7/31/17

Medjugorje Youth Festival 2017

 

       (c)  Mateo Ivankovic 2016

This week the Youth Festival 2017 takes place in Medjugorje. Our young people need desperately to see prayer and God's love in us. They need to see it in each other. The Youth Festival is a moment of great hope and conversion for thousands of youth. Let's pray for them constantly this week!
Mary TV will be streaming the Festival all week long. Check out our website for details. It begins on Tuesday, August 1 with the Solemn Opening Ceremony at the Evening Mass - 6:00 pm Medjugorje time!! Join us!! Live!!    http://marytv.tv/      
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

7/28/17

Priest, knocked to the ground as he was distributing Communion

Photo courtesy of the Gangjeong Village

This image speaks volumes about the priesthood.

This photo speaks volumes: A priest, knocked to the ground as he was distributing Communion, who uses the strength he has left to gather the hosts and particles of the Eucharist that had fallen to the floor.
The picture was taken by an eyewitness who was at the attack in the town of Gangjeong.
The picture isn’t new — it was taken Aug. 8, 2012 — but it continues to speak to us of the great dignity of the priesthood.
The event occurred in Jeju, South Korea, as reported then by UCANews.
Father Bartholomew Man Jung-hyun was celebrating Mass at the doors of a controversial naval base the government was building in the area, and which was opposed because of the environmental impact it would have on the local populations and the island, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The priest was celebrating a Mass for the citizens who were protesting the base, and was distributing Communion when the police interrupted the liturgy and began to beat those present, including Father Bartholomew.
The Diocese of Cheju immediately demanded an official apology from the police, as those present reported that one of the policemen stepped on the Hosts that had fallen to the floor. The police denied this.
But looking beyond the details of the event — the police brutality and the protests — we see the humble gesture of this priest, in pain and struck down, thinking not of himself but of his Lord … it’s an image that says more about the priesthood than a thousand theology books ever could.

7/27/17

The End Of Prayer Shaming


Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand. Today, students at East Catholic High School rise up and declare that we're more concerned with God than we are with being politically correct.
We encourage you to do the same. Please watch our video...then SHARE it with your friends and encourage THEM to SHARE it as well. TAG a friend, a community leader, or even the media. Let's get this powerful message out there.

No more prayer shaming. Let's bring God and prayer back into our lives.

You can watch and share this video on our East Catholic High School Facebook page. 

For more information visit us at - http://www.echs.com/

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn has said of Medjugorje


Cardinal Schönborn, from Austria once stated, ‘If I was an opponent of Medjugorje, I’d have to close down my seminary, since almost all the candidates have received their call to the priesthood through Medjugorje.’ Yet another testament of the power of what God is doing through Our Lady, here in Medjugorje.

7/26/17

Saint James the Apostle! He is the patron of the Parish of Medjugorje


       (c)  Mateo Ivankovic 2017


J.M.J.
July 25, 2017
Saint James

Dear Family of Mary!

Today is the Feast of St. James the Apostle! He is the patron of the Parish of Medjugorje, and also the patron of pilgrims! It is amazing that Our Lady would pick this parish to be the place where she would come to be with us every day! It is also amazing that she called an entire parish and gave messages for them for years, to form them as her special children, those who would help her to care for the millions of pilgrims who would one day come to this little village. Let's pray for the parish today in a special way.

Here are some messages Our Lady gave to the parish. They show how very much she loves and has chosen St. James Parish to be her own. As we read these messages we can see that being chosen isn't that easy. It requires a deep and concerted response. Let's pray for this dear parish that has given us so much:

February 28, 1985 "Dear children! Today I call you to live the word this week: "I love God!" Dear children through love you will achieve everything and even what you think is impossible. God wants this parish to belong completely to Him. And that's what I want too. Thank you for having responded to my call."

March 21, 1985 "Dear children! I wish to keep on giving messages and therefore today I call you to live and accept my messages! Dear children, I love you and in a special way I have chosen this parish, one more dear to me than the others, in which I have gladly remained when the Almighty sent me. Therefore, I call on you; accept me, dear children, that it might go well with you. Listen to my messages! Thank you for having responded to my call."

September 5, 1985 "Dear children! Today I thank you for all the prayers. Keep on praying all the more so that satan will be far away from this place. Dear children, satan's plan has failed. Pray for fulfillment of what God plans in this parish. I especially thank the young people for the sacrifices they have offered up. Thank you for having responded to my call."

November 25, 1987 "Dear children! Today also I call each one of you to decide to surrender again everything completely to me. Only that way will I be able to present each of you to God. Dear children, you know that I love you immeasurably and that I desire each of you for myself, but God has given to all a freedom which I lovingly respect and humbly submit to. I desire, dear children that you help so that everything God has planned in this parish shall be realized. If you do not pray, you shall not be able to recognize my love and the plans which God has for this parish and for each individual. Pray that satan does not entice you with his pride and deceptive strength. I am with you and I want you to believe me, that I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

August 25, 2011 "Dear children! Today I call you to pray and fast for my intentions, because satan wants to destroy my plan. Here I began with this parish and invited the entire world. Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call. Therefore, you who have said 'yes', be strong and resolute. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Thank you, dear Mother, for coming to St. James Parish to make a home for us, weary pilgrims from the whole world. We find here a welcome, a place of peace, a haven from the world, a source of sacramental graces, a sanctuary. We find you here, dearest Mother Mary! And your Son Jesus! We are filled with joy!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

7/25/17

Medjugorje: July 25, 2017 message from Our Lady

 
       (c)  Mateo Ivankovic 2017


J.M.J.
July 25, 2017

Dear Family of Mary!

 The July 25, 2017 message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace:

"Dear children! Be prayer and a reflection of God's love for all those who are far from God and God's commandments. Little children, be faithful and determined in conversion and work on yourselves so that, for you, holiness of life may be truth; and encourage each other in the good through prayer, so that your life on earth may be more pleasant. Thank you for having responded to my call."

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV

7/22/17

What Will Matter: - Ready or Not, someday it will all come to an end.


What Will Matter:


Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


Today's Daily Encounter is by Michael Josephson


Ready or not, some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours or days. All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear. So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from or what side of the tracks you lived on at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.


So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought but what you built, not what you got but what you gave. What will matter is not your success but your significance. What will matter is not what you learned but what you taught. What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example. What will matter is not your competence but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone. What will matter is not your memories but the memories that live in those who loved you. What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what. Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice. Choose to live a life that matters.


Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to live in light of eternal values so that my life will not be wasted but invested in the lives of others for all eternity so that my life will matter. 

Mirjana, What does Our Lady say about the end times?


November 4, 2009
Question: Mirjana, What does Our Lady say about the end times?


Well, the one who dies tomorrow, for that person the end of the world will happen tomorrow. That person will encounter God tomorrow. So it is not important to talk about it at all. It is important to talk about ourselves, to think of myself. What is my soul like? Is it ready to encounter God now, this very moment?

I would like to recommend to you do not talk about chastisements, because Our Lady came in Medjugorje to help us and not to destroy us. What She said is, “What I started in Fatima, I will finish in Medjugorje. My heart will triumph.” If our Heavenly Mother’s heart will triumph, what to fear?

7/21/17

8-Year-Old Girl Prays With Police Officers at Restaurant in Heartwarming...


Published on Jul 9, 2017
A photo of a little girl praying with a group of police officers has been touching hearts around the country. 8-year-old Paige Vazquez says when she saw the officers eating in a restaurant in San Antonio, Texas she wanted to offer them a blessing. The officers were moved by the act of kindness because they were still mourning the loss of a fellow officer who was killed in the line of duty last month. InsideEdition.com's Mara Montalbano (https://twitter.com/MaraMontalbano) has more.

7/14/17

Come Holy Spirit--Spirito Santo Medjugorje

International Seminar for Priests

The International Seminar for Priests concluded with the Holy Mass

date: 09.07.2017.
On Saturday, July 8, the 22nd International Seminar for Priests was concluded in Medjugorje and 253 priests, deacons and seminarians from 25 countries gathered for this event. The seminar began with the evening prayer programme on Monday, July 3, and Fr. Ivan FIlipovic was the main celebrant on these days, the spiritual director of Cenacolo community and the lecturer of this seminar.
The theme of this International encounter coordinated by Fr. Marinko Šakota, the parish priest, was „That your love may increase more and more“. The participants listened to the lectures, took part in the regular evening prayer programme and climbed Apparition Hill on early Thursday morning for the prayer of Rosary and on Friday they climbed Cross Mountain for the Way of the Cross.
Fr. Ivan Perković, parish assistant in the parish of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kistanje (Zadar Diocese, Croatia), member of the Eucharistic Community of Priests of the Heart of Jesus and Heart of Mary, came for the fifth time for this event and told us the following on this occasion: „Ever since I was ordained as a priest five years ago, I’ve been coming here for this seminar. I graduated medicine before my vocation and then, the Lord invited me to become a priest. Gospa plays huge role in my spiritual life and in my vocation, she helped me to answer this calling, as I had major doubts. I always gladly come to Medjugorje.“

7/10/17

Featured article from July's Spirit of Medjugorje

My Special Rosary from Medjugorje
By Joe Kohler
     Last fall, I received a special grace through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother that I feel I am supposed to share. 
     I was in a motorcycle accident on October 10, 2016 at 2:00 in the afternoon. I was hit by a Jeep Patriot, thrown in the air, and my head struck and destroyed the windshield. My head hit the windshield so hard that I was knocked out and unconscious for about 30 minutes. I did receive a mild concussion along with two cracked ribs and three fractured lumbar vertebrae. The only visible evidence was a contusion on my lower back and multiple bruises. 
     I was carrying my rosary that day. I always carry my very special rosary in my pocket. I have had it for over 10 years and it was a gift from Medjugorje. In addition, I also wear a Miraculous Medal and a Brown Scapular around my neck. I have a very strong devotion to Mary, our Blessed Mother. 
     I do not remember anything about the accident, but I was told my full face helmet saved my life. When I first came home from the hospital two days after my accident, I began to realize the miraculous nature of what had happened to me. My arms and legs were not broken and I sustained no crippling injuries. Although I had intense pain, I was alive and I could think clearly and reflect on the whole event. The nurses in the trauma unit at the hospital told me that they had never seen anyone walk out of the hospital two days after a motorcycle accident. This comment enabled me to reflect more. I could have easily died. If you ever doubt the power of Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, ask me! My survival and lack of serious injuries were truly miraculous. I walked out of the hospital unassisted in less than 48 hours! I am thankful, and overwhelmed by the love, mercy, and goodness of God. 
     As soon as I got home, I realized my special Medjugorje rosary was missing and I was depressed. My clothes had been cut off of me in the emergency room because they did not know if I was badly hurt. The rosary was in my pocket. I called the hospital immediately, and they told me they would look for it and call me back if they found it. This was Wednesday, October 12, 2016. They never called back. I began grieving for my rosary! 
     The next day, October 13, 2016 was the 99th anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima. Although I did not realize the significance of that day then, a woman who I had been seeing for a couple of months broke off the relationship with a text message that day. The hurt, and pain from my accident and the fact that I was home alone recovering from injuries was only compounded, and I was getting depressed. I now realize that Mary through Jesus was ending a relationship that was comforting and seemed significant to me. As Paul Harvey used to say, "The rest of the story" was about to unfold.
Joe's Rosary

Joe's Rosary
     On Sunday, October 16, 2016, I felt like washing some clothes. By this time, only six days after the accident, I had already mastered the stairs again in my home. Another miracle! I went to the laundry room downstairs, loaded the machine and went back upstairs. I had several loads to do. With the first load done, I went downstairs, opened the washing machine and to my utter amazement, there was my Medjugorje rosary lying on top of the spun clothes! As anyone knows, spun clothes cling to the sides of the washer. My rosary was lying in an open position, like you would see with a deceased person holding a rosary in a casket. It was clearly visible on top of all of my clothes. I did not have to separate my clothes to retrieve it. 
     Tears welled up in my eyes! My thoughts were all over the place. I knew immediately that Mary through Jesus had saved my life on October 10, 2016. She also returned my rosary to me even after it was lost in the hospital's emergency room. I was immediately inspired that I was not to keep this miracle to myself, but to share it with others. Praise God and our Blessed Mother! Our God is an awesome God and HE can do the impossible! 
     Today, I am back to work, and I am 100% recovered from my injuries. I have no physical limitations and I can do anything I did before my accident. I share this story because the blessings I have received for having gone to Medjugorje in June, 2016 are ongoing. I wake up every day and I am thankful for another day. 
     I will close with these thoughts. If you have never been to Medjugorje, GO! It is a place of miracles, and not all of them happen while you are there. Go to Mass daily, if possible, and receive the Eucharist. Carry a blessed rosary with you at all times and pray it daily. Wear the Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal around your neck. Go to Confession monthly. Live a life being thankful to God, and love others in your daily walk. Finally, listen to the monthly messages from Medjugorje and live them. Miracles can and will happen in your life when you have the eyes of faith. When you need Our Lady's protection the most, She will love and guide you to Jesus when you are in most need of His grace and mercy. 
     Editor's note: Joe is a local dentist who lives in Erie, PA. His injuries did not impair his ability to practice dentistry. He shared his story with me back when it happened, and I had asked him to write it up when he had time. One morning, Joe told me he could not sleep, so he got up, wrote the story and emailed it to me. We realized while talking that the day he wrote and sent it was a Marian feast day – the Feast of the Visitation!

7/8/17

Archbishop George Pearce speaks of Medjugorje.


Msgr. George Hamilton Pearce, retired archbishop of the Fiji Islands, came with a group of American pilgrims on a private visit to Medjugorje at the end of September / beginning of October 2002. He has already been in Medjugorje in the eighties and in the nineties: he believes in the apparitions and in the authenticity of Our Lady’s messages. Msgr. Pearce is a religious, member of the Congregation of Marist Fathers. Since retiring from active Episcopal service, he lives and serves in the Archdiocese of Providence, Rhode Island, USA, where - in the cathedral - he leads a Marian prayer group. Fr. Mario Knezovic spoke with him.

Father Archbishop, when someone mentions the word “Medjugorje”, what do you think about and what do you say about this place?
I have no doubt about its authenticity. I have been here three times already and I say to any priest who asks about it: just go and sit in the confessional, and you will see miracle after miracle after miracle… through Mary’s intercession and the power of God. We were told: “By their fruits you will know them”. Certainly, the heart and soul of the Medjugorje message is the Eucharist and the sacrament of the reconciliation.


Father Archbishop, the Church still examines the events of Medjugorje. What is your personal position? Do you believe in the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in this place and in the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary generally?

I have no doubts whatsoever. This is the work of God. As I said: you cannot but believe when you stand a little time in the confessional. Signs and wonders are merciful gifts of God too, but this is the greatest of all miracles for a priest to see the people around the altar of the Lord. I have been in several shrines, I have spent quite a bit of time in Guadalupe, I have been about eight times at Fatima, and also in Lourdes, it’s the same Mary, the same message, but here at Medjugorje this is the “now” word of Our Lady for the world. There is so much anguish and suffering. Our Lady has been with us all the way through, and in a special way in Medjugorje.
Do you know that, in the world, there are several thousands of prayer groups inspired by Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje? There are more than a thousand groups in your country, the USA… How much is this a sign that the Church recognises God’s words in the words of Our Lady?


We had many humorous remarks from the Pope John Paul II. Somebody asked him why he had not been to Medjugorje yet, and he answered: “It has not been approved yet!” Mirjana told us this morning that he told her that, if he were not Pope, he had been to Medjugorje long ago! We have a little group in the Cathedral in Providence, where I am. They call it “Little St. James”. They meet every evening; they have exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, benediction and Holy Mass.
We see that there is much tension in the world. America has felt the violence of the terrorism. How much America today can listen to the message of Peace and work on a just peace in the whole world?
I think that we have not got the message yet. There was a great turn to the Lord right after September 11th, but we need more then that, I think, before that country really turns to the Lord. So we just pray for that day, we hope we will turn to the Lord before we have to learn too many lessons, but this is also an act of the mercy of God. Everything is an act of the mercy of God. We know very well that God in his merciful love, in his permissive Providence, will take all the means possible that none of the least of his children will be totally lost. That’s all that really matters.


Father Archbishop, what would you say to those who want to come to Medjugorje? What would you say to those who doubt?
I would say: come in the spirit of an open mind, in prayer, entrust your journey to Our Lady. Just come and the Lord will do the rest.

Note-THE MOST REVEREND GEORGE H.Pearce SM, 94, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Suva (Fiji Islands) died on Sunday, August 30, 2015.

7/7/17

My heart is suffering

    (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

July 4, 2017
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
 
Dear Family of Mary!
 
"My heart is suffering. Sins are multiplying, they are too numerous. But with the help of those of you who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, my heart will triumph." (July 2, 2027)
 
Mirjana told us that Our Lady was sad. Our Lady, herself told us that her heart is suffering. She sees the world from heaven, she knows the choices being made, the sins that are being committed, the sorrows that are being multiplied. Her compassionate heart must be breaking. But she is courageous. She turns immediately from that sorrow to the hope of her plan. With our help, with the help of chosen souls who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, she says that she can win against evil. Her heart will triumph.
 
Our Lady's hope is for us. We are the army that Our Lady is building, an army of those who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy. We can see how over these years of Our Lady's presence in Medjugorje she has been forming us in humility, love, hiddenness and holiness. Her messages are a school of holiness. She has taught us to pray with the heart, to live our whole lives for Jesus, to fast, to stay close to the Sacraments, to be humble children of Mother Church. We are her army.
 
I found a passage from St. Faustina's Diary in which Jesus describes the chosen souls who are hidden but shine brilliantly, dispelling the darkness.
 
The Lord has given me to know how much He desires the perfection of chosen souls.
Chosen souls are, in My hand, lights which I cast into the darkness of the world and with which I illumine it. As stars illumine the night, so chosen souls illumine the earth. And the more perfect a soul is, the stronger and the more far-reaching is the light shed by it. It can be hidden and unknown, even to those closest to it, and yet its holiness is reflected in souls even to the most distant extremities of the world. (Diary 1601)
 
Jesus and Mary are calling us to be hidden, modest, humble, filled with love and holy, so that we can bring about the triumph of their hearts in this dark and sorrowful world. It doesn't matter if anyone ever knows our efforts to become holy, the effect will be the same. The light of Christ will penetrate souls and save them, if we do our job.
 
May the Triumph happen! May it be so!
 
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2017

7/3/17

Medjugorje - Aparición a Mirjana del 2 de julio de 2017

Message of July 2, 2017, given through Mirjana at the Blue Cross


   
  Mirjana greets Our Lady on July 2, 2017 
  (c) Mateo Ivankovic 2017

J.M.J.

The Message of July 2, 2017, given through Mirjana at the Blue Cross

"Dear children, thank you for continuing to respond to my invitations and for gathering here around me, your heavenly mother. I know that you are thinking of me with love and hope. I, too, feel love for all of you, just as my most beloved Son also feels it: He who, through his merciful love, is always sending me to you anew; He who was man; He who was and is God - one and triune; He who suffered in body and soul for your sake; He who made Himself bread to feed your souls and thus to save them.

My children, I am teaching you how to be worthy of His love, to direct your thoughts to Him, to live my Son. Apostles of my love, I am covering you with my mantle, because as a mother I desire to protect you. I am imploring you to pray for the whole world.
My heart is suffering. Sins are multiplying, they are too numerous. But with the help of those of you who are humble, modest, filled with love, hidden and holy, my heart will triumph. Love my Son above all and the whole world through Him. Never forget that each of your brothers, within himself, carries something precious - the soul. Therefore, my children, love all those who do not know my Son, so that through prayer and the love which comes through prayer, they may become better; that the goodness in them could win; that souls could be saved and have eternal life.

My apostles, my children, my Son told you to love one another. May this be inscribed in your hearts and with prayer, try to live that love. Thank you." (July 2, 2017)
Mirjana said that Our Lady was sad.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV 2017