(c)Mary TV 2012
O Key of David, you open and no one shuts...
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J.M.J.
December 20, 2012
Dear Family of Mary!
O Key of David, and scepter of the house of Israel: you open and no one shuts; you shut and no one opens. Come and lead forth from his prison the captive sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. (Traditional "O" Antiphon)
"Dear children! Also today I call you to pray for peace. Pray with the heart, little children, and do not lose hope because God loves His creatures. He desires to save you, one by one, through my coming here. I call you to the way of holiness. Pray, and in prayer you are open to God's will; in this way, in everything you do, you realize God's plan in you and through you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (March 25, 2003)
I love the image of the Key. Jesus is the Key of David, the one who has the authority and ability to open the door of heaven or to shut it. He is the door keeper of the heavenly kingdom. We often don't appreciate the importance of a key. Not long ago, I found myself locked out of my house. I went to every door and window, but they were all locked and I didn't have the key. I searched my purse, my car, the yard. But to no avail. I could not enter. It was cold. I felt discouraged, frustrated, even a little afraid. I needed to get in to my house!
This feeling comes back to me now as I think about Jesus and His power to open doors or to close them. One day I will find myself at the heavenly gate, and my only hope will be that Jesus will let me in. There will be no other key. This is sobering!
But in this message from Our Lady, she reveals to us that she has been sent by Jesus to save each one of us, one at a time. She has been sent to help each one of us find the way of holiness, the way of peace, so that we will begin to live God's will for our lives now. If we realize God's plan for our lives, we will find ourselves at the door of heaven, and Jesus will be holding it open for us! He will be our Key!
I find it very consoling that Our Lady said, "God loves His creatures." We too often lose sight of this fundamental truth, especially when we think about our final judgment. We somehow forget God's love, and envision Him as an angry inquisitor, ready to find fault with us. But, nothing could be further from the truth. God loves us, so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to save us. Our Lady wants us to be firmly attached to Jesus now, so that when we do meet Him face to face, we will be ready.
I had an experience of Jesus' saving love the other day. I was at Mass and I felt very depressed and worried. Everything seemed so dark, so black in the world. I realized that life on this earth is lived in great darkness, because evil exists here. We face it each day. But when I realized that evil does exist, I didn't try to ignore it like I usually do. (I think we often try to push uncomfortable realities down into our subconscious, so that we don't have to deal with them. The darkness of our world is often so scary that I just shove it down, hoping it will go away.) Instead, I faced it straight on, and at that moment I had another realization. I realized I could ask Jesus to send His light into that darkness for me. So I did. And immediately I had an image of a shaft of pure light shooting down from above me, and lighting up the darkness. That light was defeating the darkness. I was in that light and I could see. Jesus' light can defeat any darkness and drive it away. I was truly comforted by that image. It was a moment of clarity that I needed.
Jesus can penetrate our darkness, and lead us, who are captive, into His light. He can open the doors for us to come out of our prisions of fear and sin, and lead us into His way. He actually has come, as the Infant we await, to be the Light that drives away the darkness! No need to deny the darkness around us any more, we can overcome it with the Light of Christ!
Come, Lord Jesus, open up and light the way to heaven for each of us!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2012
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