Reflection on the Message of July 25, 2006

FIND TIME FOR YOUR SOUL

“Dear children! At this time, do not only think of rest for your body but, little children, seek time also for the soul. In silence may the Holy Spirit speak to you and permit Him to convert and change you. I am with you and before God I intercede for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of July 25, 2006

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Our Lady is a Mother, and a mother walks with us who are her children, she thinks about us and takes care of us. At this time when many are thinking about or going on holidays Our Mother Mary invites us to true rest which is necessary for man. After returning from their missionary travels, Jesus said to his disciples: Go for a while in solitude, rest. Man requires rest. Life consists of work and rest. No work, even the hardest, tires a man. The thing that tires a man the most is life without order, various immoderateness and excesses.

Mary knows that man is not only a body but also soul. We deceive ourselves if we think that only the body is tired and that only the body needs rest. We require complete rest. This means it is not enough to just rest the body. Many come back from holidays tired so that they need to rest from their holiday. This happens because man’s soul did not rest and was not filled with God’s strength. Total rest of the soul, body and spirit is achieved by being in silence and peace. Real and true silence is not the lack of outside noise and sounds. True silence is peace from sin and blame, freedom from dirty and rude words; it is deserting dark thoughts and bad plans. Overall rest is achieved only when we decide to be generous and forgive everyone. When we repent for our sins and decide to live differently.

Jesus invites us: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I shall rest you”. Rest is the prayer of the Holy Spirit to help the soul, that He comes down and consoles our heart, to covert us and change us. Rest occurs in those moments when we are united with God who plans and holds our life in his hands. Rest is actually an encounter with our own soul. That is why we need moments in which we can stop so that our soul can catch up with us and come together with us. Rest is not just not working. Rest is the work of the heart and soul. When resting we allow the spirit to strengthen and fill us. That’s why resting on holidays away from God and prayers and the Spirit of the God means returning from holidays even more tired and burdened.

Mother Mary invites us, her children, to find time for our souls and places of silence so that the Holy Spirit may rest in us all that is tired, heal that which is wounded, strengthen what is weak. If we truly love ourselves we will listen to the words and invitation of our Mother Mary who even today does not cease to speak and lovingly calls to us and suffers because of us and for us. Let the Holy Spirit with its light and strength enter our lives so that we may experience true rest and peace which is given to us by God.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje 26/7/2006