8/31/13

WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN THROUGH GOOD PEOPLE?


"Herodias harbored a grudge against him for this and wanted to kill him." -Mark 6:19

Possibly the only one at Herod's birthday who wanted John beheaded was Herodias. Herod didn't want to kill John (Mk 6:20), and Herodias' daughter didn't think to ask for John's head until her mother put her up to it (Mk 6:24). Moreover, most of the people at Herod's birthday party may have thought it wrong to behead John. Even people with warped consciences can see the evil in the act of putting a freshly cut human head on a platter and parading it around a cocktail party.

One person can get away with committing an atrocity which no one else accepts when everyone is paralyzed to do anything about it. Herod was paralyzed by pride. Herodias' daughter may have been trapped by confusion or fear. Herod's guests were paralyzed by their egos, fears, or political ambitions.

Babies in the womb are murdered. Neighborhoods become paranoid through violence. Refugees are left to starve. Thousands upon thousands of people are annihilated through war. Yet hardly anyone wants abortion, violence, starvation, or war. These things happen because a thousand paralyzed Herods and party guests won't stop one Herodias. Conversely, one free, bold John the Baptizer will ultimately stop thousands of Herodiases. The Lord commands us: "Stand up and tell them all that I command you" (Jer 1:17).

 Father, make me fearless, resolute, pure, and free.

 "May the Lord increase you and make you overflow with love for one another and for all, even as our love does for you." -1 Thes 3:12

8/29/13

Every Fourth Holy Land Christian Saw Vicka

by Jakob Marschner

Organizers estimate that visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic met a quarter of the Christian population during her one-week stay in Israel and Palestine. Devotion to prayer was revived and will continue, priest says. Mary assured attendees that she and Jesus never left The Holy Land.

medjugorje visionary veggente seer vicka ivankovic mijatovic apparition apparizione bethlehem august 25 agosto 2013 maranatha pilgrimage
Vicka greets the crowd of about 10,000 people in Bethlehem on August 25. Photo: Jeries Photography / Facebook

Medjugorje visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic was seen and heard by 25 percent of the Christian population during her August 19-26 stay in The Holy Land, organizers of the first international Maranatha pilgrimage are estimating.

“I am completely satisfied with the response. Having Vicka with us here fulfills my dream. Today, Medjugorje is present in every Christian family and community in The Holy Land. People are asking questions about how to connect to the Maranatha Movement for the healing of humanity. I do not have words to describe my feelings” Maranatha world coordinator Sabrina Covic-Radojicic tells the Croatian daily Vecernji List.

medjugorje seer visionary vicka ivankovic mijatovic bethlehem august 25 agosto 2013 apparition maranatha pilgrimage
Vicka kissing a child before her apparition in Bethlehem. Photo: Jeries Photography / Facebook

Vicka returned to Medjugorje on Monday, also very much pleased with the events of the week.

“I am overjoyed. I have been in the Holy Land before, but I never could bring Our Lady’s message. I do not know why I could not, only God knows. Obviously it was time for people to hear. But, behold, the time has come. People have heard and will hear the message. But this should not stop here, prayer for the healing of people should continue. More than ever, humanity needs prayer” Vicka tells the Croatian paper.

medjugorje visionary seer veggente vicka ivankovic mijatovic visit maelia israel holy land august 21 agosto 2013 maranatha pilgrimage
Procession before Vicka’s apparition in Maelia on August 21

And devotion to prayer will continue, says Fr. Nadeem Shakouri, the pastor of Maelia where Vicka’s apparition was attended by about 13,000 people on August 21.

“I am delighted. Only the Lord could muster this crowd. I thank Him for the gift of Vicka’s arrival. It gives us hope that peace is possible in these regions. He asks us to continue to pray not only during Vicka’s stay in the Holy Land, but also after her departure. Pray for all the sick hearts awaiting recovery, and for all who witnessed these precious days and who will themselves become carriers of the messages” Fr. Shakouri tells Vecernji List.

medjugorje visionary seer veggente vicka ivankovic mijatovic talk apparition bethlehem august 25 agosto 2013 pilgrimage maranatha
Vicka addressing the crowd in Bethlehem on August 25. Photo: Jeries Photography / Facebook

The priest was further uplifted by the message the Virgin Mary passed on from the apparition in Maelia.

“Our Lady’s message today encourages us because she told the faithful of the Holy Land that she has been with us all the time with her Son, and that they never left. We believers from Galilee will never forget these days. In her honor we bless the statue which we brought from Medjugorje one month ago, that we will be constantly reminded of this day” says Fr. Shakouri.

With Latin Patriarch far right, Vicka's visit united the highest ranking clerics in The Holy Land. Photo: Jozo Ivankovic / Facebook
With Fouad Boutros Ibrahim Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem far right, Vicka’s visit united the highest ranking clerics in The Holy Land. Photo: Jozo Ivankovic / Facebook

On August 24, Fouad Boutros Ibrahim Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, ”expressed his fraternal hospitality” and thanked for the devotion to recollection and prayer, and for the joy offered to all who met Vicka whom he welcomed to The Holy Land, Vecernji List further reports.

Both he and Elias Shakouri, the Bishop of the Melkite Catholic Church, were invited by Maranatha organizers to participate in the international Youth Festival in Medjugorje next year, Maranatha world coordinator Sabrina Covic-Radojicic informs.
source  http://www.medjugorjetoday.tv/

8/26/13

Thousands Attend Bethlehem Apparition

by Jakob Marschner

Massive turnout of people witnessed visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic’s public apparition in an auditorium in Bethlehem on August 25. Three days before, the atmosphere was more private during apparition in the biblical Gethsemane Garden. Vicka returns to Medjugorje on Monday.

medjugorje visionary seer veggente vicka ivankovic mijatovic apparition holy land bethlehem israel palestine august 25 agosto 2013 maranatha pilgrimage
Vicka during her apparition in Bethlehem. Far left Fr. Petar Ljubicic, with local organizer Charbel Maroun in the middle. Photo: Jeries Photography / Facebook

Medjugorje visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic’s public apparition in the auditorium of Terra Sancta College for Boys in Bethlehem on Sunday was attended by thousands, Medjugorje Brasil editor Gabriel Paulino tells Medjugorje Today from Bethlehem.

The apparition in Bethlehem was the last public one during Vicka’s week-long stay with the first international Maranatha pilgrimage. She will return to Medjugorje on Monday.

medjugorje visionary seer veggente vicka ivankovic mijatovic apparition garden gethsemane august 22 agosto 2013 israel holy land pilgrimage maranatha
Vicka during the apparition in the Garden of Gethsemane. Photo: Gabriel Paulino / Medjugorje Brasil

On August 22, only the 550 pilgrimage participants were present at Vicka’s apparition in the biblical Garden of Gethsemane.

In between, Vicka’s apparition on August 23 took place in St. Anthony’s Church in Jaffa. Jerusalem lent ground to the apparition on August 24 which took place in private.

“But Vicka told me that during the appariton on August 24, Our Lady blessed all of us and asked us to “pray for the heart of the Church, and for the entire Church” Gabriel Paulino tells Medjugorje Today.

To be updated with more details
source  http://www.medjugorjetoday.tv/

8/25/13

Our Lady's Medjugorje message of August 25, 2013 to Marija



"Dear children! Also today, the Most High is giving me the grace to be with you and to lead you towards conversion. Every day I am sowing and am calling you to conversion, that you may be prayer, peace, love - the grain that by dying will give birth a hundredfold. I do not desire for you, dear children, to have to repent for everything that you could have done but did not want to. Therefore, little children, again, with enthusiasm say: 'I want to be a sign to others.' Thank you for having responded to my call."
 

 

8/24/13

Come Holy Spirit, open my eyes to the glory of God that is all around me. Help me to see Jesus with the eyes of faith so that I can become his witness.

8/22/13

THE REST OF MY LIFE

Jesus I Trust In You


"When those hired late in the afternoon came up they received a full day's pay." -Matthew 20:9

Maybe you have wasted your life in "doing your own thing." Now that you have given your life to Jesus, you don't want "to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires but on the will of God. Already you have devoted enough time to what the pagans enjoy" (1 Pt 4:2-3).

Nevertheless, you feel sad that it's taken you this long to begin to live. The Lord wants to change your sorrow into joy (see Ps 30:12) by assuring you that He will give you a full-day's pay even if you've only worked for Him a very short time (Mt 20:14). The Lord "will repay you for the years which the locust has eaten" (Jl 2:25), that is, for the wasted years of life. The Lord in His mercy often saves the best for last, as He did at the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:10). So "give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead" (Phil 3:13).

The Lord has died to atone for your past, so forget about it. Thank Him you have the privilege of living for Him in the present. Make the following promise: "For the rest of my life, I will serve the Lord alone, in every way, with all my heart."


 Father, thank You for life, Your forgiveness, the present, and the rest of my life. I give it to You.

"Thus the last shall be first and the first shall be last." -Mt 20:16

8/20/13

Medjugorje Youth Festival finished with Holy Mass


The 24th International Youth Festival finished with Holy Mass on Cross Mountain

06.08.2013 The 24th International Youth Festival that began on Thursday, August 1, 2013 finished on Tuesday, August 6, 2013 with Holy Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated at 5 a.m. on the top of Cross Mountain by Fr. Danko Perutina, coordinator of this meeting.
Dozens of thousands of young people gathered in Medjugorje this year and they came from 60 different countries. The programme of the Youth Festival would start at 9 a.m. with the Morning Prayer and would continue with lectures, testimonies and lessons from Christian life throughout the rest of the day. The evening prayer programme would begin at 6 p.m. with Rosary and the central event of every day was Holy Mass at 7 p.m. The opening Holy Mass was celebrated by the Provincial of Herzegovina Franciscan Province, Dr. Fr. Miljenko Steko. Every other night, four newly ordained priests were the main celebrants: Fr. Stanko Cosic, Fr. Mario Ostojic, Fr. Josip Serdjo Cavar and Fr. Mijo Sarcevic, while the homilies were given by their older brothers: Fr. Slaven Brekalo, Fr. Petar Ljubicic, Fr. Svetozar Kraljevic and Fr. Danko Perutina. The largest number of priests who have concelebrated at those Holy Masses was on Thursday, when 515 of them were present. (foto) ; (video)

Vicka Brings the Apparitions to Israel


by Jakob Marschner
Participating in an international pilgrimage, visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic came to Israel on August 19. For a week, she will have public apparitions in The Holy Land. Vicka climbs Mount Tabor on Tuesday when her apparition takes place in Nazareth’s Basilica of the Annunciation.

medjugorje seer visionary vicka ivankovic mijatovic maranatha pilgrimage august 19 27 agosto 2013 tel aviv airport
Vicka in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on August 19, with Fr. Petar Ljubicic (second from left), Oasis of Peace community founder Fr. Gianni Sgreva (third), and Maranatha coordinator Sabrina Covic-Radojicic (far left)

Medjugorje visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic arrived in The Holy Land on Monday, landing in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport in the evening. Until August 27, she will participate in the first international Maranatha pilgrimage and prayer meeting for the intention of humanity’s healing.

Vicka continued to Nazareth and will climb Mount Tabor on Tuesday morning, along with 550 pilgrims from 13 countries. In the evening, her apparition will take place in Nazareth’s Basilica of the Annunciation where Mass will be presided over by the local Bishop Marcuzzo. He will concelebrate with Archbishop AndrĂ© Leonard of Brussels, Belgium, the head of the Maranatha movement.

medjugorje seer visionary veggente vicka ivankovic mijatovic tel aviv israel holy land pilgrimage maranatha august 19 agosto 2013 b
Vicka in the airport on August 19

Vicka has been to the Holy Land before but this is the first time a Medjugorje apparition has been allowed to take place inside churches there, a fact she joyfully acknowledged when reminded on Monday by Charbel Maroun, the President of the Marian Movement in Galilee. He and his co-workers have been hard at work to obtain the permissions.

From Medjugorje, also present is Fr. Petar Ljubicic, the Franciscan priest chosen by visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo to reveal to the world the 10 prophetic secrets Mirjana says the Virgin Mary has entrusted to her.
Source  http://www.medjugorjetoday.tv/

8/19/13

Daily Grace: Lonely Writer’s Song

Daily Grace: Lonely Writer’s Song:  God has always shared His grace to me through others, and this morning was one of those times of sharing.  As I finished my daily scri...

Children Of Medjugorje

August 17, 2013
Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary!  
  
1. On August 2nd, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross. Because it was during the Youth Festival, Podbrdo hill was covered with huge crowds of young people! After the apparition, she gave the following message:
 
"Dear children! If only you would open your hearts to me with complete trust, you would comprehend everything. You would comprehend with how much love I am calling you; with how much love I desire to change you, to make you happy; with how much love I desire to make you followers of my Son and give you peace in the fullness of my Son. You would comprehend the immeasurable greatness of my motherly love. That is why, my children, pray because through prayer your faith grows and love is born, the love along which even the cross is not unendurable because you do not carry it alone. In union with my Son you glorify the name of the Heavenly Father. Pray, pray for the gift of love, because love is the only truth: it forgives everything, it serves everyone and it sees a brother in everyone. My children, my apostles, great is the trust that the Heavenly Father has given you through me, His handmaid, to help those who do not know Him, that they may reconcile with Him and follow Him. That is why I am teaching you love, because only if you have love will you be able to respond to Him. Again I am calling you to love your shepherds and to pray that, at this difficult time, the name of my Son may be glorified under their guidance. Thank you!
 
 
2. An addiction overcome! CĂ©line, a consecrated person close to Medjugorje, told us about something that could inspire many people suffering from an addiction.
 
For years CĂ©line has lived the Gospa's messages as best she could, particularly the one about fasting on bread and water two days a week. She has really experienced its benefits. But she was sad because she could not give up her morning coffee on those two days. The reason was not of little importance: if she did not have it, her brain remained foggy, she fell asleep at her computer and during the mass; in short, she could not handle it. This did not prevent her from feeling deeply in her heart that even coffee had to be cut out to fully live the message on fasting.  Actually she believed that Our Lady was expecting a change from her on this matter and that Our Lady was waiting for her. She started praying to have the grace to renounce coffee, but it never worked.
 
One day, during adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, an idea dawned on her and without giving it a thought, she heard herself say, "All right, Mother!  I won't have anymore coffee, but you know the consequences.  So please, be my coffee!  Please, ensure that I don't suffer from the lack of caffeine and that I may function as if I was having coffee. Please make sure that I keep my eyes open!
 
CĂ©line noticed that Our Lady accepted this strange deal which worked out very well! From that day on, CĂ©line assured us, there was no more coffee on her fasting days menu, nor did she drink any on the other days of the week, which noticeably improved her health and her clarity of mind at work! She was laughing while saying, "I don't know if Our Lady has often received this kind of request, 'Be my coffee!'  But in any case she accepted it!"
 
Good advice for coffee, chocolate, or ice cream lovers ....!
 
3. A departure for Heaven.  The Lord surprised us again by his all-divine wisdom, which is not that of men. Our dear sister Milena Tomas passed away on July 22 at the age of 51, in great peace after a long illness which she endured with remarkable courage and smile. Founder of the small community "The Heart of Mary", she was recognized as a real icon of that Marian Heart by all who met her. She was such a carrier of the spirit and the messages of the Gospa!  How we miss her!  Medjugorje needs very much to remain close to this spirit!
 
Here are a few details about her: Milena was born in the country side near Tihaljina. Her parents sold vegetables and their lives were difficult under Communism. In those days, people had to work hard to survive. At an early age, Milena spent hours after school outdoors herding the sheep. She had a great thirst for God and was enamored with the silence of nature, which is so beautiful in that region. Her time in solitude was spent talking to God and reading the Bible. She felt very close to Heaven, and was already envisioning her future as a consecrated person.
 
She did not have access, as so many children do today, to the detriment provided by electronic gadgets that draw attention away from the soul. Her artistic talents made her see beauty in all things and all people. This enabled her to welcome all the individuals who met her later in her community - the good ones as well as the not so good ones. She never judged someone negatively. In fact, in her family, there was a principle (all too rare!): never criticize. What a powerful example and inspiration for our own families! When the apparitions began, she would walk with her family from Tihaljina to Medjugorje (35 km!). She enjoyed walking by night to escape the heat, and anyway they had to work during the day. Thus God prepares saints!
 
From the day of her funeral, blessings from her intercession in Heaven started to inundate us, so I recommend that you pray to her - she is strong! I often wondered why the Lord did not let her Community of the Heart of Mary to continue. It seems that God wanted it to blossom to its fullness in Heaven!  In effect, Sr Milena can now attract large crowds to the Heart of Mary, as she is no longer limited to her earthly work. She can stretch out the wings of her heart to welcome, console, and nurture the thousands the people she wanted to help on earth.
Dearest Milena, thank you for being what you are! Please help us be living reflections of the Heart of Mary!
 
4. A blessed flurry of Consecrations! For the celebration of the Year of the Faith and the Marian day of October 13, Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On October 12, the original statue of Mary in Fatima will be taken to Rome. It shall be received by the Pope for the ceremony at St. Peter's Square on October 13, and will be taken back to Fatima on the 14th. Let us remember that on October 13, 1917 Mary made her last apparition in Fatima. On that day she gave the big sign that she had promised to the young shepherds; Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, which was witnessed by the crowd gathered there: the sun started dancing and spinning before 70 000 people.
 (See www.annusfedei.va to register for this Marian day)
 
On June 16, 2013 Lebanon has been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The consecration, made by the Maronite Patriarch, SB Cardinal Boutros Bechara Rai, in the presence of the President of the Republic Michel Sleiman, was prepared by a special novena of prayer, fasting, adoration, rosaries, confessions attended by thousands of Catholics.  Seehttp://www.oeuvre-orient.fr/2013/06/24/consecration-du-liban-au-coeur-immacule-de-la-vierge-marie/ Father Boulos Fahed flew over the country in a helicopter, from which he blessed the whole Middle East with the Eucharistic Jesus in his monstrance. Truly an unheard of event in history!
 
In Ireland, for the solemnity of the Assumption on August 15, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, consecrated the country and its entire people to Jesus through Mary at the Marian Shrine of Knock, attended by 15,000 people. A happy and crucial event for this country so hurt by impious laws with the objective of destroying the family! This consecration was prepared by 13.5 million Rosaries prayed by the faithful (http://www.scnci.org).
On that day there were approximately 20 bishops present, and those who could not come sent a delegation to represent them. In their beautiful act of consecration to Jesus through the Heart of Mary, they prayed for the family, the homes, the dioceses of Ireland and for the youth.
 
How about France?  It would be so profitable for us as well to renew the consecration of our country that has been made in the past!  As there is nothing in the horizon at the moment from our Church leaders, let us continue praying! May the consecration Pope Francis is going to make on October 13 inspire the faithful and shepherds of each nation!  There is only everything to gain!
 
Dearest Gospa, yes, we want to belong to your Son Jesus completely, through your motherly hands!  Without God, we are lost. We beg you, wake up our sleeping souls!
 
Sister Emmanuel +
(Translated from French)
PS 1. During the night apparition of the Solemnity of the Assumption,Ivan received a special message in which Our Lady was inviting us to pray for the vocations in the Church, to pray in our parishes and to renew prayer in our families. "
 
PS 2.  Vicka's health is getting better. She will make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from Aug. 19 to 26. I am sure that Our Lady will be very happy to go back to her homeland through her apparitions to Vicka there!
Ivan was in South Lebanon last November near the border of Israel. When Our Lady appeared to him in this region, she was facing the northen part of the country. She blessed Ivan and all those present as usual, when she turned around - a remarquable move, and blessed her homeland!!

PS 3. The Youth Festival was an overwhelming success.Each day there were over 500 priests of all languages to listen, help, and hear the confessions of the youth.  These priests received many graces, were encouraged in their priestly vocation, and revived in their fatherhood especially by the amazing confessions their heard, which were filled with the Spirit of Christ.
On Aug. 5, during the Vigil of the Transfiguration on Podbrdo, in the presence of thousands of young people, Ivan received this message: "Also today this is my great joy in seeing you all with an open heart with gladness of heart. I invite you all, to responsibly pray for peace. Pray, dear children that peace will reign in the world. That peace reigns in the hearts of the people, at the heart of my children. So be my carriers of peace in this turbulent world. Be my living sign. a sign of peace for the people you meet in your parishes. Be my sign, be my light, my mirror to each other. Know my dear children I am always with you, and that I pray for all of you, and for all of you I intercede with Jesus, with my Son. Therefore, persevere in prayer, thank you all once again that you said Yes to my call."
 
PS 4. Please, can you pray for Sr Emmanuel's next missions? A few days in Spain in September, a few days in Italy in October and a few days in Asia in November. Thank you!
 
PS 5. To get our CDs, see www.childrenofmedjugorje.com
 
PS 6. A great initiative for post-abortion: Our friendBenedetta FoĂ , from Milan, is organizing the 1st inner healing seminar for women who had an abortion.  This will take place in Medjugorje from Sept. 1 to 5. Fr. Danko, from the parish, has blessed this initiative. www.benedettafoa.it  info@benedettafoa.it
PS 7. How about writing a letter to the Blessed Mother?! Send it to "Queen of Peace", BP 2157, F-06103 Nice cedex, France. We'll give it to Mirjana. Mary always answers us in our hearts while praying.
PS 8. Take Medjugorje home! View the celebrations livehttp://www.medjugorje.hr/en/multimedia/tv-web/
 
PS 9.  Children of Medjugorje is on Face book! Want another Face book friend? Get updates on the messages and the latest Medjugorje news on our Face book page. All you have to do is look us up at Children of Medjugorje, Inc.
   
PS 10.  Watch Sister Emmanuel ON DEMAND, on your computer!  Go to:  www.napavalleyTV.org .  Click on "Video on Demand" on the red banner at the top.  Screen goes light blue- wait, then scroll way down until you see channel 27 channel 28 side by side. Click on Channel 28 and scroll down the list until "Medjugorje- Our Mother's Last Call", then click on the date you want to watch.
 
PS 11.  If you no longer receive the reports, please check your Spam and write to pray@childrenofmedjugorje.com  See preceding messages at  www.childrenofmedjugorje.com
 
PS 12. Children of Medjugorje Inc needs your help! Please consider supporting our ministry in prayer and, if possible, through financial contributions so that we may be able to continue spreading the messagesof Our Lady to the English-speaking world.  If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to help support and sustain our work, please donate through this link on our secure online store or send an email topray@childrenofmedjugorje.com  Your generosity is deeply appreciated!  Thank you!
 
PS 13. Subscribe Today! Receive Sr. Emmanuel's Monthly Newsletter along with Mary's messages!
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8/17/13

Saved from abortion, Chilean twin brothers are now priests

.- Two twin brothers in Chile say that their mother’s determination in protecting them from abortion despite the advice of doctors helped to foster their vocations to the priesthood.

“How can I not defend the God of life?” said Fr. Paulo Lizama. “This event strengthened my vocation and gave it a specific vitality, and therefore, I was able to give myself existentially to what I believe.”
“I am convinced of what I believe, of what I am and of what I speak, clearly by the grace of God,” he told CNA.
Fr. Paulo and his identical twin brother, Fr. Felipe, were born in 1984 in the Chilean town of Lagunillas de Casablanca.
Before discovering her pregnancy, their mother, Rosa Silva, had exposed herself to x-rays while performing her duties as a paramedic. Consequently, after confirming the pregnancy, her doctor conducted ultrasounds and informed her that he had seen “something strange” in the image.
“The baby has three arms and its feet are sort of entangled. It also has two heads,” he told her.
Although abortion for “therapeutic” reasons was legal at the time in Chile and doctors told her that her life was in danger, Rosa opposed the idea and said she would accept whatever God would send her.
“The Lord worked and produced a twin pregnancy. I don’t know if the doctors were wrong or what,” Fr. Felipe said.
“I always think with special affection and tenderness in the heart of my mother who gave her life for me, for us,” Fr. Paolo added.
The two brothers were born on Sept. 10, 1984. Felipe was born first, and when the placenta would not detach, doctors suggested scraping her womb. Silva refused however, saying she felt another baby was coming out. Paulo was born 17 minutes later.
“This last detail is very significant for me,” Fr. Paulo said. “The doctors inserted instruments to remove the placenta because it wouldn’t come out. My mother knew that I was there. I was late, but I came out.” Had doctors scraped his mother’s womb, he would likely have been “gravely injured.”
The twins learned about the circumstances of their birth when they were in the sixth year of seminary formation.
“It was surely the wisdom of my mother and her heart that allowed us to learn of such an amazing event at the right time,” Fr. Paulo said, reflected that while he had always thought his priestly vocation came during adolescence, he later realized that God was working in his life from the beginning, thanks to the ‘yes’ of his mother.
Although they grew up in a Catholic home, the Lizama brothers drifted away from the faith and stopped attending Mass. However, their parents’ separation and divorce led them back to the Church, and they received the sacrament of Confirmation.
At the time, Fr. Paulo said, he lacked conviction in his faith but was attracted by the Blessed Sacrament, Gregorian chant, and the silent reverence of prayer.
Fr. Felipe said he was drawn to God through a priest, Fr. Reinaldo Osorio, who would later become his formation director at the seminary.
“God was calling me. I realized that it was in God and in the things of God that I was happy, there was no doubt: I wanted to be a priest,” he recalled.
Despite being close, the two brothers did not talk about their vocations with each other.
“I don’t know who felt the call first,” Fr. Paulo said. “I think God did things the right way in order to safeguard the freedom of our response.”
In March 2003, they both entered the seminary. While it was difficult for the family to accept the brothers’ decision at first, their mother told them after the first year of formation that she was at peace, realizing that they were happy.
The twins were ordained priests on April 28, 2012, and celebrated their first Mass at Our Lady of Mercies in Lagunillas.
Now, a year after their ordination, Fr. Felipe serves at the parish of Saint Martin of Tours in Quillota, and Fr. Paulo serves at the parish of the Assumption of Mary in Achupallas.
“God doesn’t mess around with us. He wants us to be happy, and the priesthood is a beautiful vocation and that makes us completely happy,” Fr. Felipe said.
Following Jesus is not easy but it is beautiful, added Fr. Paulo.
“Jesus, the Church and the world need us,” he explained. “But they don’t need just any young person: they need young people empowered by the truth of God, so that their very lives convey life, their smiles convey hope, their faces convey faith and their actions convey love.”

Bishop Tobin is now a Republican

RI’s Bishop Tobin is now a registered Republican

Holds up his baptismal certificate

Bishop Tobin
Bishop Tobin
The following comes from an August 14 story on WPRI.com.

Roman Catholic Bishop of Providence Thomas Tobin revealed Tuesday night that he recently became a registered Republican, but he also emphasized that the church and its mission shouldn’t be viewed through a narrowly partisan lens.
“The a-ha moment for me was the 2012 Democratic National Convention. It was just awful,” Tobin, 65, told the Rhody Young Republicans during an event at the Holy Rosary Band Society Hall in Providence. The leader of Rhode Island’s roughly 621,000 Catholics said he had been a registered Democrat since 1969.
“I just said I can’t be associated structurally with that group, in terms of abortion and NARAL [Pro-Choice America] and Planned Parenthood and [the] same-sex marriage agenda and cultural destruction I saw going on,” Tobin said. “I just couldn’t do it anymore.”
Tobin switched his affiliation to the Republican Party effective Jan. 5, according to voter records reviewed by WPRI.com. He is registered to vote from a house on the 140-acre grounds of the diocese’s Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Providence.

“I’ve changed my party registration now, but the fact is that the registration itself doesn’t mean a whole lot to me,” Tobin said.
About 60 people who attended Tobin’s nearly two-hour discussion on faith and politics gave him a standing ovation before and after he spoke. He made the disclosure about his affiliation by holding up two pieces of paper – his letter from the East Providence Board of Canvassers confirming his Republican affiliation, and his baptismal certificate.
“My thesis tonight is that the two of these are related, and can be related very comfortably, and frankly if I had to choose between the two – between my party affiliation and my baptismal record – this is the one that will bring me to eternal life,” Tobin said, pointing to his certificate of baptism.
“Would Jesus be a Democrat or a Republican, a liberal or a conservative?” Tobin asked. “I’m going to punt on that question and say: all of the above and none of the above. Labeling Jesus or labeling the church or labeling me depends on the particular issue.”
Pope John Paul II appointed Tobin as the eighth Bishop of Providence just three days before the late pontiff’s death in April 2005. He could be a part of Rhode Island public life for many years to come: bishops are not required to submit their resignations to the pope until they turn 75, which for Tobin will not happen until 2023….
To read the entire report, click here.

8/16/13

God's Word Among Us

“Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted.” (Matthew 19:11)


“Is divorce ever permissible?” the Pharisees ask. Jesus reminds them that God intends for marriage to be not only permanent but transformative as well. Its goal, he answers, is that a man and a woman leave their individuality aside and come together to create a whole new unity, a family.

Hearing this exchange, his disciples offer an honest and understandable response: If it’s so hard, maybe it would be better not to marry at all. Jesus gazes at them with a sad smile. Do you think it’s easier to make a permanent commitment to being single? he asks. Not on your life!

Neither is it easy to live single while remaining open to marriage.
The truth is, living any state of life as God intended is challenging. Circumstances change, and we scramble to adjust. In one way or another we all fail to live up to God’s ideal. We all fail God, our spouse or our religious community from time to time. This doesn’t mean we chose the wrong vocation. It simply means that we have momentarily forgotten how much we need to depend on God’s abundant grace. Fidelity in marriage or singleness is only possible because God is faithful: faithful to guide us, faithful to sustain us, faithful to forgive us.

Look at the refrain for today’s Psalm: “His mercy endures forever.” God expresses it in many different ways at many different moments, but he is always faithful. His enduring mercy is the very thing we need in order to be faithful.

Spend some time today considering your vocation. Thank God for the call he has given you. Thank him, too, for being faithful to you as you strive to live out that call. Then ask him to show you one particular way to express your faithfulness today. Maybe it’s a little note of encouragement and love for your spouse. Maybe it’s a gesture of support to a brother priest or a sister religious who is going through a rough patch. Maybe God will show you something you are free to do because you haven’t arrived at a place of permanent commitment. Whatever it is, rejoice and do it!

“Father, you are always faithful. Thank you for inviting and enabling me to live out a noble, heavenly vocation.”

8/11/13

Medjugorje Youth Festival 2013


The experiences of Youth Festival participants

03.08.2013
Among young people from sixty countries who participate in the 24th International Youth Festival in Medjugorje we met Tatjana who came from Slovenia. This is Tatjana’s twelfth visit to the Youth Festival. She briefly told us: “I come because of homilies, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, testimonies and Holy Masses. It is good for us to be here with the Queen of Peace. It is crowded, but we do not have problem with that.”

Young people from Slavonija, region on north of Croatia, arrived to the Youth Festival in the great number. We spoke to Sanja Stivanovic and Darko Ilijasic from Slavnoski Brod. “Medjugorje is alwas a special event for us, we always bring something beautiful from here. As we look at such a great number of young people that were gathered here by Gospa, that is indeed experience that changes every one of us.” Darko came for the first time and said: “I was extremely impressed by such a great number of young people at one place. So much joy and so much sincere and open love.”

HIS SECOND COMING


"It will go well with those servants whom the Master finds wide-awake on His return." -Luke 12:37

We are often more out of touch with reality than in touch with it. For instance, many people "live in fear" (Lk 12:32) although the Lord has assured us 365 times in the Bible that we need not fear. Moreover, many people are so insecure that they think they will starve to death if they sell what they have and give alms (see Lk 12:33). They're not sure their heavenly Father will provide their "daily bread" (Mt 6:11). Furthermore, some people pretend they'll live forever. They try not to think about their deaths and the world's end. We all are inclined to get out of touch with reality.

The Lord has given us a very effective "reality check" to keep us from becoming "spaced out." The awareness that Jesus may come back at any time and bring everything to an end helps us be realistic. For instance, our fears about the things of this world fade into the background when we realize this world can pass away at any time. Also, when we are aware of the possible, imminent, and final return of Jesus, we don't hold onto our money as if it were a god. In the light of Jesus' coming, we realize that we better learn to trust our heavenly Father. We are even at peace with death because we realize the risen, glorified, and returning Christ has conquered death and taken away its sting (see 1 Cor 15:54-55). Because Jesus may return at any moment, we can live this moment and any others in touch with reality.

Maranatha! "Come, Lord Jesus" - today! (Rv 22:20)

 "Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see." -Heb 11:1

 Praise You, risen Jesus! You welcome those who trust in You! All praise to You forever!

Charismatic movement a gift to the whole church


Pope Francis discovers charismatic movement a gift to the whole church
By Francis X. Rocca
Catholic News Service


http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1303443.htm

8/9/13

WHY MEDJUGORJE?


"Why Medugorje ?" is an insightful short film by Josip Loncar promotions officer with the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS). It documents his own personal experience when he visited Medugorje for the first time in 1987. This short film very much captures the Spirit of Medugorje from a pilgrim's perspective. As an added bonus narration is by renowned scripture scholar Tony Hickey. After watching this film, you will have many good reasons why you should consider visiting Medugorje
"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   
Blessed Pope John Paul II 

Medjugorje Youth Festival 2013


Medjugorje Youth Festival 2013


Medjugorje Youth Festival 2013


Dogma of Assumption Confirmed by Sun Miracle



The miracle of the sun in Medjugorje
Dogma of Assumption Confirmed by Sun Miracle
By Bernard Gallagher
 
   The dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was declared by Pope Pius XII on November 1, 1950 and states that “The Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into the glory of Heaven.”
   In this declaration, no position is taken by the Church as to the question of whether Mary actually died. However, in one of Her very early messages given at Medjugorje, Our Lady gave this answer to one of the seers when asked if She went to Heaven before or after death: “I am the Mother of God and the Queen of Peace. I went to Heaven before death” (10/12/81).
   Five years ago, a previously unpublished document came to light which revealed Pope Pius XII had witnessed the “miracle of the sun” on four occasions, and he considered this experience as confirmation of his plan to declare the dogma of the Assumption. The information contained in this handwritten note by Pius XII went on public display for two months in the Vatican in November 2008. Reporting at the time for zenit.org Antonio, Gaspari wrote:
 According to his own testimony, the Pope who declared the dogma of the Assumption saw the “miracle of the sun” four times.
   This information is confirmed by a handwritten, unpublished note from Pope Pius XII, which is part of the Pius XII: The Man and the Pontificate display.
   A commissioner of the display and a Vatican reporter for the Italian daily Il Giornale, Andrea Tornielli, explained to ZENIT that the note was found in the Pacelli family archives. It describes the “miracle of the sun,” an episode that until today had only been affirmed by the indirect testimony of Cardinal Federico Tedeschini (1873-1959), who recounted in a homily that the Holy Father had seen the miracle.
   Pius XII wrote, “I have seen the ‘miracle of the sun,’ this is the pure truth.”
   The miracle of the sun is most known as the episode that occurred in Fatima, Portugal, on October 13, 1917. According to the Fatima visionaries, Mary had said there would be a miracle that day so that people would come to believe. Thousands had gathered at the site of the visions, and the sun “danced,” reportedly drying instantaneously the rain-soaked land and spectators.
   Pius XII’s note says that he saw the miracle in the year he was to proclaim the dogma of the Assumption, 1950, while he walked in the Vatican Gardens. He said he saw the phenomenon various times, considering it a confirmation of his plan to declare the dogma.
   The papal note says that at 4:00 P.M. on October 30, 1950, during his “habitual walk in the Vatican Gardens, reading and studying,” having arrived to the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes, “Toward the top of the hill […] I was awestruck by a phenomenon that before now I had never seen.”
   “The sun, which was still quite high, looked like a pale, opaque sphere, entirely surrounded by a luminous circle,” he recounted. And one could look at the sun, “without the slightest bother. There was a very light little cloud in front of it.”
   The Holy Father’s note goes on to describe “the opaque sphere” that “moved outward slightly, either spinning, or moving from left to right and vice versa. But within the sphere, you could see marked movements with total clarity and without interruption."
   Pius XII said he saw the same phenomenon “the 31st of October and November 1, the day of the definition of the dogma of the Assumption, and then again November 8, and after that, no more.” The Pope acknowledged that on other days at about the same hour, he tried to see if the phenomenon would be repeated, “but in vain – I couldn't fix my gaze [on the sun] for even an instant; my eyes would be dazzled.”
   Pius XII spoke about the incident with a few cardinals and close collaborators, such that Sister Pascalina Lehnert, the nun in charge of the papal apartments, declared that “Pius XII was very convinced of the reality of the extraordinary phenomenon, which he had seen on four occasions.”
   As Pope, in 1940, Pius XII approved the Fatima apparitions, and in 1942, consecrated the entire world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
                                                                                                                                            http://crownofstars.blogspot.co.uk
 


The final confrontation



“From here [Poland] must go forth the ‘spark which will prepare the world for [Jesus’] final coming’. This spark needs to be lighted by the grace of God. This fire of mercy needs to be passed on to the world.”
Pope John Paul II stated this at the consecration of the Divine Mercy Basilica in Cracow, Poland, 2002. He referenced St. Faustina’s “Divine Mercy In My Soul” n. 1732, which states “I [Jesus] bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming.
“We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is a trial which the whole Church, and the Polish Church in particular, must take up. It is a trial of not only our nation and the Church, but in a sense a test of 2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization, with all of its consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the rights of nations.”
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (then future Pope John Paul II), stated at the Eucharistic Congress, Philadelphia, PA; August 13, 1976, which was two years before he became pope.
source End times lion

 

8/7/13

Mysterious priest performs miracle at site of Mercedes crash



http://www.joanwanderson.com

<~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>Hello, friends.  If you still haven't heard about the mysterious happenings just outside of Quincy, Illinois, look again at the media.  Far from making fun of angel-believers, we are being treated with respect and open minds.  Halleluia!
A mysterious priest who showed up to pray at the site of a car crash near Center, Missouri, has some of the people involved talking about angels and miracles. Katie Lentz, 19, was hit head-on by another car Sunday morning, when the Mercedes she was driving flipped and she was pinned in the car, badly injured. After 45 futile minutes spent trying to remove her from the vehicle (during which some of rescuers' equipment broke), firefighters decided to take the risky step of turning the car upright. Katie had been brave and alert until now.  In fact, several bystanders were kneeling near her,praying quietly. But now she apparently needed more.
"Oh, won't someone pray out loud with me?" she asked.
"I will," came a man's voice, according to local fire chief Raymond Reed. A black-clad priest stepped forward, apparently "from nowhere," USA Today reports.
The priest said a prayer, anointed Lentz with oil, and told the emergency worker that their tools would work, Reed tells KHQA. Sure enough, they were able to extract Lentz, who was helicoptered to a hospital. But when rescue crews turned to thank the priest, he was nowhere to be seen.
Making things even more mysterious: Not one of the 69 photos taken at the scene show him; further, the road had been shut down around the accident for 90 minutes, so there were no parked cars nearby. "We're all local people from four different towns," Reed says. "We've got only one Catholic church out of three towns, and it wasn't their priest." Lentz's mother believes it "certainly could have been an angel." As for Reed, he doesn't know "whether it was an angel ... or a priest that became our angel." Lentz suffered a slew of injuries, but her condition has been upgraded.

Friends, there should be stories all over the place by now. Let's just relax and give thanks.

8/6/13

Dear Family of Mary



Ivan prays before his talk on Aug 5   
   

 Ivan prays before his talk on August 5, 2013    

(c)Mary TV 2013  

 

J.M.J.

August 5, 2013 

Dear Family of Mary!
 

Anna Shawl translated and sent us this account of Ivan's apparition at 11:00 pm on Mt. Podbrdo this evening.
 

Here is Ivan's account of his apparition from the Hill Tonight...
 

Tonight Our Lady came very very joyful and happy and greeted us with her mother greeting of  "Praised be Jesus, my dear children."


She then extended her hands over all of us and she prayed for quite a while in her own Aramaic language. she prayed especially for all those who are present that are ill and over all the priests.


After this, Our Lady said:
   

Also today this is my great joy in seeing you all with an open heart with gladness of heart. I invite you all, to responsibly pray for peace. Pray, dear children that peace will reign in the world. That peace reigns in the hearts of the people. At the heart of my children. So be my carriers of peace in this turbulent world. Be my living sign. a sign of peace for the people you meet in your parishes. Be my sign, be my light, my mirror to each other. Know my dear children I am always with you, and that I pray for all of you, and for all of you I intercede with Jesus, with my Son. Therefore, persevere in prayer, thank you all once again that you said, "Yes" to my call.


After this Our Lady Blessed everyone with her motherly blessing and everything we brought to be blessed.


Ivan then recommended everyone, all their needs, their petitions and their families and all the sick.


He wanted to reiterate that Our Lady prays for all of us and our needs and intercedes for all of us to her Son.


After this, Our Lady with great joy, continued to pray for everyone and in that prayer she left in the sign of the light and the cross with "Go in peace, my dear children."


I know earlier, for those of you who were watching Marija [on Mary TV's live streaming of the apparition], she said that Our Lady came dressed in a gold dress.


Happy Birthday!! dear Blessed Mother once again!! Let's continue to try to live her messages as best as we can.


Good night everyone and God Bless you all!

love

Ana

 

At 5:00 am, August 6, 2013 Mary TV will stream the closing Mass for Mladifest 2013, which will take place on top of Cross Mountain.  Join us!!  (This is 11:00 pm Aug 5, EDT)   

 

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 "Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world!"   

Blessed John Paul II  -
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