As I have done for you, so you must do for others
Reflection on May 2, 2013 Medjugorje Message
Dear Friends:
Like many who are voicing their thoughts about Our Lady’s recent message given to Mirjana on May 2, 2013, I also have been doing a full examination of conscience. Especially after her message of 4/25/13 when she also said that we are still far away from her.
Then I begin to wonder myself, how am I offending the Lord? Where am I judging? Where am I gossiping? How am I not loving? Am I heading down the path to perdition as she said many of her own children are doing?
Earlier this year, the Mother of God declared that ‘satan was cunning and leading many souls into perdition.” All we have to do is look around us and see all the meyhem and chaos that is going on with government, politics, world leaders, uprisings, hatreds, wars, persecutions, and all the wars in the family, family tree and more. Well now that puts it more into perspective doesn’t it?
But what about me personally? All war begets in the heart before it is manifested into the world, and around us. Something stirs inside of us when we just don’t like something, and then it begins to fester and grow, until we begin to get angry and more bent out of shape, which then causes divisions, distractions, then we accuse and start the battles. I’m sure you all know what I mean.
So now we have to see it from this view. The Mother of God, sent from heaven is coming to the earth to convey a message from God. God is looking upon the earth and what does He see and hear on this earth?
This is what God said through her in this message that comes from Heaven and how the world is offending the Lord in the present time.
“Dear children; Anew, I am calling you to love and not to judge. My Son, according to the will of the Heavenly Father, was among you to show you the way of salvation, to save you and not to judge you. If you desire to follow my Son, you will not judge but love like your Heavenly Father loves you. And when it is the most difficult for you, when you are falling under the weight of the cross do not despair, do not judge, instead remember that you are loved and praise the Heavenly Father because of His love. My children, do not deviate from the way on which I am leading you. Do not recklessly walk into perdition. May prayer and fasting strengthen you so that you can live as the Heavenly Father would desire; that you may be my apostles of faith and love; that your life may bless those whom you meet; that you may be one with the Heavenly Father and my Son. My children, that is the only truth, the truth that leads to your conversion, and then to the conversion of all those whom you meet – those who have not come to know my Son – all those who do not know what it means to love. My children, my Son gave you a gift of the shepherds. Take good care of them. Pray for them. Thank you.” ( May 2, 2013 )
When I prayed about this message in my own examination of conscience I was given a simple remedy. That remedy was the:
Prayer of St. Faustina for the Grace to Be Merciful to Others.
If one prays this prayer, then he/she will be conscious of how they in themselves are committing sin.
Friends, Our Lady is directing this to everyone. There is no one excluded. But she emphasized very clearly who she is speaking to; ‘those who desire to follow Jesus her Son’.
“…If you desire to follow my Son, you will not judge but love like your Heavenly Father loves you. And when it is most difficult for you, when you are falling under the weight of the cross do not despair, do not judge, instead remember that you are loved, and praise the Heavenly Father because of His love….“
We have much to be angry about. Sin is ugly and it has an ugly face. And we easily direct our hatred to those who commit such ugly offenses against us because we see their face, and not what is behind the face. We forget however, we also offend others, by our own self righteousness, boasting in ourselves thinking that we are all doing what we should be doing living out our faith and so on, while we get angry at those who are not. I encounter and have had many conversations about all the sinners in the Church, he/she does or does not like this person, this priest, this or that.
We forget that we are just these ones we complain about if it were not for the grace of God! What High expectations we put on others without them knowing we have placed them on them!
Let us not forget friends, the burden of responsibility falls on those who are in His grace. Those who have the light, and walk in truth to be good examples, of Christian love. Jesus loved us in our mess and in our sin. He came to us right where we were in our ugliness and raised us up, and taught us about His mercy and gave us a gift of conversion of heart to love him. We have to pray for the same grace for those who do not know Him.
Forgive me Lord!
We are called to love and forgive just as He has done for us, if you are walking with Jesus. Believe me I am preaching to myself here. But the time is urgent now. Just look around you and see how many unbelievers you encounter every day, beginning in the home. How are they going to know the love of God, if they are not experiencing it through the ones who say they love them.
I say this beginning with me. Dying to self, and conquering and overcoming all the pains and the wounds, and the hurts caused to us, to love another, is a heroic act.
But Our Lady made it clear, prayer and fasting and acts of penance is where the strength comes to do this.
We pray every day the Lord’s prayer to forgive us AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS. Here is a condition on the mercy of God. If we are not forgiving, neither will we be forgiven ourselves. We really need to check our hearts. I have posted not to long ago also Healing Prayer of Forgiveness that can be found in this sight. We really need to be working on our hearts in this time.
Pray for the grace to fast. On a separate post I will post St. Fuastina’s prayer to be merciful so all can refer when they find it difficult to exercise mercy. And let us all hold each other up in prayer in this difficult time.
To God be glory for His mercy and patience with us! Ave Maria!