WHY GO TO CHURCH?

 

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this!

If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it.

If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained

that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. 'I've gone for 30

years now,' he wrote, 'and in that time I have heard something like 3,000

sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them.

So, I think I'm wasting my time and the clergy are wasting theirs by

giving sermons at all.'

This started a real controversy in the 'Letters to the Editor' column. ;

Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

 

'I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.

But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!'

When you are DOWN to nothing....God is UP to something!

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!

Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment

The Medjugorje Message: Extraordinary message given to seer at Medjugorje

Photo by Bernard Gallagher
http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/

The Medjugorje Message: Extraordinary message given to seer at Medjugorje: Apparition to Ivan asks for priests to accept and live Medjugorje messages On Friday night, in an apparition to Ivan Dragicevic, Our La...

Actor Jim Caviezel - Inspirational video

As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.

The Pope's homily on Pentecost Sunday

2015-05-24 Vatican Radio

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis presided over Mass in St Peter's Basilica this Pentecost Sunday saying that, the world needs men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit. 

Below is the English translation the Pope's homily this Pentecost Sunday

“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you...  Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn 20:21-22).  The gift of the Spirit on the evening of the Resurrection took place once again on the day of Pentecost, intensified this time by extraordinary outward signs.  On the evening of Easter, Jesus appeared to the Apostles and breathed on them his Spirit (cf. Jn 20:22); on the morning of Pentecost the outpouring occurred in a resounding way, like a wind which shook the place the Apostles were in, filling their minds and hearts.  They received a new strength so great that they were able to proclaim Christ’s Resurrection in different languages: “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4).  Together with them was Mary, the Mother of Jesus, the first disciple and the Mother of the nascent Church.  With her peace and her smile, she accompanied the joyful young Bride, the Church of Jesus.

            The word of God, especially in today’s readings, tells us that the Spirit is at work in individuals and communities filled with the Spirit: he guides us into all the truth (cf. Jn 16:13), he renews the face of the earth (Ps 103:30), and he gives us his fruits (cf. Gal 5:22-23).

            In the Gospel, Jesus promises his disciples that, when he has returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit will come to guide them into all the truth (cf. Jn 16:13).  Indeed he calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth”, and explains to his disciples that the Spirit will bring them to understand ever more clearly what he, the Messiah, has said and done, especially in regard to his death and resurrection.  To the Apostles, who could not bear the scandal of their Master’s sufferings, the Spirit would give a new understanding of the truth and beauty of that saving event.  At first they were paralyzed with fear, shut in the Upper Room to avoid the aftermath of Good Friday.  Now they would no longer be ashamed to be Christ’s disciples; they would no longer tremble before the courts of men.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, they would now understand “all the truth”: that the death of Jesus was not his defeat, but rather the ultimate expression of God’s love, a love that, in the Resurrection, conquers death and exalts Jesus as the Living One, the Lord, the Redeemer of mankind, of history and of the world.  This truth, to which the Apostles were witnesses, became Good News, to be proclaimed to all.

            The gift of the Holy Spirit renews the earth.  The Psalmist says: “You send forth your Spirit… and you renew the face of the earth” (Ps 103:30).  The account of the birth of the Church in the Acts of the Apostles is significantly linked to this Psalm, which is a great hymn of praise to God the Creator.  The Holy Spirit whom Christ sent from the Father, and the Creator Spirit who gives life to all things, are one and the same.  Respect for creation, then, is a requirement of our faith: the “garden” in which we live is not entrusted to us to be exploited, but rather to be cultivated and tended with respect (cf. Gen 2:15).  Yet this is possible only if Adam – the man formed from the earth – allows himself in turn to be renewed by the Holy Spirit, only if he allows himself to be re-formed by the Father on the model of Christ, the new Adam.  In this way, renewed by the Spirit of God, we will indeed be able to experience the freedom of the sons and daughters, in harmony with all creation.  In every creature we will be able to see reflected the glory of the Creator, as another Psalm says: “How great is your name, O Lord our God, through all the earth!” (Ps 8:2, 10).

            In the Letter to the Galatians, Saint Paul wants to show the “fruits” manifested in the lives of those who walk in the way of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22).  On the one hand, he presents “the flesh”, with its list of attendant vices: the works of selfish people closed to God.  On the other hand, there are those who by faith allow the Spirit of God to break into their lives.  In them, God’s gifts blossom, summed up in nine joyful virtues which Paul calls “fruits of the Spirit”.  Hence his appeal, at the start and the end of the reading, as a programme for life: “Walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:6, 25).

            The world needs men and women who are not closed in on themselves, but filled with the Holy Spirit.  Closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom; it is a sin.  There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law to whom Jesus referred as “hypocrites”; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways.  The world needs the courage, hope, faith and perseverance of Christ’s followers.  The world needs the fruits of the Holy Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal 5:22).  The gift of the Holy Spirit has been bestowed upon the Church and upon each one of us, so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace.  Strengthened by the Spirit and his many gifts, may we be able uncompromisingly to battle against sin and corruption, devoting ourselves with patient perseverance to the works of justice and peace.

Our Lady message to Marija of May 25, 2015

“Dear children! Also today I am with you and with joy I call all of you: pray and believe in the power of prayer. Open your hearts, little children, so that God may fill you with His love and you will be a joy to others. Your witness will be powerful and everything you do will be interwoven with God’s tenderness. I am with you and I pray for you and your conversion until you put God in the first place. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

New Life in the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Gives Us Completely New Life
St Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary of the Gospel of John

It can easily be shown from examples both in the Old Testament and the New thatthe Spirit changes those in whom he comes to dwell; he so transforms them that they begin to live a completely new kind of life. Saul was told by the prophet Samuel: The Spirit of the Lord will take possession of you, and you shall be changed into another man. Saint Paul writes: As we behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, that glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit, transforms us all into his own likeness, from one degree of glory to another.

Does this not show that the Spirit changes those in whom he comes to dwell andalters the whole pattern of their lives? With the Spirit within them it is quite natural for people who had been absorbed by the things of this world to become entirely other-worldly in outlook, and for cowards to become men of great courage. There can be no doubt that this is what happened to the disciples. The strength they received from the Spirit enabled them to hold firmly to the love of Christ, facing the violence of their persecutors unafraid.   

HAPPY PENTECOST SUNDAY

Happy Penecost Sunday. After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to the apostles and, breath­ing on them, said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).

“Lord Jesus, breathe on me and make me more alive to God. Come, Holy Spirit, and fill me with your life!”

The Decenary To The Holy Spirit: The Gift of Fear Of the Lord

Pope John Paul - Open yourselves docilely to the gifts of the Holy Spirit

Open yourselves docilely to the gifts of the Spirit. Accept gratefully and obediently the charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow on us. Do not forget that every charism is given for the common good, that is for the benefit of the whole Church. — John Paul II, 1998. .

 Popes Paul VI and John Paul II both blessed the charismatic renewal but said that it will fulfill its purpose only when, like the early liturgical movement, it ceases to have a separate identity of its own and is absorbed into the whole Church. .

 In other words, every Catholic should be a charismatic, baptized in the Spirit, empowered like the apostles. It is needed now, more than ever. Jesus is the one who sends the Holy Spirit. The Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. — Luke 11:9-13.

THE MOST IMPORTANT BUT FORGOTTEN PERSON—THE HOLY SPIRIT

Monday, May 18, 2015

Fr. Brooms Blog

It was a laborious and strenuous two years of Confirmation teaching.  I had the teen boys, a group I really worked hard to prepare them for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Right around the corner awaited the Bishop to confirm my little flock. Knowing that often the Bishop would ask spontaneous questions to the candidates, I wanted to make sure that my boys at least knew enough on the Person of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, as a teacher, I could be in trouble!

Therefore, in one of the last classes I launched the all-important question to my prospect confirmandi:  “Who is the Holy Spirit?” This question met with a resounding and penetrating silence in my ears! Thinking that possibly they were distracted I pitched out the question the second time: “Who is the Holy Spirit?” To my chagrin, the question was met with the same terrifying silence! Well, I thought, maybe they did not hear me properly, so I decided to beg the question a third and final time: “Who is the Holy Spirit?”  One boy, seeming to be camouflaged in the back seats of the classroom, opened up his mouth and said clearly and bluntly: THE BIRD!!!

To my relief, I rested a bit more in peace, at least one of them articulated one of the most eloquent and known symbols of the Holy Spirit—not so much “The Bird”, but the Dove. But at least he was close; at least in the ballpark!

In Ephesus Saint Paul once launched the same question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit.”  Their response was a little bit worse than my Confirmation students:  “We did not so much as know that there is a Holy Spirit.”(Acts 19:1-9)

For many the Holy Spirit is the forgotten member of the most Holy Trinity. We pray to the Father, at least the Our Father; the Son Jesus, we read the Gospels and know Jesus at least partially, but how many of us know of the Holy Spirit, much less pray to Him and have devotion to Him? I imagine very few across the board! Indeed, He is the forgotten Person of the Blessed Trinity.

This being the case how can we know, love and cultivate a deep friendship with the Holy Spirit, who is so important because the Holy Spirit is God; He is the third Person of the most Blessed Trinity. Countless are ways that we can grow deeper in our relationship with the Holy Spirit, but we would like to mention just a few, three will suffice!

1.    LEARN ABOUT HIM. Two sources I would suggest! First, read and meditate attentively the ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. A fascinating book attributed to Saint Luke is one of the best action books of the New Testament. But also it is known as the Gospel of the Holy Spirit. The reason for this is that there are so many references to the action of the Holy Spirit throughout the whole inspired text. As you read underline texts and passages that mention the Holy Spirit and note His manner of proceeding and talk to Him as an intimate Friend. Then read the spiritual masterpiece of the modern author Jacques Philippe:  “The School of the Holy Spirit.” The essence of holiness is to learn to be docile to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.

2.    FRIENDSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.  Get in the habit of talking frequently to the Holy Spirit. You can pray a formal prayer or hymn to the Holy Spirit or talk to Him in your own words. Note also your relationship to the Blessed Trinity. God the Father is your “Dad”; In Hebrew He is known as “Abba”—meaning “Daddy”. Jesus is your older Brother. What an honor to have Jesus as your elder brother starting at the moment of Baptism. Then who exactly is the Holy Spirit for you?  To be theologically exact the Holy Spirit is your BEST FRIEND.  How consoling this truth. In concrete this means that you are never alone;  you do not have to experience a crushing loneliness so characteristic of the modern world. In any time and place you can stop and talk to this loving Friend who you can discover in the very depths of your heart, the very depths of your soul—of course, if you are in the state of sanctifying grace.

3.    DOCILITY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT.   The Holy Spirit is the best of Friends, but at the same time He is the most demanding of Friends. This means that the Holy Spirit will inspire you often with heavenly touches that are called inspirations. At times the Holy Spirit will move you against the grain, go against your will, and even nudge you in the direction of the cross. Do not resist His heavenly beckonings!  An interesting story is related by the famous and highly respected modern writer Jacques Philippe in his literary masterpiece “The School of the Holy Spirit”.  In essence this is the account. Fr Jacques returns home from a retreat and exhausted, with the only desire to retire to his room and rest for the night. However, something happens. Within Father Jacques he hears the gentle bit insistent invitation to do something small but important for God. What to do? The inspiration was to not to go to his room immediately; rather, the Holy Spirit as nudging him to go to the chapel and to make a short visit to Jesus present in the most Blessed Sacrament. After possibly a bit of resistance Fr. Jacques capitulated and pays Jesus a short but fervent visit before retiring to his room. Consequently he retires, falls asleep and gets up the next day with consolation and ready to start afresh new apostolic initiatives. Question? What most likely would have happened if Fr. Jacques were to have resisted the invitation? I think we all know what would have happened to us! Getting to sleep would have been close to impossible, tossing and turning all night with our conscience pricking away at us; due to the lack of sleep cranky and irritable the whole day! What do you think?  In sum, our attitude and response should be that of the young Samuel in the Temple: “Speak O Lord for your servant is listening.”   We must be docile, open and responsive to Our Best Friend—the Holy Spirit.

Finally, a closing note of paramount importance! Draw close to Our Lady and she will draw you close to the Holy Spirit. Our Lady is the Daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, but she is also the Mystical Spouse of the Holy Spirit.  For this important reason Saint Louis de Montfort asserts forcefully: “Those who love Mary, the Holy Spirit flings Himself into their souls.”  If we desire a New Pentecost in our lives and a divine invasion and outpouring of the Holy Spirit, then the key is a true, filial and loving devotion to Mary. Let us pray this short but fervent prayer: “Come Holy Spirit come through the Heart of Mary.”

The Gift of Knowledge At The Service Of The Church

The Decenary To The Holy Spirit; The Gift of Wisdom

The Decenary To The Holy Spirit: The Gift of the Understanding

Come Holy Spirit

PENTECOST CONFESSION

"As Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came down on them and they began to speak in tongues and to utter prophecies. There were in the company about twelve men in all." -Acts 19:6-7

The twelve Ephesian men so readily gave their lives to Jesus and received the Holy Spirit because they had received John's baptism of repentance (see Acts 19:3-4). At the first Christian Pentecost, Peter told the people to repent in order to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). On the evening of the day on which Jesus rose from the dead, Jesus commanded His apostles to receive the Holy Spirit (Jn 20:22). Then he delegated them to forgive sins in His name (Jn 20:23). The risen Jesus made it clear that the baptism of repentance accompanies the baptism in the Spirit (see Mk 1:4, 8).

 Of the Pentecost Novena, plan to go to Confession as soon as possible. One of the first works of the Spirit is to convict us of sin (Jn 16:8). If we respond to this grace by repenting, we open the door to an amazing series of movements of the Holy Spirit. It is both a necessity and a privilege for us to repent as deeply as possible. When even one person repents, all in heaven, including the Holy Spirit, rejoice (Lk 15:7). Repent. Give God joy. Receive the Holy Spirit.

 Father, may sin lose its hold on me (see Heb 12:1).

 "You will suffer in the world. But take courage! I have overcome the world." -Jn 16:33

Fr. Robert Lange, Rest in Peace

Fr. Robert Lange, Rest in Peace

 A dear priest who served the Diocese of Arlington well and faithfully died t . . .

http://lesfemmes-thetruth.blogspot.com/2015/05/fr-robert-la . . .

Martha Munizzi - Come Holy Spirit - LIVE (@marthamunizzi)

Do Not Be Afraid

"Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silenced." -Acts 18:9

On the first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Spirit dealt in a magnificent way with tongues. First, the Spirit appeared in the form of "tongues as of fire" (Acts 2:3). The apostles yielded their formerly silent tongues to speak in both native and foreign languages, proclaiming the prophetic Word of God (Acts 2:4ff). Their hearers used their tongues to repent and ask how to be saved (Acts 2:37).

Once the Spirit has your tongue, the battle begins. Satan accuses you of being foolish (Acts 2:13) and attacks any fears you may have. The world attempts to intimidate and silence you. This is what the apostles experienced once the Spirit took over their tongues. Nevertheless, the apostles yielded to the inspiration of the Spirit, not to the attacks of Satan and the world.
When we yield our tongues to the Spirit, the pressure to stifle the Holy Spirit and hold our tongues is so fierce that the Lord personally assures us: "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silenced, for I am with you" (Acts 18:9).

 The Pentecost Novena, nine days of prayer to prepare to receive the Holy Spirit in fullness at Pentecost. Give the Lord your mind, heart, soul, and tongue. Ask the Lord to teach you "what to say and how to speak" (Jn 12:49). Allow the Holy Spirit to control your speech in both your native tongue and in the spiritual gift of tongues.

 Father, I ask You in Jesus' name to prepare my heart to be a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.

Father, make me a bold and loving witness for Jesus everywhere.

 "I give you My assurance, whatever you ask the Father, He will give you in My name." -Jn 16:23

The Pentecost Novena Starts on Friday, May 15

The Pentecost Novena is the first of all novenas, nine days of prayer. After Jesus' Ascension into heaven, He commanded His disciples to come together in the upper room to devote themselves to constant prayer (Acts 1:14). They prayed for nine days before receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

On May 4, 1897, Pope Leo XIII proclaimed: "We decree and command that throughout the whole Catholic Church, this year and in every subsequent year, a novena shall take place before Whit-Sunday (Pentecost), in all parish churches." It has been reported that Pope Leo XIII was inspired to mandate the Pentecost novena because of a letter from a housewife in Italy. Pope John Paul II has reiterated Pope Leo XIII's command for a worldwide Pentecost novena, although the novena can be prayed at any time — not only before Pentecost.

Try to go to Mass daily throughout the novena. Go to Confession during the novena. Make visits to church to adore the eucharistic Jesus throughout the
novena.

Novena to the Holy Spirit    http://www.sfspirit.com/files/Download/NOVENA_TO_THE_HOLY_SPIRIT[1].pdf

The Nine Day Novena to the Holy Spirit On Video. Can be said anytime.

~Day 1 to Day 9~

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSRTXTybsIc&feature=related

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqCRzNwRbcY
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3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQvsX5wcATU&feature=related
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4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nF0ylQ0CUKE&feature=related
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5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfNTfX1d4JY&feature=related
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6. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbv-Oe19O0s&feature=related
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7. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dc74_-4krcs&feature=related
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8. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V7OYhsggn8&feature=related
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9. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9tf0baOkqE&feature=related

The Medjugorje Message: Evil attempts to silence witness of visionary Vick...

Bernard Gallagher
http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/

The Medjugorje Message: Evil attempts to silence witness of visionary Vick...: Sr Emmanuel’s latest newsletter from Medjugorje highlights an recent incident when the visionary Vicka was confronted by evil as she was pra...

From the Desk of Sr. Emmanuel Maillard May 13, 2015 First Apparition of Mary in Fatima  Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. May 2, 2015 Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross in the presence of a very huge crowd. After the apparition, she conveyed the following message: Dear children, Open your hearts and try to feel how much I love you and how much I desire for you to love my Son. I desire for you to come to know Him all the better, because it is impossible to know Him and not to love Him - because He is love.   I, my children, know you. I know your pain and suffering because I lived through them. I laugh with you in your joy and I cry with you in your pain. I will never leave you. I will always speak to you with motherly tenderness. And I, as a mother, need your open hearts to spread the love of my Son with wisdom and simplicity.  I need you to be open and sensitive to the good and mercy. I need you to be united with my Son, because I desire for you to be happy and to help me to bring happiness to all of my children.  My apostles, I need you to show everyone the truth of God, so that my heart, which suffered and today suffers so much pain, can win in love. Pray for the holiness of your shepherds, so that in the name of my Son they could work miracles, because holiness works miracles. Thank you 2. Last winter, I interviewed Father Amorth, the famous exorcist in Rome. He told me how bitterly the devil expresses his hatred when he invokes certain saints while performing exorcisms. For example, the devil cannot stand it when the exorcist invokes the intercession of St. John Paul II. When father Amorth asked him why, he answered, "Because he stole so many young people from me!" Another time, Satan declared how he hated the prayer of the Rosary. "At each Ave Maria," he stated, "I receive a painful blow on the back of my neck." Sometimes during strong spiritual events in Medjugorje, tormented people start screaming. This was frequent during Jesus' missions, as can be seen in the Gospel. These torments may have different  causes, but sometimes they are satanic presences expressing themselves through those people.   The other day, when Vicka was praying for a long time over the crowd in front of her, a woman started shouting out at her with a horrible man's voice, "I can't stand you any longer! Stop praying! You always forgive! You should have been dead a long time ago!  Shut up!" etc. Those cries from the enemy are meaningful and significant. Satan described clearly here what disarms him the most!  It is no wonder that Satan dislikes prayer and the practice of forgiveness! They make him powerless to do any harm! (see PS1) 3.  On May 17, Pope Francis will canonize the first Carmelite Saint of the Middle East, Sr. Maryam of Bethlehem. During her 40-day ordeal, which was permitted by God, Satan declared, "She will be canonized and I do not want it!" This remark from the enemy speaks for itself about the importance of her intercession in the matter of Redemption today!  If Little Flower is keeping her promise in sending a shower of roses from heaven to those who pray to her, Maryam has nothing to envy, considering the graces of healing, conversion, and liberation that are granted through her intercession.   Here are some of the words she used to address to her sisters: ..."The humble soul becomes light, she lives in the truth, she rises up to God and God lowers Himself to her.  Humility gives to that soul a way to achieve other virtues.  The proud soul is like a grain of wheat thrown in the water, it swells up and becomes big.  Expose this grain to the sun and it will wither.  The humble soul is like a grain of wheat thrown on to the ground, it descends and hides itself, it disappears and it dies but it is to blossom in heaven." ... "When olives are harvested, it is done with the utmost care; all those that fall on the ground are picked so as to extract the oil. Look everywhere with an equal care for occasions to practice humility. Oil gives light; humility has the light of God; it shows God." ..."Happy the little ones!  There is room for them everywhere.  But the big ones, they get in everyone's way."  Nothing pleased the Lord more than humility." ..."Only love can satisfy the heart of man.  The good man is content with love and a little bit of land; but the wicked man, even with all the pleasures, the honors, and the riches he piles up, is always hungry, is always thirsty, he is never satisfied." ..."Look at the earthworm.  As long as it stays underground, it is safe: but if it shows itself, it will be crushed.  The worm, when ice comes, the earth is its warmth.  When the sun comes, the earth gives it freshness.  Understand that humility is happy with everything.  She posseses peace in this world and joy in the next world." ..."Reflect well on this: today on the earth, tomorrow under the earth." ..."Little sheep, love the one who slaps you and not the one who gives you kisses.  If you defend yourself when someone slaps you, you will lose everything; but if you kiss the one who strikes you, God will keep you." ..."The Lord will not reproach you for having sinned, but for not having humbled yourself." ..."Never look at either the mistakes or the shortcomings of the sisters.  Keep to yourself the most difficult, the most painful things, in order to comfort the others.  Think always good of others: excuse them.  If you see a sister spilling oil, think that she is lost in God, then pick up a rag to clean up the spill." ..."The Lord doesn't like it when we take back a part of our offerings.  Offer Him all and give Him all." "Take great care to keep tranquility of heart, because Satan fishes in troubled waters." "Be very charitable.  When one of your eyes sees evil, close it and open the other one!  Change everything to good!" "Without Mary, we would be lost.  The enemy makes holes everywhere.  Mary takes care of us better than the best of mothers." "Be small; be and remain small, so that the mother keeps you under her wings, as the hen keeps her little ones and chases them away when they are grown.  Be small, small. . .  Jesus will keep you.  See the hen and the little chicks:  as long as they are small, she feeds them with her beak, she hides them under her wings; they lack nothing.  Be small, the Lord will keep you, He will feed you." "When Jesus looks at his chosen ones, his gaze melts their hearts. Oh, that look!" (see PS2) 4. On Monday May 11th at 10:00 PM we were present for Ivan's apparition of Our Lady at the Blue Cross. Our Lady invited us to pray for her intentions and for the plans she wants to realize in Medjugorje. "Pray, dear children," she said. "Persevere in prayer. The Mother prays with you and intercedes for each one of you before her Son." That same day a few priests and pilgrims went to Ivan's daily apparition in his private chapel at 6:40 p.m., and there, Our Lady gave the same message. she even repeated it twice as Ivan underlined it: "Pray for the realisation of my plans!" In this world that is so badly troubled, it is good to remember that Our Lady does have a plan, that this plan will definitely be carried out,that victory has been promised, and that we are invited to be its instruments, or better still, its apostles!   5.  Stay Tuned! Sister Emmanuel will be in the U.S.A. in July! 6. The next Live Show will be broadcast in French on June 3 at 21:00. I will talk about the message of the 2nd. The Live of the 3rd is replayed on   http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/index.php/le-direct-du-3.html  Also, don't forget! You can watch 10-minute videos in French of small spiritual advices at: http://www.enfantsdemedjugorje.fr/index.php/prier-videos.html Dearest Gospa! We thank you for your continuous intercession in our favor!  Help us to be strong in our warfare against Satan through prayer, with the rosary in hand.  You with us and us with you, then we are certain of the victory!   Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French)

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima Dear Family of Mary

(c)Mary TV 2014 J.M.J.  May 13, 2015 Feast of Our Lady of Fatima Dear Family of Mary! January 25, 1991 "Dear children! Today, like never before, I invite you to prayer. Let your prayer be a prayer for peace. Satan is strong and desires to destroy not only human life, but also nature and the planet on which you live. Therefore, dear children, pray that through prayer you can protect yourselves with God's blessing of peace. God has sent me among you so that I may help you. If you so wish, grasp the rosary. Even the rosary alone [i.e., one rosary] can work miracles in the world and in your lives. I bless you and I remain with you for as long as it is God's will. Thank you for not betraying my presence here and I thank you because your response is serving the good and the peace." On December 26, 1957, Sr. Lucia (a visionary of Fatima) gave the following testimony to Father Augustine Fuentes, postulator of the cause for the beatification of the Fatima visionaries, Francisco and Jacinta.  Though published in 1957 with the approval of ecclesiastical authority, two years later its dissemination was suppressed.  (The Fourth Secrete of Fatima, Antonio Socci, Loreto Publications, 2009, pp. 99 - 102). I believe it has great meaning for us today, especially in light of the presence of Our Lady in Medjugorje over these many years since Sr. Lucia spoke these words. "Father, the Most Holy Virgin did not tell me that we are in the last times of the world, but She made me understand this for three reasons.  The first reason is because She told me that the devil is in the mood for engaging in a decisive battle against the Virgin.  And a decisive battle is the final battle where one side will be victorious and the other side will suffer defeat.  Also from now on we must choose sides.  Either we are for God or we are for the devil.  There is no other possibility.  The second reason is because She said to my cousins as well as to myself that God is giving two last remedies to the world.  These are the Holy Rosary and devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  These are the last two remedies, which signify that there will not be others.  The third reason is because in the plans of Divine Providence God always, before He is about to punish the world, exhausts all other remedies. "The two means to save the world are prayer and sacrifice.  Look, Father, the Most Holy Virgin, in these last times in which we live, has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Holy Rosary.  She has given this efficacy to such an extent that there is no problem, no matter how difficult it is, whether temporal or above all, spiritual, in the private life of each one of us, of our families, of the families of the world, of the religious communities or even of the life of peoples and nations, that cannot be resolved through the prayer of the Rosary.  There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve through the recitation of the Holy Rosary.  Through the Holy Rosary we will save ourselves.  We will sanctify ourselves.  We will console Our Lord and obtain the salvation of many souls.  Finally, devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Mother, consists in considering Her as the seat of mercy, of goodness and of pardon and as the sure door through which we are to enter Heaven."    Our Lady told Sr. Lucia that the devil is in the mood for a decisive battle against her and her children. He means to crush us all. And there is no neutral ground anymore. We must choose sides. Doesn't this describe our day? Hasn't evil increased? Don't we feel the animosity all around us? (I am thinking especially of ISIS, the militant terrorist movement today that is killing Christians.) Our Lady also told Sr. Lucia that God has given two remedies to the world at this moment of trial, the Holy Rosary and devotion to her Immaculate Heart! These remedies have been presented to us in a most powerful way in Medjugorje! And finally Our Lady said that in God's divine providence, He is pulling out the stops, and providing oceans of graces to the world because He doesn't want to punish us. He loves us. So He is giving us the grace of conversion and repentance through Our Lady and her presence with us! Now we see why the Holy Rosary has such efficacy. God is ready to respond to the slightest gesture on our part to turn to Him, so much does He desire our salvation. And so the Rosary has been given incredible spiritual power! Doesn't this remind us of the recent vision of Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme of the Diocese of Maidugura, Nigeria, in which Jesus handed him a sword, and as it touched the bishop's hand it turned into a Rosary. Then Jesus said, "Boko Haram is gone!" three times! (Here is the link to his Youtube testimony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNHK5njEW1Y ) The Rosary has the power to defeat evil. Sr. Lucia said, "There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve through the recitation of the Holy Rosary." Bishop Oliver Dashe Doeme says the Rosary is the sword that will defeat Boko Haram. We have been given an opportunity to do great good, by our prayer of the Rosary and our devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. What if today, on the Feast of Fatima, we all took up our weapons, our Rosaries, and prayed even one Rosary for the defeat of the devil and conversion of ISIS and militant Islam? Our Lady in Medjugorje says: "If you so wish, grasp the rosary. Even the rosary alone [i.e., one rosary] can work miracles in the world and in your lives." Sr. Lucia tells us we can do anything if we pray our Rosary with faith. Let's do it! Let's pray the Holy Rosary for the defeat of the devil, and for the conversion of all men, and the victory of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Dearest Mother, We thank you for the Rosary, your gift to us for these difficult days. Take our Rosaries, prayed with love, and augment them with your motherly grace, and offer them to the Father for conversion and freedom from evil for all men. We thank you in advance, and give you our love. Amen. In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2015 PS.  Milona Von Hapsburg shares about Sr. Lucia and her relationship to Medjugorje in the Fruit of Medjugorje, Episode 56.  She shares that Sr. Lucia prayed for the visionaries and believed in the authenticity of these apparitions.

"Medjugorje is the spiritual center of the world." Saint John Paul II Be connected! www.marytv.tv

Pope, Christians should turn to the Holy Spirit in preparing for martyrdom – great or small

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square 1 before the Wednesday general audience on April 22 2015. 

Vatican City, May 11, 2015 / 11:31 am (Aid to the Church in Need).- Pope Francis centered his homily for Monday's daily Mass on the “scandal of the cross,” saying Christians should turn to the Holy Spirit in preparing for martyrdom – great or small.

“A Christian who does not take the dimension of martyrdom seriously in life does not understand the road that Jesus has indicated,” the Pope said May 11, according to Vatican Radio's translation.

Addressing the congregation at the Santa Marta residence chapel, Pope Francis said the road indicated by Jesus invites “us to bear witness every day, defending the rights of others; defending our children; mothers and fathers who defend their family; so many sick people who bear witness and suffer for the love of Jesus.”

He encouraged Christians to turn to the Holy Spirit to remind them of Jesus' words, and guide them in preparing to be witnesses “with small every day martyrdoms, or with a great martyrdom, according to God’s will.”
    
All Christians are capable of “bearing witness” of the Easter message “without being scandalized,” the Pope said.

According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis recalled in his homily a phone conversation with Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church on Sunday, during which he spoke of the Egyptian Christians recently martyred on the beach.

The pontiff was making reference here to an ISIS video, released last February, which shows the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians.

“Thanks to the strength given them by the Holy Spirit they were not scandalized. They died with the name of Jesus on their lips,” the Pope said.

“This is the strength of the Spirit. The testimony. Martyrdom is the supreme testimony.”

Monday's homily was centered on the day's Mass readings, specifically the Gospel of John in which Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit descending:

“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you will also testify” (John 15:26-27).

The Church is guided along a journey by the Holy Spirit, the Pope said, who serves as our companion, while defending us from “the scandal of the cross.”

The cross is a scandal for the Jews who “ask for signs,” the pontiff observed. On the other hand, for the pagan Greeks “who ask for knowledge and new ideas,” the cross is foolishness.

The Holy Father also spoke of the “scandal of persecution” in reference to those who preach the Gospel.

“They will expel you from the synagogues: in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God.”

Pope Francis spoke of those who kill Christians in God's name. “This is Christ’s cross: 'They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.'”

“This happened to me – Jesus says – it will happen to you too – the persecutions, the tribulations – but do not be scandalized: the Holy Spirit will guide us and help us understand.”

CALLED TO THE WITNESS STAND

"A time will come when anyone who puts you to death will claim to be serving God!" -John 16:2

The Holy Spirit witnesses for Jesus and calls us to do the same (Jn 15:26-27). This is one of the main reasons why many Christians don't want the Holy Spirit to be very active in their lives. Although they realize that witnessing is an act of love which will lead people to Christ, they also know that witnessing will result in personally suffering and being persecuted. Jesus' witnesses will be expelled even from Church and, moreover, may be put to death (see Jn 16:2). In Greek, the word "witness" is "martyr," someone who physically lays down his life for Jesus and is violently put to death.

We all want life in the Holy Spirit, or we at least want the emptiness of life without the Spirit to be filled. However, we often don't want the Holy Spirit enough to suffer. The cost of Pentecost is the cross, and not many want to pay such a high cost.
Ask the Lord to give you a desire to receive the Holy Spirit that is even greater than the desire to avoid pain. Only love is stronger than our natural desire to avoid pain (see Sg 8:6; Ps 63:4). Look at a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross. Ask for and receive love. Strongly desire the Spirit. Thirst for the Spirit (Jn 7:37). Receive the Spirit. Receive an even greater love. Receive a new Pentecost.

 Father, may I consider Your love a greater good than life (Ps 63:4).

"She already reverenced God, and the Lord opened her heart to accept what Paul was saying." -Acts 16:14

The Medjugorje Message: JPII, Fatima, and the Medjugorje connection

Bernard Gallagher
http://crownofstars.blogspot.com/

The Medjugorje Message: JPII, Fatima, and the Medjugorje connection: Did ‘Act of Entrustment’ by John Paul II herald the Medjugorje phenomenon? Following the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II when...

Messages from Our Lady, Today I invite you

A call to conversion, to mend our ways, to freshen ourselves, to wash ourselves clean, to prepare for and allow the Holy Spirit to enter our lives once more, is echoed throughout Our Lady’s messages from Medjugorje.

Dear children! Today I invite you to open yourselves to God by means of prayer so the Holy Spirit may begin to work miracles in you and through you. I am with you and I intercede before God for each one of you because, dear children, each one of you is important in my plan of salvation. I invite you to be carriers of good and peace. God can give you peace only if you convert and pray. Therefore, my dear little children, pray, pray, pray and do that which the Holy Spirit inspires you. Thank you for having responded to my call. May 25, 1993

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. May 25, 1998

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. May 25, 2000

Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Renew your personal prayer, and in a special way pray to the Holy Spirit to help you pray with the heart. I intercede for all of you, little children, and call all of you to conversion. If you convert, all those around you will also be renewed and prayer will be a joy for them. Thank you for having responded to my call. May 25, 2003

WITHOUT PENTECOST THERE IS NO CHURCH

Monday, May 24, 2010

 

REGINA COELI: WITHOUT PENTECOST THERE IS NO CHURCH

 

VATICAN CITY, 23 MAY 2010 (VIS) - Following this morning's Eucharistic celebration in the Vatican Basilica for the Solemnity of Pentecost, Pope Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study to pray the Regina Coeli with faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square below.

  In his remarks the Pope explained that "the mystery of Pentecost", which we identify with the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the Cenacle, "is the true 'Baptism' of the Church, but it does not finish there. In fact, the Church lives constantly in the effusion of the Holy Spirit without which she would exhaust her energies like a sailing ship without wind.

  "Pentecost", he added, "is renewed especially in certain particularly intense moments, both at the local and universal level, in small assemblies and in great gatherings". Among these, the Holy Father mentioned Vatican Council II, and "the famous encounter of ecclesial movements with the Venerable John Paul II here in St. Peter's Square at Pentecost 1994.

  "Yet", he went on, "the Church experiences countless 'Pentecosts' which enliven local communities: the liturgies, especially those experienced at special moments in community life, in which the power of God is perceived particularly clearly, infusing souls with joy and enthusiasm".

  "Thus, there is no Church without Pentecost. And, I would like to add, there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary. So it was at the beginning, in the Cenacle. ... So it is always, in all places and times. I myself witnessed as much a few days ago in Fatima, Portugal. What did that immense multitude experience on the esplanade of the shrine, if not a renewed Pentecost?".

  "This", the Holy Father concluded, "is the experience typical of the great Marian shrines (Lourdes, Guadalupe, Pompeii, Loreto) and of the smaller ones. Wherever Christians come together in prayer with Mary, the Lord gives His Spirit".

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Holy Spirit May Our Hearts Be Open

Lets ask ourselves,

are we open to the Holy Spirit,

do we pray to the Holy Spirit

 to enlighten us,

 to make us more sensitive

 to the things of God.

There is a prayer we need to pray every day 

Holy Spirit,

 may are hearts be open

 to the Word of God,

 may my heart be open to good,

 may my heart be open to the beauty of God, every day.

~Pope Francis~

At the Blue Cross in Medjugorje, Our Lady's message to Ivan on May 20, 2013

'Dear children, also today, in a special way, I invite you in this time of grace to open your souls to the Holy Spirit. Dear children, do not permit the world to lead you. Therefore, may the Holy Spirit lead you. Pray, persevere in prayer, that the Holy Spirit may descend upon your families who are in darkness. The mother prays together with you, intercedes before her son for you. Thank you, dear children, for responding to my call today.'