July 15, 2013

Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary!  

  

1. On July 2nd, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross. The Hill of Podbrdo was covered with huge crowds! After the apparition, she gave the following message:

 

"Dear children, with a motherly love I am imploring you to give me the gift of your hearts, so I can present them to my Son and free you - free you from all the evil enslaving and distancing you all the more from the only Good - my Son - from everything which is leading you on the wrong way and is taking peace away from you. I desire to lead you to the freedom of the promise of my Son, because I desire for God's will to be fulfilled completely here; and that through reconciliation with the Heavenly Father, through fasting and prayer, apostles of God's love may be born - apostles who will freely, and with love, spread the love of God to all my children - apostles who will spread the love of the trust in the Heavenly Father and who will keep opening the gates of Heaven. Dear children, extend the joy of love and support to your shepherds, just as my Son has asked them to extend it to you. Thank you."

 

2.  I have just come back from Lourdes where my community celebrated its 40th anniversary since its foundation.  The celebration was magnificent, and experiencing it together in this blessed place further added to the grace.  There were over 2000 of us, including members of The Beatitudes community and our friends (See PS1)

A young man asked me "Why do you come to Lourdes when you live in Medjugorje?"  Funny question!  Here is the answer I gave him, and to explain it, I have to share with you some aspects that are quite personal.

 

- First of all, because I love my community and a 40^th anniversary must be properly celebrated!  That alone was enough to make me travel all the way from Hercegovina.

 

- Also because my Community assigned me to give several talks, both at the large assembly and for young adults and teenagers, so how could I possibly say no?  The idea of conveying something positive to my dear country of France, was a strong motivation, especially now when our politicians are doing everything possible to evict God and our most vital values from the country.  Poor politicians!  Striving to evict our Creator and Savior has never worked, they should do some research!

 

- Also because for me, Lourdes has a double history.  In the summer, my family would travel to the seashore near Saint Jean de Luz, on the Atlantic Ocean, and each year my father would take us at least for a day to Lourdes, in order to pray and bathe in the blessed waters.  How I bless him for this family tradition that he enabled us to keep for so many years!  Given all the trials my family went through, this anchoring in the Heart of Mary saved us from many evils. 

- Now let me share a beautiful personal experience, since many pilgrims ask me why I love Lourdes so much.  At the age of 28, when Jesus called me to belong to Him completely (but not in a convent), I discovered the new Community of the Lion of Judah in June 1976.  I felt strongly called by the life I saw there, which fit my own hopes and aspirations.  The Lion of Judah was the first name of the Community, which was renamed "Community of the Beatitudes" in 1992.  However, before making a decision to enter it, I needed to receive a sign from Heaven, something really concrete.  At the end of my one week visit to the Lion of Judah community, I was supposed to travel to Lourdes for the huge Pentecost gathering, which was organized by the prayer group "Emmanuel", to which I belonged in Paris since my conversion.  I had prepared this Pentecost through a novena to the Holy Spirit, asking Him to shed light on the place Jesus had chosen for me to liveout my consecration.

 

As soon as I arrived in Lourdes, I ran to the Grotto where Mary appeared in 1858, and I bowed down in the very place where Bernadette had stood. (The spot is marked on the ground.)  And I prayed to the Virgin with great fervor, I thanked her for my being there and told her about my situation. After having prayed for a long time with my nose to the ground, my back started aching and I stood up.  And that is when I understood!

 

Mary had not answered me with words, even less so with a vision (with me, she never does that).  But she had oriented my heart without my even realizing it!  She had delicately moved my heart to lean toward God's will, so that when I stood up, my question had completely disappeared.  It was as if I had tipped over to the other side with great peace, I was already a member of the Lion of Judah, she had mysteriously given me this sense of belonging - this had become completely clear, obvious.  This is typical of her way of doing things, humble and hidden, but how deep and efficient!  I was filled with joy and thanked her, but I needed the approval of the founder of the Emmanuel, Pierre Goursat, who was also present in Lourdes (See PS2).  He had given me some small responsibilities in Paris, and he could have said, "Out of the question, you stay with us!"  But he was a man of God, and very inspired, and he said:  "Yes, this Community is very well suited to you, go ahead!"  I also needed the approval of the founder of the Lion of Judah, Ephraim.  This went through with no problem and I was able to join the Community in the summer of '76.  And I am still in it, thanks be to God.

 

Even though the Blessed Mother hasn't appeared there in a long time, Lourdes is a place where she is still present, offering all her maternal love to her children and her powerful action to change their hearts.  Wherever Mary is present, we are transformed.  It is like in Fatima or Guadalupe - she is there, that's all, and it is a great thing!  One day, Medjugorje will also become a place where she will no longer appear. She has said so. But she also said, "My eyes and my heart will be here, even when I no longer appear." (Message to Mirjana, March 18, '96)

 

3. Congratulations, Guardian Angel!  Last week in Lourdes, I absolutely wanted to go bathe in the pools, especially for a person suffering a great deal (See PS3).  One morning, I received the grace of being invited to go there with a group of children, together with the supervisors.  But because the pools were quite damaged by the floods, some of them were closed, and you had to stand in line for several hours, which was impossible for me that day.  However, as I walked by the pools, I saw one of our sisters on the other side of the fence, with the children.  She had been waiting for her turn for a long time.  It was impossible for me to join her, because in Lourdes, the entrance to the pools is carefully guarded, and the guards are strict!  But nothing is impossible for God, and I didn't want to give up.  So I called upon my great heavenly friend, my guardian angel, and I briefed him in a few words, "It is impossible for me NOT to go bathe, this person for whom I have come here would be much too disappointed!  So here is your job:  please get me in! Find a way, you are an angel, you can do it!"  So I kept walking along the separation fence and suddenly, I saw something that should never have happened: the 3 guards had disappeared from in front of the door!  Wasting not a single minute I jumped at the opportunity. I walked through the door looking unconcerned, and sat down next to my sister.  20 minutes later I was in the water!

So congratulations, my Guardian Angel!  And the same phenomenon of grace took place in the bath. Though plunging into this dirty and ice-cold water is a real penance, the grace that one receives at the same time is simply uplifting!  After bathing in the pools, you really feel as if you are wrapped in the maternal mantel of Our Lady, it just makes you melt inside.

 

If you go to Lourdes, do not miss the pools!  The experience is just as powerful as being present at an apparition!

 

4. Blessed mockery! A French pilgrim came to see me in Medjugorje.  "Sister," she said to me. "Let me tell you how Jesus and Mary caught me!"  A few years ago I was walking around the open market in my village, all leisurely.  I walked up to a stand that sold all sorts of different things; I bought a piece of clothing and paid for it.  As I was leaving, the sales woman called after me, saying, "Here, take this audio tape, it's free!  I'm sick of it!  It's all nonsense!"  The audio tape was about Medjugorje.  I listened to it the same day, and I cried from beginning to end.  I listened to it 50 times, it was like light shining in my darkness and I couldn't get enough of it.  Then I decided to look for information about the Christian faith, which I had never practiced.  And that is how I was converted, and it gives me such joy!" (See PS4).

 

You never know what trick is up the sleeves of Our Lady. She will find anything to reach her children!  She infiltrates everywhere and uses every possible means.  Even mockery is useful to her!  How had that tape landed with this anti-Christian sales woman?  Whose heart had prayed?  Whose hands had given?  The summer gives us new opportunities to do good deeds.  Let us pray to be guided in the smallest gestures of our daily life, and sow generously!  In the great plan to save humanity, nothing is too small before God.  "Dear children, I need you," Mary tells us over and over again, waiting for our answer without ever getting tired!

 

Dearest Gospa, your mother's Heart is full of imagination, the imagination of love!  Please, inspire us, guide us!  We want to be your hands reaching out to this poor world that rejects your Son, and is dying because it is so far from Him. In a special way, we entrust to you the thousands of young people who are coming to you, Mother, for the Youth Festival! 

Sister Emmanuel +

(Translated from French)