Monthly Message from Our Lady

CHILDREN OF MEDJUGORJE 

President: Arnold Ochs

Vice-President: Sister Emmanuel


Advisors:
Archbishop Frane Franic

Archbishop D. Peter Chung
Bishop
Nicholas D'Antonio, O.F.M.

Bishop Michael D. Pfeifer, O.M.I.

Bishop Donald Montrose

Fr. Daniel Ange

Ralph Martin


February 17, 2007

Dear Children of Medjugorje,
Praised be Jesus and Mary!

1. On February 2nd, Mirjana Soldo received her monthly apparition privately at home. She did not transmit any message after the apparition. Every year, in February, she takes advantage of the smaller number of pilgrims to live this great encounter in the privacy of her bedroom.

2. Mission in India We have just returned from our beautiful mission in Kerala, Bangalore and Madras. A big "Thank You"' to all who carried this mission in their prayers! Our gatherings were very well prepared by our friends from Jesus Youth movement and we were able to share the Messages with a great variety of groups. Those young people gave us a magnificent example that we are not ready to forget! We loved this society that is so much healthier than ours, those youngsters filled with the essential values of life, family, and mutual respect; and who are so aware of God's transcendence. May they transmit their values to the West, and re-evangelize us! May they be protected from the viruses of the Culture of Death that pervades our western society! Those viruses, I must say, we have felt among many young people, and therefore the role of Medjugorje here is crucial. The Christian people of India are very attached to Our Lady (many Hindus are too!), therefore all she teaches and accomplishes in Medjugorje touches them very deeply. We will extend this mission via follow-up exchanges with our friends; some of the leaders we hope will come to Medjugorje in order to drink at this source of grace, be trained at the Gospa's school and become missionaries in their own country. Seeds have been planted! It is now up to the Creator to make them germinate and bear fruit, and to find workers for His harvest! For this, we welcome all your prayers and support!


3. For the International Retreat for Priests in Medjugorje (from July 2 to 7 - please see www.medjugorje.hr ), the main speaker will be Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Italy, the awesome preacher of the Pontifical Household, therefore of the Pope himself, for the past 25 years! Every year, Father Raniero preaches Lent and Advent at the Vatican. Pope Benedict confirmed his position as his special pontifical preacher. What a positive sign for the cause of Medjugorje and its relationship with Rome!

4. The Power of the Cross: To enter into the spirit of Lent (Feb. 21), it is good to gaze upon the Cross! When we see how much Jesus loved us, how could we not desire to get closer to him? Father Jean Christophe T., founder of a new community in France, helps us do so through this wrenching testimony: While a seminarian in Rome, he liked to visit the children's prison of Casa Del Marmo where Gypsies were being incarcerated for thefts and small offences. Some children did not have any identification papers and were not entitled to receive visitors, because nobody could verify who was a family member. However, Jean Christophe was accepted as a visitor and became a link between those children and their families. He would bring them clothing, as some would stay for a whole month without being able to change, unable to receive parcels. In this context, Jean Christophe knew some Gypsies from Bosnia who had set up camp close to Rome. The poverty there was terrible. In the camp, he met Jiani, 22 years old, a Muslim, married and the father of two children. Very outgoing and dynamic, he had a great impact on his entourage and people liked to gather around to listen to him. He was full of initiatives, good ones as well as bad ones. One day, Jean Christophe visited Jiani in his little hut made of wood and cardboard. He found him totally depressed, mute for pain and closed, hiding his arms. Then Jean Christophe realized he had no more hands!! What had happened? During a recent break-in, Jiani had encountered a metal door that was electrified, and the current had kept his hands stuck to the door. When his two buddies saw that, they could not think of any other way to save his life than cutting his hands off. Jiani fell into deep depression and wanted to commit suicide. Choked by this tragedy, Jean Christophe did not know how to react. What could be said in face of such a horror? But Jean Christophe always has his inner jacket filled with "goodies" to pass around, and it occurred to him to pull out of his pocket a wooden crucifix (the St. Damiano one, so dear to St. Francis of Assisi) and to leave it by Jiani's bed. He also said a few words to him about Jesus before leaving. A month later, Jean Christophe came back into the camp and found Jiani completely changed. He was surrounded by a little crowd and speaking joyfully. Back to himself, he heartily welcomed Jean Christophe who asked him: - "What happened to you, Jiani? You look so cheerful today?!" - "It is thanks to you!" Then Jiani explained to Jean Christophe that after his visit, he looked at the Crucifix calmly and noticed that Jesus had his two hands nailed to the wood. He said to himself, "He is just like me! If there is anyone who can understand me, it is Him! I lost my hands because of a robbery whereas He offered them for us!" And Jiani concluded: - He can only be God! Jiani asked to be baptized a Catholic. Since he was the leader, as it often occurs in the Gypsy culture, his whole clan was baptized with him as well as his friends. Besides, they started seeing Jean Christophe as their "wise-man". Therefore he was able to announce Jesus in the camp quite openly! This Muslim received life by looking at the Crucified One.

In our own places, as Catholics, where on earth have we hidden our Crucifix ? On Feb. 25, 1999, Our Lady said to us, " Dear Children, today again I am with you in a special way, contemplating and living the Passion of Jesus in my heart. Little children, open your hearts and give me everything that is in them: joys, sorrows and each pain even the smallest ones, that I may offer them to Jesus; so that with His Immeasurable love, He may burn and transform your sorrows into the joy of Resurrection". Today, it takes a Muslim thief to teach us the power of the Cross. May this word from Jesus resound in our hearts, "Lifted from the earth, I will draw all men to me".

Dearest Gospa, here are our open hearts! Please take everything that is in there, the bad as well as the good and please, present them to your Son Jesus with your Heart of a Mother!


Sister Emmanuel + ____________________________________


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Saint Valentine

Memorial
14 February

Profile
Priest in Rome, possibly a bishop. Physician. Imprisoned for giving aid to martyrs in prison, and while there converted the jailer by restoring sight to the jailer's daughter. While Valentine of Terni and Valentine of Rome sometimes have separate entries in martyrologies and biographies, most scholars believe they are the same person.

There are several theories about the origin of Valentine's Day celebrations. Some believe the Romans had a mid-February custom where boys drew girls' names in honor of the sex and fertility goddess, Februata Juno; pastors "baptised" this holiday, like some others, by substituting the names of saints such as Valentine to suppress the practice. Others maintain that the custom of sending Valentines on 14 February stems from the belief that birds begin to pair on that date. By 1477 the English associated lovers with the feast of Valentine because on that day "every bird chooses him a mate." The custom started of men and women writing love letters to their Valentine on this day. Other "romance" traditions have become attached to this feast, including pinning bay leaves to your pillow on Valentine's Eve so that you will see your future mate that night in your dreams.

Died
beaten and beheaded c.269 at Rome; buried on the Flaminian Way; relics later translated to the Church of Saint Praxedes

Patronage
affianced couples, against fainting, bee keepers, betrothed couples, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greeting card manufacturers, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, young people

Representation
birds; roses; bishop with a crippled or epileptic child at his feet; bishop with a rooster nearby; bishop refusing to adore an idol; bishop being beheaded; priest bearing a sword; priest holding a sun; priest giving sight to a blind girl

Images
Gallery of images of Saint Valentine [3 images]