Blessed Mother Archives - FollowingJesusUS.com

Asking Mary To Pray For Us!

There are many who feel we should not ask Mary to pray for us. There are many who feel that we should. My Pastor in Ohio used to say, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity”. This quote has been attributed to (Saint) Augustine of Hippo.

I ask Mary to pray for me every day. I ask her to pray for me because I know that she loves me and that she is very close to Jesus. After all, she is His mother and Jesus loves her very much :). And so, it only makes sense to me, that Jesus would listen to her even more, because she is His mother :).

Mary always points to her Son and she has taught me so much about Jesus. And I am so grateful. For not only do I feel Mary enriches my faith in Christ; I know just how much she loves me 🙂

The first part of the Hail Mary comes straight from the Bible (see Luke 1:28) (The word Grace appears in the Greek Translation)

“And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.”-Luke 1:28

The next part also comes from the Bible:

“Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”- Luke 1:42

The last part of the Hail Mary reads:

“Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us snners, now and at the hour of our death.”

Who wouldn’t want Mary to pray for them at the hour of their death?

But perhaps what we should remember most of all is the beginning of Revelation in the Letters to the Churches. One strikingly clear message comes from the Letters to the Churches: no church does everything right! There will be churches and people who ask Mary to pray for them, and there will be those who do not.

For me, Mary enriches my faith, provides for me a great example and prays for me because she loves me. I am so grateful to Mary and wouldn’t miss her presence in my life for the world!

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready!

Heaven IS A Place Of Light!

**Heard and Seen while Praying The Rosary**

This is important because our earth will become a place of darkness, but Heaven will remain a Place of Light. And since Heaven is a Place of Light and Heaven is our Home, no matter how dark our lives on earth grow, we will spend eternity in Light 🙂

This is where our Hope IS!

Heaven is more than any of us can imagine. It’s hard to explain Heaven, but think of all of the things you do and now think of them always going well and never having any fear! Imagine a flower touched by light and how beautiful it is! Now imagine flowers touched with God’s Light 🙂

For example, when we pick an apple or buy one. Many of us wash it, in case it has “germs”. And we do this for all the fruit we get, grapes, pears, strawberries, blueberries… But in Heaven, we will not need to wash anything and the fruit warmed by God’s light will taste so amazing :).

The gardens will be more colorful and more fragrant than we have ever seen! The colors of the flowers will be more brilliant; the fragrance will be so beautiful and exactly what we wish for.

In Heaven, we will not have to walk, if we do not wish, to go to the next beautiful site, because we will be able to simply think of it and be there.

The river will be touched by God’s light and the light will dance on it making it astoundingly beautiful! We will be able to drink straight from it with no fear of getting germs or becoming ill.

Sense a pattern here? There are no fears or fatigue or worries or pain or illness in Heaven. When we come Home, we leave all of them behind!

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”-Revelation 21:4

There will be animals in Heaven. Dogs, lions, elephants, horses, zebras…And they will be so happy! We will never need to fear an animal for they shall be happy. And not only that, we will be able to ride any of them 🙂

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.” – Isaiah 11:6-9

Heaven is not some misty place where we do nothing. Heaven will be filled with awe inspiring grand adventures! And when we are done for the day (so to speak), there will be a wonderful Home for us to go to 🙂

“In My Father’s house are many mansions;” – (Jesus) John 14:2

We will be able to jump from the highest waterfall to the river with no fear! (Remember how our mother’s always said be careful that the water is deep enough lest we hit our head, lol). That won’t apply anymore, the water will always be just right!

We need never fear death, for death is just the door to Heaven. God will send His Angels to get us or come Himself. Even on our journey Home; we will not be alone!

“fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10

If we truly choose to accept Jesus as our Savior, if we love Jesus and follow Him, we WILL go to Heaven.

We need not fear anything on this earth, for Heaven is our true Home.

Be “Marked Safe”

While Praying The Rosary, I heard God Say “Marked Safe”.

God has a history of “Marking” people “Safe”. Remember Exodus 12?

“The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.”-Exodus 12:13

The “lamb” mentioned in Exodus 12, for us- is Jesus.

Read Exodus 12: Exodus 12.

Be “Marked Safe”.

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready…

Soldiers On The Canal

Seen while Praying the Rosary: Soldiers sitting on both sides of a canal as far as the eye could see.

Prepare, Pray and Be Ready …

The Song Of Mary :)

“And Mary said: My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. For He who is mighty has done great things for me, And holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him From generation to generation. He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty. He has helped His servant Israel, In remembrance of His mercy, As He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and to his seed forever.”” – Luke 1:46-55

A friend sent me these Bible verses in 2013. They are so beautiful, now and then. May they Bless each of you as well 🙂

We Need To Heed The Warning Of Fatima!

While praying the Rosary, I saw a soldier in a helmet with a gun. And then I saw an American Flag waving.

Prepare, Pray & Be Ready

Mary, Our Blessed Mother & Ukraine

Why is October 14th important?

“What is the warning of Fatima?”

“In the second, she warned that World War I would be followed by a far worse conflict unless people stopped “offending God.” She called for the “consecration of Russia to my immaculate heart”; otherwise, Russia would “spread her errors throughout the world.”-Google.com

Today, October 14, is often referred to as “Feast of Intercession and the Protection of the Theotokos”, (Mary, our Blessed Mother). In Ukraine it is a public holiday. And indeed, Ukrainian soldiers and veterans have a very special relationship with Mary! A soldier in the current Ukraine war was even seen with a drawing of Mary taped to the back of his helmet.

Why do many Ukrainians celebrate Mary on this day? Dating back to the 10th century, to a church in Constantinople, many have long considered Mary, our Blessed Mother, their Protector. “Around a century later, in 1037, Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Prince of Kyiv, dedicated Ukraine to Mary.” Since then, Mary has been celebrated as the Queen of Ukraine!

Praying the Rosary for the Ukraine is a true Gift to give in these hard times. Letting them know that we are Praying The Rosary for them is a true Gift as well 🙂

The Rosary Is A Place :)

Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel once said, “The Rosary is a Place”.

And it is. A very comforting and wonderful place. 🙂

When praying the Rosary I saw the most beautiful garden filled with Amazing flowers. Each more beautiful than the last.

I heard Mary, our Blessed Mother, say “Don’t forget how you got here, Pray the Rosary”!

Mary, Our Blessed Mother :)

Mary is so crucial in Christ’s story. Mary never claimed that importance herself, but it’s there. She raised Him, She encouraged Him, Her love strengthened Him and She suffered with Him. She stood at the” Crossroads of History” with Him and walked the road with Him-all the way to the end ?

As for Jesus, He loved His Mother just like any other child does. As a little boy He carried water for Her in Egypt and helped Her with the household chores. (Yes, they had them even back then ?).

When Jesus received a boo-boo, it was Mary who bandaged it and kissed it better. It was Mary who carried Him on the long road to Egypt and who played with Him and raised Him, and He loved her. As He grew, she prayed with him and taught Him many of life’s lessons. And just like most sons, there is not much that He would not do for Her, because He loves Her.

Jesus IS God, but He was also human. He loved Mary with a son’s love and God’s Love. God’s Will always came first, His mission of Salvation always came first, but His love for His Mother Mary came as a close second, for the love a son has for him mother is incredibly special ?

For Mary, the responsibility to raise Jesus well was huge! Can you imagine being so young and raising the Savior of the world? She knew He had come to Save the world. She knew He was special to God and always would be. And yet, as much as She sought to raise Him in a way that was pleasing to God, She also loved Him as any mother loves her son. She carried Him for hours each day; she nursed him, and kept him close always. She taught him to walk, to play, to eat…And when He suffered so, She stood by His Cross with Him and offered what comfort she could. And after He died and rose again, She was a constant friend to the Apostles and a great resource for the early Church.

Asking Mary to pray for us is a privilege. And one we have because She loves us with a Mother’s Love too! Not asking Mary to Pray for us is to miss out on Her help, which we will greatly need in the days to come.

How Blessed are we to have Her ?

Mary, Christ’s Mother

There is one thing that the children, both at our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima, shared in common: They prayed the Rosary 🙂

Many have heard of the appearance of Mary at Lourdes. Many have visited Lourdes and have been healed. In 1858, Mary appeared to Saint Bernadette 18 times and thousands came along Saint Bernadette. People from all over the world still visit Lourdes and pray for healing of all kinds, and many are miraculously healed!

Written about less, is the shepherds nearby who saw a ray of light that led them to a statue of Mary. And Mary’s appearance in the 16th century. Mary appeared to Angleze de Sagazan. She was very, very poor and uneducated. But she was also very doubt and loved our Lord very much! Miraculously, “abudant” food was provided. A chapel was built and people were healed. One message that Mary gave was, “Do not forget to Thank God for His Blessings!” A message we still work on today 🙂

There is something else we learn, if God does not want something moved, it will not be moved!

But what can we learn today from Mary’s visit to Lourdes? There are so many lessons to be learned from Mary’s appearance in Lourdes. We learn that our Father is still in the business of granting Miracles, and we are reminded to Thank God for His Blessings! Our Father does indeed answer prayers and provides for us :). God still heals the sick, whether that is a physical sickness or a sickness of the heart :).

But we also learn that those who Follow Christ often face opposition and disbelief, but the price is infinitely worth it 🙂

We learn that Mary is kind, gracious and loving. She is constant in her prayers to God for sinners. And in her reminder for the need for Pennance!

And we are reminded one again that Mary loves us with a Mother’s Love, and can pray for us if we ask Her to 🙂

There is one thing that the children, at both our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima, shared in common. They prayed the Rosary. I do to, and it has helped to greatly deepen my faith, for which I am very grateful for. Praying the Rosary can help us all 🙂