December 15, 2014
Dear Children of Medjugorje,
praised be Jesus and Mary!
1. Apparition of December 2, 2014
On December 2, 2014, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, where the crowd was smaller than usual because of the winter season. After the apparition, Mirjana conveyed the following message:
"Dear Children! Remember - for I am telling you that love will win. I know that many of you are loosing hope because around you, you see suffering, pain, jealousy, envy... But, I am your mother. I am in the Kingdom but am also here with you. My Son is sending me anew to help you. Therefore, do not lose hope, instead, follow me - because the victory of my heart is in the name of God. My beloved Son is thinking of you as He has always thought of you. Believe Him and live Him. He is the Life of the world. My children, to live my Son means to live the Gospel. This is not easy. This means love, forgiveness and sacrifice. This purifies and it opens the Kingdom. Sincere prayer, which is not only words but is a prayer which the heart speaks, will help you. Likewise fasting (will help you), because it is still more of love, forgiveness and sacrifice. Therefore, do not lose hope but follow me. I am imploring you anew to pray for your shepherds so that they may always look to my Son who was the first Shepherd of the world and whose family was the entire world. Thank you!"
2. Beautiful Croatian traditions
Before Christmas, the Croatians traditionally plant a handful of wheat grains in pots, so that by Christmas time, small shoots are already forming a green plant bed. This tradition comes from a legend that describes the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. It tells us that the Our Lady, when she was fleeing Herod's soldiers, asked a farmer who was sowing wheat in a field, to tell the pursuers that the family had traveled past his field while he was sowing. When the soldiers came, the wheat had miraculously grown, which forced them to halt.
The Croatians sow the wheat for the feast of Saint Lucia, which is celebrated in the middle of the Advent period. The name Lucia means "light" (LUX, in Latin). This newly sprouted wheat symbolizes the light that glows through the darkness of the winter, and heralds the coming of Christmas. It is one of the rare traditions that is still alive in this region.
There is another beautiful tradition before Christmas which is also still alive. During each Advent period, the children are invited to draw a tunic for Jesus. It is a simple white shirt on which all the marks of their good deeds are affixed. At the end of each day, the parents give the children symbols to paste onto the tunic, and each symbol represents one of their good deeds. The children are very excited by this whole process, and they can't wait to give Jesus, before His birth, a white tunic made beautiful through all their good deeds. Let us hope that this tradition continues! Try it with your children!
3. The little hands of a Child
A young mother of a family, a friend who has an intense prayer life, comes to Medjugorje each year. She sometimes receives a light in her soul from Jesus. With her permission, I will share this recent event,
which fits so well for the Christmas season:
"One day at home, very early in the morning, I felt the little hands of the Child Jesus on my cheeks, waking me gently. Then, suddenly, in spirit, I found myself in the Stable, among shepherds and other people from the area of Bethlehem. Everyone was marveling and looking at the indescribable kindness that was emanating from the Child Jesus. The people present were in solemn adoration, attracted by divine grace. They were privileged souls in that holy night. I was just a witness. The Lord pointed out, within me, someone who had just lost his children in the terrible slaughter of the Innocents and who, on that dark day, had said, 'It is because of this Baby that I lost my children.' Upon hearing these words, the Child Jesus said to me: 'I beg you, tell them and tell everyone that it is not my fault! It was Herod who killed them, they should name the cause of this evil. Tell them that I will return to the Palace, I will meet Herod and I will let myself be killed. But I will take their children back and I will give them back alive. May they not say that I am cruel! Let them call evil by its own name. I am Love.'
Deeply moved by this immense kindness, I cried, thinking of all the times when, though I did not want to, I thought that God was cruel. I blamed him for all the evil that is around us. The soul that the Lord had pointed out to me was in adoration, seized by grace. She represented every one of us who are going ahead, willing to be converted and who recognize the living Jesus present in our lives. And yet, in time of suffering, the soul cries out against God. How often do we too, when trials knock at our door, turn against God!
It is a sin that can be very subtle! Let us reject it completely! God is infinite Love and He cannot even think of doing harm to His creatures. On the contrary, through his Goodness and his Almighty Power, He can transform Evil into Good.
4. Christmas with the Gospa?
In Medjugorje, Our Lady often explained to the visionaries how to live the Advent period. In order to properly prepare the "Day of Joy", she invites us to build the Nativity scene at the very beginning of Advent, so that we enter, together with her and Saint Joseph, into the period where we are awaiting the coming of Jesus. She invites us to enjoy the richness of the liturgical readings together each day, and to share our thoughts. This activity draws the Holy Spirit into our families, and lights a flame in our hearts. This is also the right moment for great acts of charity, for example visiting the sick, those who are alone, the broken-hearted, bringing them the comfort of our friendship and any goods that they may need.
She invites us to pray more, especially during the novena from the 16th to the 24th of December, and to offer a sacrifice: "Dear children, give up something that you are most attached to," (tea, coffee, cigarettes, sweets, chocolate, TV, alcohol, electronic games, etc.).
Mary reminds us that it is on Christmas Eve night that the greatest number of souls leave Purgatory, so let us make sure that our beloved who have gone before benefit from this favor!
This year, at Christmas, Mary will appear with the Child Jesus in her arms to 4 of the visionaries, Marija, Ivan, Vicka (who see her every day), and Jakov, who will have his annual apparition. We will be present to entrust all your intentions to the Child Jesus!
Write to Him again! Before Christmas, we receive many letters addressed to Jesus for His birthday from many countries. He is rejected millions of times a day in our world, a world that is killing its own children, so let us tell Him how happy we are to welcome Him! (See PS3). Let us offer Him the little uncomfortable manger of our heart, to rest in, and He will be so consoled! He will transform us through His innocence. He will lead us out of our culture of death. It is the innocence of the poorest of the newborns that will conquer evil. "Dear children," Our Lady told us, "at Christmas time, allow the Child Jesus to be born in your hearts!"
5. Saints are waiting for you!
Do not forget to draw the name of a saint on Christmas day or on New Year's Day, who will be your companion for all of 2015! (See PS1)
Dearest Gospa, Mother of God, you who gave birth to the One who is the Light of the world, we want to celebrate with you the most beautiful Christmas of our life! We ask you to please place this Child into our hearts, this Child that is the delight of all the saints!
Sister Emmanuel +
(Translated from the French)
© Sr. Emmanuel Maillard 2014
Permission is given to use the text of these reports under two conditions: 1) No words are changed, 2) "Children of Medjugorje" is cited along with our website: www.childrenofmedjugorje.com
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