I am responsible...

WAR... In sin, I side with the enemy and declare hostility
MURDER... In sin, I become homicidal and crucify Jesus
SUICIDE... In sin, I self harm and disconnect from the source of life
DIVORCE... In sin, I separate from God
ABORTION... In sin, I terminate the inner life
DRUGS... In sin, I choose chains instead of freedom

Words of wisdom...

If it is the will of the great Lord,
the scholar will be filled with the spirit of understanding,
he will shower forth words of wisdom,
and in prayer give thanks to the Lord.
He will grow upright in purpose and learning,
he will ponder the Lord’s hidden mysteries.
He will display the instructions he has received,
taking his pride in the Law of the Lord’s covenant.
Ecclesiaticus 39 : 6-8

Dear children! In this holy time of joyful expectation, God has chosen you, the little ones, to realise his great intentions. My children, be humble. Through your humility, with his wisdom, God will make of your souls a chosen home. You will illuminate it with good works and thus, with an open heart, you will welcome the birth of my Son in all of his generous love. Thank you, dear children. December 2, 2008

Marija’s latest witness

November 2, 2009, in Medjugorje

• You can get a bigger picture by using the zoom feature on your web browser, or go full screen by clicking on the square-shape button at the base of the video frame.

Remembrance Sunday

• Poppies in Medjugorje

‘Poppy Day’ is commemorated each year,
at the 11th hour of the 11th day, of the 11th month.

† † †

There is a hill in England,
Green fields and a school I know,
Where the balls fly fast in summer,
And the whispering elm-trees grow,
A little hill, a dear hill,
And the playing fields below.

There is a hill in Flanders,
Heaped with a thousand slain,
Where the shells fly night and noontide
And the ghosts that died in vain,
A little hill, a hard hill
To the souls that died in pain.

There is a hill in Jewry,
Three crosses pierce the sky,
On the midmost He is dying
To save all those who die,
A little hill, a kind hill
To souls in jeopardy.

Everard Owen, Harrow, December, 1915

Mary’s response

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with you...
My Son, Jesus Christ, wishes to bestow on you special graces through me...

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus...
As I bore Jesus in my womb, so also, dear children, do I wish to bear you unto holiness...

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now...
Every day I pray to my Son to forgive the sins of the world... I am His Mother, and I intercede for you with Him... all prayers go to Jesus...

...and at the hour of our death.
I am with you and intercede for you in front of God... I am with you and unceasingly I keep watch over every heart which is given to me...

• Our Lady’s words are taken from her Medjugorje messages dated:
May 17, 1984; March 25, 1990; November 3, 1981; December 31, 1981;
November 25, 1988; February 25, 1989.

Love listens...

Listen, Israel, the Lord our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind and strength. The second is this: You must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. Mark 12 : 28-30

Dear children! No, you don’t know how to love and you don’t know how to listen with love to the words I am saying to you. Be conscious, my beloved, that I am your Mother and I have come on earth to teach you to listen out of love, to pray out of love and not compelled by the fact that you are carrying a cross. By means of the cross God is glorified through every person. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 29, 1984

Waiting.... for prayers

“...we saw Purgatory as a mist, as a cloud from where one hears the voices of the people who want our prayers. The Madonna explained to us that these people believed in God in some moments, but not in others. They have experienced and seen God and no longer have doubts that he exists. Now the greatest sadness for them is that they want to go to Paradise, but they must wait for our prayers. They can intercede for us but not for themselves.”
Medjugorje visionary Marija Pavlovic

Filled with prayer...

At Cana, Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And after they filled them to the brim a miracle happened!

Recently, in her last message to Marija, Our Lady said, “May your hearts always be filled with prayer.”

We know that when the stone jars, the hard hearts, are filled with water, filled with prayer, then miracles happen. Jesus demonstrated this at the wedding at Cana.

Our Lady also promises that miracles will happen when our hearts are filled with prayer.

The rosary alone can work miracles in the world and in your lives. January 25, 1991

Open yourselves to God by means of prayer so the Holy Spirit may begin to work miracles in you and through you. May 25, 1993

Only when you open your hearts and pray will miracles happen. September 25, 1993

Little children, prayer works miracles. April 25, 2001

Pray, pray, pray, because prayer works miracles in human hearts and in the world. October 25, 2001

Little children, believe that by simple prayer miracles can be worked. Through your prayer you open your heart to God and He works miracles in your life. October 25, 2002

Purgatory and the Holy Souls

Like Jesus in the Gospels, Our Lady has rarely spoken about Purgatory or the Holy Souls in her messages from Medjugorje. It seems that her sights are set on one place only for her children, and she does not want to give any of us an excuse to settle for anything less than Heaven.

Below is the only ‘official’ message to the world where Our Lady speaks of the Holy Souls and Purgatory. It was given to the visionary Marija 23 years ago on November 6, 1986.

Dear children, Today I wish to call you to pray daily for the souls in purgatory. For every soul prayer and grace is necessary to reach God and the love of God. By doing this, dear children, you obtain new intercessors who will help you in life to realise that all the earthly things are not important for you, that only Heaven is that for which it is necessary to strive. Therefore, dear children, pray without ceasing that you may be able to help yourselves and the others to whom your prayers will bring joy. Thank you for having responded to my call.

• In her book, Marija and the Mother of God, Irish journalist Heather Parsons speaks with the visionary about Purgatory. Marija (pictured) confirms that Our Lady has shown her heaven, hell and purgatory.

Of purgatory Marija said: “I did not see any people in purgatory, but I could hear them crying and asking us to pray for them. Our Lady said that the suffering of these people was because they wanted to go to heaven, but could not unless they had our prayers to assist them. She said that when we prayed for them, we helped them towards heaven.

“I felt great sadness in purgatory, because I was allowed to understand that these people know that God exists, that heaven exists. They want to be with God, but it is not possible for them to be with Him, because their sins are still on their souls.

“Their cries are not because they are in physical pain, I understood, but because they are in spiritual pain, wishing to be with God. Every day they spend in Purgatory they understand more the situation they are in and the result of their own sins. And they learn the way to love God.

“Our Lady said that we should pray for the souls in purgatory, that our prayers will help them to reach heaven. And she said that we should tell others to pray for them. She said that when we pray for these souls they become our friends and they pray for us in return. And now I pray for all the souls in purgatory, not just those I know, but all souls.

“She told me a very beautiful thing too, that every Saturday she goes to purgatory to take many souls to heaven and that there is great joy in heaven when these souls meet with God.

“Sometimes people ask me if I would be afraid to go to purgatory, but no, I would not be afraid. I have decided to try to live in the way of holiness and I do this with God’s help. Little by little, in this way I grow and learn and understand more, and with God’s help I am beginning to see and understand how great his love is for us.”

UK 2009 Christmas stamps have religious theme

Britain’s Royal Mail yesterday issued a series of religious-themed stamps for Christmas. The stamps show the Madonna and Child, an Angel, Joseph, a Wise Man and a Shepherd (£1.35), and feature work of Pre-Raphaelite-inspired stained glass windows from churches around the UK by arists that include William Morris, Henry Holiday and Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

Designer Andrew Ross researched hundreds of photographs of stained glass windows before deciding upon the final set of images from the 19th century.

“We are extremely privileged to have access to such a rich history of beautiful stained glass designs in churches and other buildings around the UK,” said Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps, Royal Mail.

“These precious images of the Nativity have a timeless appeal and are a wonderful way of telling the story of Christmas here and around the world.”

Three of the stamps (1st, 56p and £1.35) feature the work of the prolific artist and designer Henry Holiday who spent time at the studios of the artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, designer of the Wise Man (90p) stamp.

The Angel with Mandolin stained glass window (2nd class) was designed by William Morris and manufactured by Morris & Co, the design firm formed in 1861 with Edward Burne Jones.

Sent by God...

A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light. John 1 : 6-8

John the Baptist said of himself: “I am, as Isaiah prophesised: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight path for the Lord.”

In her latest message to Mirjana, Our Lady reminds us that she is also sent by God, to call and lead us back to the straight path where we discover the love of the Lord. And, like John, Our Lady also points out the Lamb of God for us to follow and to come to know as the perfect and saving sacrifice that God, in his mercy, has given to the world.

Significantly, Mary first appeared at Medjugorje on June 24, 1981, a day when the Church celebrates the coming into the world of John the Baptist.

Throughout her 28 years of giving messages, Our Lady frequently reminds us that she is sent to us by God. She is a missionary who arrives carrying the Word of God, the true light that enlightens all mankind.

I have chosen this parish, one more dear to me than the others, in which I have gladly remained when the Almighty sent me... March 21, 1985

God has sent me among you so that I may help you... January 25, 1991

God sends me to help you and to guide you towards paradise, which is your goal… September 25, 1994

God, out of love for man, has sent me among you to show you the path of salvation, the path of love… April 25, 1995

God sends me to you out of love… April 25, 1997

His love shows itself also in present times because He sends me to call you upon the path of salvation… January 25, 1999

God sent me to lead you toward eternal life… October 25, 2006

That I am among you for so much of your time is love, because the Great Love sends me… March 2, 2007

Also in this difficult time God's love sends me to you… June 2, 2007

Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation… October 25, 2007

…respond to God's goodness because He chose you and sent me among you… March 2, 2008

Medjugorje... the joy of angels

I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner. Luke 15 : 10

• It’s an unexpected truth to learn that here on earth each of us is capable of generating joy among God’s angels in heaven. Mostly we are conditioned to petition heaven to send joy to the world instead.

But in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us exactly how this happens, how his angels are constantly rejoicing. I say constantly because Jesus says his angels rejoice over one repentant sinner. One!

If just one different person repents each minute of the day, that gives the angels 1,440 repentant souls to rejoice over daily. Not a lot, is it? But enough for the angels in heaven to receive perpetual joy!

And imagine how that joy intensifies as the number of repenting souls on earth increases.

So for the angels in heaven, what a wonderful source of joy Medjugorje must be – the confessional of the world!

Holy Souls and Purgatory

We all want to believe that our deceased friends and loved ones are now happy and at peace with God in Heaven, and yet the Catholic Church teaches in its Catechism that: All who die in God’s friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. (1030)

So what exactly is this place or state of purification which the Church calls Purgatory? And are we all destined to go there, or is there any hope of a direct route into Heaven?

Although Our Lady speaks little about Purgatory in her 28 years of giving messages, she does confirm its reality and also that it is not necessarily a place that we are all destined for. She also stresses the importance of prayer for the purification of souls in Purgatory. In 1982 she responded to a question concerning Purgatory: There are many souls in Purgatory. There are also persons who have been consecrated to God – some priests, some religious. Pray for their intentions, at least the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary and the Glory Be, seven times each, and the Creed. I recommend it to you. There is a large number of souls who have been in Purgatory a long time because no one prays for them. July 21, 1982

A few days later Our Lady stressed the importance of the Sacraments in bypassing Purgatory. Responding to question about a person being bad all one’s life and asking forgiveness, she said: Whoever has done very much evil during his life can go straight to Heaven if he confesses, is sorry for what he has done, and receives Communion at the end of his life. (July 24, 1982)

Only once in all of Our Lady’s weekly and monthly messages does she request prayers for the souls in Purgatory. Dear children, today I wish to call you to pray daily for the souls in Purgatory. For every soul, prayer and grace is necessary to reach God and the love of God. By doing this, dear children, you obtain new intercessors who will help you in life to realise that all earthly things are not important for you, that only Heaven is that for which it is necessary to strive. Therefore, dear children, pray without ceasing that you may be able to help yourselves and the others to whom your prayers will bring joy. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 6, 1986

So from these few messages alone we can gather certain facts about Purgatory.
1. Purgatory exists.
2. Many souls go there – even priests!
3. A sense of time exists.
4. Souls in Purgatory are in need of our prayers.
5. Our prayers create joy for souls in Purgatory.
6. We can bypass Purgatory through receiving the Sacraments.
7. By praying for the souls in Purgatory we receive new intercessors.

Over the centuries there have been many despairing and horrific views promoted as to what the purifying method in Purgatory is supposed to be.

But I prefer to focus on the gentleness and healing touch of Jesus when reflecting on Purgatory and think of it as a stop-off on the journey home; a place of convalescence, where all the wounds and scars we have inflicted on ourselves and each other are healed in time with the power of prayer. I also envisiage Our Lady as the gentle woman nursing our wounded hearts with her grace and intercession.

Another purgatorial image I find helpful is the parable of the Good Samaritan. He bandaged and poured oil and wine on the wounds of the man lying at the roadside, and carried him to a place of rest and healing (Purgatory?), requesting and rewarding the innkeeper to look after him until he returned. Jesus, the Good Samaritan, taking care of the sick and wounded souls until they are fit and ready to return home.

Is he the last to be loved?

A couple of days ago, Our Lady, in her message to Mirjana, invited us to look into our hearts and see how much we love our Father in heaven. Then she asked: “Is he the last to be loved?”

In today’s Gospel (Luke 14 : 25-33) Jesus also makes it very clear where our priority for love should focus and that we should not allow ourselves to be possessed by ‘material goods’ or even to put our family in the first place ahead of him. “None of you can be my disciples unless he gives up all his possessions.” And, yes, he infers that to love Jesus and the Father ahead of our family and possessions is a cross to carry. “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Love cannot hurt your neighbour...

Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments. Romans 13 : 10

Dear children! With motherly love I desire to encourage you to love your neighbour. May my Son be the source of that love. He, who could have done everything by force, chose love and gave an example to you. Also today, through me, God expresses immeasurable goodness to you and, you children, are obliged to respond to it. With equal goodness and generosity behave towards the souls whom you meet. May your love convert them. In that way my Son and His love will resurrect in you. Thank you. July 2, 2008

What am I but just a heap of good intentions?

What am I but a heap of good intentions?
And to whom should I reach out if not to my Source?
Do I know anyone greater than God?
Have I another friend like Christ?
After so many proofs, how far have I advanced?
What is my response?
When will my love begin?
Do I feel how flickering and feeble it is?
When will I quicken it to a luminous, steady flame?
Do I think that someone else might have held the torch better?

“Change yourself, by patiently beginning over and over again.
Watch and pray.
You do pray, yes, but pray in another way,
seeing everything through Me,
full of confidence, with a sense of your poverty.
Then I’ll help you, My poor crippled child,
paralyzed by so many weaknesses from birth,
and you will travel along new paths.
You will leave behind your old slavish attachments,
for My yoke is gentle.
You will no longer be the one you serve;
Christ will be the One you serve.
What a difference!
And because you will serve Him and not another,
weaving Him into the very warp and woof of your day,
He will call you His bride,
He who was your servant.”

• Adapted from the book, HE AND I, by Gabrielle Bossis

Our Lady’s November message to Mirjana

Dear children, Also today I am among you to point you to the way that will help you to come to know God’s love, the love of God who permitted you to call him Father and to perceive him as Father. I ask of you to sincerely look into your hearts and to see how much you love him. Is he the last to be loved? Surrounded by material goods, how many times have you betrayed, denied and forgotten him? My children, do not deceive yourselves with worldly goods. Think of your soul because it is more important than the body; cleanse it. Invoke the Father, he is waiting for you. Come back to him. I am with you because he, in his mercy, sends me. Thank you. November 2, 2009

Invoke the Father, he is waiting for you...

Our Father in heaven, (Invoke the Father, he is waiting for you.)
may your name be held holy, (who permitted you to call him Father)
your kingdom come, (come to know God’s love)
your will be done, (have you betrayed, denied and forgotten him?)
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. (do not deceive yourselves with worldly goods)
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive those who are in debt to us. (Think of your soul... cleanse it)
And do not put us to the test, (I am with you... he sends me)
but save us from the evil one. (Come back to him)
Matthew 6 : 9-13

All Souls Day

I am the resurrection, and the life, says the Lord. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies, he will live. Anyone who lives and believes in me, will not die forever. John 11 : 26

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
Psalm 25 : 13-14

Hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. Roman 5 : 5

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 realise God’s plan in you and through you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
March 25, 2003

Saintly love...

...In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them. In no one do we see this more clearly than in Mary.

The words addressed by the crucified Lord to his disciple—to John and through him to all disciples of Jesus: “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:27)—are fulfilled anew in every generation. Mary has truly become the Mother of all believers. Men and women of every time and place have recourse to her motherly kindness and her virginal purity and grace, in all their needs and aspirations, their joys and sorrows, their moments of loneliness and their common endeavours. They constantly experience the gift of her goodness and the unfailing love which she pours out from the depths of her heart. The testimonials of gratitude, offered to her from every continent and culture, are a recognition of that pure love which is not self- seeking but simply benevolent....
Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est

Saintly flowers...

Dear children! I am with you and I rejoice today because the Most High has granted me to be with you and to teach you and to guide you on the path of perfection.

Little children, I wish you to be a beautiful bouquet of flowers which I wish to present to God for the day of All Saints. I invite you to open yourselves and to live, taking the saints as an example.

Mother Church has chosen them, that they may be an impulse for your daily life.

Thank you for having responded to my call October 25, 1994

I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will send a shower of roses.

St Thérèse, the Little Flower

In difficult times...

In my weakness, Lord, be my strength
and your grace enough for me.
May your power be at its best
when the thorn is piercing me.
BG

I chose you...

God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice. Romans 11 : 29

Dear children! Today I invite you to give thanks to God for all the gifts you have discovered in the course of your life and even for the least gift that you have perceived. I give thanks with you and want all of you to experience the joy of these gifts. And I want God to be everything for each one of you. And then, little children, you can grow continuously on the way of holiness. Thank you for responding to my call. September 25, 1989

Austria’s Papal Nuncio in Medjugorje

According to an announcement on the new website, OUR BLESSED MOTHER’S CHILDREN, Msgr Edmond Farhat, former Apostolic Nuncio of Austria, was in Medjugorje this week for four days with a large group of Austrian pilgrims estimated at 2,000.

Last Sunday, Msgr Farhat told the congregation at the English-speaking Mass that his benediction carried with it a special papal indulgence (with the usual conditions attached) for all those able to attend the Masses at which he was the Celebrant while he was in Medjugorje.

Pope prayed for Our Lady to come to earth...

In a recent question-and-answer session with English-speaking pilgrims at Medjugorje (October 3), the visionary Mirjana revealed that the late Pope John Paul II had prayed to the Blessed Virgin asking her to come on earth once more to assist him against the threat of Communism. Two months later she appeared in Medjugorje!

This was revealed in a response given by the visionary Mirjana to a question, asking if she or any of the other visionaries had ever met with the Holy Father.

I was in St Peter’s Basilica in Vatican with all the other pilgrims. I was with an Italian priest. The Pope (John Paul II) was walking by and he was blessing. He blessed me and just passed by. The priest with me said, “Holy Father, this is Mirjana from Medjugorje,” and he came back and blessed me again. Then he left. And I said to priest, “Most likely he thought just I just need a double blessing!”

In the afternoon, we received a note to go to Castelgondolfo, close to Rome, the next day. And myself and the Pope were alone together and among other things he said to me, “I know everything, I have been following everything. Ask pilgrims to pray for my intentions. Take care of Medjugorje because Medjugorje is the hope for the entire world.”

A priest told me that from the very beginning, the Pope was very fond of Medjugorje because two months before the apparitions in Medjugorje started, he was praying to Our Lady to come again on earth. He said, “I cannot do it all alone because Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc, are all communist. I cannot do it on my own. I need you.” And later he heard that in Yugoslavia, a communist country, in a little village (Medjugorje), Our Lady appeared and he said, “That is the response to my prayers.”

The narrow gate...

Through towns and villages Jesus went teaching, making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, “Sir, will there be only a few saved?” He said to them, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed. Luke 13 : 22-24

Dear children! Today I invite you to respond to my call to prayer. I desire, dear children, that during this time you find a corner for personal prayer. I desire to lead you towards prayer with the heart. Only in this way will you comprehend that your life is empty without prayer. You will discover the meaning of your life when you discover God in prayer. That is why, little children, open the door of your heart and you will comprehend that prayer is joy without which you cannot live. Thank you for having responded to my call. July 25, 1997

Daniel’s blessing

Every pilgrim visiting Medjugorje will see Daniel at sometime. He’s hard to miss, walking from place to place with his pilgrim’s staff. Daniel has branded a beautiful cross into his staff at the grip end, but a closer look reveals a natural image in the grain of perhaps Our Lady standing beneath the cross, which Daniel doesn’t know about. I didn’t until I made another inspection of the photograph today!

Our Lady can always be found at the foot of the cross, even our own. It’s a real blessing for Daniel. No wonder he is always saying to pilgrims, “You have a blessed day, now!”

One to follow...

Well worth book-marking and following is Fr Neil Buchlein’s new blog “Our Blessed Mother’s Children”. He describes Medjugorje as his “favourite place in the entire world” having visited there 16 times in the past six years.

My name is Love...

Today I will speak to you about what you have forgotten: Dear children, my name is Love. That I am among you for so much of your time is love, because the Great Love sends me. I am asking the same of you. I am asking for love in your families. I am asking that you recognise love in your brother. Only in this way, through love, will you see the face of the Greatest Love. May fasting and prayer be your guiding star. Open your hearts to love, namely, salvation. Thank you. March 2, 2007

Joyful mysteries of uncertainty...

Donald Rumsfeld, the former United States Secretary of Defence, once said: “As we know, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns. That is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we don’t know we don’t know.”

None of us, it seems, have all the answers – not even Donald Rumsfeld. But for all the unknowns and uncertainties in life, we can also be assured of, through God’s goodness, the certitudes of joy. Sometimes the two feelings go hand in hand. Uncertainties can raise questions, even when we experience joy in our heart. The Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary illustrate this truth. Each occasion of joy, each bead, is threaded and tied with a question of uncertainty.

In the mystery of the Annunciation, the news that she is chosen to be the Mother of God prompts Mary to ask with uncertainty: “But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?”

Her cousin Elizabeth, overjoyed and excited by Mary’s visitation also raises a question: “Why should I be so honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord?”

And surely there is uncertainty for Mary and Joseph as they make their way to Bethlehem to register for the census, aware that the birth of Jesus is imminent. No hospitals in those days, not even room in a warm guest-house.

Then the time arrives for Joseph and Mary to fulfil the law and present Jesus in the Temple – a joyful occasion, notably for Simeon who has waited so long to set eyes on the the Saviour of the world. But for Mary and Joseph, they can only stand and wonder at the things Simeon is saying about Jesus, especially when he speaks to Mary of a sword that will pierce her heart.

Life’s unknowns for Mary and Joseph manifest again in the final joyful mystery when Jesus goes missing. It’s a joy to discover that he is safe in the Temple. But this joy is mixed with uncertainty when Mary asks her Son, “My child, why have you done this to us?” And even when Jesus explains, his parents fail to understand his answer. The question of uncertainty remains.

Each joyful mystery is a journey, each bead a stop on the journey, a station, an incident – an episode in our life. And we know there is a degree of uncertainty with any journey we undertake.

The journey for Mary begins with the arrival of the Angel Gabriel. Pregnant, she sets out on a long journey from Nazareth to the hill country of Judea, some 70 miles away. Three months later Mary returns to Nazareth. Almost six months pass before Joseph and Mary are on the move again, this time to Bethlehem. From Bethlehem it’s just a short passage to Jerusalem for the Presentation; and then follows the long journey into Egypt before the Holy Family eventually move back to Nazareth.

St Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph would journey to Jerusalem every year for the Passover. On one occasion on their way back to Nazareth, they discover that Jesus is missing from the caravan. And so yet another journey, another step of uncertainty, is undertaken to search for the twelve-year-old.

The journeys for Jesus and Mary continue with the mysteries of Light, the Sorrowful mysteries, and the Glorious mysteries.

In her messages from Medjugorje, Our Lady often refers to the journey with Jesus as the path – of perfection, of peace, of love, of salvation, the path towards eternal life.

It is impossible to share in this journey and its joys and illuminations, its sorrows and glories, without confronting uncertainty and the unknown. There is no easy by-pass to Heaven, just the certainty of faith knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for each of us that desire to make the journey and follow him.

I desire that through you the whole world may get to know the God of joy. By your life bear witness for God’s joy. Do not be anxious or worried. God himself will help you and show you the way. part message, May 25, 1998

Pray and open your inner self

Dear children! Once again I desire to call you to prayer. When you pray you are much more beautiful, like flowers, which after the snow, show all their beauty and all their colors become indescribable. So also you, dear children, after prayer show before God all so much more what is beautiful and are beloved by Him. Therefore, dear children, pray and open your inner self to the Lord so that He makes of you a harmonious and beautiful flower for Paradise. Thank you for having responded to my call. December 18, 1986

More from Cardinal Schonborn on Medjugorje

On September 29, in Ars, where for all his priestly life Jean Marie Vianney spent many hours a day in the confessional, Cardinal Schonborn, Archbishop of Vienna, spoke very positively about Medjugorje at a retreat for priests. He said:

“Let us speak about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sr Faustina calls Confession 'the Court of Mercy'. What is it about this Sacrament in our lives as priests and bishops and also in our pastoral work? How can we not pose this question to ourselves here in Ars? In our countries of Europe, with some exceptions, I have the impression that the practice of this Sacrament has enormously regressed and in certain areas almost disappeared.

“There are certainly strongholds of Confession today. I think particularly of Medjugorje. I dare speak of that because for 28 years it has become one of the greatest strongholds of Confession. Thousands and thousands of people go to Confession!

“I recall simply to clarify: what does the Church say about Medjugorje? Just to reiterate between parentheses: the official position of the Episcopal Conference of ex-Yugoslavia but also of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith often repeated in three points:

1. Non constat de supernaturalitate. This means that it is not sure that it is supernatural, but it is not excluded. It remains open. The judgement of the Church is not pronounced yet.
2. Constat de supernaturalitate. Lourdes, Fatima, etc.
3. Constat de non supernaturalitate. It is not supernatural, the judgement of the Church is negative.

So, for Medjugorje it is the first possibility. For the moment the Church has not made a judgement, but she says two other things:

“Since Medjugorje is not officially approved by the Church, one cannot organise an official pilgrimage, as from a diocese.

“Since there are many faithful who go to this place, it is opportune that one takes care of the pilgrimage pastorally, and that one pastorally accompanies the faithful in this step. This is what has happened for the past 28 years.

“Certainly our places of pilgrimage are strongholds for Confession. This is my experience, and that of many of my brother priests who exercised the ministry of Confession in places of pilgrimage. But especially in Medjugorje, they were overwhelmed by the experience of Confession.”

Our Lady’s October message to Marija

Dear children! Also today I bring you my blessing, I bless you all and I call you to grow on this way, which God has begun through me for your salvation. Pray, fast and joyfully witness your faith, little children, and may your heart always be filled with prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call. October 25, 2009

Pray all the time, asking for what you need, praying in the Spirit on every possible occasion. Never get tired of staying awake to pray for all the saints; and pray for me to be given an opportunity to open my mouth and speak without fear and give out the mystery of the gospel, of which I am an ambassador in chains; pray that in proclaiming it I may speak as boldly as I ought to. Ephesians 6 : 20

I thank my God whenever I think of you; and every time I pray for all of you, I pray with joy, remembering how you have helped to spread the Good News from the day you first heard it right up to the present. Philippians 1 : 3-5

The Universal Call to Prayer
God calls man first. Man may forget his Creator or hide far from his face; he may run after idols or accuse the deity of having abandoned him; yet the living and true God tirelessly calls each person to that mysterious encounter known as prayer. In prayer, the faithful God's initiative of love always comes first; our own first step is always a response. As God gradually reveals himself and reveals man to himself, prayer appears as a reciprocal call, a covenant drama. Through words and actions, this drama engages the heart. It unfolds throughout the whole history of salvation.
Catechism of the Catholic Church – 2567

Son of David, Jesus, have pity on me!

Messages that help restore and heal...

Then Jesus spoke, “What do you want me to do for you?” “Rabbuni,” the blind man said to him “Master, let me see again.” Jesus said to him. “Go, your faith has saved you.” And immediately his sight returned and he followed him along the road. Mark 10 : 51-52.

As with the words of Jesus, there is much healing in Our Lady’s messages for those who wait for and accept them with faith and hope; enough at least to put each of us back on the right road again to follow Jesus.

Of figs, fruits and conversion...

Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for the fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, ‘Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground.’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.’” Luke 13 : 6-9

Dear children! With the time of Lent, you are approaching a time of grace. Your heart is like ploughed soil and it is ready to receive the fruit which will grow into what is good. You, little children, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast. Plant joy and the fruit of joy will grow in your hearts for your good, and others will see it and receive it through your life. Renounce sin and choose eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call. January 25, 2008

• by Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

Jesus tells me that if I live in him and he lives in me, I will bear much fruit; fruit that will last. His Mother, too, calls me to be fruitful. I am not asked for what I cannot give. This means that I can convert; I can change; it is not too late. How consoling this is.

Our Lady’s messages are the seed, and your soul, your heart and your life are the soil. Like the field which receives the seed, your heart must be opened and prepared so that a change may take place – a change renewing the face of the earth. It is not too late.

How sad it was for the owner to see the fig tree in the vineyard without fruit. It was to be chopped down. How sad it was for Jesus to reach into the fig tree and find no fruit. The Apostles watched it wither and die. How sad it is to see a parish, a family, a person, without fruit. Yes, you can bear fruit. It is not too late.

• by Fr Slavko Barbaric OFM

Conversion, in the messages of Medjugorje, means to change one’s life, to forsake sin, selfishness, arrogance, pride, and to open ourselves to humility, love, and to never give up.

Conversion has two elements – one, whereby we are called to forsake sin and another, whereby we are called to open ourselves to love. None of us will be able to say he loves enough, that he cannot love more. This is conversion – to try and love more, to try and get to be fully aware of sin, to pray for the spirit of love and to go forward.

I am saying this for the benefit of those who have started with enthusiasm after hearing of the apparitions and have realised that change is not easy, it requires some hard work. Do not allow yourselves to tire; conversion lasts the whole of one’s life.

Our Lord understands this. Our Lady understands this – that is why she has invited all of us to confess every month. If she is inviting us to confession, one can say she knows we are sinners; she knows we will remain as such, but that does not matter. What matters is to look once again for reconciliation and the strength which is given to us by the Lord, This is hope and strength for us.

• by Fr Svetozar Kraljevic OFM

Evangelicals consider the moment of conversion to be when one acknowledges he is a sinner, asks God’s forgiveness, and accepts him as Lord and Master, In Herzegovina, that is only the beginning: conversion is an ongoing, life-long process as bit by bit, with our cooperation, God conforms us ever more to the image of his Son.

Conversion, then, means staying in touch with the reality of what is going on in us and around us, and dealing with that reality in obedience to God, in faithfulness and in love. We find ourselves constantly asking: “Îf Jesus were here, what would he do?” Or: “If I am to be holy and live according to the call and commandments of God, what do Ineed to do now?”

To be holy does not mean to be strange, a fanatic or a freak. It means to be a very normal, healthy, balanced person. Forget what the world or the devil might tell you: it is normal to lead a holy life, for that is the life that God created you to live. Holiness means wholeness.

• by Pope Benedict XVI

Conversion remains the key to all reconciliation and to the Church’s ministry of reconciliation. All individual and collective reconciliation springs from the conversion of hearts. The social fabric of the Church and the world will be reformed and renewed only when conversion is interior and personal. The needed reform of oppressive economic and political structures in the world cannot be effected without the conversion of hearts. The reconciliation of humanity at the level of individuals, communities, peoples and blocs of nations presumes the conversion of individual hearts and must be based on truth.

Signs of the time...

Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny. Luke 12 : 54-59

Dear children! Today I call you to accept and live my messages with seriousness. These days are the days when you need to decide for God, for peace and for the good. May every hatred and jealousy disappear from your life and your thoughts, and may there only dwell love for God and for your neighbour. Thus, and only thus shall you be able to discern the signs of the time. I am with you and I guide you into a new time, a time which God gives you as grace so that you may get to know him more. Thank you for having responded to my call. January 25, 1993

The fire of love...

Jesus said to his disciples: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!
Luke 12 : 49-50

Dear children! Also today I call all of you for your hearts to blaze with more ardent love for the Crucified, and do not forget that, out of love for you, he gave his life so that you may be saved. Little children, meditate and pray that your heart may be open to God’s love. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 25, 2007

Serving the Lord

When a man has a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him. Luke 12 : 48

Dear children! Listen, because I wish to speak to you and to invite you to have more faith and trust in God, who loves you immeasurably. Little children, you do not know how to live in the grace of God, that is why I call you all anew, to carry the word of God in your heart and in thoughts. Little children, place the Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your family, and read and live it. Teach your children, because if you are not an example to them, children depart into godlessness. Reflect and pray and then God will be born in your heart and your heart will be joyous. Thank you for having for responded to my call. August 25, 1996

28 years on... signs and fruits remain at Medjugorje

Man can never be sure or objective, because his thinking, his opinion, never leaves him. If one doesn’t allow oneself to be convinced, if one clings to one’s naturally limited judgement, events will continue to occur without us. This is what happened at Medjugorje. Whether one is convinced or skeptical, for or against, the years pass by at Medjugorje; the signs remain, the fruits remain. And Our Lady’s invitation to peace is still valid

I do everything I can for people to hear this message, so that they may begin to renew their spiritual lives, their family lives.

The position of the Church or the position of individuals is not the point. The point is that this is a mystery in whcih signs are given. Jesus had forseen our weakness. He told us: “Either make the tree goood, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.”

The devil never ceases to seek out colllaborators to harm Medjugorje. When these persons describe a witness, such as myself, for example, they try to show me in the worst possible light so as to provoke a scandal so that the public will say. “Medjugorje is bad.” But I am not Medjugorje! Thank God, I never for one instance thought I was Medjugorje! Slander, lies provocations, I can easily overcome all that. Medjugorje cannot suffer on my account, because God is in it Himself who has wanted it and who protects it from human egoism, pride and disobedience...

• Fr Jozo Zovko OFM, from the book Encounters with Fr Jozo, by Sabina Covic

Medjugorje... a gift from heaven

Medjugorje comes from Heaven. It is a pure gift from God. That is why it was difficult for me to accept it at the beginning... because it calls for change. Unless a person accepts change, the Message of Medjugorje appeals to your soul like a beggar. Medjugorje calls you to relieve you of all your presuppositions and to begin a new approach to things, a radically new way. Medjugorje does not produce Pharisees.

Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

What is a shrine?

From the Code of Canon Law:

CHAPTER III. SHRINES

Can. 1230 By the term shrine is understood a church or other sacred place to which numerous members of the faithful make pilgrimage for a special reason of piety, with the approval of the local ordinary.

Can. 1231 For a shrine to be called a national shrine, the conference of bishops must give its approval; for it to be called an international shrine, the approval of the Holy See is required.

Can. 1232 §1. The local ordinary is competent to approve the statutes of a diocesan shrine; the conference of bishops for the statutes of a national shrine; the Holy See alone for the statutes of an international shrine.

§2. The statutes are to determine especially the purpose, the authority of the rector, and the ownership and administration of goods.

Can. 1233 Certain privileges can be granted to shrines whenever local circumstances, the large number of pilgrims, and especially the good of the faithful seem to suggest it.

Can. 1234 §1. At shrines the means of salvation are to be supplied more abundantly to the faithful by the diligent proclamation of the word of God, the suitable promotion of liturgical life especially through the celebration of the Eucharist and of penance, and the cultivation of approved forms of popular piety.

§2. Votive offerings of popular art and piety are to be kept on display in the shrines or nearby places and guarded securely.

• We can see from these canons that there is no mention of visionaries, apparitions or messages. Separate the visionaries and the apparitions from the ecclesiastical norms at Medjugorje and is there anything out of the ordinary happening in the parish that would prevent it from qualifying for shrine status – even at international level?

If there is, perhaps this is why there has been the recent activity within the parish, initiated by the diocesan bishop, to tidy up some of the loose ends. Is there an announcement imminent, as hinted by Sarajevo’s Cardinal Puljic, that will clarify the position of shrine status for Medjugorje? It certainly appears that the lines are being drawn – separate the visionaries/apparitions from the devotion of the faithful hundreds of thousands arriving in Medjugorje each year on pilgrimage and a very clear case is presented for shrine status.

The Yugoslav bishops conference did accept Medjugorje as a shrine, but that conference no longer exists. Three years ago the Bosnia & Herzegovina bishops conference was given the opportunity to endorse or reject the earlier status, but failed to reach a decision and Cardinal Puljic returned the matter into the hands of the Holy See. So now it is Rome that will ultimately decide on the status of Medjugorje as a shrine. The signs are that it will say yes, but only when it is assured that all i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed as far as ecclesiastical norms are concerned. Hence the Mostar bishop’s efforts during the past year to put right anything outside of the norm. It seems Rome wants its way. Medjugorje is no longer a local matter. It’s universal.

Is Medjugorje a shrine?

Here’s what the late Cardinal Franjo Kuharic, the former President of the Yugoslavian Bishops’ Conference, said in August 1993:

We bishops, after a three-year-long commission study, accept Medjugorje as a holy place, as a shrine. This means we have nothing against it if someone venerates the Mother of God in a manner also in agreement with the teaching and belief of the Church. Therefore we are leaving this to further study (validity of the apparitions). The Church does not hurry.
• Glas Koncila, August 15, 1993

Stay awake...

Jesus said to his disciples: “See that you are dressed for action and have your lamps lit. Be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding feast, ready to open the door as soon as he comes and knocks. Happy those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Luke 12 : 35-37

Dear children! Also today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Little children, you live in a time in which God gives great graces but you do not know how to make good use of them. You are concerned about everything else, but the least for the soul and spiritual life. Awaken from the tired sleep of your soul and say yes to God with all your strength. Decide for conversion and holiness. I am with you, little children, and I call you to perfection of your soul and of everything you do. Thank you for having responded to my call. March 25, 2009

New search feature added

Next month, this blog will be four years old and by then will have attracted half a million visits. In that time 1,352 items have been posted. Now you can search these posts very quickly with the aid of the new search feature at the top of the right-hand column. Type in any keyword and see what comes up.

You can also now subscribe to any new posts as they are added, but not ‘comments’ as this facility is not included on this blog.

Pontifical recognition for Cenacolo Community

During yesterday’s Angelus address (World Mission Sunday) in St Peter’s Square, Pope Bendict XVI welcomed those who gathered and also made mention of members of the Cenacolo Community in attendance:

“I exhort all of you to follow him on the path of holiness and to imitate his missionary zeal. I welcome Italian-speaking pilgrims with affection, in particular the members of Comunità Cenacolo, who for many years have helped young people, especially those who have become addicted to drugs, to find the path of life again meeting Jesus Christ.”

The members of the Cenacolo Community were in Rome to receive the new decree of recognition as an International Association of the Faithful of Pontifical Right.

The Cenacolo Community has two houses in the parish of Medjugorje, one for men and one for women. It’s is the men’s house, visited by tens of thousands of pilgrims each year, that has drawn global attention to the good work of the Community, and helped establish other houses throughout the world.

An important part of the daily programme for community members, according to the founder Sr Elvira, is the celebration of Mass and time spent in Adoration of the Blesssed Sacrament in the houses.

From the Comunità Cenacolo America, here is a report of the journey to recognition of the Community by the Church.

Our journey in the Church

The ecclesial journey of a work of God is evaluated by the Church in small steps of recognition, according to the growth and development of the life and specific charism of that particular work. Our ecclesial journey took its first steps on the Solemnity of Pentecost 1998. On that date, through the hands of His Excellency the Most Reverend Diego Bona, then Bishop of Saluzzo, Comunita Cenacolo was recognized as a Private Association of the Faithful for three years “ad experimentum.” After years of sharing her life with youth and serving them, on that day we received ecclesial recognition. From that moment, the Community was no longer only a good work of someone, but she became part of the Church, hands and heart of that Mother and Teacher who has served humanity for 2000 years and who proclaims the Risen One. Successively, on Pentecost 2001, Comunita Cenacolo was recognized as a Public Association of the Faithful for three years, again “ad experimentum.”

After the development and stability of the work matured through the years, our current Bishop of Saluzzo, His Excellency the Most Reverend Giuseppe Guerrini, definitively approved Comunita Cenacolo as a Public Association of the Faithful of diocesan right on December 8th 2005, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

History and precious gift of this new recognition

With the growth of Comunita Cenacolo beyond diocesan and national boundaries, many bishops throughout Europe and the world, in whose dioceses we are present, urged us to begin a journey of pontifical recognition of the work. Mother Elvira Petrozzi, founder of Comunita Cenacolo, participated as an auditor in the Synod of Bishops on the Eucharist in October 2005. She gave testimony of the “Eucharistic miracle” of resurrection of our youth, thanks to the celebration of the Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration in our houses. Only after the Synod did we perceive that the “hour” had come to begin in humility this journey to verify if the conditions existed to be recognized by the Holy See.

It had been suggested to us that we initiate the process of recognition as an International Association of the Faithful by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Hearing the favorable opinion of our diocesan bishop, who has always fully supported and sustained our journey, we took our first steps. The following period was composed of careful development of the Community statutes according to the directives received, thanks to the collaboration of the experts who accompanied us in preparation of said draft.

This time of work was also a time of grace, because the various observations received during this journey helped us in a peaceful way to order and delineate everything the Holy Spirit, in the mystery of His love, had birthed in us through the years. Step by step we discovered our specific charism, always more clearly, thanks to the Church who guided us with her wisdom.

The precious gift of this recognition is the even stronger bond that unites us with the Holy Father, with the heart of the universal Church, and with her closest collaborators. With all our poverty, fragility, and smallness, we enter delicately and humbly into the great universal mission of the Church, Servant and Mother of humanity, who brings “good news to the poor, liberty to captives, and healing to the brokenhearted.” We are deeper in the heart of the Church, united to the heart of the Pope, a work of God placed in his hands and at his service, fully cognizant of this great, great gift.

The providential date

In June we received the news that our statutes were accepted and approved for five years. The Pontifical Council for the Laity indicated that it is customary that the decree of recognition be granted on a significant date. We chose July 16th, 2009, Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and birthday of the Community. It is beautiful to see the tender hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who guides us and accompanies us on this journey: at the end of our jubilee, the 25th anniversary of Comunita Cenacolo, the Church welcomes us in her universal heart and sends us forth into the world. It is a new beginning with new strength and a new light, with a new belonging, which requires greater maturity, responsibility, and commitment, but also has given us so very much joy.

Unplanned and clearly providential, the date the decree with be physically given to us coincides with another special date. October 16th is, in fact, the date on which “a man from a far away land,” John Paul II, was elected Pope. We also rejoice for this reason that we will be in Rome on that specific date to give thanks to Our Lord and the Virgin Mary. Our Community was born, developed, and grew under the pontificate of John Paul II, and now at the beginning of our 26th year of life, we receive pontifical recognition and our journey of ecclesial maturation continues, as we entrust ourselves to be guided by the sure hand of our Holy Father Benedict XVI. One hand in that of John Paul II and the other in that of Benedict XVI—with both our hands in theirs, we walk safely, securely, and confidently.

News about the journey of our sisters

During the preparation of the statutes according to the directives given by the Pontifical Council for the Laity, the role of our sisters was delineated more clearly. From the beginning, their journey as consecrated women has been that which is proper to the religious life, evidenced by their habit and veil and proclaimed by their public vows before the bishop. For this reason, we received the directive that their journey, though it originated from the same charism, has a particular identity guided by the norms of the canons proper to the religious life. Therefore, in accord with our diocesan bishop, we are preparing a statute for a Public Association of the Faithful of diocesan right, directed to become in the future an Institute of Consecrated Life for Women.

It is beautiful to see how different ways of life and participations in the charism of the Community have become delineated in this journey we are making with God, this journey validated by the Church. Each person can find his place of service in the kingdom of God, according to the individual call he has received and the openness of his own heart.

source: Comunità Cenacolo America

Medjugorje... fountain of grace

Dear children! Today again I am calling you to pray with your whole heart and day by day to change your life. Especially, dear children, I am calling that by your prayers and sacrifices you begin to live in holiness, because I desire that each one of you who has been to this fountain of grace will come to Paradise with the special gift which you shall give me, and that is holiness. Therefore, dear children, pray and daily change your life in order to become fully holy. I shall always be close to you. Thank you for having responded to my call. November 13, 1986

Look closely at the above image taken recently of a statue depicting Our Lady Queen of Peace and you will see droplets from a water fountain in front of the statue, a fountain of grace, so to speak, each droplet perhaps representing a grace bestowed by Our Lady, who is full of grace.

Also revealed in the photograph is Our Lady’s image in almost every droplet of water – as shown in the enlarged ‘right eye’ section below (turned upside down for clarity). To enlarge further, try using your web browser ‘view’ tab.

These inverted, mirror images of the statue set against the blue sky are not miraculous but described scientifically as “refractions”.

Nevertheless, they help visually to convey Our Lady’s meaning when she speaks of Medjugorje as a “fountain of grace”.

The statue and fountain is situated at the Holy Grounds cafe at the base of Apparition Hill, just below the last station of the Glorious mysteries.

Cardinal Schonborn speaks on Medjugorje

“It is a huge gift that the Mother of God wants to be so close to her children! She has shown that love at many other places in the world, but for many previous years is showing that nearness in Medjugorje. We can be grateful to God, who has, through his Mother, taken so many people in the last 30 years towards God’s love, for revealing to them God’s love, and because so many have felt healing and renewal.

“In the sacrament of confession they were able to feel love towards the Eucharistic Lord and, thanks to his Mother, towards her as well. Reconciliation in families, healings from drugs, addictions, and other miseries are her intentions. It is a huge sign of our time that Mary, in such concrete way, from such vicinity, and so simply, takes care of her children and dwells amongst them…

“Show what you have received and what you constantly receive here through graces from Medjugorje, reflect that and bring it to others.”

• Cardinal Christoph Schonborn, speaking at the end of a prayer meeting for peace held in Vienna Cathedral on September 15, 2009. The Medjugorje visionary, Marija Pavlovic was also present.

• source: Medjugorje Parish website

Near restful waters he leads me...

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. Psalm 22

• If anyone was to ask me about my recent 40-day visit to Medjugorje, the opening verse of the responsorial psalm of today’s Mass for the feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque is the most fitting reply I can make, and amplified by the last verse of the Gospel reading:

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light. Matthew 11 : 28-30

Feast of St Margaret Mary Alacoque

Dear children! This evening I pray you especially to venerate the Heart of my Son, Jesus. Make reparation for the wound inflicted on the Heart of my Son. That Heart is offended by all kinds of sins. Thank you for coming this evening. April 5, 1984

Do not forget...

Dear children! I have chosen this parish in a special way and I wish to lead it. I am guarding it in love and I want everyone to be mine. part message, March 1, 1984.

Cardinal’s comment on Medjugorje

People have the right to pray everywhere, including in Medjugorje.
• Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

New photos added to gallery

Around 250 new photos have been added to the Medjugorje Gallery

I am the true vine...

It is to the glory of my Father that you should bear much fruit, and then you will be my disciples. John 15 : 8

Dear children! Also today I call you to give thanks to God in your heart for all the graces which He gives you, also through the signs and colours that are in nature. God wants to draw you closer to himself and moves you to give him glory and thanks. Therefore, little children, I call you anew to pray, pray, pray and do not forget that I am with you. I intercede before God for each of you until your joy in him is complete. Thank you for having responded to my call. August 25, 2003

Up and running again...

Apologies for the recent absence of updates on this blog, but I was taking a break for six weeks (in Medjugorje).

Our Lady’s October message to Mirjana

Dear Children, As I look at you, my heart seizes with pain. Where are you going my children? Have you sunk so deeply into sin that you do not know how to stop yourselves? You justify yourselves with sin and live according to it. Kneel down beneath the Cross and look at my Son. He conquered sin and died so that you, my children, may live. Permit me to help you not to die but to live with my Son forever. Thank you! October 2, 2009

Our Lady’s September message to Marija

Dear children, with joy, persistently work on your conversion. Offer all your joys and sorrows to my Immaculate Heart that I may lead you all to my most beloved Son, so that you may find joy in His Heart. I am with you to instruct you and to lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call. September 25, 2009

Our Lady’s September message to Mirjana

Dear children; Today, with a motherly heart, I call you to learn to forgive, completely and unconditionally. You suffer injustice, betrayals and persecutions, but by that you are closer to and dearer to God. My children, pray for the gift of love. Only love forgives all, as my Son forgives – follow Him. I am among you and am praying that when you come before your Father you can say: “Here I am Father, I followed your Son, I had love and forgave with the heart, because I believed in your judgment and trusted in you.” Thank you. September 2, 2009

Fr Brendan O’Malley RIP

Please pray for Fr Brendan O’Malley who died this morning.

• Reconcile
• A first for Fr Brendan

Message commentary...

Dear children! Today I call you anew to conversion. Little children, you are not holy enough and you do not radiate holiness to others, therefore pray, pray, pray and work on your personal conversion, so that you may be a sign of God’s love to others. I am with you and am leading you towards eternity, for which every heart must yearn. Thank you for having responded to my call. August 25, 2008

In the 28 years that Our Lady has been speaking to us from Medjugorje we have learned to understand that she brings us nothing new outside of the Gospel message, so it is to Scripture, the Word of God, that we should look for a fuller understanding of Our Lady’s message.

The first readings of this week’s daily Mass, Monday to Saturday, are from St Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, and all relate in some way to Our Lady’s message.

In thousands of churches around the world priests will provide homilies on these readings. So in reality, we always have a commentary on Our Lady’s message – amplified through Scripture,

During the past 28 years, it is Mary, as Queen of Prophets (prophet as in proclaiming the Word of God) and Mother of the Church, who is ensuring that her messages point us to the Word of God.

Here are passages from this week’s first readings that can be easily identified with Our Lady’s message given to us this week.

Monday – call to conversion...
...other people tell us how we started work among you, how you broke with idolatary when you converted to God and became servants of the real, living God...

Tuesday – the Mother who is with us and leading us...
Like a mother feeding and looking after her own children, we felt so devoted and protective towards you...

Wednesday – call to holiness...
...teaching you what was right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of his kingdom.

Thursday – prayer and holiness as God’s sign of love...
We are earnestly praying night and day... make up shortcomings in your life... May the Lord be generous in increasing your love and make you love one another and the whole human race... and may he so confirm your hearts in holiness...

Friday – progress in personal conversion...
...make more and more progress in the kind of life that you are meant to live... What God wants for you all is to be holy... We have been called by God to be holy...

Saturday – progression in love...
..you have learnt from God yourselves to love one another... we urge you to go on making further progress...

Accepting the message of eternal life...

You can remember how we treated everyone of you as a father treats his children, teaching you what is right, encouraging you and appealing to you to live a life worthy of God, who is calling you to share the glory of the kingdom. Another reason why we constantly thank God for you is that as soon as you heard the message that we brought you as God’s message. you accepted it for what is really is, God’s message and not some human thinking; and it is still a living power among you who believe it. Thessalonians 2: 11-13

Our Lady’s August message to Marija

Dear children! Today I call you anew to conversion. Little children, you are not holy enough and you do not radiate holiness to others, therefore pray, pray, pray and work on your personal conversion, so that you may be a sign of God’s love to others. I am with you and am leading you towards eternity, for which every heart must yearn. Thank you for having responded to my call. August 25, 2009