May 15 - "You are My friends if...."

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today’s Gospel repeats part of yesterday’s Gospel beginning with verse 12 and ending as did yesterday’s Gospel with verse 17. It seems to me – the Church is repeating words that are very important for us to hear and obey today – repetition of words is significant. Do we not often repeat words for emphasis?

For many years in the past the Catholic Church was referred to as “Mother Church”, and is it not typical of Mothers to repeat to their children words the children need to hear? Our Blessed Mother in her apparitions basically repeats the words she spoke to the servants at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you”

Come Holy Spirit, enable us to LISTEN, with the ears of our hearts, to Jesus in His Gospel today. By God’s Grace, may we obey the Truth we hear:

Jesus said to His disciples:
“This is My commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.” (Jn 15:12-17)

Two days ago we celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and if we listened, we heard Mary tell the three little shepherd children that God was offended and there was need for prayer and sacrifices in reparation for the sins of the world. Have we heard that message and begun to pray with greater attention and devotion, have we made any sacrifices for our own sins and the sins of the world? Do we pray the Rosary daily?

Little St. Therese of Lisieux once said, “Love is the willingness to suffer”. How much do we love God Who has suffered and continues to suffer in His Love for us? Perhaps we can make every Friday a day of special reparation. The Church continues the First Friday Devotions of Reparation although fewer Catholics today practice that devotion.

Let us ask Our Lady of Sorrows to help us heed her warnings at Fatima. Let us pray for the Church for whom Mary is Mother and Model that we my be true friends of Jesus" and true children of Our Father God and Mother Mary. Jesus is the friend of sinners for all who repent. Jesus we trust in You! Mary, Mother of sorrows, Mother of the Church, pray for us.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear QuietTrad,

Thanks again for your faith - full and loving “heart” for Jesus and Mary. My husband and I purchased a set of DVD’s on Fatima from EWTN. – The set is titled “The Message of Fatima” and and we’ve been watching them this week. I’ve been so touched by the children - especially the two younger ones: Jacinta and Francesco, brother and sister – Lucia’s cousins and who died young.

There are many articles and information about Fatima online, but I’m grateful my husband decided that it would be a good way to help the economy by purchasing something from EWTN as well as to learn more about Fatima. He was right! I did learn some things I had not read or heard about before watching the 5th apparition of Our Lady today. God willing, we’ll watch the 6th apparition which includes the Miracle of the sun, next.

Please let us continue to pray the Rosary every day as Mary asked especially for poor sinners including ourselves! May we daily offer reparation for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Thanks again for your love of Jesus through Mary our Mother. Totus tuus!