The Call to Prayer
Debbie Womack
Building an Army of Prayer in Your Heart, under the Protection and Mantle of the Tent – Mary
On January 8, 1984, Our Lady gives this message:
“My children, pray! I say it again, pray! I will say it to you again. Do not think that Jesus is going to manifest Himself again in the manger. He is born again in your hearts.”
Our Lady calls us to prayer and we know from the beginning she asks for prayer with the heart. For many, that is a foreign concept, or something out of the realm of possibility. Yet she does not propose something to us that is out of our reach. She is a Mother, one that desires the success of her children. Her presence is also a sign of the Holy Spirit.
“And the angel said to her in reply, ‘The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.’”
The Mantle of the Mother is He Who overshadowed her, covered her. The Power of the Most High is the Holy Spirit, the Mantle of Mary.
And the Child, the one to be born of her? He was born in a manger, though she tells us He will not come again in the manger. He will be born again in your heart. This, then, is personal. Something she says to and for each one of us.
What does Our Lady mean when she tells us He will not come again in the manger? And why? Jesus Who is, and is to come will return as Divine Mercy for those who believe and as Just Judge for those who rebel. A King coming in the Truth of His Victory. And for you, not as a Babe in the manger, but as the Lord and King of your heart.
His manifestation in your heart is a mystery. This is why we must prepare our hearts with our total consecration to the Spouse of the Holy Spirit – to avail our hearts to be emptied and filled for the outpouring of grace that will permeate and transform our hearts and lives.
Jesus asked if when He returns will there be any faithful remaining? His Word spans the ages and meets us in our times. The Lord will not search for us in the world. He will dwell where He already is, in our hearts. He will speak to us there and guide us more deeply into the truths of the era in which He chose us to live.
Is the time of evil coming to a close? Indeed, and the Lord has assured us that He will be with us till the end. He will not leave us orphaned. And as He does for those in the world who are unable to receive Him for lack of Priest, He comes to dwell in our hearts, to guide us, too, in the ways of Peace.
The world calls us to clutter, of our minds, our homes, our time. Our Lady, Queen of Peace, calls us to Peace, to abandon the ways of the world, to empty ourselves, to trust and hope. She calls us to be apostles of Love. This absolutely requires us to abandon the ways of the world, to de-clutter and be emptied.
In the face of adversity and trial, how easy it is to abandon ourselves to God and His will. Yet in the era of technology, how much more complicated our days have become and how reckless we can be with our time and our hearts.
So how do we respond to the Queen of Peace? She calls us to prayer and sacrifice until our very lives become a prayer. And to pray with our heart, we must empty it.
How then do we have this emptiness? We can begin with one item a week, or a month. Release some of your clutter into the Mother’s hands. In the surrendering you will discover how easy the next item of clutter will be to release, until months later, you will realize your heart has been cleared and cleansed to receive the gifts and fruits of God’s Love.
When you are empty, Jesus will come and be born into your heart. For there He will find a peaceful and humble heart – yours. Even in the midst of turmoil and tumult, that quiet, hidden inner sanctuary in your heart will be filled with His Peace.
Abandon yourself to the Queen of Peace and find hope for your future. Jesus will dwell with you. And you will, without realizing it, become an apostle of Love.
Debbie Womack, July 2, 2018