Fr. Martin’s
reflection on - Our Lady’s Message
25th
May 2025
“Dear
children! in this time of grace, I am calling you to be
people of hope, peace and joy, so that every person may be a peacemaker and a
lover of life. Pray, little children, to the Holy Spirit to fill you with the
strength of His own Holy Spirit of courage and surrender. And this time for you
will be a gift and a walk in holiness towards eternal life. I am with you and I love you.
Thank you for having
responded to my call.”
(With Ecclesiastical
approval)
Dear Brother’s and Sister’s of Medjugorje North East and beyond, Our Lady begins this message by
reminding us ‘we
are in a time of Grace.’ All time is
a time of Grace; from the moment of the Annunciation to Our Lady, with the
Incarnation of the Son of God, humanity entered into a
time of Grace. “For from his fulness we
have all received grace upon grace.” ( John ; 1; 16.)
Each time we turn to the Lord in prayer, in Faith, we are receiving the
gift of his grace. Grace is God’s
favour, his blessing, his life. “Hail full of grace,” said the Archangel to
Mary at the dawn of our Salvation. ( Luke 1: 28.)
With the coming of Our Lady to Medjugorje since June 24th, 1981, we have entered a special time of Grace for the Church and the
world. With Mary’s presence and her words to Guide us, Our Lady is reminding us
that now is the time for conversion and renewal. So let us truly respond to
this ‘time of grace’ in seeing each day as an opportunity to grow closer
to the Lord, and to our neighbour too.
‘I am calling you to be people of hope, peace and joy, so that every
person may be a peacemaker and a lover of life.’
We see today so many attacks on human life, in so many forms. St. John Paul II called it ‘the culture of death.’ Human life has become so disposable today,
attacks on the sacredness of life are many, that is why Our Lady asks us to ‘love
life.’
We are in the Holy Year of Jubilee. The theme for the year is ‘pilgrims
of hope.’ Our Lady calls us to
be people of ‘hope, peace and joy.’
Each of us are invited to cultivate the seeds of hope, peace and joy within us. We begin by deciding for these gifts, and renouncing all bitterness and negativity. Forgiveness is at the heart of this, and
asking God in prayer for an increase especially for the gift of Hope is
something that should be on our lips often. So many today are tempted to give
up hope, but we should remember the prayer we say just before Holy communion. ‘As
we await the Blessed Hope.’ Let us
ask God for this gift of Hope with renewed fervour.
“Pray little children, to the Holy spirit to fill you with the strength
of his own Holy Spirit of courage and surrender.’
The Spirit of God is a spirit of holiness. The Holy Spirit inspires, works wonders,
transforms hearts, and guides us on the path of truth and salvation towards
eternal life. Our Lady particularly asks
that we pray to the Holy spirit for three gifts:
· Strength
· Courage
· Surrender
The spirit comes to help us in our weakness, ( Rom.
8:6) The spirit transforms us with courage like the apostles on the day of Pentecost , and like Our Lady at the
moment of her surrender at the Annunciation. “The Holy spirit will come upon you and the
power of the Most High will cover you with his
shadow.” ( Luke
1: 35.)
We need to be courageous today, both in the Church and in the
world. Jesus prayed that we be
consecrated in the truth ( John 17: 21.) The gift of Holy courage is truly something
that comes from God, something that was evident in the lives of all the saints
and Martyrs. When our Lady asks us to
pray for the gifts of courage and surrender then it is an invite to be the
witnesses of God’s love today. Let us remember Our Lady at
the moment of the annunciation, “Let it be done to me according to thy
word.’ ( Luke:
1: 37.)
“And this time for you will be a gift and a walk in holiness towards
eternal life.”
All those who live by the spirit, Our Lady tells us receive a gift. A gift that enables us to live the life of
holiness. In this beautiful phrase Mary tells us about our ‘walk in holiness
towards eternal life.’ A walk that is straight and uncomplicated, where she
accompanies her children towards Heaven.
The goal is eternal life. Our
Lady is concerned for our eternal salvation, and she is showing us the path to
walk. The Holy Spirit speaks in Mary,
who was the first and best disciple of Jesus. As she walked her path of
holiness towards eternal life, let us too open our hearts to the courage and surrender
she showed, and pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit to lead us in the ways of
God.
Our Lady concludes this message by reminding us that she is with us, and
that she loves us.
“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who listens answer.
‘Come’ Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of
life, and have it free.” ( Rev.
22:17)
God Bless,
Fr. Martin