Topic: Prophecy Meditation
Medjugorje Day By Day Dec 21 - DO NOT LOOK TOWARD MATERIAL
"Present on the altar is the One whom the Magi saw lying in the manger:
Christ, the living Bread who came down from Heaven to give life to the world, the true Lamb who gives His own life for the salvation of humanity." (Pope Benedict XVI)
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Word of all truth, you are the Son of man, the brother of us all, the Bread of Life, present among us, the beginning and end of our road . . . .
You are with us, you, the king of the whole world, though apparently hidden, helpless, forgotten, and ignored at this Advent season" (Fr. Hugo Rahner, S.J.).
Mother Teresa -
Strive to soak up the simplicity and purity of Christ.
Try to be more in tune with God and more open to Him, so that you will be able to see His face.
Meditations by Padre Pio -
Stay very close to the crib of this most beautiful Child, especially during these days of His birth. If you love riches, here you will find the gold the Kings left Him. If you love the smoke of honors, here you will find that of incense. And if you love the delicacy of the senses, you will smell the perfumed myrrh which perfumes the entire Holy stable.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen -
Joy calls for a good humor
"An aid to good humor is the spirit of joy. Joy is rejoicing in another's progress. This is one of the rarest virtues and the last to be won. Too often the progress of others is regarded as stolen from self. A man loses his good humor when he calls his wife `dear' when they are out and an `ox' when at home. The wife loses her joy when she would rather spend her time mending his ways than mending his socks. All have joy when they thank God that their friends have done good work, that they are loved by others, and that their virtues proclaim the joy of a good conscience."
St. Faustina's diary http://www.marian.org/directory_flash.html - September, first Friday. In the evening, I saw the Mother of God, with Her breast bared and pierced with a sword. She was shedding bitter tears and shielding us against God's terrible punishment. God wants to inflict terrible punishment on us, but He cannot because the Mother of God is shielding us. Horrible fear seized my soul. I kept praying incessantly for Poland, for my dear Poland, which is so lacking in gratitude for the Mother of God. If it were not for the Mother of God, all our efforts would be of little use. I intensified my prayers and sacrifices for our dear native land, but I see that I am a drop before the wave of evil. How can a drop stop a wave: O yes! A drop is nothing of itself, but with You, Jesus, I shall stand up bravely to the whole wave of evil and even to the whole of hell. Your omnipotence can do all things. (686)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
Dec 21 - DO NOT LOOK TOWARD MATERIAL THINGS
During Advent in 1985, Our Lady said:
Dear children, I am calling you to prepare yourselves for Christmas by means of penance, prayer, and works of charity. Dear children, do not look toward material things, because then you will not be able to experience Christmas (Weekly Message Dec 5, 1985).
St. Paul also warns of materialism or "worldly desires":
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Ti 2:11-13).
Reflection:
Many of us are aware of the hollowness of a materialistic attitude during the Christmas season, of how it can smother the spiritual message of Christ's birth. In this vein, the Second Vatican Council stated :
Since in our times, variations of materialism are rampant everywhere, even among Catholics, the laity should not only learn doctrine more carefully, especially those main points which are the subjects of controversy, but should also provide the witness of an evangelical life in contrast to all forms of materialism (The Laity, 31).
We are called, then, not just to avoid materialism in our own lives, but to serve as an example to others of simplicity of lifestyle and the priority of spiritual values over the material.
Application:
Let us simply take Our Lady's advice today to, "prepare�for Christmas by means of penance, prayer, and works of charity�do not look toward material things because then you will not be able to experience Christmas."
Medjugorje Day By Day Dec 20 - I
CALL YOU TO LOVE OF NEIGHBOR
"Not only is the entire history of salvation present in the Eucharist, but also the Trinity which is its author. The Father so loved the world that he gave his Only-begotten Son to save it; the Son so loved men as to give up his life for them; Father and Son willed to unite men so intimately to themselves that they infused the Holy Spirit in them, so that their own life would dwell in their hearts" (Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, Dec. 12, 2004).
Mother Teresa -
We need to soak up the tender love of Jesus. We need to extend to each and every one the assurance that God loves him. And I love you all so very much.
Dec 21 Strive to soak up the simplicity and purity of Christ.
Meditations by Padre Pio - Poverty, humility, degradation, contempt surround the Word made flesh. But from the darkness in which this Word made flesh is enveloped, we understand one thing, we hear a voice, we catch a glimpse of a sublime truth. All this He has done out of love, and He does nothing but invite to love; He speaks of nothing else but love; He gives nothing but proof of love.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen - The good conscience looks for good
"The readiness to believe evil about others is in large part ammunition for a thousand scandals in our own hearts. But by finding black spots in others, they believe they distract attention from their own miserable state. The good conscience, on the contrary, finds good in others even when there is some discontent with self."
St. Faustina's diary http://www.marian.org/directory_flash.html -
During a Mass celebrated by Father Andrasz, a moment before the Elevation, God's presence pervaded my soul, which was drawn to the altar. Then I saw the Mother of God with the Infant Jesus. The Infant Jesus was holding onto the hand of Our Lady. A moment later, the Infant Jesus ran with joy to the center of the altar, and the Mother of God said to me, See with what assurance I entrust Jesus into his hands. In the same way, you are to entrust your soul and be like a child to him.
After these words, my soul was filled with unusual trust. The Mother of God was clothed in a white dress, strangely white, transparent; on Her shoulders She had a transparent blue; that is, a blue-like mantle; with uncovered head [and] flowing hair, she was exquisite, and inconceivably beautiful. She was looking at Father with great tenderness, but after a moment, He broke up this beautiful Child, and living blood flowed forth. Father bent forward and received the true and living Jesus into himself. Had he eaten Him? I do not know how this took place. Jesus, Jesus, I cannot keep up with You, for in an instant, You become incomprehensible to me. (677)
MEDJUGORJE DAY BY DAY
Dec 20 I CALL YOU TO LOVE OF NEIGHBOR
Our Lady speaks of love today:
Dear children, today I wish to call you to love of neighbor. The more you will to love your neighbor, the more you shall experience Jesus especially on Christmas Day. God will bestow great gifts on you if you surrender yourselves to him.
I wish in a special way on Christmas Day to give mothers my own special motherly blessing and Jesus will bless the rest with his own blessing (Weekly Message Dec 19, 1985).
And from Mark's gospel, the two greatest commandments:
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" Jesus answered, "The first is, `Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength.' The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mk 12:28-31).
Reflection:
"The love of neighbor", George Macdonald wrote, "is the only door out of the dungeon of self".
Both Christ and the Blessed Mother emphasize the love of neighbor as the highest Christian calling save the love of God himself. Indeed, one is not possible without the other. "He alone loves the creator perfectly", wrote St. Bede, "who manifests a pure love for his neighbor".
The Second Vatican Council speaks of this love:
In our times a special obligation binds us to make ourselves the neighbor of absolutely every person, and of actively helping him when he comes across our path, whether he be an old person abandoned by all, or a foreign laborer unjustly looked down upon, a refugee, a child born of an unlawful union and wrongly suffering for a sin he did not commit, or a hungry person who disturbs our conscience (The Church Today, 27).
"The more you will to love your neighbor", the Virgin says today, "the more you shall experience Jesus especially on Christmas Day". May we make a special effort to show our love for others during the Christmas season.
Application:
Check your local newspaper and parish bulletin for charitable projects that you can help with in the next few days, such as Christmas gifts or food baskets for the poor, nursing home visitation programs, ministry to the homebound, etc Choose one actively as a special gift to the Blessed Mother.
A Spiritual Christmas Wish To Everyone! from Eileen Renders
A Spiritual Christmas Wish To Everyone! from Eileen Renders
A Christmas Message To Everyone!
Thank you everyone for allowing me to share with you Jesus' messages to us,
as well as my own spiritual journey this past year. In our quest to grow
spiritually and become closer to Jesus and Mary, the support of our brothers and
sisters is wonderful and very necessary. Let us all remain committed to not only
hearing/reading God's word, but in putting those words into action through the
mercy and love that we extend to friends and family. In this way we grow
spirituall and present a gift to the Baby Jesus in the manger by bringing His
Light to others!
My own journey is simple and yet constant. I continue to serve as an adorer
on Thursdays at my parish where I often receive messages from Jesus. I am making
the 9 First Fridays and pray the rosary for those with special needs and
intentions. As a Nutritionist and Alternative HealthCare Provider, I am able
(only with God's blessing) to help others. Jesus has been sending me cancer
patients for the last five or six years (one at a time), and I stay close to
them. My effort is to support them, comfort them and bring them closer to Jesus
and accept His heealing, or calling.
Still an imperfect sinner, I struggle daily to do what I believe Jesus would
have me do. My prayer each morning is to turn my will over to God and ask Him to
replace it with His will, my gift to HIm.
In the past year I have had pancreatitis that left some scarring (necrosis) on
the pancreas), an infected molar pulled, a small skin cancer legion (only
superficial) and anticipate cataract surgery. Intestional problems are constant
as I am celiac and have other digestional problems. Yet God has continued to
keep me healthy and active as I continue to do His work each day as best I can.
It is important I believe, for all of us to remain close to our brothers and
sisters in Christ as the New Year approaches and pray for one another to remain
strong in our faith as the evil one preys on the weak and torments all of us.
Remembering the sacrifice of His cross is a reminder to all of us how each of
us is called to carry our own cross. It brings us closer to Him and purifies us
with humility as we understand our dependency on Christ.
From the deepest corners of my heart I wish all my brothers and sisters a
blessed Christmas that is full of joy. One that surpasses all the glitz, disappointments and loneliness that tempts us to ignore the real meaning of
Christmas!
God bless everyone!
Eileen