At Medjugorje, there is a constant renewal of exciting phenomena – some cures, some unusual lights in the sky, some changing of the color of rosaries. They are not stressed. They are so far lesser than the conversions and the acceptance of the responsibility of praying for peace.

   That can help us understand that the cures at Lourdes, the easing of the pain of the aging in Calcutta, the easing of the suffering of the old sisters of Lisieux, are all very real, but they have meaning only as they mark more clearly the path to eternal life.

   At Lourdes, St. Bernadette was asked by Mary to pray for conversions. Mother Teresa shared with Jesus His thirsting for souls. St. Therese of Lisieux, in offering her life and her care of the old sisters, called Henri Pangetti, a criminal who came through a final conversion, her “first child” and went on through her own great suffering, to fuller and fuller surrender to God, and to paying a price for souls.

   And you? And me? And all of us who hear Mary’s message, what cost are we willing to pay? What cost are we paying?

 

Sacred Scripture.

We are about to begin a journey together. We, because although I have had several courses on Sacred Scripture, I have much to learn about the Bible. By the way, the Catholic term used officially is Sacred Scripture. We will consider:

• How the Catholic Church chose which books would be included in the New Testament, were considered inspired in a very special way, and which were not.
• The Wisdom in the Church’s interpretation of the Biblical passages for us.
• What certain words really mean in their original languages.
• Which translation is best. Best for what? Study? Devotional reading?.
• What is meant by the Bible and Tradition.
• What the Pope have written about the importance of the Bible.
• How to read the Bible daily. Few Catholic do! Our Lady cried at Medjugorje, “They have forgotten the Bible.”

Several things are needed for the journey: A Bible and childlikeness, a sense of wonder and a desire to learn. We will begin with the New Testament. Like a child, if you do not already know the names and order of the books and letters of the New Testament please start learning them. May our journey together be a fruitful one.

Brother Craig of The Monks of Adoration received his B.A., M.A. and S.T. L. in Theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He can be contacted at monkadorer@verizon.net.

Family Prayer Time

By Teresa Parker 

   We have 3 ten year olds; all have AD/HD...and they are usually not on their medication during our family times of prayer at home. They have been raised during the years of my husband's and my on-going conversion through Our Lady of Medjugorje. It was a struggle at first, but now they are quite used to our prayer expectations. 

   I find that setting the regular expectation of family prayer every day/night...and then foreshadowing each time, or when this will happen - 'after dinner', 'after you get ready for bed', 'at 8:30', etc., helps quite a bit. When they complain, I try to patiently remind them of what Jesus did for us and for our salvation, and about the poor Holy Souls needing our prayers because they cannot pray for themselves, and because they will always pray for us as our spiritual family.  

   We  have an altar in the living room. The children are allowed to take turns lighting the votive lights on the altar now that they are a little older. This is a special treat for them. 

   Sometimes... on certain occasions when I instinctively feel that the Rosary is too much for them because of where their bodies or minds are at (restless, wired, etc.), I substitute with the Peace Chaplet and/or the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. I make the prayer 'littler' and it is clear that they feel more positive about it. That is not to say that I let them control the situation, but I try to be responsive to their needs a little too (when I can). 

  We have tried to bring the reality of the saints into the lives of our children. I feel this has been a big help to bring their faith alive and helped them to learn to love Jesus more and understand His sacrifice for us. It brings alive the saints’ love for Jesus, their willingness to make sacrifices, their spiritual courage and leadership in their own times, etc. We regularly borrow movies about the lives of the saints from our own church library; and we have purchased them from EWTN as Christmas presents for the children as well.  

   We also have gone to our local St. Vincent store over the years and picked up various “Lives of the Saints” books, as well as various books with children's Bible stories. The children love it when they find a new book in this way; it's like finding a buried treasure! Each one has his own now and each is a little different. The reading of the saints’ lives, and the reading of the Bible stories, and especially about the faith of the heroes of the Old and New Testament have made the Catholic-Christian faith come alive for the children.  Actually, the early morning and the Saturday programming on EWTN has given our children wonderful catechesis and a love for their faith. 

   It might help younger children to begin family prayer time with the prayer to their Guardian Angel 'to help us to pray our best for Jesus who loves us sooo much!'. May Our Lord and Our Blessed Mother bless and keep you all.

Editor’s note:  Teresa lives with her husband Peter, in Baraboo, WI.They have one birth son, Nathan 21, and three 10 year olds whom they adopted at the age of 2 1/2 from Mother Teresa’s Home for Malnourished and Dying Children in Haiti. Teresa is the leader of a very active Medjugorje Prayer Group in Baraboo.

A family altar might just alter the family!

My Pilgrimage Journey

By Cathy Howe

   I feel compelled to share what Our Lady told the visionaries in Medjugorje at the onset of the apparitions when they asked Her, “Why us?” Our Lady said, “God does not always look for the best.”

   My life and my family changed in 1991 when I was diagnosed with a very rare blood disease called mastocytosis, which has no cure, and led to an ever more rare manifestation of malignant non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. The disease seemed to take hold of me 26 years ago when I began to experience great fatigue and chronic infections, but the doctors did not diagnose the disease until biopsies were done in 1991. At that time the disease was truly a death sentence because it took me away from all I loved in life, especially time with my family the way I knew it before.

   My spiritual healing did not begin until I went to Medjugorje and I was in a very long dark night. I look back at this time and know that only God’s grace and Our Lady’s intercession and constant care of me allowed me not to shut down emotionally, spiritually and physically. Simple tasks like making my bed, taking a shower, or cooking a dinner, became huge mountains for me to climb, each moment of each day. I spent the majority of my time in bed every day. During this time, on January 11, 1994, my mom, my best friend and soul mate passed on. Our immediate family had a long history of serious illness and just before my mom passed on I truly was asking Our Lady why there was SO much pain and suffering. I went to a Catholic grade school and an all girl Catholic high school, but the part of my journey that I was about to embark on was not taught to me through my Catholic education or faith-walk, but taught ever so gently and sweetly by the Blessed Virgin Mary whom I loved so very much and a great spiritual gift given to me, in my spiritual director. It was the Blessed Mother I went to, since I was a young child, to go to God for me because in ways I can now only begin to understand, I did not feel worthy to ask God. At the hardest, most challenging time of my life thus far, I received an answer in a way that would begin a new chapter in my life and life would never be the same again.

   At my mom’s viewing at the funeral home, I requested that her rosary beads be put in her hands. These rosary beads turned from crystal beads and links and crucifix to a beautiful rose gold from 8:05 to 9 PM. My pastor , Fr. Ward, who was at the funeral home that evening, said that it was a message from the Blessed Mother telling me my mom was OK and not to worry about her. This was witnessed not only by family, but friends there that evening. Truly, Heaven touched earth that evening and I turned into a “little child” of God feeling loved as never before. This experience, coupled with continued gifts of spiritual phenomena through Our Lady, led me, very ill, to Medjugorje in June of 1994, not seeking a physical cure, but to thank Our Lady for the gift of the rosary beads.

    So very much happened since that time, and I truly learned that God so much wants to touch us, heal us, speak to our soul in so many miraculous ways. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are being poured forth, I believe as never before, to a world so urgently in need of healing at the darkest time in history as I see it.

    It was at this time I was called to Medjugorje by my Heavenly Mother, who had heard all of my prayers and could see as only Jesus’ Mother could, all of the pain I was in. That first pilgrimage was truly Heaven on earth for me and I came home and asked Our Lady to please let me share Medjugorje with the whole world, and I didn’t want anyone to heal me but Her Son, Jesus. My spiritual director said to be careful of what you ask for – because you might just get it. At that time, I truly did not understand what I was asking – it was just loving words to my Heavenly Mother who I came home from Medjugorje more in love with than ever before.

   Much has happened spiritually in my life since the onset of my illness and my first pilgrimage to Medjugorje in June of 1994. It is only through God’s grace, Our Lady’s constant care, and spiritual direction since 1995, and Pope John Paul II, in a most special way that I am here today. The fruits of these years, and the suffering I was asked to endure, I believe, are blossoming in   “Mother’s Prayer Family,” – prayer group, “ Mother’s Hope Foundation” - an organization aiding sick and disadvantaged children, and “Mother’s Pilgrims” - a travel group to Medjugorje. These were established while I was homebound and in bed, and each, I believe, directed by Our Blessed Mother and the great gift that I received on First Friday, October 5th, 2007, in Medjugorje.

   In 1994, after I returned from Medjugorje, I was given the spiritual gift of inner locution, which is an inner voice written on my heart and at times heard in my ears. It took me many years to understand and accept, claim and feel comfortable with this gift, and to share this gift in THIS WAY  is truly a miracle for me – one in which I truly believe Our Lady wishes to be shared at this time. My spiritual director always discerns these inner locutions. When I asked him years back, amid many tears and physical pains, and seeking much needed spiritual guidance, why God was asking me to start a prayer family and lead Mother’s Hope when I was so sick, something I would have never chosen for myself, he said simply, “God never asks us to do what we want to do, but what He wills us to do – thus it is a cross for us!”

   Holding onto my mom’s rosary beads and Our Lady’s hand, that cross turned into Easter joy on October 5th, the feast day of St. Maria Faustina, Apostle of Divine Mercy, who came into my life in a very special way years back.  On October 2nd, Mirjana Soldo, one of the six visionaries in Medjugorje had her monthly apparition from Our Lady; Mother’s Pilgrims is always present and graced to be very close to Mirjana at the time of her apparition. I was taken back when asked to lead a decade of the Holy Rosary and truly felt we were all in Heaven’s arms. During the apparition I heard the words very clearly and softly written on my heart. “Climb Cross Mountain.” I immediately felt it to be Our Lady’s request. I told our spiritual director on our pilgrimage what I heard written on my heart, and knew I must try to do it because Our Lady asked me to do something I would never have thought to do on my own. Two days later, our group was scheduled to climb Mt. Krizevac. This was my 14th pilgrimage to Medjugorje and the majority of the time I spent back at my room. A couple of times I waited at the bottom of the hill and prayed. I remember feeling very scared as we all gathered at the bottom of Cross Mt. and saying to Our Lady, “I’m scared, so You have to hold my one hand.” And with my mom’s rosary beads held so tightly in my other hand, I said to Our Lady, “And my mom has to hold my other hand and we have to climb Cross Mt. for Jesus.”  With a body that could not climb Apparition Hill alone, I embarked on another part of my spiritual journey trusting what I believe I learned through so much suffering and yet so much joy at times led by Our Lady. I let go of my fears and thought with my heart and not my head, and gave them to Our Lady. I made it to the top of Cross Mt. No words can describe the feelings I felt and still do, as I remember kissing the palm of my hand and touching the cross, then closing my eyes and putting my head on the cross for a long time. We were one, the Cross and me. The huge white Cross loomed ever so high, and the sweetness I felt in my soul was indescribable. That big Cross and all the endless huge boulders on the way up reflected all of our lives. At that moment, I felt like I had made peace with my cross of poor health, and it was taken from me. But I had to learn, one must climb the mountains of life, one step at a time, never looking up, as I had been taught ever so gently by the Mother of God, and was able to do that special day.

   The sun shined so brightly and the blue sky and clouds seemed to lead me back down the mountain, taking one rock, one step at a time, like I had done it many times before.  With inexpressible joy I found myself running over to St. James Church that morning and gazing up at the statue of Our Lady in front of the church. We had been through so much together, Our Lady and me, all my life. We climbed so many mountains together and at times, so many times, She and Jesus carried me. I went inside St. James Church, the Italian Mass had just begun and I was able to walk easily up front and stand right in front of Our Lady’s statue. After I received Jesus, I knelt looking up at Her – feeling blessed beyond words and as the miracle of my physical healing had been given me, I felt for a moment sadly, “What could I now offer to Jesus that would be worthy?” I felt compelled after Mass to go to the rectory to tell Fr. Svetozar, the assistant pastor at St. James Church in Medjugorje. Father and I have become very close since 1995, and he knew well about my ongoing illness and my physical limitations. When I told him what I had experienced at Mirjana’s apparition, and my climb of Cross Mt. he said, “Praise be Jesus and Mary! Only Heaven could have done this!” He also said, “What I respect the most about you is your courage and for just being Cathy.” I said, “Father, it is not my courage but was given to me by Jesus and Mary, truly.”

   After I climbed Cross Mt., the energy I had not had for 26 years was instantly given back to me and I knew that deep inside of me I could stop taking all of my medications. After returning home, my husband and I went to a prescheduled check-up with my oncologist at Hillman Cancer Center. I felt compelled to bring him rosary beads, medals, a picture of the Infant Jesus, and Our Lady, and a rock from Medjugorje. After sharing my experience in Medjugorje with my doctor, and the reality of the symptoms I had experienced for so long all being gone, the doctor told me he would write on my chart that “Today the patient shows no signs of disease and is in remission.” I said, “That is not true because there is no cure for mastcytosis and my malignant non-Hodgkins lymphoma has not come back.” He said, “You are right there is no cure, and I know I did not do anything.” I said,” I know it is a MIRACLE,” and he said, “Well, I guess you could say it is a miracle, but I want you to come back and see me in one year.”  I believe it is gone, never to come back.

   EVERYONE who goes to Medjugorje receives a miracle, and one is not bigger than another. I learned the greatest healing God can give you is a spiritual healing. I learned that you don’t have to climb any mountains for God. If you can climb Apparition Hill or Cross Mountain, that’s great, but some people climb mountains everyday of their lives. A very wise priest told me that, in 1994, when I felt so sad and sick and everyone in our group was going to climb Cross Mt. and I couldn’t. If God had healed my body in 1994, I would not have understood what He did or why He did it.

   I learned healing comes in steps and God works in each person differently:  spiritual healing, which if we cooperate can continue on forever; the healing of peace and joy; and physical healing if Almighty God deigns it.  Medjugorje is an Oasis of Peace, where miracles flow like an unending River for all who seek to know Jesus and Mary and Their loving embrace.

   I just returned home from Medjugorje, and just like Our Heavenly Mother, She embraced me once again as Her dearly beloved chosen daughter. Medjugorje visionary Mirjana invited me to kneel beside her at her 2^nd of the month apparition. Again, no words can describe the peace and joy I felt as I thanked Our Lady with each beat of my heart.

   Our Lady is calling us to be Her “Dear Little Children.” Don’t ever be afraid to answer Her call. Please share what Our Lady has done for you, as people need to know that miracles exist. I believe more today than ever before.

 

Editor’s note:  You can visit Cathy’s websites, www.mothershope.org, and  www.motherspilgrims.com (for upcoming pilgrimages to Medjugorje 9/30-10/09/08 and 3/25-4/25/09).

Mirjana’s Message of April 2, 2008

"Dear children! Also today, as I am with you in the great love of God, I desire to ask you: Are you with me? Is your heart open for me? Do you permit me to purify and prepare it for my Son? My children, you are chosen because, in your time, the great grace of God descended on earth. Do not hesitate to accept it. Thank you."
After the apparition, Mirjana said, "Our Lady blessed all of us and all religious articles. And while She was leaving, behind Her in the blueness, I was able to see a wonderful, warm light."

Jelena’s Fourth Child Born Safely

By Stefania Consoli

   Her name is Benedetta, which means blessed. She was born under the mantle of the Queen of the Holy Rosary, on the 7th of October, and is the fourth child for Jelena and Massimiliano. Readers would know that Jelena had the gift of inner locutions for several years, through which Our Lady led the prayer group at Medjugorje.

   “It was a beautiful pregnancy, and immersed in grace,” Jelena told me recently. “Nearly every day, with the other three children, I was able to go to Holy Mass. Prayer and trust in Jesus made things go well, despite the daily chores of a mother, and as though a fruit of the grace that accompanied our faith journey, Benedetta’s birth was quick and easy.”

   In the various articles that Jelena has written for “Echo,”  we have learned how she sees her motherhood as a privileged “position” that allows her to contemplate the mystery of life that is born in God and is communicated to each creature:

   “In my children I see the image of God still intact. Each morning we read together the Gospel of the day,” continued Jelena, “and often we even manage to recite the liturgy of the hours. Or rather, I read the psalms and they listen. It would be wrong to think they were too young. For them this daily relationship with God has become normal, in which Jesus truly is a very authoritative friend in their heart. If I say that something of their behavior displeases Jesus, the children take it very seriously and obey without hesitation. Of course, this demands a great deal of effort on the part of parents, but I do not think there can be love without absolute donation. However, love is like a strange type of purse: the more you give of it, the more it contains.”

   It is edifying to hear her testimony, to know that there are parents who don’t fear to turn off the television, to tell their children about the greatest story of all: of the Incarnation of the Son of God. Parents that do not let themselves be intimidated by the customs of a society that is ever more sophisticated and demanding and that deprives us of the most important time: that spent with each other, and especially with the Father, our Creator.

   “We burden our children with activities, as if they were adults even, and we don’t realize how they are being crushed by them, but this risks robbing them of their spontaneity and simplicity. Even children’s games have become so complicated these days… I am glad that our children have fun and are happy with the little they have,” Jelena concluded.

   We wish every blessing upon Jelena and her family in a time when motherhood is undermined by a hedonistic society that encourages women to think more about themselves to the detriment of the family, and of course to society itself. We know our society is the promoter of the culture of death and that through its laws and propaganda, consciences are dulled. The first years of a child are the most delicate and important. It is then that the foundations are laid for a well balanced relationship with love, giving harmony and shape to a life that will be called to generate new life according to God’s plan.

   This is the love that is needed to heal the many wounds of mankind; wounds which no doubt can be traced back to a lack of love and acceptance even in infancy. But where there is life there is hope. And prayer will enhance that hope. And after prayer there is the good example which we hope will help others comprehend the indispensable value of parenthood for the sake of all, and for a better world.

                                                                                                        Echo of Medjugorje, #196

Mary, Walk with Me

By Virginia Hogue

   For several years I have daily made “The Way of the Cross” at my church.  As I pray the Stations of the Cross I talk to Jesus in my own words.  In my heart He frequently enlightens me with a greater understanding of His Passion.

   One day at the 13th Station I was particularly aware of how devoutly and with love the Blessed Mother caressed Her Son at the foot of the cross.  I thought, “If only I could receive Jesus in Holy Communion as His mother lovingly held Him in Her arms.”

   I began to ask Mary at the 13th Station to walk with me when I receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, so my heart will be kindled with love for Him.  I also asked Her to have the angels and saints accompany me. 

   Since I made this request of Mary, I feel Her presence and that of Her heavenly entourage when I receive the Holy Eucharist.  My heart begins to overflow with love for my Savior and the warmth of His embrace fills my very being.

   Mother Mary, may you never leave my side and continue to lead me to Your Son.  Thank you, Dear Lady.

Editor’s note: Virginia leads a Medjugorje prayer group in Edmund, OK.

The Best of “The Spirit of Medjugorje”--Volume II

By Anne Marie Whitmore

   This book is the next best thing to being there. It is not simply a re-telling of the true stories found in “The Spirit of Medjugorje” newsletter. Although similar in style, each volume stands on its own considerable merits, and because of the updates and freshness in the telling, Volume I (covering the years from 1988 to 1997) is as relevant as Volume II (1998-2004).

   Volume II starts with the familiar story of the first apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to six young people (two boys and four girls, ages 10-17) in June of 1981, in an obscure village in Bosnia-Herzegovina (the former Yugoslavia). It continues with several probing interviews with each seer (who long received daily visits from Mary), asking questions we ourselves would ask.

   The “bread and butter” of the book is the excellent selection of short testimonials and articles: it is as if we are sitting around a very large dinner table, listening to the heartfelt gratitude to God and Mary of pilgrims from all over the world, telling how their lives were changed and their burdens lifted. Yet it is not “preachy.” Still, the tender messages of Mary, the Queen of Peace, come through loud and clear.

   She, the Queen of Heaven, Jesus’ Mother and ours, is the messenger of God. She does not come on Her own. She brings us no new revelation, just a call to return to God in conversion, prayer, penance and fasting. Her advice is specific: frequent use of the Rosary, Confession, Eucharist and the Bible. Peace should start and be taught in the family, a much neglected institution in our lives today. Priests, our shepherds, need our prayers, also.

   Included are seven full years of Our Blessed Mothers’ monthly messages.  As an added treat, included is an easy, tasty “Medjugorje Fasting Bread."  The many black and white photos give us a "you are there" sense, without overwhelming the text.

   This book is both an excellent introduction for someone who has never heard of Medjugorje, and a delight to keep by our bed for those of us who can’t get enough of news of Our Heavenly Mother’s love...

Editor’s note: Anne Marie is from Albuquerque, NM.

Medjugorje Prayer Cloth Library

   The Risen Jesus statue behind St. James in Medjugorje continues to seep a liquid that has been tested and found to be human tears. We continue to lend out prayer cloths touched to the tears and to distribute prayer cloths we made which were touched to the originals and have the same blessings.
   JoAnne Bradley from Louisiana recently wrote,   “Each and every time I part with my Medjugorje prayer cloth, I get very sad and want to hold on to it and keep it close to me.  I don't want to give up the instant peace that I receive when I have it in my home. I guess that is the feeling that is so often described by people leaving Medjugorje!  I tried to understand their emptiness and longing to stay, but I struggled to comprehend it because I thought that they had already received the gift of actually being there in person, and they could take that experience home with them.  But now I understand. God's Peace is in the Tears of Jesus.  Just as God's Peace is in Medjugorje.  I think that these prayer cloths are a great gift for those of us who so desperately wanted to go to Medjugorje to be closer to our Blessed Mother Mary and Jesus; but for one reason or another, could not make the trip.  Our hearts were there and our faith was, and is there, and these prayer cloths are our rewards!  What a gift from God!”
   To read about our Prayer Cloth Library and all the testimonies please visit our website. We thank Liddy Fordham, Ruth Bonanti, Frances Slezak, Marge Lee, Rudy D”Angelo, Hanna Belcastro, Tina Illig  and Martha Herron and her family for their generosity in making prayer cloths for us last month

 

Thank you to Diana Stillwell, Mike Golovich, Anne O’Leary, Randy Bandiola, Dr. Steven Miller, and Clark Hall  for their photos in this issue and Brian Klins, Cindy Bielanin, Joanne McIntire, Agnes Trott, Chris Maxwell, Vickie DeCoursey, Barb Sirianni, and Ryan McCandless for help with the last mailing.

The Spirit of Medjugorje

P.O. Box 6614

Erie, PA 16512