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From the Desk of Sr. Emmanuel Maillard
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Dear Children of Medjugorje, Praised be Jesus and Mary!
1. September 2, 2016, Mirjana received
her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross in the presence of a large
crowd of people who had come to spend the end of their holidays with the
Mother of God! After the apparition, she conveyed the following
message:
"Dear children, according to the will of my Son and my
motherly love, I am coming to you, my children, but especially to those
who have not yet come to know the love of my Son. I am coming to you who
think of me and who invoke me. To you, I am giving my motherly love and
I am carrying the blessing of my Son. Do you have pure and open hearts,
and do you see the gifts, the signs of my presence and love? My
children, in your earthly life, be led by my example. My life was pain,
silence and immeasurable faith and trust in the Heavenly Father. Nothing
is by chance: neither pain, nor joy, nor suffering, nor love. All of
these are graces which my Son grants to you and which lead you to
eternal life. Of you, my Son asks for love and prayer in Him. As a
mother I will teach you: to love and to pray in Him means to pray in the
silence of your soul and not only reciting with your lips; it is even
the least beautiful gesture done in the name of my Son - it is patience,
mercy, the acceptance of pain and sacrifice done for the sake of
another. My children, my Son is looking at you. Pray that you also may
see His face and that it may be revealed to you. My children, I am
revealing to you the only and real truth. Pray that you may comprehend
it and be able to spread love and hope; that you may be able to be
apostles of my love. In a special way, my motherly heart loves the
shepherds. Pray for their blessed hands. Thank you."
2. Saint Charbel is alive and well!
After the beautiful testimony of our friend Charbel Maroun
about Vicka's journey to the Holy Land in 2013 (see PS 1), I want to
mention here another part of what he shared about the great saint of the
Middle East: Charbel Makhlouf. At Medjugorje, you see his picture
everywhere! Why?
The many Lebanese who come to Medjugorje (their number has
doubled since last year), are proud of their saint and amaze us with
their stories. Charbel Maroun, who lives in Galilee, told us: "A great
miracle occurred in Nazareth 3 years ago.
Teresa, a Catholic, who was suffering from a terrible cancer
in the knee, went to consult a doctor with a great reputation, who was
Jewish and an atheist. He saw that this cancer was very dangerous and
required immediate surgery. The analysis was clear: the disease appeared
to be incurable. Upon hearing this news, Teresa decided to go to Mount
Carmel where there is a large sanctuary dedicated to St. Charbel and
take some of the "blessed oil" from the shrine of the Saint in Annaya,
Lebanon. Indeed, the monks collect the oil from the oil lamps hanging
near his tomb, put it in vials, bless it and offer it to pilgrims.
Teresa rubbed the oil into her leg and knee that were affected by the
terrible illness.
A few days later, she went to the hospital for surgery. But
strangely, on the morning of the surgery, the surgeon postponed the
operation. Teresa couldn't understand why and feared the worst. The
doctor then came into her room to explain: "I'm going crazy," he said.
"The cancer has disappeared completely! I've never seen such a thing!"
Teresa told him it was a miracle achieved through the intercession of St
Charbel. This Jewish and atheist doctor did not accept this
explanation, and decided to visit his patient to check the foods she was
eating and the air she was breathing. But he found nothing. In
addition, all the tests that followed showed that the cancer had left no
trace. The only explanation was that this was a miracle.
Teresa told the doctor everything she knew about the saint
and how she had anointed herself with the oil. This testimony touched
this atheist doctor so deeply that he personally went to Mount Carmel,
to the sanctuary of St Charbel. A memorable visit indeed! He was so
moved by what he found there, especially the fervent prayer of so many
young people, that he asked the Israeli media to broadcast this
incredible miracle. This was the 1st Christian miracle broadcast by the
Israeli media. Today, 3 years later, Teresa is doing well.
The reason I am publishing this is because the Mother of God
often invites us to read the lives of the saints and to draw inspiration
from them on the path to holiness. Teresa's healing is a great thing,
but like all of us, she will one day have to leave this earth. What will
be important then for her in eternity is the wealth of divine love
which will be found in her soul! The aim of the saints when they grant a
physical healing is of course bodily health, but above all, it is to
awaken the person's awareness and turn it toward God with greater
courage and enthusiasm. People who have been healed look at how the
saint lived and what lessons they can learn from this example for their
own path. That is why a physical healing is often followed by a real
conversion of the heart.
Another detail about St Charbel: often, he comes to visit
people in their dreams. Then they understand how close he is to them.
But the most spectacular event is that he appears in operating rooms!
Doctors have seen this monk appear in his black robe, not only in
Lebanon, but also in the Holy Land. He participates in the surgery, and
seeing his skill, doctors are flabbergasted and wonder how this monk
knows surgery better than they who studied for 10 years!
With Saint Charbel, we are in the presence of a sign given by
God for our troubled times. Why now? God knows! But we, in prayer, can
understand and give thanks.
3. How can we not talk about the terrible ordeal that has befallen Italy with the earthquake!
I am writing this monthly letter earlier to make an urgent
appeal. In the midst of all the stories published by the media, on the
Internet or by private individuals, I kept in mind the luminous idea of a
resident from Amatrice that will surely bear fruit in our hearts:
"On television or the internet, she said, I look for the
faces of the elderly people from the nursing home where I go to mass. I
see Don Savino, the priest, crying on the TV news program, this man
usually so shy and measured. I see the women's retirement home
completely collapsed. I hear that 3 nuns, Sr Cecilia, Sr Agathe and Sr
Anna have not been found. I think they are dead. One of them surely came
to open the door on the morning when I was late.
What can be done in these cases? I ask myself what I would
want myself if I were in this situation? I would want prayers. If I were
in mortal danger, I would want prayers. Most importantly, if I had to
stand before God for judgment, I would beg all the unknown believers of
this world to implore his mercy for me.
In this Jubilee year of Mercy, we could each adopt one of the
victims. The point would be to take the plenary indulgence offered by
the Jubilee for that person. We could choose a name, or let God choose
the most anonymous victim of all. An old person, a caregiver, an
isolated person, a child... That happened to the 14 year-old girl whose
father was interviewed on the news, a father who stood outside the house
of nightmare, speechless. What dreadful pain! Is someone praying for
his daughter? Is she saved? If not, who is asking for an indulgence for
her?
We can be at her side with the greatest possible act of
charity to our neighbor by presenting her to Our Father, asking for His
forgiveness of her sins, but also the release of temporal punishment
resulting from sin. Isn't this the greatest way of helping?" (Constance
Miriano)
4. Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be canonized canonized in Rome on September 4
It happens often that saints grant extraordinary graces to
those who pray to them and venerate them on the day of their
canonization. Let us thank God for having given us such friends in
heaven and such examples on earth!
Here is a quote written on the wall of Mother
Teresa's orphanage in Calcutta, which she exemplified so well and that
helps us to raise our souls to God and choose holiness in everyday life:
"People are often self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, they may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough. Give the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."
Mother Teresa - Official Canonization Portrait by Chas Fagan
Here is a story that depicts the strong
personality of Mother Teresa: A Canadian priest had worked with her for
years in the home of the dying. But one day, he felt it was all too
much. Suddenly disgusted by his work, he went to see Mother and said to
her: "Mother, I can't stand this filth, these disgusting smells, this
sweltering heat any more... I'm going back to America!" Mother Teresa
then looked at him straight in the eyes, and with those fiery eyes that
characterized her, she retorted: "Go back to work!" One word from her,
and the priest was out of his crisis.
Dearest Gospa,
how good it is to have you as a
Mother and refuge next to your heart under your mother's mantle, in
these troubled times! Keep us faithful to your son Jesus amidst the
waves!
Sister Emmanuel +
(Translated from French)
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P.S. 1. Charbel Maroun also gave this testimony at the Youth Festival in August 2013.
P.S. 2.
On the evening of 22 August, Ivan received
this message from the Virgin on the Hill of Podbrdo, during the open
appearance to all:
"Dear children, today I want to invite you
to live my messages. Do not just talk about the messages, but live
them! Be my living sign, the sign of my presence here. Share it with
others through your presence. Pray more for my intentions, together with
me! Follow me, do not be afraid, I am with you and I intercede for you
with my son Jesus. Thank you, dear children, because today once again
you answered my invitation."
We are looking for a good Italian-French translator and another Italian-Chinese translator (simplified and traditional Chinese) to translate Sister's new booklet on Fasting. Contact gospa.fr@gmail.com
P.S.4. Watch the 10-minute videos of "Sr Emmanuel's little spiritual advice" at:
P.S. 5. We are revamping our webstore and moving distributors. Thank you for your patience through this transition.
P.S. 6. Get this smartphone application!
Here you will find Mary's official messages since 1984. It's free and
available in English and in other languages on app store. In the search
box, type Medjugorje Friends of Mary. Share this great news with your
friends! Evangelize!
P.S. 7. Write a letter to your Blessed Mother! She
will answer you during prayer! Mail it to "Queen of Peace", BP 2157,
F-06103 Nice cedex, France. We will deliver it to a visionary.
P.S. 8. Sister Emmanuel's Newsletter can be received in many languages!
Children of Medjugorje, INC, PO Box 18430, Denver, CO 80218
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