Medjugorje Message: September 25, 2020
Dear children! I am with you for so long because God is great in His love and in my presence. I am calling you, little children: return to God and to prayer. May the measure of your [way of] living be love, and do not forget, little children, that prayer and fasting work miracles in you and around you. May everything you do be for the glory of God, and then Heaven will fill your heart with joy and you will feel that God loves you and is sending me to save you and the earth on which you live. Thank you for having responded to my call.
River of Light
October 2020
Our Lady’s message is filled with hope, even in these dark days of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic when our death toll in the USA has passed 200,000—more than our military lives lost in WWI, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm combined, and almost as many lives lost as in WWII. Added to the tragic illness and grief reflected in this grim statistic that is climbing daily, we have states on fire and other natural disasters related to climate change, ongoing social unrest in our streets over the issue of racism, and a population bitterly divided along political lines just weeks before a presidential election.
Still, as we approach the 40th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions in Medjugorje, she gives us reason to hope, saying, “I am with you for so long because God is great in His love and in my presence.” No other Marian apparition in history has lasted longer than a few messages or months, and in Medjugorje Our Lady said from the start that these would be “the last apparitions on earth.” Today she reminds us that they have happened “for so long” only because of God’s “great love” manifested in her “presence.” (Many believe that Our Lady’s apparitions will end after the biblically-significant forty years. If true, we are in our final days with Our Lady at Medjugorje.) But the great hope for our benighted and peaceless world is that God loves us through the Queen of Peace who has been sent to help us with her maternal guiding messages and the powerful greatness of God’s love contained in her “presence.”
She continues, “I am calling you, little children: return to God and to prayer. May the measure of your way of living be love, and do not forget, little children, that prayer and fasting work miracles in you and around you.” For 39 years, Our Lady has consistently, relentlessly, month-after-month, called us to PRAYER. Many people have discovered that the social “lockdown” of the pandemic has been a boon to their prayer life, as they naturally experience amidst this modern plague’s fear, loneliness, illness, powerlessness and desperation a “return to God and to prayer” as their only true solace and as the only sane and logical human response to make in this crisis.
Our Lady says, “May the measure of your way of living be love” —knowing full well what a daunting challenge this is for us, living as we are in the throes of a nationwide convulsion of anger, hatred, intolerance, resentment, judgment, and blame, standing on the precipice of total self-destruction as a burning rage-fest of self-righteousness threatens to destroy all sides in a “circular firing squad” that has been fueled and fed by a divisive leader and the insidious influence of social/mass media platforms that perform a daily targeted “brainwashing” of both “liberal” and “conservative” citizens caught in the crosshairs of a dangerous, deadly extremism. The fanatical “koolaid” of ideological extremism—whether “red” or “blue”—is death-dealing to our democracy, our national unity, our communal and individual peace, and, most importantly, to our souls and eternal salvation.
Given this perilous and contentious moment in our lives as a country and a species, Our Lady’s Gospel instruction that we measure our way of living by “LOVE” seems daunting indeed, for so many people are now struggling just to maintain speaking relationships with family and friends on opposite sides of the great cultural and political divides of our day. At no time since the Civil War have Americans felt so emotionally divided, at odds, or “pitted against” each other as we do today. And this tragic divisiveness has invaded and sickened once-close families with a relational contagion that rivals the destructive power of Covid-19. Indeed, it seems that we need a MIRACLE to begin a “way of living” that is love!
Understanding all of this, Our Lady says in the same sentence: “and do not forget, little children, that prayer and fasting work miracles in you and around you.” She knows that “miracles” are precisely what is needed at this dark time when so many of our earthly horrors will require love, unity, cooperation, and a collaborative spirit of mutual respect if they are to be resolved in favor of this world’s survival.
So we turn to PRAYER and FASTING: In the Gospel, Jesus revealed this “dynamic duo” of spiritual power as the only method by which certain demons (or ego-based illnesses) could be expelled. Without BOTH prayer and fasting undergirding their active ministry, the apostles were unable to perform the needed miracle healings. (Mt 17:21) Our Lady is reminding us that today we must approach our critically-ill, demonically-egoic world in this same “double-barreled” way in order to experience the miraculous healing we need for our “external” crises, such as the planetary/environmental destruction of our air, land and water; the devastation of an unchecked viral pandemic killing thousands daily; the looming economic doom of worldwide unemployment and poverty; the culture wars driven by violent hatred, historic resentments, unhealed racial/gender wounds; and the seemingly irreconcilable political divisions resulting from extremist factions being created/manipulated by an addictive electronic technology that is killing the civility and basic human respect in public discourse needed for civilizations to thrive amidst diversity by honoring differences within God’s creation.
But prior to addressing these “external” (“macro”) ills, first we need “miracles” for the (“micro”) interior sickness, disunity, chaos, anxiety, anger and depression that we each feel inside our individual minds, hearts and bodies. Our Lady says, “prayer and fasting work miracles IN you and AROUND you” —at both the “microcosm” and “macrocosm” levels of our one interwoven, holistic reality.
Healing on both levels will be necessary in order that our “way of living” (or lifestyle) may be marked and measured by LOVE. In our prayer intentions from now on, let us simply include this one heartfelt plea from Our Lady: “May LOVE be the measure of my lifestyle. May LOVE be the standard by which my every thought, word, and action is measured. May LOVE be the rule of my way of living in every respect.” Let us keep this intention central to ALL our prayer—whether liturgical, communal, private, meditative, or contemplative; spoken or unspoken, in rosaries or lectio divina on scripture; whether recited, read, or improvised. Let us pray for LOVE to be the measure of our whole, entire “way of living,” including this intention in every prayer.
FASTING: How can we fast, and from what can we fast? Fasting in Medjugorje is on bread and water alone, Wednesdays and Fridays. But there are many ways in which we can fast from food—e.g. completely eliminating certain foods on certain days, etc. In addition, Our Lady has suggested that we may fast from other substances and activities, as well. In light of the giant problems we are facing at this moment in history, we can choose to fast in ways that are meaningfully related to the problems. For example, if there is an excessive usage of natural resources or toxic/polluting products in our home, we can “fast” from using certain lights, electronic devices, or water-wasting habits; we can “fast” from plastic straws and other plastics that will end up in our oceans or landfills, and there are many other “Earth-caring” options for fasting.
If there are toxic or polluting influences and impressions entering our brains and psyche through social media, internet, or cable television, we can “fast” from Facebook or any other platform, website, or TV channel that tends to trigger us negatively and make it harder for LOVE to be the measure of our lifestyle. We can “fast” from these negative or love-obstructing influences on certain days or for certain hours every day. In addition, we can fast from engaging in the temptation to “share,” “like,” or “post” that snarky meme, comment, video, or other online content that fuels the blazing fire of division and polarization that so desperately needs to be HEALED by LOVE. And in conversation, we can “fast” from unkind or judgmental verbal comments in the same way, by “practicing the pause” before we speak, measure our words by LOVE, and many times “fast” from speech altogether, in favor of silence, “God’s first language.”
None of these suggested ways of fasting is easy. But coupled with prayer, Our Lady promises they will “work miracles in you and around you.” Just imagine how our world would transform if many, or most, people on planet Earth were practicing these few simple “fasts”!
If we find the twofold call to “pray and fast” difficult, Our Lady concludes her message by summarizing what “prayer and fasting” boil down to, in their essence, providing us with a spiritual “short cut” to holiness: “May everything you do be for the glory of God, and then Heaven will fill your heart with joy and you will feel that God loves you and is sending me to save you and the earth on which you live.” In 1 Corinthians 10:31, St. Paul writes: “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” And the motto of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola in 1540) is: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam,” meaning “For the greater glory of God,” with “A.M.D.G.” inscribed on everything they write. Thus this teaching is very old—an ancient formulation of the Christian path and goal, with many spiritual practices of the Church devoted to its realization: that we strive to do everything without exception “for the glory of God”—that is, to “glorify God in our body” (1 Cor 6:20) by all that we think, say, and do while alive on this earth.
This requires a quality of intention and mindfulness throughout our day, and an effort to pay attention continually to our motivations: Am I now speaking, writing, reading, sitting, praying, dressing, studying, eating, drinking, exercising, working, cooking, cleaning, socializing, bathing, brushing my teeth, using the restroom, sleeping, feeding my pet, budgeting, caregiving, decorating, taking out the trash, doing laundry, banking, traveling, driving, playing a sport, etc.—“for the glory of God”? To do so is to automatically make LOVE the “measure of our way of living,” for “God is love.” To do so is to automatically “pray and fast” because the awareness of God is itself PRAYER, and our intention toward God will cause us to naturally “fast” from anything (interior or exterior) that does not glorify the Divine Indwelling Presence within us from moment to moment.
Finally, Our Lady details for us the consequence of living with this “measure of love” that “glorifies God in everything“: “then Heaven will fill your heart with joy and you will feel that God loves you and is sending me to save you and the earth on which you live.” When our “way of living” is measured by love and giving glory to God/Love in all things, we will receive the Gospel promise that “the kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:21) This is the contemplative dimension of the Gospel that Our Lady of Medjugorje came to bring more fully into our human awareness, just as she brought the Incarnate Word into the world physically through her body, 2000 years ago, giving us Jesus as Son of Man, Christ, and Savior by her “yes” to the Motherhood of God. Again, in our own lifetime, Mary has been sent anew by God/Love to “save us and the earth on which we live” by leading us once more to her Son—this time not to His physical presence, but through PRAYER, to His Divine Indwelling Presence at our inmost center, so that we might allow His SPIRIT within us to animate all of our actions for the glory of God, thus saving from destruction our beautiful planet Earth and all of its creatures.
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Choose to perceive in every event today
the Presence of transforming grace.
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October: Month of the Holy Rosary
The Rosary is a simple contemplative prayer, accessible to all, great and small, the educated and those with little education. In the Rosary we turn to the Virgin Mary so that she may guide us to an ever closer union with her Son Jesus to bring us into conformity with him, to have his sentiments and to behave like him. Indeed, in the Rosary while we repeat the Hail Mary we meditate on the Mysteries, on the events of Christ’s life, so as to know and love him better. The Rosary is an effective means for opening ourselves to God. Each time we pray it, we are taking a step forward, towards the great destination of life—heaven.
—Pope Francis
I have come to realize that I am drawn into my heavenly Father’s fold while praying the Holy Rosary. It is in the focused recollection of our faith’s mysteries and repeated utterance of prayers that my thoughts are refined and my gaze restored. It is here that I need not search for words or perform deeds; I simply need to roll my fingers over the beads and pray the rosary, contemplating and remembering the beauty and graces our Savior affords.
—Jennifer Hubbard
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October 1: St. Therese of the Child Jesus
St. Therese recognized unerringly the weakness of pride and the strength of humility. Her way of spiritual childhood is the high road that leads in the footsteps of Christ crucified to the home he prepares for all who love. She died at age 24, having persevered through illness and interior trials in her “Little Way” of confidence and love. She is a Doctor of the Church.
“It is sufficient to acknowledge one’s nothingness and to abandon oneself like a child to God’s arms.”
—St. Therese of Lisieux
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Holy, holy, holy God,
I am a person of unclean lips—
I have said cruel words,
and have left unsaid kind ones.
I dwell among people of unclean lips—
there are bigoted words about
race, tradition, age, gender, orientation;
there are gossip and slander,
political deceit, false advertising,
corporate manipulation, religious hypocrisy.
Holy, holy, holy God,
purify my words and send me, angel-driven,
with your message for my world.
Amen.
—Maren Tirabassi and Joan Jordan Grant
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Prayer, love, spirituality, and religion are about ridding yourself of illusions. When religion brings that about, that’s wonderful! When it deviates from that, it is an illness, a plague to be avoided. Once illusions have been abandoned, the heart is unobstructed, and love takes hold. That’s when happiness occurs. That’s when change takes place. Only then will you know who God is.
—Fr. Anthony de Mello, SJ
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The sacred scriptures of all faiths call us to love as we have never loved before. This requires effort, vigilance, and radical humility. Violence is easier than nonviolence, yet hate only perpetuates hate. The wisdom teachings remind us that love—active, engaged, fearless love—is the only way to save ourselves and each other from the firestorm of war that rages around us. There is a renewed urgency to this task now. We are asked not only to tolerate the other, but also to actively engage the love that transmutes the lead of ignorance and hatred into the gold of authentic connection. This is the “narrow gate” Christ speaks of in the Gospels. Don’t come this way unless you’re willing to stretch, bend, and transform for the sake of love.
—Mirabai Starr
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“Fight for the things you believe in, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
—Ruth Bader Ginsburg
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What could it mean to find rest in a world such as ours? Every day more and more people are facing the catastrophe of extreme weather. The neurotic news cycle is increasingly driven by a single narcissistic leader whose words and deeds incite hatred, sow discord, and amplify the daily chaos. The pandemic that seems to be returning in waves continues to wreak suffering and disorder with no end in sight, and there is no guarantee of the future in an economy designed to protect the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor and those subsisting at the margins of society.
It’s no wonder the mental and emotional health among a large portion of the American population is in tangible decline! We have wholesale abandoned any sense of truth, objectivity, science or religion in civil conversation; we now recognize we are living with the catastrophic results of several centuries of nihilism or post-modernism (nothing means anything, there are no universal patterns).
We are in an apocalyptic time….Somehow our occupation and vocation as believers in this sad time must be to first restore the Divine Center by holding it and occupying it ourselves. If contemplation means anything, it means that we can “safeguard that little piece of You, God” [inside of us], as Etty Hillesum (Jewish woman held in a Nazi concentration camp) describes it. What other power do we have now? All else is tearing us apart, inside and out, no matter who wins the election or is on the Supreme Court. We cannot abide in such a place for long or it will become our prison….
God cannot speak inside of so much angry noise and conscious deceit. God cannot be born except in a womb of Love. So offer God that womb. Stand as a sentry at the door of your senses for these coming months, so “the blood-dimmed tide” cannot make its way into your soul. If you allow it for too long, it will become who you are, and you will no longer have natural access to the “really deep well” inside where God dwells.
I recommend for your spiritual practice for the next four months that you impose a moratorium on exactly how much news you are subject to—hopefully not more than an hour a day of television, social media, internet news, magazine and newspaper commentary, and political discussions. It will only tear you apart and pull you into the dualistic world of opinion and counter-opinion, not Divine Truth, which is always found in a bigger place.
Instead, I suggest that you use this time for some form of public service, volunteerism, mystical reading from the masters, prayer—or all of the above. You have much to gain and nothing to lose. And the world—with you as a stable center—has nothing to lose, and everything to gain.
—Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM
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Wisdom from Pope Francis
The pandemic, indeed, calls us to seize this time of trial as a time of choosing, a time to choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not. It can represent a concrete opportunity for conversion, for transformation, for rethinking our way of life and our economic and social systems, which are widening the gap between rich and poor based on an unjust distribution of resources. On the other hand, the pandemic can be the occasion for a “defensive retreat” into greater individualism and elitism.
We are faced, then, with a choice between two possible paths. One path leads to the…renewed sense of global co-responsibility, a solidarity grounded in justice and the attainment of peace and unity within the human family, which is God’s plan for our world. The other path emphasizes self-sufficiency, nationalism, protectionism, individualism and isolation. It excludes the poor, the vulnerable and those dwelling on the peripheries of life….It must not prevail….The pandemic has shown us that we cannot live without one another, or worse still, pitted against one another.
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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
