“Dear children, In this time of grace, I am calling you to be people of hope, peace and joy, so that every person may be a peacemaker and a lover of life. Pray, little children, to the Holy Spirit to fill you with the strength of His own Holy Spirit of courage and surrender. And this time for you will be a gift and a walk in holiness towards eternal life. I am with you and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (With Ecclesiastical approval)
Dear children, In this time of grace, I am calling you to be people of hope, peace and joy, so that every person may be a peacemaker and a lover of life.
As Our Lady has said, this is truly a time of grace. It is a time of grace because our Mother, who loves each of us as her children, continues to come to us. She is calling each of us to become people of hope, peace, and joy, so that all may become peacemakers and lovers of life. This moment is indeed a time of grace, for it is a time in which we and the world around us can be renewed and transformed.
To become people of hope, peace, and joy, we must strive to live out these virtues in our daily lives—continually hoping, seeking peace, and choosing to live with joy. Yet these virtues cannot be fully realized through human effort alone. Only Jesus Christ—true God and true man—can fully bestow them upon us. The Risen Lord appeared to the apostles, the disciples, and the holy women who were immersed in despair, anxiety, and sorrow. He awakened new hope within them, gifted them with peace, and filled their hearts with joy.
Our Lady tells us that in order for all people to become peacemakers and lovers of life, we ourselves must first become people of hope, peace, and joy. And indeed, her words are true and just. It is we who must change first. Only then can others be transformed through us. However, we often believe that it is others who must change first, and we not only expect but at times demand that change from them. Sometimes, we even go so far as to impose it. Such an attitude only hardens our own hearts and causes others to perceive us negatively, closing their hearts even more. Therefore, we must deeply reflect on the fact that the world and its people may remain unchanged because we ourselves have not changed. True transformation must begin with us.
Pray, little children, to the Holy Spirit to fill you with the strength of His own Holy Spirit of courage and surrender.
The Risen Jesus appeared to the apostles, the disciples, and many others, including the holy women, granting them hope, peace, and joy. Yet in order to fully live out the mission entrusted to them, they needed a strength that exceeded their own human capacity. This is why, before His Ascension, the Lord instructed the apostles not to leave Jerusalem but to remain there, praying and waiting for the power that would come from on high. The apostles, gathered around Our Lady, joined with all the disciples of Jesus in fervent and united prayer. Then, upon them, the Holy Spirit descended—and the entire Church was filled with the Spirit. The apostles, in particular, were transformed: they no longer knew fear or cowardice. Strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, they became bold and courageous, willing even to face persecution and death. They entrusted everything to God the Father and proclaimed the Risen Jesus with great confidence.
Now, in two weeks, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost. As we read in Acts 1, the apostles and disciples gathered around Our Lady and prayed with one heart for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Following their example, we too must gather close to Our Lady and, with her, pray with all our hearts for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and fill us completely. If that same Holy Spirit fills us as He did them, then we too will be able to witness to the Risen Lord with courage, no matter the circumstances, and entrust everything in our lives to Him completely.
And this time for you will be a gift and a walk in holiness towards eternal life. I am with you and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
There is an important point we must not overlook. It is this: the coming of the Holy Spirit does not happen merely because we pray for it. Of course, it is right and necessary that we prepare and pray earnestly for the coming of the Spirit. We must do so with all our hearts. However, such prayer and preparation are only our part of the response—they alone cannot bring about the descent of the Holy Spirit. Just as the wind blows where it wills, so too the Holy Spirit comes freely, at the time, place, and upon the person of His choosing. Therefore, the coming of the Holy Spirit is entirely a gift granted to us from above.
It is only when the Holy Spirit comes upon us that we can truly live a holy life. And it is within that holiness that we are able to continue our journey toward eternal life. Let us always remember that it is not by our own strength, but by the power of God’s Spirit—the Spirit of the Risen Christ—that our life and journey of faith are sustained and moved forward.
