Our Lady of Sorrows and the Hole in Her Heart

Last Sunday I was in the adoration chapel, as I normally am for my two hours, and while I was saying the Chaplet of the Seven Dolores, to Our Lady of Sorrows I received an interior locution and was prompted to write it down. It was for specific people that I know, but, I believe the message is so important for so many others that I'm sharing it too. I am not the author of this; it was told to me and I wrote it down, but I did tweak it here and there, like adding the Bible quote, which was provided to me immediately after the locution. God bless all those that grieve the loss of a child with strength.

Just as you have lost your child,

so too has our Blessed Mother.

Just as you experienced your child’s suffering before their death,

so too did our Blessed Mother experience the pain of feeling her own child’s suffering.

Ask our Mother to guide you through

the years, months, days, hours, the minutes, that pass.

 Mary, knows your pain.

Our Mother lived your pain and has walked the same path as you.

Just as her child suffered and died to fulfill his destiny,

so too has yours.

Just as Christ Jesus said, It is accomplished,

so too did your child before they closed their eyes.

It is not up to us to understand the reason why.

“We have been predestined according to the purpose of Him….” Ephesians 1:11

Only God in His eternal and omnipotent knowledge has all the answers.

In His grace and generous love, He has given us His Mother

to turn to and to emulate.

His Mother is the one in whom we should place our trust,

as she is our Mother as well.

It is only by opening up our hearts to her, that we find solace and strength

to fulfill our own lives, as God intended.

Mary, too, had a hole in her heart.

Turn to her and ask her not to fill the hole in your heart,

but to help it keep beating for she has shed your tears

but she also knows your strengths,

because she needed the same strength to persevere.

She will help you to face each moment of this life

and will give you the faith and courage to go on.

Our Lady of Sorrows,

Pray for us.

Mother’s Day, 5/12/2019,1:30 PM

Our Lady of Sorrows ~ Feast Day is September 15th

"When I tell you this, I am not addressing myself strictly to you, child, but I am making this appeal to the world," the Virgin told the seer Marie-Claire Mukangango – who was later killed in the war. She said the Virgin described the world as in revolt against God, the world “is on the edge of catastrophe.” 

This is a quote from Our Blessed Mother to Marie-Claire Mukangango, who was one of the seers of Kibeho in the 1980's. If you have never heard the events of those apparitions, here is a good link to learn more and to read the messages. http://www.kibeho.org/en/history.php. In brief, Our Lady appeared to 3 young women, Alphonsine Mumureke, Marie-Claire, and Nathalie Mukamazimpaka in Kibeho, Rwanda, beginning in 1981. They are the 3 recognized by the Catholic Church, though many more reported seeing her, as well as a young man. This is the official determination by the church: https://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/OLKIBEHO.HTM.  Over the course of 8 years she appeared to them numerous times and told them the importance of saying the rosary daily, going to mass often but especially every Sunday, doing penance, sacrifice and fasting and reciting the rosary of the seven sorrows. Our Mother even taught one of the seers, Marie-Claire, how to say it so that she could teach others. She told us to love and care for one another and to obey God and his commands. She also said that ANYONE can recite the rosary and the chaplet of the sorrows. You can be any religion and do so.

“ The world hastens to its ruin, it will fall into the abyss… The world is rebellious against God, it commits too many sins, it has neither love nor peace. If you do not repent and do not convert your hearts, you will fall into the abyss."  

"Do not forget that God is more powerful than all of the evil in the world....The world is on the edge of catastrophe. Cleanse your hearts through prayer. The only way is through God. If you do not take refuge in God, where will you hide when the fire has spread everywhere?"

This is a synopsis of her messages:

1. am the Mother of the Word.
2. Repent without delay.
3. Repent when it is still time.
4. Repent so that you may not fall in a gulf.
5. Mortify yourselves in order to help Jesus to save the world.
6. Accept your sufferings with faith and joy.
7. Nobody will enter into heaven without endure sufferings.
8. The child of Mary accepts its sufferings.
9. Pray always without hypocrisy.
10. Pray always for the Church.
11. Pray without becoming weary.
12. Pray always for the world.
13. Meditate on the Rosary.
14. Meditate on the Rosary of sorrows of the Virgin Mary.
15. Repent, Repent, Repent.
16. Stand strong in your faith.
17. Come back to God.
18. Faith and doubt will come in maliciously.
19. I have opened and you did not come in.
20. What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for?

With all of the events going on today in the world, the natural devastations, the wars, the hatred and lack of God in thoughts, words and actions, it seems prudent that we listen to the messages of Our Mother and heed her message. She recommended that the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows be said on Tuesdays, Fridays and on her feast day, which is the 15th of September. Since tomorrow is her feast day, I think it is a great time to start this devotion, which does have graces attached to it, I might add. The graces are:

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany
   them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death; they will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained (this grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

 You say the rosary of the seven sorrows as follows:

Beginning

When starting the Rosary of Sorrows, after the sign of the cross, we do not recite the "Creed," but immediately say the following prayer:

Introductory prayer
My God, I offer you this Rosary in honor of the seven principal Sorrows of Mary, for your greatest glory, for my conversion and that of all people through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our salvation and our unique way to come to you, in union with the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen!

Act of contrition
My God, I regret so much to have offended you because you are infinitely good, infinitely kind and you dislike sin. I make a firm resolution, with the help of your holy grace, never to offend you and to do penance. In this state of contrition, I want to live and die. Amen!

Then recite the first sorrow (see list following this paragraph). Say the Our Father and then 7 Hail Mary's. Then say, Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Proceed with the next sorrow.

1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35)
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:43–45)
4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on his Way to Calvary (traditional)
5. Standing at the Foot of the Cross (John 19:25)
6. Jesus Being Taken Down from the Cross (Matthew 27:57–59)
7. The Burial of Jesus (John 19:40–42)

Closing Prayer:

Let us pray.

GRANT, we beseech Thee, O LORD JESUS CHRIST, that the most blessed Virgin Mary, thy Mother, may intercede for us before the throne of thy mercy, now and at the hour of our death, whose most holy soul was transfixed with the sword of sorrow in the hour of thine own Passion. Through Thee, JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR of the world, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. 

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows is a beautiful tradition in the Church and allows a soul to walk the via matris, following Mary who kept all of these sorrows in her heart.

If we all pray, pray, pray as Mother Mary requests, and turn our lives to God, perhaps we can attain peace on earth and good will toward men. Have a peaceful week.

Mare

Does God Answer Our Prayers?

Well, I think He answers my prayers, SOMETIMES.  AT Times I don't like the answer; sometimes I feel like He isn't listening. The truth of the matter is that God hears all of our prayers.

Admittedly, many days I feel very close to him and it is often on days that I least expect to find any kind of peace or solace that I experience it. I live with a chronic, often very painful, syndrome that is basically a ticking time bomb in my body. I know that it is fatal but we are all dying so that thought really doesn't bother me. After all, you do have to die in order to be with our Lord and hold his hand or be held in his embrace. Truly, I long for that day however I wouldn't do anything to speed the process along; I have too many things I want to accomplish here before that happens. There are days, though, that I am wracked with so much pain that I have curled up into my bed and under the covers. On those days I have cried out to him to relieve the pain and yes, with the help of things like Advil and warmth the pain is alleviated.

Almost a decade ago I met a man. The moment our eyes met it was like the world stopped and I got hit by a lightning bolt at the same time. We got very friendly very fast and when I was with him, even if there were hundreds of people in the room with us, it was like we were the only two people standing there. I can't even count how many nights I tossed and turned and wrote in my journal all because of him. The first few years it was agony and ecstasy as any new relationship is. You know how it is, you think of your love night and day and can't wait to see them, even if it is just a glimpse of their smile. You don't have to go anywhere or do anything special, just being with them is special enough and you want to spend all of your free time with them. The only problem was that there wasn't any sunsets and rainbows in our future. There wasn't even any dates or stolen kisses in the present. I was gob-smacked, over the moon, crazy in love with a man that was totally and completely off the market and there was no way that was going to change either. It was sheer torture. Now I'm a reasonably level-headed gal. I do not give into flights of fancy and my feet are pretty grounded in reality but the man just overwhelmed me with emotion. After a few years of intensity I finally dropped to my knees in my bedroom one night and prayed fervently that God would lift this burden from my heart. He did just that and He also knocked me on my butt for a few years too. When I saw the man a  year or so later my heart still leaped, I can't lie, but at least I was able to talk to him without blushing wildly like a school girl. God answered my prayer yet I also got the opportunity to distance myself from things so that a clearer head could prevail. He is such an awesome God for doing that for me. It does show me, though, that even if you are truly, madly, deeply in love with someone that doesn't mean that you are meant to be together. It isn't a fun part of life yet it is a fact of life (and no he was not a married man, not in the traditional way anyway).

It is mentioned in the Bible that God does not answer all prayer. John 9:31 states, "We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will." Well, since we are all sinners, I am certainly flawed as you have read, does this mean that only a select few receive his response to our prayer? Seems so. I guess, if you are living a life that is rife with mortal sin don't expect to be hearing from Him anytime soon. You must have a penitent heart, turn your life to Him, and live in the graces that He has given you. If it is His will and in your best interest He will heed and answer your prayers. It takes courage and hard work to follow in His footsteps in this day and age. That is why the sacrament of Confession is such a beautiful thing. I find comfort and solace in knowing that I can unburden myself of my sins weekly, if need be, and then go on living my life with and for Christ.

There is a beautiful prayer, The Divine Mercy Chaplet, that can and should be said daily, though it is for the dying. Jesus said that ALL should say this prayer daily. This prayer is one of penitence that asks God to forgive all of your sins. It is said on a rosary. In the interest of space I will provide you with a link to our Prayer Page on the website. The link is above. This is said at 3:00 P.M., which is the holy hour. Another great habit to get into is to meditate on your sins before bed and then say an Act of Contrition. That is on our Prayer Page as well. Another wonderful prayer is The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Also on that Page. That is said while you meditate on your sins and Mother Mary's sorrows. They are special beads that are available. Contact us for availability. The link is at the top of this blog.  Divine Mercy, Divine Child of Jesus, Rosary for Life, the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows and a Chaplet to St. Benedict are some that are available at the moment. 

I can promise you, if you put God first in your life, He will put you first as well. Have a great week.

Mare