Mary TV Daily Reflection 2/19/2013

  
Love is bringing me to you...
(c)Mary TV 2012

          

J.M.J.      

February 19, 2013

 

Dear Family of Mary!

 

"Dear children! Love is bringing me to you - the love which I desire to teach you also - real love; the love which my Son showed you when He died on the Cross out of love for you; the love which is always ready to forgive and to ask for forgiveness. How great is your love? My Motherly heart is sorrowful as it searches for love in your hearts. You are not ready to submit your will to God's will out of love. You cannot help me to have those who have not come to know God's love to come to know it, because you do not have real love. Consecrate your hearts to me and I will lead you. I will teach you to forgive, to love your enemies and to live according to my Son. Do not be afraid for yourselves. In afflictions my Son does not forget those who love. I will be beside you. I will implore the Heavenly Father for the light of eternal truth and love to illuminate you. Pray for your shepherds so that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank you." (February 2, 2013)

 

In this message Our Lady tells us the "Love is bringing me to you..." She often reminds us that she is present. She comes to Medjugorje. She is beside us. She is with us. Her presence is the remarkable and life-changing thing about Medjugorje. She is there. Father Slavko tried to examine this reality in a humorous but still serious manner in his talk in 1997, presented on "Fruit of Medjugorje, Episode 54". Here is a transcript of that explanation. You can hear Fr. Slavko's great humor in his words! Our Lady's presence is the point, the life-changing reality of Medjugorje.

 

People ask what she [Our Lady] does when she doesn't give a message, and the answer is that she is present! And her presence is the fundamental message of Medjugorje. Nothing new...her presence only. And through her presence we can explain this phenomenon of Medjugorje and what is going on in Medjugorje.

 

It would be very interesting to present to you how the people who did not accept the presence of Our Lady tried to explain what is going on here. The first explanation was given by the communists. They said this is a counter-revolution to destroy the communistic system. Imagine... a parish priest with six children goes up against the communistic system. They were serious about this explanation. For this reason they put the parish priest for 18 months in prison to save the communism, and communism fell down afterward anyway. Because of [the apparitons] and other pressures.

 

Another explanation was given in the Church. For example there were accusations that the Franciscans were manipulating the visionaries and then the pilgrims. I told these people, be careful, do not give us such a great compliment! A little manipulation, no problem, I can do it, but not so with this, I have no time...

 

They tried to explain it as a sickness of the visionaries... Drugs, sickness, hallucinations, illusions...I said it could be, but give me at least on example in the world where the drugs and hallucinations were producing such a movement for peace in the world. That would probably be a special kind of hallucination, yah! Which the doctors do not know yet!

 

They were accusing us of doing it for money. We have heard a joke... Here in Medjugorje there are two mountains, the mountain of the apparitions and Krizevac.. Our former bishop then said, "And they have mountains of money!" I said, "Oh now we have three mountains!" People who come to pray are not interested in this third mountain. People who do not come to pray are continually interested in where is this third mountain! Someone sent me an article from Canada that said that in Medjugorje there are millions of dollars but they don't know that here we have Adoration too, we have the Cross, and the fasting retreats, and other retreats, but they do not know about these. So I told to these people one day, "You know, 15 years is a long time, long enough to pray and to fast and to have conferences. Look, the Franciscans are not a unique organization in the world which wants money. When you find a good way to make money, you get a franchise to do it, you can do it! We can show you a way so that you do not make mistakes. We made the mistake of starting in a communistic country, which meant prison after that [for the pastor]. We started in a diocese in which the bishop did not want to accept the apparitions, you know. And we began with visionaries who were not the holiest people in the world. So, you begin in another country, find a good bishop, and find holy visionaries, and you shall have more money than we do. And if the people put you in prison, there will be lots of money when you come out, waiting for you. So, you cannot lose. So begin it, it's easy, you just take 4, 6 or 8 people, train them for some time, and then one day you say, "We see Our Lady!" And so, go on...

 

You know, some people went so far as to say it is the Demon, who is inviting the people to prayer, fasting, reconciliation...and after that will be a big delusion. I told these people that they have stronger faith than me. Because I believe Our Lady is here, and it is easy to explain. For God everything is possible. But if you think that through [evil] manipulation, hallucination, sickness this [prayer, fasting etc.] is possible, you have stronger faith than me.

 

So I tell you, there exists no other way to explain what is going on here except through the presence of Our Lady. Even though she doesn't speak every day, she is present. And she is teaching us and leading us. For how long, what is the future of this event, we do not know, but if we follow what she says, it will be ok. If we do not follow, well, hmmm. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric, speaking to pilgrims in 1997 in Medjugorje. "Fruit of Medjugorje, Episode 54")

 

Our Lady's presence is the key to understanding what is happening in Medjugorje. The apparitions are important. The visionaries receive direction from Our Lady, messages and secrets. But Our Lady is present in Medjugorje in a special way that can be experienced not only during an apparition, but any time of day or night. She is present in Medjugorje. Her presence is the most fundamental message of Medjugorje. She is with us there, truly with us, to draw us close to herself, and to lead us to Jesus. This is what we hear in testimony after testimony. Pilgrims experience Our Lady in Medjugorje. They feel her near. They perceive her gentle presence as they pray, or walk, or sleep. She is there, embracing them and giving them her love. Her presence changes them.

 

There really is no other way to understand, to explain, the events of Medjugorje. As Fr. Slavko so playfully explained in this talk, "So I tell you, there exists no other way to explain what is going on here except through the presence of Our Lady. Even though she doesn't speak every day, she is present".

 

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

© Mary TV 2013