“Dear children! Today I am calling all of you: pray for my intentions. Peace is in danger, therefore, little children, pray and be carriers of peace and hope in this restless world where Satan is attacking and tempting in every way. Little children, be firm in prayer and courageous in faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son Jesus for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” (Message of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, 25.11.2015.)

Last month Our Lady invited us to pray for those who have become hard of heart to her call. She told us that we are not conscious of the gifts that God is giving us through her presence. It is strange and true that man can, in fact, forget his Creator. We can become blind and do not see that without God with have no true life, certainty or peace within us.

...God came as man in the   person of Jesus of Nazareth. He comes and invites us to follow Him, because only in this way we are able to leave hatred, hell and evil...

Our Lady as a mother, although assumed into Heaven, lives, walks and goes through all our suffering, restlessness and fear with us. We realise that peace is in danger not only among nations, but also in our interpersonal relationships.There has been no period without war in the history of mankind. The earth where we live is overrun by injustice, tears and innocent blood. And to this very earth, God came as man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He comes and invites us to follow Him, because only in this way we are able to leave hatred, hell and evil. He sends us His mother who is tireless and patient. She speaks and invites us even whilst many hearts remain hard and closed. Despite all evil, God loves this world, loves man. He does not want to take freedom away from man because He loves him. God made Himself powerless before the freedom of man. He deeply respects our free will.

Our Lady speaks to our freedom, desiring to encourage us to decide for God, for what is eternal, true, just and righteous. All these years she wishes to wake up our hearts encouraging us to prayer. The epistle of James reads, ‘The Prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective’ (James 5, 16). There is no other way to obtain peace and to overcome the temptations of Satan. Satan always wants unrest, war, fear and distrust. A tree is recognised by its fruit. By the fruits we also recognise which spirit leads man, or to which spirit we have opened. We always have a possibility to choose between good and evil, to stand with God or against God.

...To be courageous in faith means not to allow any temptation or cross that we suffer to discourage us. Jesus promised great things for those who believe in him. It is up to us to decide to follow Jesus, to follow the messages which Our Lady is giving us...

‘Be firm in your prayer and courageous in your faith’, Our Lady says. Jesus taught us to pray too. He did not say, ‘Pray “Our Father”’, but he said, ‘When you pray, say...’ And it means – pray always, be always open to my closeness, my presence. To be courageous in faith means not to allow any temptation or cross that we suffer to discourage us. Jesus promised great things for those who believe in him. It is up to us to decide to follow Jesus, to follow the messages which Our Lady is giving us. The only thing we must do is to decide to pray and to find time for prayer, during which we can talk to God. Reading God’s word helps us to persist in prayer. In this way we will manage to overcome all temptations and to experience God’s closeness.

Let us pray:

Virgin Mary, mother of faith, you who remained faithful to God’s promises and his word even in the hardest moments, please intercede for us.  Do not leave us when we go astray and forget your nearness. Do not leave us when our hearts become hard to your motherly presence. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do all that he had said. Pray with us and for us, so that we are able to overcome all the temptations and snares of the devil. You know the best the way, because you yourself went along it, you yourself went forward on this way of faith. To you, Mother Mary, I give all nations and the places where there is war – all the people who live in hatred. Into your hands I put all of our lives, our families, so that peace reigns in them, peace which comes in prayer from God. Let our hearts, through your intercession, decide to accept your invitation and so grow on the way of faith. Amen.