New Year, One Month Gone... - Medjugorje.com

New Year, One Month Gone...

 

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January 31, 2014 A.D.

 

Two-thousand and Fourteen, a new year, and already we are at the end of the first month. Where has the time gone?

 

A grave marked by a Cross in Medjugorje near sunset.
Medjugorje speaks to us not only about life, but also about the twilight
of life and this age, where we are headed, and the question arises: how are we preparing?
Already 1/12 of the new year is gone, and each month will leave us as
quickly as the first. As time moves ahead, one second at a time, never
stopping, but continuing its course, we move close to the events
foretold in Medjugorje, events that will change the world, not only
spiritually, but also physically. Medjugorje visionary Ivan stated in
2011:

 

“Many pilgrims, even priests, don’t
understand why Our Lady has been coming every day, what She could be
saying to me every day and what I have to say to Her every day. I have
to tell you we talk a lot!! One day when things are revealed, you
will understand, your eyes will be opened. When we see the physical changes that will happen in the world, we will understand why She came every day.”¹

Then Ivan clarified:

”I am not talking about the secrets. The time before us is one of great responsibility.”¹

Therefore, with the secrets of Medjugorje, there are things that
may precede them, perhaps as forerunners, and it is for us to use this
time well. Are we following the prompting of our hearts to grow in
conversion, and then to grow in a simpler way of life physically? It's
not about saving yourself, but rather placing yourself in a position to
be used by Our Lady for the conversion of the world. A Friend of
Medjugorje addresses the state of the world, in yesterday's Mejanomics broadcast. You can listen to the Mejanomics broadcast titled, "The State of the World," by clicking to visit here.

Mary TV Daily Reflection 1/31/2014

       

The power of Jesus Christ...  

(c)Mary TV 2013     

 J.M.J

January 31, 2014

St. John Bosco

 

Dear Family of Mary!

Novena for Priests - Day 8

"...Pray for those whom my Son has chosen that they can always live through Him and in Him, the High Priest. Thank you." (March 2, 2012)

Sr. Briege McKenna:

 

One final thought about faith and priestly ministry. A priest, as I have said, gets his power from God in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, from the Holy Spirit who speaks to him in prayer and to him through the church. His power comes from his union with God through prayer. He does not get power from the theological studies or academic degrees. While study is important and while we need theologians and scholars, knowledge can never replace faith, can never replace being one with God through prayer and relying on him exclusively.

It is the power of Jesus Christ that converts and transforms people...The Cure of Ars is a good example of a priest who relied solely on the power of his Lord. John Vianney was nearly refused ordination because he was such a poor student. Yet, once ordained and filled with the power of the priesthood, he became known by people throughout the world for his wisdom and pastoral insights in the confessional. People came to Ars, France, from throughout the world to confess to him, to ask him for prayer.

Priests should never feel inadequate because they may lack doctorates or other recognized educational achievements. Once ordained, the sacrament contains the power the priest needs for his mission in the church. (Sr. Briege Mckenna. "Miracles Do Happen". P. 81)

  

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS 

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine
The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart.

When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart.

Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain,

when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain.

Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee.

They have only human hearts, with human frailty.

Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress;

their every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

(found at:  http://www.motherteresa.org/11_Priests/YearPr_7.html)

The power of the priest comes directly from Jesus, who lives and works through him as he administers the Sacraments and prays with his people. We can meet you, Jesus, in the priest. We thank you, Jesus, High Priest, for giving us your beloved sons, the priests!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2014

 

 "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   

Blessed John Paul II  -

Be connected! 

www.marytv.tv

 

 

[Video] Ask for Help [Go to Confession]

Ask for Help Ask for Help by apostleshipofprayer Reflection for 1/30/14 http://youtu.be/zz-ZNef8sv4 www.apostleshipofpra­yer.org Photos by George M. Groutas, Nat Tung, Gabe (TheRogue), Shawn Porter, See-Ming Lee, Carlos Urruitia, Joop Reuvecamp, Onilad

These Stone Walls: The Rarest of Events

When the show trial of Msgr William Lynn was overturned, Philadelphia D.A. Seth Williams showed his contempt for the defendant, for the Church, and for the law.

A priest denied due process finds justice. It is the rarest of events in the midst of a witch hunt. Please help share this important TSW post: "Msgr William Lynn is Free and a Prosecutor is 'Disgusted'".

Sent on behalf of 

These Stone Walls

www.TheseStoneWalls.com

Mary TV Daily Reflection 1/30/2014

     

Take good care of your Shepherds...  

(c)Mary TV 2013     

 J.M.J

January 30, 2014

Dear Family of Mary!

Novena for Priests - Day 7

"Dear children....My children, my Son gave you a gift of the Shepherds. Take good care of them. Pray for them. Thank you." (May 2, 2013)

 

Sr. Briege McKenna speaks:

I had met a priest at a prayer meeting. He was going through a very difficult crisis and was about to leave the priesthood. I promised I would get the first graders to pray for him.

I had the children pray. They decided to write the priest. Since I hadn't explained his problem, but had only asked the children to pray for his healing, they thought he was ill or had been in an accident. Their letters and drawings depicted the priest in bed with his leg in a cast and with bandages on his head.

A couple of months later, the priest called me and said he wanted to make a special trip to Florida just to talk to the children. He came and he brought their letters with him - and a big bag of candy which, of course, pleased the children very much.

He told them he had been going through a bad time, that he had stopped talking to Jesus and because of their prayers, he was going to keep on being a priest and now he was good friends again with Jesus.

Later he told me that, particularly, the letter of one five-year-old girl had touched him deeply. In the letter she said that I had told them he was sick. She said, "I know you can't do the things that Jesus wants you to do right now. But we've asked Jesus to help you. You are very special to Jesus. We know Jesus will make you better. We need you and love you. We hope when you're well you can come to see us."

As the priest read her letter, it pierced his heart and the Lord spoke to him, "This little child understands. This little child knows what your priesthood is. But do you really know?"

He told me that it was then that he started to pray and his life changed.

This was a great joy to me because it confirmed what Jesus had told me in the chapel - that if I would get people to pray and intercede, priests would be renewed. (Sr. Briege McKenna. "Miracles Do Happen." P. 75-76)

  

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS 

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine
The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart.

When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart.

Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain,

when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain.

Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee.

They have only human hearts, with human frailty.

Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress;

their every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

 

(found at:  http://www.motherteresa.org/11_Priests/YearPr_7.html)

Our Lady has asked us to take good care of our Shepherds. Like children, let us pray with simple and open hearts for them because they are special and important to Jesus.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2014

 PS.  In yesterdays Novena there is a typo - Sr. Briege was 36 when she met that priest in Lourdes!!  He was 80 and she was 36 !!  Sorry! 

 "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   

Blessed John Paul II  -

Be connected! 

www.marytv.tv

 

 

Mary TV Daily Reflection 1/29/2014

    

Pray they can lead you in love...  

(c)Mary TV 2013     

 J.M.J

January 29, 2014

 

Dear Family of Mary!

Day 6 of our Novena for Priests. Thank you for joining in this prayer. Perla shared with me that the Holy Father, Pope Francis, gave a homily on January 27, 2014 in which he asked the faithful to pray for priests and bishops. He drew his comments from the scripture in 1 Samuel about David's anointing. He said that the priests and bishops operate out of their anointing in the Holy Spirit, and that is the only way the Church has survived. And he asked the faithful to pray for them.

He also said: "We in history know but a small part - though how many holy bishops, how many priests, how many holy priests have given their lives in the service of the diocese, the parish, how many people have received the power of faith, the power of love, hope [itself] from these anonymous pastors? We do not know. There are so many." -VATICAN CITY, January 27, 2014 (Zenit.org)

It is exciting to think that we are responding to the Holy Spirit in union with the Holy Father! Our novena is part of God's plan right now!!

Novena for Priests - Day 6

Our Lady said to us:

"Dear children...Pray for your shepherds so that through your fasting and prayer they can lead you in love. Thank you." (February 2, 2013)

And Sr. Briege shares about love and our priests:

 

Finally, the priest must be a man of love. The greatest commandment Jesus gave his disciples, that we must all follow is that we must love. The way to grow in holiness is to grow in love of God and our neighbor...

One morning, I went down to the grotto to pray. As I sat there, I felt a hand on my shoulder and then I received this little kiss on my cheek. I looked up and saw this elderly priest. He sat down next to me and said, "Sister Briege, I want to thank you for being my mother."

I smiled and thought, "My, miracles never cease. Here I am 86 years of age and my son is 80!"

He said, "I didn't' know you'd be here, Sister. I came down this morning to thank Our Lady for sending you. My mother died when I was five. I had seven brothers and no sisters. I went into the seminary at a very early age and never had contact with women.

"To me, celibacy meant I had to keep away from women and must never allow myself to come in contact with them. I lived my whole priesthood avoiding women. So, I went through my life rejecting my sexuality, becoming a man who was very hard-hearted. Here I am at 84. I never thought I would come to a retreat that a woman was giving. Yesterday, when I went in for your ministry, I didn't know what I was going to say to you. I didn't know how to relate to women.

"As you started to talk to me, it was as though you read my whole life story with the tenderness of Jesus. As I broke down and started to cry, because I was so moved, you put your arm around me and let me cry.

"For the first time in my life, I felt the tenderness of a mother. I never knew what it was to be touched and to have a woman put her arm around me."

He said, "I never had devotion to Our Lady. She was a woman and women were out of my life. Through your ministry, I experienced the warmth and tenderness of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. I have accepted Mary as my mother. I want to thank you, Sister.'

I rejoiced at that. That is the very reason I am a celibate, that I may be able to bring Christ to his people. There are many ways to bring Christ, but to me, this was the most beautiful way, to know that I introduced that priest to Mary, to the tenderness of a mother, to the beauty of womanhood, to a part of his own life that had not been touched.

How can he be a man of love, of tenderness, of compassion if his own heart had never been touched by humanity?" (Sr. Briege McKenna. "Miracles Do Happen." P. 87-88)

  

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS 

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine
The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart.

When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart.

Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain,

when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain.

Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee.

They have only human hearts, with human frailty.

Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress;

their every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

(found at:  http://www.motherteresa.org/11_Priests/YearPr_7.html)

Dear Jesus, please give our priests and bishops your love, your tenderness and your compassion, and especially give them Your Mother, Mary! Then they will be able to love us!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2014

 

 "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   

Blessed John Paul II  -

Be connected! 

www.marytv.tv

 

 

The Fires Of Purification

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The Fires Of Purification “And I Say To You, You Will Not Get Out Until You Have Paid The Last Penny” (Matt. 5:26) Fr. Paul McDonald - THE LORD JESUS teaches us through His Church, that death marks the end of the earthly pilgrimage of man. Death marks the end of this life as the time when we can accept divine grace which is given to us in Christ. Death brings the end of the time of grace and mercy which God offers to us, so that we can realize the purpose of our existence. It is God’s plan that this life is when we decide our ultimate destiny. When “the unique course of our earthly life” has ended, we will not return to other earthly lives. “Man dies only once”. There is no “reincarnation” after this life. After this life human beings will themselves be either among those who have responded to the love and mercy of God, or among those who have refused to accept grace right up to the end. Purgatory Among the friends of God who enter the next life, there are some who loved the Lord with all their hearts during this life, and there are some who truly loved Him, but imperfectly, with a divided heart; they need healing and purification before entering Paradise, and they have a preparation to make. Divine Mercy created Purgatory to accomplish this purification. “All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030). But this is a family affair. We can help our sisters and brothers who find themselves amongst the poor souls. We can do so by our prayers, our sacrifices and our participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Now here I have to admit something. I am afraid that one day a parishioner will visit me from the “other side”, saying, “Why didn’t you warn me? Why did you never teach or mention that the sufferings of the next life are severe, if we have treated God as optional or of secondary importance?” But I am not really expecting an extraordinary visit like that. What is for sure is that one day the Lord will Himself ask me such things. “Why, my son, did you not tell the whole truth to my People?” To avoid having to endure such scrutiny, I will try to repair what I have omitted… I am not speaking for the moment of the mysterious suffering of the “fires of Purgatory” that Pope Paul VI speaks of in his Credo. I will go to the essential. This is about the sadness and the thirst of these souls, deprived for a time of seeing God face to face. He is the Supreme Good and the source of all that is good, the source of infinite and eternal joy, for which our souls were created, like our eyes are for the light. The doctors are in agreement to say that in general the sufferings of the next life are very rigorous. The Doctor of the Church, St. Robert Bellarmine says that we must hold as certain that there is no comparison between the sufferings of this life and those of Purgatory. St. Augustine says so rather clearly in his commentary on Psalm 31:  Lord, do not punish me in your anger, and do not reject me along with those to whom you will say: Go into the eternal fire; but do not punish in your anger: rather so purify me in this life, so that I don’t need to be purified in the next life. That ordeal will be terrible, that torment will be more unbearable than all one can suffer of what is sorrowful in this world. That’s what St. Augustine says, and what St. Gregory, the Venerable Bede, St. Anselm and St. Bernard say after him. St. Thomas Aquinas goes even further and he holds that the least pain of Purgatory is greater than any pain of earth, no matter what they may be. The author of the Imitation expresses this teaching by a practical and gripping sentence: “There, he says, one hour in torment will be more terrible than a hundred years here of the most rigorous penance.” Practical Conclusion Let us practice charity towards the souls of the faithful departed so that we receive mercy in this life and in the next. Originally posted at:  The Remnant Newspaper Discover More Homosexuality, Clergy, And Sexual Abuse…And The Purification Of The Church! Fr. Bozada -Purgatory is God’s Merciful Gift To Us

from Courageous Priest

Witness the Love of God

January 28, 2014 A.D.

 

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January 28, 2014 A.D.
 

Our Lady teaches us about God's love, what it means, and how we live that in our daily walk. Each of us is called by Our Lady to be a witness of that love to our family and the world around us.
 

Medjugorje visionary Ivanka, during her annual apparition on June 25, 1988. The founder of Caritas and his wife were in Medjugorje in June of 1988 and were present at Ivanka's annual apparition on June 25. They were kneeling close to Ivanka, while everyone else was standing around her. During the apparition, Ivanka, still in ecstasy, turns her head and says out loud, that Our Lady wished for all present to kneel down. The founder of Caritas said that is was an amazing sight, in that when Ivanka turned her head, her eyes were still on Our Lady. After the apparition, Ivanka stated that it was only after people were kneeling, that Our Lady imparted Her Special Blessing. Our Lady then gave a message:

“The people here will be witnesses of the love of God.”

This above June 25, 1988 message has special meaning for our founder and wife. First, in that they were present when this message was given, and secondly that Our Lady appearing in their home later in the year, in December 1988 said:

“Dear children, I give you my love, so you give it to others.”

Our Lady deposited love here at Caritas in their home. Our Lady of Medjugorje said in another message on March 27, 1986 said:

“...I invite you to the greatest sacrifice, the sacrifice of love...”

‘Caritas’ means love. This is a special charism that Our Lady deposited here in Her apparitions in the Bedroom, and has been the constant path for over 27 years. Our founder, A Friend of Medjugorje, wrote the following many years ago, and though you may have read it, we share it with you again that you may be helped in your daily walk to witness this love of God and Our Lady. It will speak to you wherever you are in your life:

To Love

To love and be rejected;
To spend every effort to help and be turned down;

To be in a situation of having to compete to be heard and be silent;
To have the answers and not be able to convey them;

To lose, knowing you can win, rather than being political;
To go to the end of the line when you were there first;

To tell the truth and it be made a lie;
To try to be saintly and be made out to be a devil;

To be on the inside and to be cast outside;
To be with many and to know you are really alone;

To give yourself unreservedly to others and be a victim of their envy;
To dedicate your life to a purpose and that purpose turn against you;

To be innocent and be accused;
To be stripped of all authority, earthly power, and position and be nothing;

...is to have one’s heart lacerated with humility to the greatest depth
and receive at the greatest heights God’s blessing of...walking Jesus’ path;

...To Love

By A Friend of Medjugorje

 

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[Video] "All that I have written is Like Straw"

Like Straw Like Straw by apostleshipofprayer Reflection for 1/28/14 http://youtu.be/3M87IXALoxE www.apostleshipofpra­yer.org

From the Friars eLetter: Love in a Time of Brokenness

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Love in a Time of Brokenness I talked to a woman on the phone recently who explained to me how her heart breaks for people—for people suffering knowingly or unknowingly, physically, emotionally, spiritually, for people alone and overly burdened, lost or hopeless, people addicted and helpless—and I believed her.  I believed her strongly, because her voice crawled through the telephone wire like a child through a dark tunnel uncertain whether or not she had to be brave.  She spoke with frustration as if, unruly, her breaking heart merely wished to afflict her, as though it were unfairly painful to her, but I don’t think it was.  So I said in response, “you know, it’s not a bad thing that your heart should break.  This is good.  There’s no need for resilience here; just let it break.”  I said it because I learned it. It was one of the biggest lessons my time in Nicaragua taught me. I remember clearly rounding the first mountain pass out of Matagalpa in our white pick-up truck shifting gears in my frustration, recalling a teenage girl speak of how she was introduced to pornography at a young age and its ensuing effects.  I learned in that moment that the pain I felt—and didn’t like feeling—was a good pain.  God taught me that in the breaking of my heart other hearts would be healed, and indeed, that for certain hearts to heal mine would have to break.  And somehow on that road from Matagalpa I now loved that little girl not for the pain I felt but I loved her in the midst of that pain and despite the pain and that can be a powerful love. Sometimes, I think, the Lord’s heart must have been in a constant state of “breaking”—certainly in an evident way at his Agony and in a literal way after his death on the cross.  His wounded heart is a great mystery and perhaps has meanings only accessible to angels and saints, but what we can affirm is that by its breaking—the tearing and rending of the Divine Man’s heart—our hearts might be healed.  So I say to those, like the woman who called, whose hearts know too well the sorrow of brokenness, don’t be afraid to just let them break, so that those whose hearts are too hard to break for themselves, may, by your merits, be healed. + Br. Joseph Michael Fino, CFR Paterson, NJ --------------------------------------------- We need your help! Donate here

Mary TV daily Reflection 1/28/2014

  

Be carriers of Hope...  

(c)Mary TV 2013     

 J.M.J

January 28, 2014

St. Thomas Aquinas

 

Dear Family of Mary!

This is Day 5 of our Novena for Priests. As I write, I am snowed in at home by a winter emergency. This arctic blast shows the incredible power of nature, something none of us can control. I feel safe in God's hands, but there is a certain tension and stress from the life-threatening situation. Praise God, the novena must be working!!

Novena for Priests, Day Five

"Dear children!...I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light bearers and carriers of hope for you - for your shepherds. Thank you." (March 2, 2013)

Sr. Briege continues:

The second area of challenge for priests - and for all Christians - is hope. The priest is called to be a man of hope. Our Holy Father [Blessed John Paul II] continually reminds priests and religious that they must be signs and symbols of hope in a world where hope is shattered daily.

People who have lost sight of God now build their hopes on governments, financial securities and other people.

The only security and the only hope comes in Jesus.

I say to priests that it is good for us to look to Mary and the challenge this young Jewish woman had to face. Mary heard the beautiful words of Gabriel, that her child would be Son of the Most High. She was deeply touched by the beautiful prophetic words, and yet she had to live through the soul-searing contradiction of Jesus' life. Her son was born in a stable, lost when he was twelve, rejected by his people, treated like a criminal, beaten and spat upon, crucified and mocked. Through it all, she pondered the angel's words in her heart. She was willing to be steadfast in hope when hope seemed ridiculous.

Like Mary, the priest receives a promise when he is ordained. Like Mary, he must face many contradictions. Like Mary, he is called to hope when hope seems ridiculous.

As with faith, hope comes only through prayer. It is very important that we recognize faith, hope, and love as the branches that come forth from the vine. (Sr. Briege McKenna. "Miracles Do Happen." P. 81-82)

  

A PRAYER FOR PRIESTS 

Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord. Keep them, for they are Thine
The priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine.

Keep them, for they are in the world though from the world apart.

When earthly treasures tempt, allure - Shelter them in Thy heart.

Keep them and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain,

when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain.

Keep them and remember Lord, they have no one but Thee.

They have only human hearts, with human frailty.

Keep them as spotless as the Host, that daily they caress;

their every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless.

(found at:  http://www.motherteresa.org/11_Priests/YearPr_7.html)

May our priests be filled with God-given Hope, and may we encourage them by our own gift of Hope. With God, all things are possible. Mother Mary, fill us with God's Hope!

Thank you, dearest Lord, for our priests.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

©Mary TV 2014

PS. On Wednesday, January 29, we will show "Queen of Peace" at 8:00 am and 2:00 pm EST!  Spread the word!!   

 "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   

Blessed John Paul II  -

Be connected! 

www.marytv.tv

 

 

Celebrating God's Forgiveness

 

Tribulation Times

January 28, 2014   

(Mar 1:15) And saying: The time is accomplished and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel: 

BISHOP DAVID McGOUGH: "Jesus sets before us the first step in discipleship, a step that must be constantly renewed: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Christ’s kingdom is present to us in every prayer, every thought that calls us to believe that we can indeed live in his light, that we can repent and entrust the past to his forgiveness. We must never take this step for granted, embracing it, whenever possible, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Repentance, frequently renewed, opens our lives to the call that Jesus made to Peter and Andrew: 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.'"



TRACT: The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Celebrating God's Forgiveness by Sandra DeGidio, O.S.M.

THE CATHOLIC THING:  Sin & the Rock

EXCERPT CATHOLIC HERALD: We should be dying to go to Confession


Laura relates – and I am sure others will identify with this – that having decided to return to the Church she realised she needed to go to Confession. So she went punctually to the scheduled slot at her local parish – to find the door was locked. She waited 15 minutes but nothing happened. So she went back the next week, accidentally ten minutes late – to find the door was now open but the confessional was empty. The priest had been and gone; he hadn’t waited for a possible latecomer.

Then she drove to a bigger church, relieved to see a sign saying that Confession was scheduled at that moment. She joined a queue, but was puzzled to find that no-one seemed to be coming in or out of the confessional as one would have expected. After half an hour everyone in the queue was growing restless. Finally “a lady walked into the church and announced, ever so apologetically, that the priest scheduled to hear confessions had forgotten about it. He was playing golf instead.”

A friend then suggested to Laura that she go to a weekday Mass and corner the priest afterwards, so that he could hear her confession on the spot. She did this – but unfortunately chose a day when the local primary school was having its own Mass.

Still determined, she decided to go to Mass every morning until she found a priest who would hear her confession. But she fell ill and the plan had to be delayed for a few weeks. Finally, she found another local parish, waited until after Benediction and “strengthened by the graces of the Eucharist, I confessed my sins. The priest was lovely. I cried a lot. He gave me absolution and for penance, a Hail Holy Queen.”

Looking back on these setbacks after two years Laura rejoices that despite “locked doors, golfing priests and nasty germs I returned to the Catholic Church.” I relate all this to remind priests to preach about Confession perhaps more than they do now, and to remember to be available, perhaps at their own inconvenience, for those in need of the Sacrament. After all, the point of being a priest is to save souls. A priest once told me that if he had to choose between celebrating Mass and hearing Confessions he would choose the latter. To bring stray or lost sheep back to the Good Shepherd was what it was all about for him.

As it happened, a friend called on me yesterday. He told me his practice of his Faith had been rather perfunctory until he happened to join a pilgrimage to Lourdes. He decided to skip the scheduled Mass in the underground basilica. Instead, he wandered over to the baths. There he discovered there wasn’t the usual long queue. On impulse he decided to go inside, never having bathed in the waters before. He told me that as soon as he came out of the water an inner voice told him to go to Confession. Needless to say, the grace he received in the sacrament brought about a permanent renewal of his faith.

Lapsed Catholics, aided and abetted by those outside the Church, might gripe about guilt complexes, fixations with sin, bad experiences in the confessional and so on. Actually it’s very simple: we believe that Christ died on the Cross out of love for us; we show our love for Him in return by being faithful to the Sacraments. Confession is about the renewal of a relationship of love between sinner and Saviour. Seen in this light, we should be dying to go; indeed, to stop going on the grounds we have nothing much to confess will lead to spiritual death. That’s a scary thought.

VATICAN.VA: The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation

The Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Possessing Nothing 

10. Cassian said that Syncleticus renounced the world, and divided his property among the poor.  But he kept some for his own use, and so he showed that he was unwilling to accept either the poverty of those who renounce everything or the normal rule of monasteries.  Basil of blessed memory said to him, 'You have stopped being a senator, but you have not become a monk'

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This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.

Medjugorje: An Invitation to Everyone

January 27, 2014 A.D.

 

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Our Lady started giving monthly messages in January 1987, and this first monthly message was a very important one. This message should be central in our understanding of Medjugorje. It expresses the reason for the apparitions which is “the salvation of mankind,” and tells us that “each one of us is chosen by God in order…to save mankind.” Our Lady starts the message with a word we translate “Behold.” At first it seems this word does not add anything to the actual meaning of the sentence. Seemingly the word is insignificant, but it is used to emphasize the great importance of the whole message. When a King, or in this case a Queen, prefaces a statement with “Behold,” then the following words turn into a proclamation. The visionaries think that when Our Lady speaks of “each one,” She speaks in fact to every sincere man who hears this message and wants to live it. Father Jozo Zovko, the first parish priest of Medjugorje at the time of the first apparitions, thinks that this call to “each one of us to save mankind” concerns particularly and primarily each pilgrim who comes to Medjugorje. Each pilgrim is thus invited by God and chosen to have a “great role in God’s design for the salvation of mankind.” We already knew at the very beginning, that the desire of Our Lady through these apparitions was “the conversion of the whole world.” (June 26, 1981) Now we hear that everyone is invited to participate in this plan of conversion. But first we have to change our lives. Here is this essential and crucial message in its entirety:

January 25, 1987

“Dear children, behold, also today I want to call you to start living a new life as of today. Dear children, I want you to comprehend that God has chosen EACH ONE OF YOU, in order to use you in a great plan for the salvation of mankind. You are not able to comprehend how great your role is in God’s design. Therefore, dear children, pray so that in prayer you may be able to comprehend what God’s plan is in your regard. I am with you in order that you may be able to bring it about in all its fullness. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Here Our Lady says that She is with us, that She appears to fulfill the plan to save mankind through each one of us. But we cannot comprehend the magnitude of it all nor our role in this plan without prayer. Then in April of the same year, She confirms:

April 25, 1987

“…pray in order that you may be able to comprehend all that I am giving here….You know that without prayer you cannot comprehend all that God is planning through each one of you. Therefore, pray! I desire that through each one of you God’s plan may be fulfilled…”

The Mother of God starts something new. She does it with each one of us. She cannot do it without our prayers:

February 25, 1987

“…Therefore, dear children, pray, and in prayer you shall realize a new way of joy…”

She is appearing each day for us. She is appearing to help to fulfill Her plan, God’s plan, to save mankind. Our Lady said on October 30, 1986:

“…Dear children, it is for your sake that I have stayed this long so I could help you to fulfill all the messages which I am giving you…”

Again and again, without our prayers nothing is possible!

October 23, 1986

“…Without your prayers, dear children, I cannot help you to fulfill the message which the Lord has given me to give to you…”

Sinful human nature blocks our intelligence so we are not able to understand the greatness of our role in God’s plan. Only through prayer can this veil be removed so that we can see the reality and the truth - we are chosen personally by Our Lady. In June 1981, She gave four sentences to the visionaries, but those sentences were also said for us now, today:

“I invite you. I need you. I chose you. You are important.”

Yes, we are important because Our Lady has said:

August 28, 1986

“…without you I am not able to help the world…”

Without us, without our prayers and conversion, She cannot help mankind.

In an Invitation to Answer Her Call,

Our Lady's call is for the change of our life. Here a few Caritas pilgrims from this past summer are praying during the evening Rosary in Medjugorje. Every pilgrim who comes to Medjugorje has been called by Our Lady in the January 25, 1987 message, to a be part of the "great plan for the salvation of mankind." Are you being called to Medjugorje? Do you want to be part of that great plan?

 

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