4/25/18

Message from Our Lady of Medjugorje of April 25, 2018




(c)Mater Ivankovic 2018
  
 
April 25, 2018

Dear Family of Mary!

Here is the
April 25, 2018 message from Our Lady of Medjugorje: 

"Dear children! Today I am calling you to live your new life with Jesus. May the Risen One give you strength to always be strong in the trials of life and to be faithful and persevering in prayer, because Jesus saved you by His wounds and by His Resurrection gave you new life. Pray, little children, and do not lose hope. May joy and peace be in your hearts and witness the joy that you are mine. I am with you and love you all with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call."   
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV

4/22/18

Changes Coming To Your Church? Don’t Panic!

Bishop Thomas J. Tobin
Posted: 
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. (John F. Kennedy)
This quote from President Kennedy seems appropriate as we think about all the changes taking place in the Diocese of Providence these days. And although change has always been a part of the Church, it’s clear that we’ve now entered a time of more rapid change for parishes, priests, and people.
First, we should emphasize that we’re not talking about changes in the major teachings of the Church. While Pope Francis has called us to a new pastoral approach, a new way of applying the teachings of the Church, (a “paradigm shift,” some have called it), those core teachings are, in fact, unchangeable. But the Pope’s more flexible style has delighted some, disturbed a few, and challenged us all.
But what I’m talking about are changes in local structures, specifically with parishes, schools and priest assignments. And if you’re paying attention at all, you know that rapid change has now become the “new normal” for the Diocese of Providence. These changes are not at all unique to the Diocese of Providence, but are happening across the country, especially in our region.
For example, our friends and neighbors in the Archdioceses of Boston and Hartford, and in the Diocese of Fall River are in the process of implementing significant, pastoral changes. And my home Diocese of Pittsburgh is about to announce the transformation of parish structures that will effectively remake the Catholic Church there after 175 years of history. I’m praying that the “On Mission” process in Pittsburgh goes well.
What’s driving all of these transitions? Well, that’s not a mystery at all. It’s being driven by population change, declining sacramental practice, limited financial resources, and aging priests. And how does all of this affect the Diocese of Providence?
First, a word about schools.
In our diocese there are 40 Catholic schools, 33 elementary and 7 high schools, with varying degrees of relationship to the diocesan Church. They educate about 11,500 students, Catholic and non-Catholic alike. I’m very proud of our schools and deeply grateful to all those who have committed their lives to the Catholic school mission.
Maintaining enrollment remains the primary challenge for our schools. Some are thriving, some are stable, and some are in trouble. The factors that affect enrollment are obvious: the high cost of tuition, competition from other schools, and the declining school age population in our state – especially that. Did you see the “Kids Count” report recently, that in the last 15 years the number of children and youth in Rhode Island has decreased approximately 15 percent? That’s an amazing statistic. It’s quite simple: if you don’t have kids, you don’t need schools.
Second, there are significant changes taking place in our parishes too, also driven by population shifts, Mass attendance, the number of priests and finances.
Some more numbers for you. As I write there are 134 parishes in the Diocese of Providence. That’s more than we need or can sustain. In the last few years we’ve had the canonical affiliation of 15 clusters of two or more parishes. A number of other parishes are sharing a pastor. About 12 churches have closed permanently and have been or will be sold. (That’s another vexing problem – what to do with a closed church.)
In the Diocese of Providence, I’ve opted to take a gradual, patient approach to pastoral planning, looking at parish clusters and regions one at a time, as circumstances demand. But, be assured, parish reorganization will continue, and will accelerate in the days to come.
And finally, what about our priests? We have really good priests, great priests in the Diocese of Providence. They’re faithful and generous in their service, doing their very best to minister to the needs of God’s people. But our priests are aging, and their number is declining. The median age of all of our priests is 68. We have just 21 priests under the age of 40.
And at the moment we’re smack dab in the middle of the priest personnel season, the time when many priests receive new assignments. Four pastors are retiring and that begins a cascade that affects other parishes. This year there will be 12 new pastors, and special ministry assignments too. Sometimes parishioners get upset when their favorite priest moves, but priests move – they always have and always will. It’s the way the Church works.
The point of these reflections is that in the Church, “the times, they are a’changin,” and that reality can be difficult for people to understand and accept. They love their church, their school and their priests. At the same time, though, members of the Church have an important choice to make in how they respond to these necessary changes.
Some people react in a very negative, short-sighted, un-Christian way – getting angry, making accusations, filing complaints, and calling other people names. It’s amazing how change in the Church sometimes transforms “devout” Catholics into apoplectic pagans.
So much better when people understand that structural change, while difficult, will always be part of the Church, and they realize that life goes on; that our faith and commitment to Christ and his Church transcends parish boundaries, church buildings or devotion to their pastor.
So, dear friends, when a school closes, a parish merges, or a pastor is moved, consider what President Kennedy said: “Change is the law of life.” Or even better, remember what Jesus said: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20)

A Miraculous Rescue After Five Days Stranded in the Snow

4/21/18

Wayne Weible Passes Away…

From Facebook (Judith Weible):
On Thursday we moved Wayne into hospice care and this morning he passed away peacefully. Thank you so much for all your prayers and support. Just knowing you were with us in spirit during this difficult time made everything so much easier. May God have mercy on Wayne’s soul and may he forever be in the presence of Jesus and his mother Mary.
Weible Columns will be operational as normal starting Monday morning. Wayne had actually not been a part of the day-to-day running of the office in quite some time so Weible Columns will continue to spread Our Lady’s messages through our monthly newsletter, our selections of spiritual books and our Medjugorje pilgrimages.
[Return to www.spiritdaily.com]
Beautiful, Mother of Roses, Queen of Heaven:

4/19/18

Confession is a Gift

Confession is a Gift The following is an excerpt from a reflection written by Fr. Jozo Zovko in February of 2009.


We are called to confession, to give up our sin forever. Once I visited one of the largest Buddhist temples. There are twelve thousand Buddha statues in it. At the temple entrance there is a dragon. Its paw is so bright that the question poses itself: “Why?” A teacher of Buddhism explained to me that Buddhists leave their sins under the paws of the dragon for it to keep them while they are in the temple. And when they leave the temple their sins again follow them like a shadow. That dragon is some kind of a cloakroom for sins. But only for a short while the dragon keeps the sins lest they disturb one while he is in the temple. I wonder whether you are aware of how exalted is our faith and our God! How our God gives us grace and responds to our needs, how He redeems our sins. No man can take sins upon himself. Nobody can destroy them, to burn them like paper. Neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist can say to you: “Have no fear! You have confessed your sin and it is no more in your conscience, in your life.” A thing like that surpasses human power. Only God forgives sins. In Jesus and through Jesus, He forgives our sins. Jesus left this gift and this grace to the Church through His priests. Our sin has not been deposited in some darkness, in a space of oblivion. No! Our sin has been forgiven in a sacramental Confession. In the Confession it disappeared in the ocean of God’s mercy and love. Have no fear. After Confession your sin will no longer weigh down upon you. Therefore the man whose sins have been forgiven knows to whom he should go and to thank for the immense and divine peace in his heart, conscience and soul. Confession is medicine. Confession is a gift that only God gives to His children. This grace, this sacramental grace opens my heart and changes it, and I wish only one thing: never more to offend my God and spurn His love!

4/11/18

The Disappearing Priest



Saint Elijah's Church in Tihaljna

The Disappearing Priest
By Tony Zuniga

Fr. Jozo is considered by many to be a living saint. He went to prison to protect the six visionaries when the communists attempted to jail them. Maime [my wife] and I went to his Mass at St. Elijah’s church, about an hour from Medjugorje. And even though we were told that the Mass would be in Croatian, and that we would not understand it, we were asked to just simply look at Fr. Jozo and listen. God would do the rest. We did, and God did.

At the moment of Consecration, when the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass, Fr. Jozo repeated Jesus’s words, “This is My Body!” As he slowly raised the Sacred Host, I heard two loud thumps to my right. Startled, I turned my head in that direction. Two women who were standing nearby had just dropped hard on their knees, as if hit by a two by four. I found out later that one of them did not believe in Jesus, and the other one did not believe in Mary. Apparently their conversion took place in an instant. .

Then my own miracle happened. When I turned back toward the altar to see Fr. Jozo, he disappeared right in front of my eyes. The Sacred Host remained floating in mid air, but Fr. Jozo just wasn’t there. I rubbed my eyes. I looked under and around the altar. All I could see was the Sacred Host, floating and vibrating, about three feet above the altar. My heart was pounding. So I turned to Maime to tell her to look, but could not reach her. The church was packed with people, and Maime had her head down in adoration. So I turned to the left, and saw another woman staring and looking towards the altar, shocked, just like I was.

After Mass, I went directly to this woman. Before I could ask her anything, she asked me, “Are you going to tell me about the disappearing priest?” My heart leaped with joy. For a moment I thought I had imagined things, or I was the only one who had experienced this. But this woman challenged me, “What did this miracle mean to you?”

I answered quickly and without hesitation. “Jesus Christ is above everyone and everything, including His own Mother, more important than the priest, and all of us. He is the center of our existence, the core of our being, the King and Lord of our lives, the Master of our destiny, our friend and personal Savior!” The woman smiled and said, “Good! Now, go out into the world and tell everyone you meet what you saw and experienced here.”

The miracle of Medjugorje, however, is not the outer, incredible manifestations we see with earthly eyes, but the continual transformation, in tremendous numbers, of the lives and souls of people who go there. Many who went to Medjugorje had never been inside their churches in forty or fifty years. Today, they are daily communicants. Marriages are strengthened and blessed. Young people who lived in sin, from drugs, to sex, to hatred, and kids who had abandoned their families and forgotten about Jesus are liberated from all evil, and now feel free and forgiven. Today, after returning from Medjugorje, they go out and preach the Good News wherever they find themselves. The people of God have returned to God and are now rejoicing.
Editor’s note: The above is an excerpt from the book Mother of the Most Beautiful Love in the World, Copyright 1995.      http://www.spiritofmedjugorje.org/

4/8/18

The Chaplet Of The Divine Mercy (Sung by: Donna Cori Gibson)

Feast of Divine Mercy--Jesus I Trust in You


Divine Mercy Chapel

Surmanci, Divine Mercy Chapel



April 8, 2018
Second Sunday of Easter
Feast of Divine Mercy

Dear Family of Mary!

We have arrived at the wonderful Feast of Divine Mercy! Let's gather up all the sinners in the whole world and immerse them in the fathomless mercy of God. This is the feast for all of us!

Our Lady calls to us:

"Dear children! In this time of grace, when God has permitted me to be with you, little children, I call you anew to conversion. Work on the salvation of the world in a special way while I am with you. God is merciful and gives special graces, therefore, seek them through prayer. I am with you and do not leave you alone. Thank you for having responded to my call."  May 25, 2008
God is merciful!! This is what we celebrate today, His Mercy! This is a special time of grace, this is the time to convert and call out to the Lord, asking for His mercy! Saint Faustina was so aware of the special graces being offered in our time, and she was told how to respond to these special graces:

The next day, after Communion, I heard the voice saying, My daughter, look into the abyss of My mercy and give praise and glory to this mercy of Mine. Do it in this way: Gather all sinners from the entire world and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. I want to give Myself to souls; I yearn for souls, My daughter. On the day of My feast, the Feast of Mercy, you will go through the whole world and bring fainting souls to the spring of My mercy. I shall heal and strengthen them. (Diary 206)
Jesus wants us all, every one of us, to be immersed in the flowing Blood and Water from His Sacred Heart today!!
Here is what St. Faustina was told about this feast;

When, on one occasion, my confessor told me to ask the Lord Jesus the meaning of the two rays in the image, I answered, "Very well, I will ask the Lord."
During prayer I heard these words within me: The two rays denote Blood and Water. The pale ray stands for the Water which makes souls righteous. The red ray stands for the Blood which is the life of souls...These two rays issued forth from the very depths of My tender mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father. Happy is the one who will dwell in their shelter, for the just hand of God shall not lay hold of him. I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy.
Ask of my faithful servant [Father Sopocko] that, on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul's distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. (Diary 299-300)

And so today we are the blessed recipients of St. Faustina's efforts to spread Divine Mercy. Thank you, dear St. Faustina for your faithfulness to God's call. You have provided this wonderful grace for all mankind!

Let us pray:

(949) Let the doubting soul read these considerations on Divine Mercy and become trusting.

Divine Mercy, gushing forth from the bosom of the Father, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, greatest attribute of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, incomprehensible mystery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, fount gushing forth from the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed by any intellect, human or angelic, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, from which wells forth all life and happiness, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, better than the heavens, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of miracles and wonders, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, encompassing the whole universe, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, descending to earth in the Person of the Incarnate Word, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, which flowed out from the open wound of the Heart of Jesus, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, enclosed in the Heart of Jesus for us, and especially for sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in the institution of the Sacred Host, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the founding of Holy Church, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in our justification through Jesus Christ, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us through our whole life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing us especially at the hour of death, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, endowing us with immortal life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, accompanying us every moment of our life, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, shielding us from the fire of hell, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in the conversion of hardened sinners, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, astonishment for Angels, incomprehensible to Saints, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, unfathomed in all the mysteries of God, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, lifting us out of every misery, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, source of our happiness and joy, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in calling us forth from nothingness to existence, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, embracing all the works of His hands, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, crown of all of God's handiwork, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, in which we are all immersed, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, sweet relief for anguished hearts, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, only hope of despairing souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, repose of hearts, peace amidst fear, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, delight and ecstasy of holy souls, I trust in You.
Divine Mercy, inspiring hope against all hope, I trust in You.
(950) + Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Jesus, I trust in You!

Thank you for joining in the special time of grace from Heaven. May we all be immersed in the Mercy of God today!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2018

PS. Mike Nolan and his pilgrimage group have been given a great grace today! They will all traveled to Surmanci, to the Chapel of Divine Mercy. At 1:00 pm their chaplin will celebrate Holy Mass in the Chapel, in honor of Divine Mercy Sunday!! They will be praying for all of us! What a blessing!!

4/2/18

Medjugorje: Our Lady's message of April 2nd, 2018 to Mirjana


 
  
(c)Mateo Ivankovic 2018
Easter Monday


April 2, 2018
Easter Monday
 
Dear Family of Mary!
 
Our Lady's message of April 2nd, 2018:
Dear children,
Through the great love of the Heavenly Father I am beside you as your mother and you are beside me as my children, as apostles of my love whom I ceaselessly gather around me.
My children, you are those who, along with prayer, need to completely surrender to my Son so that you may no longer live but my Son may live in you - so that all those who do not know my Son may see Him in you and come to desire to know Him.
Pray that in you they may see resolute humility and goodness, a readiness to serve others; that in you they may see that you live your vocation in the world with the heart, in communion with my Son; that in you they may see meekness, tenderness and love for my Son as well as for all brothers and sisters.
Apostles of my love, you must pray much and cleanse your hearts so that you may be the first to walk on the way of my Son, that you may be the just who are united with the justice of my Son.
My children, as apostles of my love, you must be united in the communion which emanates from my Son, so that my children who do not know my Son may recognize the communion of love and may come to desire to walk on the way of life, the way of unity with my Son.
Thank you.

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV

P.S. The video of Mirjana's apparition today can be found on our home page, www.marytv.tv in the window titled "Mirjana's Apparition"