EDITOR: JUNE KLINS PHONE: (814)

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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. 31, NO. 5 PUBLISHED MONTHLY MAY 2018 CURRENT MONTHLY MESSAGE OF APRIL 25, 2018 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. Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer; because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love The clay relief pictured here, titled Tenderness, is the work of subscriber Peggy Angstadt. Her explanation about the relief is on page 5. We thought this was a perfect cover picture for the month of May the month of Mary and also the month (in the US) in which we celebrate Mother s Day. Happy Mother s Day to all of our mothers! you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.

2 Fr. Bill Kiel I Stand In Awe By Marlene Figurski I stand in awe, dear Lady, As I gaze at your lovely face; And I realize you re praying For the whole human race. You welcome all your children From near and distant lands, And beckon them to pray to you With your dainty Outstretched hands, And when my stay is over You send me on my way; With the same sweet hands That beckoned me To come to you and pray. Editor s note: Marlene wrote this poem while praying at the miraculous statue of Our Lady of the Cape in Canada. (See our October, 2007 issue for the story of this statue.) The month of May is remembered as the month of Mary. Memories go back to May altars set up in church, school and home, honoring our Blessed Mother with Her statue and flowers. On February 11, 2018, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments announced the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church is to be celebrated annually the Monday following Pentecost. This year it will be May 21. St. Augustine says that Mary is the mother of members of Christ, because with charity She cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church. St. Leo the Great says the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, Son of God, and mother of the members of His Mystical Body, which is the Church. These considerations derive from the divine motherhood of Mary and from Her intimate union in the work of the Dear children, Through the great love of the Heavenly Father I am beside you as your mother and you are beside me as my children, as apostles of my love whom I ceaselessly gather around me. My children, you are those who, along with prayer, need to completely surrender to my Son so that you may no longer live but my Son may live in you so that all those who do not know my Son may see Him in you and come to desire to know Him. Pray that in you they may see resolute humility and goodness, a readiness to serve others; that in you they may see that you live your vocation in the world with the heart, in communion with my Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church By Fr. Bill Kiel Redeemer, which culminated at the hour of the Cross. At the conclusion of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed Paul VI on November 21, 1964 declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church. Words taken from the official Decree state: This celebration will help us to remember that growth in the Christian life must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet and to the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed, the Virgin who makes her offering to God. Pope Francis believes the promotion of this devotion will encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church, and increase genuine Marian piety. The Memorial will appear on Mosaic of Mary as Mother of all calendars and liturgical the Church, above St. Peter s books for celebration of the Square at the Vatican Mass and Liturgy of the Hours and will have its own readings. The Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church will be another reminder for all Christians and Catholics, as this Mass is celebrated, of the importance of the role Mary has in our lives and in the Church. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us. Our Lady s Message to Mirjana Soldo on April 2, 2018 Son; that in you they may see meekness, tenderness and love for my Son as well as for all brothers and sisters. Apostles of my love, you must pray much and cleanse your hearts so that you may be the first to walk on the way of my Son, that you may be the just who are united with the justice of my Son. My children, as apostles of my love, you must be united in the communion which emanates from my Son, so that my children who do not know my Son may recognize the communion of love and may come to desire to walk on the way of life, the way of unity with my Son. Thank you. Our thanks to Sue Taccone, Chris Falk, Cassondra Dragone, Elaine and John Brady, Diane Niebauer, Marge Burchard, Julie Hansen, Marge Spase, Darleen Wilkinson, Rose Heintzel, Dianne Yochim, Georgia Chludzinski, Estrella Igras, Louise Lotze, Kathy Wayman, and those who want to remain anonymous for their help with the April mailing. We thank Louise Lotze for her photo. We also thank our proofreader, Pat Berrier, our webmaster, Jason Klins, and our prayer group administrator, Patti Millar. Prayer Intention of Pope Francis for May The Mission of the Laity: That the lay faithful may fulfill their specific mission, by responding with creativity to the challenges that face the world today THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE MAY 2018

3 The big danger in religion is to reduce everything to abstractions; and abstractions do not need a mother. The one who kept us forever from worshipping an abstract Christ is Mary, His precious mother. She it was who put flesh and bone and blood on our God to make Him a lovable, huggable, kissable, caressable, touchable, tangible, edible, eatable God in our flesh. We owe it all to Mary. It has become clear that those who have a solid love for Mary, the Mother of God, have at the same time a strong response to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The commonality between the two is the sacred humanity of the God-Man Jesus Christ. It was Mary who channeled that human soul and that human body to Jesus in the first place; and it is that same humanity, along with His Divinity that is also present under the forms of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist. According to St. Lawrence of Brindizi, the three greatest creations of Almighty God were: Mary s Divine maternity, the Sacred Humanity of Jesus Christ, and the Glory of Heaven. The first two were created simultaneously, and the third is the joy of Jesus and Mary now, both present also with Their souls and bodies for all eternity. That is what makes Heaven a place: two extended bodies are there... I cannot even dream of a Christianity that would ignore, snub or downplay the one who gave birth to our Redeemer. He did not drop out of the sky like a meteor in the month of December. He was not plucked as we do with an apple from a tree in an orchard. No, He came as the Fruit of Her Womb. God could have conceivably made a better world than what He did; but not even Almighty God Himself could have made a better mother. Many pilgrims are each day arriving to Medjugorje, each one with their own story, thanksgiving and prayers. Our journalists had [the] opportunity to talk to Nicolas Liarena from Guatemala who is here with his parents. He shared his personal experience of faith with us and told us why he likes more prayer than playing [and] his thoughts about Medjugorje: We came to Medjugorje like so many before us, because Our Lady invited us. This is a beautiful experience for us, to be in this holy land. I wanted to come here because I wanted to convert and to be closer to Jesus and Mary. I love being here, since I am able to be with Gospa while here. For me, it was wonderful to go and to climb Apparition Hill and to pray. I wanted to climb in my bare feet, so I could offer a sacrifice to Gospa. It was fun to pray and to do this sacrifice. I love praying more than playing. Instead of playing, I am much happier with my Mary: His Mother and Ours By Father Angelus Shaughnessy, OFM, Cap They always say: the hand that rocks the cradle is the power that rules the world. If this is true of ordinary motherhood, how much more so is it true of Divine Motherhood? The cradle that Mary rocked had God in it; and it was the voice of Mary that lullabied the Son of God to sleep. That voice of Hers pleased Almighty God more than the nine choirs of angels could ever! Mary now in Heaven stands like a brilliant white star above a slimy swamp. That s why in any temptation, no matter what form that temptation may take in your life and mine, don t look to logic. We cannot reason with passions. Passions are essentially unreasonable. We look to the Mother of God: Mary, please help me! And She will, too, because St. Bernard tells us that never was it known that anyone who fled to Her protection was left unaided. Because She is a human mother, She can sympathize with us. Because She is the Mother of God, She can most certainly help us. One of the surest signs that we are going to Heaven is our love for, and our devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, and our Mother, too. Truly She is our tainted nature s solitary boast. Without Mary, we cannot succeed. With Mary, we cannot fail. Because She is His Mother, She cannot say She cannot. Because She is our Mother, She will not say She will not. Praise God for our Church that truly has a Mother! Editor s note: Father Angelus died on March 2, 2018 after more than 67 years as a Capuchin friar and 62 years a priest. He was probably best known for his wonderful homilies on EWTN from He gave us permission to use his writings. 10-year Old from Guatemala: Fast on Wednesdays and Fridays Translation from Croatian on the official Medjugorje website, Mir Medjugorje, Photo credit Heavenly Father. When I pray, I feel the presence of Heaven with me! The most important [thing] in my life is that I love to think about my Jesus who endured so much for me, and I love to console Him with my prayers. What I like the most is when the whole family gathers and we pray together. I fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and I try to give sacrifices of what I like the most, since I know that is what God likes so much. I prefer to spend time with Him than to play. When I climbed Apparition Hill, I felt Gospa was walking with me, but when I came to the top, I could feel the presence of Jesus. I presented Him all sinners, and Gospa gave me a special gift, so I would understand what she wants to say to me, to understand what she wants from me and fulfill what she was asking of me, so I could with the others save this world, said 10-year old Nicolas from Guatemala. Fully commit yourselves to the Church and all her teachings, and unwearily persevere in prayer. Honor our Mother, the Virgin Mary, and arm yourselves with the Rosary, because the name of the Virgin Mary drives away darkness and crushes evil. ~ St. Charbel (our patron saint this year) MAY THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE

4 On this 18th of March, I had the honor of assisting Mirjana up the hill and kneeling beside her during the apparition although I jokingly thanked her for helping me get up the hill. For anyone skeptical about the apparitions, I wish they could have the chance to see and feel what I did. Their doubts would be wiped away in an instant. They would have no choice but to admit that they had witnessed a miracle and although you can see it happen in our video, this miracle is often hidden in plain sight. That s why I m compelled to share my experience with you now... Mirjana prefers to experience the apparitions at the Blue Cross, located at the base of Apparition Hill, but that has more to do with everyone else than with herself. She suffers from a knee and back condition which causes her severe pain when she climbs up the steep slope to reach the Blue Cross. Despite the pain, however, she is always determined to experience the apparition among the thousands of people who gather on the hill unless the weather is too severe. How can I be with Blessed Mary alone at home when I look out and see all the pilgrims who come to Medjugorje seeking her? she says. Everyone in Medjugorje expected the March 18th apparition to happen in Mirjana s home. The local weather forecast had been calling for heavy rain, which would have made the slippery rocks too dangerous to climb. Surprisingly, however, the weather was sunny and unseasonably warm in the hours leading up to 2 PM, the approximate time at which Mirjana expected Our Lady to appear to her. At around 1:30 PM, Mirjana left her home and made her way through the crowd of pilgrims, eventually coming to the base of Apparition Hill. She had asked me to come with her and of course I didn t hesitate. My co-filmmaker, Cimela Kidonakis, was already at the Blue Cross with her camera, ready to film the apparition, along with our group of pilgrims who had traveled with us from the USA. Our guide, Miki Musa, was also there with his notebook ready to translate the message, and the amazing people from Foto Dani the local video and photo team that documents all that happens in Medjugorje were busy capturing the moment. I walked by Mirjana s side so she could lean on me whenever it got difficult. Like always, people were shouting her name, but on this particular day they were also wishing her a happy birthday in many different languages. Buon compleanno! Sretan rodendan! Feliz cumpleanos! The pain intensified in her knees and back as she ascended the steep, rocky path, getting worse with each step, and yet she still paused to smile at the eager pilgrims as she went. I m always amazed at Mirjana s love for the pilgrims. She stopped to greet some of them on her way, especially the sick and disabled. The Miracle of March 18 A firsthand account by Sean Bloomfield/Stella Mar Films As we reached flatter ground and began making our way through the crowd, an Italian man bent down and kissed her hand. Please, no! she said with a smile, pulling her hand away. She immediately put her hands on each side of the man s face, pulled him closer, and kissed his cheek. He seemed shocked, but I believe he understood the message that Mirjana wanted to convey that if anyone deserved a sign of gratitude, it was him and all the other pilgrims who had traveled so far to be there. By the time we reached the Blue Cross, Mirjana was trembling in pain and her knees were so weak that she could hardly kneel. With the side of my arm touching hers, I could feel her shaking uncontrollably because of the pain and weakness in her knees. I worried that she might collapse at any moment. But then, suddenly, Mirjana drew a deep breath; she immediately stopped shaking and her entire body straightened. The apparition had begun, and Mirjana was clearly in another world, totally free of all earthly pain. I, too, could sense that a beautiful presence had descended among us but one only needed to look at Mirjana s sudden transition and the tears of joy now streaming down her face to see that she was experiencing something miraculous. For the next several minutes, Mirjana did not tremble once. But as soon as Our Lady departed, Mirjana s pain suddenly returned and her body immediately slumped backward. Afraid she was falling, I quickly tried to brace her, but she stayed upright and slowly lowered herself to the ground. Mirjana says that although she feels no pain when she is seeing Our Lady, it all comes rushing back in the moment the apparition ends and it s even worse than before because by then she has been kneeling for so long. When doctors, friends, and family members have suggested that she not kneel during the apparition, however, Mirjana just laughs it off. How can I not kneel in front of Blessed Mary? she says. It s not possible. Mirjana sat for a moment and tried to regain her composure, and eventually she was helped to a nearby stone bench where she dictated Our Lady s message to Miki [see our March issue]. It was a beautiful and complex message, offering a glimpse into the Blessed Mother s life on earth. Her life here was simple, she said, adding that she loved life and rejoiced in small things despite the suffering she experienced. It was her strong faith and boundless trust in God s love which helped her overcome the pains of her earthly life. This part of the message could also describe Mirjana. She aims to transmit God s love despite her pain and sufferings, and it s her faith that sustains her. One can see it in her selfless choice to be out among the people for the apparitions, and in the many other ways she lives as an example of a woman who knows God s love. Our Lady s messages have an interesting way of being THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE MAY 2018

5 personal to each reader while speaking to all of humanity at the same time. The same would hold true for Mirjana, who would not have been able to climb and kneel if not for her strength of faith. But, in her message, Our Lady reminds Mirjana and all of us that every pain has its end. For to you has been granted, for the sake of Christ, not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him (Phil 1:29). As Mirjana tried to make her way home through the crowd of pilgrims handing out blessed rosaries to the sick and pausing to smile or hug some of the pilgrims a person reached out and grabbed her hand with such force that it caused her knees to buckle. The person clenched Mirjana s hand harder and twisted it back before the local men who volunteer to protect her finally freed her hand. Mirjana has to wear a splint on her thumb for the time being. Tenderness By Peggy Angstadt The clay relief, entitled Tenderness, [see the front cover] is based on an early Medjugorje Message of October 21, 1983: The important thing is to pray to the Holy Spirit, so that He may descend on you. When one has Him, one has everything. People make a mistake when they turn only to the saints to request something. The Blessed Mother s Messages touch me most when I pray for the means to enter into them, to allow penetration of my soul. Writing a journal reflection is one way to begin reflection. Artistic imagination also produces imagery which may be attached to a message or to a Scripture passage or to quotes from saints. It is a starting point to move from vocal prayer into meditation, similar to the vocal prayer of the Rosary leading us into the depths of the Passion. With this work, a gesture, a facial expression, a movement of drapery even use of tools all these become vehicles of grace and can immerse my soul into Her Heart. The original slab of clay began the prayer. Threedimensional work (in this case, the raised clay image) captures existing light to reveal the sculpted image; just as in prayer I desire to enter into the Light of God. Each time I begin work, a prayer is offered so as to enter into the prayer space, into God s Presence. For this piece, each work session became a reflection on the unconditional love the Blessed Mother has for me, for all Her children, as well as a reflection on the immensity and Click above to go directly to the page with the video. My children, your battle is difficult, Our Lady said in her message that day, adding that it would get even more difficult. Still, despite the unfortunate incident, Mirjana says that Our Lady wants us to focus on hope, not despair, and she calls us her apostles of love. It s because of God s love, says Mirjana, that Our Lady has been appearing here in Medjugorje a small village in a remote part of the same planet upon which she walked some two thousand years ago. She comes, in part, to encourage us, which is evident in the final words of her March 18th message. With immeasurable motherly love, said Our Lady, I am caressing your souls. Editor s note: To view the apparition, go to and click on Hidden Miracles of Medjugorje. power of the Holy Spirit. Removing bits of clay to reveal a fold or an expression or a gesture, became a reflection on the attachments I still have, the people, places, and things that keep me from the love or the presence of God. Adding clay when needed became intercessory prayer for family members, colleagues, or unbelievers who perhaps without realizing it are desperate for God in their lives. The finishing process was, depending on the area, to either smooth or texture the clay. While blending the clay surface I ask God to heal wounds which keep souls stuck in unforgiveness. When texturing (which, with clay, is a very rhythmic process) visual areas are created which diffuse light differently. So it is with different prayer forms, when God s Light may be received in a variety of ways through our intellect, imagination, senses, etc. It is a piece which, even when unfinished, drew me into prayer. It was a great grace from God. In my desire to share this work, I made a plaster cast of the original. This allows me to cast sheets of handmade paper into the mold to reproduce three-dimensional paper copies. Light is meant to be shared. The most important thing in spiritual life is to ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes, then peace will be established. When that occurs, everything changes around you. Things will change. (October, 1984) Editor s note: Peggy lives in Shrewsbury, VT. We offer our condolences to the family of Wayne Weible, who died on April 21, In struggling to find the words to explain who Wayne Weible was, I prayed to Wayne and the next morning, someone sent me what Wayne himself wrote on December 9, 2017: I have been involved with Medjugorje for 32 years, beginning as a lukewarm Protestant who knew nothing about apparitions. It has changed my life I have traveled the world to spread the messages, given thousands of lectures and written 12 books on the apparitions. Wayne s first book, The Message, which has been a catalyst for countless conversions, is estimated to have sold over a million copies. The Miracle at Medjugorje, a series of newspaper articles, has reached 100 million-plus copies and is still distributed throughout the world THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE MAY 2018

6 Every day, people send me videos to look at online. Rarely do I look at them because my time is so limited, but one day last month, I felt prompted to watch one of those videos, even though it was quite long. And I am glad I did. The speaker on this video was Philip Ryan. He was speaking at the 2016 Dublin International Divine Mercy Conference. Philip has been a Medjugorje pilgrim guide since He began his talk with a story that really touched my heart. Last year I had the privilege to be present with one of the visionaries in the moment when he would see Our Lady. There were about 60 of us present. I was at the back of this small chapel and there was to my right a mother, father, and two boys. They looked like they were twins. They were maybe 10 years of age. What struck me was how prayerful these two little boys were with their rosary beads, fully concentrated, quiet, prayerful atmosphere as the Rosary was prayed. And then I looked further to the parents and I was more than taken aback. The father was somebody extremely well-known, a very, very famous man, and he was with his family before Our Lady in prayer. We prayed the Rosary and obviously the Mum and Dad had prepared these boys. They must have explained what was going to happen that we would be with the boy the man Ivan, who sees Our Lady. (That s my own belief.) They may have explained to them what happens when the visionaries are in that time of prayer, when they feel Our Lady s presence drawing closer to them before they see Her. And that moment before they see Her, they kneel down before everyone and they pray deeply, quietly, until that moment when Our Lady is present with them. That must have been the picture given to these boys, because as soon as Ivan stood up and knelt before the altar, the entire chapel knelt with him. One of the boys wouldn t kneel down. Instead of kneeling down, he stood up, and then he stood on the kneeler. Then he stood on his tippy-toes on the kneeler The Mum was trying to reach across to pull his little arm. Kneel down, son. He wouldn t. His entire gaze was fixed, as much as he could see over the heads of all the adults in front of him. He was trying to look where Ivan was. And then he just started to look up towards the roof of the chapel. And he had the most extraordinary look on his face. He looked as if he was seeing Our Lady. To be honest, I tried not to look at him, but you couldn t help noticing this angelic child. And the mother kept looking over. She would nudge her husband, but he kept his eyes closed. And when the apparition was over, and everyone prayed the Magnificat, the mother leaned over to her son and she said, Son, in a quiet whisper, did you just see Our Lady? And he looked at his Mum and said, What? And she said, Did you just see Our Lady? And he looked at his Mum and he said, No, Mum, but I was ready! Later in his talk, Philip related a story about a lady who, Expect Great Things By June Klins Ivan s chapel unlike this little boy, was not quite ready to meet Our Lady. Philip began, I had a very humbling experience last year in Medjugorje. Towards the end of the pilgrimage, a lady in her mid-seventies came to me she had a big floppy hat on, dark glasses. She was dressed for Ascott high heels. He added in regard to the high heels, In Medjugorje?! and the audience laughed heartily at the thought of a lady maneuvering through the rocks and stones in Medjugorje in high heels. Philip continued, She said, Young man, I need your help. I need to go to Confession. I panicked and I said, No, no, no. I m not a priest. The glasses came down I m quite aware of that, she said. As the audience laughed, Philip went on, That put me in my place very quickly She said, 53 years ago I did something stupid with my life. And I decided 53 years ago I don t need a stupid priest in a stupid confession in a stupid church to tell me that I did something stupid. And I walked away. She hadn t been to church in 53 years. She kept her promise. And for some extraordinary reason, this lady, who didn t expect to find herself on pilgrimage, was now standing not only on pilgrimage, but ready to walk through the Door of Mercy, and she didn t know why. Philip then quoted Pope Francis, who said, in reference to the Year of Mercy ( ), that when you walk through the Door of Mercy, do not be afraid, that you walk with Mary. So Philip told the woman that. You don t walk alone. Then Philip said, I think she was beginning to feel that companionship of Mary. Mary had never left her. Jesus had never left her. So then she asked me, Would you do me a favor? Would you stand beside me at confessions this evening? I said, Of course. Three nights in a row I stood side by side with this lady as she prepared to enter the confessional for the first time in more than 53 years. Three nights in a row she walked away. She couldn t do it. And she d get all teary-eyed and be quite emotional and she d leave. Philip gestured with his hand to show how she would wave him away as if saying, Keep away. Philip paused and then continued, But on the third day when she walked away, she turned back and she was shaking and she said to me, Will you pick a priest? I said, Of course. And I said a prayer to Our Lady to the Holy Spirit. And I picked a priest. Many of you remember Fr. Kevin [Devine] little old Fr. Kevin, who at this stage was ready to leave Medjugorje after eight years, shuffling along with his little stick.. He was in New York for 911; he was a military chaplain and he was a giant in the confessional for eight years in Medjugorje. So I picked him. Philip said he introduced the lady to Fr. Kevin outside the sacristy. He was so gentle with her and he said, Come before confessions start and we ll have a chat. and they met for an hour and a half. The following day she was leaving Medjugorje and the hat was off and the glasses were in the pocket. She stood on the step of the bus as they were leaving and she turned around (I was helping pilgrims on), and with MAY THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE

7 the most extraordinary glow in her face, she just looked at me and she was radiant! Botox wouldn t give you that look (laughter). And she mimed with her mouth, Thank you. And she just nodded like a lady, and off she went. I went to Fr. Kevin and I said, Fr. Kevin, I know how crazy these days are for you that you re getting ready to leave. You ve been packing and saying good-bye, but I just want to say thank you for looking after that lady for me. He got all emotional and he said, If I d been a priest for 53 years just to meet that lady in confession Then he started crying and he said, Then these 53 years have been worth it. Then he choked and shuffled away. That was my last chat [with Fr. Kevin]. 53 years she carried a rock on a chain around her neck and she left it in the confessional. Philip then spoke about Divine Mercy and Mary s role in it. From Mary, you and I learn everything we need to know to encounter Jesus with love. We learn to pray from Mary, to forgive, to love, to listen. He said that when Jesus said on the Cross, Forgive them for they do not know what they do, Pope Francis believes that Jesus maybe heard that from His Mother. Philip said of Mary, She became the Mother of Forgiveness in that moment. If we can t forgive and it s hard today take the Father Kevin hand of Mary. She loves you. She s incapable of anything else but loving you. Take Her hand. Have the courage to walk with Her through the Door of Mercy go to Confession and meet Jesus as He puts His hand on your heart and says, Be opened. I love you. I forgive you. Philip ended his talk with words from Servant of God, Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary. In your relationship with Mary, do not forget that She looks upon you as if you were Her only child your sanctification and your salvation indeed, your every intention. In fact, he [Frank Duff] said, In the intentions of Our Lady, you are Her first intention. Don t under-estimate how great you are. Don t underestimate how loved you are. Our Lady looks on you as if you were Her only child We ll finish by giving to Our Lady this moment with Her we ll ask Her in this moment to walk with us to Mercy, to walk with us in our hearts and our heaviness and our wounds and our sins to bring us to Jesus that He may touch us. May we, like the little boy at the beginning, be ready and expect great things! Editor s note: I am sure I did not do justice to this beautiful talk. I could hardly transcribe it because I was crying (Holy Spirit tears). You can watch it on youtube by searching for 2016 Philip Ryan. Praying for Our Lady s Intentions It is true that when Our Lady asks us to pray for Her intentions, we are like children. We must respond to this request blindly. We don t really know Our Lady s entire plan. We can guess at parts of it, but the full plan is hidden from our eyes. So like children, we can only do our part and trust that She has the whole picture in hand. Like a mother in the kitchen, making a big meal, She may be asking us to go peel potatoes, or set the table, or to measure out the flour for a recipe. We can do these things, and yet have no idea what the finished product will be. Our particular job is important. But we have to trust our mother to pull the dinner together! And so at this time, this special time, we are being asked to do our part for the completion of Our Lady s plan. Our part By Cathy Nolan is to pray for Her intentions. She needs prayer. She needs intercessors, those who will put their own needs and desires aside, and pray for what Our Lady needs. She needs us to sacrifice our own desires and needs, set them aside, and put Her needs first. This is not so easy. It takes an act of the will to pray for Our Lady s intentions, blindly and selflessly. We must choose to set our own agendas aside and pray for Her intentions freely and with joy! Editor s note: The above is an excerpt from one of Cathy s daily reflections. To receive her reflections by , you can sign up on the home page of As of April 25, 2018, the number of Masses reported for Our Lady s intentions was 23,464. My three and four year-old children and I pray the Rosary daily together. One day I went into a little more detail about the Mysteries with my four year-old son because he really loves God and our prayer time! My son was totally disturbed to understand that Jesus went missing and was finally found in the temple preaching. He hurried on with a flurry of questions about why He didn t stay with His Mama, etc. I quieted him down, and explained that this was the point of the Mysteries. It encourages us to reflect on the life of Jesus, so that we can become closer to God. In time, God will reveal Himself to us through our prayer. We continued praying, but I could see The Heart of a Child By Kimberlee Malich the wheels turning in his cute little head. Once we finished, we all started putting our rosaries away and he spun in a flash and exclaimed, Mama, I know why we follow the Mysteries around in a circle on the rosary!!! I said, You do? He simply replied, We follow the Mysteries around in a circle so that we can think about it and find Jesus in the end. Look, Mama. He s right here at the end of the rosary. I love my Jesus. If only we could all have the heart of a child when we pray. Think of what could be revealed to us Editor s note: Kimberlee, who is from Illinois, wrote this in 2012 and gave me permission to use it. MAY 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 humanity. This time, this period of grace, is for CONVERSION 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. If you want to receive The Spirit of Medjugorje monthly newsletter, please fill out the form below and return to: P.O. Box 6614, Erie, PA If you are able to send a donation to help spread Mary s messages, it would be greatly appreciated. We request that you renew your subscription annually to remain on our mailing list. May God bless you. Please check one: New Renew Distribute Adoration Newsletters Issue #1 or Issue #2 (please circle) (# of newsletters) Name Street Address MARY IS CALLING YOU and a DEEPENING OF FAITH. After the visible sign, those still living will have little time for conversion. Father Jozo Zovko, who was the pastor of St. James when the apparitions began, has spoken about what he calls the weapons or the the five stones of Our Lady. They are: prayer with the heart, especially the Rosary; Eucharist; Holy Bible; monthly Confession; and fasting. The publisher recognizes and accepts that the final authority regarding the apparitions at Medjugorje rest with the Holy See in Rome. 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 $.71 postage on it. Sponsor a subscription for someone in a foreign country (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. 31, NO. 5