"Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May your prayer be as strong as a living stone, until with your lives you become witnesses. Witness the beauty of your faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer.
Hearing the Blessed Mother say, "Also today I call you to prayer," the word that first comes to mind is 'stubbornness.' Despite repeatedly being called to prayer, some people still refuse to pray, and it is due to their stubbornness and resistance that the Blessed Mother continues to urge us, "Also today I call you to prayer."
In the Book of Exodus, Pharaoh witnessed the power of God through the signs and wonders performed by Moses and Aaron, yet he refused to acknowledge Him due to his stubbornness. It wasn't until the tenth plague, the death of the firstborns, that Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. However, even after they left, his heart hardened again, and he pursued them to the Red Sea. As the Israelites crossed, Pharaoh entered the parted sea with his army and was ultimately destroyed. This event demonstrates the consequences of opposing God's will and being stubborn in evil.
In the Gospel of John, the stubbornness of the Jews is revealed as sin. Despite witnessing the miracles and signs performed by Jesus, they refused to accept God's glory due to their hardened hearts. Jesus described them as blind and walking in darkness.
For over 31 years and 7 months, God has been sending the Blessed Mother to Medjugorje, continually calling us to abandon our stubbornness and fully obey His word. Prayer is not about following our will but about seeking to follow God's will. It begins and deepens when we listen to God's voice rather than insisting on our own words. The Blessed Mother's invitation to pray is a call to draw near to God, who is life and light.
May your prayer be as strong as a living stone, until with your lives you become witnesses. Witness the beauty of your faith.
Jesus called Simon, a fisherman, to be one of His twelve apostles, and He gave him a new name, Peter, saying, "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18). Jesus named Simon 'Peter,' meaning 'rock,' and declared that His Church would be built on this rock.
However, it is important to note that this happened after Peter made his profession of faith, declaring, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Mt 16:16). By confessing that Jesus is the Son of God, Peter was honored to become the rock on which Jesus would build His Church. Similarly, for our prayer to be as strong as living stones, it must be grounded in a firm profession of faith like Peter’s. When we pray with the confession that Jesus is the Son of God, our prayers strengthen our faith.
In his first letter, the Apostle Peter says, "Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Pt 2:4-5). Peter refers to Jesus as the 'living stone,' acknowledging God’s foundation for humanity’s salvation. He encourages us to approach Jesus and become living stones, building a spiritual house through prayer.
The Blessed Mother desires our prayers to be as powerful as living stones, just like Peter describes. Today, while visiting a 91-year-old man at the hospital and offering him Holy Communion, I was deeply moved. Despite his advanced age, his mind was sharp, and after receiving Communion, he prayed aloud, "My Jesus, I love You. My Jesus, I love You." The simple but sincere way he called Jesus "my Jesus" revealed the deep, personal relationship he had with the Lord. His words testified to his faith and moved me to draw closer to Jesus in my own heart.
I am with you and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
One of the most noticeable characteristics of those who love is their desire to be together. We avoid the company of those we dislike, but the Blessed Mother tells us, "I am with you," revealing her love for us. She also tells us that she intercedes for each of us before Jesus, meaning her intercession is specific to our individual needs and situations. She knows our personalities, struggles, and the best path for us, and she brings all of this before Jesus in her prayers.
We should entrust everything, including our sins and difficulties, to the Blessed Mother. She will present them to Jesus, asking Him to transform them through His power and goodness.
Jesus, You are my Lord and my Savior. Grant me the grace to always profess, like Peter, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." May this profession of faith be the rock upon which I build a spiritual house of prayer, offering myself as a living spiritual sacrifice to God the Father. Jesus, You are my Jesus, my Christ, and I love You.
Blessed Mother, thank You for always being with me and interceding for me before Jesus. You know everything about me—my struggles, worries, pains, and deepest desires. I entrust them all to You, knowing that You will pray for me before Jesus. I bow in gratitude for Your love and intercession.
