Day 4 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

Day 4 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

On this fourth day, we come together again to prepare to make our Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary with our bishops.
We come together to dedicate ourselves, our families, our countries and the Church to Jesus through Mary, His Most Holy Mother.
We have been created for such a time as this.

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance... will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish... for you were created for such a time as this." Esther 4:14

A time of incredible darkness and evil – and yet, unfathomable grace.
We have been created to be a light in this darkness.
Grace amid sin.
Prayer and love amid evil and hatred.
As Communism spreads ever more completely throughout the earth as the most deadly virus of our times, we are called to speak Truth in Love and stand up for the defenseless and most vulnerable.
We are called to be Christ’s hands and feet and voice and love.
Like the young girl in China, who inspired Venerable Fulton Sheen to make a daily holy hour every day of his priesthood -
We are called love Christ unto death and through that love be an inspiration to those who have not yet come to know His Love.
We are called to be willing to live and die for the Eucharist.
And to "Pray, pray, pray. Pray until it becomes a joy for you." 
Especially heeding our Blessed Mother's call to pray the rosary every day - for it is the weapon of our times, and because it wields untold grace to make us holy – as we become more and more like those whom we spend time with.

Today, may we go ever deeper into prayer.
Deeper into the mysteries of God’s love for us, so that we will be able to stand fast no matter what happens to this world and to us.
May we go ever deeper into trust so that we can truly give ourselves completely without reserve and with boundless confidence into the Hands of God, with Mary and Joseph’s help and prayers.
May we go deeper into love, so that we can love without counting the cost, willing to die to ourselves so to live for Christ and for those with whom He’s given to and entrusted to us.
May these preparation days be truly entered into, so that we can become ever more Christlike and ever more like Mary and Joseph. 
Praying for God's Kingdom to come in our homes and in our hearts and minds and wills.
So that we may imitate the Holy Family.
And every Father may live ever more fully his calling to be the face of the Heavenly Father in his home, so the world can again live in peace.
We ask all this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

St. Joseph, pray for us:

“[JOSEPH] SHOULD BE HONORED WHOM THE KING DESIRES TO HONOR.”

"God desires a Feast Day to honor my fatherhood – so that in my fatherhood all fatherhood might be blessed.
Learn from the Little Home of Nazareth – I was king. I sheltered, provided for and protected the Prince of Peace and the Queen of Heaven.
I received deepest love and reverence from them, for they saw God the Father in me, in whose place I took over them.
The head of the family must be loved obeyed and respected and must be a true father and protector to those under his care.
In honoring my fatherhood, you honor Jesus and Mary. The Trinity has placed the peace of the world into our keeping.  You obtain peace from God by imitating the Holy Family and the virtues we practiced."

NOVENA PRAYERS:

The Novena prayers are simple, but they are rooted in the messages Our Lady has reiterated and given to us again and again in all her apparitions to try to save us.
Let us always strive to live them ever more fully.
They are:
Pray the full Rosary,
Read Scripture together as a family each day, We are taught and learn so much from reading and meditating on the Mass readings of each day. Here are today's readings, with God's words that stood out to me emphasized:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042620.cfm

Third Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 46

Reading 1 Acts 2:14, 22-33

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven,
raised his voice, and proclaimed:
“You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
You who are Israelites, hear these words.
Jesus the Nazarene was a man commended to you by God
with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs,
which God worked through him in your midst, as you yourselves know.
This man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God,
you killed, using lawless men to crucify him.
But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of death,
because it was impossible for him to be held by it.
For David says of him:
I saw the Lord ever before me,
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
Therefore my heart has been glad and my tongue has exulted;
my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your holy one to see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.
“My brothers, one can confidently say to you
about the patriarch David that he died and was buried,
and his tomb is in our midst to this day.
But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him
that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,
he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld
nor did his flesh see corruption.
God raised this Jesus;
of this we are all witnesses.
Exalted at the right hand of God,
he received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father
and poured him forth, as you see and hear.”

Responsorial Psalm Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (11a) Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.
You will show me the path to life,
abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Lord, you will show us the path of life.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Pt 1:17-21

Beloved:
If you invoke as Father him who judges impartially
according to each one’s works,
conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,
realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct,
handed on by your ancestors,
not with perishable things like silver or gold
but with the precious blood of Christ
as of a spotless unblemished lamb.
He was known before the foundation of the world
but revealed in the final time for you,
who through him believe in God
who raised him from the dead and gave him glory,
so that your faith and hope are in God.

Alleluia Lk 24:32

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Lord Jesus, open the Scriptures to us;
make our hearts burn while you speak to us.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted
what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread.

Make the Eucharist the center of your life (we can still do this interiorly if not physically during this time of quarantine through our Spiritual Communions, and visits to Church to pray in front of the tabernacle if they are open, etc.),
Fast twice a week on Wednesdays and Friday on bread and water for Mary has told us in Medjugorje:

 "Pray and fast, because with prayer and fasting you can stop wars and natural disasters".

Go to Confession at least monthly (again, if you are unable make frequent heartfelt acts of contrition)…

And each day of this novena, pray especially during the 3 O’clock hour (if possible):
•    an act of contrition (in place of or in addition to confession)
•    an act of spiritual communion (in place of or in addition to going to Mass and receiving communion;
•    the Divine Mercy Chaplet
•    the Rosary
Besides consecrating ourselves and our loved ones, our nation(s) and leaders, our Church and the world each day - let us also remember to consecrate Russia and China and all those who are perpetrating such great evil upon the world.

Entrusting all of us into the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Day 2 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

Day 2 Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph!

image in St. Mary Major

It is a wonderful and efficacious act for our bishops to consecrate America and Canada to Mary. Yet, the consecration of our nations will never fully be fulfilled in all its power - unless we, as members of the Body of Christ and Church - join with our shepherds and choose to consecrate and live out this consecration to Mary also in our daily lives.

So, how do we do this? How do we live fully our consecration to Jesus through Mary and Joseph?

When I was blessed to be in Rome for the year of Mercy, I saw an image of Mary on the ceiling of a side chapel in St. Mary Major that deeply moved me. I had never seen anything like it before. Mary was holding her children close to herself and protecting them underneath her mantle.
As I prayed, I realized in an ever deeper way just how tenderly and tangibly Mary loves me, and I wept and wept realizing for the first time how closely Mary was holding onto me and protecting me.

When I was reflecting on what to write for this article, I realized this was a wonderful image of consecration. 

O how deeply Mary loves and cares for us - and with such infinite tenderness! 

To consecrate ourselves to Mary, then, is to allow Mary to embrace and hold us close. To allow ourselves to find our refuge in her arms - trusting in her Motherly love for us and entrusting all that we are and have to her. We entrust our mind, heart, soul, body and spirit - as well as our loved ones, our bodily and spiritual needs, our struggles and hopes and dreams into her Motherly heart - confident she knows what’s best for us and she will guide and direct and take care of us and all whom we hold dear if we surrender all to her as a little child.

"Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18: 3

If we give ourselves to Mary, she will lead us into deeper and deeper prayer. This deeper prayer (which she is calling us to in each of her apparitions) will be the means through which we will come to know and trust God ever more. 

The more we trust, the more we will be able to go wherever He asks us to go, do whatever He calls us to do, say whatever he wants us to say, etc.

The more we trust, through the help of Mary, the more we are willing and able to fulfill God’s desires for us, even if that means to walk on water... 

It doesn't mean, however, that we will not stumble and sink like Peter, when we step out on the water and look down at the waves of our world (sickness, death, unemployment, the wuhan virus, government overreach) instead of into the eyes of Christ.

But, how quickly does Mary’s motherly love and protection come to our aid! How great is her guidance and care with each of us! And how she helps us to begin again and again and again.

That’s what consecration to Mary does for us… she helps us to give ourselves to God, be set apart for Him in order to live out His purposes and His destiny for us ever more fully.
For God is able to do amazing things in us and through us when we give ourselves completely to Him. 
When we live with complete confidence in His protection, love and care He has for us, we are given the grace to live and become ever more fully the person God truly created us to be! 
We become more and more open to God's promptings and the Holy Spirit and develop an ever-greater intimacy with God with the help of Our Mother Mary’s intercession, help and guidance.

This is how she helps us in the easiest, surest, quickest way to become saints!

Our Lady of America Revelations
 

Briefly, I wanted to share a glimpse into the visions and messages of Jesus, Mary and Joseph that were given here in America. These messages were given episcopal approval and are known as the apparitions of Our Lady of America, for when Mary came, that is how Mary introduced herself. 

Because we are consecrating America, I thought it very fitting to share a few thoughts from these apparitions each day of our novena, but for a more exhaustive reading of these events and messages please see here: 

https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/p/our-lady-of-america.html

In particular, as we prepare to consecrate ourselves to Jesus through Mary and Joseph on May 1^st, the feast day of St. Joseph the worker, I will be sharing one or two revelations that St. Joseph gave about himself for us to reflect on, ponder and strive to put into practice in our lives - for it is not without reason that the bishops of the Church chose this day for our consecration.

These first two messages given to us from St. Joseph are about fatherhood, which is so gravely attacked and denigrated in our modern world.

As you pray through these revelations, please pray for all fatherhood to be revived and lived in all its fullness not only in families but also in the Church.

All fatherhood is a living reflection of God, Our Heavenly Father on earth, and thus it has immense power and influence.

We have all seen this in our lives. Fatherhood truly lived brings forth untold good, while fatherhood poorly lived or rejected brings about tremendous and untold destruction.

So as we read through these revelations, let us also pray:

Dear Holy Family, especially St. Joseph, intercede for all fathers and families.

We pray for all hearts to be open to seeking help and inspiration from you.

We ask you to guard and protect all families and the Church.  

We ask you to be with and pour forth grace upon all priests and fathers of families. May they be inspired and be given every grace to fully live their immensely important vocations - each one living in purity and respect for the spouse, with hearts aflame to be fully united to the Will of the Father as they take up their crosses. In this way they will become living icons of Jesus and the Heavenly Father’s self-sacrificing love. 

St. Joseph, pray and intercede that all fathers strive to be protectors, guardians and spiritual leaders as they seek to do all that is necessary to care for and bless their children – not only physically, but also in regards to our souls.

Dear St. Joseph, protector of the Church and families, we entrust our families and our Church, our fathers, our priests, bishops and the Pope to you – guard and guide and take care of them and all of our needs - while leading all of us ever closer to Jesus and Mary. We ask this in Jesus' Name, Amen.

"On March 11, 1958,
         Our Lady said to me:

“St. Joseph will come on the eve of his feast. Prepare yourself well. There will be a special message. 

My holy spouse has an important part to play in bringing peace to the world.”

St. Joseph came as was promised and these are the words he spoke at this time:

“Kneel down, my daughter, for 

what you will hear and what you will write will bring countless souls to a new way of life.

Through you, small one, 

the Trinity desires to make known to souls Its desire to be adored, honored, and loved within the kingdom, the interior kingdom of their hearts.

“I bring to souls the purity of my life and the obedience that crowned it.

1. ALL FATHERHOOD IS FROM GOD. IT MUST TAKE ONCE AGAIN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE AMONG MEN.

The Heavenly Father has blessed all fatherhood through me and continues to do so till the end of time.

My fatherhood extends to all God’s children – and together with Mary we watch over you with great love and care.

“Fathers must come to me, small one, to learn obedience to authority: to the Church always, as the mouthpiece of God, to the laws of the country in which they live, insofar as these do not go against God and their neighbor.

“Let fathers also imitate my great purity of life and the deep respect I held for my Immaculate Spouse. Let them be an example to their children and fellow-men, never willfully doing anything that would cause scandal among God’s people.

“Fatherhood is from God, and it must take once again its rightful place among men.”

2. WE LEARN TRUE UNION WITH THE DIVINE WILL THROUGH ST. JOSEPH:

"Fathers must imitate me in my obedience and purity: perfect obedience to the Divine Will and great purity of life and deep respect for your spouse. Be an example to your children and fellowmen.

Joseph appeared with his flaming heart lying on a cross:

The cross, my little one, upon which my heart rests is the cross of the passion, which was ever present before me, causing me intense suffering. 

I desire souls to come to my heart that they may learn true union with the Divine Will."

Novena Prayers

The Novena prayers are simple, but are rooted in the messages Our Lady has reiterated and given to us again and again in all her apparitions. She comes, especially in these times of such sin and darkness, to try to save us.

So, let us listen to her call and strive to live them ever more fully.

They are:

Pray the full Rosary,

Read Scripture together as a family each day,

Make the Eucharist the center of your life (we can still do this interiorly if not physically during this time of quarantine through our Spiritual Communions, and visits to Church to pray in front of the tabernacle if they are open, etc.),

Fast twice a week on Wednesdays and Friday on bread and water and

Go to Confession at least monthly (again, if you are unable make frequent heartfelt acts of contrition)…

And each day of this novena, pray especially during the 3 O’clock hour (if possible):

·      an act of contrition (in place of or in addition to confession)

·      an act of spiritual communion (in place of or in addition to going to Mass and receiving communion;

·      the Divine Mercy Chaplet

·      the Rosary - consecrating and entrusting ourselves and all our loved ones - especially all the fathers in our lives to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.  

For more information on renewing fatherhood through Consecration to St. Joseph, please see here:  

https://www.consecrationtostjoseph.org/introduction.html

See also: https://www.ourladyofamerica.com/truestory/The_True_Story_Part_1.pdf

Day 1: 9 Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph - In Union with our Bishops!

9 Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and St. Joseph

April 23 - May 1st 2020 

Today is 9 days before our bishopsand the bishops of Canada re-consecrate our countries to Mary, Mother of the Church.

May we join them!

May each of us use this time to consecrate ourselves to Mary with the help of St. Joseph in order to live fully for Jesus as they did. Many of us fear that besides the sickness and death this Wuhan virus is bringing, it is also bringing another even more insidious virus of communism – as our rights, which we voluntary offered for the good of all, are now being demanded and even stripped of us in greater and greater ways.

With this in mind, it is comforting to consider that St. Joseph the Worker’s feast day, on May 1^st (the day of our country’s re-consecration), was instituted, in part, to combat the spread of communism.  The Pope looked to St. Joseph, who had guarded Jesus and Mary so diligently, to guard the Church and its people from this satanic threat.

Also, it is exciting to realize that this first day of the novena is the feast of St. George, the dragon slayer!

Let us remember we have the intercession of St. George and all of the saints and angels on our side as we enter this battle with the evil one that is trying to destroy not only our health, but our Church and our right to worship and our country (countries) as well.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood. You have also forgotten the exhortation addressed to you as sons:

“My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord

or lose heart when reproved by him;

for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines;

he scourges every son he acknowledges.”

Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline? Hebrews 12: 1- 7

Remember also that we have the Rosary as our spiritual weapon!

“I am quite sure that we don’t believe enough in the power of the Rosary.

As you know priests and religious make a retreat every year. The second day of the retreat I attended this year (2002) was led by Fr Gabriele Amorth, the exorcist for the diocese of Rome. He told us that once when he was performing an exorcism the demon said to him, “every Hail Mary is another blow on my head. If Christians knew the power of the Rosary my power would be finished.”

So in that sense we could say that every Hail Mary of the Rosary is a rose being given to Our Lady. If we knew the power of the Rosary, the power of Satan would be finished. David conquered Goliath with a slingshot. We can conquer evil through the Rosary. When the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima one entire household in Hiroshima survived. How? They claimed afterwards that it was due to their praying the Rosary. I think God allows events like the salvation of that household to occur in order to teach us if we have eyes to see and ears to hear.”

So, please join me in answering Mary's call to Pray, pray, pray! I'm putting together this novena of prayers today to join with the American bishops in consecrating or (re-consecrating) ourselves to Jesus through Mary on St. Joseph's feast day! 

Nothing transforms society and the world around us better than holiness, humility and prayer. We must hold fast to the belief that with the Rosary even seemingly impossible situations can change. Our Lady has given us the answer through her messages!

To be confirmed in the power of these messages, watch this talk by Jesse Romero, who speaks on these 5 stones Our Lady has given us in Medjugorje: the Rosary, Scripture, Eucharist, Fasting and Confession!
It's awesome! Be inspired and ignited to live Our Mother's call now more than ever and understand more than ever these are spiritual weapons against satan.
Start at 2:50:11:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHIBuHhgp0w&t=2s

The actual Novena prayers I'm suggesting are simple:

For the next 9 days, read these short articles I'll be putting out to help grow in understanding of Consecration and living complete entrustment to God.

Also, please pray during the 3 O'clock hour if possible:

•  an act of contrition (in place of or in addition to confession)
• an act of spiritual communion (in place of or in addition to going to Mass and receiving communion;
• the Divine Mercy Chaplet
• the Rosary

Lastly, let us consider:

1. What is Total Consecration?
It is giving ourselves – entrusting ourselves – completely to God in and through and with Mary.

2. Why should we make our total consecration?
Because, it’s the most important thing we can do
to know and love Jesus more deeply,
to fully become the saints whom God created us to be,
and because it is God’s will for us to do so in order to save the world. To remind us, Sister Lucia said:

“World war or world peace depends on the practice of ... consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary… most of all because that is Our Lord’s will and also our dearest Heavenly Mother’s."

3. Things to Consider:
Because Consecration brings about such grace,
is such a powerful means to greater union with God and
because it’s so vitally important not only for us but for the whole world,
know that you will be greatly tempted not to begin this consecration or to stop once you’ve started.
Satan will tempt you with a million excuses for you not to do it or for why you can’t continue.
There will be thoughts that come to you against this devotion.
There will be thoughts against making it again as you’ve done it before… and to what use?
There will be thoughts against Mary
or thoughts against ourselves because satan tells us we are unable or unworthy or too sinful,
or thoughts against each other regarding the same…
There will be things, activities, commitments that come up – you may miss days – but I encourage you:
Do not let any of this, or anything stop you!
No other plans are more important.
And once you’ve begun, if you miss a day, don’t give into the temptation to stop.
Begin again… catch up.

God will meet us where we are!
None of us can or will do this perfectly.
This is not about perfection, but growing in faith and trust.
It is not a test, but a journey with and in the School of Our Lady.
It is a time to draw closer to God and to Truth - in and through His Mother -who is our secret weapon against satan, who is absolutely crushed by Mary's humility as Genesis foretells us:  

“and she will crush your head” Gen. 3:15.

During this time know, remember we are consecrating ourselves to Holy Family - to the big three - Jesus, Mary and Joseph! 

Jesus who has conquered satan, sin and death forever on the Cross! He has already won the victory!

Mary who is the head crusher of satan!

And Joseph, the Terror of Demons!

So we can pray with confidence, entrusting ourselves completely to them, without fear!

Remembering the power of Consecration to change the world! 

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you! Save souls!

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Mary Knows Us in Our Deepest Need and Comes to Be With Us

As I've been praying throughout Holy Thursday evening and night and into today, Good Friday morning - I haven't been able to get this image from the movie Passion of the Christ, out of my mind - it is when Mary senses where Jesus is imprisoned in a dungeon beneath her and prostrates herself over the spot in order to be with Him.

O, what similar love does Mary have for each of us!
She knows where each of us is imprisoned (in our sins, fears, past, by the lies we believe, etc...) and she comes to us in our suffering and pain to be with us.

O, Mary, my dearest Mother, thank you for loving us so deeply!

Thank you for coming to us to be with us (daily!) for nearly 39 years in Medjugorje to be present to us in this extraordinary way in this time of grace in which you give us messages that will lead us to freedom!

Mary we consecrate ourselves, our families and these Holiest Days of the year - this Sacred Triduum, to you! May we allow you to lead us ever closer to Your Son by living your messages:
to pray with the heart, especially through:

Making Holy Mass the center of our lives,
Praying the whole Rosary each day
Making a good Confession once a month,
Praying the Scripture together with our family each day, and
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, (which can stop wars - so often these wars are the ones that are raging in our souls).

Please know you and your loved ones are in my thoughts and prayers especially during these days of the pandemic and isolation. Please also pray for me and my loved ones as well.

You can watch the full movie, Passion of the Christ, here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4k1uExAOa4

© Janet Moore 2020. All rights reserved. 

Lorica or Breastplate of St. Patrick - Know the Peace that God Surrounds You and is With You Always

St. Paul tells us how to do battle against evil. He wrote:

Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6: 10-17)

I wrote earlier of St. Patrick, but wanted to add this addition to go deeper into St. Patrick's full Lorica prayer that he used as an armor of God that St. Paul tells us of above.
St. Patrick reminded himself daily how mighty and glorious God was and that he was under his protection. May these words of St. Paul and this incredible prayer of St. Patrick be a breastplate and shield of faith for us - especially in these times of such fear.

May they help us to know we are never alone.
Our God is infinite.
He created us and He is in control.
He pours His strength into us
and is with us as He promised, saying to us:  
"Behold, I AM WITH YOU always unto the end of the ages!" 

Hold fast to your faith.
During this time of social distancing and quarantine, may we take the time to turn off the news and open our Bibles
- to come to a deeper awareness of God's presence in us and around us,
like St. Patrick...

May we fill our minds with the Truth of Scripture ...
beginning with these Scriptures and these prayers of St. Patrick that I offer-
to help us to come to know the peace that surpasses understanding that God has for us:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4: 4-9)

Rest in these words.
Meditate on them.
Think of them again and again and again...
And then pray these words of St. Patrick as well...
 
The Lorica of St. Patrick
(also called St. Patrick’s “breastplate”):

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ’s birth with His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion with His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection with His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In the predictions of prophets,
In the preaching of apostles,
In the faith of confessors,
In the innocence of holy virgins,
In the deeds of righteous men.

I arise today, through
The strength of heaven,
The light of the sun,
The radiance of the moon,
The splendor of fire,
The speed of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of the sea,
The stability of the earth,
The firmness of rock.

I arise today, through
God’s strength to pilot me,
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to save me
From snares of devils,
From temptation of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
afar and near.

I summon today
All these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel and merciless power
that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man’s body and soul;
Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me an abundance of reward.

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ in me,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,

Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
of the Creator of creation.
Amen.

Know of my great love for you and that each of you are in my prayers. I consecrate you all to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Know we are safe and well in their arms. 

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.

An Evil Spirit of this Kind is Only Driven out by Prayer and Fasting

Help for fasting on this Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent:

"Prayer is greatly aided by fasting and watching and every kind of bodily chastisement. In this regard each of you must do what you can. Thus, the weaker will not hold back the stronger, and the stronger will not press the weaker. You owe your conscience to God. But to no one else do you owe anything more except that you love one another."
— St. Augustine

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.

How Can Praying and Fasting Become a Joy?

Help for fasting this Friday of the 1st Week of Lent:

On January 25, 2001, Our Lady the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje gave us the following message:

"Dear children! Today I call you to renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you. Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil. Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future. I am with you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God. That is why draw closer to God and put Him in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Actually, this message is one of the themes that Our Blessed Mother has repeated again and again throughout her time with us these past nearly 40 years in Medjugorje. Why?

When we read these words, can we not agree and recognize and even ask ourselves:
Are we not living in the midst of a great battle?
Can we see the great battle for souls that is taking place in our time?
Not only externally, but internally - within us?

So often we read things only once, but when we read something again and again -it enables us to ponder it and truly take it to heart.
So let's reread this message:

"renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you."

It is a beautiful message:  

"Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil."

Mary tells us that prayer and fasting is the antidote for fear and unbelief - the evils that most torment our souls:

 "Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future"

Our Blessed Mother comes to bring us peace: 

"I am with you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God."

Each Wednesday and Friday, especially, Our Lady calls us to go deeper into prayer with the aid of fasting. When we fast it helps us realize ever more fully how much God loves us and longs to take care of us.
Why else would He be sending His Mother to us daily for so long?:

 "That is why draw closer to God and put Him in the first place in your life."

When we put prayer first place in our lives, then our prayer truly becomes an encounter with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit -
and thus, it becomes a joy - for we are encountering the ever-living God!!!

Imagine!
How wondrous it is that we can reach out in prayer and be in communion with the God?!
Who not only created all the heavens and the earth -
all that is seen and unseen in the universe
Who not only created everything around me, but each of us as well!
Imagine!
He fore-ordained each of us -
He knit us in our mother's wombs!
He knows when we sit and stand
Imagine!
He knows every thought before we think it...
And has numbered ever hair on our head!
Imagine!
His intimate and intricate care that He took in forming each of us
And then sustaining us...
Never ceasing to breathe His life in us
with each breath we take
Never ceasing to cause our heart to beat at each moment
out of pure unadulterated love!
What wondrous love is this?!

It is this God Whom we encounter in prayer and fasting!
It is this God Who not only created and fashioned every part of us
so each of us can reflect His glory in a unique and utterly irrepeatable way
But Who also became one of us
Imagine!
a man like us in all things but sin
to redeem us
to carry our burdens
to take on the guilt and shame and death that our sins deserved
to save us and make us whole!
To transform us and make us new
through the power of His Life, Death and Resurrection!
Imagine!
Contemplate and ponder these things!

We are WHOLLY BELOVED -
a CHILD OF GOD destined for incomparable bliss in Him
Not only in heaven for all eternity
but EVEN NOW
in prayer,
for we ENCOUNTER HIM and COMMUNE with Him and know Him in prayer
with the help of fasting (which helps us to rid ourselves of the selfishness, self-absorption and sin that torments us and steals away our peace that keeps us from being able to pray)
We are enabled to come to KNOW GOD more and more fully
And realize His Presence shines LIGHT in our darkness
EVEN NOW!
Even now, the more we know Him (through prayer and fasting)
the more we are able to seek and find Him
He, Who would never leave us or forsake us
and we receive Him ever more fully through
HIS WORDS that are living and effective and touch us to the core of our being
HIS BODY AND BLOOD that feed and nourish us on our daily journey
HIS SACRAMENTS
especially of RECONCILIATION in which we receive His Love and Mercy
In all these ways through our prayer we come to truly know He is With Us Always
He has not left us orphans
So HIS LIFE begins to fill us ever more fully until
HIS JOY permeates and transforms us
even in the midst of great suffering
HIS HOPE abides in us even in the midst of deep mourning
HIS GRACE is with us even in the darkest turmoil
FAITH IN HIM even in the midst of war - this great battle for our souls-
for HIS LOVE casts out all fear
and we are made ever more Holy
ever more like Him
because we are ever more in united with Him
and begin to see Him as He is.

This is why Our Blessed Mother ceaselessly asks us to pray and fast.
This is why she is present,
for we are weak...
we are frail and we need her help
to begin again and again and again
we need to be reminded to pray ever more ceaselessly
until prayer becomes a joy for us
until it becomes NEW LIFE IN CHRIST for us.

O, Immaculate Mother, thank you for your presence among us!
Thank you for your tireless messages calling us to pray and fast...
Thank you for your ceaseless love and prayers that lead us ever deeper into God's love and mercy.
May we receive and enter more deeply into God's love in this time of grace by responding to your call. We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved. 

What Have the Popes Said and Done about Medjugorje?

For nearly 39 years, it is said that Mary, the Mother of God has been appearing on earth daily.
If this is true, what an extraordinary and incomparable grace God is giving the world?!
But, what are we to believe?
Do we not look to the Church for guidance? And if to the Church, is not the Pope the highest authority?
Therefore, let us look to what the Holy Fathers have said and done (who have been alive during the time of these reported apparitions) for guidance:

Most recently, what has Pope Francis done regarding Medjugorje?

Pope Francis installed his official representative in Medjugorje, an Apostolic Visitor, Archbishop Hoser, to live there in 2018 indefinitely, after first being sent to Medjugorje in 2017 to study it for 3 months. His reports are glowing.
Pope Francis announced in May 2019 that Bishops and priests are free to lead their dioceses and parishes on pilgrimages to Medjugorje.

What did Pope Benedict XVI do regarding Medjugorje?

As prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, before he became Pope, he established a Yugoslavian Bishops Commission to study Medjugorje – taking away all authority from the local bishop in 1986, following Bishop Zanic’s rejection of years of scientific study that supported the apparitions and his subsequent negative decision that he submitted. Instead of accepting the negative decision by the bishop, Cardinal Ratzinger dissolves the bishop's diocesan Commission, and convenes a new Commission of all the Yugoslavian Bishops in the region.
• According to Bishop Zanic, Cardinal Ratzinger told him forthright: "No, you are going to dissolve your diocesan commission. The verdict is transferred to the Bishops Conference."

As Pope Benedict XVI, he established a Vatican Commission to further study the reported ongoing apparitions. The report of the 4-year long Papal Commission overwhelming voted to declare the first 7 days of apparitions as supernatural. With the apparitions ongoing, no specific determination was made for the rest. The commission also cited that Medjugorje should be considered a Marian Shrine.

What did St. Pope John Paul II say regarding Medjugorje?
St. John Paul II personally believed in Medjugorje and spoke highly about it with Bishops and priests, stating such things as:

• Mary’s coming to Medjugorje was an answer to his prayers. 
• Medjugorje is the continuation and extension of Fatima. 
• The fall of Communism in Poland should not be credited to him; but it is the work of Mary in Medjugorje and Fatima. 
• “Today people have lost the supernatural. They find it in Medjugorje.” 
• “Medjugorje is the Spiritual Heart of the World” and “the Hope of the World”
• "Our Lady of Medjugorje will save America!"

1988: "Pray for me in Medjugorje. [...] Medjugorje is the spiritual heart of the world." (Pope John Paul II to bishop of Florianopolis (Brazil), Maurillo Kreiger)

August 1, 1989 address by the Pope to a group of Italian physicians dedicated to defending unborn life and to making scientific and medical studies on the apparition, [at which they lamented to Pope John Paul II of the Bishop Zanic’s rejection of their findings]:
"Today the world has lost the supernatural. Many people sought it and found it in Medjugorje through prayer, fasting, and through confession."
 
Reported by Bishop Paul Hnilica, SJ, Auxiliary Bishop of Rome, who then added: “For me personally, this is the strongest explicit witness about Medjugorje…The Pope, for his part, recognized … supernatural events are really at work in Medjugorje. Through many sources, the Pope came to the conviction that God can be experienced in this place.”

Mirjana Soldo, one of the visionaries attests to her meeting with St. John Paul II in her book. She speaks of their conversation, saying that John Paul II said:
• "Please ask the pilgrims in Medjugorje to pray for my intentions…I know all about Medjugorje I've followed the messages from the beginning. Please, tell me what it's like for you when Our Lady appears."
• "Take good care of Medjugorje, Mirjana. Medjugorje is the hope for the entire world."
• "If I were not the pope, I would have gone to Medjugorje a long time ago."
• She writes: “I will never forget the love that radiated from the Holy Father. What I felt with him is similar to what I feel when I am with Our Lady, and looking into his eyes was just like looking into hers.
• Later, a priest told me that the pope had been interested in Medjugorje from the very beginning, because right before our apparitions started, he had been praying for Our Lady to appear again on Earth.
"I cannot do it all alone, Mother," he prayed. "In Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland and so many other communist countries, people cannot freely practice their faith. I need your help, dear Mother."
 According to this priest, when the pope heard that Our Lady had appeared in a tiny village in a communist country, he immediately thought Medjugorje had to be an answer to his prayers.
[John Paul II was shot on May 13, 1981 - the reported Marian Apparitions in Medjugorje began on June 24, 1981 - just a little over a month later.]

The Church also tells us to judge apparitions by their fruits and their faithfulness to the teachings of the Church. 
Here are the fruits and the messages:

Approximately 50 million people have traveled to Medjugorje since its beginnings in 1981. They speak of it as being the place of untold peace, a place where heaven has come down to earth.
Reports of innumerable conversions and hundreds (if not thousands) of vocations from Medjugorje are undeniable.
Liturgical life is the center of Medjugorje and is at the center of the reported messages of Our Blessed Mother, who asks us to make Mass the center of our lives, to pray the rosary and read Scripture daily with the heart, to fast twice a week, and to confess our sins at least once a month.
She is said to have first appeared on the feast of St. John the Baptist. In essence she comes to bring souls back to Jesus, back to God, back to His Church in this time of unparalleled unbelief and darkness, she is voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord, saying: “Repent and Believe in the Gospel. The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand.”
 
Some of her first reported words were:

“I have come to tell you God exists.
“My dear children, I am with you. I am your Mother. Do not be afraid of anything. I will protect you. I will help you. I will guide you.”…
“I am the Queen of Peace, and I have come my dear children, because my Son has sent me to help you.  My dear children, peace, peace and only peace. My dear children, there must be peace. Peace must reign on this earth. My dear children, peace must reign between God and man and among people. My dear children, this world and this humanity is finding itself in a great danger and there is a threat that it will destroy itself.”

Now it is up to each of us to decide. If God is really sending his Mother to us daily, do you not think He would like us to respond?
Wouldn't this be the most unfathomable gift?!

He told his disciples when he sent them out to proclaim the good news, saying: “You shall be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). 

What better witness than the Mother of God?

Saying further regarding those he sends: "Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; and whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.” Luke 10: 16

Dear Jesus, may we never reject you or those you send as your messengers. Amen. 

For more references and information see:
https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/10/medjugorje-in-st-john-paul-iis-own-words.html
https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/10/vatican-confirms-medjugorje-approval-by.html
https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-deep-connections-between-saint-john.html
https://enteringintothemystery.blogspot.com/2019/03/what-are-we-to-believe-about-medjugorje.html

 

Innumerable Reasons the Chief Exorcist of Rome proclaims Medjugorje "A Fortress Against Satan"

Saint Pope John Paul II and Medjugorje

What is the Holy Father's Mission In Medjugorje?

Installment of the Apostolic Visitor in Medjugorje: "Sign of a Great Respect and Recognition ... The Act Through Which the Church Officially Recognized the Good Fruits of Medjugorje"

Do the Papal Envoy's Words Mean Vatican Approval for Medjugorje is Near?

Medjugorje... Over 33 Years of Reported Apparitions - Should We Believe?

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.