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5/31/14
Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 3
Pope Francis to Inaugurate Charismatic Convocation in Rome's Olympic Stadium
Vatican City, (Zenit.org) Deborah Castellano Lubov | 8724 hits
For the first time in history, a pope will visit the Rome Olympic Stadium for an international charismatic renewal convocation, the Vatican has announced.
This Sunday, Pope Francis will attend and meet members of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement in its 37th National Assembly. The June 1-2 gathering is expected to draw some 50,000 people from over 50 countries.
The theme of the event, comprising prayer, testimonies, and dialogue, is “Repent! Believe! Receive the Holy Spirit!”. The Holy Father is expected to arrive at 5 p.m.
At a press conference to launch the event at Vatican Radio’s headquarters in Vatican City Wednesday afternoon, Archbishop Filippo Iannone, vicegerent of the diocese of Rome, Salvatore Martinez, president of Rinnovamento nello Spirito (RNS), the Italian branch of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and Guido Improta, an advisor on Rome's mobility, transport and other logisitical details, discussed preparations.
Archbishop Iannone said it is a good forum for the faithful, who may not speak the same language, to experience the Spirit, and noted the importance of “welcome” and “mission”.. He said those gathered will learn to welcome their encounter with the Spirit and to live it out in their lives and communicate it to others.
Event organizer Salvatore Martinez said some other movements and ecclesial communities will participate and share the Spirit in this meeting as ecumenical delegations - Evangelicals and Pentecostals - are "really interested to see what is happening in the Catholic Church."
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a popular international movement within the Catholic Church which centers on the Holy Spirit, and is often known for its outside-of-Mass worship, such as faith healings and speaking in tongues. Though attracting many followers, the movement has been met with some criticism by those who believe its worship focuses more on emotions and non-liturgical experiences than on communion with Christ in the Eucharist.
In an interview with ZENIT, Martinez said the Holy Father enthusiastically agreed to participate in this event. Noting a nearly 40-year history of this convocation, Martinez explained: “We had wanted to move the convocation to be in the center of Italy, in the center of Christianity. When I was speaking to the Pope in a private audience in September about our desire to transfer this convocation to Rome, the Pope said: 'I'll come.'"
Martinez said the event "brings no news. The word renewal means to restore, redefine, what is the physiological existence of the Church, the Gospel, faith.” He continued that "this is the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit again giving evidence publicly, as was done on the day of Pentecost."
The call of this meeting -- "Repent! Believe! Receive the Holy Spirit!" -- is, therefore, appropriate for this meeting which desires “all believers and non-believers to ask, at an event like this: 'What is happening, and what can we do?'" he said.
The speakers noted the significance of the meeting’s timing for two reasons: the first is that it begins exactly one week before Pentecost, and the second is their view, as noted Archbishop Iannone, that “in this time of crisis something like this could really help unify” divisions among people.
The archbishop said the diocese of Rome is “very happy to host the initiative,” believing it will bring "many fruits," and recognising the fortuitous timing, falling so close to Pentecost.
The prelate observed that although people of different languages will be together, the Spirit will allow them to "talk the same language: that of faith," thus, making this event a "Pentecostal experience."
“If people who will participate in this meeting with the Pope can return to their homes renewed in the Spirit and full of hope, so they are able to confront the difficulties that life presents to us today, the event will be a success,” he told ZENIT.
Whether the problems are social, economic, work or family related, he said, he believes the event and the Pope's presence will give people new hope.
To address the more technical issues, Guido Improta assured those present that those with special needs and disabilities will be accommodated. Giving an example, he said buses will be available to transport the handicapped.
He recognized that Rome is used to organizing large events "but every time is a new challenge." Improta added that although this "is a major effort, we like to do so because Rome is also the city of the Pope.” Therefore, he said as organizers we should be up to facing these challenges in order “to accommodate the Pope and all those who want to come and share with him moments of reflection and prayer."
On Sunday, June 1, the event will run from 10:30 am to 6:45 p.m. Presentations will be given by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, and Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher of the Papal Household.
In the afternoon, Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, will celebrate a Mass moments before the arrival of the Holy Father at 5 p.m.
Elements to be included in the second day, running from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m, are charismatic prayer, as well as Salvatore Martinez speaking on Pope Francis as an outgoing missionary. A Mass presided by Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar of Rome, will follow.
Witnesses to the origins of RNS will also speak, as well as a first-hand witness to a miracle, Sister Briege McKenna, who was miraculously healed in Mass at age 24 and is known now for her charisma intercession for healing.
The presidents of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service also are expected to attend.
5/30/14
Novena to the Holy Spirit Day 2
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PRAYING IN LOSSES
"I tell you truly: you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve for a time, but your grief will be turned into joy." -John 16:20
When Jesus' disciples prayed in the upper room after His Ascension and before the first Christian Pentecost, they probably prayed with a sense of loss. Although Jesus had promised that He would not leave them orphaned (Jn 14:18) and that He would be with them always (Mt 28:20), Jesus' disciples couldn't understand what He meant, for the Spirit had not yet been received and the Church not yet born.
When we pray with a sense of loss, our prayer may sound the same but it is prayed on a different level. For instance, after Paul saw Sosthenes violently attacked and beaten by the Corinthians (Acts 18:17), he naturally lost any sense of security. He realized he could be killed at any moment. When he prayed "Come, Holy Spirit," he probably prayed it on a deeper level than most of us are accustomed to. I remember seeing a widow pray, "Come, Holy Spirit," a couple of hours after her husband's death. She received the Spirit as never before since she prayed for the Spirit as never before. I've seen people lose their health and lose the unity in their marriages. When these people, in their loss, pray, "Come, Holy Spirit," all heaven breaks loose.
When we think we've lost everything, we can pray for the Spirit and receive more than we can ever ask for or imagine (Eph 3:20). Come, Holy Spirit!
Father, on this first day of the Pentecost novena, I cry out to You in the pain of loss.
"Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silenced, for I am with you." -Acts 18:9-10
"A Time For Miracles"
Published on Apr 3, 2014
When Artie Boyle, the father of
thirteen from Boston, Massachusetts, was diagnosed with deadly lung
cancer, he and his family were devastated. As a last resort, he traveled
to the village of Medjugorje in Bosnia to seek a miraculous healing.
"A Time For Miracles" documents Artie's emotional journey into the unknown and the remarkable series of events that forever changed his life.
5/29/14
The Medjugorje Message: The Ascension
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| Photo by Bernard Gallagher http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ |
Novena to the Holy Spirit, Day 1
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5/28/14
Fr. Emil Kapaun
Published on May 25, 2014
When the story of human history
comes to a close, death and violence don't get the final word. The love
of God does. That love, burning bright in the heart of Fr. Emil Kapaun
in the darkness of a POW camp in the Korean war, made him a hero.
5/25/14
The May 25, 2014 message from Our Lady, Queen of Peace, through Marija:
"Dear children! Pray and be aware that without God you are dust. Therefore, turn your thoughts and heart to God and to prayer. Trust in His love. In God's Spirit, little children, you are all called to be witnesses. You are precious and I call you, little children, to holiness, to eternal life. Therefore, be aware that this life is passing. I love you and call you to a new life of conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call."
The Medjugorje Message: “Tears of blood”... update...
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| Photo by Bernard Gallagher http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ |
5/24/14
Hymn to the Holy Spirit
"Dear children! You
are not conscious of the messages which God is sending you through me. He is
giving you great graces and you do not comprehend them. Pray to the Holy Spirit
for enlightenment. If you only knew how great are the graces God is granting
you, you would be praying without ceasing. Thank you for having responded to my
call." Medjugorje (November 8, 1984)
Dear children! At this time of grace,
I call you to prayer. Little children, you work much but without God's blessing.
Bless and seek the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to lead you at this time so that
you may comprehend and live in the grace of this time. Convert, little children,
and kneel in the silence of your hearts. Put God in the center of your being so
that, in that way, you can witness in joy the beauty that God continually gives
in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Our Lady's Medjugorje message, May
25, 2001
Dear children! Today I call you, through prayer and sacrifice, to prepare yourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Little children, this is a time of grace and so, again, I call you to decide for God the Creator. Allow Him to transform and change you. May your heart be prepared to listen to, and live, everything which the Holy Spirit has in His plan for each of you. Little children, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you on the way of truth and salvation towards eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Our Lady's Medjugorje message of May 25, 1998
Dear children! Today I call you, through prayer and sacrifice, to prepare yourselves for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Little children, this is a time of grace and so, again, I call you to decide for God the Creator. Allow Him to transform and change you. May your heart be prepared to listen to, and live, everything which the Holy Spirit has in His plan for each of you. Little children, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you on the way of truth and salvation towards eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Our Lady's Medjugorje message of May 25, 1998
The Medjugorje Message: “Tears of blood” witnessed at Medjugorje
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| Posted by Bernard Gallagher http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ |
5/22/14
A Reflection
Do not forget that you are passing like a flower in a field, which is visible from afar but disappears in a moment (January 25, 2007).
"My children; Again, in a motherly way, I implore you to stop for a moment and to reflect on yourselves and on the transience of this your earthly life. Then reflect on eternity and the eternal beatitude. What do you want? Which way do you want to set out on? The Father`s love sends me to be a mediatrix for you, to show you with motherly love the way which leads to the purity of soul; a soul unburdened by sin; a soul that will come to know eternity. I am praying that the light of the love of my Son may illuminate you, so that you may triumph over weaknesses and come out of misery. You are my children and I desire for all of you to be on the way of salvation. Therefore, my children, gather around me that I may have you come to know the love of my Son and thus open the door of eternal beatitude. Pray as I do for your shepherds. Again I caution you: do not judge them, because my Son chose them. Thank you." (July 02, 2012)
The Medjugorje Message: A simple walk towards God...
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| Photo by Bernard Gallagher http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/ |
5/19/14
Christ Be Our Light
Dear
children! Today I am calling on you to decide whether or not you wish to live
the messages which I am giving you. I wish you to be active in living and
spreading the messages. Especially, dear children, I wish that you all be the
reflection of Jesus, which will enlighten this unfaithful world walking in
darkness. I wish all of you to be the light for everyone and that you give
witness in the light. Dear children, you are not called to the darkness, but you
are called to the light. Therefore, live the light with your own life. Thank you
for having responded to my call. Our Lady's Medjugorje message, June 5, 1986
5/18/14
Children of Medjugorje
May 17,
2014
Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and
Mary!
1 -
On May 2, 2014, Mirjana
received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, surrounded by a large crowd.
After the apparition, she gave the following message:
"Dear
children, I, your Mother, am with you for the sake of your well-being, for the
sake of your needs and for the sake of your personal cognition. The Heavenly
Father gave you the freedom to decide on your own and to become cognizant on
your own. I desire to help you. I desire to be a mother to you, a teacher of the
truth - so that in the simplicity of an open heart, you may become cognizant of
the immesurable purity and of the light which comes from it and shatters
darkness, the light which brings hope. I, my children, understand your pain and
suffering. Who could understand you better than a mother? And you, my children?
Small is the number of those who understand and follow me. Great is the number
of those who are lost - of those who have not yet become cognizant of the truth
in my Son. Therefore, my apostles, pray and act. Bring the light and do not
loose hope. I am with you. In a special way I am with your shepherds. With a
motherly heart I love and protect them, because they lead you to Heaven that was
promised to you by my Son. Thank you."
2 - How can one be
well prepared for a pilgrimage? The season of great
pilgrimages is at its height since Easter and I wish to share with you some
suggestions to help you get the most out of your pilgrimage. It is so easy to
miss the grace! My 25 years spent in Medjugore have taught me that the
essentials can be summarized in 2 points: open up your heart, and expect the
unexpected. In this way we are able to pay attention to the promptings of the
Holy Spirit and to be ready to live the messages to their fullest. Of course
this can be applied to any pilgrimage, not only the one in
Medjugorje!
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
went on pilgrimage 3 times a year in order to celebrate the Living God of
Israel. It was a major event for the Jewish people and a mitzva
(commandment). From Nazareth, they had to walk about 100 miles to reach
Jerusalem. They had to give up their habits, their rhythm of prayer, their work,
and their acquaintanceship and accept to be uprooted for several days.
They never knew in
advance what awaited them on the road but they faced with joy the lack of
comfort (facilities?) and the tiredness. They were stimulated by an exalting
goal: to go pray in the Temple, be "seen" by God and respond to His call! Each
pilgrimage allowed them to reach a new height (level?) in their spiritual life.
What should be done
before leaving home?
1) Tell the Blessed
Mother how grateful you are for being invited by her and thank her in advance
for all the gifts that await you. Since you are her guest, these gifts are
plenty!
2) Start reading some of
the messages and testimonies in order to prepare your spirit; learn about the
apparitions in order to discover the main facts of the shrine.
3) Make the firm
decision to be happy with everything, not to complain and to take up whatever
happens with a positive attitude. This will attract upon you, and upon all those
you carry in your heart, tremendous graces! Your bed isn't as comfortable as the
one at home? Remember that in 1981 the villagers didn't even imagine having a
bed! The food is different? At that time, the villagers didn't have enough to
eat and the men had to work in Germany to feed their families!
The pansion doesn't have
air conditioning? Remember that Jesus never had any during those torrid summers
in Israel. Your guide is like this or like that? Your roommate is this or that?
Perfect! Try to love that person divinely and to master your emotions! Ask him
to tell you about his childhood and welcome the child that is hidden within him!
A pilgrimage allows us to take some distance from our usual habits, and it
offers so many reasons to give thanks to God when we are tempted to grumble.
Then, when we don't grumble, a shower of graces falls down on us. Our Lady
gathers up all these little sacrifices and obtains countless graces for
us!
4) Always keep in mind
the true goal of your pilgrimage and what Our Lady desires: to change your heart
and the direction of your life. She loves you so much and she wants your total
conversion! Prepare yourself for making a good confession; it's the most
important step of your time in Medjugorje, for it cleans up all that prevents
you from being open to God.
5) Be sober when you
fill up your suitcase. Some pilgrims arrive in Medjugorje so laden down with
material things that they are also heavy in their hearts. A pilgrimage is the
opportunity to live detachment and embrace a bit of poverty so beneficial to the soul! Detachment
helps the soul to be fully open to God's grace. Think of the Holy Family going
by foot to Jerusalem! They were content with little and thus enjoyed a great
interior freedom.
6) "Open you hearts!" is
the message that Mary always gives to the pilgrims. Be generous toward God! Let
Him change what he has to change in you without restrictions because a
pilgrimage is a privileged time, an opportunity to let Him work in your soul.
But He will do it according to the openness that you offer Him in your
freedom.
7) Avoid absolutely
seeking for wonders. Those who search for them are going the wrong way. They run
the risk of being disappointed because in Medjugorje miracles occur in the
hearts of people! Those who seek outward signs run the risk of missing the grace
that Our Lady has in store for them and then leave with an empty
heart.
8) Enjoy making new
friends among your group, new brothers and sisters in the Lord! These new
relationships that the Lord creates during a pilgrimage are often important in
the future. When you return home, your new friends will help you live the
messages and you will have a new spiritual support! Many small prayer groups and
charities are formed as a result of a pilgrimage. And some marriages
too!
9) Avoid shopping, keep
only one day for your purchase, lest you fall into distraction and then your
prayer will suffer from that. "Satan wants to change the pilgrims into
bystanders", Our Lady tells us. And yet these traps are more and more numerous
in the shrines! Don't focus too much on taking photos and don't take any during
mass and adoration in order not to "loose the graces that Jesus and myself want
to give you" tells Our Lady.
There it is. Living
these simple suggestions while you are on pilgrimage, you will show God your
sincere good will, and then He will fulfill your heart beyond your
expectations!
3 - A piece of good
news! I
finished writing my new book and, God willing, it will be published in France
this July. Translations have already started. I will give the details in my June
15th report. I thank all those who prayed for the fruit of that book, and those
who sent me their witness. It is not too late to send more. Considering the
requests, I continue writing!
4 - On
May 16th, during the apparition
with Ivan on Podbrdo, Our Lady called us to pray for her intentions and for the
plans she desires to realize for the world. "Pray, dear children," she said.
"And persevere in prayer. The Mother prays with you and always intercedes for
all of you before her Son." Never forget that she counts on our prayers to
fulfill her beautiful plans!
Dearest Gospa,
Who could understand us
better than you, our Mother? In this month of Mary, we do not want to do less
than John the Apostle! More than ever, we welcome you in our home and in our
hearts!
Sister Emmanuel +
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PS 1. The youth
festival will take place
August 1 - 6. Why not help a teenager to come and allow him to change his life?
Doing so, you may save a soul!
PS 2.
Why not write a
letter to Our Lady? She
loves letters and she'll bless you for it!Send it to:"Queen of Peace", BP 2157, F- 06103 Nice
cedex, France. We will give it to a visionary.
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5/16/14
Dear Family of Mary!
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Come Holy Spirit - Terry Clark
Dear
children! As I call you to prayer for those who have not come to know the love
of God, if you were to look into your hearts you would comprehend that I am
speaking about many of you. With an open heart, sincerely ask yourselves if you
want the Living God or do you want to eliminate Him and live as you want. Look
around you, my children, and see where the world is going, the world that thinks
of doing everything without the Father, and which wanders in the darkness of
temptation. I am offering to you the light of the Truth
and the Holy Spirit. According to God's plan I am with you to
help you to have my Son, His Cross and Resurrection, triumph in your hearts. As
a mother, I desire and pray for your unity with my Son and His works. I am with
you; you decide. Thank you. Our Lady's Medjugorje message to Mirjana of (June 2,
2011)
Actor Jim Caviezel's Powerful Message on Abortion
Actor Jim Caviezel spoke at the Rock Church in San Diego in August of 2010.
Caviezel touched upon many issues concerning his religious beliefs but his
message about abortion and forgiveness were among his most powerful.
5/14/14
THE ETERNAL FRUIT OF HIS LOVE IS THE HOLY SPIRIT
"As the Father has loved Me, so I have loved you." -John 15:9
"God is love" (1 Jn 4:16). The Persons of the Holy Trinity love Each other eternally. The Father and the Son love each other eternally, and the eternal Fruit of this love is the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit not only produces fruit (Gal 5:22) but is Himself the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son.
In receiving the Holy Spirit, we receive the power to obey God's very first command to the human race: "Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it" (Gn 1:28). In the Spirit, we bear abundant (Jn 15:5), lasting fruit (Jn 15:16).
However, we live in a contraceptive, abortifacient society. As Pope John Paul II has taught, we live in a "culture of death." This is true both physically and spiritually. For example, many Christians in the Western world would never even entertain the thought of trying to bear fruit by evangelizing. Even those who will share their faith under ideal circumstances abort their attempts to evangelize when they see they will have to die to themselves to bear fruit (see Jn 12:24).
As Pentecost approaches, we must decide whether we want the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the love of the Father and the Son, or if we want to remain in the "culture of death." "Choose life" (Dt 30:19) and life in the Spirit.
Prayer: Father, I choose life, love, fruitfulness, and death to self.
Promise: "He raises up the lowly from the dust; from the dunghill He lifts up the poor." -Ps 113:7
5/13/14
Inspirational Story of Conversion and Faith
http://www.mothermarycomestome.net/
I should have known better, but in my life I’ve been the fool on the hill, a day-tripper, and a nowhere man. Yesterday, after leaving home, Lady Madonna, with a little help from my friends, led me on a magical mystery tour across the universe and up a long and winding road telling me she loves me and that she’s got to get me into her life......
5/10/14
Veni Sancte Spiritus
Medjugorje
- VENI, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende.
COME, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
A traditional prayer asking for the grace of the Holy Spirit.
COME, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of Thy love.
A traditional prayer asking for the grace of the Holy Spirit.
"Dear children! I rejoice with you and in this time of grace I call
you to spiritual renewal. Pray, little children, that the Holy Spirit may come
to dwell in you in fullness, so that you may be able to witness in joy to all
those who are far from faith. Especially, little children, pray for the gifts of
the Holy Spirit so that in the spirit of love, every day and in each situation,
you may be closer to your fellow-man; and that in wisdom and love you may
overcome every difficulty. I am with you and I intercede for each of you before
Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call." Our Lady's message of (May 25,
2000)
5/9/14
The experiences of pilgrims in Medjugorje
Peter O'Brien from Ireland: "I experienced deep conversion"
date: 05.05.2014.
Numerous pilgrims arrived to Medjugorje in the last few days and we had chance to speak to Peter O'Brien, law student, who comes from Cork in Ireland. This is his fourth visit to Medjugorje and he said that he came for the first time when his friend, a priest, paid a trip for him "I was here for one week and even though I heard for Medjugorje before, I could not know what was happening indeed here. After I returned home, I had experience of deep conversion. It was a profound conversion and from that time I became very interested in Catholicism, Holy Mass and confession. Fortunately, my friends were also faithful and one of them wants to come here after my experience. I spoke about Medjugorje to others as well and they also want to come here. What is special here is that our faith is glorified as well as Catholicism; here we learn that God, Jesus and Mary are the most important in our lives. They are the most important in our lives and without them all would be useless. Sometimes we could become discouraged when we look around us, at the things that are happening especially in the last few years with all the wars and conflicts. Many things are changing and it seems it is getting worse. It seems so important to maintain the hard faith in all this, so we would be able to go through these times of temptations."
Source http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/
Source http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/
5/8/14
Apparition to Mirjana May 2, 2012 in Medjugorje
Dear children! I, your mother, am with you for the sake of your well-being, for the sake of your needs and for the sake of your personal cognition. The Heavenly Father gave you the freedom to decide on your own and to become cognizant on your own. I desire to help you. I desire to be a mother to you, a teacher of the truth - so that in the simplicity of an open heart, you may become cognizant of the immeasurable purity and of the light which comes from it and shatters darkness, the light which brings hope. I, my children, understand your pain and suffering. Who could understand you better than a mother? And you, my children? Small is the number of those who understand and follow me. Great is the number of those who are lost - of those who have not yet become cognizant of the truth in my Son. Therefore, my apostles, pray and act. Bring the light and do not loose hope. I am with you. In a special way I am with your shepherds. With a motherly heart I love and protect them, because they lead you to Heaven that was promised to you by my Son. Thank you.
5/7/14
BEAM: Of Mary and miracles in Medjugorje
— Miracles happen every day, according to New Albany resident Sandra Bierly. Wonderful miracles of healing and answered prayers, of divine gifts and hope.
The former middle school science teacher should know. In her travels to a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she’s experienced such wonders. And those revelations with the Almighty and his messengers have had a profound impact on both Bierly’s faith and life.
It began in a place called Medjugorje.
In 1981, six Herzegovinian children reported seeing an apparition of Jesus’s mother, the Virgin Mary, on a hill in this village. As time passed, the aging visionaries continued to witness and, at times, hear the Blessed Mother. For close to 33 years, more than 30 million believers have made the pilgrimage to discover what mysteries the Eastern European village might reveal.
“Medjugorje touched my heart unlike any place on earth,” Bierly said. “It’s like heaven on Earth. Each person experiences personally what they are meant to experience, so your experience would be completely different from mine.”
Bierly’s first experience occurred in 2002 around 20 minutes before noon EST, the time the visionaries have said the Holy Mother appears. Praying with her eyes closed, Bierly noticed that a blue sky filled her vision. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a lady in front of her. Eyes shut again, Bierly then witnessed the sky parting. Instantly she said she traveled through the parted skies and arrived at an altar in Lourdes, another city famous for its Marian apparitions.
For a moment, Bierly enjoyed the serenity. Despite not really wanting to leave, she was again transported back to her body at Medjugorje. Little if no time had elapsed.
“Back then, I trusted mostly in myself and not in a greater power,” she said. “In Medjugorje, I found peace unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before in my life. I was just flooded with it.”
Since her personal revelation, Bierly has returned to the village on five separate trips. Each visit brings something unexpected and new.
On one occasion, after climbing the mountain and the accompanying Stations of the Cross, a bulging disk in her back that had hindered her walking was healed. Another time she asked the Holy Mother to bless her poetry writing. Soon after, her submissions were accepted in a Catholic magazine.
In all, Bierly said more than 130 recorded miracles have occurred at Medjugorje.
And then there are the spiritual transformations that may be a little harder to document.
*During a visit to the site in 2013, Bierly witnessed something she calls a blessing. A video she recorded of the sun immediately prior to the apparitions scheduled appearance time shows, she said, an angel and a sign. A white orb transforms throughout the two minute recording in to what Bierly believes is a Host (also known as communion bread), then a chalice, followed by a monstrance (a vessel used to display the Eucharist during communion), all of which culminate in the blessed sacrament.
Following the recording of this video, Bierly also said she had been gifted with the miracle of the sun.
“I can look at the sun, anytime, anyplace, anywhere, and don’t see the sun at all. I see a host in front of the sun,” she said.
Blessings aren’t a one way street. Bierly has given back to her church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and her community. She serves her parish in numerous ways, including as its pro-life coordinator, lector and choir member.
In addition, the 65-year-old spends her free time making rosaries and distributing them worldwide, all the while helping to spread her faith to those she believes to be in spiritual need. Since 2011, 15,000 have been completed by her own hands.
While the pilgrimages to Medjugorje helped Bierly transform her life, overseas expeditions aren’t always needed. Salvation, as always, can be found within.
“God meets you where you’re at. He meets every person where they’re at and he gives you what you need to sustain you until he’s ready to take you someplace else,” Bierly said. “It’s powerful.”
— Amanda Beam is a Floyd County resident and Jeffersonville native. Contact her by email at adbeam47@aol.com
Source of Article http://www.spiritdaily.com/
The former middle school science teacher should know. In her travels to a small town in Bosnia and Herzegovina, she’s experienced such wonders. And those revelations with the Almighty and his messengers have had a profound impact on both Bierly’s faith and life.
It began in a place called Medjugorje.
In 1981, six Herzegovinian children reported seeing an apparition of Jesus’s mother, the Virgin Mary, on a hill in this village. As time passed, the aging visionaries continued to witness and, at times, hear the Blessed Mother. For close to 33 years, more than 30 million believers have made the pilgrimage to discover what mysteries the Eastern European village might reveal.
“Medjugorje touched my heart unlike any place on earth,” Bierly said. “It’s like heaven on Earth. Each person experiences personally what they are meant to experience, so your experience would be completely different from mine.”
Bierly’s first experience occurred in 2002 around 20 minutes before noon EST, the time the visionaries have said the Holy Mother appears. Praying with her eyes closed, Bierly noticed that a blue sky filled her vision. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a lady in front of her. Eyes shut again, Bierly then witnessed the sky parting. Instantly she said she traveled through the parted skies and arrived at an altar in Lourdes, another city famous for its Marian apparitions.
For a moment, Bierly enjoyed the serenity. Despite not really wanting to leave, she was again transported back to her body at Medjugorje. Little if no time had elapsed.
“Back then, I trusted mostly in myself and not in a greater power,” she said. “In Medjugorje, I found peace unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before in my life. I was just flooded with it.”
Since her personal revelation, Bierly has returned to the village on five separate trips. Each visit brings something unexpected and new.
On one occasion, after climbing the mountain and the accompanying Stations of the Cross, a bulging disk in her back that had hindered her walking was healed. Another time she asked the Holy Mother to bless her poetry writing. Soon after, her submissions were accepted in a Catholic magazine.
In all, Bierly said more than 130 recorded miracles have occurred at Medjugorje.
And then there are the spiritual transformations that may be a little harder to document.
*During a visit to the site in 2013, Bierly witnessed something she calls a blessing. A video she recorded of the sun immediately prior to the apparitions scheduled appearance time shows, she said, an angel and a sign. A white orb transforms throughout the two minute recording in to what Bierly believes is a Host (also known as communion bread), then a chalice, followed by a monstrance (a vessel used to display the Eucharist during communion), all of which culminate in the blessed sacrament.
Following the recording of this video, Bierly also said she had been gifted with the miracle of the sun.
“I can look at the sun, anytime, anyplace, anywhere, and don’t see the sun at all. I see a host in front of the sun,” she said.
Blessings aren’t a one way street. Bierly has given back to her church, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and her community. She serves her parish in numerous ways, including as its pro-life coordinator, lector and choir member.
In addition, the 65-year-old spends her free time making rosaries and distributing them worldwide, all the while helping to spread her faith to those she believes to be in spiritual need. Since 2011, 15,000 have been completed by her own hands.
While the pilgrimages to Medjugorje helped Bierly transform her life, overseas expeditions aren’t always needed. Salvation, as always, can be found within.
“God meets you where you’re at. He meets every person where they’re at and he gives you what you need to sustain you until he’s ready to take you someplace else,” Bierly said. “It’s powerful.”
— Amanda Beam is a Floyd County resident and Jeffersonville native. Contact her by email at adbeam47@aol.com
Source of Article http://www.spiritdaily.com/
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