John 2:5 "Do whatever he tells you."

“Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Savior. You are not aware that without Him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Savior: In the message of this month Our Lady calls us to follow her with joy. Through this we have an opportunity to reflect on how much we trust in her. It is because trust is essential when we follow someone. Let’s example three levels of trust and the degree to which someone will follow at each level. First of all, if we don’t trust someone, we will never follow him. Second, if our trust is not complete, we will follow him with hesitation and doubt, and try to find a chance to get out of the track. Finally, if we completely trust in someone, we will follow him without any second thoughts no matter where he leads to us. Our Lady desires us to take the last mode. She wants us to trust in her completely and to follow her with joy. For us to follow her with joy expresses our willingness and love. Our hearts are filled with joy because we follow her not by someone’s will nor by coercion, but by our own desire. It is important for us to follow her because she leads us to salvation.

            Jesus is the final destination of our following Our Lady. The reason that she calls us to follow her with joy is to lead all of us to Jesus, our Savior. The only purpose of all the past Marian apparitions as well as the apparition of Our Lady in Medjugorje is to lead all humanity to Jesus, the Savior of the world. People say that to venerate Our Lady excessively inhabits us from giving Jesus glory. But this is wrong. There were no saints who didn’t venerate and follow the Blessed Virgin Mary. They became holy and true disciples of Jesus through Mary. If we desire to become a saint and to be led to Jesus, our Savior, there is only one choice. It is for us to respond to her call to follow her with joy.

 You are not aware that without Him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Thank you for having responded to my call: Two weeks ago, when I greeted parishioners after the Sunday Mass, I asked about the name of a little boy who came to the Mass with his mom and younger sister. He looked up to me and said, “Father, don’t you remember my name? You asked about it several times and even last Sunday.” I bent down and told him, “I am sorry. I don’t remember your name because I am stupid. Can you give me it again?” “My name is Luke,” He said. When I have met him after this Sunday Mass, I called him by his name. “You must be Luke.” He smiled at me and called my name, “Fr. Stephen.” This kind of thing can happen at any circumstances. However, it made me be aware of importance of holding something in my heart in order to know about it better.

We know very well that without Jesus we can’t have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life. But, we don’t know how often we forget about this truth which is essential to our lives. Although we feel the presence of Jesus closely when we receive the Eucharist during the Mass, we easily forget him when we come back to our daily lives. How could we not forget the fact that Jesus is the only source of joy and peace and can give us a future and eternal life. For this we need a time to hold it in our hearts. Therefore, Our Lady said to us, “Make a good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender.”

God, I give you thanksgiving with all my heart for sending your only Son as my Savior. With your graces help me firmly believe that only Jesus can give me true joy, peace, future, and eternal life.

Our Lady, in spite of your ongoing teachings, I often forget Jesus and try to find joy and peace from other people and from worldly things. My Mother, once again lead me closer to Jesus by following your messages. I am firmly determined to make a good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender. Please intercede for me before God.