Medjugorje Youth Festival starts today...

It started out a damp day in Medjugorje as preparations got underway for the opening of the Youth festival this evening. By the afternoon most of the rain clouds had disappeared and the sun came out to greet the tens of thousands of young pilgrims arriving in the village.

You can view some of the festival events through the live-streaming facility on the internet provided by the parish.

The programme for this evening is:
18.00 – Rosary
19.00 –Holy Mass – general rehearsal for the choir and the orchestra
20.00 – Prayer for healing
20.30 – Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament – general rehearsal for the choir and the orchestra

Accepting the message...

Today’s Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept God’s message for what it really is:
God’s message and not some human thinking.
Alleluia!
cf: 1 Thessalonians 2 : 15

Dear children! Today I invite you to accept with seriousness and to live the messages which I am giving you. I am with you and I desire, dear children, that each one of you be ever closer to my heart. Therefore, little children, pray and seek the will of God in your everyday life. I desire that each one of you discover the way of holiness and grow in it until eternity. I will pray for you and intercede for you before God that you understand the greatness of this gift which God is giving me that I can be with you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, April 25, 1990

Medjugorje Youth Festival

Dear children!
Anew I call you to follow me with joy.

My soul give praise to the Lord;
I will praise the Lord all of my days,
make music to my God while I live.
Psalm 145 : 2

I desire to lead you...

Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy. I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Saviour...
part Medjugorje message, July 25, 2010

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused. Matthew 23 : 37

A prayer of joyful surrender...

Lord, behold I stand naked before thee,
with wings on my feet.
With wings on my feet,
now my journey inward will be swift.
But is not, for I stumble and fall,
and walk haltingly inches, instead of miles,
while the hunger for God plagues me
and urges me to make haste.
Oh, I had forgotten the shoes –
the heavy comfortable shoes
that have shielded my feet;
shielded my feet from the cutting stones,
from the sharp pebbles.
I must unlace my shoes,
my comfortable stout shoes;
the last covering of my naked body;
the last stronghold of my non-surrender to God.
I hesitate, the narrow path is so hard!
It has so many, so many sharp stones,
so many knife-edged pebbles!
But the hunger for God flames in me,
a furnace of fire, which is unquenchable!

• from the poem The Journey Inward by Catherine de Hoeck Doherty

Lead thou me on...

Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy.
I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Saviour...
part Medjugorje message, July 25, 2010

Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, lead thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home; lead thou me on!
Keep thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene; one step enough for me.

I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou shouldst lead me on;
I loved to choose and see my path; but now lead thou me on!
I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears,
Pride ruled my will: remember not past years!

So long thy power hath blessed me, sure it still will lead me on,
O'er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is gone,
And with the morn those angel faces smile,
Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

• John Henry cardinal Newman, June 16, 1833

Do not stifle the Spirit...

Medjugorje proves and testifies that people tirelessly yearn for God and endeavour to contact him. On that path it uncovers the Church and its riches.

Mary, the Queen of Peace and the Mother of the Church speaks to the people in Medjugorje, to her children and helps them to do what Jesus tells them to do. She inspires them to be filled with the grace of God in the sacraments, to be able to hear, to understand and to realise the word of God. In this way, she gives her monthly contribution to the growth of the Body of Christ, which in fact is the Church.

Our Lady’s apparitions, messages and numerous gatherings by the faithful in Medjugorje with its contents, are the feast and celebration of the will of God. In them, Jesus celebrates the Heavenly Father, the Lord of Heaven and earth, “for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to little children” (Matthew 11 : 25)

As such, we ask all those who deal with the phenomenon of Medjugorje when they pass their judgement, to have in mind the warning uttered by the apostle Paul to the Thessalonians: “Do not stifle the Spirit or despise the gift of prophecy with contempt; test everything and hold on to what is good and shun every form of evil!” (Thessalonians 5 : 19-21)

• Fr Ljudevit Rupcic OFM

Mary, Benedict, and Christian prayer...

May the Virgin Mary help us to rediscover the beauty and the profundity of Christian prayer.
Pope Benedict XVI in his Angelus address of today, Sunday, 25 July, 2010

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. Medjugorje message, July 25, 1997

Dear children! Also today I desire to call you all to be strong in prayer and in the moments when trials attack you. Live your Christian vocation in joy and humility and witness to everyone. I am with you and I carry you all before my Son Jesus, and He will be your strength and support. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, March 25, 2010

Medjugorje message of Our Lady, July 25, 2010

• This is the message of Our Lady given this evening to the visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti at her home in Medjugorje.

Dear children! Anew I call you to follow me with joy.

I desire to lead all of you to my Son, your Saviour.

You are not aware that without him you do not have joy and peace, nor a future or eternal life.

Therefore, little children, make good use of this time of joyful prayer and surrender.

Thank you for having responded to my call.

Medjugorje message, July 25, 2010

• Listen to Fr Neil Buchlein’s audio commentary on this message.

Feast of St James

The people of Medjugorje today celebrated the feast of St James, patron of the parish.

The Medjugorje parish was dedicated to St James in 1892.

St James and his brother St John, were sons of Zebedee.

The statue of the apostle, who is also the patron saint of pilgrims, is processed through the village on his feast day.

“From my heart, I address a special thought to the many pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela! May the Virgin Mary help us to rediscover the beauty and the profundity of Christian prayer.”
• Pope Benedict XVI in his Angelus address of today and speaking about the feast of St James.

Abba, Father!

The Spirit you received is the spirit of sons,
and it makes us cry out, “Abba, Father!”
Romans 8 :15

Mary and the Lord’s prayer...

Our Father who art in heaven
Dear Children, I, as a mother, am coming to you and showing YOU how much God, your Father, loves you. September 2, 2005
I love you, dear children, with a special love and I desire to bring you all to Heaven unto God. November 27, 1986

Hallowed be your name
Today I invite you to glorify God and for the name of God to be holy in your hearts and in your life. May 25, 1997

Your Kingdom come, your will be done
Pray, because only through prayer will you be able to overcome your will and discover the will of God even in the smallest things.
March 25, 1998

On earth as in heaven.
I am here, dear children, to help you and to lead you to heaven, and in heaven is the joy through which you can already live heaven now.
May 25, 1991

Give us today our daily bread
Pray, my dear little children, so prayer becomes your daily bread. January 25, 1992

And forgive our sins as we forgive others
I am with you and I invite all of you, little children, that before all else forgive in the family and then you will be able to forgive others.
January 25, 1986

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
I will pray my Son Jesus to give you the grace to experience the victory of Jesus in the temptations of Satan. July 12, 1984

The Merciful Father...

What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Luke 11 : 11

Once Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when he had just finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “Say this when you pray: “Father, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come; give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive each other who is in debt to us. And do not put us to the test.” Luke 11 : 1-4

Dear children! Today I call you to love and mercy. Give love to each other as your Father gives it to you. Be merciful – with the heart. Do good works, not permitting them to wait for you too long. Every mercy that comes from the heart brings you closer to my Son. Medjugorje message, March 18, 2001

Counterfeit crop

Jesus put a parable before the crowds: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off.

When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, the darnel appeared as well. The owner’s servants went to him and said. “Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does this darnel come from?”

“Some enemy has done this,” he answered.

And the servants said, “Do you want us to go and weed it out?”

But he said, “No, because when you weed out the darnel you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn.” Matthew 13 : 24-30

Dear children! I thank you for your prayers and for the love you show toward me. I invite you to decide to pray for my intentions. Dear children, offer novenas, making sacrifices wherein you feel the most bound. I want your life to be bound to me. I am your Mother, little children, and I do not want satan to deceive you for he wants to lead you the wrong way, but he cannot if you do not permit him. Therefore, little children, renew prayer in your hearts, and then you will understand my call and my live desire to help you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, July 25, 1993

• Darnel is a weed that bears close resemblance to wheat. So extensive is the similarity, until the ear appears, that it is known as “false wheat”. It grows plentiful in Syria and Israel.

On real wheat the ears are so heavy that it makes the entire plant droop downward, but darnel, whose ears are light, remains upright.

Wheat will also appear brown when ripe whereas darnel is black.

Darnel also has a characteristic which can lead to poisoned intoxication and death. • wikipedia

You know that I love you...

Our Lady tells each one of us, “I am your Mother and I love you. If you knew how much I loved you, you would cry with joy.” And she asks. “Do you love me?” There is only one right answer. The answer that St Peter gave to the Risen Jesus in response to that same question, “You know that I love you.” Fr Jozo Zovko OFM

• photo: Mother and child before the Risen Christ at Medjugorje

I will give you shepherds after my own heart...

I will give you shepherds after my own heart and these will feed you on knowledge and discretion.
Jeremiah 3 : 15

Dear children! Also today I call you to be carriers of the Gospel in your families. Do not forget, little children, to read Sacred Scripture. Put it in a visible place and witness with your life that you believe and live the Word of God. I am close to you with my love and intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, January 25, 2006

Jesus said to his disciples: “You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path.

“The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once.

“The one who received the word in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of the world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing.

“And the one who received the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.” Matthew 13 : 18-23

• Fr Jozo Zovko OFM is a primary witness to the “Medjugorje phenomenon” as he was the parish priest there when the apparitions first began in June 1981 until he was later imprisoned by the communist authorities of the time. He is a most important witness to all that happened in the early weeks of the apparitions and therefore will be invited to Rome to present his testimony to the Holy See’s International Commission studying the Medjugorje phenomenon.

The Blue Cross

I am not sure as to the source of this report about the origins of the Blue Cross at the base of Apparition Hill, but it makes interesting reading.

• Many pilgrims may not have the correct information concerning the Blue Cross. Many think that the Blue Cross was the site of the first apparition of Our Lady in Medjugorje. Many also think that the visionaries had apparitions at Blue Cross after they had been prohibited from having apparitions on the first place of the Apparition Hill. The correct information is as follows: The first apparition at the site of the Blue Cross occurred on 27 July 1982.

A prayer group was regularly meeting at the first place of the apparitions, but soon the police discovered this. On the evening of July 2, we were walking to the site of the first place of apparitions when suddenly Ivan the visionary knelt down. This place where Ivan knelt became the site of today's Blue Cross. That same evening, Our Lady told Ivan not to proceed to the first place of the apparitions, as the ‘blue angels’ (the communist police) were waiting for them. Our Lady, on several occasions, stopped the prayer group at the Blue Cross, as they were on their way to the first way of apparitions. We travelled the back way to the first place of apparitions because we thought that only we knew that way – not even the police knew of that back way.

In 1982, a member of the prayer group was building his house 200 metres below the Blue Cross. Today, this house is the closest to the Cenacolo Community. He wanted to mark the meeting place of the prayer group with a simple cross. From the framework of the house he was building, he and Ivan built a 3ft high cross. In order to protect this cross from the elements, Ivan found some paint that he had at home. He only had blue paint, that is why the Cross is blue!

After a while, pilgrims started to gather there. They lit candles, and one day, the cross caught fire. One Italian pilgrim asked Marija the visionary if he could take home this wooden cross and replace it with an identical metal cross. This request was approved. He took a sample of the paint from the wooden cross, and in a laboratory, the contents of the blue paint was discovered and duplicated to paint the new metallic Blue Cross that is there to this day. This Italian pilgrim landscaped the Blue Cross area with the rock formations that you see today. He kept the original Blue Cross at his house in Italy, so that people could pray there. One day, I met this Italian pilgrim, and I jokingly asked him what happened to my Blue cross. He was taken by surprise, thinking that we wanted it back. Of course, I had no intention of taking it back. Let the people pray!

There have been many, many apparitions at the Blue Cross. It is the most suitable outdoor place in Medjugorje for pilgrims who are sick, old or not physically able to climb Cross Mountain or Apparition Hill, because of its close proximity to the road and it is easily climbed. It is an ideal meeting place for the prayer group when there are not so many pilgrims, especially in winter. Even today, apparitions occur at Blue Cross when Ivan returns from America. For years now, however, the prayer group have met in a location in the vicinity of Blue Cross, as pilgrims overflow the area hours before any apparitions begin. (where the second blue cross is erected)

The Blue Cross was a secret meeting place for the prayer group for only a short time. People soon discovered its meeting location because at night, our joyful singing could be heard from far and wide. The communist police tried many times to capture the group of ‘fanatics that walk on the mountains’, but they never succeeded, because Our Lady always protected us. She was always suddenly stopping us to warn us of the police. This also happened twice when we went to Cross Mountain. Today the prayer group meets at a secret place, where we do not sing. Even if somebody hears us, they do not disturb us.

Where is the Lord?

“Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
John 20 : 15

They have never asked: “Where is the Lord?” Jeremiah 2 : 8

I will seek him whom my heart loves... Song of Songs 3 : 2

Dear children! Today again I am calling you to complete conversion, which is difficult for those who have not chosen God. God can give you everything that you seek from him. But you seek God only when sicknesses, problems and difficulties come to you and you think that God is far from you and is not listening and does not hear your prayers. No, dear children, that is not the truth. When you are far from God, you cannot receive graces because you do not seek them with a firm faith. Day by day, I am praying for you, and I want to draw you ever more near to God, but I cannot if you don't want it. Therefore, dear children put your life in God’s hands. I bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, January 25, 1998

The bride says this:
On my bed, at night, I sought him
whom my heart loves.
I sought him but did not find him.
So I will rise and go through the City;
in the streets and the squares
I will seek him whom my heart loves.
I sought him but did not find him.
The watchmen came upon me
on their rounds in the City:
“Have you seen him whom my heart loves?”
Scarcely had I passed them
than I found him whom my heart loves.
Song of Songs 3 : 1-4

Jesus said, “Mary!” She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbuni!” – which means Master. John 20 : 16

The rich soil of Medjugorje

Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Medjugorje message, January 25, 2010

Jesus said: “Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up straight away, because there was no depth of earth; but as soon as the sun came up they were scorched and, not having any roots, they withered away. Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundred fold, some sixty, some thirty. Listen, anyone who has ears!” Matthew 13 : 4-9

Brothers, sisters and mothers...

“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand towards his disciples he said; “Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Matthew 12 : 48-50

• Our Lady Queen of Peace often speaks about the Father’s will in her messages from Medjugorje. She encourages us to seek the will of God through prayer and fasting.

Little children, pray and seek the will of God in your everyday life…

I invite you all to decide for God, so that from day to day you will discover his will in prayer…

Little children, when God is in the first place, then you will, in all that you do, seek the will of God. In this way your daily conversion will become easier…

Pray, because only through prayer will you be able to overcome your will and discover the will of God even in the smallest things. By your daily life, little children, you will become an example and witness that you live for Jesus or against him and his will…

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…

Dear children! Pray with me to the Holy Spirit for him to lead you in the search of God’s will on the way of your holiness…

Little children, arm yourselves with prayer and fasting so that you may be conscious of how much God loves you and may carry out God's will…

• And Our Lady also makes it very clear that she is here to lead us only by God’s will.

Dear children, By God's will I am here with you in this place…

I bless you and I remain with you for as long as it is God's will...

Our Father in heaven…
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…
Matthew 6 : 9, 10

21st Medjugorje International Youth Festival

Will you not restore our life that your people may rejoice in you? Psalm 84 : 6

• Preparations are well underway for Medjugorje’s 21st International Youth Prayer Festival which starts on July 31. The week-long event attracts tens of thousands of young people from all over the world. The theme of this year’s gathering is: “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10 : 17

Further details and programme of events are available at the Medjugorje parish website.

Walking humbly with God

My people, what have I done to you, how have I been a burden to you? Answer me. I brought you out of the land of Egypt, I rescued you from the house of slavery. Micah 6 : 3-4

Do not forget, little children: your freedom is your weakness, therefore follow my messages with seriousness. part message, February 25, 2007

This is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6 : 8

Dear children! Today I call you to be my extended hands in this world that puts God in the last place. You, little children, put God in the first place in your life. God will bless you and give you strength to witness him, the God of love and peace. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Little children, do not forget that I love you with a tender love. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, February 25, 2005

Listening to the Word...

Jesus came to a village, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. She had a sister called Mary, who sat down at the Lord’s feet and listened to him speaking. Now Martha who was distracted with all the serving said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister is leaving me to do the serving all by myself? Please tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered: “Martha, Martha,” he said “you worry and fret about so many things, and yet few are needed, indeed only one. It is Mary who has chosen the better part; it is not to be taken from her.” Luke 1- : 38-42

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. Medjugorje message, November 29, 1984

The Word of God gives meaning to daily activity...

Vatican City, July 18, 2010 (VIS) – At midday today Benedict XVI appeared at the balcony overlooking the central courtyard of the Apostolic Palace at Castelgandolfo to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered there.

Before the Marian prayer, the Pope reflected on this Sunday’s Gospel reading which recounts Jesus’ visit to the house of Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus. Martha busies herself with domestic chores and reproaches Mary for not lending a hand but sitting rapt at the Master's feet.

The Holy Father quoted Jesus’ words in Luke's Gospel: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her”, and he explained: “The words of Christ are very clear: they show no disdain for an active life, or for generous hospitality, but contain an evident reference to the fact that what is truly necessary is something else: to listen to the Word of the Lord. And in that moment the Lord is there, present in the Person of Jesus. All the rest will pass and be taken away from us, but the Word of God is eternal and gives meaning to our daily activities”.

“This Gospel episode is highly appropriate for the holiday season because it recalls the fact that, although human beings must work and dedicate themselves to domestic and professional duties, above all they need God, who is the inner light of Love and Truth. Without love, even the most important activities become valueless and bring no joy. Without profound meaning, all our actions are reduced to sterile and disordered activism.

“And who gives Love and Truth if not Jesus Christ?” the Holy Father asked. “Let us learn then, brothers and sisters, to help one another, to collaborate, but first and foremost together to chose the ‘better part’, which is and will always be our greatest good”.

What say you about peace?

Dear children! Today I am calling you to a complete surrender to God. Everything you do and everything you possess give over to God so that he can take control in your life as the King of all that you possess. That way, through me, God can lead you into the depths of the spiritual life. Little children, do not be afraid, because I am with you even if you think there is no way out and that satan is in control. I am bringing peace to you I am your mother, the Queen of Peace. I am blessing you with the blessings of joy so that for you God may be everything in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.

Medjugorje message, July 25, 1988

Napoleon Bonaparte: Do you know what astonished me most in the world? The inability of force to create anything. In the long run the sword is always beaten by the spirit. If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.

Albert Camus: Peace is the only battle worth waging.

Moshe Dayan: If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.

Dwight D. Eisenhower: I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.

Mahatma Gandhi: It is possible to live in peace.

William Gladstone: We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.

Isaiah: They shall beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Lao Tzu (570-490 BC):
If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbours.
If there is to be peace between neighbours,
there must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit: The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.

Pope John Paul II: To reach peace, teach peace.

Eleanor Roosevelt: It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it.

Mother Theresa: I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'’ll be there.

Mother Theresa: All works of love are works of peace.

Mother Theresa: If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

What say you about forgiveness?

Our Lady of Medjugorje: Dear children! Today I invite you to decide for peace. Pray that God give you the true peace. Live peace in your hearts and you will understand, dear children, that peace is the gift of God. Dear children, without love you cannot live peace. The fruit of peace is love and the fruit of love is forgiveness. I am with you and I invite all of you, little children, that before all else forgive in the family and then you will be able to forgive others. Thank you for having responded to my call. January 25, 1996

Mark Twain: Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.

Mahatma Gandhi: The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

Lewis B. Smedes: To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

George Herbert: He who cannot forgive breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.

Paul Boese: Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.

Roberto Assagioli: Without forgiveness life is governed by an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.

Josiah Bailey: They who forgive most shall be most forgiven.

Gilbert K. Chesterton: To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.

Alexander Pope: To err is human; to forgive, divine.

Voltaire: No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

One who has been sent...

Then they said to him, “What must we do if we are to do the works that God wants?” Jesus gave them this answer, “This is working for God: you must believe in the one he has sent.” John 6 : 28-29

• In her messages from Medjugorje, Our Lady speaks of herself as being sent by God. She also encourages us to believe and to listen to her messages, to work at changing our hearts.

• SENT BY GOD...
God has sent me among you so that I may help you. part message, January 25, 1981

God, out of love for man, has sent me among you to show you the path of salvation, the path of love. part message, April 25, 1985

Dear children! I wish to keep on giving messages and therefore today I call you to live and accept my messages! Dear children, I love you and in a special way I have chosen this parish, one more dear to me than the others, in which I have gladly remained when the Almighty sent me. Therefore I call on you - accept me, dear children, that it might go well with you. Listen to my messages! Thank you for having responded to my call. March 21, 1985

• BELIEVE IN THE ONE HE HAS SENT
I am with you and I want you to believe me, that I love you. part message, November 25, 1987

• WORKING FOR GOD
Dear children! Today I wish to tell you to begin to work in your hearts as you are working in the fields. Work and change your hearts so that a new spirit from God can take its place in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call. April 25, 1985

Dear children! I desire to lead you, but you do not wish to listen to my messages. Today I am calling you to listen to the messages and then you will be able to live everything which God tells me to convey to you. Open yourselves to God and God will work through you and keep on giving you everything you need. Thank you for having responded to my call. July 25, 1985

Be merciful...

If you had understood the meaning of the words: What I want is mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless. Matthew 12 : 7

Dear children! Today I call you to love and mercy. Give love to each other as your Father gives it to you. Be merciful – with the heart. Do good works, not permitting them to wait for you too long. Every mercy that comes from the heart brings you closer to my Son. Medjugorje message, March 18, 2001

A grace-filled sign...

Hezekiah fell ill and was at the point of death.

The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came and said to him, “The Lord says this: Put your affairs in order, for you are going to die, you will not live.”

Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and address this prayer to the Lord. “Ah, Lord, remember, I beg you, how I behaved faithfully and with sincerity of heart in your presence and done what is right in your eyes.”

And Hezekiah shed many tears.

Then the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, “Go and say this to Hezekiah: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will cure you: in three days’ time you will go up to the Temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life. I will save you from the hands of the king of Assyria. I will protect this city.”

“Bring a fig poultice,” Isaiah said. “Apply it to the ulcer and he will recover.”

Hezekiah said, “What is the sign to tell me that I shall be going up to the Temple of the Lord?”

“Here” Isaiah replied “is the sign from the Lord that he will do what he has said. Look, I shall make the shadow cast by the declining steps go back ten steps on the steps of Ahaz.”

And the sun went back the ten steps by which it had declined.

Isaiah 38 : 1-6, 21-28, 7-8

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. Medjugorje message, August 25,2003

Responding to the Hail Mary...

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...
Everyday 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 messages dated:
May 17, 1984; March 25, 1990; November 3, 1981; December 31, 1981;
November 25, 1988; February 25, 1989.

Come to me...

Jesus exclaimed: “Come to me, all of 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

Certainties of prayer...

Dear children! Also today I call you to pray, pray, pray. Only in prayer will you be near to me and my Son and you will see how short this life is. In your heart a desire for heaven will be born. Joy will begin to rule in your heart and prayer will begin to flow like a river. In your words there will only be thanksgiving to God for having created you and the desire for holiness will become a reality for you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, August 25, 2006

In this message, Our Lady emphasises the need for continual prayer in our lives. She also states that our prayers will not remain unanswered and clearly points out what WILL happen if we heed her call and pray, pray, pray.

Pray... and you will you be near to me and my Son.
Pray... and you will see how short this life is.
Pray... and in your heart a desire for heaven will be born.
Pray... and joy will begin to rule in your heart.
Pray... and prayer will begin to flow like a river.
Pray... and there will be thanksgiving to God for having created you.
Pray... and the desire for holiness will become a reality.

These promises are just that – promises, and can only come to fruition if we pray, pray, pray.

Angela’s confession...

“Do you realise that I am giving up an invitation to be presented to the Queen of England if I decide to travel with you to Medjugorje?”

I quickly answered the diplomat’s wife: “But there is a greater Queen waiting to meet you in Medjugorje, the Queen of Peace,”

Thankfully, Angela did respond to Our Lady’s invitation to travel to Medjugorje during Royal Ascot week. And she was truly blessed for doing so. On the final evening of the pilgrimage, beaming and excited, she sat down to dinner and revealed she had made her confession to a French priest an hour earlier.

“It was my second confession,” she announced.

Nothing unusual in that, I thought, pilgrims often make more than one confession during their week in Medjugorje.

But then Angela clarified her statement and said, “I mean the second confession in my whole life. The first was when I was a little girl.”

I estimated that first time was probably almost 30 years ago! Angela may have been a slow starter in the reconciliation stakes but she finally returned home as a winner in God’s mercy and love.

Medjugorje moments... 3

I love taking photographs that show the closeness of a parent and child, be it a mother and daughter or a father and son.

Somehow they mirror the love that God our Father has for all his children and the love that our heavenly Mother also shows for each of us with her presence at Medjugorje and her messages.

This photo always reminds me of the painting by the Victorian artist Ford Maddox Brown, where the young children are gathered around the seated Jesus, and Mary is seen rounding up the latecomer (me!). The photo was taken by Our Lady’s statue in Medjugorje in June 2007.

Things hidden and revealed...

Jesus exclaimed, “Bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.” Matthew 11 : 25-26

Dear children! Today I am with you in a special way, holding little Jesus in my lap and I invite you, little children, to open yourselves to his call. He calls you to joy. Little children, joyfully live the messages of the Gospel, which I am repeating in the time since I am with you. Little children, I am your Mother and I desire to reveal to you the God of love and the God of peace. I do not desire for your life to be in sadness but that it be realised in joy for eternity, according to the Gospel. Only in this way will your life have meaning. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, December 25, 1996

The call WILL come...

“It’s Our Lady that calls us, invites us to Medjugorje...” How many times have you heard this said by pilgrims who have visited the shrine of the Queen of Peace?

Yes, it probably is Our Lady extending the invitation – and unlikely to be the first or the last time, either. Remember when Mary called the servants at the Canan wedding feast to co-operate with her Son?

But the call to serve Jesus can come from anyone, anytime. That’s the way God likes to work – through others.

It was Mary who received the first call to take Jesus into her life after the Angel Gabriel had dropped in unexpectedly. Over the next 12 months a number of others got to meet the child Jesus: Joseph, of course, Elizabeth, the wise men, the shepherds, Simeon, Anna and many others not named in the Gospels.

John the Baptist ‘called’ two of his disciples – Andrew was one – and pointed out the ‘Lamb of God’ as Jesus came into view. Andrew then called Simon Peter. Jesus called Philip who in turn called Nathaniel.

After Mary had called the servants and said to do whatever Jesus told them, it was the steward who called the bridegroom to taste the New Wine!

Then there are the totally unexpected calls in life to meet with and follow Jesus. The Samaritan woman at the well called not just one but all her townspeople. What a witness she turned out to be! And then there was Simon, seized by Roman soldiers, turned around and given little choice but to follow Jesus.

Others heard the call in their hearts less forcefully but perhaps more amazingly by witnessing the many signs and miracles performed by Jesus. Surely all of these people wasted no time in telling friends and family of what they had seen and heard, calling them in turn to come and see.

Perhaps the strangest of calls made by Jesus was the one he made to his dead friend Lazarus, commanding him to come out of the tomb! But then, in way, any call from Jesus is a wake-up call – to save us from death and bring us to new life.

There is no escaping the call. It comes to us all. It continues until God’s saving plan is complete. We are reminded of this each month when Our Lady ends her message with, “Thank you for responding to my call.”

Medjugorje... chosen by the Queen of Peace

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. Thank you for having responded tonight. I wish you always to be with my Son and me in ever greater numbers. I shall speak a special message to you every Thursday.

• First of the weekly messages of Our Lady given to the parish of Medjugorje through the visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, March 1, 1984.

The visionaries... chosen by the Queen of Peace

“Why are you appearing to us? We are no better than the others.”
“I do not necessarily choose the best.”

Our Lady’s reply to the visionaries, June 26, 1981.

• Pictured are the six Medjugorje visionaries chosen by Our Lady: Jakov, Ivanka, Marija, Mirjana, Ivan (above) and Vicka (inset).

Witnessing to God‘s grace...

Jesus instructed the twelve as follows: “Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.

“Beware of men: they will hand you over to sanhendrins and scourge you in their synagogues, You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you.” Matthew 10 : 16-20

Dear children! You are not conscious of the messages which God is sending you through me. He is giving you great graces and you do not comprehend them. Pray to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. If you only knew how great are the graces God is granting you, you would be praying without ceasing. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, November 8, 1984

Christ before me...

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Damaged, but not beyond repair...

It happened so suddenly, without any warning. But having missed the bottom two steps on the staircase I ended up in a crumpled heap on the floor in considerable pain and the patellar tendon in my right knee completely ruptured.

Reflecting on how this accident happened I knew instantly the reason. I had simply not looked where I was stepping. Instead, in my excitement at soon seeing my grandson for the first time, my head turned to the doorway of the apartment before I had completed my descent down the staircase. I failed to focus on the steps I was taking. I had allowed myself to become distracted and tumbled to the ground.

Three weeks have past since my fall and my leg will be in plaster for probably another six weeks. This has curtailed my “busyness” and I have had plenty of time to reflect, in hospital and since my return home a week ago.

Today it dawned on me that my physical fall has similarities with the times I fall to temptation and sin. Usually when this happens it is because I have lost focus on what is ahead of me and have allowed myself to become distracted. I have not, so to speak, kept up the ground work and to the straight path, choosing instead to turn my eyes away from the one who calls me to follow him. This is not always deliberate on my part; distractions can come in so many guises. But, invariably, when they do appear on the horizon it isn’t too long before I stumble or fall. In her message below Blessed Mother warns us about following distractions without reflecting on the consequences.

Thankfully, Jesus is always there for the fallen sinner. Thankfully he was also there with the doctors and nurses who took care of me during my time in hospital and with all who have reached out to me since.

Jesus said: “Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor, and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.” Matthew 11 : 4-5

Dear children! I am calling everyone of you to start living in God's love. Dear children, you are ready to commit sin, and to put yourselves in the hand of satan without reflecting. I call on each one of you to consciously decide for God and against satan. I am your Mother and, therefore, I want to lead you all to perfect holiness. I want each one of you to be happy here on earth and to be with me in Heaven. That is, dear children, the purpose of my coming here and it’s my desire. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, May 25, 1987

The Word is very near you...

Moses said to the people: “Obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping those commandments and laws that are written in the Book of this Law, and you shall return to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. “For this Law that I enjoin on you today is not beyond your strength or beyond your reach. It is not in heaven, so that you need to wonder, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, so that we may hear it and keep it?’ Nor is it beyond the seas, so that you need to wonder, ‘Who will cross the seas for us and bring it back to us, so that we may hear it and keep it?’ No, the Word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart for your observance.” Deuteronomy 30 : 1-0-14

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. Medjugorje message, August 25, 1996

• Message commentary by Fr Slavko Barbaric OFM:

Mary says... Listen... because she wishes to speak to us. This word is found in the Old Testament 1,100 times and in the New Testament 480 times. In the Jewish religious practices there is the well-known prayer that was prayed four times a day: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest. Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the door posts of your houses and on your gates.” (Deut 6, 4-9)

The call “to listen to the word” makes us conscious that God is speaking to us and he expects from us, those who are able to hear, to also listen. God’s first word was the creation of nature, then later he shared his spoken word with us through biblical revelation. And most specifically, Jesus is the word of God the Father that became flesh. God speaks and wishes that his word finds open ears and hearts so that good fruit can then come about. But the Prophets often say that the people do not wish to listen and this is always a very strong accusation. (See Jer 7-13; Hos 9-17; Is 65-2)

When we now hear the same word from Mary, we should also recognise the will of God who wishes to be known by us. Mary is Queen of Prophets as well as a Prophet herself and therefore God speaks through her.

The real question which all of us should occupy ourselves with is: Do we still wish to listen or are we still able to listen, and what either helps or hinders us in doing so. There are different conditions to be able to listen, just as there are different hindrances to listening. Generally, to be able to listen to a word, we should be internally free, be able to love the speaker, be humble and open, and to have inner peace. Every dependency upon oneself or upon material things hinders the ability to listen. If we, for instance, are nervous or do not have peace, we can hardly listen. Pride refuses the speaker, with perhaps similar words as: ‘Who are you to tell me this?!’

Prayer and fasting, Confession and reading of Scripture, attending Holy Mass – all these help with the readiness to listen. And it is for the same reason that Mary gave us this message. The word that has been truly heard then sparks the will in the heart to also make it reality, and from it then develops the path of obedience to his word. It would be very important for every one of us to ask daily for the grace to be able to listen to the word of God and then also to be obedient to it!

Mary wishes that we listen again... because I wish to speak to you and invite you to have more faith and trust in God, who loves you immeasurably... Only love is credible and thus it awakens trust. To know the loving God gives the human heart peace and trust, and then the person can live like a child that is open to the love of the Father. Here we again must ask the question as to why there are so many Christians who live in fear and distrust rather than in peace and joy. The answer is clear: We are no longer listening to the Good News of the loving God, otherwise we would already have peace and trust. In one message Mary said: “If you knew how much I love you, you would cry with joy!” And if she can speak of her love this way, how then is God's love?

Therefore she says... Little children, you do not know how to live in the grace of God... How easily do we lose love, faith, hope and how little do we need to lose our peace and to become nervous? How easily do Christians slip into the world of alcoholism and drugs? How easily and how often do the families become destroyed? How often do egoism and selfishness send away the love of God and the love of others from our hearts?

That is why I call you anew, to carry the Word of God in your heart and in your thoughts... Mary teaches us what she lived. Most certainly she prayed daily the prayer: “Listen, O Israel...” and the word of God was her light and her life, her nourishment and her joy. St Luke tells us that Mary kept the word of God in her heart, and this means to have thought about it and to have formed her life around it.

In order to increase our love for the word of God and to strengthen our willingness to listen, Mary again gives us specific advice: Place Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your family... Here it concerns very practical reasons. In doing so, our families will have it easier to remember that we are meant to... read and live it... This wish of Mary’s also reminds us of “Listen, O Israel...” because Israel should write the word on its door frames and its city gates. The love for the word of God, and therefore for God himself, will be decided in whether our families also consecrate this wish of Mary’s.

Mary gives the families much work and many responsibilities: Teach your children, because if you are not an example to them, children will depart into Godlessness... This has been decided for them as their path in faith. Should the good example not be given to them, then Godlessness will threaten. Every day we hear the complaints about the children or the youth, what they do and how they behave. It might be true, but complaining will not help us. The only solution is a very conscious life with the word of God in heart and mind, and its resulting life, and this is what we should offer to our children.

Mary is with us and helps us. Reflect and pray and then God will be born in your heart and your heart will be joyous... A more beautiful promise than this cannot be made to us! It is worth everything to let God be born in us! Where there is God, there is light and life, truth and joy, friendship and love. There, the human heart is in peace and in joy!

O God, our Father, we thank you that you are speaking to us. Along with Mary, we ask you, in the name of Jesus Christ, give us the grace that we may believe in you, trust in you, and love you with all our hearts. Free our hearts of everything that makes us deaf and blind, and that hinders us from carrying it in heart and mind. Send us your Holy Spirit and protect us, our families, especially our children and youth from any Godlessness. Give us all peace and joy. Bless our families, our mothers and fathers, and bless all priests and catechists, all those responsible in the media, in films, in radio, in television, so that everyone becomes conscious to give only good examples, and so that every person can find his way to you. O Father, heal those who have, by way of bad examples in their family, lost their faith in you. Heal all those who have become bitter in their sufferings, and who have lost trust. Fill us all with your graces and keep us in grace, and rather than to lose it, may our graces multiply from day to day, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

There is no need to be afraid...

Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than one hundred sparrows. Matthew 10 : 28-31

Dear children! Today I call you to renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you. Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil. Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future. I am with you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God. That is why draw closer to God and put him in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Medjugorje message, January 25, 2001

Come back to me, with all your heart...

The Lord says this: Israel, come back to the Lord your God; your iniquity was the cause of your downfall. Provide yourself with words and come back to the Lord. Say to him. “Take all iniquity away so that we may have happiness again and offer you our words of praise.” Hosea 14 : 2-3

Dear children; Today I bless you in a special way and I pray for you to return to the right way to my Son – your Saviour, your Redeemer – to him who gave you eternal life. Reflect on everything human, on everything that does not permit you to set out after my Son – on transience, imperfection and limitation – and then think of my Son, of his Divine infiniteness. By your surrender and prayer ennoble your body and perfect your soul. Be ready, my children. Thank you. Medjugorje message, April 2, 2010

Lord God, we ask you to receive us and be pleased with the sacrifice we offer you with humble and contrite hearts. Lord, wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin.
Prayer offered by the priest during the Liturgy of the Eucharist.



Composer, Gregory Norbet, performs his song “Hosea (Come Back to Me)” in concert on Cape Cod. See more: www.GregoryNorbet.org . This song dates to the early 1970’s when Gregory was a monk in the Weston Priory in Vermont. He is still composing wonderful spiritual music today that speaks to all generations.

Hosea
Gregory Norbert © 1972 The Benedictine Foundation of the State of Vermont

Come back to me with all your heart.
Don't let fear keep us apart.
Trees do bend, though straight and tall,
so must we, to other’s call.

Long have I waited for your coming,
home to me and living, deeply our new lives.

The wilderness will lead you
to your heart where I will speak.
Integrity and justice,
with tenderness, you shall know.

Long have I waited for your coming,
home to me and living, deeply our new lives.

You shall sleep secure with peace;
faithfulness will be your joy.

Long have I waited for your coming,
home to me and living, deeply our new lives.