Medjugorje Message: December 25, 2020
Dear children! I am carrying to you little Jesus who brings you peace, Him who is the past, present and future of your existence. Little children, do not permit for your faith and hope in a better future to be extinguished, because you are chosen to be witnesses of hope in every situation. That is why I am here with Jesus that He may bless you with His peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.
River of Light
January 2021
Christmas has been Covid-stricken, but the message of Jesus given to us anew continues to radiate hope and love for this world which has felt so deprived of it. In Our Lady’s Christmas message, as always, she comes “carrying little Jesus who brings you peace.” On December 25th, the Medjugorje visionaries always see Mary holding the newborn baby Jesus in her arms as she gives her message to the world. This sight surely confounds our sense of TIME and REASON, but since the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary are an inbreaking of Heaven onto our earth-plane, they are also an inbreaking of Eternity into Time—enabling past, present and future to mix and mingle in ways normally “impossible” for our human time-space continuum of boundaried limitations.
Our Lady “explains”—inasmuch as explanation is possible—by adding that this Baby is “Him who is the past, present and future of your existence.” This one profound phrase encapsulates the mystery and paradox of our threefold Advent “waiting”—simultaneously—for the coming of the Baby in Bethlehem over 2,000 years in the PAST; the coming of Christ into our own hearts in each PRESENT moment; and the “Second,” FUTURE coming of Jesus Christ at the end of all earth-time. This future coming is also, for each of us individually, “the hour of our death” for which we ask Our Lady to “pray” in every Hail Mary.
This Christmas message of Our Lady Queen of Peace reminds us that in the Incarnation, God the Creator brought to this small, fragile planet in a far-flung galaxy of one universe among billions, the GIFT of PEACE—the Blessed Assurance of ultimate salvation from destruction and death, and a privileged place in God’s heart and kingdom forever, for all eternity! This “blessed assurance,” once realized, accepted and believed—though never fully understood by our small human minds—should give us the “peace that passes understanding” (Phil 4:7) and banish from our hearts all FEAR of any “ultimate harm” coming to us!
Sadly, we who claim to be Christians—followers of Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word of God, born as a baby in Bethlehem—are often as “peace-less” and fearful, negative and cynical, depressed and hopeless as non-believers, failing to give witness to those despairing souls around us of the “Blessed Assurance” and surpassing PEACE that is ours in the Lord Jesus Christ: a peace offered to every single person on the planet!
In these dark days of the coronavirus pandemic that has plagued our world for a whole year, with one in 1,000 people dying each day in our country alone, nearly every person has now been touched by the tragic loss of life in their own family or among their extended relations. So we are now a planet plunged into grief and sadness, compounded by the ongoing need to be physically distant from each other for safety as the virus rages on. Along with this grief is the rampant anxiety of food and housing insecurity caused by job loss and escalating poverty.
In addition, a heavy malaise of discouragement has settled upon our country as a result of the political unrest and unprecedented assault on our democracy that has occurred in the past few years, deeply dividing a nation that once proudly lived the truth of “E Pluribus Unum” —“Out of the many, One.” Indeed, this unity in diversity was our hallmark and what truly “made America great.” But after years of bitter divisiveness between political parties (turned personality cult), many have lost faith in the unifying American ideals that once held our social fabric together in a way that served as a shining beacon of light to the whole world. Indeed, the whole world has watched in horror the “fall” of America from its once-admired position as the “city on a hill” that welcomed all to the hope of a better life. Many have lost confidence that we can ever be that unified people of inspirational HOPE again.
Our Lady says, “Little children, do not permit for your faith and hope in a better future to be extinguished, because you are chosen to be witnesses of hope in every situation.” We who are baptized Christians are meant to be the “salt that seasons” and “yeast that leavens” every situation with “faith and hope in a better future.” Why? Because we have been given the gift of “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. St. Paul said, “We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who sleep in death, so that you may not grieve like those who have no hope.” (1 Thess 4:13)
All around us today we see people whose “hope in a better future” has been “extinguished” by the dire circumstances of our socio-economic/cultural/public health crisis and its massive, mounting death toll. But we who belong to Our Lady and her Son must “not permit our faith and hope in a better future to be extinguished, because [we] are chosen to be witnesses of hope in every situation.” We were chosen to be living witnesses to Christ in this particular moment of history which is our “situation” as the year 2021 dawns.
For those who are dying and losing loved ones to death in the pandemic, we witness faith and hope in these souls’ eternal life that has not in fact “ended” at all, but only just begun! For those who are struggling with anxiety, fear, anguish and emotional despair caused by economic loss, the loneliness of social isolation, or troubled interpersonal relations damaged by the anger, rage, and intolerance of the demonic spirit of division unleashed upon our land, we witness “faith and hope in a better future” for everyone living—when peace and mutual lovingkindness will be the primary shared value unifying us beyond all ideological differences and egoic battles. How do we do this?
As “witnesses” of un-extinguished, persevering faith and hope, we must enter the New Year with an alert, wakeful consciousness every day—keenly aware of our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions, that they may all, in a unified, holistic, concerted, cooperative and consistent way herald and proclaim one clear, strong, unchanging message: “faith and hope” in the “better future” that is everyone’s in Jesus Christ.
This will require an attitude of watchful vigilance over our own inner and outer life, “taking every thought captive to Christ” (2 Cor 10:5), and exercising discipline and restraint over our tongue, which can be “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8) In 2021, as “witnesses of hope in every situation,” may our mouths be only blessing—never cursing—others; always full of mercy, peace, forgiveness, goodwill and kindness. St. Paul says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.” (Col 4:6)
In order to steer the wicked tongue that loves sarcastic barbs toward only positive comments, we must first harness and bridle our thoughts: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or worthy of praise—THINK ABOUT these things.” (Phil 4:8) We must begin to DWELL only upon what is positive in any person, place, thing or situation we encounter, rather than seeking out and gravitating toward the negative and objectionable in the spirit of criticism, judgment, and condemnation, which are the fruits of Pharisaic, demonic ego that our Lord Jesus Christ prohibited most passionately: “Judge not lest you be judged.” (Mt 7:1)
In order to have our “feet fitted with the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15), to be the “witnesses” chosen by God, we must be anchored in the faith of this basic, universal truth: salvation from ultimate harm or death through Jesus Christ our Lord. Having this “blessed assurance” deep in our heart equips us to be “witnesses of hope in every situation.” Our Lady concludes her Christmas message, saying: “That is why I am here with Jesus that He may bless you with his peace.” His PEACE, given to us, “not as the world gives” (Jn4:27), prepares us for this great role to which we are called—to be for the world the only truly EFFECTIVE kind of witness: those who “do not let our hearts be troubled or afraid.” (Jn 4:27) Happy New Year!
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Annual Medjugorje Message to Jacov Colo: December 25, 2020
Dear children! Also today Jesus is here beside you, even when you think that you are alone and that light does not exist in your life. He is here and has never left you or distanced Himself from you. The light of His birth illuminates this world and your life. His Heart is always open towards you, to receive your every pain, every trial, fear and need. His arms are extended towards you, that as a father, He may embrace you and tell you how important you are for Him, how much He loves you and cares for His children. Children, is your heart open towards Jesus? Have you completely surrendered your life into His hands? Have you accepted Jesus as your father, to whom you can always turn and in Him find consolation and everything you need to live true faith? That is why, my children, surrender your hearts to Jesus and permit Him to begin to rule your lives, because only in this way, will you accept the present and be able to face the world in which you live today. With Jesus, every fear, suffering and pain disappear, because your heart accepts His will and everything that comes into your life. Jesus will give you the faith to accept everything and nothing will distance you from Him—because He firmly holds you by the hand and does not permit for you to distance and lose yourselves in difficult moments—because He has become the Lord of your life. I bless you with my motherly blessing.
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This Christmas, may our faith in the power of God’s love be renewed, for love alone can turn our sorrow into joy, our despair and fear into hope. Yes, Christ is born but the amazing wonder of Christmas is that Christ is born in you. God is coming not just to us but within us. If God is in us then it’s our task to cooperate with God in the unfolding of the future.
—Sr. Ilia Delio, OSF
Let us rejoice and give thanks: we have not only become Christians, but Christ himself. Stand in awe and rejoice: We have become Christ!
—St. John Paul II
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The Incarnation did not just happen when Jesus was born, although that is when we became aware of the human incarnation of God in Jesus. It seemingly took until 2,000 years ago for humanity to be ready for an “I/Thou” relationship with God. But matter and spirit have been one since “the beginning,” ever since God decided to manifest as creation. The spiritual/formless nature of reality and the material/ physical nature of reality…have always been one, ever since the Big Bang took place 13.7 billion years ago.
Our outer world and its inner significance must come together for there to be any wholeness and holiness. Jesus manifested in his body this one universal truth: matter is the hiding place for Spirit, forever offering itself to be discovered anew. The “beyond” is in the depths of “here.” God, the formless, eternal and timeless One manifests in what we call physicality, materiality, or the universe.
This means that everything we have ever seen with our physical eyes is the mystery of incarnation—“the Christ.” In Jesus of Nazareth is the “scandal of particularity,” where we see the mystery of the incarnation in one ordinary concrete moment—a vulnerable newborn baby in a feeding trough—and struggle with, fight, resist, and fall in love with it there. What is true in one particular place finally universalizes and is true everywhere.
Christianity believes that God and humanity truly coexist in the same body, in the same place! The overcoming of the divide between the Divine and the human was the whole point of the incarnation of God in Christ, and precisely what we celebrate on Christmas. Jesus came to model the full integration for us. It is the contemplative, non-dual mind that allows us to say yes to the infinite mystery of Jesus and infinite mystery that we are to ourselves. They are finally the same mystery.
—Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
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“A Light Shines in the Darkness” –John’s Gospel
A light shone in the darkness. Christmas is about light being seen inside of darkness. Christmas, Christ being born in our world, is very much about finding God inside of what’s commonplace and inside even the darkness of sin, violence, war, greed, and the indifference everywhere. How do we do that?
We live in a world where what we see is often simply bitterness, wound, non-forgiveness, anger, greed, false pride, lust, injustice, and sin. Where do we see light inside of that? Our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, wounds, and virtues form the prism through which we see. The task is to link our eyesight to the virtues of Christmas:
Christmas speaks of childlikeness, wonder, innocence, joy, love, forgiveness, family, community, and giving. When we are in touch with these, we more easily see what’s special in ordinary life. These make light shine in the darkness. Like the shepherds we’re asked to “watch in the night” and we’re watching when, in our hearts, there is more wonder than familiarity, more childlike trust than cynicism, more love than indifference, more forgiveness than bitterness, more joy in our innocence than in our sophistication, and more focus on others than on ourselves. Christmas is meant to soften the heart, which sharpens the eyesight.
—Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI
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The symbol of Christmas—what is it? It is the rainbow arched over the roof of the sky when the clouds are heavy with foreboding. It is the cry of life in the newborn babe when, forced from its mother’s nest, it claims its right to live. It is the brooding Presence of the Eternal Spirit making crooked paths straight, rough places smooth, tired hearts refreshed, dead hopes stir with newness of life. It is the promise of tomorrow at the close of every day, the movement of life in defiance of death, and the assurance that love is sturdier than hate, that right is more confident than wrong, that good is more permanent than evil.
—Howard Thurman
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Jesus did not merely assume a human body and soul; He assumed the actual human condition in its entirety, including the instinctual needs of human nature and the cultural conditioning of His time. “The Word was made flesh” signifies that by taking the human condition upon Himself with all its consequences, Jesus introduced into the entire human family the principle of transcendence, giving the evolutionary process a decisive thrust toward God-consciousness.
The joy of Christmas is the intuition that all limitations to growth into higher states of consciousness have been overcome. The Divine Light cuts across all darkness, prejudice, preconceived ideas, false expectations, phoniness and hypocrisy. It presents us with the truth. To act out of the truth is to make Christ grow not only in ourselves, but in others. The humdrum duties and events of daily life become sacramental, shot through with eternal implications.
The light of Christmas is an explosion of insight changing our whole idea of God. Our childish ways of thinking of God are left behind. As we turn our enchanted gaze toward the Babe in the crib, our inmost being opens to the new consciousness that the Babe has brought to the world.
—Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO
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A tremendous spiritual event took place, something which disclosed the very nature of God and His relation to the Universe. But there was little to show for it on the surface of life. All men saw was a poor girl unconditionally submitted to God’s Will, and a baby born in difficult circumstances. And this contrast between the outward appearance and the inner reality is true of all the comings of God to us. We must be very loving and very alert if we want to recognize them in their earthly disguise. Again and again he comes and the revelation is not a bit what we expect.
—Evelyn Underhill
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Wisdom from Pope Francis
“To us a child is born”: an “us” without any borders, privileges or exclusions. The Child born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem was born for everyone, given to the entire human family. Thanks to this Child, we can all call one another brothers and sisters, for so we truly are.
At this moment in history, marked by the ecological crisis and grave economic and social imbalances only worsened by the coronavirus pandemic, it is all the more important for us to acknowledge one another as brothers and sisters. God has made this unity possible by giving us his Son Jesus. The fraternity he offers us has nothing to do with fine words, abstract ideals or vague sentiments.
It is a fraternity grounded in genuine love, making it possible for me to encounter others different from myself, feeling compassion for their sufferings, drawing near to them and caring for them even though they do not belong to my family, my ethnic group or my religion. For all their differences, they are still my brothers and sisters. The same is true of relationships between nations: brothers and sisters all!
We cannot allow the various forms of nationalism closed in on themselves to prevent us from living as the truly human family that we are. Nor can we allow the virus of radical individualism make us indifferent to the suffering of other brothers and sisters.
In the face of a challenge that knows no borders, we cannot erect walls. All of us are in the same boat. In everyone I see reflected the face of God, and in those who suffer, I see the Lord pleading for my help. May the Child of Bethlehem help us, then, to be generous, supportive and helpful.
—Urbi et Orbi Message, Christmas 2020
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Mark Your Calendar [ai1ec view=”agenda”]
To reject the contemplative dimension of any religion is to reject the religion itself, however loyal one may be to its externals and rituals. This is because the contemplative dimension is the heart and soul of every religion. It initiates the movement into higher states of consciousness. The great wisdom teachings of the Vedas, Upanishads, Buddhist Sutras, Old and New Testaments, and the Koran bear witness to this truth. Right now there are about two billion Christians on the planet. If a significant portion of them were to embrace the contemplative dimension of the gospel, the emerging global society would experience a powerful surge toward enduring peace. If this contemplative dimension of the Christian religion is not presented, the Gospel is not being adequately preached.
– Fr. Thomas Keating, OCSO
