I received several letters in response to my last meditation. As usual, God speaks through the Body. Here is what some readers have to say:
…As I prayed the Precious Blood prayers, I was led to open the Bible at random, crying out to the Lord with all my heart… What I opened to, left me speechless. It was prophetic to me and I took it in as Our Lord’s response:
Go not forth into the field, nor walk on the road; for the enemy has a sword, terror is on every side. (Jeremiah 6:25)
And in my heart that night, I felt it was Russia, coming up from the North… the Trumpet was blowing… this was Our Lord’s response. Then, just now, I read what you just wrote… I cannot see that as a "coincidence" but as a sign from Our Lord…
From another reader:
I too have a small statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje. It was the first one made back in 1987 or about that time. My brother gave it to me. She is all white. I found her hand broken off also this past month… I don’t know how or when this happened; the hand is laying at her feet on the dresser in the bed room. As Our Lady has been saying all these years, "With prayer and fasting, we can stop wars………… are we listening??
And writes another:
I also have a small statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje that I brought back last year. A couple of months later, I dropped it and her left hand came off. I glued it back on and it came off again. Several times I’ve tried to re-glue it and it won’t stay on. I kept it like that and have the hand behind the statue where it’s displayed.
In a stirring letter, one reader wrote:
Would the Blessed Mother ever not come to our aid? In praying the Memorare this morning – “Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided…” I stopped at these words with a very strong and tremendous sense that our Mother is standing back. And immediately I felt her grief in my heart. The grief of a mother who sees her children fall and get terribly hurt – but who can’t do anything to stop it. More than ever I feel that a great time of change is near – and that mercy will soon meet with justice.
From another reader:
The left hand of my little Medjugorje statue of Mary has broken off some time back. I had not thought of [her hand] as being withdrawn, but the more I observe relationships around me… I have seen people become vicious in attempts to manipulate and destroy each other’s character. I can just see the evil surging around me. Is this a small microcosm of the war?
A couple of nights ago, we had quite a wind storm here in the middle of the night and I knew it would blow papers off my desk in the other room, but I didn’t get up and close the window. In the morning the only papers that blew off were right in front of my bedroom door, both facing toward the bedroom. One was a picture of Mary that I had torn out of an ad… under her picture were the words "Listen to your Mother" The other one also torn out of a magazine was of Mary with the words from John "Do what he tells you." In the Liturgy of the Hours that morning were the words "Listen & understand the instructions he has given you."
DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU
That last letter perhaps describes best what I feel the Lord is saying to us today.
I have given you instructions. I have told you what is necessary. Do this, and you will live.
To "live" refers not to our mortal life, which is passing like a leaf in the wind. Rather our spiritual life. How many Catholics get up each morning, fill their stomachs, drive in air-conditioned cars, watch big screen TV’s at night, and go to sleep on a comfortable pillow…. and yet their souls are hungry, cold, alone, and dying for the consolation of God? We will only find Him if we look for Him. This takes effort. It takes perseverance. It means walking at times in utter darkness, blind faith, pure faith, all faith. But I will not give up. Rather, I will offer to Him again my whole mind, body, soul, and strength. I will pick myself up again, go before Him in the Tabernacle and say, "Jesus, have mercy on me. Please, please, have mercy on me. I am yours. Do with me as You will."
Ah, this is faith! This is Christianity where the rubber meets the road. Religion in the raw: putting trust in Him when my mind and my flesh are completely in rebellion! It is to such souls that Jesus comes when they call, and He says with burning love for that soul:
Peace be with you. My peace I leave you. Be not afraid. My Mercy is an endless well from which the humble may draw.
And even then, my soul cannot seem to hear Him. And so I cling to those words by faith. Hope. Love.
LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER
And so then, let us do what our Mother has asked of us (for she only tells us to do that which her Son has already asked of us in one way or the other.) What has our Mother asked? Pray… but not just babbling or empty words. Pray from the heart. Turn from sin. Go to confession at least once a month. Seek Jesus in the Eucharist as often as you can. Forgive those who have injured you. Pray the Rosary.
Begin again. Begin again. Begin again. God lives in the eternal; when you begin again and turn your heart toward Him with renewed effort, that loving act enters eternity, and thus it covers over a multitude of sins and failings, past, present, and perhaps even future (1 Pet 4:8).
We have entered an extraordinary time of temptation to fall asleep. Our Mother has given us Heaven’s "secrets" to combat this spiritual slumber through prayer, conversion, peace, fasting, and the Sacraments. Simple things which only the childlike will do. And to such as these does the Kingdom of Heaven belong.
The trumpets are blaring:
Quickly! Quickly! Listen to your Mother!
