THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE P.O. BOX 6614 ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA

Transcription

1 THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE P.O. BOX 6614 ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA SUBSCRIPTION RATE - FREE WILL OFFERING - PLEASE SEE PAGE 8 If this is the first time you have received this newsletter, and you would like a Beginner s Guide, please contact us for one. EDITOR: JUNE KLINS PHONE: (814) jklins1981@verizon.net EDITOR EMERITUS: JOAN WIESZCZYK SPIRITUAL ADVISOR FR. WILLIAM KIEL VOL. 27, NO. 4 PUBLISHED MONTHLY April 2014 CURRENT MONThLY MESSAGE OF MARCh 25, 2014 ON ThE 25Th DAY OF EACh MONTh, ThE BLESSED VIRGIN GIVES A MESSAGE TO ThE VISIONARY, MARIJA, ThAT IS TO BE GIVEN TO ThE WORLD. April 27 is Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy image pictured above sits on a table in the Divine Mercy Shrine in Surmanci, which is part of the parish of Medjugorje. Jesus told St. Faustina, I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. Dear children! I am calling you anew: begin the battle against sin as in the first days, go to confession and decide for holiness. The love of God will begin to flow through you into the world, peace will begin to rule in your hearts and God s blessing will fill you. I am with you and intercede for all of you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.

2 The month of April this year takes us through the end of Lent, the Triduum, and into The Easter season. Spiritually, these are enriching experiences Fr. Bill Kiel for us. We travel through Lent remembering the days of Jesus ministry; during the Triduum, we focus on His institution of the Holy Eucharist, His Passion, and Death; and on Easter, we celebrate with great joy, His Resurrection. As we continue our spiritual growth, hopefully, the Cross of Jesus and His Resurrection will triumph in our hearts. During the Lenten season, our endeavor was to put God at the center of our life; and with the help of prayers, fasting and works of mercy, we have deepened our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Some of us may have meditated on the suffering and death of Jesus through the eyes and heart of the Blessed Mother; doing so gave us a realistic way to understand His suffering in a way that the suffering had to be. Through Our Lady s intercession, we have hopefully renounced all that has distanced us from Her Son and made our life empty; and through our ongoing conversion, we live a more Christ-like life, as She has taught us that we can. Each day:...witness, love, forgive and bring joy of the Risen One into this world where Jesus died and where people do not feel a need to seek Him and discover Him in their lives; be joyful carriers of the Risen Jesus in the peace-less world; Message through Mirjana on March 2, 2014 Dear children, I am coming to you as a mother and I desire that in me, as in a mother, you may find your abode, consolation and rest. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, pray. Pray with humble devotion, obedience and complete trust in the Heavenly Father. Trust as I have trusted when it was said to me that I will bring the blessing of the promise. May out of your hearts, from your lips, always come forth May your will be done! Therefore, trust and pray so that I can intercede for you before the Lord, for Him to give you the Heavenly Blessing and fill you with the Holy Spirit. Then He will be able to help all those who do not know the Lord you, apostles of my love, will help them to call Him Father with complete trust. Pray for your shepherds and place your trust in their blessed hands. Thank you. his Cross and Resurrection By Fr. Bill Kiel The Risen Christ statue in Medjugorje, blessed by Bl. John Paul II love each other with God s love. At every moment, In joy and in sorrow, may love prevail and, in this way, Love will begin to reign in your hearts. The Risen Jesus will be with you and you will be His witnesses. In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, awaken our souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the Risen Jesus. If we believe Jesus died for our sins, conquered death and resurrected, what keeps us from trusting in Him to help us live each day trying to discern and live His Father s will? Just a reminder the Sunday after Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday! As we near Easter and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, let us continue to offer, through the intercession of Our Lady, our sorrows and pain to Jesus, so that He may transform our sorrows into the joy of His Resurrection. May you receive: the joy of the Risen One, that He may lead you and embrace you with His love and tenderness. Editor s note: Fr. Bill s schedule is now on our website. He will be the spiritual director on a pilgrimage June 9-18, 2014, to Medjugorje. There is still room on this pilgrimage. If interested, call Den Todaro at Prayer Intentions of Pope Francis for April Ecology and Justice: That governments may foster the protection of creation and the just distribution of natural resources. hope for the Sick: That the Risen Lord may fill with hope the hearts of those who are being tested by pain and sickness. As of March 25, 2014, there have been 7,429 Masses reported for Our Lady s intentions. We thank Susannah Klins, Sue Taccone, Vickie DeCoursey, Jean Heid, Dianne Yochim, Marge Spase, Annette Ratajczak, Celeste Migneault, Susan Kirby, Joanne McIntire, Janet Arment, Julie Hansen, Georgia Chludzinski, and Estrella Igras for their help with the March mailing. We thank Mike Golovich, Mike Stanton, and Wendy Ripple for the use of their photos. We also thank Pat Berrier, our proofreader, and Jason Klins, our webmaster. THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE April 2014

3 Questions and Answers with Mirjana The following is an excerpt from a talk by Mirjana to pilgrims at her home in April of We thank Michael Stanton who filmed the talk for permission to transcribe it. The entire talk and many other videos can be found on his website, betweenthefoldsofhermantle. com. Q: What advice would you give to someone who starts fasting, but is struggling? M: I think that fasting is a gift of God, and I think we have to pray for that, as well, and go step-by-step. For example, Catholics never eat meat on Fridays. Start with that. Pray. Say, Mother, I want to do more, but I can t do it without You. With fasting you will show that you are the master of your body that your body will do what you tell it to do. If I want to do something for God, nothing will prevent me from doing it, because it is me who decides. Q: Can you speak a little about your meeting with Cardinal Schonborn when he was here a year ago Christmas? M: Many bishops and cardinals come to Medjugorje some incognito; some publicly. Cardinal came publicly. He was here seven days. I had such a wonderful time talking with him. At one moment when he was visiting me in my home, we were talking it seemed to me that I was together with John Paul II because he was sitting like this (gesture) same exact as when I spoke with the Pope. And he also said he saw so many fruits in Austria, and he simply wanted to see the tree that provides those fruits. He said, If I could have so many confessions in Austria in one whole year as much as you only have in one day in Medjugorje I d be more than happy. He truly loves Medjugorje, and he said he will come back. Q: Do you find the messages on the second of the month more urgent now? M: Those messages are directed to me same as they are directed to you. But I also see some urgency in the messages. A few days ago, I was asked by Italians when will the first secret be. I said, That is not important because what does it mean to you if I tell you, First secret will be in 10 days, and you died tomorrow? Mirjana during her May 2, 2011 apparition Q: Does Our Lady tell us how we are to love? M: Our Lady always talks about love. And She s always been teaching us that we should love people the way Jesus loves us with the heart, without asking anything in return, to surrender to your own brother. For example, I would not be able to live in Medjugorje if God would not give me love through my prayer. I tell you I wake up at dawn and I have pilgrims all the time coming and knocking always somebody asking something without love I would not be able to do it. That is why I m always praying to dear God to give me more love. That is why I do fasting as well so that my heart may be more open to the needs of other people. Love gives me strength to endure all of that. I would not be able to talk to you now if I didn t love you and respect you for what you have done. Q: There is a sense that people in the world are afraid even in children are there any simple words you can give us for peace and guidance? M: That is Jesus. Give Jesus to our children. In such a way, we should help our children to learn the true values in life. Everything started opposite material things were in the first place, riches. We are teaching our children that yes, they possess everything, then they will be happy. That is not correct, and now you can see that in the world today. You can have everything, but if you have no Jesus, then you have nothing. That is why we have to give Jesus to our children. If we give them Jesus, we give them everything. If you ask the children here [in Medjugorje], What is the richest happiness? they will tell you it is Jesus because when you have Jesus, you are happy with what you have. Annual Message of March 18, 2014 through Mirjana Dear children! As a mother, I desire to be of help to you. With my motherly love, I desire to help you to open your heart and to put my Son in the first place in it. Through your love for my Son and through your prayer, I desire for God s light to illuminate you and God s mercy to fill you. In this way, I desire for the darkness, and the shadow of death which wants to encompass and mislead you, to be driven away. I desire for you to feel the joy of the blessing of God s promise. You, children of man, you are God s children you are my children. Therefore, my children, set out on the ways on which my love leads you, teaches you humility and wisdom, and finds the way to the Heavenly Father. Pray with me for those who do not accept me and do not follow me those who, because of hardness of their hearts, cannot feel the joy of humility, devotion, peace and love the joy of my Son. Pray that your shepherds, with their blessed hands, may always give you the joy of God s blessing. Thank you. When Miki [Mirjana s translater] shared the rough translation of the message, Mirjana instructed him to add: Our Lady blessed all the religious items and everything you brought for blessing and Mirjana stressed that during the sentence when Our Lady spoke about the darkness and the shadow of death there was a kind of fog or something unclear surrounding Our Lady, but during the next sentence when She said that She desires that we feel the joy of the blessing of God s promise then that shadow simply disappeared. April THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE

4 Karlie is a Student Nurse at Walsh University, a Catholic University in North Canton, OH. Generally, one s journey into faith begins with either a strong foundation within an individual s family, or it can begin with an event that occurs in a person s life. For me, it was both, and to this day, I still become tearful when I think of the spiritual and, I believe, mystical help I received on that fateful September day in This event involved assistance from our Blessed Mother, intercession from Bl. John Paul II, Dr. Stephen Miller, an orthopedic surgeon at Wheeling Medical Park Hospital in Wheeling, WV, and my parents. In short, a serious fracture of my shoulder and arm led to my having to have emergency surgery. The success of that surgery was due to the talent and Catholic faith of Dr. Miller s graces provided by our Blessed Mother, but also the prayers for the wisdom and guidance of my parents for the intercession of Blessed John Paul II before Our Lady to ensure that the surgery would be successful. However, it was the prayerful words of my father that triggered these events. As he later explained, the phrase in the least invasive method possible, were words that he admits were not of his own thoughts, but inspired by the Holy Spirit before our Blessed Mother s statue and would become so meaningful to Dr. Miller. Timing is an essential part of any event. That fateful September day would prove how essential timing really is. During my surgery, Dr. Miller explained (and later published in an article in the Marians of the Immaculate Conception Online Magazine, Mercy Cuts to the Bone ) that a moment occurred during the procedure when he stopped the surgery to pray for guidance. Faced with making an incision from shoulder to elbow, Dr. Miller paused. Looking to the cross on the wall, he prayed for guidance to complete the surgery without having to make such a large incision and risking other complications. Having obtained an answer to his prayer, he noted the time on the clock as 6:40 PM. It was at this same exact time that my father, James Amato, had left the chapel of our Catholic hospital asking Pope John Paul II to grant to Dr. Miller the wisdom, knowledge, skill and ability to complete the surgery in the least invasive method possible. The procedure was successfully completed with a one-inch incision and a screw to pin the bone back together. The events that unfolded that day are well documented by everyone involved, including the hospital. It began an inspiring friendship of faith and love amongst Dr. Miller, my parents and myself that continues to this day. However, it also launched deeper events that have drawn me personally closer to Blessed John Paul II and our Blessed Mother that took me from the streets of Rome to the hills of Medjugorje to feel the presence of Our Lady herself. In May of 2012, I had the amazing opportunity to see Rome, Assisi, and Medjugorje. With powerful memories of the intercession of Pope John Paul II, I was very anxious to Medicine + Mercy = Medjugorje By Karlie Amato Mirjana and Karlie go to the Vatican and be able to see his tomb and personally thank him in prayer. When I saw it, all I could do was stare and cry, while I thanked him over and over again for what he had done for me. Both Rome and Assisi were beautiful, but I found Medjugorje to be the most difficult place for me to leave for more reasons than one. Upon arriving in Medjugorje, my group and I were told that we would be staying with one of the visionaries named Mirjana. I was thrilled, but I was nervous at the same time to meet someone of such spiritual importance. When I first saw Mirjana, I was amazed. First of all, she was absolutely beautiful in every way, and just being in her presence put me at peace. It was strange to me that she was the one serving me and the other members of my group, and the whole time I couldn t help but think it should have been the other way around. She was the one that the Blessed Mother appeared to; shouldn t I have been serving her? She was able to speak English, but our tour guide Miki was there to help her translate if need be. As soon as Mirjana spoke, I knew I needed to tell her my story of John Paul, and to my surprise, I got the opportunity. I sat down with just her and Miki, in case we needed a translator, and I told her all about my surgery and experience with Pope John Paul II. As she listened, she kept smiling and I could tell the story had touched her just as it had touched so many others. When I was finished, she grabbed my face between both of her hands and kissed each of my cheeks. I instantly felt a tingling sensation that didn t go away immediately and I was so happy to have shared that with her! That night I had a dream that proved to me that the Blessed Mother wanted me to be in Medjugorje at that exact time. Upon entering Mirjana s house, one sees a statue of the Blessed Mother. In my dream, I was down on my knees saying the Rosary in front of that same statue. When I looked up at what I thought was a statue, the Blessed Mother looked directly at me and winked at me. At that moment, I woke up. I was so overcome by that dream that I laid in bed for a few moments, replaying it in my head. When I saw Mirjana that morning I had the chance to tell her quickly about that dream and she broke into a big smile as she hugged me. Medjugorje was the most beautiful place I traveled to while on that trip, and the most difficult place to leave. I couldn t help but feel at peace there, and Mirjana was not only a wonderful host, but she almost appeared to me as a mother-figure. From the experiences that I had, I knew that the Blessed Mother definitely wanted me to be there, and I m hoping one day She ll want me to come back. I ll place that into the hands of Blessed John Paul, and ask him to arrange it for me. Editor s note: As Karlie said, Timing is an essential part of any event. Her surgery was on September 8 the day the Church celebrates Our Lady s birthday! And 6:40 is the time that Our Lady appears to the visionaries! THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE April 2014

5 Questions and Answers with Sean Bloomfield, Director of The Triumph By June Klins On October 7, 2013, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, I was blessed to be at a showing of The Triumph in Hamburg, NY. The director of the film, Sean Bloomfield, was invited to the showing and was available after the film to answer questions. I recorded this session to share with our readers. There were some very interesting things Sean revealed about the film, but if you have not seen it yet, they might not make sense, and in some cases, might ruin some of the surprises of the film. I sure would not want to do that! I ll share what I can now, and perhaps at a later date, after everyone has had a chance to see this wonderful film, I can feature a follow-up article. Picture at Mother s Village of Bl. Pope John Paul II Visionary Mirjana is featured throughout the film. One of the questions directed to Sean was, Why did you choose Mirjana? Sean replied, Mirjana s mission given by Our Lady is to pray for nonbelievers (those who do not know the love of God). That s really who this film is for, and I think it shows that her [Mirjana s] love for that mission comes through in everything she says. Someone asked Sean if he has met all of the visionaries. Sean said, Yes, I ve met all the visionaries. They re all very different. They re all very unique. They all have different personalities. You can see why Mary chose them all. None of them want to be called holy or saintly. They re all just normal people that have been given this great gift. They don t try to convince anybody of it. They are all just messengers. One lady stated that she felt this was Sean s best work yet. I would have to agree. Sean humbly thanked her, and then said, Filming this was really a lot of it thrilling, exciting to be there up close to a lot of these apparitions. When I m Did you know that there are many references in the Old Testament to the Passion, and that even Judas Iscariot s part in the Passion had a parallel in the Old Testament? In 2 Samuel 17, a counselor of King David, named Ahithophel, betrayed David and joined forces with David s son, Absalom, who was plotting against him. Ahithophel planned to seek out King David at night. If I come upon him when he is weary and discouraged, I shall cause him panic. When all the people with him flee, I shall strike down the king alone. It is the death of only one man you are seeking; then all the people will be at peace. (2 Sam 17:2-4). When Ahithophel s plans fell apart, he hanged himself. And remember the cock that crowed after Peter s denials? St. Laurence Giustiniani wrote that Peter, in his denials of Jesus, typifies man s proneness to sin. The cock is the informed conscience that accuses us of sins, reminding us of God s commandments and stirring the soul to contrition. Did You Know? filming Mirjana s face [during her apparition], the crazy thing for me to think about is that I tried to get her view looking straight up, so pretty much I had Mary standing right here (gesture) over me. To think about it like that, I was right where supposedly She was. I felt some pretty amazing stuff just by being there and just beautiful sensations of love when the apparition began. It s kind of an electricity in the air a peacefulness I really can t describe. A man questioned, That didn t affect her at all? Sean replied, No, during the apparition they see nothing else. They say that they just see Our Lady and blue all around them. They said they don t see anything else. I was at an apparition of Jakov during Christmas. He sees Mary during Christmas. My kids I have little kids and during the apparition, they got away from my wife, and they were crawling all over his legs. I was horrified [smiles]. But we got them off and he [Jakov] didn t feel any of it like during the time you would have reacted. But he [Jakov] stayed looking at the apparition and he had no idea that it happened. A lady commented about the scene showing Bl. Pope John Paul II s shoes in Mirjana s house, and how she felt it was very telling. Sean agreed: Yes, John Paul II believed in Medjugorje very much. There s letters from him that show there s many, many letters and many quotes from him that indicate he not only believed in it, but embraced it. And I think the same with Pope Francis. You know we got that call for fasting and prayer and that is directly from it s a Christian message but also I think it comes a lot from Medjugorje. You know that s the big call there. The message is through fasting and prayer you can stop wars and change the laws of nature. And I think we all witnessed this call to fasting and prayer for Syria, and there was no war like there was supposed to be. So yes his shoes are there and anybody can go see them. Yes, it s pretty amazing. The Triumph screened in 8 countries on over 400 screens in On March 18, The Triumph was finally released on DVD. It can still be booked for showings on the big screen and for parish screenings as well. You can visit their website, for more information. As with Peter, the informed conscience directs sinners away from despair (like Judas), and also toward genuine repentance. Isn t it interesting that pilgrims in Medjugorje are often awakened by the sounds of roosters crowing? You can learn more about the Bible by subscribing at Roosters in between the grape vines in Medjugorje A short Gospel reading and commentary will be ed to you daily. In the message of January 25, 2014, Our Lady said, Put the Sacred Scripture in a visible place in your families and read it. May St. Jerome, patron saint of The Spirit of Medjugorje, help us to do that! April THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE

6 Aloneness in Medjugorje; Oneness in Christ By David J. Sheehan When we go to Medjugorje in a group, it is quite a fascinating experience. We get to meet people from other parts of our country and perhaps from as far away as Australia. The atmosphere of the village invites a certain amount of closeness, and in a short week, complete strangers become lifelong friends. The shops and the restaurants also help to make the atmosphere festive. There is always something going on at St. James Church and the time passes very quickly. Yes, the pilgrim week in Medjugorje can fly by very fast and then we are back home, back to our normal lives. If we spend our time in Medjugorje in this fashion, we will have a great time, but we will completely miss why Our Lady called us to this remote village. There is something unusual about Medjugorje. I believe we enjoy it so much because it is a small foretaste of Heaven. Yet, we must find a way while we are there, to get away from the crowd, to get away from the group and encounter Christ. Our Lord works on us, one-on-one. Why? Because we are unique. In all the universe, there is no one else like you. Just like those billion of stars that you see in the cavernous night sky of Medjugorje, there are no two the same. You are in Medjugorje because you received an invitation from Our Lady to meet Her Son alone. Think of the times in the Gospel when Our Lord had a special one-on-one meeting. There is the Woman at the Well in the fourth chapter of John. When Our Lord reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene, she is by herself away from the group. There is something very special in these meetings. How do you meet Christ in Medjugorje in that special way? Well, there is no special formula or plan that I can advise, but I can take you to places in Medjugorje that I have found very special. A friend of mine, Mr. Nedjo Brecic, is buried in Medjugorje. I met him in 1999 as he was just starting up his international internet prayer group. I go to his grave when I visit, and spend a short time there. His life is an example of how one man could start something so small and now his group numbers in excess of four thousand! It is now the IIPG of the Queen of Peace. He accomplished God s will and died a happy man. I say a Rosary there and chat with him a bit. We were very close in age and had the usual challenges of raising teenagers. Then, it is time to move on. From the cemetery, it is a short walk to the beginning of Apparition Hill road. We take our time, dodging the cabs and enjoying the green scenery of the gardens and the vines that grow around the homes. If we need a snack, let s look for one of the small stores that the locals use. The prices are not so high and the bananas and oranges are fresh. After a short break, we find ourselves at the foot of Apparition Hill. Let s get our rosaries out and begin with the Joyful Mysteries as we begin our ascent. In a short time, we have reached the Fifth Joyful Mystery The Second Sorrowful Mystery on Apparition Hill where Our Lord scared the wits out of Our Lady and Saint Joseph by giving them the slip for three days. If they were not saints before, they were definitely saints now! Of course, Our Lord had a reason for doing what He did. He let Joseph and Mary and us know that He knew of His sense of mission at His young age. It is also a message for us not to get distracted in Medjugorje, but to seek to be close to God, to be in Our Father s House wherever we may find it in the village. Now, we are almost at the top. We see many pilgrims over to our right, silently praying near the original apparition site of Our Lady. We will go there, but not yet. Let us continue upward, you and I, and go around the back part of the hill and begin the Sorrowful Mysteries. Few people do this, which is why you and I are going there, to be alone with Christ in His Suffering. Here, we are at the First Sorrowful Mystery, the Agony in the Garden. Our Lord sees it all in front of Him. His body shivers and blood begins to ooze from His pores. Words cannot describe what is happening to Him. Let us stay here awhile before we move on. Now, we begin walking His Passion. The stones are still here, but not so many. The path is flat and brings us to the Second Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the Pillar. Our minds wander a bit to the movie, The Passion of the Christ. How did Our Lord stand the pain? Only His love for us made Him endure such an ordeal. In time, we come to the Third Mystery, the Crowning with Thorns. He was a King and a king must have a crown, but such a crown as this? We are now coming to the bend in the path as we begin our descent to the Fourth Mystery, the Carrying of the Cross. Jesus, bent over by the weight of our sins, falls beneath this load and cannot rise. Simon of Cyrene you and I must help Him. We must help Him Who is saving us. Finally, we reach the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, the Crucifixion and Death of Our Lord. Do you want to stay here awhile by yourself? That is okay. I will go on and let you meet Christ. He does come like a thief in the night, unexpected, catching us unawares. Here, thousands of miles from home, He has caught you. This is the way it must be in Medjugorje. Our Lady brings us here. We feel Her presence the warm, loving Mother who calls us dear children. Then, She seems to disappear and Our Lord comes into our hearts in an incredible way, unexpected. And now your trip, it all makes sense. Now you know why Our Lady brought you to Medjugorje. You will return tonight at dinnertime to join the group and talk of light, funny things and what you saw today, the shops you visited, etc., but deep inside, you will hold a secret place in the Tabernacle of your heart. There, you will hold the living Risen Christ as captive for He has captured you. Amen. Editor s note: Dave is from Crowley, TX. THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE April 2014

7 The following is an excerpt from the testimony of Fr. Peter Glas, a priest from Poland, now living in England. The full testimony can be seen in the archives of Fruit of Medjugorje on marytv.tv. It is Episode #68, aired on May 20, About two or three years ago when I came to Medjugorje, I was celebrating the Mass in the Divine Mercy church [in Surmanci]. I was praying over people. There was a young girl she was 12 and she suffered. I didn t know at the time she suffered a lot, and that she was from birth diseased muscle was shrinking and deteriorating But when she came up I was praying over her. When I laid my hands over her, she started [to become] very wobbly. I wanted to move on because there were a lot of people waiting. The time was running out. It was a very hot day afternoon in Medjugorje. And I couldn t [move on]. I was just praying and praying. Finally, then I stopped and moved on I was praying with people. The very next day, I was climbing Krizevac, and when we were on the top of Krizevac, someone just asked me, Father, there is a young girl who wants to talk to you. It was her she was a very, very shy girl and she said, Father, I want to talk to you about something. And she was very, very shy. I said, Not now let s go back to Medjugorje. And then she said, Father, yesterday when you prayed over me, I saw you coming up towards me and everything went just pitch black. And what she saw then, she said, I saw a guy coming toward me. I said, What kind of guy? [She answered,] He would be coming out of this darkness with a beard and beautiful, beautiful shining robe and a sash, and then there was a bird flying around his head. I said, What kind of bird? She said, I don t know, but it was like a dove, very shiny golden dove. Do you think it was Jesus? And she said, I think it was Jesus I don t know. And then she said to me, I saw His heart, and His heart was beating. I saw the heart moving here (gesture), and beating heart. And then I said, What happened next? And she said to me, Well, I saw a lady in black. In my stupidity, I thought it was the devil. But she said, No, no, no. She looked like the nun from the picture. I said, Oh Sister Faustina? And she said, Yes, maybe. She was a The original Divine Mercy image Believe in Me At a conference I attended a few years ago, Fr. Michael Gaitley, MIC, explained the symbolism in the Divine Mercy image which Jesus asked St. Faustina to promote. The dark background of the picture is symbolic of a world which is in darkness without Jesus. Jesus is dressed in a white robe, which signifies that He is priest. He is the great High Priest. His eyes are looking downward. Jesus told St. Faustina, My gaze from this image is such as the gaze from the Cross (Diary, #326). Jesus left foot is stepping forward to show that He is the one who makes the first move, coming to us with His peace. His right hand is raised to indicate He is bestowing His blessings upon us. His left hand is drawing nun. And I said, What happened next? And she said, Oh, Jesus told me these words; His exact words were: Believe in me never break away. Incredible, because she repeated His words. She wasn t very religious; she didn t know a lot about religion or this stuff. But she said, The man said to me, Believe in me never break away. And then He disappeared, and I saw you again. So that is probably the moment when I couldn t move on for some reason. And then she said to me, I m on top of Krizevac and I can walk again. I was completely healed by the Lord. Beautiful! I just couldn t believe it! And she s now 15 or 16. She couldn t come this time with me [to Medjugorje] because she s doing her exams, but since then, she s been absolutely fine! She plays football [soccer] and she goes all around and she has amazing devotion to Divine Mercy. She reads the Diary of Sr. [St.] Faustina and she prays. Her parents are here with me the family. So I know now the power of prayer. Nothing is impossible for God if you believe. Divine Mercy Sunday Jesus told St. Faustina, The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion [on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27th this year] shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. Some people have wondered what the difference is between this grace and a plenary indulgence. According to the website of the Marians of the Immaculate Conception, The special graces that Our Lord promised for Mercy Sunday come solely through the reception of Holy Communion on that day, in a state of grace, with trust in The Divine Mercy The special graces promised by Our Lord for Mercy Sunday can be received by a soul in a state of grace, but with imperfect love for God, and imperfect contrition for sin as long as the soul merely trusts in the Mercy of God, and clings to Him because of His promised benefits. A plenary indulgence, on the other hand, involves the fulfillment of a number of other conditions, including the requirement that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent. The Divine Mercy Image By June Klins aside His robe, meaning Jesus is opening His heart to us, showing how much He loves us. The wounds in His hands and feet illustrate that He, as the Risen Christ, is the same Jesus who died on the Cross. The red and pale rays signify the blood and water poured forth at the Crucifixion when He was pierced with a lance. More specifically, the pale or white rays (water) indicate the cleansing we receive in the Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation. The red rays (blood) signify the life-giving power of the Holy Eucharist. Finally, the words, Jesus, I trust in You, remind us of the need to always trust in God s mercy. The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is trust. The more a soul trusts the more it will receive (Diary, 1578). April THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE

8 The Spirit of Medjugorje Information Center P.O. Box 6614 Erie, PA U.S.A. RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ERIE, PA PERMIT NO. 685 DATED MATERIAL On June 24, 1981 in Medjugorje, Our Lady appeared to six children. She identified Herself as the Blessed Virgin, Queen of Peace, and has continued to appear daily. Her message is PEACE, peace with God and man. Her words to the visionaries, I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and obtain peace, you must return to God. Today, all but three of the visionaries have daily apparitions of the Blessed Mother. During the apparitions, the visionaries do not react to light, don t hear any sound or react to being touched. They feel that they are outside of time and space. All the visionaries declare to see the Blessed Virgin as they see other people - in three dimension. They pray and speak with Her. The Blessed Mother is confiding ten secrets to each visionary (some are chastisements for the world) and promises to leave a visible sign at the place of the apparitions in Medjugorje for all If you want to receive The Spirit of Medjugorje, please fill out the form below and return to: P.O. Box 6614, Erie, PA with your donation to help spread Mary s messages. Thank you for your goodwill offering. May GOD BLESS YOU. Please check one: New Renew Name MARY IS CALLING YOU Street Address humanity. This time, this period of grace, is for CONVERSION and a DEEPENING OF FAITH. After the visible sign, those still living will have little time for conversion. The Blessed Mother invites us to PRAYER and FASTING and PEACE. You have forgotten that with prayer and fasting you can stop a war from happening. You can suspend natural laws. The publisher recognizes and accepts that the final authority regarding the apparitions at Medjugorje rest with the Holy See in Rome. Permission is given to spread the text of any original works and may be used with the following conditions: 1) No words are changed; 2) Spirit of Medjugorje is cited. For articles by other sources, permission must be obtained from the original source. Distribute Adoration Newsletters Issue #1 or Issue #2 (please circle) (# of newsletters) To borrow an original prayer cloth from Medjugorje for a week, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address below. You must include your phone number. If you want a prayer cloth we made to keep, send a self-addressed stamped business size (4 1 / 8 x 9 1 / 2 ) envelope with $.70 postage on it. Sponsor a subscription for someone overseas (suggested donation: $13 to cover postage) Distribute Beginner s Guides (# of guides) (Please, no foreign checks or money orders, except postal money orders. U.S. FUNDS ONLY) City, State and Zip Code VOL. 27, NO. 4