Mary gave birth to the Christ Child.

Recently, I spoke with a friend of mine who was a convert to Catholicism. Over the years she has become closer and closer to the Blessed Mother. From her conversion she realized that not only did Mary bring Jesus into the world for us, but she is also the way for us to get to Jesus. Mary is the link between humankind and God. Although she was human too, the Madonna was born immaculate and divine. She is sinless and pure. She is the Queen of Heaven and the Holy Mother of the living God...making her our own mother too.

In this time, as we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, let us honor Mary for her humble and obedient "yes" to conceive and bear the Son of God. Let us praise the little baby Jesus as He comes to us lying in a manger of a lowly stable. Let us be like the shepherds who heard the angels and came flocking to surround the newborn Messiah. So the next time you go to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament put yourself in their shoes. Picture yourself in the Nativity scene and meditate on what it would be like to see Him on the very day of His holy birth.

          

Medjugorje Visionary Marija Visits Notre Dame

"And Mary said, 'My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has has done great things for me—holy is His name.'" 
- Luke 1:46-49

On November 15th the Medjugorje visionary, Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, came to the University of Notre Dame for one of her daily apparitions. She came to witness to those living in South Bend, IN about the Medjugorje messages coming from Our Lady. My cousin, Lauren, attends the University of Notre Dame and she was fortunate to be able to go to this event with my aunt. Mary TV also streamed a live video feed online. (Click here to read Cathy Nolan's reflection of this event from Mary TV's perspective.) This was such a blessing! Because of this broadcast my family and I were present for the apparition as well, via the internet.

During the apparition you could see the peace of Our Lady's presence come upon Marija while she was in ecstasy. It must be so wonderful to see the beauty of the Blessed Mother everyday! What a gift! I cannot even imagine.

After the vision, Marija gave her testimony to all who gathered there. I was surprised to hear her speaking in English. Since I have done a lot of research about Medjugorje I know that this particular visionary never studied the English language. It was absolutely amazing to hear her witness in our own native tongue. When I went to Medjugorje in 2010 my family and I stayed with the visionary Ivan. Even though he knew how to speak English, he would always use a translator while giving a testimony since he was more comfortable speaking in Croatian. I am so glad Marija choose to speak in English this time. It was much easier for us to relate to her by hearing the witness given in our language.

While Marija spoke she reflected upon the reasons of why Our Lady is coming. Is is very apparent that our society today is corrupted in sin and in great need of the Blessed Mother's presence. At the event Marija relayed the message of God which came from the Blessed Mother, stating, "I am God, the Resurrection. I am the God who was crucified and died. But I am resurrected! I am with you and I died for you. But I give you freedom. In this freedom you have a choice. Good or bad. I call you for goodness." The Blessed Mother also added, "I call you for new life. It's your choice. It's your choice to say yes or no." 

It is so sad that numerous people across the globe have stopped following Christ. They have given up on Him and are looking to the world for their satisfaction. Some people even claim to be "spiritual" but not "religious." Spirituality can be very dangerous if it is not within a religious context, such as Christianity. This usually means they are following New Age trends or satanic influences. Those involved in these cults and/or do not believe in God are in grave danger. What they do not realize is that they are putting their own soul at risk of losing the opportunity of enteral life. That is why Our Lady is coming for them. She is coming to give them hope. She is coming to give all of us hope and the grace of conversion.

Marija's testimony rang with truth and conviction. Like she said, we need to give our "YES" to God. We need to accept Him into our lives to strengthen our faith day by day. Only in this way can we inherit His holy kingdom. Paradise is waiting for us! All of us! If people seriously knew this who would ever say no to happily ever after? But, as Marija testified, it is our choice. It is our choice to accept or reject. By rejecting Christ we have essentially rejected eternal life. But if we accept Him into our life and our hearts we accept His glorious kingdom. During this "Year of Faith" let us give our entire "YES" to God. Let us glorify the Lord like Mary did with her "YES" to becoming the mother of Jesus. For she has truly given us the greatest example in accepting the Will of the Father.

         

Mother Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

"A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars." - Revelation 12:1

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today we celebrate the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a wonderful commemoration because it is with this event Mary was crowned as the Queen of Heaven and Earth by God the Father, as His beloved daughter, by God the Son (Jesus) as His dearest mother, and by God the Holy Spirit as His chosen spouse. She, who is human like us, rose to enteral glory in Heaven---being both regal and humble, merciful and powerful, human and divine. Her purity and holiness was exalted at this moment. She became not just the mother of Jesus, but also a mother to all humanity and the entire universe! Mary's intercession is the most powerful of all because she pleads our cause as the most perfect adorer of the Holy Trinity.

Earlier today (August 22, 2012), Pope Benedict XVI said, "Mary is a Queen in service to God and humanity; she is Queen of love, who lives the gift of self to God in order to enter into the plan of salvation for mankind." Click here to read more from the Catholic News Agency on the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the video below Scott Hahn, Catholic author and theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, shares his insight of Mary's Queenship and glory. Join me in honoring the Blessed Mother and this triumphant occasion with a novena for the intentions of Queen of Heaven and Earth.

Novena to the Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth:

I greet you, ever-blessed Virgin, Mother of God, refuge of sinners, and Queen of the Universe. Most loving Mother, attracted by your beauty, sweetness, and tender compassion, I confidently turn to you, and beg of you to obtain for me of your dear Son the favor I request in this novena: (mention your request). Obtain for me also, Queen of Heaven and Earth, the most lively contrition for my many sins and the grace to imitate closely those virtues which you practiced so faithfully, especially humility, purity, and obedience. Above all, I beg you to be my mother and protectress, to receive me into the number of your devoted children, and to guide me from your high throne of glory. Do not reject my petitions, Mother of Mercy! Have pity on me, and do not abandon me during life or at the moment of death. Accept this offering, sweet Queen of Heaven and Earth, and obtain for me from your dear Son, Jesus Christ, the favors I ask through your intercession in this novena. Obtain for me also a generous, constant love of God, perfect submission to His Holy Will, the true spirit of a Christian, and the grace of final perseverance. Amen. 

Prayer of the Rosary

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." - Luke 2:19

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today I wanted to let you know that I posted some videos on YouTube so you can have the opportunity to pray the rosary with me! The rosary is such a wonderful prayer that really helps you to mediate on the life of Jesus through the eyes of Mary, His holy mother. It is more then just repeating a set of "Hail Mary" prayers over and over again. It is a way to reflect on scripture and translate that into our own lives.

In the prayer of the rosary Mary intercedes on your behalf before the throne of God with your petitions. By praying this prayer you are given special graces in your life. The power of heaven will come upon you. It will strengthen you to become more holy and to grow in faith day by day. The rosary helps to lead you away from sin and brings you closer to God. Bishop Patrick Boyle once said, "No one can live continually in sin and continue to say the Rosary. Either he will give up the sin or he will give up the Rosary." With this amazing prayer it is as if Mary, the mother of God, walks you through her Son's life, taking you by the hand, to meet God Himself.

How wonderful is that!? I can personally attest to the amazing graces bestowed on our family through the power of the rosary. It can work miracles! If more people knew the true power of the rosary they would never want to stop praying it. Sometimes other Christians do not understand the rosary and its meaning. They might think we worship Mary, as Catholics, but that is not true. That is so far from the truth it almost seems laughable.

We, as Catholics, love Mary... just like you love your own mother. We go to her in prayer to ask for her help and intercession with our own intentions. Because she is holy, pure, divine, immaculate, and sinless she would never ask anything of God that would not please Him. Also, as in the Ten Commandments, it says to honor your father and mother. Jesus is Mary's Son. Although Jesus is God and is above Mary in that sense He still gives her the respect of a mother, like we all should. For instance, at the Wedding Feast at Cana Jesus changed the water into wine per Mary's request. It is very similar to asking your own mother to ask your dad to do something for you. You do this because you know he is more likely to do so if it comes from her then from you. So wouldn't you think that by asking Mary to ask Jesus to answer our prayers it would be so much more powerful!? ...Because it is! Going to Jesus/God/the Holy Spirit directly is always good too. And we should! Don't get me wrong... it is not a replacement for that. This is just a very formal prayer that helps you to reflect on the life of Jesus with Mary as your guide. As St. Louis de Montfort said, "When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer." By praying the rosary you are given so many blessings and graces in this life. It is another great way to pray and it is sssooooo very powerful!

If you have more questions about the rosary go to this website: http://www.catholicbible101.com/therosary.htm 

My YouTube channel is @pray4peace4ever. If you would like to pray a rosary with me go to my playlist here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEC07A54CE7147B8E  You can even chose what mystery you would like to pray with me -- Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, or Glorious. 

"Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood." - St. Louis de Montfort

Beauty Of The Lord

"Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!" - Psalm 90:17

Today my friends and I went to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, FL. It was such a beautiful day! And it is St. Patrick's day, what a blessing. Perfect sunshine, clear blue skies, a gentle breeze, blooming springtime flowers, and sparkling water on the bayshore. Not to mention what was actually inside the museum -- which was gorgeous works of art, mainly attributed to Roman Catholicism. I saw images of St. Sebastian, St. Jerome, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Paul, St. Joseph, the Blessed Mother, and many more. It was awesome to see all of this beautiful religious art in one place -- in so much detail, up close and personal. I have been there before, but just being able to see it all again was wonderful. All of my old memories from high school field trips started coming right back to me. I loved it!

I saw so much beauty! Beauty in the art, beauty in the day, and beauty of the Lord. The Lord was very much present in everything today. I thank Him greatly for giving me this opportunity to spend time with my friends and with Him throughout each moment of today.

All of this beauty is so joyous and wonderful! But interestingly enough, one of my favorite paintings that I feel is the most beautiful is Carlo Dolci's Blue Madonna -- which happens to reflect Mary's sweet tenderness, but with a heavy heart. She looks downward, expressing melancholy, but her innocence and purity is shown in the radiant light cast on her face. Recalling the seven sorrows of Our Blessed Mother I feel a connection to her loving heart filled with pain. For she, the most beautiful woman of all, loves every single one of us just the same way she loved her Son. And even with so much agony to losing her Son on the cross, her love still prevails with a gentle sweetness -- as seen in this painting; for the overwhelming darkness cannot evade the light. It is in this light we see a gentle beauty and warmth that comes from the love deep inside her soul. This is how I wish to be like the Holy Mother, to let my life be a reflection of the deep love and brilliant light inside my own soul. To portray His love and beauty so that others may see it and seek it for themselves.

And that my friends is the beauty of the Lord, as seen in all things. From the beautiful sunshine of a day to the beautiful light that dwells within your own heart. So make sure that when you want to express the love of God in the most beautiful and pure way possible -- that you do so with a warm and gentle glow, like Mary. Do not hide or dim your own light to blend in with the darkness. For if given the chance, your light will shine and prevail with beauty captured by the Lord Himself -- giving both Jesus and Mary great joy in doing so.