Thursday, September 05, 2013

Mary TV Daily Reflection 9/5/2013


Mirjana sees Our Lady
 Our Lady and her apostles 
(c)Mary TV 2013

J.M.J.
September 5, 2013

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children, I love you all. All of you, all of my children, all of you are in my heart. All of you have my motherly love and I desire to lead all of you to come to know God's joy. This is why I am calling you. I need humble apostles who, with an open heart, will accept the Word of God and help others to comprehend the meaning of their life alongside God's word. To be able to do this, my children, through prayer and fasting you must learn to listen with the heart and to learn to keep submitting yourselves. You must learn to keep rejecting everything that distances you from God's word and to yearn only for that which draws you closer to it. Do not be afraid. I am here. You are not alone. I am imploring the Holy Spirit to renew and strengthen you. I am imploring the Holy Spirit that, as you help others, you too may be healed. I am imploring Him that, through Him, you may be God's children and my apostles. For the sake of Jesus, for the sake of my Son, love those whom He has called and long for the blessing only from the hands which He has consecrated. Do not permit evil to come to reign. Anew I repeat - only alongside your shepherds will my heart triumph. Do not permit evil to separate you from your shepherds. Thank you." Message to Mirjana, (09/02/13)

"This is why I am calling you. I need humble apostles who, with an open heart, will accept the Word of God and help others to comprehend the meaning of their life alongside God's word."

Jesus needed apostles. In the gospel reading for Holy Mass today, Jesus calls Peter, James and John to follow Him and become fishers of men.

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennersaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." Simon said in reply, "Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets." When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them. They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, "Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man." For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, And likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partner of Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him." (Luke 5: 1-11)

Jesus tested out Peter to see if he would be a humble apostle with an open heart who would accept the Word of God. He first asked to "borrow" Peter's boat. Peter had fished all night and he was tired, but he said "yes" to Jesus' request. Then Jesus told Peter to try for a catch of fish one more time, even though Peter had tried all night. Again Peter said "yes" to Jesus. Clearly Peter had listened to the word of God that Jesus had preached from his boat, and now he was willing to accept the Word of God, Jesus, and act on that Word. Finally, when Peter saw the catch of fish, he "fell at the knees of Jesus and said, 'Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.'" Peter was not only openhearted, he was humble. He knew he was sinful. He admitted it. He was able to recognize the holiness and Godliness of Jesus, and humble himself before Him. And Peter finally passed the test because when Jesus called him, Peter "left everything and followed Him."

We know that Peter, our first Pope, was a great apostle for Jesus. He had all the qualities Our Lady mentions. Now we are being asked to respond to a call from God coming to us through Our Lady. Our calls will be smaller, less spectacular, but nonetheless they will be important. We are needed to help Our Lady reach her children who do not yet know the love and joy of God. Our little, humble, open responses to her call will bear fruit. She is in our boats right now, the boats of our hearts, and she is asking us to go out into the deep and cast our nets for souls. Our "fishing" may take the form of spreading the word, or we may be asked just to pray and fast, interceding for others. But we will be astounded at the catch of souls we will make, if we respond with humility and trust, like Peter. It is awesome to be an apostle, to be sent out to gather in God's children for eternal life.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2013


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