Reflection on the Message of May 25, 2007

SEARCHING FOR GOD'S WILL

"Dear children! Pray with me to the Holy Spirit for Him to lead you in the search of God’s will on the way of your holiness. And you, who are far from prayer, convert and, in the silence of your heart, seek salvation for your soul and nurture it with prayer. I bless you all individually with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of May 25, 2007

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The Virgin Mary calls us to pray with her to the Holy Spirit in order for us to draw strength and force from above, to be wrapped in the power coming from God. Together with the apostles she was perseverant in her prayer waiting for Jesus' promise – the Holy Spirit. She is the fiancée of the Holy Spirit and full of mercy. She is the one who knows best the mysterious power of the Holy Spirit and therefore knows how much we still need His strength today. We received the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation, and we have heard that he exists. And yet, it seems as if all other spirits are around us but the Holy Spirit. That is why Our Lady's call is serious and so much needed to all the hearts, families and to this world. The only way towards the experience of the strength of the Holy Spirit is prayer.

The first thing we should do is to convert. In other words, it means to stand before God in prayer over and over again, to confess our sins, forgive to others, renounce everything that prevents us from embracing the will of God, disown all idols, renounce dependence, and our false images of God. To convert means to take God as the master of our lives, to let it be His will. It is only the Holy Spirit that may enlighten our hearts so we can find God's will and live by His will. Only the moment in which we renounce our will, our plans, designs and intentions may we start praying for God's design, God's plan for our lives. By having given up our plans, we in fact remove the ties and become free, capable of accepting God's will. That is why Jesus says: „If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me!“ (Luke 9, 23). To be Jesus' disciple does not mean receiving information or schooling of any kind from Jesus. It means to be the one who can receive Jesus' grace and strength, his miracles and his kingdom. A disciple is the one who becomes like his teacher. That is why Jesus was able to say that anyone who had faith in him would do what he had been doing, and even greater things (cf. 14:12).

While in the search of God's will on the way of one’s holiness, one should thank God for every single moment of life, either good or bad. Accepting everything that happens in our lives means entering the will of God thus receiving His strength to conquer evil we have entered. We shall always recognize God's will while in prayer getting closer to Him. We also observe ways of life, as well as pathways to work and vocation that God opens or closes for us. If we constantly surrender ourselves to the will of God, God will close those ways He does not want us to take and those doors He does not want us to enter, whereas he will open the ones He wishes us to embark upon. Rarely does God lead one from the inside by speaking to him/her where he/she must go. It is not in our mind, imagination or feelings, but in the bottom of our souls where God dwells in us and where we are inspired, enlightened and led by the Holy Spirit. God will use signs to reveal His will to us. We should recognize these signs with our spiritual senses that grow sharper and stronger in those who take these motherly words more seriously, in those who have been following them throughout all these years of her appearing and being close to us. Let us listen to the words of our heavenly Mother with our hearts so that we can find a new life that only God may give.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje, 05/26/2007