Mother Mary said at Fatima: "My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the sure way which will lead you to God." St. Thomas Aquinas said: "The things we love tell us who we are!" With that in mind, I will try to post each day something about Our Blessed Lady, items about the Holy Roman Catholic Church, and public domain Catholic books too! I pray you enjoy my ministry!
Below are two albums of pictures that I created:
1. Our grand daughter Adrianna.
2. Tears of Mary!
Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 1 Springs of Living Water!
Dear Family of Mary!
Today we begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit which will culminate with the Feast of Pentecost! This year I want to keep the readings and prayers simple and short. We will consider a message from Our Lady of Medjugorje, read a scripture and then pray a prayer to the Holy Spirit.
Let's ask Our Lady to guide us in this novena, preparing us as she prepared the Apostles in the upper room on that first Pentecost!
Our Lady spoke to us on April 2, 2014:
"Dear children, with a motherly love I desire to help you with your life of prayer and penance to be a sincere attempt at drawing closer to my Son and His divine light - that you may know how to separate yourselves from sin. Every prayer, every Mass and every fasting is an attempt at drawing closer to my Son, a reminder of His glory and a refuge from sin - it is a way to a renewed union of the good Father and His children. Therefore, my dear children, with hearts open and full of love, cry out the name of the Heavenly Father that He may illuminate you with the Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit you will become a spring of God's love. All those who do not know my Son, all those thirsting for the love and peace of my Son, will drink from this spring. Thank you. Pray for your shepherds. I pray for them and I desire that they may always feel the blessing of my motherly hands and the support of my motherly heart." (April 02, 2014)
This reminds me of Jesus' words in John, Chapter 7:
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (Jn 7: 37-39)
When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, our hearts become springs of living water, springs of the love of God, which flow out on those who do not know the love of Jesus. The Holy Spirit makes us capable of loving others. This is a great thing. We can change the world, if we learn to love and are empowered to love by the Spirit.
I get a bit cross-eyed on the Feast of the Ascension because some dioceses transfer the feast to Sunday. But for me it makes sense to have it on Thursday!! And then we have 9 days for the Novena for the Holy Spirit before Pentecost. So, let's celebrate the Ascension today at least in our reflection!
The Gospel for today:
Jesus said to his disciples: "Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high."
Then he led them out as far as Bethany and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually in the temple blessing God. (Luke 24:46-53)
Power from on high!! The Promise of the Father! This is the gift that Jesus won for us. The Holy Spirit given to us as our indwelling Lord. We receive everything we need in the plan of God through the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, we can do nothing. We are blind and weak, as far as the heavenly realities are concerned. Without the Holy Spirit we have very little to offer Our Lord. Our Lady tells us how much we need the Holy Spirit:
May 25, 1993 "Dear children! Today I invite you to open yourselves to God by means of prayer, so the Holy Spirit may begin to work miracles in you and through you. I am with you and I intercede before God for each one of you because, dear children, each one of you is important in my plan of salvation. I invite you to be carriers of good and peace. God can give you peace only if you convert and pray. Therefore, my dear little children, pray, pray, pray and do that which the Holy Spirit inspires you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Even as Jesus was ascending to His Father, He made sure that His disciples understood that He was not going to leave them orphaned. He was sending the Holy Spirit to be with them as guide, teacher, power, and love in their lives. Our Lady urges us to open ourselves to God by means of prayer so the Holy Spirit will begin to work in us and through us. What will He do? Miracles!!
We will begin the Novena to the Holy Spirit tomorrow! Get ready!!!
May 29, 2019 Dear Family of Mary! As we approach the Ascension of the Lord and Pentecost Sunday, we become more and more aware of the role of the Holy Spirit according to Jesus. He said in the Gospel for today in John Chapter 16: 5-11. Here is a portion of the Gospel:
Jesus said to his disciples:
"But now I am going to Him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (Jn 16: 5-7 RSV)
So the role of the Holy Spirit is vital and essential. But it can seem a bit invisible sometimes. So, let's look at this passage from St. Faustina's Diary, entry 359, in which she talks of her experience of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
359January 10, 1935. +Thursday. In the evening during Benediction, such thoughts as these began to distress me: Is not perhaps all this that I am saying about God's great mercy just a lie or an illusion? And I wanted to think about this for a while, when I heard a strong and clear inner voice saying, Everything that you say about My goodness is true; language has no adequate expression to extol My goodness. These words were so filled with power and so clear that I would give my life in declaring they came from God. I can tell this by the profound peace that accompanied them at that time and that still remains with me. This peace gives me such great strength and power that all difficulties, adversities, sufferings, and death itself are as nothing. This light gave me a glimpse of the truth that all my efforts to bring souls to know the mercy of the Lord are very pleasing to God. And from this springs such great joy in my soul that I do not know whether it could be any greater in heaven. Oh, if souls would only be willing to listen, at least a little, to the voice of conscience and the voice - that is, the inspirations - of the Holy Spirit! I say, "at least a little," because once we open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He Himself will fulfill what is lacking in us. (Diary, 359)
I think there is so much more we can learn from what St. Faustina says here. First, she was before the Blessed Sacrament, and she started to get distressing thoughts. Usually where do those thoughts come from?? And God intervened...Jesus spoke to her through the Holy Spirit, addressing those thoughts and protecting her from them by telling her that "Everything that you say about My goodness is true. Language has no adequate expression to extol My goodness." Jesus and the Holy Spirit just blew all those thoughts away. Don't we need this kind of help from the Holy Spirit in our day. We are inundated by the lies and negativity of the devil all the time through the Media. Well, St. Faustina was facing very difficult times too, but she received such peace from the Holy Spirit that day. She says: "These words were so filled with power and so clear that I would give my life in declaring they came from God." She felt the power of the Holy Spirit in the words. They filled her whole heart with peace, with strength, with a firm foundation for her. She was confirmed in what she was doing and was given the peace to continue. This was a really, really important moment for St. Faustina. She didn't forget it. She wrote it down. And she recognized that, "Oh, if souls would only be willing to listen, at least a little, to the voice of conscience and the voice - that is, the inspirations - of the Holy Spirit! I say, "at least a little," because once we open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He Himself will fulfill what is lacking in us." That's the important thing. We have to acquire a silence in our souls. We need to be quiet enough to hear what the Holy Spirit will say because He doesn't scream at us!! He doesn't interrupt us, but He gently says things that we could easily overlook. But we need Him to make it through our challenges. Our Lady once said to us:
May 25, 2001 "Dear children! At this time of grace, I call you to prayer. Little children, you work much but without God's blessing. Bless and seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to lead you at this time so that you may comprehend and live in the grace of this time. Convert, little children, and kneel in the silence of your hearts. Put God in the center of your being so that, in that way, you can witness in joy the beauty that God continually gives in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Our Lady works like a little megaphone to make the Holy Spirit's voice louder! She amplifies it for us, so we can notice it. She gives us clues about Him. She is guiding us spiritually, so we will get very close to the Holy Spirit and we will be guided by Him all the time. As Denis always says, you can't separate the two, Mary and the Holy Spirit!! We should be very grateful that we are not alone in this very difficult time in history. We are not alone.
"Dear children, my real, living presence among you should make you happy because this is the great love of my Son. He is sending me among you so that, with a motherly love, I may grant you safety... (July 2, 2016)
"Dear children! God permitted me, out of His mercy, to be with you, to instruct and lead you towards the way of conversion. Little children, you are all called to pray with all your heart for the plan of salvation to be realized for you and through you. Be aware, little children, that life is short and eternal life waits for you according to your merit. Therefore, pray, pray, pray to be worthy instruments in God's hands. Thank you for having responded to my call." (May 25, 2019)
Our Lady tells us "Little children, you are all called to pray with all your heart for the plan of salvation to be realized for you and through you..." The call we have been given is to first and foremost be intercessors with Mary for the plan of salvation in this world. But does our prayer really make a difference?
I think that it can be easy to undervalue our prayer. We can wonder if our prayer helps Our Lady at all. I wonder if we undervalue prayer when we don't pray with the heart. Prayer that consists of words or even ideas, is not prayer. Prayer is a conversation with God, a meeting of old friends who can speak to one another even in silence. Prayer is a joining of hearts in the desire for peace, for the good of others.
This kind of prayer moves mountains. This kind of prayer changes things. In prayer with the heart, God listens to our hearts and shares His heart with us, and the meeting is filled with power. The Holy Spirit is present in this kind of prayer. And things happen.
Prayer with the heart is a mystery of love. We all want to pray with the heart. In the Catechism of the Catholic Church there is a beautiful description of prayer with the heart which may help us begin to pray more deeply from our hearts:
2562 Where does prayer come from? Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times). According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain.
2563 The heart is the dwelling-place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place "to which I withdraw." The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant.
2564 Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and of man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man.
Prayer as communion
2565 In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father who is good beyond measure, with his Son Jesus Christ and with the Holy Spirit. The grace of the Kingdom is "the union of the entire holy and royal Trinity . . . with the whole human spirit."12 Thus, the life of prayer is the habit of being in the presence of the thrice-holy God and in communion with him. This communion of life is always possible because, through Baptism, we have already been united with Christ.13 Prayer is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and extends throughout the Church, which is his Body. Its dimensions are those of Christ's love.14
12 St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Oratio, 16, 9: PG 35, 945. 13 Cf. ⇒ Rom 6:5. 14 Cf. ⇒ Eph 3:18-21.
The life of prayer! Isn't this a wonderful idea! Our whole life can be prayer. And in that prayer, prayer from the heart, with the heart, to the Heart of God, we can live in constant communion with God. In that communion, we can pray for Our Lady's plans with power and great joy! Because who could want Our Lady's plans to succeed more than the Lord God who sent her!!
May we all grow in our prayer with the heart in these days. We will be so happy if we do!
The Second Conversion - The Sacrament of Reconciliation
(C)Mary TV
May 27, 2019 St. Augustine of Canterbury
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children! God permitted me, out of His mercy, to be with you, to instruct and lead you towards the way of conversion. Little children, you are all called to pray with all your heart for the plan of salvation to be realized for you and through you. Be aware, little children, that life is short and eternal life waits for you according to your merit. Therefore, pray, pray, pray to be worthy instruments in God's hands. Thank you for having responded to my call." (May 25, 2019)
Our Lady again tells us that the Father has sent her to us to teach us the way of conversion. She has told us the conversion is an everyday process, something we do until the day we die! Conversion is a turning of our inner compass toward our ultimate goal, union with God. And we all know how easy it is to veer off that path!
The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us there are two conversions. The first is the awakening of faith and choice to be Baptized. The Second is the daily struggle to remain faithful and pure to Jesus:
II. THE CONVERSION OF THE BAPTIZED
1427 Jesus calls to conversion. This call is an essential part of the proclamation of the kingdom: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."16 In the Church's preaching this call is addressed first to those who do not yet know Christ and his Gospel. Also, Baptism is the principal place for the first and fundamental conversion. It is by faith in the Gospel and by Baptism17 that one renounces evil and gains salvation, that is, the forgiveness of all sins and the gift of new life.
1428 Christ's call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, "clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification, [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal."18 This endeavor of conversion is not just a human work. It is the movement of a "contrite heart," drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first.19
1429 St. Peter's conversion after he had denied his master three times bears witness to this. Jesus' look of infinite mercy drew tears of repentance from Peter and, after the Lord's resurrection, a threefold affirmation of love for him.20 The second conversion also has a communitarian dimension, as is clear in the Lord's call to a whole Church: "Repent!"21
St. Ambrose says of the two conversions that, in the Church, "there are water and tears: the water of Baptism and the tears of repentance."22
(From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Paragraphs 1427-29)
So the second conversion is a work for the whole Church, gathered in faith to love and serve the Lord. Conversion is the realization that not all of our natural dispositions are oriented to holiness and that many of our decisions can be counter to the call of God. Like St. Peter, we make mistakes and lose our way. But Jesus calls us back with His great compassion and forgiveness. We have only to turn to Him again.
He will say to us, as He did to Peter: "Do you love me?" And we will again search our hearts to find the answer and hopefully respond like Peter, "Lord, you know I love you!"
Thank you, dearest Mother, for taking on this incredible task of coming to us in this time and calling us to conversion. You are the most loving ambassador God could have chosen to send in this time to our wayward Church and world. May we respond like Peter and turn every day to Jesus with love.
God permitted me, out of His mercy, to be with you, to instruct and lead you towards the way of conversion.
Little children, you are all called to pray with all your heart for the plan of salvation to be realized for you and through you. Be aware, little children, that life is short and eternal life waits for you according to your merit.
Therefore, pray, pray, pray to be worthy instruments in God's hands.
Thank you for having responded to my call."
See more messages and articles about Medjugorje on our website:
"Dear children! This is a time of grace, a time of mercy for each of you. Little children, do not permit that the wind of hatred and peacelessness rule in you and around you. You, little children, are called to be love and prayer. The devil wants peacelessness and disorder, but you, little children, be the joy of the risen Jesus who died and resurrected for each of you. He conquered death to give you life, eternal life. Therefore, little children, witness and be proud that you have resurrected in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call."(April 25, 2019)
Tomorrow we hope to receive a new message from Our Lady. I always like to review the message of the previous month in preparation for the next one. This message was a call to celebrate the Truth! Our Lady gave us the way to withstand the onslaught of disorder and lack of peace in our world today. She doesn't tell us to worry over the evil that surrounds us, but to instead celebrate the good that reigns in our lives!
1. This is a time of grace!! Do we feel it?
2. This is a time of mercy!! Do we immerse ourselves in it?
3. We are called to be love!! Do we choose love?
4. We are called to be prayer!! Are we praying?
5. We are called to be the joy of the Risen Jesus, who died and resurrected for each of us!! Are we joyful in the Resurrection?
6. We are called to rejoice that Jesus conquered death to give us eternal life!! Do we truly believe in eternal life?
7. We are called to be proud that we are resurrected in Jesus - given new lives in Him!! Do we get our sense of value from Jesus' new life, offered to us?
8. Through this truth we can deny access to the devil and his lies about life. We can stand firm and free!! Do we embrace the truth?
Our Mother is no wimp! She knows we have an adversary who hates us and wishes to destroy us. But she knows that Jesus is stronger than any adversary. She knows that we have all we need to defeat the devil in our lives. We have a Risen Savior who loves us!!
May 23, 2019 Dear Family of Mary, Our Lady asks us to give time to prayer. She tells us that we will not understand the times we are in if we do not pray. We will not recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit, and we will miss His action in our lives if we do not pray. We can be like little blind puppies who do not have a clue what is happening all around them. Their little eyes have not opened yet. But Our Lady wants our spiritual eyes to now be open. She needs us to be inspired and led by the Holy Spirit so that we can help her in her great plan for the salvation of mankind. May we commit ourselves to prayer so that we will be able to see by the light of the Holy Spirit. To see what God is doing in our time! You might use these messages as meditations for your Rosary today:
November 8, 1984 "Dear children! You are not conscious of the messages which God is sending you through me. He is giving you great graces and you do not comprehend them. Pray to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. If you only knew how great the graces God is granting you are, you would be praying without ceasing. Thank you for having responded to my call."
May 9, 1985 "Dear children! No, you do not know how many graces God is giving you. You do not want to move ahead during these days when the Holy Spirit is working in a special way. Your hearts are turned toward the things of earth and they preoccupy you. Turn your hearts toward prayer and seek the Holy Spirit to be poured out on you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
May 23, 1985 "Dear children! These days I call you in a special way to open your hearts to the Holy Spirit. Especially during these days, the Holy Spirit is working through you. Open your hearts and surrender your life to Jesus so that He works through your hearts and strengthens you in faith. Thank you for having responded to my call."
July 25, 1994 "Dear children! Today I invite you to decide to give time patiently for prayer. Little children, you cannot say you are mine and that you have experienced conversion through my messages if you are not ready to give time to God every day. I am close to you and I bless you all. Little children, do not forget that if you do not pray you are not close to me, nor are you close to the Holy Spirit who leads you along the path to holiness. Thank you for having responded to my call."
July 25, 1995 "Dear children! Today I invite you to prayer because only in prayer can you understand my coming here. The Holy Spirit will enlighten you to understand that you must convert. Little children, I wish to make of you a most beautiful bouquet prepared for eternity, but you do not accept the way of conversion, the way of salvation that I am offering you through these apparitions. Little children, pray, convert your hearts and come closer to me. May good overcome evil. I love you and bless you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Do I give enough time to prayer? Am I praying in such a way as to be open to God and to His inspirations? Is my understanding of the graces of this time growing? How can I grow in prayer?
"I would like to guide you spiritually, but I would not know how to help you, if you are not open. It suffices for you to think, for example, where you were with your thoughts yesterday during Mass. When you go to Mass, your trip from home to church should be a time of preparation for Mass. You should also receive Holy Communion with an open and pure heart; purity of heart and openness. Do not leave the church without an appropriate act of thanksgiving. I can help you only if you are accessible to my suggestions; I cannot help you if you are not open. The most important 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."
In this message Our Lady gives some very practical advice for our spiritual life.
We need to be open to Our Lady's advice: "I would like to guide you spiritually, but I would not know how to help you, if you are not open." She has been sent by the Father to help us find our way into the safe haven of God's Heart. Do we truly understand the magnitude of this gift? Jesus' Mother is with us to help us go to heaven.
We need to examine our daily habits to see what we truly are giving ourselves to: "It suffices for you to think, for example, where you were with your thoughts yesterday during Mass." I must admit that I have a battle each day at Mass. My thoughts are not the best. I notice other people. I wonder why this person is missing today. I like the new jacket the lady in front of me is wearing. I yawn and realize how tired I am. I get distracted by the cute kids on the left. Then I daydream about my grandchildren...well you can see that I can waste a lot of time at Mass, not praying!!!! For me it is a daily struggle to control my thoughts. How open am I to the graces of Holy Mass?
We need to be more intentional about our participation at Mass: "When you go to Mass, your trip from home to church should be a time of preparation for Mass." If I did that I am sure I wouldn't daydream so much at Mass.
We also need to try to receive Jesus with a pure and holy heart: "You should also receive Holy Communion with an open and pure heart; purity of heart and openness. Do not leave the church without an appropriate act of thanksgiving." Approaching Holy Communion with wonder and awe, with love and thanksgiving is the most awesome experience!! Once we actually do this, we will never return to the ho-hum communions of the past!
Again, Our Lady reminds us we need to be open: "I can help you only if you are accessible to my suggestions; I cannot help you if you are not open." Openness to Our Lady is key to all that follows. As we mentioned before, our hearts must not be turned inward on ourselves. Openness is key to following Our Lady and to loving the Lord!
Finally she hits us with the zinger! "The most important 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." Things will change!! We will be astounded at how things will change if we accept the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings us the Kingdom, the life of Heaven itself here on earth. Things will change!!
Do I try my best to be open to the Lord? Do I try to prepare for Mass, receive Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament with the awe and wonder that He truly engenders? Do I ask for the Holy Spirit to come to me every day? Am I open to God and to Our Lady? May we all open our hearts to the Holy Spirit as never before so that we will be changed, and things will change around us for the good!
During this time before Pentecost, I feel it is very important to give time in prayer to our relationship to the Holy Spirit. We have 19 days left before the Feast of Pentecost. Nine of those days will be dedicated to the Novena to the Holy Spirit! The other ten days we can use to prepare us for the Novena! I will dedicate my reflections to this preparation by taking a message from Our Lady and giving it some time, some attention!
Here is the message for today:
May 25, 1993 "Dear children! Today I invite you to open yourselves to God by means of prayer, so the Holy Spirit may begin to work miracles in you and through you. I am with you and I intercede before God for each one of you because, dear children, each one of you is important in my plan of salvation. I invite you to be carriers of good and peace. God can give you peace only if you convert and pray. Therefore, my dear little children, pray, pray, pray and do that which the Holy Spirit inspires you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Opening ourselves to God is a life-long process. It is like conversion. It is a daily task. Our hearts do not just stay open to God. They easily close up. There are lots of reasons for the closing. For me it can be anxiety. I see the list of things I have to do, and I get nervous, even afraid. I have to "make" myself perform, no matter what. And my eyes get focused entirely on myself and God is forgotten. The only thing for me at that moment is the work and my anxiety about it.
This is only one way that we can become closed. There are many inner states of mind that can close us up. Fear, unforgiveness, envy, woundedness, inordinate desires, and on and on. But the closed heart cannot receive from God. In that state the Holy Spirit cannot enter and begin to work through us. Closed hearts reject the Holy Spirit.
Our Lady says that the Spirit wants to work miracles in us and through us! She says that she wants us to be important parts of her plans of salvation for the world. How sad it is that we are invited to such a wonderful work and yet we can close ourselves off and say "no" to these gifts of grace due to our self-absorption.
God needs us! Our Lady needs us! They need us to be carriers of good and peace. This can only happen if we get our eyes off of ourselves and open our hearts to the God who loves us and sends His Spirit to us, to heal us, work miracles through us and help Our Lady in her plans of peace.
How have I closed my heart to You, Lord, today. Please show me so that I can convert and open myself to you now!!
May 20, 2019 St. Bernardine of Siena Dear Family of Mary! "These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." (John 14:25-26) Our Lady has pointed her children toward the Holy Spirit, consistently throughout her coming to Medjugorje. Like Jesus said, there is too much to say about God and His plans for us. Our Lady can only hint at what the Father wants to accomplish in each of us. It is the Holy Spirit who actually can come to us with distinct and unique directives for each one of us. He comes as the Counselor to teach us what do to and how to do it!! He is God, He can manage all the details and all the timing perfectly. All He needs is our cooperation. He needs the ears of our hearts open and attuned to His voice. Then he can guide us in this vast plan of salvation the Father is enacting in this time, today! In the next days I will share some of Our Lady's messages concerning the Holy Spirit. As we approach Pentecost Sunday (less than three weeks now) we can let her messages open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. May we be ready for the outpouring of God, the Holy Spirit, upon us!! Here are some simple messages to begin with:
Friday, 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."
Advent 1983 "Begin by calling on the Holy Spirit each day. The most important thing is to pray to the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit descends on earth, then everything becomes clear and everything is transformed."
Monday, January 2, 1984 "Why have you stopped saying the prayer to the Holy Spirit. I have asked you to pray always and at all times so that the Holy Spirit may descend over all of you. Begin again to pray for that."
The visionaries had stopped saying the prayer to the Holy Spirit thinking that it was said only until Christmas.
June 9, 1984 (Saturday) "Dear children! Tomorrow night pray for the Spirit of Truth! Especially, you from the parish because you need the Spirit of Truth to be able to convey the messages just the way they are, neither adding anything to them, nor taking anything whatsoever away from them, but just the way I said them. Pray for the Holy Spirit to inspire you with the spirit of prayer, so you will pray more. I, your Mother, tell you that you are praying little. Thank you for having responded to my call."
November 8, 1984 "Dear children! You are not conscious of the messages which God is sending you through me. He is giving you great graces and you do not comprehend them. Pray to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. If you only knew how great are the graces God is granting you, you would be praying without ceasing. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Medjugorje, May 18, 2019 Dear children of Medjugorje, praise be to Jesus and Mary!
1. On May 2nd, 2019, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, surrounded by a large crowd of pilgrims. After the apparition, she conveyed this message: "Dear children, with a motherly love I am calling you to respond to the great love of my Son, with pure and open hearts, with complete trust. I know the greatness of His love. I carried Him within me, the Host in the heart, the light and the love of the world. My children, also my addressing you is a sign of the love and tenderness of the Heavenly Father-a big smile filled with the love of my Son, a call to eternal life. Out of love, the Blood of my Son was shed for you. That Precious Blood is for your salvation, for eternal life. The Heavenly Father created man for eternal happiness. It is not possible-for you who know the love of my Son and who follow Him-to die. Life triumphed; my Son is alive. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, may prayer show you the way and the means of spreading the love of my Son-prayer in the most exalted form. My children, also when you strive to live the words of my Son, you are praying. When you love the people whom you meet, you are spreading the love of my Son. It is love that opens the doors of Paradise. My children, from the beginning, I prayed for the Church. Therefore, I am also calling you, apostles of my love, to pray for the Church and her servants-for those whom my Son called. Thank you." Now, as is the case for all websites associated with Medjugorje, we will no longer be able to publish the link to Mirjana's apparition, because this has been requested by the authorities. We will however provide a simple photo of Mirjana. Obedience is always blessed!
2. A Nuclear power plant? In this time of grace and mercy coupled with very difficult struggles, the Blessed Mother has given us a very important message, which may go unnoticed. It concerns the formation of prayer groups, which will more and more constitute the backbone of the Church of tomorrow.
"Dear children, renew prayer in your families and form prayer groups. In this way, you will experience joy in prayer and communion. All those who pray and are members of prayer groups are open to God's will in their hearts and joyfully witness God's love." (Sept 25, 2000) "Prayer groups are powerful, and through them I can see that the Holy Spirit is at work in the world." (June 25, 2004) More than ever, these small prayer groups that are cropping up here and there as fruits of Medjugorje (and from other good works of the Church) are important, provided of course that they unite hearts. Our lady strongly emphasizes unity among the members of a group, for then, she says, such a group "is more powerful than a nuclear power plant." (Message to the prayer group) If these groups are humble and fervent, they form a vital organ for the body of the Church. Invisible to the enemy, because of their humility, they draw down great blessings on the world. From the earliest years of the apparitions, Our Lady has been willing to create her own prayer group in Medjugorje, whom she led for 7 years. An exceptional event in the History of the Church! She also asked that a chapel of perpetual adoration be opened in each parish. According to some shocking statistics, the Catholic Church is the most persecuted religious organization in the world today, This is why we have to seize the right weapons, those given by Our Lady for the past 38 years, and start defeating the enemy! Speaking of France, my homeland, every single day, churches are robbed, hosts are stolen, crosses are broken, statues are knocked over and insulting graffiti is sprayed on the walls... See: https://www.dreuz.info/2019/04/16/france-875-eglises-ont-ete-vandalisees-lannee-derniere/ In a single year, 26 churches were burned. See: https://sputniknews.com/europe/201904071073895920-churches-vandalism-thefts-heritage/ Just a few examples: On Aug. 6, 2018, the church of Villeneuve d'Amont, was totally destroyed by a fire. https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/faits-divers-justice/l-eglise-de-villeneuve-d-amont-dans-le-doubs-detruite-par-un-incendie-1533511693?fbclid=IwAR3Ruw0t_bb1FtKdiX0UVWUaZn0AItNDYwsDB46S0vo-a8GPZ60Uza6Ojuw On Jan. 17, 2019, a church in Grenoble burned down completely. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/isere/grenoble/grenoble-incendie-ravage-eglise-106-personnes-sont-evacuees-1608293.html?fbclid=IwAR3CDL3Z1RvdoqC4_CHyWuf7FO3Wkw_NSam_1373xwvHPOa2aHNmVSNfWk4
How has it come to this where our churches -sometimes several centuries old - have ended up in flames one after the other? The time has come for us to strive to build our cathedrals in our own hearts, to make our hearts "tabernacles of the Living God" where no enemy can penetrate and where only the fire of the Spirit can take hold, and burn out of love! May these "little homes of fervor", as Venerable Martha Robin called them, grow in number and in quality all over the world to ward off the assaults of the enemy, and together with Mary, prepare the second coming of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ! 3. Jean Vanier, friend of the blessed ones, left us on May 7. When I was young (a long time ago!), I visited l'Arche (the Ark) a few times, in the small village of Trosly where Jean Vanier lived. I was so amazed and joyful to see all these mentally handicapped men and women living a peaceful and simple family life so well designed for them, with the help of some volunteers! Jean's heart was as big as he was tall in size! The way he welcomed the poor reminded us of the Beatitudes, he became a friend of those whom Jesus named in the Gospel: "Blessed are the poor because the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs." Jean felt honored to be able to welcome and serve these blessed ones, and the way he saw them is reminiscent of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. He was known all over the world.
Here are some tips he liked to give: "Accept the reality of your body". "Don't be afraid of failing". "In a relationship, take the time to ask, "How are you?"" "Stop looking at your phone, be present!" "Ask people "What's your story?" "Be aware of your own story." "Stop the prejudices: meet the people". "Listen to your deep desire and follow it." "Remember that you are going to die one day..." Farewell, dear Jean! Pray for us from up there and intercede for the children and young people who have been wounded by the breakups in their families. Continue to be an advocate for the weak and vulnerable! 4. Pope Francis has authorized pilgrimages to Medjugorje! The news has already spread around the world! Until now, only private pilgrimages were authorized by the Church, irrespective of the number of participants. Now that official pilgrimages are allowed, parishes and dioceses can arrange them in the same way as we do for other shrines such as Lourdes or Fatima. This does not however imply that the apparitions have been officially recognized, as Alessandro Gisotti, Director of the Holy See Press Office, said on May 12, 2019. These apparitions still need to be reviewed by the Church.Because these apparitions are still ongoing, this examination could take a long time. But the Holy Father's green light for official pilgrimages is a priceless step forward for Medjugorje and for welcoming its specific grace! We warmly thank the Mother of God and Queen of Peace, because many of her children who dared not come, will now be able to do so without fear and receive the grace of peace for which their souls thirst! Given the impressive flow of pilgrims who visit Medjugorje each year (about 2.5 million), Archbishop Henryk Hoser, Apostolic visitor, announced that some of the Sanctuary's development work could start soon in order to expand the space for liturgical celebrations and enable the construction of a more suitable Chapel. This is an excellent initiative and so truly necessary! 5. On YouTube, several talks given during my missions are available, in English, French, Italian, German and Polish. (See PS 4) 6. My next Live Broadcast on the message of the 2nd will be on June 3rd at 9 pm. The May 3rd broadcast can be seen at http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/medjugorje-direct-du-3-mai-2019/ Dearest Gospa, in light of Rome's authorization for official pilgrimages to Medjugorje, you will be even more instrumental in the lives of your children. You are also showing us that your plan is enfolding. Yes, your plan will be realized in its fullness one day, and more than ever we want to actively take part in it! Sister Emmanuel, Community of the Beatitudes (Translated from French)
PS1. On May 17, Our Lady appeared to Ivan at the Blue Cross, and gave the following message: "Dear children, also today I call you in a special way to pray for my intentions, for my plans that I desire to realize here by my coming. Pray in a special way for my shepherds, for firm faith in my priests. Thank you, dear children, for having responded to my call also today." PS2. The Youth Festival in Medjugorje will be held from 1 to 6 August. Don't delay, book your tickets today! PS3. Do you want to live the school of Our lady at Home? Get all our material from our website, CDs, DVDs, Books, talks....etc. https://sremmanuel.org/shop/ "Truly Sister Emmanuel's Best Work Yet!" The Second Printing is here! Order Today! https://sremmanuel.org/product/scandalous-mercy-god-goes-beyond-boundaries/
Give your wound to Jesus - In French / German, filmed at the Passionists of Munich, 'Avec Marie vers la victoire'-'Mit der Mutter zum triumpf''http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/conference-en-francais-allemand-avec-marie-vers-la-victoire-mit-der-mutter-zum-triumpf/ - In italian,"Quale futuro ci prepara Maria?" Filmato a Albaro (Verona). https://youtu.be/1WJUaIDPfSw- - In English / Polish, the link for the talk given at the Dominican church of Warsaw will be given next month. The interview given at TVN in Warsaw is found HERE (Beware that a few words have been translated wrongly into Polish, like "Tranquility" instead of Peace, or "information" instead of Messages). PS5. Our next missions will take us to Spain in September, to Italy in October and to India in November with Jesus Youth. In Hong Kong next year, God willing! May your prayers accompany us for a beautiful spiritual harvest! Thank you! PS 6. Take a look at our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/sr.emmanuelmaillard/?ref=settings
