CHILDREN OF MEDJUGORJE
President: Arnold Ochs
Vice-President: Sister Emmanuel
Advisory Board:
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
September 2, 2007
Dear Children of Medjugorje
Praised be Jesus and Mary!
1 - On August 2nd, Mirjana Soldo received her monthly apparition at the Cenacolo. After the apparition, Mirjana shared this message with those present:
"Dear children! Today I look in your hearts and looking at them my heart seizes with pain. My children! I ask of you unconditional, pure love for God. You will know that you are on the right path when you will be on earth with your body and with your soul always with God. Through this unconditional and pure love you will see my Son in every person. You will feel oneness in God. As a Mother I will be happy because I will have your holy and unified hearts. My children, I will have your salvation. Thank you."
At the beginning of this apparition, the Blessed Mother showed Mirjana things that are awaiting us if, in our hearts, there is no holiness nor brotherly communion in Christ. "This was not pretty at all" added Mirjana. "The Gospa asked us to pray for our pastors. She said that without them, there is no unity."
On September 2nd, Mirjana shared the following message after the apparition:
"Dear children, in this time of God's signs, do not be afraid because I am with you. The great love of God sends me to lead you to salvation. Give me your simple hearts, purified by fasting and prayer. Only in the simplicity of your hearts is your salvation. I will be with you and will lead you. Thank you." Our Lady blessed everyone and all of the religious articles.
2 - Pope Benedict XVI On Vacation
Recently something very touching happened with the Holy Father concerning Medjugorje. Even though it seems minor at first sight, it edifies and encourages those who are faithful to Medjugorje:
Newspapers around Italy reported that on July 21st 2007, during his vacation in Lorenzo di Cardone, Italy, Pope Benedict XVI found a quiet and simple chapel in the woods to pray the Rosary in front of a statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje. He remained deeply recollected in prayer for one hour, with his secretary, in front of the statue. According to Vatican Radio, it was a very poignant moment. (See
link for full article, or http://www.radiovaticana.org/it1/Articolo.asp?c=145895.)
This event naturally made the headlines of the newspapers in Bosnia and was widely commented by the parishioners of Medjugorje, especially occuring only a few weeks after Father Cantalamessa was asked not to give the retreat for priests in Medjugorje, as previously planned. Many suspect that the Holy Father's prayer was not unintentional. Conscious of the cameras around, it could be interpreted that he gave a small sign of hope to those who also pray to Our Lady in Medjugorje!
3 - Please forgive me for not finishing the report in a more timely manner. I was unexpectedly called out of the country in mid-August and was not able to finish it before leaving.
4 - Changes In The Parish
Fr. Petar Vlasic has succeeded Fr. Ivan Sesar as pastor of St. James Parish. Since 2000 he has served as vicar in the little church of the Merciful Christ in the village of Surmanci. Many people have asked if this is the same priest who has been asked by Mirjana to reveal the secrets to the world and the answer is no. Father Petar Ljubicic is presently in Germany.
Father Ljubo left Medjugorje at the end of August as he was reassigned to the province of Zagreb, Croatia. We miss him dearly! Fortunately, God willing, he will come back to Medjugorje from time to time for important events. He is quoted as saying, "I will miss my prayer group of Young Franciscans above everything else!"
Jelena Vasilj-Valente will give birth to her 4th child in Rome this October, let's pray for a blessed and safe delivery!
5 - Shma Israel! Listen, Israel!
In the Bible, we see that sometimes God calls the name of a person twice in a row. "Abram, Abram!" Or, "Samuel, Samuel!"; Jesus did this too when he called, "Simon, Simon!" And "Martha, Martha!" There are several explanations for this, but one of them concerns us in particular today: "The first time God pronounces someone's name, it is to draw the attention of the one who is being called and who then lends an ear to God. The second time God calls a name, it is to leave him the time to open his heart and let the message be engraved in him so that all his attention may then concentrate on the voice. It is interesting to further dive into the meaning of "concentrate on the voice" because it means to absorb all that the call contains, all that God Himself is who holds treasures beyond!
Isn't this precisely what the Blessed Mother is asking us to live in Medjugorje? Isn't this exactly what we have such a hard time doing - opening our hearts to hear? For this very reason, Mary invites us to "kneel in the silence of our hearts" (01.05.25), to live the very special grace of our time and understand its signs. Without this silence, there is no possible communion with God! Without this silence the union of hearts cannot be built because our ability to receive is obstructed. The other day on Mount Krizevac, I was struck by the groups who never stopped talking between the Stations of the Cross. Everyone was saying whatever came through their minds, ignoring those in their group who were trying to pray. Often, noise seems reassuring, give the feeling of some human warmth, but when those who speak reach the bottom of the mountain, or the end of their prayer, there is no joy in them. They miss the grace that God is offering through the sacred gift of silence and prayer! Expressing out loud all the things that go through our mind is like putting our head under an umbrella to stop the shower of graces from reaching us. Graces are offered, they fall on us abundantly, but they can slip down and miss the target! We are left empty and lonely, and then we start speaking louder so that we do not feel the distance we have created between our deep selves and God. This leads to emptiness and fear of emptiness escalates. It is so contrary to what we have been created for - the fullness of love!
Jesus told Sr. Faustina that a talkative soul has no chance of hearing the murmur of His voice. When we compare that with Jesus' promise that He speaks to each heart, it is a tragic loss!
In Medjugorje, Jesus is sending His Mother to talk to us, and not only through messages. She is waiting for us on the mountains of Medjugorje, in the vineyards, on the narrow footpaths winding through the valley, and on the benches of the church. She tells us over and over again to open our hearts so that she may work on them and change them. We know how essential a mother's voice is to comfort a child, to make him feel secure and build up his personality with harmony. Like every mother, Mary dreams of being close to our hearts. She wants to fill them with great presents and whisper her words of love. In recollection, she works with great power, but she doesn't do so amidst all the noise of the world. Why was Mary of Nazareth able to live fully God's plan for her? Because she was recollected! Therefore she could seize the most subtle points of His Divine plan for her life. Her heart was indeed concentrated on the murmur of her soul, on the mysterious exchange happening between she and her God. It was most obviously the murmur that sings inside each one of us today. But today, just a few people seize this treasure because we are full of noise and of worldly preoccupations.
Let us ask our Mother, Please mom, come to our aid and help us to be silent! People leading pilgrims have a wonderful role to play in Medjugorje: they are able to change the pilgrimage of the persons entrusted to them, improving it tremendously by helping their pilgrims to be silent! Instead of a touristic, superficial, trinket-shopping trip and professional photo shoot, they can make the pilgrimage beautiful by sparking a light for the pilgrims that will open them to the greatest graces through prayer and silence. All it takes is a solid explanation from them and of course their good example. One of the visionaries told me in the 80's about a message that the Gospa gave them. She said, "To those who go up and down the hills in silence (Krizevac and Podbordo) I give special blessings." Vicka confirmed this word to me and added with her well-known common sense, "Of course we have to remain silent! You go up the hill in order to pray! If you want to talk, why go up the hill? You can do that anywhere when you reach the bottom!"
This can be extended to parishes too! If we want to talk, there are many places to do so. But when we go to Mass, it is for a personal encounter with God in the privacy of our hearts! Churches are places of prayer that should be respected as such. Our Lady ardently educated the visionaries in this matter, at the beginning of the apparitions! In some parishes, in fact, we may find it difficult to recollect and speak to Jesus in our hearts and not know why! There is too much talking around!!"
"In the silence of your heart, stay with Jesus, so that he may transform you by his love." The Gospa tells us (98.25.98). She also told Jelena Vasilj for her prayer group, "You need vigor (strength) in your prayer. May you pray in recollection for a long time and fervently."( 25.01.84)
Dearest Gospa, please communicate to us the eyes of your heart, that we may live our life with God in its fullness, just as you did!
(Translated From French)
Sister Emmanuel+
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PS 1 - About photos, the Gospa said in the 80s, "Dear Children, do not take pictures during Holy Mass or apparitions, because you are focused on your photos and you don't pray. Then you miss the graces that I and my Son Jesus want to give you."
PS 2 - In order to receive this monthly report from Sr. Emmanuel in English, please sign up at:
pray@childrenofmedjugorje.com In French:
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