Jesus teaches us in the Gospel of St. Matthew (11:29) to “learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.”  I believe that meekness is the quality that our world needs these days, more than any other. People so desperately want to be right. Arguing has become far too common. Impoliteness and rudeness is often witnessed  in stores, etc. among strangers. Reality television has made retaliation a horrid sport. In the Gospels we read of Jesus being spoken to by people who were not meek, but rather harsh. But Jesus responds meekly. The ultimate example is the meekness and passivity of Jesus during His Passion. Meek as a lamb. Let us ponder and practice the Gospel teaching of meekness. We can always be more meek. Our being meek will benefit others and ourselves by giving us greater peace and calmness.

Lost in the Dark

By June Klins

   On April 23, Ivan was scheduled to speak in Parma, a suburb of Cleveland, OH, and my friend had invited myself and two friends to ride with her and her mother to see him. At the last minute my friend got a relapse of the virus she had earlier in the week and was not able to drive. Now being that I am a “small town girl,” I am terrified to drive on the highways in large cities, so I grabbed the first class relic of St. Anthony that was “on loan” at my house, to help me “find the way” and off we went. We took the “scenic route” through downtown Cleveland and arrived a few moments before the Rosary began. At 6:40, Ivan had his apparition. Although I did not smell roses like I have other times, I felt Our Lady’s presence as I prayed. Afterwards in his talk Ivan described the apparition:

   “This evening when She was with us, She was very, very happy. She greeted all of us, ‘Praised be Jesus Christ, my dear children.’  And after that She prayed above all of you with Her extended arms above you.  She came so close to us when She prayed, such great love came forth from Her eyes and She was so close to us that She wanted to hug all of us and kiss all of us. Her eyes were full of tears of joy because She was looking at Her children who were praying. The Mother loves Her children, and She blessed all of us this evening with Her motherly blessing. Especially She prayed for those of you who are present and who are sick.

   “Then Our Lady said, ‘Dear children, today your Mother is calling you to answer to responsibility to live my messages. Dear children, pray in your families and renew prayer in the families. And today, dear children, …,  be my light and be my flowers. Dear children, know that the Mother will always be with you. The Mother prays for you. …. Dear children, persevere in prayer. Do not get tired of praying, and thank you, dear children, for having answered my calling.’

   “After that, I prayed with Our Lady the Our Father and Glory Be and after that Our Lady spoke with me personally. And then again She prayed for all of us and in that prayer She left, and She leaves in a sign of light and the cross with the greeting, ‘Go in peace, my dear children.’”

   Needless to say, we were on “Cloud 9” when we left the church. I decided to go back the same way we came since we were traveling in the dark and I knew the way. We were not on the road long when we got stopped by the police for a routine check. The policemen warned us not  to go back the way we came because it was very dangerous at night. One policeman, who said his name was Francis, gave us directions to the highway, reassuring me that there was not much traffic at night. He also gave us his cell phone number in case we got lost. He asked us where we had been and we told him about Ivan.  Although Francis told us he was “very Catholic,” he had never heard of Medjugorje!  So we gave him a copy of the beginner’s guide, the April issue, and a Medjugorje medal that was blessed by a priest and by Our Lady. He seemed very appreciative.

    It was not long before I had to call Francis for directions again. Within minutes, he was beside us to lead us to the highway. We made it home safely, thanks to our “angel in uniform.” What a grace-filled night!

   Less than a week and a half later, Mirjana had her 2^nd of the month apparition at the Blue Cross.  Mirjana said that our Blessed Mother was crying when She gave the message, which is unusual.  Our Lady said in this message: "Dear children! Already for a long time I am giving you my motherly heart and offering my Son to you. You are rejecting me. You are permitting sin to overcome you more and more. You are permitting it to master you and to take away your power of discernment. My poor children, look around you and look at the signs of the times. Do you think that you can do without God's blessing? Do not permit darkness to envelop you. From the depth of your heart cry out for my Son. His Name disperses even the greatest darkness. I will be with you, you just call me: 'Here we are, Mother, lead us.' Thank you. "

  This message was so different from the one in Parma. In Parma She had tears of joy, but in this message She had tears of sorrow. Certainly Our Lady does not have “mood swings.”  Why the difference?  Could the answer to this be in Ivan’s words, “Her eyes were full of tears of joy because She was looking at Her children who were praying”? What will it take to get people on their knees to change the tears of our Mother to tears of joy?  I will never forget the words of a homily I heard one time, “We can do it the hard way or we can do it the easy way.”  

   Our Lady, like our Officer Francis, gives us directions for the easy way, the safe way, and says, “Just call me.”  Our Lady comes to lead us in the darkness to the “high” way (to Heaven). And this is one highway no one should ever fear!

In Medjugorje and the surrounding area, the people celebrate St. Anthony’s feast day, June 13, with processions, and some even walk barefoot for miles to the church. In honor of St. Anthony and Our Lady’s anniversary on the 25^th, we are again offering our Hail Mary cards which were touched to a first class relic of St. Anthony, who can help people “ find “ their way to Jesus. To receive as many as 10 of these cards, send a self addressed stamped envelope to P.O. Box 6614, Erie, PA 16512 and mark “Hail Mary cards” on the envelope.

Questions and Answers with Mirjana

The following questions are excerpted from the Question and Answer Session with Mirjana at the Totally Yours Conference in St. Charles, IL, 4/26/09. Mirjana was very joyful and joked a lot. She said Our Lady wants us to be joyful.

Q:  Can we put butter on our bread [when fasting]?

A:  I would like to say one thing, in fact. God is Love and He truly loves His children, and even if you put butter on your bread, He will still love you. But do you love yourself?   That is the question. I cannot be the one to decide about that. I can only repeat what Our Lady says, and how you shall do that further is going to be your choice. God gave you freedom. He is just telling you through His Mother what is good for you. But it doesn’t mean that you have to do it right away. Go slowly, step by step.  

  A friend of mine named Joyce, when she comes to Medjugorje, she always says, “For Friday I will fast on bread and water,” and she doesn’t know that they tell me she was eating cheese as well. [laughter]

Q: Why does Our Lady ask for  Wednesday and Friday to fast?

A:  When the things through Medjugorje are supposed to happen, then you will be able to understand why Wednesday and Friday – or why every 2^nd of the month and every 18^th of March. Every day and every date has a meaning.

Q: Can we drink tea or coffee with our bread?

A:  Guy (the MC) complains of this, and I know him so well. In Medjugorje he eats nothing but bread and I’m sure he’s asking because of some other people, and the answer is the same. [laughter]  [ By the same, we think she means the same thing she said in her talk the day before, when she said that you can drink coffee on fast day “ as long as you get up before Our Lady.” ]

Q: How much bread can we eat and how much water can we drink?

A:  Our Lady didn’t talk about the amount of bread or about water, but believe me, I tried. I ate so much bread, I thought it would satisfy my hunger, but I just got a big stomach [ache] and I was still hungry.

Q: I was told that if I fall asleep praying my Rosary, my guardian angel will finish it. Is this true?

A:  And why wouldn’t it happen that when you want to put butter on your bread, you decide, “I will give this butter to my guardian angel and then I will eat only bread?”  [ roaring laughter]

Q: We went on a pilgrimage and we were blessed to stay at your house once and we noticed the Pope’s shoes are in a little display at your house. Can you tell us how Pope John Paul II’s shoes arrived there?

A:  I am the only one of 6 visionaries who was lucky enough, had the honor, to encounter Pope John Paul II. You can imagine how the other 5 are jealous of me. [laughter] Jakov always says, “Oh, yea, you have been with Pope.” 

   I was in the Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, with an Italian priest. Holy Father was walking by and he was blessing us. When he approached me, he blessed me and he just continued to walk. However, this Italian priest loudly said to him, “Holy Father, this is Mirjana from Medjugorje.” He came back and blessed me again and he set out. And I said to the priest, “ He just thinks I need a double blessing.” But then after, he received a note, an invitation to Castle Gandolfo, close to Rome, in order to encounter the Pope. I couldn’t sleep all night because I really loved him and I respected him and I could really feel his love for Our Lady.

   So the next day when he and I met alone, I was just crying. I couldn’t say a word out of excitement. He noticed that I was excited. I think he tried to talk to me in Polish because he thought in the Slavic languages there are things in common. I didn’t understand a word! But I finally had enough strength and courage, I asked him, “What are you trying to tell me?” Then we talked. Among other things he said to me, “I know everything about Medjugorje. I’ve been following Medjugorje. Ask  pilgrims to pray for my intentions, to keep, to take good care of Medjugorje, because Medjugorje is hope for the entire world. And if I were not Pope, I would have been in Medjugorje a long time ago.”

   So recently on the Mount of Apparitions, I saw a pair of shoes of the Pope in front of me, and after the apparition, this gentleman who brought these shoes ( he didn’t introduce himself), he said, “It was the Pope’s desire for a long time to come to Medjugorje. I said, ‘If you do not go, I will take your shoes.’ And that is how I brought his shoes, so they may be present during the apparition.”

   Now I have a pair of his shoes in my home.    But what is funniest in this, a man who made the shoes for the Pope, an Italian from Rome, he heard that I have a pair of the Pope’s shoes, and imagine, he wouldn’t believe it. He made two pairs of Pope’s shoes for me. My number’s 38 [in the US, size 7].

Why is Our Lady Appearing so Long?

    A few months ago, the internet Medjugorje prayer group, had a discussion on why Our Lady is appearing for so long. Although there was much lively discussion on this topic, I felt inspired to share two particular testimonies. I am grateful to both people for granting me permission to share their stories.

    Tom Hubbard of Louisville, KY, wrote, “ I'd like to give an example of a message being repeated for an extended period that started me at a young age wondering what ‘Grace’ and ‘Hail Mary’ was all about. I did not grow up Catholic, I'm from a Protestant background and no particular devotion to Our Lady was present in our home. But, each day, my mom usually had the radio on a local station she listened to regularly. Every afternoon this station would broadcast the Rosary. No one paid a lot of attention to the broadcast in our home, with the exception of our parakeet, Corkey. Corkey managed to memorize ‘Hail Mary full of Grace, Hail Mary full of Grace.’ Over and over I heard Corkey say this one line. Each day he would repeat his Hail Mary and finally one day this simple message clicked in my mind. The words were simple but eternal, given by an angel to Our Lady. How many days, weeks, did Corkey remind me, how many times did I hear this simple message and not realize what I was hearing? The number of days isn't important, only the fact that I eventually came to understand what I was hearing. I think this is what Our Lady desires by Her continued coming to visit, that we eventually hear and understand what She is saying. We have no idea how much longer the Blessed Mother will be visiting with us, but it's important to remember what She said a few years back, ‘but soon a time will come when you will lament for these messages.’

   Suzanne de Friesse, of New Milford, CT, wrote, “I will never forget the testimony of an Irish Priest during his homily at St. James a few years ago. He was on his first pilgrimage many years ago and was very impressed with much of what he saw, but was troubled by the fact that it was going on for so long. He questioned why, and allowed this to put a pall on his view of the Shrine. As he was preparing to leave Medjugorje, he decided to climb Apparition Hill one more time before leaving. As he sat up on the hill, he again pondered the length of the time Our Lady was appearing. It was then that he quite plainly heard a voice say, ’If I can come to you everyday in a little round piece of bread, what makes you think that I cannot send my Mother every day for 20 years?’  Needless to say, this Priest is a great supporter of Medjugorje...and a wonderful homilist!”

Editor’s note:  If you are interested in joining the internet prayer group, which is an extension of Ivan’s prayer group in Medjugorje, go to www.iipg.org.

A Korean Family

by Louise Lotze           

   In Father Jozo's book, Observe the Fruits, he emphasizes that the Queen of Peace has worked great miracles for the pilgrims who come from far-off countries.  One of the very touching stories is about a family from Korea who came on a pilgrimage bringing along their little boy, a few years old, who was dumb and deaf.  When the pilgrimage ended, the woman told her husband that she had decided to remain in Medjugorje until Our Lady would grant her a grace.  Thus she rented a small flat and every day she faithfully climbed the Hill of Apparitions and Mount Krizevac and attended the church services.  Her son's cross was very heavy for her to bear and it caused her much grief.

    About 3 months later, as usual, while making the Stations of the Cross on the mountain and carrying her child in her arms, she was granted the grace at the IV station to be able to embrace and hug her son in her arms with a supreme love which to her was unknown up to that moment.  “She felt her heart united with the Heart of the Blessed Virgin, and she also proclaimed her 'fiat,' ” stated Fr. Jozo.

   She returned to her flat and was preparing some food when she heard singing, “Ave, Ave, Maria.”   Returning to her work she realized that the singing was coming from the child's room.  She called him; he answered and told his mother that when he pronounces “Ave Maria” his heart exults for joy.  The little boy was miraculously healed!  Filled with joy the woman called her husband on the phone and gave him the great news.

    Father Jozo continues that this miracle bore also her husband's conversion since he has become a Catholic and they are a lovely and happy family.  Filled with thanksgiving for Our Lady this family was given permission to leave a sign on Podbrdo (Apparition Hill).  They donated a beautiful marble statue which was placed right where Our Lady appeared on Podbrdo, reminding us “that Our Lady wipes away our tears  and She is waiting for us all.”

   Father Jozo concludes with saying: “This woman teaches us that sacrifices are necessary and that sacrifice done with love, always bears its fruits.”  The millions of pilgrims who have come are not on a tour.  They seek help and the light and not curiosity.  They make the sacrifice of standing and sweating for hours so that the seed of the Word, of grace, of love, may enter deeper and deeper into their hearts, so they might bear plentiful fruits.”

Editor’s note:  Louise is from Ashtabula, OH.

            Since St. John (Don) Bosco is our saint this year, we thought we would share one of his famous dreams. Although his dreams often featured the actual boys of his oratory, their value goes far beyond this, since they bring to life the realities of the Catholic faith.

GIFTS FOR MARY

 [During Father Victor Alasonatti’s last illness, in 1865] Don Bosco found consolation in acts of devotion to Mary Help of Christians, whom the whole Oratory honored particularly in the month of May.  Of his Good Nights the chronicle records but one—a most precious one—which he gave on the 30th:

   I dreamed that you boys were heading in procession toward a lofty, richly decorated altar of Our Lady.  You were all singing the same hymns to Her but not in the same way:  many sang beautifully, others rather poorly, and some totally out of tune.  I saw too that some kept silent, strayed from the ranks, yawned, or kept disturbing others.

   Everyone carried gifts, mostly flowers, to Our Lady.  The bouquets differed in size and kind.  There were bouquets of roses, carnations, violets, and so on.  Some boys carried very odd presents, such as pigs’ heads, cats, slimy toads, rabbits, lambs, and so on.  A handsome youth stood by the altar.  A close look would show that he had wings.  He may have been the Oratory’s guardian angel.  As you boys presented your gifts, he took each and placed it on the altar.

   The first to reach the altar offered gorgeous bouquets which the angel silently placed on it.  From other bouquets, instead, he had to remove decayed or scentless flowers, such as dahlias, camellias, and the like, because Mary is not satisfied with mere looks.  Some bouquets even had thorns and nails which, of course, were promptly plucked out and thrown away.

   When a boy carrying a pig’s head came up, the angel said to him:  “How dare you offer this to Our Lady?  Don’t you know that this animal symbolizes the ugly vice of impurity?  Mary Most Pure cannot tolerate such a sin.  Step aside.  You are not worthy to stand in Her presence.”

   To those who offered a cat the angel said:  “Don’t you know better?  A cat represents theft, and you dare present it to Mary?  Those who take what does not belong to them, those who steal food from the house, tear their clothes out of spite, or waste their parents’ money by not studying as they ought, are nothing but thieves!”  These too the angel ordered to withdraw.  He was equally indignant with boys offering toads.  “Toads symbolize the shameful sin of scandal, and dare you offer them to Our Lady?  Step aside.  Join the unworthy ones.”  These boys, too, shamefully withdrew.

   Some lads came up with knives stuck in their hearts, a symbol of sacrilege.  “Don’t you realize that there is death in your soul?” the angel asked them.  “If it weren’t for God’s mercy, you would be lost forever.  For heaven’s sake, have that knife removed from your heart!”

   Eventually the rest of the boys reached the altar and presented their gifts—lambs, rabbits, fish, nuts, grapes, and so on.  The angel took them and placed them before Our Lady.  Then he lined up all the boys whose gifts had been accepted in front of the altar.  I noticed to my deep regret that those who had been made to step aside were much more numerous than I had thought.

   Two other angels now appeared at each side of the altar carrying ornate baskets filled with gorgeous, exceedingly beautiful crowns of roses.  They were not earthly roses, but heaven-grown, symbolizing immortality.  With these the guardian angel crowned all the boys ranged before Our Lady’s altar.  I noticed among them many whom I had never seen before.  Another remarkable thing is this:  some of the most beautiful crowns went to boys who were so ugly as to be almost repulsive.  Obviously, the virtue of holy purity which they eminently possessed amply made up for their unattractive appearance.  Many other boys possessed this virtue too, though not to the same degree.  Youngsters excelling in obedience, humility, or love of God were also crowned according to their deserts.

   The angel then addressed all the boys as follows:  “It was Our Lady’s wish that you should be crowned today with these beautiful roses.  See to it that they may never be taken from you.  Humility, obedience, and chastity will safeguard them for you.  With these three virtues you will always find favor with Mary and one day receive a crown infinitely more beautiful than that you wear today.”

   All of you then sang the first stanza of the “Ave Maris Stella.”   Afterward you turned around and filed away as you had come, singing the hymn “Praise Mary, Ye Faithful” so full-heartedly that I was really amazed.  I followed you for a while; then I went back to take a look at the boys whom the angel had pushed aside, but they were no longer there.

   My dear children, I know who was crowned and who was turned down.  The latter I will warn privately so that they may strive to bring gifts pleasing to Our Lady.

   Now let me make a few observations:

   1. All of you were carrying a variety of flowers, but unfailingly every bouquet had its share of thorns—some more, some less.  After much thinking I came to the conclusion that these thorns symbolized acts of disobedience, such as keeping money instead of depositing it with Father Prefect, asking leave to go to one place and then going to another, being late to school, eating on the sly, going to other boys’ dormitories although knowing that this is always strictly forbidden, lingering in bed after rising time, neglecting prescribed practices of piety, talking during times of silence, buying books and not submitting them for approval, sending or receiving letters on the sneak, and buying and selling things among yourselves.  This is what the thorns stand for.

   “Is it a sin to break the house rules?” many will ask.

   After seriously considering this question, my answer is a firm “yes.”  I will not say whether it is mortal or venial.  Circumstances will determine that, but it certainly is a sin.

   Some might counter that the Ten Commandments say nothing about obeying house rules.  Well, the Fourth Commandment says, “Honor thy father and thy mother.”  Do you know what “father” and “mother” stand for?  Not only parents, but also those who take their place.  Besides, doesn’t Holy Scripture say, “Obey your leaders” [Heb. 13:17]?  If you must obey them, it follows that they have the power to command.  This is why we have rules, and these must be obeyed.

   2. Some bouquets had nails among the flowers, the nails which crucified Jesus.  How could that be?  As usual, one starts with little things and goes on to more serious ones.  He allows himself undue liberties and falls into mortal sin.  This is how nails managed to find their way into those bouquets, how they again crucified Jesus, as [Heb. 6:6] says, “re-crucifying the Son of God.”

   3. Many bouquets contained rotten or scentless flowers, symbols of good works done in the state of mortal sin—and therefore unmeritorious—or from human motives such as ambition, or solely to please teachers and superiors.  That’s why the angel, after scolding those boys for daring to offer such things to Our Lady, sent them back to trim their bouquets.  Only after they had done this did the angel accept them and place them on the altar.  In returning to the altar, these boys did not follow any order but went up to the angel as soon as they had trimmed their bouquets, and then joined those to be crowned.

   In this dream I saw both your past and your future.  I have already spoken of it to many of you.  I shall likewise tell the rest.  Meanwhile, my children, see to it that the Blessed Virgin may always receive gifts from you which She will not have to refuse.

Used with permission, Biographical Memoirs of Saint John Bosco, Vol. VIII, 73-76

© 1973 Salesian Society, Inc

Beatitudes for Fathers

By Anita Cugini

   The older I get, the more appreciation I have for my faith and its beautiful prayers and traditions.  One of my favorite gospels is that of the Sermon on the Mount. 

   As I examined an old prayer book on a yard sale table, out tumbled a small brown and white business card with the  “Beatitudes for Fathers”.  What better way to honor our fathers, both living and deceased ,in the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart, with these beautiful thoughts!  May Jesus, our Eternal Father,  infuse all fathers with grace and perseverance to protect and watch over their families for all eternity. Don’t forget to send your priest a “Happy Father’s Day” card!

Blessed are fathers...who mixed discipline with love, they shall know mercy.

Blessed are fathers...who gave us values with which to live the Christian life, they shall share God's kingdom.

Blessed are fathers...who left us an appreciation of the value and dignity of work, they shall find rest.

Blessed are fathers...who pointed out our responsibilities and duties, they will be blessed.

Blessed are fathers...who taught us how to live on earth for Heaven, they will know God.

Blessed are fathers...who showed us the meaning of service by example, they shall be served.

Blessed are fathers...who gave us a clear picture of what a father should be, they will live forever.

Blessed are fathers...whose love for our mothers taught us the importance of loving God and each other, they shall see God.

Editor’s note: Anita is from Philadelphia, PA.