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| Fr. Jozo Zovko |
Message of January 25, 2009
“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May prayer be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for you, for the salvation of your souls. I desire, little children, for each of you to fall in love with eternal life which is your future, and for all worldly things to be a help for you to draw you closer to God the Creator. I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path. Only with my help, little children, will you open your eyes. There are many of those who, by living my messages, comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.
My dear brothers and sisters,
While my heart is hearkening to this message, it is raining outside. It has been raining for days and the rain is becoming oppressive, because the horizons are veiled with leaden clouds, which, firmly riveted to the cold winter sky, are tirelessly pouring down their winter load. Amidst the gurgle of the rain I hear Mother’s voice and Her repeated call to prayer. As an excellent teacher She leads us through the experience in the nature. Namely, when this rain stops and the spring sun shines up, and the earth dries up a bit, farmers and gardeners will go out into their fields and gardens. They will start cleaning them, preparing them for the spring sowing. Nourished and cultivated, the earth will open and receive the seed. It will give it all the conditions for it to spring up, to grow and bear fruit.
What is happening with our prayer!? Is it pouring, like this winter rain, onto the cold earth, jaded and tired with rain, which is unbearable not only to us but also to the earth it is flooding. Rivers and brooks react with floods, their beds being overfull.
No! Our prayer is pouring into the Most Pure Heart of our Mother and mediator of all graces. She bears our prayer to Jesus with love. Such prayer, like the sound seed, bears its fruit. A sower does not scatter around and does not throw his seed in vain. He does it with responsibility and with a great hope that he would reap abundantly. It is these fruits that we live on. Our salvation and the salvation of our souls is the ultimate purpose of our earthly life. Can a man be saved if he does not pray!? Can earth give fruit if it is not tilled, if it has not been sown!? Experience tells us that it is not possible.
To be in love with eternal life is not an illusion, it is not a false dream, something impossible, unreal. Already while sowing, the sower sees in his heart the ears of grain, ripe ears, which are the fruit of his sweat and of the earth he ennobles and to which he gives over his seed with love. Likewise a believer – who joins his hands in prayer, whom love calls to pour out his praises, his love, his deprecation to the Lord – does not waste his time, does not fool himself like a drug addict in search of a false sensation, but rather enjoys the vicinity and beauty of God with the greatest hope and peace, and wishes that this grace may never cease. He is like Peter on Mt Tabor while he was praying with Jesus. He spontaneously poured his joy out of the heart asking that they may for ever remain in that gracious vicinity: It is good that we are here, it is so nice here, let us move to live here…!
Likewise a praying man, living the togetherness with God, wants to be in His vicinity. All worldly things are in the service of our eternal goal. Everything is for us and we are for the Lord. We have to be vigilant all the time that we may not be seduced by any glare of earthly things and programs, goals and values. We must not stop in front of a creature and not see the Creator. On the contrary, everything has to serve us to come to the Lord and to serve Him. He is our God and our everything. Everything is inferior to Him and to His love.
*Think of all brothers and sisters who have chosen the wrong way! Our Lady who loves us, tells us without fear that we are on the wrong way, if anything has separated us from His love. Day after day in a motherly way she helps me open my eyes lest I should choose the way of error, the way of sin, the way of ruin. Jesus also speaks about a wide and easy road, in contrast to a narrow and steep one leading to the final goal. How important it is for me to have my eyes open! If a blind man guides a blind man, they will both fall into a pit – says Jesus. Our Queen of Peace sees and loves; She knows and intercedes for us all to direct us to the right and only path, and that is holiness, that is the way of peace, that is the way leading to Jesus.
How badly do I need your help, O Queen of Peace, so that my eyes may open: the eyes of the heart, the eyes of the spirit by which I recognize the other side of life and of worldly values.
Oh, how persevering I must be and daily live Your messages that my eyes may open!
How hard and scandalous it is to listen to the people who judge You, who do not even follow Jesus’ principles: “Look at the fruits. You will know the trees by their fruits, and distinguish between good and bad ones.” The man who does not pray, who does not fast, who does not listen to and read the Word of God – is such man in a position to judge You and Your messages!?
We are called and instructed in a special way by this message, too, what it means to live the messages of the Queen of Peace. Let us ponder this whole month on this message with the depth of the heart and love. We are called to prayer that flows out of our hearts like the living seed into the heart of the Virgin, and She presents it to Jesus, not against us, but for our salvation. Without Her mediation there is no salvation for us. Jesus included His Mother in the plan of salvation, and said to us: “Here is your Mother.” We need the Mother. Without Her we cannot vanquish our enemy, the Dragon with seven heads and ten horns, as St. John sees him in the Revelation.
*Why has She been with us so long!? Why are we on the wrong path? Which is the wrong path? Do you, as a member of our praying family, recognize and distinguish between the right and the wrong path?! We are in a world of false values. Imagine so many false teachers who shamelessly, through all media, teach you and call your children to immoral and permissive way of life. Look at these teachers and their calls to distractions in which they strip you and your family of human and Christian dignity and morals. Look at the teachers who show you the way of life where everything is permitted. Theirs is a way of life where there is no sin, no conscience. Is it possible that a man can build his future if he is brought up without God and His commandments, without the tenets of Christian faith?
We daily meet ruined people; we meet disappointed, humiliated, and frustrated people. How to help them? “Only with my help will you open their eyes”, said the Queen of Peace. Oh, what a lot of blind men we have in our midst!
My dear praying family, be extended hands to all who are seeking help. Be in prayer and fasting for all those who have fallen or gone astray. Be apostles and witnesses to those who are under the influence of false teachers. Be a hope to all who have been overpowered by the sin of addiction to drugs, alcohol, chance games, fornication, and by the sin of hatred. Be at least a small light to those on whom the darkness of evil and curse has fallen. I implore you to do more than before for your brothers and sisters, so that the following words of the Mother could be applied to us and to our praying family: “Thank you for having responded to my call.”
This month we are going to pray for the following intentions:
For all of us that it may bee seen and felt that our citizenship is in Heaven, that is, that each of us lives and works for eternity. That we may live and bear witness to our faith. That this-worldly may be in the service of the eternal and heavenly.
For all pilgrims who are confused by the controversial statements of irresponsible people about Međugorje and the messages, that they may persevere in seeking the Mother and find the necessary graces. For all the members of the New Commission that they may be led by the Holy Spirit and find out the whole truth, and impart it responsibly to the Church.
For all the visionaries and parishioners of Međugorje, that they may not stop being the chosen parish, who have the task to help and inspire by their life all those coming to Međugorje. For all priests, preachers and confessors that the Lord may give them His light, His peace, and the fatherly love for all sinners and pilgrims.
Dear brothers and sisters, through fasting and prayer abandon yourselves to the call of the Mother, and let Her word produce ample fruit in everybody. Praying for all of you, that you may persevere in the call and comprehend that we are on the way to holiness, is
Yours faithfully,
Fra. Jozo Zovko
1-29-2009 Siroki Brijeg
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