Entrusting our Hearts to Mary as she Always Leads Us to Jesus

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It was about eight and a half years ago that I truly met our Blessed Mother.  A friend of mine lent me a book to read about a place that I had never heard of before.  The name of the book was Queen of the Cosmos and the name of the place was Medjugorje.  Apparently there were six young people that originated and lived in Medjugorje and each of them saw, met, and prayed with our Blessed Mother on a consistent basis.  The Blessed Mother would appear to them and then communicate messages to them that were meant for all people.  The author of the book, Jan Connell, interviewed each of the visionaries (as these young people were called) individually and each chapter contained a different interview of each of the visionaries.  Each visionary was asked a different set of questions and each answered in different ways, but after reading them all together, they all painted a very vivid and complete picture of what our Blessed Mother wanted us to know.  The most important parts of the book for me were those things that our Blessed Mother said that were important for us to do:  To pray (preferably the Rosary), to go to confession, to fast twice a week on Wednesday and Friday on bread and water, to attend Mass as often as possible, and to read Scripture every day.  I now understand that I was very blessed as I received a very powerful grace after reading the book because I believed ALL of it - all that the visionaries witnessed as well as the messages that our Blessed Mother was communicating to us through the visionaries - with all of my heart.  And, more importantly, I began to do all that our Blessed Mother asked us to do...

-I did not know how to pray the Rosary although I attended Catholic Schools for all of my education - Elementary School through College.  I was raised in a very catholic environment.  My parents were diligent in making sure that we attended Mass every single Sunday, even on vacations.  We often said grace before meals and they prayed with us before we went to bed at night when we were small children.  But we never prayed the Rosary together as a family.  I bought myself a Rosary and a pamphlet on how to pray it and I taught myself.

-I was a stay-at-home mom at the time and I would go to Mass every day after I would drop my children off at school. I continue to attend Holy Mass every single day and it is the highlight of my day.

-I began fasting, although slowly at first, as instructed by our Blessed Mother through the visionaries.  I am still not able to completely fast on bread and water alone for those two days so I do a modified fast and that is still difficult for me.

-I began to go to confession (I think that I was away from the sacrament for almost 20 years) and then continued going each First Friday of the month.  I now go once every two weeks or so.

-And I started reading the Bible, especially while praying the Rosary.  The Bible opened up a new world for me.  I remember reading the first words of John's Gospel for the first time and truly understanding, believing and falling in love with the words that I was reading:  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it."  John 1: 1-5

And something Big started happening to me.  I changed.  And it was not a subtle change.  I began to experience a peace - a truly supernatural peace - while praying the Rosary.  I began to understand Mass by listening and reflecting on the words as it was being prayed.  It was no longer this boring, long and  drawn-out obligation that I was required to attend each Sunday.  I began to pray during it and was drawn into the prayer - better understanding the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and how much Love came from that Cross not only for all of us as a people - but the love that was meant for each and every person.  It was a singular and personal love and that love is then given to each of us in the gift of Holy Communion each and every time we receive it.  To be united with that Love, especially when we receive Holy Communion, is something akin to Heaven - it is Heaven.  It is an experience that is most important and yet unlike anything else in our lives.  It is very personal and intimate and yet it is available to all of us.  I had received Holy Communion each and every Sunday of my life (after first receiving it in the 2nd Grade) but I never really understood it until I did all that our Blessed Mother asked us to do.  By Entrusting my Heart to Mary - she led me directly to Jesus.

Not only did my life change interiorly as a result of my new relationship with Jesus through our Blessed Mother, but I changed outwardly as well.  I was more conscious of those around me than I was before. I was happy to try to help anyone in need.  I prayed more for others than for myself.  I began to be active in different ministries in our parish.  And, most of all, I wanted others to know and experience what I knew and lived:  that Jesus is Alive and Present for each one of us.  That if we do all that our Blessed Mother asks us to do, that we will grow in relationship with Jesus and our lives will change for the better as a result of it.

There is an Elton John song that I always think of when I think of the changes that came about in my life after meeting our Blessed Mother:  "Someone Saved My Life Tonight".  Because that is what she did for me.  She showed me the way to her Son and in so doing, she saved my life and she changed it- she gave me a new life - a new way to live my life.  And it is all about living it in Jesus and I am truly blessed for living in this way.