MEDJUGORJE NEWS. A BAPTISTS JOURNEY INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (p.10-11) IN THIS ISSUE ISSUE NO. 91 MARCH 2019

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1 ISSUE NO. 91 MARCH 2019 MEDJUGORJE N E W Z E A L A N D NEWS A BAPTISTS JOURNEY INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH (p.10-11) IN THIS ISSUE * Latest Messages from Our Lady (p.3) * From the Editor (p.4) * News from Medjugorje (Children of Medjugorje) (p.5-9) * My Journey into the Church took Several Years (p.10-11) * Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory (p.12-13) * God s Greatest Blessing (p.14) * My Mother Mary and my Guardian Angel (p.15) * Brigitte s Story (p.16) * Jesus is Forever (p.16) * The Gift of Faith (p.17) * Keeping your faith when your kids lose theirs (p.18-19) * During Temptation we fly to you sweet Mother (p.19) * 40 Things to give up for Lent (p.20) * The Ten Commandments (p.21) * O Connor Travel (p.22)

2 EDITOR: SARAH MORAN Medjugorje News, PO Box 287, DARGAVILLE 0340 P E: W: Facebook: CO-EDITOR: BERNADETTE ISAACS CO-EDITOR: MIRIAM GUTHRIE *The Editor relies entirely on Divine Providence for the expense of producing this publication and any donation will be gratefully accepted.* As we are registered as a legal charity with a donee status (under the name of MEDJUGORJE NEWS TRUST) any donation of over $5.00 can be claimed for income tax deduction purposes. If a receipt is required immediately, a stamped self-addressed envelope would be appreciated. Otherwise it will be sent with the following issue of MEDJUGORJE NEWS. *PLEASE MAKE ALL CHEQUES PAYABLE TO MEDJUGORJE NEWS Donations can also be made by direct credit to our account, details below. ASB BANK LTD RATHBONE STREET, WHANGAREI This newsletter may be copied and distributed free of charge. Further copies may be obtained from the address above. If you wish to receive this newsletter directly, please send your name and full postal address, (PRINTED please) and you will be included in our list of subscribers. ANY ISSUE RETURNED BY NZ POST AS UNKNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS WILL AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN THE ADDRESSEE BEING DELETED FROM OUR MAILING LIST. So, please advise us of any change of address. As its name Medjugorje News implies, the aim of this newsletter is essentially the spreading of the messages received by the visionaries in Medjugorje, according to the wishes of Our Lady. The Medjugorje Story On the evening of 24 June 1981, in the parish of St James in Medjugorje, six young people claimed to have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary on Podbrdo Hill. The next day four of the six alleged another meeting with Our Lady, and said they spoke with her. On this occasion, the four teenagers (three girls and a boy) were joined by another young boy and a teenage girl. These six became the definitive visionaries in Medjugorje; they are Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic and Jakov Colo. Since 1981, these six young people have been the centre of world attention, and medical and scientific studies. Their principal claim is that practically every day to the present time, our Blessed Lady has been appearing to one or more of them, and that from her they have received thousands of messages for the parish of Medjugorje and the world. All six still claim apparitions, though only three of them now on a daily basis, and each of the six says that he or she has received, or is in the process of receiving, ten secrets. The first of the secrets is to be revealed to the world through Mirjana Dragicevic, and the third is said to be concerned with a permanent sign that will authenticate the apparitions and be a help to conversion, and will be evident to all at Medjugorje. The visionaries say that Our Lady identifies herself to them as the Queen of Peace. As a result of these claims, more than forty million people have visited Medjugorje from all over the world and there have been many assertions regarding remarkable signs and wonders, cures and spiritual healing. There is no doubt at all that those millions of people have found a pilgrimage to Medjugorje one of the most spiritually significant experiences of their lives. We acknowledge and accept that the authority regarding the authenticity of apparitions, locutions and related messages as well as all private revelations from Our Lord, Our Lady or any Saint rests with the Holy See of Rome whose final judgement we will respect and obey. We also affirm our total allegiance to our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, our Priests and Bishops and our Holy Father, Pope Francis. 2

3 THE MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY PROPOSES A SIX-POINT PROGRAMME: 1. Faith - Belief in God and in the supernatural. It is your true vision. Therefore live by it. 2. Commitment to God - Let Him direct your life. Begin by turning away from sin in true conversion and repentance. 3. Prayer - Regular Mass, monthly confession, daily rosary and dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. 4. Fasting - Bread and water on Fridays (and Wednesdays) if you can. If not, at least cut back or practise some other form of self denial. 5. Peace - In your own heart, in your family and neighbourhood and workplace, in all your human relations and reaching out to the war-stricken world. 6. The Holy Bible - We should read part of the Holy Scripture every day. THE MESSAGES OF MARY ARE ADDRESSED NOT ONLY TO CATHOLICS BUT TO THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE, REGARDLESS OF BELIEFS OR RELIGION. Our Lady s Messages Nov 25, 2018 Dear children! This is a time of grace and prayer, a time of waiting and giving. God is giving Himself to you that we may love Him above everything. Therefore, little children, open your hearts and families, so that this waiting may become prayer and love and, especially, giving. I am with you, little children, and encourage you not to give up from what is good, because the fruits are seen and heard of afar. That is why the enemy is angry and uses everything to lead you away from prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call. Dec 25, 2018 Dear children! Dear children! I am carrying to you my Son Jesus who is the King of Peace. He gives you peace and may it not be only for you but, little children, carry it to others in joy and humility. I am with you and am praying for you in this time of grace which God desires to give you. My presence is a sign of love here while I am with you to protect you and lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call. Jan 25, 2019 Dear children! Dear children! Today, as a mother, I am calling you to conversion. This time is for you, little children, a time of silence and prayer. Therefore, in the warmth of your heart, may a grain of hope and faith grow and you, little children, will from day to day feel the need to pray more. Your life will become orderly and responsible. You will comprehend, little children, that you are passing here on earth and you will feel the need to be closer to God, and with love you will witness the experience of your encounter with God, which you will share with others. I am with you and am praying for you but I cannot without your yes. Thank you for having responded to my call. 3

4 From the Editor: Dear Friends of Medjugorje News, Thank you for all the amazing prayers and donations for the continuation of the magazine in its printed format. The Lord heard our prayers and it looks like we will have enough money to publish the March as well as the June issue. Thank you for your wonderful support and please continue with your prayers and donations. The team of Miriam, Bernadette and I, love the magazine and we are amazed by the faithfulness of our readers. May The Lord continue to bless all our readers with His mercy and grace. I am always reminded by the first letter of St Paul to the Church at Corinth Take yourselves, for instance brothers, at the time when you were called. How many were influential people or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning. Those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen those who are nothing at all, to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God. The only reason the magazine continues is by God s grace. We are nothing but His instruments. Long may it continue. Regards, Sarah Moran The man who thinks only of himself says prayers of petition he who thinks of loving and serving God says prayers of abandonment to God s will, and that is the prayer of the saints. Archbishop Fulton Sheen Visiting those in prison by writing Would you like to become involved in a very special work of mercy by writing to long-term prisoners in a foreign country? Divine Mercy Publications have set up a team of letter writers to correspond with the inmates of a maximum security jail in Zambia, central Africa. Most of these are Catholics/Christians to whom we send reading and prayer literature as well as clothes and toiletries. The requests for pen pals are growing; the prison we write to has over 400 inmates, most of whom are in desperate need of consolation and encouragement. They are served by an Irish Catholic priest, whom they see 2-3 times per month. We wish to continue this important work of mercy and need helpers to adopt a prisoner and write on a regular basis, usually once every 1-2 months. Can you help? There will be absolutely no cost to you, Divine Mercy Publications/Trust will cover all expenses including sending funds via the prison Chaplain approximately twice per year to help the inmates purchase food, toiletries, medicines, clothes and in some case pay a portion of their children s school fees to prevent them becoming street kids. All you need give is your time and mercy to these needy souls. If you would like to know more please contact us. Thank you for your consideration of this important request. Divine Mercy Publications Trust Christchurch. PO Box 20266, Bishopdale, Christchurch Ph/Fax

5 Excerpts from Children of Medjugorje From Sister Emmanuel - Five Simple Messages Sr. Emmanuel is the founder of Children of Medjugorje, a lay missionary organization dedicated to delivering five simple messages from Our Lady in Medjugorje: afasting apraying of the Rosary ascripture Reading aholy Mass aconfession On November 2, 2018, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, surrounded by a large crowd who came for All Saints Day. After the apparition, she conveyed this message: Dear children, My motherly heart suffers as I am looking at my children who do not love the truth, those who are hiding it - as I look at my children who do not pray with their feelings and actions. I am sad as I am saying to my Son that many of my children no longer have faith, that they do not know Him - my Son. That is why I call you, apostles of my love: you strive to look to the very depth in human hearts and there you are certain to find the little hidden treasure. To look in this way is mercy from the Heavenly Father. To seek the good even where there is the greatest evil - to strive to comprehend each other and not to judge - that is what my Son is asking of you. And I, as a mother, am calling you to listen to Him. My children, the spirit is mightier than the flesh, and, carried by love and actions, it overcomes all obstacles. Do not forget: my Son has loved you and loves you. His love is with you and in you when you are one with Him. He is the light of the world and no one and nothing will be able to stop Him in the final glory. Therefore, apostles of my love, do not be afraid to witness the truth. Witness it with enthusiasm, with works, with love, with your sacrifice, and, above all, in humility. Witness the truth to all those who have not come to know my Son. I will be alongside you. I will encourage you. Witness the love which never ends because it comes from the Heavenly Father who is eternal and who offers eternity to all of my children. The spirit of my Son will be alongside you. Anew I am calling you, my children: pray for your shepherds, pray that the love of my Son may lead them. Thank you. 40 Years of Mercy! I am often told that when I reveal personal stories about my own life in my monthly reports, the readers are very touched and happy to hear about them. So today, I will not hesitate to share with you a great joy in my life: on Sunday, November 18, I will celebrate in Medjugorje the 40th Anniversary of my consecration as the Bride of the Lord Jesus. It will be the Jubilee of my final vows in the Community of the Beatitudes (which I made at the age of 31). In my life, I m not sure I have always made the right decisions, far from it! But there is one choice that I will never regret, a choice that fills me with joy today more so than ever, namely to have said YES to Jesus when He called me to be His spouse. When I think back to the moment when he spoke to my heart, during Eucharistic adoration, I tremble at the idea that I could very well have told Him NO, for I felt completely free to make my own decision! There was no pressure whatsoever on His part. The humility of Jesus is unimaginable! I could so easily have missed this immense privilege! To be able to say YES blindly and with all my heart was yet another gift from Him. At that time, I had no idea what this adventure would actually be like with Him, but the fact that I would be living it with Him already fulfilled my heart. What joy to know that He knew! The only thing I knew was that I was going to follow Him wherever He would take me, and I told Him even to China if you want! (He must have remembered my words, because I have been to China quite often these last few years!) The path has not always been easy: God never said life would be a bed of roses, rather he promised us deep happiness. Like everyone, I had to go through purifications, but His loving mercy was always the unshakable rock on which I could lean. And long may it continue to be! I ask him today, for the time I have left on this earth, to be able to glorify His name in everything, because I am fully aligned with what St Therese the Little Flower said at the end of her life, O my God, you have exceeded my expectation! Please then pray for me and for all those who are consecrated, that we may give Jesus love for love! We have no other treasure but Him. May He never have to regret the divine call He sent us, but instead, may He greatly rejoice seeing that we follow Him with all our good will and all our poor efforts to achieve in fullness the beautiful dream He had for us when He called us. Dear children, said the Mother of God, I am with you to help you achieve it in its fullness! Francesco and Chiara! Chiara Amirante, founder of the Nuovi Orizzonti Community in Italy is a woman who deeply 5

6 loves the Church and has a privileged place in Rome. John Paul II named her consultant for the dicastery for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, then Benedict XVI named her consultant for the Pontifical Council for the New Evangelization, and finally she was one of the first women called to the synod. This has enabled her to meet with Pope Francis several times. After the Pope s statements about Medjugorje when he returned from Fatima on May 13, 2017, Chiara had several encounters with the Holy Father. In one of them which lasted more than an hour, Medjugorje was at the heart of the conversation. I have known Chiara for more than twenty years, and I am glad to see that a person so well trained at the school of Mary had the opportunity to be heard by the Pope. Chiara has so deeply embedded the messages of the Blessed Mother into her life that she radiates the motherly light of Mary, and thus attracts many people to God, especially young people who are wounded by all sorts of addictions and wrong doings in the world. Her vocation is to bring out those who have fallen into this pit of hell and who can find no help in our society. This is a great challenge! The first talks with the Pope were private, and Chiara always respected the papal secret. But recently the Holy Father said to her: Chiara, this time you can talk about what I told you about Medjugorje. I quote Chiara here on some points from her last talk with Pope Francis: I would like to share a piece of news that has given me great joy. It is true that the statement by Pope Francis on 13 May 2017 in the Lisbon plane gave us a blow to the heart: I prefer the Virgin Mother, our mother, rather than the Virgin as head of a telegraph office who sends messages every day at a specific time... That is not the mother of Jesus... Who thinks the Virgin would say: So, come tomorrow at such and such a time, and I will give a message to such and such a visionary? No, that can t be! And even if Pope Francis then added: In Medjugorje there are fruits, so many fruits, this did not alleviate our grief caused by this assertion: This is not the mother of Jesus. After this statement was broadcast by all the televised newscasts in the world, I had the grace of meeting the Holy Father. Know that I have his blessing to talk about his words on Medjugorje. I felt the need to speak with him, because I see that some information circulating in the Vatican is not true. For example, ill-informed priests believe that Mary has already given more than 50,000 messages, which led Pope Francis to believe that she was giving several appointments each day to several visionaries to say different things. So I pointed out, No, that s not it at all! To date, there are only 672 messages. There is the monthly message on the 25th, given to Marija for the world, and one on the 2nd received and conveyed by Mirjana. Pope Francis then told me that he had saved Medjugorje. In fact, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wanted to issue a negative opinion, but he supported the Ruini Commission which 6 expressed a positive opinion on the first apparitions. The Holy Father said Medjugorje is very much close to my heart! During the press conference on the Lisbon plane, he pointed out that there were fruits, that this could not be denied. He sent Mgr. Hoser precisely because he believes that the fruits are important, and that Medjugorje must be protected. He told me that he was the one who authorized the pilgrimages. He is now rallying - for the moment through his envoy, Archbishop Hoser - to keep all that is beautiful in Medjugorje. Let us continue to pray for Pope Francis, for the Church and for all his intentions. Well, my friends, these conversations between Pope Francis and Chiara are a real turning point for Medjugorje, and they give us so much hope! On November 24, we will celebrate the 18th Anniversary of Fr Slavko Barbaric s journey to Heaven in the year Given the sadness expressed by Our lady on November 2, I suggest that we pray a novena to Fr Slavko, asking him to let the powerful voice of his intercession resonate in Heaven for the protection of our priests and the Church. We know that one of the main causes of Mary s sadness is the black tide of sexual abuse in the Church and in the world. Father Slavko worked tirelessly to encourage the parish to pray and to promote fasting, the only two ways, according to Our Lady, to stop wars, starting with the wars raging in the hearts of men, in families, in parishes... He was a champion of fasting, of the Rosary and of adoration! It was he who launched the fasting and prayer retreats in Medjugorje. Here is a significant fact that will inspire those who seek the end of all these deadly wars, especially sexual abuse that shatters so many innocent lives and disfigures the face of the Church. At the beginning of the Balkan Warhere (Spring 1992), in order to hasten the end of the war, Fr Slavko started his first Fasting and Praying Retreat (5 days on bread and water) with 20 participants, mainly young people. One day, Marija Pavlovic was invited to pray the Rosary with them at the time of the apparition, and Fr Slavko suggested that the visionary ask the Gospa if she had a message for them. The message received was: O my beloved! How easy it would be for me to stop the war, if only I could find more people who fast and pray as you do now! Isn t this message crystal clear? On December 2, 2018, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, surrounded by a smaller group of people. After the apparition, she conveyed this message: Dear children, when you come to me, as to a mother, with a pure and open heart, know that I am listening to you, encouraging you, consoling you and, above all, interceding for you with my Son. I know that you desire to have a strong faith and to express it in the right way. What my

7 Son asks of you is to have a sincere, strong and deep faith - then every way in which you express it is proper. Faith is a most wonderful mystery which is kept in the heart. It is between the Heavenly Father and all of His children; it is recognized by the fruits and by the love which one has towards all of God s creatures. Apostles of my love, my children, have trust in my Son. Help all of my children to come to know His love. You are my hope - you who strive to sincerely love my Son. In the name of love, for your salvation, according to the will of the Heavenly Father and through my Son, I am here among you. Apostles of my love, along with prayer and sacrifice, may your hearts be illuminated with the love and the light of my Son. May that light and love illuminate all those whom you meet and bring them back to my Son. I am with you. In a special way, I am alongside your shepherds. With my motherly love I illuminate and encourage them that, with the hands blessed by my Son, they may bless the entire world. Thank you. A silent sign from Our Lady of Guadalupe! On December 12th we celebrated her feast day joyfully! She is helping us to prepare for Christmas, being a Virgin with child and ready to bring her Child into the world. It so happens that a surprising phenomenon occurred in Argentina, and I had the grace to see it with my own eyes during my mission there last month. In the Marian Shrine of St. Nicholas, there is a large replica of the Tilma of Juan Diego, the cloak he wore when he saw the Blessed Mother, and which is miraculously preserved in Mexico. This high-quality, life-size replica, which was blessed by the Archbishop of Mexico, signed and certified by the Basilica of Mexico from where it originated, changed color. The green color of the Tilma changed to sky blue. For the Argentinians, who were victorious for life by saying no to abortion in a vote on 8 August 2018, this change of color has major significance! Green is the color of those who argued for abortion, whereas sky blue is the color of those who defended life from conception. And now the green covering Our Lady of Guadalupe has changed into sky blue! But there is more: this replica of St Nicholas is not the only one to have changed color. On another replica, this one at the House of Mary in Luján, where retreats are held, this also changed color. This is a very significant sign! It is no coincidence that Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of the Americas and symbol of motherhood, is thus showing her love and respect for human life from its very conception! While the world is promoting abortion with increasing violence, while so many women are misled by political narratives that oppose the divine plan for humanity, our Mother of Heaven once again intervenes in the humble silence of an image that will speak to the hearts of those who will recognize the signs of our time, both believers and non-believers. Do not turn the day of joy into the saddest day! said the Blessed Mother in the 80s to the parish of Medjugorje. Our Lady always talks of Christmas Day as being the Day of Joy! Why all this joy? Because it is a great celebration of a birth, the birth of the Son of God, of our Lord and Savior who turned our world around! How sad then to forget the birthday celebration of Jesus that day, and turn it instead into a shallow, materialistic and pagan event to which the protagonist, Jesus of Bethlehem, is not even invited! Who is thinking of placing Him in the spotlight to celebrate His birth and publicly praise Him as one would for a loved one s birthday? On Christmas Day, the Mother of God invites us to take some time in solitude to thank Jesus for coming among us. I was locked up in jail! Distant missions always open up unexpected and unsuspected horizons! One of the most beautiful experiences in Argentina last November was a visit to a men s prison, the toughest because it was reserved for criminals who commit the most serious crimes. Ten years ago, two men decided to try and pull these men out from the pit of despair by witnessing to them the love of God, evangelising to them and enabling them to experience a deep conversion. It all started with bringing rugby into the jail. This evolved into people becoming aware of others and developing a team spirit. Later on, they introduced these men to the Rosary. Now, when you go to this prison, you find prisoners who are smiling, peaceful, attentive towards each other... hard to believe your eyes! This is a long love story, leading these two evangelizers to bring prayer into this prison. The prisoners recite the Rosary every day together, they wouldn t miss it for the world! Our Lady has done wonders in their hearts. After telling them about the messages from Medjugorje, our small team (my translator, our guide and myself), we were able to stay with them in their accommodations. Remarkable! On the doors of their poor cells, no impersonal numbers, instead there were words like: Patience, charity, forgiveness, joy, peace, concord, sacrifice, tolerance... I took the opportunity to give everyone the special motherly blessing of Our Lady and the rose petals blessed by Her during an apparition. Then Providence allowed something unforgettable to happen: We were accompanied by two guards, but because of a misunderstanding, one of the guards believed that his colleague was still with us in the prisoners housing area. So he left, and locked the door. But the other guard was not with us, so we found ourselves locked up with about thirty ex-criminals.there was no way out, the building was isolated and the locks were solid! So we prayed with the prisoners who were like lambs, they couldn t be happier to keep us with them a bit longer! I suspect Our Lady organized this lock-up and these prayers! 7

8 We had tears in our eyes! When the door finally opened, we no longer wanted to leave these men who had become our dear brothers. I will never forget this visit! We had come to evangelize, but we were the ones who were evangelized by these men whose lives had been shattered and who, thanks to praying the Rosary and experiencing the maternal love of the heavenly Mother Mary, have become extraordinary witnesses to the power of the Resurrection of Christ. Nothing is impossible for God! Annual Apparition to Jakov on December 25th 2018 Dear children, on this day of grace, I am calling you to love. Little children, God loves you immeasurably and that is why, little children, full of trust and without looking back and without fear, completely surrender your hearts to Him so that God may fill them with His love. Do not be afraid to believe in His love and mercy, because His love is stronger than every one of your weaknesses and fears. Therefore, my children, full of love in your hearts, trust in Jesus and say your yes to Him, because He is the only way which leads you to the Eternal Father. Our Lady s Message For the World Given to Mirjana Soldo on January 2, 2019 Dear children, sadly, among you, my children, there is so much battle, hatred, personal interests and selfishness. My children, so easily you forget my Son, His words, His love. Faith is being extinguished in many souls, and hearts are being grasped by material things of the world. But my motherly heart knows that there are still those who believe and love, who are seeking how to draw all the closer to my Son, who are tirelessly seeking my Son - then, in this way, they are also seeking me. These are the humble and the meek with their pain and suffering which they carry in silence with their hopes and, above all, with their faith. These are the apostles of my love. My children, apostles of my love, I am teaching you that my Son is not only asking for continuous prayers, but also for works and feelings - that you believe, that you pray, that with your personal prayers you grow in faith, that you grow in love. To love each other is what He asks for - that is the way to eternal life. My children, do not forget that my Son brought the light to this world, and He brought it to those who wanted to see it and receive it. You be those, because this is the light of truth, peace and love. I am leading you in a motherly way to adore my Son; that you love my Son with me; that your thoughts, words and actions may be directed to My Son - that they may be in His name. Then my heart will be fulfilled. Thank you. Him. He shares His desire for the salvation of each of His children with His friends who understand the pains of His delicate Heart. Few people understand His way of sharing His love. Few understand how rich suffering can be when experienced with love. It is a profound sharing of the heart of Jesus with ours. Are you sad? Please, listen to my prayer! Dear Mom! You are sad to see the situation of some of your sons who are priests. Sad to the point of crying. As you said, Pray for your shepherds, that they may have the strength and love to be bridges of salvation. (2 Dec. 2015). These bridges enable us to move from today s chaos to a new time which you are preparing, a time of peace that your Heart is yearning for. But if these bridges fail, or worse, if they crumble, what will the people of God do? Will it be abandoned to a bottomless chaos? I beg you, intercede even more powerfully for your beloved sons, with that maternal vehemence which your Son Jesus cannot resist. Help me to work with you more intensely for the salvation of many priests who today are misled onto the paths of death, and risk losing themselves forever! Some mystics, such as Martha Robin or Sr. Faustina, have seen the horrible place that Satan reserves for priests when they place themselves in his hands and persist in sin. Mother of Mercy, do not allow a single priest to become trapped, nor to make himself a slave to the enemy! How could you bear this damage that so deeply wounds the meek and humble Heart of your Son? You know that priests are other Christs when they exercise their ministry in the sacraments (In Persona Christi), so that your Son, who identifies with them (and they with Him), suffers a special agony when His priests do not pray and distance themselves from Him by living according to the ways of this world. The Church today is suffering because of some of her priests. Satan wants to destroy them, they are too much for him! So I beg you, dear Mom, go to every priest in the world, and give each of them an injection of your own love for Jesus so that, fascinated by the beauty and greatness of this love, they will fall for Jesus and return to Him with all their heart. Everything is possible for you, O mighty Virgin! I thank you for the many priests who, invited by you to Medjugorje, receive the grace of profound inner change. You nurture them, you support them with your maternal solicitude and walk before them in their ministry. They are no longer alone in the hard fight that is theirs. I also thank you for the many priests who breathe holiness and Love reveals a secret! Only love makes suffering bearable, who reflect the meek and humble heart of your Son. Such for Jesus suffers with us. Love reveals a secret, that of true splendor! Such a balm upon our hearts of sheep! union and intimacy with Him in suffering. For Jesus, it is Oh Mother of priests, listen to our poor prayers and His way of taking the load off His children who don t know deign to speak to your Son in their favor. Did he not say: 8

9 Therefore I say unto you, all things, whatsoever you ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive; and they shall come unto you? (Douay-Rheims Bible, Mark 11:24) A miracle of the Rosary. Donatella, a 45-year-old cook, had a difficult start in life. In Milan, both her parents were drug addicts, irresponsible, and unable to raise her. What she suffered in her childhood simply cannot be told. Saved by her grandmother who took her to the Abruzzo region (Italy), she began a normal life and got married. However, having no faith, she felt within her an emptiness that was all the more profound because her childhood wounds weighed upon her. She was always sad. She was missing something essential. In addition, she could not have any children and was unemployed. She then began to visit soothsayers and witches, hoping to find meaning in her life. She saw her sadness increase until the day she decided to end her life. But the Lord sent her an angel in the person of her neighbor, who saw that she looked peculiar that day. She understood her distress and advised her to go and see a priest, a certain Don Michele, in whom she confided and to whom she confessed. He was part of the Renewal in the Spirit. He was able to understand her and prayed for her. This was the beginning of a beautiful journey with God. Donatella had to undergo exorcisms for several months to be completely free. She also discovered that a spell had been pronounced on her, and this curse was eliminated. In 2010, after listening to a CD about Medjugorje, she decided to go there. For her, this was a bolt of light. She discovered in Mary the maternal tenderness she had never received, she met a real Mom who was full of love, took her under her mantle and never left her. From that moment she felt the need to pray a great deal, especially the Rosary, of course together with the daily Mass and the sacraments. The Rosary prayer flowed in her heart all day, as if the Blessed Virgin wanted to restore within her the integrity of her wounded identity resulting from maternal absence during her childhood. Donatella decided to pray the four mysteries of the Rosary every day. Like all survivors of Mercy, she did not skimp in glorifying heaven! One of the first miracles was that, although medically sterile, she gave birth to two children. She was becoming increasingly happy. But one day, an unexpected ordeal befell her. Her husband had left his mobile phone at home. As she glanced at it, she realized that her husband was cheating on her. She found some disturbing messages. This was a very cruel shock, for she had never suspected her husband. She immediately summoned her Mother from Heaven and, without losing her composure, decided to forgive him, before even confronting him. Paying no attention to her broken heart, she designed a plan of reconciliation inspired by the Mother of God: she called her husband, remained calm as if nothing were happening, and told him that they should go have dinner together that evening in a pizzeria. When they were seated at the table, she revealed her discovery to her husband, saying without bitterness that she forgave him and that they would start a new path together, without this other woman. She also went to see the mistress and said: You have a family, two children, focus on your family and leave my husband alone! I forgive you, but don t do it again! This is how this affair ended in peace, with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary who took care of the case smoothly, without hatred and without crisis. A family was saved from the plan of destruction that the evil one had on it! Donatella told us that if one day she is unable to pray her four rosaries, she gets up at night to finish them. And yet she doesn t exactly have a lot of free time, with a husband, two children, a job as a cook in a restaurant together with the house work! Her love for Mary is extraordinary, she never refuses her anything. And what fruits she can harvest! She concludes in saying: Never doubt the merciful love of God, he is our Father and loves us with immense love. He is always ready to give us mercy and to draw us into His arms. True freedom is in Him! Our Lady s Message For the World Given to Mirjana Soldo on February 2, 2019 Dear children, the love and goodness of the Heavenly Father give revelations which make faith grow, for it to be interpreted, that it may bring peace, certainty and hope. In this way, I, too, my children-through the merciful love of the Heavenly Father-always, anew, am showing you the way to my Son, to eternal salvation. But, unfortunately, many of my children do not want to hear me; many of my children are of two minds. And I-I always, in time and beyond time, magnified the Lord for all that He has done in me and through me. My Son gives Himself to you and breaks the bread with you. He speaks the words of eternal life to you so that you may carry them to everyone. And you, my children, apostles of my love, what are you afraid of when my Son is with you? Offer your souls to Him so that He can be in them and that He can make you instruments of faith, instruments of love. My children, live the Gospel, live merciful love for your neighbors, and, above all, live love for the Heavenly Father. My children, you are not united by chance. The Heavenly Father does not unite anyone by chance. My Son speaks to your souls. I speak to your heart. As a mother I am saying to you: set out with me, love one another, give witness. Do not be afraid, with your example, to defend the truth-the Word of God which is eternal and never changes. My children, whoever acts in the light of merciful love and truth is always helped by Heaven and is not alone. Apostles of my love, may you always be recognized among all others by your hiddenness, love and radiance. I am with you. Thank you. Sister Emmanuel + 9

10 My journey into the Church took several years. Even though I had not been raised with really any faith, because my mother s family was Baptist and my dad s was Methodist, and neither of them could agree on where to go to church, so we didn t go anywhere. When I was a teenager, I began finding ways to get myself to the Methodist Church and from that point on had always considered myself a Methodist. I married a Baptist man and we were married in a Baptist Church, although I refused to become a Baptist. After many years of sporadic commitments to attend church regularly, I finally agreed to start going to a Baptist church with my husband, as long as the family would worship together and consistently. My daughter, who was about 8 years old at the time, told me Jesus told her it was time for me to be baptized (she had been hounding me since she was 4 to be baptized). I knew it was time and I took my baptism very seriously. My daughter and I were baptized together, in the Baptist Church. I believed I was truly raised to new life in Christ; this was not a symbol to me. I immersed myself into church life, becoming very involved with coteaching elementary to middle school girls on how to be Godly girls in an un-godly world, volunteering to head special girls youth events, leading mission teams to work with the homeless in inner-city Atlanta, participating in women s and co-ed Bible Study groups and then finally a very serious spiritual formation class. Our main pastor challenged the congregation to truly get to know Jesus through the Bible. He spoke about sacraments, but only 3 (baptism, marriage and holy communion), and he asked the entire congregation to participate in a 40 day journey to know Jesus through the Bible. He encouraged us to pray to the Holy Spirit before reading and allowing the Spirit to enlighten our minds with understanding. He even provided us with prayers so we could all be praying together as one body. As I look back, his approach was very closely related to the Liturgy of the Hours. Since I was also participating in spiritual formation and we had been practicing lectio divina, I accepted that challenge and had a great desire to know Jesus and God s word more intimately. Many things began to come alive for me, and many wonderful understandings came into light during this time. The very first story I remember coming alive was the Wedding at Cana. Our Mother Mary boldly made herself known to me during that reading. It was one of those I could not protest something I knew nothing about see there was something about Mary we were all missing out on, that I called one of my fellow spiritual formation friends over to the house to show Mary to her, in the Bible. She didn t quite see things the way I did. My heart was on fire for the Lord, His Word, and getting to know His Mother, Mary! I began to pray for Mary to continue to reveal herself to me. In my journals, I began to write down lists which included what the first group of Christians were like, how they worshiped, what they believed, how they were structured, how they were true community, and how they did not have Bibles. I realized there wasn t a new testament at this time. Wow! That was big. How could we believe in the Bible alone as our authority, yet the early Christians didn t have Bibles? They were teaching Jesus by oral tradition. I clung to John 5:39-40 and the conclusion of John 21: I was determined to find this Church which Christ established here on earth, since I already knew the gates of hell would not prevail against it. His Church was here, but where? As I began to ask our pastors why we didn t believe this or that (from my many lists), since it was what the first apostles taught, they began to literally run from me. I was told to be careful, because I was beginning to sound like a Catholic. Whenever I heard the term protestant I would protest against that term. I even asked what is it you protest? Whenever I was told we protest the Catholic Church, I felt so strongly that I could not protest something I knew nothing about, and I was very upfront about this. Our main pastor, the one who started us on our 40 days to understanding Jesus, told us he was leaving us to go help save another church in another state; at first I was thrilled. He is off to save more sinners! Then, when 2 weeks later he left us quite suddenly, and the other pastors did not want to be in charge, I felt a little let down. Then, I became outright mad because we didn t have any other pastor in the church who wanted to take over until we found a permanent replacement. We were left to be devoured by the wolves! And, there were many wolves in sheep s clothing who came to try to lead us down a path to perdition! No one in Christ s church would have done this. I was trying to get the people in charge to see we were doing things all wrong, we needed to be looking for a pastor who would run things the way the Apostles did. One pastor even told me I should consider starting my own church. This really put me over the edge. I flat out told him (1) women do not lead the people, men do; and (2) Christ s church is here, now; why would I go start something that is already here? I just had to find this Church. Again, it was said my ideas sounded too Catholic, and I was warned to be careful. The more questions I asked, the faster our church leaders would run. I continued to be told I was speaking like a Catholic. When they said things like this before, I blew when did that get there? moments! I was so excited to them off, but now I was starting to think about this. After 10

11 all, as I was searching for the answers to my lists of what Christ s church looked like, everything was pointing to The Catholic Church, but I kept telling God nah, you don t need me to go there; I m doing pretty well in the Baptist church. Why can t we just change Baptists? I m not going to become a Catholic - my husband would never become a Catholic! Since we were all one body anyway, why would I need to go over there to the Catholic side? Why couldn t our church be convinced we needed to change so I can stay right here where I m comfortable and where I m plugged in and part of the inner-leadership circle? I was already listening to Scott Hahn and Fr. John Corapi, and liking them, but I was still thinking our congregation would have to change together, not just me. We would do this as a church family, is what I thought. No one else agreed with me, though. As I talked to people, I learned there wasn t any consistency in beliefs, even within the walls of the same Baptist congregation. This baffled me. There were many things which occurred during my journey, which I will not write here, but when I finally gave in was after I had been praying for God to truly reveal to me His will, since He had already answered all my questions with The Catholic Church. If His will was for me to become Catholic, He really needed to tell my husband, since he came from a very anti-catholic family, I assumed he was anti-catholic too, although we never discussed it. I was too afraid to tell him my thoughts about all of this. My husband had no idea I had one single Catholic thought. It was clear to me I was supposed to start attending mass at the Catholic Church (yes, I did believe in the real presence, and had stopped taking our quarterly communion at the Baptist church a long time ago and never failed to mention to our daughter holy communion was most definitely not a symbol!) After about 2-3 weeks of praying for God to let me hear through my husband s own mouth if I was to become a Catholic, one Saturday morning, my husband slept in; I had been sitting in my prayer chair reading my Bible and praying and he called me into the bedroom. He said he had something very serious to talk to me about and I might want to sit down to hear what he had to say. At this point, my mind is going 9 million miles an hour thinking he s about to tell me he s going through mid-life crisis and is going to leave me. This is the most serious thing I could think of at the time. He began to tell me about this reoccurring dream he had been having; he went into great detail. Then, he told me the devil wanted his soul and God told him the only way to keep that from happening was to become Catholic, and so he was going to start going to the Catholic Church starting the next day. My jaw nearly dropped to the floor!!! My husband thought my reaction was because of my opposition to that idea. I assured him I was not upset about this idea and when he finished telling me his story, boy, did I have some things to show him! We began attending mass the very next day and our entire little family came into The Church Easter Vigil Praise God! I always give thanks to God for my journey from the Baptist church to The Catholic Church and many times have thought about finding out where our previous pastor is now so I could send him a letter giving thanks to him for his participation in leading me home to The Church, established by Christ Himself! I truly believe I would not have come this far so soon had the pastor at the Baptist church not encouraged me to really know the Bible and know Jesus. This is only but a tiny bit of the story of my faith journey into the Church, but every day I give thanks to God for my faith and for allowing me to be Catholic. By the guiding love of Mary to Jesus, I am Carol Eubank Tailor-Made Medjugorje Pilgrimages I have 15 years experience in booking travel packages to Medjugorje Ex New Zealand. I can assist with all aspects of travel to Medjugorje including flights, accommodation, transfers, local guide, stop-over destinations and pre/post travel within Europe if desired. Accommodation in Medjugorje is a Family-run Pansion, comfortable and central to St James Church. Add-on Packages to other Pilgrimage destinations such as the Holy Land, Rome, Assisi or Lourdes can also be arranged. I aim to ensure that your Pilgrimage is a wonderful lifetime experience! For more information please contact Karen Ph , mob or Karen.embleton@mondotravel.co.nz 11

12 Novena for the Holy Souls in Purgatory ~NINE DAYS~ Day 1 As we know very well, the reason many souls are suffering in purgatory is because of the sins they committed during their life. Their suffering is caused by the awareness of the magnitude and the number of their sins. ~O Jesus, my Lord and Saviour! With my sins, I have deserved to be in hell, and the idea of being eternally damned deeply disturbs me. I love and adore you because of your endless mercy. I repent, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for offending and insulting you, and I promise to do penance. Grant me, O my God, your forgiveness and your mercy. Have mercy on me and on our brothers and sisters in purgatory. ~O Mary, Mother of God, Mediatrix of all graces, Mother of eternal peace, help the souls in purgatory with your powerful intercession. By your prayers, may your prayers, may Jesus Christ, your beloved Son and our Lord, allow them to take part in his glory and bliss. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 2 The souls in purgatory suffer from thinking about the time they lost during their lives, which could have been used for obtaining merits for entering heaven. After death, it is no longer possible to obtain these merits. Day 3 There is terrible sorrow among the souls in purgatory when they see the disastrous picture of their own sins, which they will have to repent with great pain in the place of purification. During their lives, they often were not aware of their mistakes, which in purgatory can be clearly seen. ~O, Everliving and Almighty God, Eternal Father, I love and adore you above all things, as you are eternal Mercy, and from the bottom of my heart I regret insulting you. From now on, I will try not to turn away from you anymore. Give me your mercy again, O my God. Have mercy on me and on our brothers and sisters in purgatory. ~O Mary, Mother of God, full of grace, help the souls in purgatory with your powerful intercession, so that your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, may allow them to take part in his glory and holiness. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 4 From this moment on, we have to grieve deeply for offending God, eternal Love. Our brothers and sisters in purgatory recognize more clearly then we do God s endless goodness, and therefore they love him with all their powers. They suffer terrible pains even at the idea of offending God, who is so great in his love. These sufferings are more difficult than those of earth. ~O All-powerful and Everliving God! What have I done in my life to deserve eternal reward? Earthly things have always occupied my feelings and thoughts. I thank you because you have given me more time to mend what is wrong and to earn merits for heaven. I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for turning away from you, O God of all goodness! O Jesus, you have promised to be with us forever. Help us to do nothing else except love and serve you. Have mercy on me and on our brothers and sisters in purgatory. ~O Mary, Mother of God, full of grace, help the souls in purgatory with your powerful intercession, so that your beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, will allow them to take part in his glory and holiness. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. ~O, Almighty and Everliving God, I love you above all things because you are eternal Goodness. From the bottom of my heart I regret offending you, and I promise not to insult you anymore. Help me to persevere in repentance from now on. Have mercy on me and on our brothers in purgatory. ~O Mary, Mother of God, full of grace, help the souls in purgatory with your powerful intercession, so that your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, will allow them to take part in his glory and holiness. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 5 The souls in purgatory don t know when their sufferings will end. They are convinced that one day they will be liberated from them, but their uncertainty about the end 12

13 of their sufferings is a great anxiety for them. ~O Everliving God, I adore you, and from the bottom of my heart I regret offending you. I sincerely promise to try to please you. O God, help me to enter into your peace! Everliving Father, All-powerful God, have mercy on me and on our brothers and sisters in purgatory. ~O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who look to you for protection! Holy Mary, Immaculate Virgin and Mother of God, help us with your powerful intercession, and help our brothers and sisters in purgatory! Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 6 For the souls in purgatory it is a great comfort to think of the painful torments of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Eucharist mystery, because they know they have been redeemed through this sacrifice. During their lives, through holy communion, they received much mercy, which they will continue to receive, as do all true believers on earth. Equally great is their sorrow in thinking that during their life they were so indifferent toward these two great proofs of Christ s love for each soul. ~O my Lord and my God, you died for me on the cross. How many times you offered your sacrifice in the sacred host, and how many times I received you with little or no gratitude, as if it were something owed to me. Help me, O my great and holy God, not to offend you anymore. O my Saviour, grant me your forgiveness and your love! O Lord, have mercy on me and on my brothers and sisters who suffer in purgatory. ~O Mary, Mother of God and Mother of all people, help our brothers and sisters in purgatory with your powerful intercession. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 7 The great pain which the souls in purgatory feel (and which we can make easier) is increased when they look at God s deeds of mercy. In their earthly life they often had Christian parents, the gift of faith from their childhood, and all the best helps for receiving graces from God. The knowledge of all this makes their sins of ingratitude more difficult to bear. ~O Almighty and Everliving God, I have been such an ungrateful creature. You have waited for me patiently, and have always pardoned my sins. Even after repeated promises. I continued insulting you. O my God, heavenly Father, have mercy on me. I deeply 13 regret insulting you, and I promise to do penance for my sins. Have mercy on me and on my brothers and sisters in purgatory. Free them from their sins and punishments quickly, and let them intercede for me and my intentions. ~O Mary, our help and protection, help our brothers and sisters in purgatory with your powerful intercession. Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 8 The souls in purgatory who are not able to help themselves, suffer terribly when they think that many men and women live without knowing what they are doing. They live their lives without thinking about God, about eternity, and about the reason for their existence; therefore, they are not able to prepare for their final meeting with their Creator. ~O Almighty and Everliving God, protect me from indifference and carelessness. Help me to recognize real values in my life, to appreciate every day of my life, and to come closer to you in order to behold you, adore you and praise you in your eternal kingdom. ~O Mary, Immaculate Conception, pray for us who turn to you, so that we can receive your protection. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Mediatrix of all graces, come to us and to all the souls in purgatory with our powerful intercession! Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Day 9 The sufferings of the souls in purgatory are terrible because of their knowledge of their sins and their long purification; but their greatest pain is being separated from God and being deprived of seeing his Face. ~O Almighty and Everliving God! How could I live so long without seeking your mercy! Forgive me, my Lord and my God! Don t let me lose again the graces you have given me! Please grant your grace and mercy to our brothers and sisters in purgatory. Make their sufferings easier, their exile shorter, and let them enter into your bliss soon. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. ~O Mary, Immaculate Virgin and Mother of God, Mediatrix of all graces, Queen of all Saints, winner in all divine battles, help us and our brothers and sisters in purgatory through your powerful intercession! Our Father Hail Mary God rest his soul Amen. Taken from Maria Simma, The souls in purgatory told me..

14 GOD S GREATEST BLESSING I m a revert, and I can say without reservation I believe God s greatest blessing in my life was placing me in a Catholic family. Like many post Vatican II Catholic families, we attended Mass on Sundays and most Holy Days of obligation, but we had very little involvement with the faith beyond that. While in public school I attended CCD, and went to our Parish school for a couple of years, but only two of the four of us children were confirmed and that only because we were attending Catholic school when the time came for confirmation. I never understood the Mass, I never understood the Good News that one of the Sisters who taught me in middle school spoke of, we never learned to pray the rosary, though Dad did teach us to pray the big three, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, along with the Bless us o Lord before meals. I don t ever recall my parents going to confession, and we kids only did because it was available at school. In many ways we were cultural Catholics more than anything, I certainly did not understand the Real Presence, and I assume no one in my family did, in as much as it was never spoken of. So not having much of a foundation in the faith, and being rather an angry child anyway, I bolted from the Church at the first available opportunity, that being my leaving for the University of Michigan. What followed is about 20+ years of floundering around in new age nonsense with the anger turning into full blown depression. I functioned in spite of my melancholy outlook on life, graduated college, got married, and earned a Public Administration Masters at the University of Southern California. My Husband and I are entrepreneurs, and have been involved in several successful businesses, really the American dream. All the trappings of a successful life, and yet the depression and anxiety, the vague sense of being lost, the occasional moments I would pause on a Christian radio broadcast and ponder. Not for to long of course, we University educated sophisticates didn t need such things. Then came the shoulder injuries. I hurt both my shoulders so badly that I could not dress myself. Not yet 40 years old, I thought I might not ever be able to move without pain again in my life, and all I had on hand were the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be prayed with Dad as a child. I cried out to God with these three prayers and my elementary school comprehension of the things of God, and He being the patient, kind loving Father that He is, met me where I was, and answered my prayer. For relief of pain in my shoulders and for the gentle guidance He has provided ever since I have nothing to 14 offer other than the daily prayer of my life lived for Him, consecrated to His Sacred Heart, through the Immaculate Heart of His Beloved Mother and mine, Mary. Interestingly enough, as I prayed and asked God for guidance, I was not immediately led back to the Catholic Church. I was led to an Evangelical Church where the Gospel is presented at an elementary school comprehension level, the perfect place for someone such as myself who s comprehension of the Gospel was almost non-existent. Evangelicals tend to spend a great deal of time studying scripture, and so I read and read the bible, reading almost nothing but for over two years. My depression lifted, never to return, and I came to understand that Christ s atonement for our sins is Good News indeed, Satan is a defeated foe, that a life lived with Jesus in eternity as He originally intended trumps any piddling little problem I may encounter here in Satan s realm on earth. However, I gradually became uncomfortable with some inconsistencies between what I was reading in the scripture and the doctrine taught in the Evangelical church. Probably even more importantly, in scripture I came to recognize the practices and Sacraments of the Church, something I had never understood. And I was yearning for the Eucharist, though oddly enough I still did not comprehend the Real Presence. The clinchers for me were John s Gospel, Chapter 17, Christ s Unity prayer in the garden, and Matthew 16:18 when Peter is given the keys to the Kingdom. As I pondered disunity among Christians and the somewhat constant attack on the Church of Rome, it occurred to me Jesus did not abandon His people and His Church for the first 1,500 years of Christianity, after all He tells us He will be with us until the end of the age. Gee the Church has it all wrong for 1,500 years and then the reformers came along and got it all squared away? I think not. So without the prejudice of a lifetime of being told the Catholic Church was wrong, and with the immeasurable blessing of Grace I received at my Confirmation, I began to read the Catechism and learn the faith Christ has given His people, and I knew I had to come home to Rome. Rest of the story, after 14 years, our marriage was convalidated December 2004, my Husband was received into the Church at Easter Vigil 2005, and we live our lives in gratitude to the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, begging each day for the salvation of the souls of all those with whom we have contact. Praying to our Savior that just as Sister Mary planted those little seeds of faith back in middle school, we through the prayer of our lives lived for Christ, and our witness to His unfathomable Mercy and Grace, plant the seeds of the message of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ and the Grace he pours out to His people through His Church here on earth. Alleluia to the Lamb of God, Amen, Amen, Amen, Thank you Jesus! by Anna

15 J.M.J. My Mother Mary and my Guardian Angel A story about My Mother Mary and My guardian angel who looked after me for 4 nights and 3 days. On a beautiful cloudless summers day many, many years ago at the age of eight, two families went to a beach for the afternoon. I had never been to the beach before and what a magnificent sight met us as we stood watching the white capped waves reaching the shore and leaving enough water for us children to run, splash and enjoy ourselves. Next we found little pools of warm water that we could sit in, talk and splash each other. Then we were called for afternoon tea with cake, biscuits, lemonade and sandwiches. But I asked my mum if I could go back to the little pools. Sometime later I saw some people walking along the beach and I thought that they must be going to the car park so I followed them at a distance, then I found that I couldn t see them so I turned back and walked the way that I had come. But I found that the tide had turned and blocked me off so I sat down to wait for someone to turn up. As it grew darker, I was guided up a cliff out of harms way and eventually I fell asleep. Next morning, I said my morning offering and prayers and continued to walk along the beach. This went on for two more days and nights and on the third morning as I finished my prayers, the most beautiful women s voice that I have ever heard said to me you re going home today. I just new those few words were true. I continued walking and early in the afternoon I saw people on the beach and two young boys about 14 years old, who were the closest to me, so I asked them to take me home. I noticed that they looked at me strangely, then one of them asked if I was lost and I said Yes. The boys were there on their bikes so they took me to the car park and we went along the cars till they found a driver. Many weeks later when I was over the ordeal, I was told that I had been found at a different beach further up the coast. My wonderful dad and family members, relatives and friends had joined in the search while my precious mum stayed home and never let her rosary beads out of her hands. God bless them all. Thank you my Mother Mary and my guardian angel for keeping me safe and for my love of the rosary. Some day I would love to again hear my Mother Mary s voice say, You re going home today and my guardian angel will guide me. With love and trust in all in Heaven. MCG, Medjugorje Reader NZ REMINDER: LENT 2019 Wednesday 6th March Ash Wednesday Sunday 21st April We should never let a day pass without doing three small mortifications, for example, not taking that extra cigarette or that second lump of sugar. Thus do we possess ourselves instead of being possessed by things. When these mortifications are done in the name of Our Lord, they become a source of great merit as well. Archbishop Fulton Sheen In New Zealand and Australia Over 200 Catholics are offering Catholics B & B for $35.00 one person, or $30.00 per person for 2 or more persons per night, includes continental breakfast. This is a wonderful way for Catholics to meet and enjoy the company of other Catholics. If you wish to become a host or if you wish to purchase a book with all the details of hosts, the cost is $15, includes postage, contact or order from Marie Anderson, 2 Brent Place, Christchurch, Phone: , marie.ian@xtra.co.nz. 15

16 Brigitte s Story I knew from the age of 9 there was something true out there. Someone had the truth and I had to find it or I would be one of those to whom Jesus would say I do not know you on that fateful day. I have studied many denominations, and for a while I would be comfortable but it wasn t long before I was on the search again. Nothing felt completely right and true. Friends and family thought I was wishy washy but I knew I was meant for more. I was in turmoil from age 9 to 35 and then I was taken by surprise. I was looking in a history of Christianity book and Catholicism was the only one for 1100 years. WOW. Those crazy Catholics couldn t be right. I couldn t read enough or fast enough. I called my local Catholic church and went to RCIA immediately. I couldn t believe it. How could they be right when every other Christian denomination says they re sacrilege. Well, boy are they wrong. Praise God I finally looked into it and found just where I should be. My daughter followed right with me and my son took a little longer but is now proud to be Catholic. Sorry to say my husband isn t a believer yet but he s coming along. I would stay home and volunteer and read all the time if I could. I can t get enough. I ve only just begun learning. I look forward to a life of learning and living THE faith. I m so excited I could go on and on. I just pray that many more people answer their call to search and find the truth. God bless all of you and thanks for reading my story. The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort. Padro Pio JESUS IS FOREVER 16 We re approaching the end of the Christmas season. Soon we will be back to the ordinary routines of our life. But if we have celebrated the feast of the incarnation well, our lives will be changed. We don t know what the New Year will hold for us, for our families, for the world. But we know that God will continue to be with us. As we look back at the significant events of the past year, both the joys and the sorrows, the highs and the lows, we can see how God has shaped us and strengthened us for what lies ahead. Perhaps we re a bit relieved that Christmas is over for another year. But perhaps we discover that something has changed in us because of an encounter, a gift, a new insight into the meaning of the incarnation. We can keep a little bit of that with us through the coming year and let it bring light and peace to our everyday lives. Our journey with God doesn t end with the Christmas season. Jesus is forever, not just for Christmas. from the book The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections with Pope Francis

17 PIONEER The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was founded by Fr James A. Callan S.J. in Dublin on 28 December 1898 AIM OF THE ASSOCIATION Peace and Harmony in the Home THE PIONEER CONTRIBUTION The spread of the Christian virtue of temperance throughout Ireland and abroad MEANS Prayer, an alcohol-free life style and public witness to the infinite love of the Sacred Heart by wearing the pin Support for the young and victims of drug and alcohol abuse Alternative social and cultural activities A monthly family magazine and use of other media Promoting Pioneer membership worldwide CONTACT JOHN OR MARY The gift of faith On Monday, I was given the sad news that a girl friend had passed away from her battle with bowel cancer. I hadn t realised that she was even sick, she had only told a very few people and she lived about 2 hours away so I didn t get to see her very often. I remembered the last time I saw her about a year ago and she was looking so good. We had promised to meet up soon but life gets busy and I had never made that trip to Auckland to catch up. The same day, I was given the sad news that a dear family friend whom we new from childhood had died, she was in her eighties, had lived a wonderful life but in her later years had suffered from dementia. I had heard through the drums that she had suffered another stroke so was keeping her and her family in prayer. At the funeral, her son told of how hard it was to not cry after visiting her at the rest home and how he used to sing to her and make her laugh to try and keep her happy. I didn t know the pain that family were going through, they had put on such a brave face to all. The same day, Monday, was Noel s brother Ross anniversary, he had died nine years ago. We visited his grave site with our little grand daughter who was up visiting for a few days with her mum, our daughter Amanda. We had spent a few days earlier with another brother and were talking about Ross and the things the brothers had got up to in their youth. Was a lovely time of sharing. Well as you can imagine, a mixture of everything in the one week. From complete shock, to the thoughts I could have done more, and lovely memories of things gone past. I certainly couldn t change the shock, or what I could have, should have but didn t do. But I had some lovely memories of all three people and could ponder on what I could do in the future. We all deal with death in our own way. No matter the age, colour or creed, death comes to us all, like a thief in the night, we don t know when. It is always difficult to know who needs our support more, the one dying or the family and friends left behind with the loss. I guess The Lord puts us in the place that we are needed most and if we listen to the Holy Spirit we will find our place of most need. With that comment, I know that the Holy Spirit did put my friend in Auckland in my mind, but I completely ignored the thought, siting toooooo busy. My challenge for now, is to be the best friend, wife, mother, sister, aunt and neighbour I can be, pray for all those I meet and let God do the rest. Regards Sarah Moran 17

18 Keeping Your Faith When Your Kids Lose Theirs It s a painful thing for a parent. You did your best to raise your kids in the faith. You sent them to a Catholic or Christian school, or you made sure they always went to CCD or Sunday School. But now as young adults they walk away. They re not interested. They outright disagree and rebel. Not only are you upset with them, but you may feel abandoned or betrayed by God. Where is he in all of this? What should you do now? You re not alone. It s unfortunately a common story today. We re up against a powerful culture that is not only in our schools, but invades our homes over the internet and TV. It s right on the phone in your child s pocket. So what should you do and not do? Here are a few suggestions: Gird Your Loins For Battle First, you need to accept this important fact: whether you enlisted or not, you ve been called to battle. The battle is not of flesh and blood, but of powers and principalities. (Eph 6:12) There s a spiritual battle playing out and your family is the battleground. Try hard not to take their comments or attacks personally. They may bring up issues and objections to the faith or morality. Don t get pulled into skirmishes and red herring arguments you can t win. Keep your eye on winning the war. The enemy is very cunning. He works in half-truths and sows confusion. His unmistakable calling card is division. Don t take the bait. Decide to go the distance and fight back. Understand the Natural Process of Individuation As kids reach adolescence and young adulthood, they naturally start a process called individuation. It s not uncommon for them to begin to question their values Is this what I really believe or are these my parents values? So they test the waters. They are likely learning different values at school. They start to try on different identities and beliefs. It can take you unawares and from out of left field. And as the process unfolds, it may seem that they are starting to conform more and more to the crowd and the culture. The irony is that they feel like they re being their own person. What s really happening is they are differentiating from you. Don t take it as rejection, as much as it may sound and feel like that. By understanding the process and not reacting emotionally to it, you stand a better chance of helping them to navigate through it safely. Allow them to express themselves. Ask them why they see things the way they do. Affirm their goodness and good intentions. Be careful that you re not constantly correcting them. Most often they are genuinely searching. Gently share your own views. If it gets too heated, sometimes you just need to agree to disagree but always let them know that you respect their thoughts and you re glad they re thinking about things. Be careful not to paint them into a corner where they feel they have to defend their point of view. The truth can get lost when it becomes a power struggle. Be ready to drop the subject and revisit it if things get too heated. Clarify What You Believe and Why Now is a time to clarify exactly what you believe and why you believe it. In short, it s time to learn some apologetics. Find resources that explain the basics of the faith as well as those complicated moral issues. Simply telling them they should wait for marriage for sex without giving them compelling reasons why may not be enough. Take time to thoughtfully explain your positions. They re listening to worldly perspectives that seem, in their view, logical and compassionate. But in most cases they only seem that way, but are not. Our job is to listen to what they re hearing and saying and to counter it with truth. Because I said so simply ain t gonna fly with them. Do your homework. Hate the Sin but Love the Sinner Of course you love your kids regardless of what they believe. But it s important to reassure them of your unconditional love no matter what. And when fielding disagreements culturally or politically, it s important you don t yield to hateful rhetoric. A simple thing like praying for those you believe to be mislead can speak volumes to them. Be clear that it s the sin that you hate and not those caught up in those sins. We re all sinners. Keep in mind how you may have strayed or questioned things too at their age. Set Clear Boundaries If your kids are living lifestyles that you believe to be immoral, then be sure to clarify your love for them and your concerns for their well-being and their souls. It s important to set boundaries. For instance, if your son visits overnight with a girlfriend, letting him know you expect them in separate rooms is fine. This is particularly important if you have younger children for whom you want a better example set. You can t stop them from doing what they will do outside your home, but you should ask them to respect your boundaries in your home. By allowing them to do what you believe to be wrong in your home can be interpreted as tacit consent. Be clear with them. Adjust Your Focus It s easy to fall into the trap of constantly focusing on the problem or disagreement. The elephant can take over 18

19 the room if you re not careful. There are probably some values you still hold in common. Navigate to those subjects whenever possible. Do things you all enjoy as a family. Board games are a great way to interact and have some laughs together. (It also helps to keep them off their phones for a little whilean added bonus). Sometimes getting a puppy or kitten that everyone can love and enjoy can also ease tension in a family and bring folks together. Pray and Offer Up Sacrifices It s hard to overemphasize the power of prayer and fasting in bringing about conversions. No matter how hopeless it may seem, no matter how far they stray, never and I mean never, stop praying or give up hope. It can take a long time sometimes. But God is always in the process. St. Monica prayed for 16 years for the conversion of St. Augustine. And his conversion came about, through the influence of St. Ambrose, when he snuck away against her wishes. Remember, God loves them even more than you do, so pray with confidence and trust unceasingly for as long as it takes. Ask for help You re navigating rough waters here. Join a support group or reach out to a priest or pastor, counselor, or parenting coach. A less emotional perspective can often help you to clarify the situation and come up with better ways to respond to challenges. Just a little help can strengthen you to go the distance and win the prize. Allison Ricciardi, LMHCDecember 1, 2017Article Faith Feature Marriage & Family Mother of Jesus, be our protector and defender against all that is harmful or evil. Bring our needs before Almighty God, that we may be surrounded by God s Holy Angels, and give us the grace to conquer every danger and overcome all that would threaten; our health and well being. Be for us light in times of darkness, strength when we are weak, wisdom in our confusion, healing in times of illness, and courage to work through life s problems and difficulties. Give us joy when we are sad, bread to feed our hunger, and eternal life to defeat the power of death. Virgin Mary, guide our life-journey, so that we may always walk safely together with you and your Divine Son, Jesus Christ in God s loving friendship. Amen. 19 DURING TEMPTATION WE FLY TO YOU SWEET MOTHER For many years I suffered the consequences of my past having lived a lifestyle of fornication with a long term boyfriend whom had an addiction to pornography. Sexual gratification overtook my life. This soon developed into sexual self-gratification as well and developed into my own addiction that almost destroyed me. Close to despair, I experienced a very powerful conversion and turned back to God. But even though God forgave me for my past after I sincerely repented in the sacrament of confession and amended my ways, I continued to struggle with breaking old shameful habits. As a now happily married women with grown children and a regular church goer, I couldn t understand why I continued to so easily fall into old bad habits, but I guess other people may reach for drugs or the bottle or obsess with their body image and spend ridiculous hours at the gym. This was MY crutch, MY escape. Aware it was a serious sin drawing me away from the love of God, I knew ultimately it would hurt my marriage. I felt so weak and ashamed, even though many other parts of my life were healed and I was growing in virtue in so many other areas. Yet this one temptation continued to torment me, as if it had some deep control over me. My relationship with the blessed Mother was just starting to grow and yet there he was, old hairy legs knocking at my door once more. But for some reason, this time I was determined to change! And without thinking about it, I suddenly said aloud, Mary, my Mother, please purify my mind, my body and my soul. That was it, short and simple and it seems it had come out of nowhere. IMMEDIATELY the temptation left me as if it had never occurred and I suddenly felt a sense of freedom in my mind and body as if something very holy had washed over me. I realised I had found a very powerful advocate to help me fight the devil on something I had tried yet so often failed to overcome by myself. It felt like a revelation. Now, every time I am tempted with impure sexual thoughts, I immediately repeat those simple words just once Mary please purify my mind, my body and my soul and Our Lady immediately comes to my rescue and releases me from the devils grip. I ve realised with the help of our Lady, the devil has no power over me, especially where he once had a mighty foothold. He still tries but I immediately push him back by repeating just once those simple but life saving words to our Lady. Lord Jesus, you have provided mankind with a very powerful advocate to defeat the devil and his demons. May we remember to call on your blessed Mother for protection, always, we ask this in Jesus name, Amen. Friend of Medjugorje News

20 to give up for Lent 1. Fear of failure 2. Your comfort zone 3. Feelings of unworthiness 4. Impatience 5. Retirement 6. People pleasing 7. Comparison 8. Blame 9. Guilt 10. Overcommitment 11. Lack of counsel 12. Impurity 13. Entitlement 14. Apathy 15. Hatred 16. Negativity 17. The spirit of poverty 18. Going through the motions 19. Complaint 20. The pursuit of happiness 21. Bitterness 22. Distraction 23. Giving up 24. Mediocrity 25. Destructive speech 26. Busyness 27. Loneliness 28. Disunity 29. The quick fix 30. Worry 31. Idolizing 32. Resistance to change 33. Pride 34. A small view of God 35. Envy 36. Ungratefulness 37. Selfish ambition 38. Self sufficiency 39. Sorrow 40. My life turnbacktogod.com THE POWER OF GRACE Grace is visible, first, in the transformation that takes place over time in an individual first coming to belief. As people begin to practice the faith, to pray, to meditate on its truths, they change visibly. I ve seen it constantly. People actually practicing the faith find themselves growing in patience and in wonder. Another singular fact one notices is the expansion of their capacity for joy. It s not that they become mystical, 20 or otherwise vanish into the religious ether. It s quite the opposite: their energy becomes much more focused. Another manifestation of grace is that people on the religious road also grow in interest and concern for others. Their selflessness increases. I see this, too, all the time. It s more evidence of the transformative power of grace. The Last Homily: Conversations with Fr. Arne Panula By Mary Eberstadt

21 The Ten Commandments Loving directions to attain the heavenly kingdom Are they outdated? In the Gospel, Jesus says: If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14:15) A great majority of people even Catholics, those who are by name only, think that the Ten Commandments are a thing of the past. Some people think that the State should forbid to teach about the Ten Commandments. For many, the commandments are out of fashion because they are against our culture (the culture of death); while for others God s commandments do not include all ten of them. They take some of them out for their convenience in order to follow their own lifestyle. This is why many Catholics have left the Church to join other denominations, which do not talk about the commandments, sin, judgment or hell. My dear people, the Ten Commandments are loving directions to attain the heavenly kingdom, where we can see God face to face, the Beatific vision. In the Gospel, Jesus says: If you love me, you will keep my commandments (John 14, 15). If we love God, we do our best to please Him. These commandments tell us how to love God and our neighbors. The first three commandments teach us how to love God. The next seven teach us how to love our neighbors. The Ten Commandments make it perfectly clear that we should not fall in love with: idolatry impiety disobedience sensuality stealing dishonesty covetousness So we need to follow the commandments to love God. As our soon to be beatified Pope John Paul II has written: the Ten Commandments save man from the destructive force of egoism, hatred and falsehood. They point out all false gods that draw him into slavery. homily by Father Jose Maniyangat; Excerpt from Why become a Catholic.com PRAYER We pray for love. Lord Jesus, You taught us on the cross that love is above everything and you made me the object of your LOVE. We pray that Your love and the love of family and friends surrounds us always. May we never lack love in our lives. Whenever we need a kind word, a thoughtful deed or an act of love, may it be available to us, even from strangers. Help us love as You loved, Lord. With no selfishness, deceit, halfheartedness or unforgiveness, but with every fibre of ourselves. Let evil be destroyed by love. Amen. 21 by Father Augustine Valloran V.C

22 O CONNOR TRAVEL WORLD Inc. Pilgrimages Australia & NZ Special Pilgrimages for 2019 spiritual journeys, not tours OUR LADY HELP OF CHRISTIANS PILGRIMAGE 15 May 2019 (14 days) Come and join us on this very special spiritual journey visiting Medjugorje and Croatia. Be in Medjugorje for the Memorial of Our Lady. Cost per person, share twin: AUD $3,995.00* Ex Auckland: AUD $4,295.00* Chaplain: Fr. Gerard Ryan, CCS, West Wagga Parish, NSW SACRED SHRINES OF ITALY PILGRIMAGE 1 September 2019 (21 days) Please join us on this in-depth beautiful pilgrimage visiting Venice, Padua (St. Anthony), Florence, Siena (St. Catherine), Assisi (Sts Francis and Clare), Loreto (Holy House), Lanciano (Miracle of the Eucharist), San Giovanni Rotondo (St. Pio), Monte Sant Angelo (St. Michael the Archangel), Mugnano (St. Philomena), Montecassino (Sts Benedict and Scolastica), Rome and it s wonderful sights. Cost per person, share twin: AUD $7,390.00* Ex Auckland: AUD $7,525.00* Chaplain: Fr. Peter Ferwerda, Parish Priest, Mary Help of Christians, Heathcote, Vic Jesus I Trust in You DIVINE MERCY PILGRIMAGE 26 September 2019 Join us on this incredible pilgrimage to Vilnius, Lithuania and on to Poland and Vienna. Be in Cracow for the Feast of St. Faustina Kowalska, Our Lord s Apostle and Secretary of Divine Mercy. Cost per person, share twin: AUD $6,795.00* Ex Auckland: AUD $6,950.00* Chaplain: Fr. Eugene Ashkar, Parish Priest, Immaculate Conception, Seymour, Vic HOLY LAND AND JORDAN PILGRIMAGE 28 October 2019 Come and join us on this extremely special Spiritual Journey. Walk in the footsteps of our dear Lord in the Holy Land, and also visit Petra (optional) and Amman in Jordan. Plus so much more! Cost per person, share twin: AUD $6,150.00* Chaplains: Fr. David Willis OP, St. Dominic s Parish, East Camberwell * Airline/airport taxes & fuel surcharges are included in costs. Note that all costs are ex Australia and are current but are subject to change at the discretion of the airlines and/or operators and due to currency fluctuations. Contact our office for full itineraries and costs, or if you would like us to organise a tailor-made group pilgrimage for your parish or special group. We utilise the services of Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airline to all main destinations. O Connor Travel World Inc. Pilgrimages Australia & NZ P.O. Box 3, Surrey Hills, VIC 3127 Australia ABN Tel: Fax: O Connor Travel World kathryn@oconnortravelworld.com.au is a pilgrimage apostolate Web: consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary A Prayer for Lent Lord, teach me a new freedom. Freedom to reject comparison and to embrace uniqueness. Freedom to cut ties with greed and feast on love. Freedom to abstain from over indulgence and feast on self-control. Freedom to leave behind selfish thoughts and to focus on the needs of others. Freedom to fend off insecurity and to embrace grace. Lord, at this time of Lent, thank you for the freedom you bring. Amen. 22

23 MY SOUL IS THIRSTING FOR YOU, OH LORD - Volume II by Willy Vermeulen Available for $5 plus $1.40 postage, 4/8 Elizabeth St, Tauranga 3110 or willyv@kinect.co.nz Questionnaire WE REMIND READERS THAT, IN ORDER TO REMAIN ON OUR MAILING LIST, THEY SHOULD CONTACT US AT LEAST EVERY TWO YEARS. We would appreciate it if all readers WHO HAVE NOT DONE SO would fill in the questionnaire below. Any comments, requests or criticisms will be welcome. AS OUR MAGAZINE IS FREE, THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR DONATIONS, but to ensure that it is actually read. (If those who reply wish to give a financial contribution, we would be very grateful, but this is not essential.) c Yes, I wish to continue receiving the Medjugorje News. c No, please take me off your mailing list. c My address has changed and is now: Name... Address (if not on back or if changed) Comments