Gerry’s healings in Medjugorje

Gerry on Mt Krizevac in 2005,
supported by his walking stick
and by a fellow pilgrim.

• Gerry Delaney-Boyle and his wife Kitty travelled to Medjugorje for the first time in October 2005, as part of a pilgrimage group from Manchester in the U.K. Here Gerry relates his life-changing experience and healing of heart and body.


• I must begin with a short medical lesson without which some of what follows will not make sense. Osteo-arthritis is an unpleasant and very invasive condition. Medication is available, but can have unfortunate side effects, i.e. it can activate one or more of the many forms of cancer. It is very painful, very uncomfortable condition, though happily hidden.

Over a period of 20 years this condition became ever more invasive in my body, so much so that to get off public transport, I found it easier to alight backwards. This condition reduces freedom of movement and, together with the constant effort given to pain management, does not, as in my case, make one a warm, cuddly, teddy bear. Far from it; consequently and sadly, people tend to avoid one’s company.

On Wednesday, October 12, we flew out from Manchester airport en-route to Medjugorje. Due to an incident at the airport, of which we were unaware of at the time, our flight departure was delayed over an hour, and we arrived at Split airport in Croatia at midnight local time. From there we were bussed to Medjugorje, arriving at 3.00am.

Late the following morning our group was taken to the foot of Apparition Hill to see Vicka, one of the visionaries, and hear her speak about Our Lady and the messages. That evening I went to confession, of which I had felt in great need of for a long time. During the evening dinner our guide advised us that if the weather was suitable we would climb Mt Podbrdo on Friday. When the next day came the weather was good so we took taxi to the base of Apparition Hill. How I managed to climb the hill, I do not know, but when I eventually reached the top I could barely stand, and worse, had great difficulty in getting one breath past another. To say that I was in a mess would be to greatly understate my condition, as many who were near me would testify, including members of my own pilgrimage group.

I had gone to Medjugorje determined not to ask of Our Blessed Mother anything for myself, with one exception: only that I should love God better. For my wife (my Dove) and for my children, I had a list of needs, several volumes long. After making my obedience to Our Blessed Lady I began to make my way down the hillside. People of many nationalities offered assistance, but I refused; not ungratefully, but as I tried to explain, Our Lady had invited me up the hill and it was she who would see me safely down. Such arrogance!

Each evening at 5.00pm there is the recitation of the Rosary (two mysteries), followed by Mass at 6.00pm. That Friday evening we attended St James and during the lull between the end of the Rosary and the beginning of Mass I was taken with the most horrendous pain in my right leg, which started just below my groin and ended just above my ankle. So horrendous was the pain that I thought it was probably a thrombosis brought about by my time on the hill that afternoon. I cannot begin to describe the pain, but horrendous doesn’t come close. How I managed not to scream out in the crowded church I will never know. But after several minutes the pain began to diminish and then disappeared.

Three years on and Gerry is still able
to get up and down Apparition Hill
without his walking stick.

When we got up the next morning I knew there was something amiss but I couldn’t place what. So my wife and I had our breakfast, then went to the Blessed Sacrament chapel to say our morning prayers and have some quiet time. Approaching 9.00am we made ready to go to St James church close by to secure places for the 10.00am English-speaking Mass. It was as I took my first step on the ramp that I suddenly realised I was without pain for the first time in close to 20 years. Not only that but I also had freedom of bodily movement. For two days I walked around as though in a dream, waiting for and expecting the pain and discomfort to come flooding back, until I realised just how insulting this was to Our Lady. Absurd as it may sound, it was as though a long and intimate friendship had ended.

On Sunday afternoon we went to climb the second of the two hills, Cross Mountain (Mt Krizevac). I am 71 years, not old by any means in this day and age. But from a condition of being hardly able to walk up one hill, finding great difficulty in stepping of buses and having restricted movement, I was able to run up the mountain when others were walking, some with great difficulty. There were in excess of 50 people who can vouch that they saw saw me do this. I did it as a public than you to Our Blessed Lady and the Sacred Heart, for what they had done for me; not, as some may have imagined, to impress anyone. For me, between each of the Stations of the Cross, there were only three people: myself, Our Lady and the Sacred Heart!

As I write this account these weeks have been the best I have ever known, but also some of the most difficult as I try to come to terms with what Our Lady and the Sacred Heart has done for me. It is not only the physical healing. Far more important has been the impact of the inner healing, the change, call it what you will, that has happened within me. I cannot remember ever in my entire life having such a feeling or well-being and inner peace. Nor do I have the words to express the gratitude I feel towards Our Lady and the Sacred Heart, all day, every day.

On the Thursday following our return home, we were getting ready to go to church for Exposition. My wife, searching through her cupboard for a garment, spoke to me. I was on the landing and answered. It was then I had a heart-stopping moment when I realised what had happened. I answered my wife without thinking and without my hearing aid which I had worn every day for the past three years.

Why did I receive such a generous gift when there are so many others more deserving? I don’t know, it’s not my place to ask. But the more I consider what has happened, the more I believe the real miracle will be in the rest of my life.

Fed by the Word...

Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4 : 4

Dear children! I invite you to reflect about your future. You are creating a new world without God, only with your own strength, and that is why you are unsatisfied and without joy in the heart. This time is my time and that is why, little children, I invite you again to pray. When you find unity with God, you will feel hunger for the Word of God and your heart, little children, will overflow with joy. You will witness God’s love wherever you are. I bless you and I repeat to you that I am with you to help you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, January 25, 1997

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

Risen Christ sculpture has ceased “weeping”

© photo bernard gallagher

News from Medjugorje is that the right knee of the Risen Christ sculpture has stopped “weeping” and has not done so for the past three weeks. With heavy rain in Medjugorje recently, does the cessation pose a question to those who consider the “weeping” phenomenon is linked to moisture levels in the vicinity?

The flow of water from the towering sculpture began in 2002 and no “official” explanation has ever been offered by the parish authorities amid claims of the miraculous. There have been other times that the flow has temporarily ceased but not for such a length of time as now.

Many questions have been asked over the years as to just how is it possible for water to seep from the knee so consistently and in all weather climes.

Varied theories are put forward, but none ever provide a conclusive explanation, hence the claims that the happening is ‘miraculous’. Some even maintain that the water has resulted in ‘healings’.

But on this possibility, one observer wisely comments: “The water dripping from the wounded knee may be likened with the spring in the grotto at Lourdes. Both sources may have a natural explanation, but this does not preclude divine intervention and miraculous cures.”

© photo bernard gallagher

This sequence of droplets from the knee of the Risen Christ takes on the appearance of rosary beads – cascading pearls of prayer.

Follow me...

Indeed, I know it is as you say:
How can man be right against God? Job 9 : 1

Dear children! Also today I call you to fasting and renunciation. Little children, renounce that which hinders you from being closer to Jesus. In a special way I call you: 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. Little children, I desire that you become apostles of love. By loving, little children, it will be recognised that you are mine. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, March 25, 1998

Another to whom he said, “Follow me” replied, “Let me go and bury my father first.” But he answered, “Leave the dead to bury their dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” Luke 9 : 59-60

Thank you for responding to my call...

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.

• From this we can see that it is the response of the faithful in the first instance (Can. 1230) that determines what follows in regard to shrine status given at any ecclesiastical level – local, national, or international. The response of the faithful is crucial. Without a response, nothing happens. Our Lady knows that the response of her children to her call is all-important. This is why she says: “Thank you for responding to my call.”

The three levels of shrine status available (Can. 1232 - 1) are not dependent on each other. Progressive status is not required for the Holy See to grant approval, neither is the question of the validity of any reported apparitions. It is the response of the faithful that is the necessary measure for consideration in granting shrine status.

 In regard to Medjugorje, it is clear that during the past 29 years it has become a place of pilgrimage for vast numbers of the faithful from around the world, a place of international importance. 

Yesterday, the Holy Father declared himself a pilgrim alongside many of the faithful who, “with fervent devotion, travel over the roads of the world on pilgrimage”. He said that the riches offered to us by the pilgrimage to shrines should be highlighted, and added that Christ speaks to all pilgrims with love and hope.

Medjugorje may still await final approval on shrine status, but the faithful have spoken, and so has Benedict XVI, loud and clear, leading by example and expressing his desire to live his ministry meeting with Christ on the road to Emmaus.

Pope gives message on pilgrimages and shrines...

“...the pilgrimage to the shrine will be a favourable occasion to strengthen the desire in those who visit it to share the wonderful experience with others of knowing they are loved by God and sent to the world to give witness to that love.” Pope Benedict XVI

• Made public today was a Message from the Pope to Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, president of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, and to Archbishop Julian Barrio Barrio of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, for the Second World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Pilgrimages and Shrines, which is being held in Santiago from 27 to 30 September.

Extracts from the English-language version of the Message:

“With the theme, So he went in to stay with them, taken from the Gospel passage of the disciples of Emmaus, you are”, the Holy Father writes, “preparing to study in depth the importance of pilgrimages to the shrines as a manifestation of Christian life and a space of evangelisation”.

“I will personally make a pilgrimage soon to the tomb of the Apostle St. James, the Lord’s friend, in the same way that I have made my way to other places in the world which many of the faithful visit with fervent devotion. In this regard, from the beginning of my pontificate, I have wanted to live my ministry as the Successor of Peter with the sentiments of a pilgrim who travels over the roads of the world with hope and simplicity bringing on his lips and in his heart the saving message of the Risen Christ, and strengthening his brothers in faith. As an explicit sign of this mission, my coat-of-arms includes the pilgrim's shell, among other elements.

“In these historic moments in which we are called, with greater force if possible, to evangelise our world, the riches offered to us by the pilgrimage to shrines should be highlighted. First of all, for its great ability to summon and bring together a growing number of pilgrims and religious tourists, some of whom are in complicated human and spiritual situations, somewhat distant from living the faith and with a weak ecclesial affiliation. Christ speaks to all of them with love and hope.

“The desire for happiness that is imbedded in the soul finds its answer in Him, and human suffering together with Him has a meaning. With His grace, the noblest causes also find their complete fulfilment. As Simeon met with Christ in the temple, so too a pilgrim should have the opportunity to discover the Lord in the shrine.

“For this purpose, efforts should be made so that visitors may not forget that shrines are sacred places in order to be in them with devotion, respect and propriety. In this way, the Word of Christ, the Son of the living God, can ring out clearly, and the event of His death and resurrection, the foundation of our faith, can be proclaimed completely.

“Very careful attention should also be given to welcoming the pilgrims, by highlighting, among other elements, the dignity and beauty of the shrine, the image of God’s dwelling... with the human race, the moments and spaces for both personal and community prayer, and attention to devotional practices. In the same way, it can never be stressed enough that shrines should be lighthouses of charity, with unceasing dedication to the neediest through concrete works of solidarity and mercy, and constant readiness to listen, favouring in particular the faithful’s reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation and taking part worthily in the Eucharistic celebration, making this the centre and apex of all the pastoral activity of the shrines. In this way it will be made manifest that the Eucharist is indeed the pilgrim's nourishment, the Sacrament of the God Who does not leave us alone on the journey but stays at our side and shows us the way.

“In fact, different from a wanderer whose steps have no established final destination, a pilgrim always has a destination, even if at times he is not explicitly aware of it. And this destination is none other than the encounter with God through Christ in whom all our aspirations find their response. For this reason, the celebration of the Eucharist can really be considered the culmination of the pilgrimage.

“As God’s co-workers, I exhort all of you to be dedicated to this beautiful mission so that through your pastoral care, you will favour in pilgrims the knowledge and imitation of Christ Who continues to walk with us, enlighten our lives with His Word, and share with us the Bread of Life in the Eucharist. In this way, the pilgrimage to the shrine will be a favourable occasion to strengthen the desire in those who visit it to share the wonderful experience with others of knowing they are loved by God and sent to the world to give witness to that love.

“With these sentiments, I entrust the fruits of this Congress to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostle James as I direct my prayer to Jesus Christ, the Way and the Truth and the Life, to Whom I present all those who seek His face as they peregrinate through life:

Lord Jesus Christ, pilgrim of Emmaus,
you make yourself close to us for love,
even if, at times, discouragement and sadness
prevent us from discovering your presence.
You are the flame that revives our faith.
You are the light that purifies our hope.
You are the force that stirs our charity.
Teach us to recognise you in the Word,
in the house and on the Table where the Bread of Life is shared,
in generous service to our suffering neighbour.
And when evening falls, Lord, help us to say:
“Stay with us”. Amen.

• source: Vatican Information Services

In the silence...

I urge you, little children, to speak less and to work more on your personal conversion so that your witness may be fruitful...

In the silence of my heart, may my faith revive.
In the silence of my heart, may my hope survive.
In the silence of my heart, may Love come alive.

September message of Our Lady to Marija

Dear children! Today I am with you and bless you all with my motherly blessing of peace, and I urge you to live your life of faith even more, because you are still weak and are not humble. I urge you, little children, to speak less and to work more on your personal conversion so that your witness may be fruitful. And may your life be unceasing prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, September 25, 2010

The least among you all, that is the one who is great. Luke 9 : 48

• Fr Neil Buchlein’s audio reflection

Prayers requested...

Please pray for Sheila Reynolds, due to undergo an operation for throat cancer tomorrow, September 26. Thank you.

It’s never too late...

“I’m an 87-year-old pensioner who went to Medjugorje in June 1989 when I was 66. It changed my life.” John Astbury, Penkridge.

Empire of the Heart

• A testimony by journalist Paolo Gambi.

I recently spent three days in Medjugorje. And, as a journalist, I have never felt so useless before. For the first time in my career I realise my words cannot express what I would like to share. Call me unskilled or incompetent if you will, but when I try to describe what I have found inside me since my visit to the town I cannot find the words.

I was very sceptical about the Medjugorje phenomenon before my visit. But driven by a somewhat cynical curiosity I went to Medjugorje with a friend who had been there 15 times before and has co-written a book about the shrine. 

The whole car journey there was an unbroken dialogue between my mind and his heart; I could not understand with my brain what my friend was trying to share through his heart. And this is exactly what I am doing right now: I want to share the experience of my heart through the words of my mind. Is that possible?

Before my visit I found it difficult to believe that Our Lady had been continually speaking for almost 30 years in such a peripheral place. What’s more, I could not accept that Mary would be appearing on earth again to share some secrets about trials humanity will face in the future.

Actually, I confess I still find these things very hard to grasp rationally. Medjugorje is completely illogical, if you look at it in a purely rationalistic way. But as soon as I arrived I  stepped out of the Kingdom of Reason and into the Empire of the Heart. 

I visited Sister Elvira’s community, where people with problems of drug addiction found a way to live again. I encountered a local man, Michele Vasilj, in whose eyes I caught a glimpse of Mary’s sight. I met Sister Cornelia at the orphanage she runs, and there I was given a mysterious sort of prophecy regarding my private life; it was incredible.

I cried without reason while I was praying in the parish church. I have cried only once before like this. That happened when I prayed for the first time in a charismatic community (you may recall that I wrote about that experience in this slot last July). But this time my tears were much heavier and meaningful, a gift from Our Lady. 

I listened to the visionary Mirjana witnessing to her experience and I realised that some of the words she was saying from the balcony of her tiny house in front of about a hundred people were spoken directly to me. When I listened to one of Mary’s messages I realised the words spoke directly to my heart, giving me the solution to a problem I was carrying around like a heavy burden.

Many of you are probably thinking: he is pathetic. That is what I used to think whenever I bumped into one of the many Medjugorje devotees. Reason cannot grasp this phenomenon – at least mine can’t. Reason is inclined to say that Medjugorje relies on coincidence, autosuggestion and emotionalism. But these explanations no longer satisfy me. If you have experienced what I experienced you would understand why.

In fact, the point of my trip to Medjugorje has been precisely this: to discover that there is a mysterious spiritual dimension that is far beyond our understanding, that cannot be limited by our mind. So the only words that can be useful are these: come and see. In Medjugorje a new world could be unveiled inside you. At least, that is what has happened to me.

• Paolo Gambi is a contributing editor to the Catholic Herald

A time for peace...

Dear children! May your life, anew, be a decision for peace. Be joyful carriers of peace and do not forget that you live in a time of grace, in which God gives you great graces through my presence. Do not close yourselves, little children, but make good use of this time and seek the gift of peace and love for your life so that you may become witnesses to others. I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call. September 25, 2008

• There is a season for everything, a time for every occupation under heaven... Ecclesiastes 3

In her messages from Medjugorje Our Lady often speaks of ways to use our time to achieve peace.

A time for deciding, a time for carrying, 
A time for living, a time for gracing,

A time for receiving, a time for presenting,

A time for opening, a time for using,

A time for seeking, a time for witnessing,

A time for blessing, a time for calling,

A time for responding, a time for peace.

Nothing new under the sun...

What was will be again; what has been done will be done again; and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiates 1

The news that two of the Medjugorje visionaries, Marija and Ivan, have been invited to give witness in Vienna Cathedral today has not met favourably with some of those who campaign against the Medjugorje phenomenon.

Should we be surprised? Of course not, but while the protesters set out to quote chapter and verse the reasons why the visionaries should not be allowed to give their witness in the Cathedral, we should not be distracted as to the real motive for their protest – their opposition to the Medjugorje phenomenon.

Protest is nothing new to the Church, within or without. Even Jesus met with opposition when he preached in the temple and the synagogues. We are reminded in today’s Liturgy of the Word that “there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesaistes 1. But we can be comforted by the knowledge that “the Lord is our refuge from one generation to the next.” Ps 89

The visionaries do not bring their own message, or even the message the world promotes. Theirs is a message from heaven – transmitted by God through his Blessed Mother. She says, “God has sent me among you so that I may help you… God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation.”

The messages from Medjugorje have not been found wanting by the Church – not in 29 years. If there had been anything untoward in the messages, anything that posed a danger to the faith and morals of the faithful, then the Church would have been bound to say so.

The Church has remained quiet on this. But not the protestors against the Medjugorje phenomenon. What is it about the thrust of the messages that disturbs these people? What is it that troubles the heart to the extent that they campaign against Medjugorje so intensely, quoting their rule book as if it were the only truth?

With the messages given to them by Our Lady, the Medjugorje visionaries proclaim the Good News: “Jesus is Lord”. This is not a new truth because “already, long before our time, it existed.” Ecclesiates 1

Some choose to listen; some choose to remain deaf to the call; while others become enraged and would prefer to hustle the proclaimers out of town, and even the Cathedral, when they stand up to announce that: “Jesus is Lord”, to bring the good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, to the blind new sight, and set the down-trodden free. Luke 4 : 14-30

• Live coverage of today’s events at Vienna Cathedral can be viewed via MARYTV. The programme includes testimony from Sr Elvira of the Cenacolo Community, and from the Medjugorje seers Maria and Ivan, Rosary, Holy Mass and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Lady’s apparition is scheduled at 6.40pm European time.

Fleeting flowers...

You sweep men away like a dream,
like grass which springs up in the morning.
In the morning it springs up and flowers:
by evening it withers and fades.
Psalm 89

Dear children! Today also I am inviting you to a complete surrender to God. Dear children, you are not conscious of how God loves you with such a great love because He permits me to be with you so I can instruct you and help you to find the way of peace. This way, however, you cannot discover if you do not pray. Therefore, dear children, forsake everything and consecrate your time to God and God will bestow gifts upon you and bless you. Little children, do not forget that your life is fleeting like a spring flower which today is wondrously beautiful but tomorrow has vanished. Therefore, pray in such a way that your prayer, your surrender to God, may become like a road sign. That way, your witness will not only have value for yourselves but for all eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, March 25, 1988

The message of eternal life...

Let the message of Christ, in all its richness,
find a home with you... Col 3 : 16

Dear children! Today on this great day which you have given to me, I desire to bless all of you and to say: these days while I am with you are days of grace. I desire to teach you and help you to walk the way of holiness. There are many people who do not desire to understand my messages and to accept with seriousness what I am saying. But you I therefore call and ask that by your lives and by your daily living you witness my presence. If you pray, God will help you to discover the true reason for my coming. Therefore, little children, pray and read the Sacred Scriptures so that through my coming you discover the message in Sacred Scripture for you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, June 25, 1991

St Matthew, tax collector, apostle and evangelist

As Jesus was walking on he saw a man named Matthew sitting by the customs house, and he said to him. “Follow me” And he got up and followed him.
Matthew 9 : 9

Read each Thursday the Gospel of Matthew, where it says, “No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve God and money”. An early message given to one of the Medjugorje visionaries in August 1986.

Matthew 6 : 24-34 – God and money... Trust in Providence...

A message for the world...

Your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven. Matthew 5 : 16

Dear children! Today I invite you to become missionaries of my messages, which I am giving here through this place that is dear to me. God has allowed me to stay this long with you and therefore, little children, I invite you to live with love the messages I give and to transmit them to the whole world, so that a river of love flows to people who are full of hatred and without peace. I invite you, little children, to become peace where there is no peace and light where there is darkness, so that each heart accepts the light and the way of salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, February 25, 1995

All change for Benedict...

Some images of Pope Benedict XVl as he makes his way from Cofton Park to visit the Birmingham Oratory. The vehicle changeover from BMW to Popemobile took place this afternoon at a school close to where I live.

Lead Kindly Light...

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

Medjugorje... next step on from Fatima?

Cardinal Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, is accompanying the Holy Father on his current visit to the United Kingdom.

As a representative of the Holy Father, Cardinal Bertone visited Fatima in October 2007 for the shrine’s 90th anniversary. In his homily given at the Holy Trinity Church on Sunday 14th October, the Cardinal said this of the seers involved:

Mary's language was simple and suitable for children, but far from sugary and nothing like the language of a fairy tale. Indeed, she introduced them in very realistic terms into the drama of life; she asked for their collaboration and since she found Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia full of generous willingness she revealed to them: “Therefore, you will have much to suffer, but God’s grace will be your comfort” (First Apparition, 13 May 1917).

The Virgin chooses innocent children as her select collaborators in order to combat with the weapons of prayer and penance, of sacrifice and suffering, the terrible leprosy of sin that corrupts humanity. Why does she do so? Might it not be because this responds to the method of God, who “chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong... things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are” (I Cor 1: 27, 28).

...Ninety years after the apparitions, Fatima continues to be a beacon of comforting hope but also a strong appeal for conversion. The light that Mary made shine into the eyes of the shepherd children and manifested to so many people in the miracle of the sun on 13 October, shows that God’s grace is stronger than sin and death.

Mary invites everyone, however, to convert and repent; she wants simple hearts who generously accept to pray and suffer for the reparation of sins, for the conversion of sinners and for the salvation of souls.

Mary expects a response from all her children! Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept her invitation and remain faithful to our Christian vocation.

Let us offer fervent prayers every day, especially the Holy Rosary, as well as our suffering in reparation for sin and for world peace. Let us consider ourselves her small and humble children who are anxious to live in praise and glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to whom this Church is felicitously dedicated. Amen!

So in this short extract we see that the Cardinal acknowledges:

1) the simplicity of Mary’s messages
2) that the seers will suffer but be graced by God
3) that the weak are chosen to shame the strong
4) the light that Mary brings
5) the miracle of the sun (also witnessed at Medjugorje)
6) the call to repentance and conversion
7) the importance of praying the Rosary
8) that we are Our Lady’s “children”
9) and that Mary expects a response from her “children”

How different is this from all that is happening at Medjugorje?

Pope John Paul II has been quoted as saying: “Medjugorje is the fulfillment and continuation of Fatima!” Cardinal Bertone’s comments would seem to echo this claim!

• Full homily available at www.vatican.va

Dear children! Today also I invite you to prayer, now as never before when my plan has begun to be realised. satan is strong and wants to sweep away plans of peace and joy and make you think that my Son is not strong in his decisions. Therefore, I call all of you, dear children, to pray and fast still more firmly. I invite you to renunciation for nine days so that with your help everything I wanted to realise through the secrets I began in Fatima may be fulfilled. I call you, dear children, to understand the importance of my coming and the seriousness of the situation. I desire to save all souls and present them to God. Therefore, we pray that all I have started may be completely realised. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, August 25, 1991

The Mother’s smile

Within the smile of the Virgin lies mysteriously hidden the strength to fight against sickness, in support of life. With her, equally, is found the grace to accept without fear or bitterness to leave this world at the hour chosen by God. Benedict XVI

Pope addresses Scottish youth...

• from Benedict XVI’s homily today at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow:

Finally, I would like to say a word to you, my dear young Catholics of Scotland. I urge you to lead lives worthy of our Lord and of yourselves.

There are many temptations placed before you every day – drugs, money, sex, pornography, alcohol – which the world tells you will bring you happiness, yet these things are destructive and divisive.

There is only one thing which lasts: the love of Jesus Christ personally for each one of you.

Search for him, know him and love him, and he will set you free from slavery to the glittering but superficial existence frequently proposed by today’s society. Put aside what is worthless and learn of your own dignity as children of God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks us to pray for vocations: I pray that many of you will know and love Jesus Christ and, through that encounter, will dedicate yourselves completely to God, especially those of you who are called to the priesthood and religious life.

This is the challenge the Lord gives to you today: the Church now belongs to you!

Dear children! Today I call you, together with me, to begin to build the Kingdom of Heaven in your hearts; that you may forget that what is personal and – led by the example of my Son – think of what is of God. What does he desire of you? Do not permit satan to open the paths of of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son. My children, they are false and last a short while. My Son exists. I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God; I offer you the Kingdom of God. Thank you. Medjugorje message, August 2, 2010

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord...

Dear children! My love seeks your complete and unconditional love, which will not leave you the same as you are, instead it will change you and teach you to trust in my Son. My children, with my love I am saving you and making you true witnesses of the goodness of my Son. Therefore, my children, do not be afraid to witness love in the name of my Son. Thank you.
Medjugorje message, June 2, 2009

Pope praises deep Christian roots of the United Kingdom

Vatican City, September 16, 2010 (VIS) - This morning Benedict XVI began the seventeenth apostolic trip of his pontificate, travelling to the United Kingdom where, in the city of Birmingham this Sunday 19 September, he is due to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman.

The Pope departed from Rome’s Ciampino airport at 8.10 a.m., landing in the Scottish capital city of Edinburgh at 10.30 a.m. local time. There he was welcomed by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and consort to Queen Elizabeth II. From the airport, the Holy Father travelled by car to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen's official Scottish residence during the summer months. The palace, built as an Augustinian monastery in the year 1128, was dedicated to the Holy Cross by King David I of Scotland after he saw a vision of the crucifix between the antlers of a stag that attacked him. In the sixteenth century it was transformed into a royal residence and in the twentieth century, under King George V, it became the summer home of the royal family.

Arriving at Holyroodhouse the Holy Father was greeted by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. Then, following military honours and the playing of the national anthems, the Pope and the Queen met in private in the palace's Morning Room. After the meeting, the Pontiff was accompanied to a stage set up behind Holyroodhouse where four hundred guests awaited him,
among them representatives of the Catholic and Anglican Churches, and politicians including members of the Scottish Parliament.

Following a brief bagpipe concert and some remarks by Queen Elizabeth, the“Pope arose to pronounce his address.

"The name of Holyroodhouse”, he said, “recalls the Holy Cross and points to the deep Christian roots that are still present in every layer of British life. The monarchs of England and Scotland have been Christians from very early times and include outstanding saints like Edward the Confessor and Margaret of Scotland... Many of them consciously exercised their sovereign duty in the light of the Gospel, and in this way shaped the nation for good at the deepest level. As a result, the Christian message has been an integral part of the language, thought and culture of the peoples of these islands for more than a thousand years. Your forefathers’ respect for truth and justice, for mercy and charity come to you from a faith that remains a mighty force for good in your kingdom, to the great benefit of Christians and non-Christians alike.”

Among the “many examples of this force for good throughout Britain’s long history”, the Pope mentioned William Wilberforce and David Livingstone who worked to stop the international slave trade, Florence Nightingale who “served the poor and the sick and set new standards in healthcare”, and John Henry Newman “whose goodness, eloquence and action were a credit to their countrymen and women. These, and many people like them, were inspired by a deep faith born and nurtured in these islands”, he said.

In more recent times, Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live”. In this context the Pope also dwelt on the Nazi regime's attitude “to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love.... and paid for that
opposition with their lives.

“As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society”, he added.

The Holy Father then went on to consider the key role Great Britain played sixty-five years ago “in forging the post-war international consensus which favoured the establishment of the United Nations and ushered in a hitherto unknown period of peace and prosperity in Europe”. On the subject of the Good Friday Agreement and the devolution of powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, he noted: “Your Majesty's government and the government of Ireland, together with the political, religious and civil leaders of Northern Ireland, have helped give birth to a peaceful resolution of the conflict there. I encourage everyone involved to continue to walk courageously together on the path marked out for them towards a just and lasting peace”.

And he continued his remarks: “Looking abroad, the United Kingdom remains a key figure politically and economically on the international stage. Your government and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the common good. Similarly, because their opinions reach such a wide audience, the British media have a graver responsibility than most and a greater opportunity to promote the peace of nations, the integral development of peoples and the spread of authentic human rights. May all Britons continue to live by the values of honesty, respect and fair-mindedness that have won them the esteem and admiration of many.

“Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate. Let it not obscure the Christian foundation that underpins its freedoms; and may that patrimony, which has always served the nation well, constantly inform the example your government and people set before the two billion members of the Commonwealth and the great family of English-speaking nations throughout the world. May God bless Your Majesty and all the people of your realm”.

The Pope’s address complete, Queen Elizabeth, in keeping with tradition, accompanied him to meet certain of the dignitaries present, then to the internal courtyard of the palace where he was greeted by a group of Scottish youth wearing traditional costumes.

At the end of the ceremony, the Pope bade farewell to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at the main entrance to Holyroodhouse. He then travelled by car to the residence of Cardinal Michael Patrick O'Brien, archbishop of Saint Andrews and Edinburgh, where he had lunch.

Italy calls for Mirjana, Marija and Sr Emmanuel

• The visionary Mirjana is scheduled to share the platform with celebrity tv journalist Paolo Brosio later this month at Acireale, Italy (September 25) and next month Brosio will give witness alongside the visionary Marija in Monza (October 9).

Sr Emmanuel will also be in Italy during October, speaking at Monza and Genoa on October 10.

Holy See, Bosnia Herzegovina ratify agreement

From Vatican Information Service...

A Vatican communique made public yesterday afternoon announced that, on the morning of 14 September, a ceremony took place in the Vatican to exchange the instruments of ratification of an Agreement between the Holy See and Bosnia Herzegovina concerning religious assistance to Catholic faithful who are members of that country's armed forces. The Agreement itself was signed in Sarajevo on 8 April.

The ceremony was attended by, among others, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B., Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States, and Sven Alkalaj, foreign minister of Bosnia Herzegovina.

The Agreement came into effect on the day the instruments of ratification were exchanged.

Our Lady of Sorrows

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then to the disciple he said, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple mad a place for her in his home. John 19-27

Dear children! I want you to understand that I am your Mother, that I want to help you and call you to prayer. Only by prayer can you understand and accept my messages and practice them in your life. Read Sacred Scripture, live it, and pray to understand the signs of the times. This is a special time, therefore, I am with you to draw you close to my heart and the heart of my Son, Jesus. Dear little children, I want you to be children of the light and not of the darkness. Therefore, live what I am telling you. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, August 25, 1993

I need you! I am calling you! I need your help! Reconcile with yourself, with God, with your neighbours. In this way you will help me. Convert the non–believers. Wipe the tears from my face! Medjugorje message, December 2, 2004

Italian pilgrims dominate in Medjugorje...

It hasn’t gone unnoticed by visitors to Medjugorje, and especially the local people, that there has been a significant increase in the number of Italian pilgrims during the past two years .

While numbers from other countries are showing a decrease, particularly from the British Isles and the United States, the Italians have more than taken up the slack, showing a 30-40% increase in their lot.

So what has caused this upsurge in Italians making their way to Medjugorje?

A principle factor is promotion. The Medjugorje visionaries frequently visit Italy to give witness, and Marija, who delivers Our Lady’s monthly message, actually lives in Italy with her Italian husband and four sons. The youngest visionary Jakov is also married to an Italian.

Another major factor has been the witness of the television journalist and celebrity Paolo Brosio, who has published a book on his conversion experience at Medjugorje and travels the country giving his testimony and encouraging people to visit Medjugorje.

The recently formed Vatican Commission will also have focused attention in Italy on Medjugorje.

And then, of course, there are the pilgrims themselves, who return home speaking of all that they have seen and heard at Medjugorje and encouraging friends and family to travel there.

Cost is another factor. The Italian groups mainly come to Medjugorje for three or four days – a long weekend. They usually travel by bus, and so don’t have the overhead of airfares or long-stay accommodation.

All this has done much to boost the new-found Italian interest in Medjugorje.

• The visionary Mirjana is scheduled to share the platform with Paolo Brosio later this month at Acireale, Italy (September 25) and next month Brosio will give witness alongside the visionary Marija in Monza (October 9). Sr Emmanuel will also be in Italy next month, speaking at Monza and Genoa on October 10.

Give and there will be gifts for you...

GIVE, and there will be gifts for you;
a full measure,
pressed down,
shaken together,
and running over,
will be poured into your lap....
Luke 6 : 38

GIFTS TO RECEIVE AND TO GIVE...

• Dear children, dedicate your time only to Jesus and he will give you everything that you are seeking. He will reveal himself to you in fullness...

• God will give you gifts by which you will glorify him till the end of your life on this earth...

• He will always give abundant gifts to your hearts...

• Give me all your feelings and all your problems...

• Dear children, learn to give thanks in little things and then you will be able to give thanks also for the big things...

• Pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit which are necessary for you now in order to be able to give witness to my presence here and to all that I am giving you...

• Dear children, I am calling you to give the gifts to others with love, and not to keep them for yourselves...

• Today I call you to give me your heart so I can change it to be like mine...

• Today I wish to give you my own love...

• I wish all of you to be the light for everyone and that you give witness in the light...

• Pray without ceasing! That way I will give you the joy which the Lord gives to me...

• Without your prayers, dear children, I cannot help you to fulfill the message which the Lord has given me to give to you...

• Dear children, I want each one of you to open your heart to Jesus and I will give Him to you with love...

• 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...

• Little children, give thanks unceasingly for all that you possess, for each little gift which God has given you, so that a joyful blessing always comes down from God upon your life...

• Give your love and example in your families...

• I thank you for your prayers and the love you give to me...

• Open your hearts and become those who give a gift of peace and others will discover peace in you...

• Open your heart to him and give him everything that is in it...

• I desire to give you peace, and that you carry it in your hearts and give it to others until God's peace begins to rule the world...

• From the bottom of my heart, I call you to be mine with all your heart and then you will see that your • God is great, because he will give you an abundance of blessings and peace...

• God will bless you and give you strength to witness him, the God of love and peace...

• Dear children! Do the same as I do! Come, share love and with your own example give my Son to everyone...

• He will give you the gift of all the graces you seek from him...

• I am a gift to you...

• I pray before God to give you the gift of faith...

• I call you to open your hearts to the gifts that God desires to give you. Do not be closed, but with prayer and renunciation say ‘yes’ to God and He will give to you in abundance...

• Give your hand to me, your mother, and permit me to lead you. I am the Queen of peace...

• Give me your hearts that I may put my Son in them and make my apostles of you – apostles of peace and love...

• Give me your simple hearts, purified by fasting and prayer...

• Dear children! With all the strength of my heart, I love you and give myself to you...

The Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary

PICTURE ON MY WALL by bernard gallagher

There’s a picture on my wall,
So serene, it’s beautiful,
And when I gaze, it seems to call
me to peace.

I’m told it comes from far away,
A place called Medjugorje.
I hope to travel there some day
and find peace.

This picture shows a lady’s face.
They say that she is full of grace,
And a mother to embrace.
She brings peace.

Gentle smile as she looks down,
Clothed in pink and sky-blue gown,
Upon her head a 12-star crown,
Queen of Peace.

Holy Lady on my wall,
Blessed woman beyond all,
I shall answer to your call,
‘Yes’ to peace.

There’s a picture on my wall,
So serene, it’s beautiful,
And when I gaze, it seems to call
me to peace.

SHEET MUSIC pdf

Reaching out...

• In yesterday’s Gospel Jesus asked the man to stretch out his withered hand. The man did as Jesus requested and his hand was healed.

In today’s Gospel “...everyone in the crowd was trying to touch Jesus because power came out of him that cured them all.”
Luke 6 : 19

Who can I reach out to and so give witness to the power of Jesus bringing healing to all of our lives? Can I stretch out my hand once more again today – to receive and to give?

Dear children! With all the strength of my heart, I love you and give myself to you. As a mother fights for her children, I pray for you and fight for you. I ask you not to be afraid to open yourselves, so as to be able to love with the heart and give yourselves to others. The more that you do this with the heart, the more you will receive and the better you will understand my Son and His gift to you. May everyone recognise you through the love of my Son and through me. Thank you. Medjugorje message, January 2, 2008

A place for prayer...

Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. Luke 6 : 12

Dear children! With great joy, also today, I desire to call you anew: pray, pray, pray. May this time be a time of personal prayer for you. During the day, find a place where you will pray joyfully in a recollected way. I love you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, August 25, 2010

“Again, I tell you to find a time and place for prayer. Do not look to others but begin yourself to pray. Our Lady first chose Apparition mountain to call us to come and pray. This was a problem for Fr Jozo, the pastor at the time. He would ask why Our Lady didn’t appear in the Church. He said that the living Jesus was present there. He could not understand why the throngs of people would choose to go to such a rugged, thorny mountain, day and night, to pray. Trust me; this is because the mountain, every thorn, every rock, and every bush have been blessed by the presence of Our Lady, because Our Lady chose that place to meet us and to talk to us and to pray with us... I was 16 at this time (when the apparitions began) and I wanted to learn to pray more and do good deeds. The six of us waited for Our Lady with great joy. Many nights we would gather together and spend the night in prayer. At daybreak, we would go home to meet our parents to work in the fields all day. It was a beautiful time.
”
• Visionary Marija Pavlovic speaking recently to pilgrims in Medjugorje.

Dear children! The cross was also in God's plan when you built it. These days, especially, go on the mountain and pray before the cross. I need your prayers. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, August 30, 1984

Stretch out your hand...

Then Jesus looked around at them all and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was better.
Luke 6 : 10

God blessed me with two hands, both to receive and to give. Which hand will I stretch out today? Will it be the hand that I have always kept to myself, the hand I refuse to offer to others, the hand that has withered in time.

Will today be a sabbath day for me, a time to allow Jesus to heal and make my withered hand better and so become a willing hand once more?

Give your hand to me, your mother, and permit me to lead you.
part message, August 2, 2006

Medjugorje slide show

VISIT MY NEW GALLERY

September message of Our Lady to Mirjana

Dear children, I am beside you because I desire to help you to overcome trials, which this time of purification puts before you.

My children, one of those is not to forgive and not to ask for forgiveness. Every sin offends Love and distances you from it – and Love is my Son.

Therefore, my children, if you desire to walk with me towards the peace of God’s love, you must learn to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. Thank you.
Medjugorje message, September 2, 2010

• Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 5 : 1-11) describes how Jesus, after speaking to the crowds from Simon Peter’s boat, instructed the disciples to cast their nets into deep water. The catch was a huge number of fish. So large was the catch that a call was put out to companions in another boat to come and assist. Peter, who had earlier doubted there would be any fish to find, fell on his knees, recognising his sinfulness, and wept.

This is a wonderful illustration of all that is happening at Medjugorje. The message of Our Lady is given to the people who gather to listen and have come in search of Jesus. The catch is significant. Many fall to their knees, recognising their sinfulness and weep openly. They repeat Peter’s words: “Lord I am a sinner.” And they desire to confess and reconcile with the Lord.

But the Franciscans who pastor the Medjugorje parish are few in number. They are unable to cope with the demand for confession and reconciliation that has resulted from the Gospel message brought by Our Lady and the Holy Spirit. They ask for help from companions in other boats, also fishers of men, to assist with the catch and reconcile the people to God.

Visiting priests to Medjugorje are often overcome by the volume of pilgrims seeking the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Nothing like this happens back home. They have fished all night, in darkness, and caught nothing. Their boat is empty and redundant, harboured in shallow water. Their call to the people is unheard.

But from Medjugorje, the call is heard, people are listening, the fish are hungry for the Word. Here Jesus continues with his miracles, especially renewal in faith. That is why Our Lady says: “Thank you for responding to my call.” This is why the boat of St James at Medjugorje is always full, even sometimes to sinking point.

• Now he was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.” “Master,” Simon replied “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.” And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when they came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, “Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.” For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made, so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on it is ment that you will catch.” Then bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

Fr Neil Buchlein’s audio commentary on this message

Sent by God

Jesus answered: “I must proclaim the Good News of the kingdom of God to the other towns too, because that is what I was sent to do.” Luke 4 : 43

Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation. Many of you opened your hearts and accepted my messages, but many have become lost on this way and have never come to know the God of love with the fullness of heart. Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin. I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje message, October 25, 2007