Today is the great day of Our Lord's Divine Mercy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FiUynPzI0E&feature=PlayList&p=DC423CADDA28F69A&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4

THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY

A nice story by my friend Easter from Hawaii

The Cat Came Back

Honey when we first rescued her as an abandoned kitten After almost 4 months MIA, our pet Honey has returned to the fold. The prodigal cat is back home! It was quite an adventure for our wayward kitty.

She went missing the day after my birthday in December and found while my father was in the hospital a little over two weeks ago. My husband shared a detailed account with me on how he eventually got her home. Suffice to say, that he saw a wild cat transformed into the sweet and affectionate cat we knew, as soon as she got home.There are a few people that need to be thanked. First of all, I truly believe my dear ol' dad helped me get my cat back. He knew how heartbroken I was about her being lost. Now that he is able to help his loved ones, he didn't hesitate us recover our pet. My husband also believes St. Francis' intercession had a hand in this small miracle. My sister who also firmly believes my dad helped us, reminded me that my father had a deep devotion to St. Francis, the patron saint of animals. He had a big garden statue of St. Francis in a prominent place in room. It was my father and mother's love of animals that all of us inherited. Okay, now for the people who helped:- My friends like Betty, who knew Honey would be found. She shared with me a St. Martin de Porres connection one morning when she walked home from Mass. St. Martin de Porres is another patron saint of animals.- My homeschooling friends who prayed for Honey to be found and continually asked about any updates.- Our neighbors who actually went beyond the call of duty in helping us search high and low for this cat! Jon, Barbara, Takeo, Wyman, et al.- The security guards all over town who couldn't have been nicer when we posted signs and asked them to keep an eye open for the krazy kat.- The many people who called us when they saw our Lost Cat signs all over our neighborhood. The last one, actually paid off. It was a good thing we never dismissed any call even though it seemed like a slim chance it was Honey. It was a feral cat colony caregiver who called us. She was sure this cat was different than the rest. She called because she saw the sign I posted in the area where she fed the cats.- My family who commiserated with me. I know I am forgetting many, many people for their help and I'm sorry about that. We are very appreciative though. And, last but not least my husband Dan who suffered with me when we lost Honey. He actually felt my pain and prayed, prayed and never gave up hope. He is the actually cat-lover in the family....http://hicatholicmom.blogspot.com/

COMMENT: Esther's father recently passed away and he is with the risen Lord.

Do not be Afraid.

Do not be afraid to come to Medjugorje. Be more afraid of not coming.

Medjugorje the church and what Pope John Paul Said.

Medjugorje the church and what Pope John Paul II Said

by Pio Patrick

On going to church the other day, I was chatting to people as I left church. I was saying what a wonderful experience I have had in Medjugorje and commented that I had been there on several occasions. An Irish lady in our company said that she would like to go either to Medjugorje or Fatima, I mentioned that I had enjoyed both, but also mentioned the fact that it pleased me Our Lady's apparitions were presently taking place in Medjugorje. Whereupon a gentleman said "I wouldn't go there, what if it turns out to be fake. I found this rather upsetting although I bit my tongue as best I could. How and ever for the record can I just say that it can take many years for an apparition site to be approved in the case of Fatima it took thirteen years after the event. Clearly the apparitions at Medjugorje are ongoing. Pope John Paul II Praised Father Jozo the once spiritual director of the visionaries, and said "I am with you, protect Medjugorje! Protect Our Lady's messages!" He also said 'Our Poland is grateful for your every word, for every thing that you have done for us', said the Pope's collaborator, Krystyna Gregorezyk, who gave the note to Fr. Jozo himself in the Siroki Brijeg church.

On another occasion while in North Korea the pope said "THERE ARE BISHOPS, LIKE IN YUGOSLAVIA FOR EXAMPLE WHO ARE AGAINST THIS...., BUT IT'S IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE GREAT NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ANSWERING HER INVITATIONS, THE AMOUNT OF CONVERSIONS... ALL THIS IS UNDERLINED IN THE GOSPEL, ALL THESE FACTS HAVE TO BE SERIOUSLY INVESTIGATED."(L`Homme Nouveau, 3. February 1991.)

I think it important enough to make this a news item at medjugorjenews as thousands of bishops and religious have been to Medjugorje. Indeed Bishop Joseph Ratzinger spoke positively about Medjugorje as a place of prayer, a place where people are converted, spurred by Mary, our Mother. It is the spirit of Medjugorje, something that is very difficult to put into words. something special not unlike Lourdes or Fatima. I also think it worth mentioning that had not the miracle of the sun be witnessed by some 100,000 people at the Cova da Iria in Fatima because people were to afraid to go look, because of what others might think or say, where would the testimony have been, not to mention the witnesses. I know what I have seen and I can bare testimony when that time comes.

So to those people who have not been to Medjugorje, I will pray that you take this wonderful opportunity while it is here and go to this place of pilgrimage. If only to pray to the Blessed Mother which pope John Paul II thought a wonderful thing. And today although not authenticated it is still a place of pilgrimage a place sent with love and peace, a place I will visit time and time again to be with like-minded pilgrims, who care enough to believe in the messages of Our Lady relayed by the visionaries...... Pio Patrick 11 may 2007

Beyond Doubt

BEYOND DOUBT"

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples. 'I have seen the Lord!' she announced." —John 20:18

Jesus delivered Mary Magdalene from several demons, and from that time on she remained faithful to Jesus and faith-filled. We have no indication in the Gospels that she ever wavered in faith. Unlike the apostles, Mary Magdalene was always there for Jesus. She walked with Him throughout His ministry. She stood fast even at the foot of the cross, and she was the first person to see the risen Christ. Mary was firm, con-firmed in her faith.

This is God's will for all of us. The Father and Son have sent the HOLY SPIRIT to confirm us in our faith (see 2 Cor 1:21-22), including our faith in Jesus' resurrection. Many Christians, however, seem to give only an intellectual assent to the resurrection. They don't believe in the risen Lord to the extent that they radically transform their lives. Doubt can have more influence on their lives and ours than does faith. We must let the Spirit confirm us in our faith in Jesus' resurrection.

Then we'll live accordingly. We will be a sign of contradiction to the world. We will be like Mary Magdalene. We must come out from our tomb of doubt to recognize that Jesus has come out from the tomb of death, and that "beyond any doubt" Jesus is risen Lord, Messiah, and God... Praise to the risen Jesus, Who calls us each by name! (see Jn 20:16)

Gifts Exuding from Risen Christ Statue Behind Saint James Church in Medjugorje.

Risen Jesus statue behind St. James
Gifts Exuding from the Statue at Medjugorje Increase During the Hour of Mercy
By Andrea Toto-Walshe

I met my husband in April of 2005 during a pilgrimage with Penny Abbruzzese and Fr. Moyna to Fatima, Lourdes, and Garabandal. Both of us booked relatively close to the date of departure unbeknownst to each other. There was a special calling that we both felt we needed to respond to, not realizing that a unique bond was being created by all of Heaven for us to be joined. From our very first trip many unexplained happenings occurred, sometimes on a regular basis.
We were married on December 10, 2005, and since my husband's family traveled from Europe for our wedding, we postponed our honeymoon till February, 2006. As we wanted to consecrate our marriage to the Blessed Mother and give thanks, we went to Medjugorje with Our Lady Queen of Prayer Group from February 11th until February 19th. The gifts that we were showered with from our Blessed Mother were incredible.

There is a castle in Medjugorje that is owned by a couple named Nancy and Patrick Latta. Nancy is Fr. Jozo Zovko's translator. Fr. Jozo is the priest who saved the children from the authorities when no one believed that they were seeing the Blessed Virgin.

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We were invited for breakfast Saturday morning along with some priests and sisters in our group. After a wonderful breakfast. Nancy asked us if we would stand in the middle of the kitchen, close our eyes, and open our hands. We thought we would be given a special blessing. We were known as the "newlyweds" and Patrick (my husband) was always asking priests for special wedding blessings. Nancy told us that the Blessed Mother appeared on Apparition Hill holding this heart made of red baby roses. The Blessed Mother gave it to one of the visionaries, who in turn gave it to Nancy and told her, "You will know who to give it to." To our utter surprise, Nancy gave it to us! We received a wedding gift from the Blessed Mother! Needless to say we couldn't find a scraper large enough to peel my husband Patrick off the ceiling!

There is a fifteen foot bronze statue of the 'Cross of the Risen Christ' that has been exuding a substance that drips from the knee. This has been happening since the apparition's 20th anniversary in 2001. A friend of ours was here about six months prior and she had this liquid tested. It came back human tears. We believe that when Jesus was crucified, our Blessed Mother was holding him around the knees, and that these are the tears of Our Blessed Mother. We wanted to bring home some of the handkerchiefs with the tears to those who were sick.
It was approximately 3 p.m. when we went and we brought with us ten white and ten blue handkerchiefs to absorb the liquid. Also note that at sometimes this liquid smelled like roses. My husband tasted the liquid and said it had a salty taste, like tears. We noticed that between 3 and 4 p.m. (the hour of Divine Mercy,) the liquid ran out instead of shedding several droplets every ten seconds.
Patrick was taking each handkerchief and soaking it with the "tears." He handed it to me and we both noticed there was blood on it! The first thing Patrick said was "bronze does not rust." It looked like blood and water mixed.
We took it back to the house where we were staying at to show everyone. We were still in shock. When we arrived home I had no idea where we were going to keep the heart and the blood soaked handkerchief. By accident I noticed a small hat box and mentioned to Patrick I must have purchased this during my compulsive days, because I do not remember buying it. Patrick commented that it would be perfect for our heart and handkerchief. What I did not notice was the top of the box was a blue butterfly (seen at other sites of apparition.) Perfect !
Mary's Mantle, Winter Issue 2007

A Powerful Message from Fr. Neil Buchiein, on Our Lady's Medjugorje message of April 2, 2009 to Mirjana.

Fr. Neil Buchlein, Thursday, April 2, 2009

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother, Greetings and Peace!

What a "Wake-Up Call" of a message we received today:"

Dear children, God's love is in my words. My children, that is the love which desires to turn you to justice and truth. That is the love which desires to save you from delusion. And what about you, my children? Your hearts remain closed; they are hard and do not respond to my calls. They are insincere. With a motherly love I am praying for you, because I desire for all of you to resurrect in my Son. Thank you."

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU MY CHILDREN?"-- Those words took me back to many years ago (No, I'm not going to give away my age and shock you) and I could see myself being asked those words by my Mom with the exception that it was personalized; "And what about you, Neil?

"Well, as we get ready to enter into Holy Week we are asked an extremely important and significant question. If we don't spend time in examining ourselves so that we can really enter into the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, then we really are delusional and a bunch of "Medjugorje Want-a-bees."

How have we spent this season of Lent? Have we really grown closer to our Lord? Did we thirst like the Samaritan woman for that "Living Water?" Have we had our eyes opened so that we can really see? DID WE GO AND RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION? The Church teaches that this is our Easter Duty. . .once a year unless a mortal sin is committed. Many of us probably don't even pay attention to to Our Blessed Mother when she says to go monthly. It is easy to come up with so many excuses. Well, think of what our beloved PJP II said that Medjugorje was the closing chapter of Fatima. If you cannot remember when to go. . .GO ON THE FIRST SATURDAY OF THE MONTH! Today we remember our beloved Holy Father and how his death impacted all of the world.

My priestly life is constantly changing. . .thankfully for the better. . .Praise God! I strongly believe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and don't miss an opportunity to preach about it when the Gospel gives me "an open door" to go for it. This past Monday there were four priests for the sacrament. I do not know when the other three left/were finished but we started at 7PM and I still had one penitent waiting at midnight! That penitent (who served their penance in advance by waiting for two + hours) set an appointment. I have never spent that much time hearing confessions but it was AWESOME! I walked home totally "on fire and full of energy" and thanked the Lord for having so many people come and open their hearts and minds to experience the mercy and love of Jesus. I heard His voice throughout my body say, "Neil, you told them to come and 'dump' and 'dump' they did!" Praise God!

Our Blessed Mother's message today is certainly about the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we go, as she suggests, how can our "hearts remain closed?" Even if we are failing with the 4 other "Stones" we can still confess them.Notice how she uses the words "resurrect in my Son." She is pointing to Holy Week and Easter. But, where will we be during next week? Will some of us choose to bury ourselves into our own tombs early and refuse to come out? We need to get rid of the barriers that are blocking ourselves from getting to Jesus. If you have yet to get to the Sacrament of Reconciliation; DO IT NOW! Don't let the "clock tick away" valuable time where you can lose. . .lose eternity... (if your sins are mortal). Look at the world and what is going on. . .do you really think God is pleased with humanity?!?! How long will we be on the receiving end of thse "Love Letters" from Our Blessed Mother. I don't want to sound pessimistic but I think Jesus is beginning to run out of patience and may say to His Mother soon, "Mom, they are not listening to you or me. Its time. . ." Do we really want "to push the envelope?"

Notice that She did not end with "THANK YOU FOR HAVING RESPONDED TO MY CALL." Well, is it any wonder?! We are so delusional and worried about the economy and world economy that we are foregoing our own spiritual lives. This is what needs our attention if we believe in the messages of Medjugorje. Our lives should be different. Put on the spiritual armor and get ready to walk with Our Lord this week. . .will you go with Him and die with Him on Calvary? Peace and Goodness, --Fr. Neil Buchlein

Hillary Clinton in AWE of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood

Congressman Smith: Mrs. Clinton, choose either Our Lady of Guadalupe or Margaret Sanger


Congressmen Chris Smith

Washington D.C., Apr 2, 2009 / 01:25 pm (CNA).- In an impassionate address to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ,) argued that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the speech delivered immediately after, in Houston, Texas, during Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Award were completely inexcusable.
Smith said that Clinton’s visit to the Catholic Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where she presented a bouquet of flowers on behalf of the American people, was “a very nice gesture.”
But the gesture was at odds with her speech while receiving the Margaret Sanger Award.

*In her remarks, Secretary Clinton said she was ‘in awe’ --I repeat, ‘in awe’-- of Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.”

“To our distinguished Secretary of State, I respectfully ask: Are you kidding? In ‘awe’ of Margaret Sanger, who said in 1921, ‘Eugenics…is the most adequate and thorough avenue to the solution of racial, political, and social problems’ and who also said in 1922, ‘The most merciful thing that a family does to one of its infant members is to kill it’?” asked Congressman Smith.
He went on to say that Secretary Clinton in her speech said that Margaret Sanger's “life and leadership” was “one of the most transformational in the entire history of the human race.”
“Mr. Speaker, transformational, yes. But not for the better if one happens to be poor, disenfranchised, weak, a person of color, vulnerable, or among the many so-called undesirables who Sanger would exclude and exterminate from the human race.”
According to the New Jersey Representative, “the juxtaposition of last week's two very public events in Mexico City and in Houston bring into sharp focus two huge and irreconcilable world views.”
“On the one hand, the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe has for five centuries brought a message of hope, faith, peace, reconciliation and protection for the weakest, most vulnerable among us. On the other hand, each year, Margaret Sanger's Planned Parenthood kills approximately 300,000 unborn baby girls and boys in their abortion clinics scattered throughout the United States,” he added.

After briefly narrating the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Smith continued: “last Thursday, Hillary Clinton visited the shrine. On Friday, she paid homage to Planned Parenthood and to Margaret Sanger. Margaret Sanger is the founder of Planned Parenthood. She was a self-described pro-abortionist eugenist and a racist who considered charity care for impoverished, disenfranchised women, including women of color, especially pregnant women, to be ‘cruel’.”

Smith extensively quoted little known, terrifying passages of Sanger’s writings, loaded with racism and contempt for the poor.
“The most serious charge that can be brought against modern benevolence is that it encourages, and I say this again, the perpetuation of defectives, delinquents, and dependents,” was one of Sanger’s statement quoted by the NJ representative.
“Which begs the question, Mr. Speaker. Is our Secretary of State unaware of Margaret Sanger’s inhumane beliefs? Was she not briefed on Margaret Sanger’s cruel and reckless disregard for poor, pregnant women? Respectfully, Secretary Clinton should at a minimum return the Sanger award.”

“More importantly,” continued Smith “Congress and the White House must at long last take a long, hard, second look at the multimillion, almost billion, dollar corporation called Planned Parenthood – Child Abuse Incorporated.”
“There is nothing whatsoever compassionate, benevolent, ennobling, benign, or empowering about abortion. It is a violation of a child's fundamental human rights to life.
“I strongly urge my colleagues to take that second look at Planned Parenthood. It is time to respect the value and the dignity of all human life,” he concluded.

That which is built on sand is crumbling.

Those things built on sand are crumbling.

Everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined. (Matthew 7:26-27)


But that which is built on the rock of Peter is standing. For Christ promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church which He himself would build.

Medjugorje: Our Lady's message to Mirjana of April 2, 2009

Dear children,

God’s love is in my words. My children, that is the love which desires to turn you to justice and truth. That is the love which desires to save you from delusion. And what about you, my children?

Your hearts remain closed; they are hard and do not respond to my calls. They are insincere. With a motherly love I am praying for you, because I desire for all of you to resurrect in my Son. Thank you. April 2, 2009

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2 Corinthians 4:4 - The god's of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

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You men, why shut your hearts so long, loving delusions, chasing after lies. Psalm 4 : 2

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As your word unfolds, it gives light and the simple understand. Psalm 119 : 130

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GOD’S LOVE IS IN MY WORDS...My son, pay attention to my words, listen carefully to the words I say, do not let them out of your sight, keep them deep in your heart.They are life to those who grasp them, health for the entire body. More than all else, keep watch over your heart, since here are the wellsprings of life. Turn your back on the mouth that misleads, keep your distance from lips that deceive. Let your eyes be fixed ahead, your gaze straight before you. Let the path you tread be level and all your ways made firm.Turn neither to right nor to left, keep your foot clear of evil.....Proverbs 4 : 20-27 -"posted by pilgrim"

Medjugorje: Interview with Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Horacio Garcia

Interview: Mons. Eduardo Horacio García, Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Date: October 25, 2008

Mons. Eduardo Horacio García, Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, was in Medjugorje with a group of pilgrims from Argentina in the beginning of October 2008. Mons. García is born in 1956, and he is a bishop for five years now. Marija Stegnar, an Argentinean Croat who is regularly bringing groups to Medjugorje for many years now, accompanied this pilgrimage.

Monsignor, would you be so kind to tell us why you came to Medjugorje?

A group of Catholics invited me, and I accepted. I was thinking about this invitation for only two minutes. I am not here because of the journey, but because of conversion. I came to see, and I see that this is a place of grace, of prayer, of silence, most of all a place of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. This is what struck me mostly - people in front of the Blessed Sacrament. I think that precisely the awakening of faith is the greatest miracle that our Mother has accomplished.

Is there a difference between Medjugorje and other Marian shrines?

Everywhere, there is prayer, everywhere, Holy Masses are celebrated, but here we find the Apparition Hill and Cross Mountain, and most of all – Adoration. Adoration is a sign of our times. This is very special here. People come late in the evening; they come for Adoration at night. This is where inner wounds are healed.

Have you noticed any signs of the presence of Our Lady?

The fruits are the signs. Love for Mary, love while waiting for the moment of apparition, joy… are indicative of the presence of Mary. People seek peace. The Medjugorje messages lead to peace. These are simple messages for everyone. Simple faith. Love, joy. Joy to believe, joy to love, joy to share with others. I have no words.

Have you been hearing confessions in Medjugorje?

Yes. I heard confessions of those who did not go for confession for 30 years, as well as of those who went three days ago.

What is the significance of Medjugorje for the universal Church today?

This is a place of grace for the whole Church. It offers in a special way graces of prayer and of Adoration… it leads to inner transformation, which can be seen in daily life. This is contagious. In Argentina, more and more young people seek Adoration that leads to inner prayer. Life without inner life is no life. In Adoration, they encounter Christ who changes them. I was impressed by the universality of the Medjugorje messages. Mary is inviting all people of all countries, and she strengthens our faith. Here we can experience the “globalization of faith” and universal brotherhood. The apostles went into the whole world. This is how the Church grew.

Did you assist at an apparition?

This morning, people started to gather about four o’clock to be present for the apparition with Mirjana. I was praying every day for a special intention. Today, I was praying for priests. I was there for the apparition, and during the apparition, I felt within as if Mary had told me: “I am taking care of you all”. When, after the apparition, Mirjana told that Our Lady is inviting us in a special way to pray for priests, I was deeply touched. God is speaking.

Have you met the visionaries?

I met Vicka. She asked for my blessing and this impressed me. I was also impressed by her normality, simplicity, joy.

All the visionaries are married…

Yes. God’s presence can be experienced in a normal daily life.

It is interesting that lay people are intensely involved in the organization of the pilgrimages to Medjugorje, because priests and bishops are not allowed to do so.
God is speaking. We have to open our hearts and listen to him… and wait patiently. If this is God’s work, it will remain. If it is not from God, it will vanish by itself. When people pray for inner renewal – let them continue.

Would God give so many graces if these events were based on a fraud?
**The Pope himself told that he wanted to come to Medjugorje. This is the Approval of Medjugorje.

Fr. Danko's Commentary on Our Lady's Message of March 25, 2009

AWAKEN YOUR SOULS WITH PRAYER

"Dear children! In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. Little children, may He draw you closer to His Heart so that you may become open to eternal life. I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of March 25, 2009

If we look around, we see that, although slowly, nature is awakening thus announcing the spring. In her message of 25 March 2009, on the feast of the Annunciation, Our Lady called us to awaken our souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. When Our Lady calls us to prayer, what first comes to our mind is to pray for the conversion of sinners, for this world, and the like. Only a few people realise that the call for prayer refers primarily to ourselves. The words of Our Lady are always permeated with love and again in her latest message she says: awaken your souls with prayer. These words are a call to change our attitude towards prayer that we have had so far. We have been called to pray primarily for our own conversion, and only then for the conversion of others. It is us that need to change first. Only then will our fellow men and the world start to change. When awaken in this way it will be easier for us to open ourselves to God and to receive the light of the risen Christ. The pierced heart of Jesus is the utmost reflection of God's love towards man. In all cultures, apart from being an organ of our body, the heart is a symbol of love. That is why Our lady says to us: “May He draw you closer to His heart so that you may become open to eternal life.” Jesus loved people so much that He did not spare Himself. He eventually exhausted Himself and became worn out in order to show people His love. However, in those times Jesus was not accepted. Neither is He accepted today. He is being insulted, hurt, killed with language, curse, slander, hatred. That is why with her tonight’s message Our Lady calls to get closer to Jesus’ heart not only us, Catholics, but the whole world, so that we may become open to eternal life. Will this call get lost yet one more time in the desert and wasteland of this world? Will we miss hearing yet another call of the Queen of Peace from Medugorje? It is a duty of all those who have experienced the love of God and the love of Our Lady to witness and show not only to Europe, but to the whole world the love that was crucified, that died on the cross, the love resurrected and alive today. Every new day is an opportunity for us to be witnesses of this love. May our greatest advocate, mediator and intercessor Blessed Virgin Mary – Our Lady help us. Fr. Danko Perutina Medugorje 26/03/2009_________________"Pray! Pray! Pray!" -Our Lady of Medjugorje

Meetings with Father Jozo

If you can afford to purchase just one book during this year, then “Meetings with Fr Jozo” has to be the choice! This new hardback book is a revised edition of Encounters with Fr Jozo that was produced three years ago by Sabrina Covic. This time around it has added chapters and a fantastic range of photographs, some which have never been published before.

Meetings with Fr Jozo is by Sabrina Covic-Radojicic and published by Editons Sakramento of France.• The above photograph is one of many excellent images from the book and shows Fr Jozo meeting with Pope John Paul II in January 1993. Notice the prayer card of Our Lady which Fr Jozo always hands out pilgrims. It seems that the John Paul II was no exception!
Posted by pilgrim at 3:40 PM

Medjugorje: A time for Prayer

LOCAL BISHOP REMOVES PERMISSION TO HAVE MASS OR ADORATION AT COMMUNITY NEAR MEDJUGORJE

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On the apparition beat, it has been brought to our attention that a community associated with the famous apparition site of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina, the Oasis of Peace, has been prohibited from having Mass or Adoration any longer.
The community, on land just outside of the hamlet, was a favorite stop and prayer spot for many pilgrims and where seer Marija Pavlovic often had her apparitions. The order came from Ratko Peric, the bishop of Mostar, last week.

The Adoration monstrance there was broken open Thursday and the Host eaten, as ordered by the diocese, which also is disallowing Confession from being heard there, according to well-placed sources.While Bishop Peric, who long has battled with Franciscans who dominate the Medjugorje area, no longer has jurisdiction over the apparitions themselves,- (That authority is now in the hands of a Vatican Commission),- he maintains control over liturgical issues and also barred another community known as Cenacolo (which rehabilitates drug addicts and other troubled young people) from allowing a second seer, Mirjana Soldo, from having her monthly apparition in its large auditorium (she now receives the Blessed Mother at the "blue cross" near the base of Apparition Hill).

The communities have been described by some as Medjugorje's "defense walls." At the least, they are at the periphery.Is it all a move to restrict or move against Medjugorje itself? There is also the question of priests:
One, Father Petar Ljubicic, who serves as a spiritual advisor to Mirjana (and will supposedly reveal her first secret when the time comes) had requested a move back to Medjugorje and was in Citluk (the neighboring town) but instead has now been assigned an hour-and-a-half away to a parish in the Tomislavgrad area.

Meanwhile, Father Jozo Zovko, the pastor at Medjugorje at the time of the initial apparitions, and a well-known speaker on the events, has taken a year sabbatical during which he will not be addressing pilgrims. According to one report, the priest, who was jailed by Communists when he supported the seers in the early 1980s, will spend his year off on an island near Dubrovnik.

There are reports that this move was also initiated by Bishop Peric, who has long sought to silence the priest, and who attempted to remove some of his faculties, although health matters are also thought to figure into the decision and his order says Father Jozo himself requested the year off for medical reasons. The priest recently underwent treatment for a male-related affliction.

Its all about Jesus

IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS"--It was about Me that [Moses] wrote." —John 5:46 -Moses wrote about Jesus. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John wrote about Jesus in their Gospels. St. Paul wrote about Jesus in all of his New Testament letters. At Corinth, Paul spoke "of nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified."

The Blessed Virgin Mary spent her life treasuring Jesus and everything that concerned Him. The angels center their existence around Jesus.

In Lent, we prepare ourselves to enter into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is "the Resurrection and the Life. He is the meaning of Lent, the reason for the season. Jesus "is before all else that is. In Him everything continues in being. It is He Who is Head of the body, the Church; He Who is the Beginning, the First-Born of the dead, so that primacy may be His in everything.

It's all about Jesus. Is your life all about Jesus? Are your thoughts, words, desires, sufferings, works, leisure all about Jesus? Have you been crucified with Christ, so that the life you live now is not your own, but is the life of Jesus living in you? Are you immersed in the life of Jesus? This is what it means to be Baptized in Jesus.

In two weeks, Lent ends and the Triduum begins. Then on Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, we will renew our baptismal promises to be immersed in Jesus. At that moment, we will six times tell Jesus, "I do." Speak each "I do" to Jesus with even more love than a bride and groom say "I do" on their wedding day.

Make your life all about Jesus. - Jesus, I come to You to possess life. I will fix my eyes upon You moment by moment.

These very works which I perform testify on My behalf that the Father has sent Me." —Jn 5:36

Our Lady's Medjugorje message of March 25, 2009

Dear children!

In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus.

Little children, may he draw you closer to his heart so that you may become open to eternal life.

I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call. March 25, 2009

The voice of a child.

If the President, the congress, the senate, with all their power will not protect me, who is the very weakest among you, then how can they ever protect you?

You who have been given the precious gift of life, why do you deny it to me.
Do not I have the same right to life as you were given.
What evil have I done which causes you to want to destroy me.

I'm sure that you know that I am a child of God in the same way as you are.
HE created me the same as you and loves me the same as you.

So please let me live so that I to may grow up to know, love, and praise our God.

Defending Life

http://www.priestsforlife.org/images/index.aspx

Watch 60 seconds video thats sweeping the nation.

See The Catholic Charismatic Renewal with Pope John Paul

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-QDOcDGDWA

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Long Live the Charismatics. - Pope John Paul II, 1981

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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.

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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.

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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 Charismatic Renewal--Come Holy Spirit

THE CHARISMATIC RENEWAL
The idea for this post came to me this morning at mass. A couple of days ago I wrote about the baptism in the Spirit, using a talk I gave some years ago. Today I feel the need to add more of an overall picture. Through the years I have read and heard many testimonies about the difference the baptism in the Spirit makes in the lives of Christians.

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What does the Catholic Church say about the charismatic renewal? ***Watch this video for an overview. Look especially at the face of John Paul II in 1981 before he says, “Long life for the Charismatics” and listen to the praising in tongues afterwards!

Please read in your bible about the happenings at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-21). The people in the upper room were already Christians, already followers of Jesus. But Jesus knew they needed more and promised to send the Spirit. Re-read Acts 2 and try to convince yourself that the baptism in the Spirit was not both needed and effective. Then ask yourself whether it is needed today. We read: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…..”

How and where are people being led to the Lord and filled with the Spirit in these latter days?
A TV network, EWTN, now international, was brought into being by a simple tongue-speaking nun, Mother Angelica. I’ll bet that today, even at 85, despite her incapacities, she still has that twinkle as she looks back on the wonders God has worked through her.

Christ prayed, “That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you….” (John 17: 21). I pray we are headed toward a time when all may be one in the Spirit. It will surely happen – because Jesus prayed for it!
Most of us should not expect so many fireworks — so much recognition – in our careers. But we should all have some fire in the belly, a glowing ember inside, that tells us God is working in us and we are part of an alive body of Christ, equipped to serve.

Once again, the invitation: Is God your Father? Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? Then why not ask Jesus to give you more of His Spirit with an openness to any gifts he has for you? What could you lose except your resistance to the will of God for you? What could you gain? God is just waiting to give good things to willing, open, yielded souls. Dare to trust!

**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.
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**Long life for the charismatics. – John Paul II, 1981.

**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

Excertps taken from http://www.musingsat85.com/myblog/

Medjugorje:-Our Lady's Annual Message to Mirjana.

Mirjana's Birthday Apparition. 18th March 2009
The visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo had daily apparitions from June 24th 1981 to December 25th 1982. During the last daily apparition, Our Lady gave her the 10th secret, and told her that she would appear to her once a year, on her Birthday the 18th of March. It has been this way through the years.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Our Lady’s annual message to Mirjana

Several thousand pilgrims gathered in prayer at the Blue Cross today in preparation for Our Lady’s annual apparition to Mirjana. The apparition lasted from 13:52 to 13:58.

Dear children! Today I call you to look into your hearts sincerely and for a long time. What will you see in them? Where is my Son in them and where is the desire to follow me to him? My children, may this time of renunciation be a time when you will ask yourself: “What does my God desire of me personally? What am I to do?”

Pray, fast and have a heart full of mercy. Do not forget your shepherds. Pray that they may not get lost, that they may remain in my Son so as to be good shepherds to their flock.

Our Lady looked at all those present and added: Again I say to you, if you knew how much I love you, you would cry with happiness. Thank you.

Fr. Jozo speaks of the Martyrs of Siroki Brijeg

October 2000

You see on your right here, there is a tomb, a very interesting tomb. When the Communists came here fifty-five years ago, they found thirty Franciscans here in the monastery and they told them that there was no more God. And those soldiers that came were inspired by terrorism telling them that there was no more God, there was no more church, there was no more priesthood nor the need for them.

They were told to remove their habits. But not one of those thirty Franciscans was willing to even enter into a debate about this. An enraged soldier took the crucifix from the wall, threw it at the feet of the Franciscans and said, "Now you can choose, this is your last chance, choose - death or life."

One by one the Franciscans came forth and embraced Jesus. Jesus humiliated at being thrown on the floor. And each one, one by one, said, "You are my God and my everything." One by one they were taken outside,and they were thrown into the flames to be burned, here in the garden. Those were thirty brothers who went forth to their death with song. Some of them sang Salve Regina, others sang The Litany of Our Lady. They all blessed their enemy and forgave them.

Prophetic Painting

Viewing the artwork above, one might suppose that it was painted to illustrate Our Lady’s appearances at Medjugorje – yet the painting was done in 1974, seven years before Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje!

The simple painting is the work of Vlado Falak from the hamlet of Šurmanci, which is part of the Medjugorje parish. It used to be displayed in the choir loft of St James church.
Posted by Pilgrim at 8:15 PM

Cardinal Ersilio Tonini--Medjugorje is a blessed place

Cardinal Ersilio Tonini: Medjugorje? A blessed place, a source of spirituality that transforms the mind

What do you think about the Medjugorje phenomenon?
“I think that it is a blessed place and a grace of God; who goes to Medjugorje returns transformed, changed, he reflects himself in that source of grace that is Christ. Christ is at the same time the tap and the source. If in Medjugorje, as it is obvious by now, many conversions happen, it surely means that there is the hand of God. I believe that we should look at Medjugorje with serenity and trust, appreciating all the good and holy things that happen in that place.”

What is happening to those who go to Medjugorje?
“They simply discover the source of faith and they are quenched by Christ through Mary, therefore they go with confidence to Medjugorje.”

A Bishop Emeritus has spoken of Medjugorje as of a satanic deceit.
“I cannot believe this. In any case, if he has really said this, I think that it is an exaggerated phrase, absolutely outside the topic. Only unbelievers do not believe in Our Lady and in Medjugorje. For the rest, nobody is forcing us to believe, but let us at least respect it.”

Excerpts from Fr. Jozo prayer to the Holy Spirit.

Fr. Jozo's Prayer to the Holy Spirit in Siroki Brijeg
October 3, 2000

Come, O Most Holy Spirit, come to us today. We need your love, because we desire to go on the new way to return to the Father, to take the step to the Father. O Come, Holy Spirit, You who makes all things new. Today grant a miracle in us and through us. Change our hearts. Take from us our hearts of stone and give us a new heart, a heart that knows how to love, how to pray, how to forgive. A heart that knows how to embrace the cross and recognize the will of God and carry it to the end.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit, You who are our peace, come fill us with peace. You who are love, fill us with love and blessing and salvation. We are not here accidentally. We have been called, that we may be able to recognize our call and our mission. We ask You to come O Most Holy Spirit, that our masks may melt away, that our true face may be revealed before You.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit, may a miracle happen today: the beginning of our conversion, the beginning of our true devotion. Come, O Most Holy Spirit pour out Your grace and Your strength on Your Church and convert us. Sanctify us. Change us.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit, we are the Church united together in prayer with the Mother. As the disciples at the very beginning, united together with Her in prayer for the gift of Your Spirit, for the gift of love, that we may be freed from selfishness and hatred, that we may be freed from every evil, and that we may start to love, that we may start to forgive and to pray, that we may start to fast.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit. Come bless us. Come, change us.You who are prayer, come and anoint us with prayer that we may become the Church that believes in the power of prayer. Come, Most Holy Spirit, renew prayer in us, that we may become the renewers of family prayer.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit, come heal us, come bless us, come convert us. O You who anoints with Your Peace, with Your Joy, with Your Love. Come anoint us.

In the last message O Blessed Mother, You say, that the one who prays, lives joy and peace and love. O Blessed Mother, here is the Church in prayer, here is the Church who desires to renew itself in prayer, firm in prayer, come to fall in love with prayer. O grant that these days may be the renewal of our prayer, of our faith through prayer, of our love through prayer, of a Christian life in prayer. Come, O Most Holy Spirit. Come, pour Yourself out upon us. The Church united together with the Mother is praying to you, You who make all things new. Grant that this Church may become new. It may become a Church of prayer, a holy Church, a sign amongst nations, your city on the hillside, your light on the way, Your Self.
Come, O Most Holy Spirit. Come and pour Yourself out upon us. Our Father who art in Heaven....Hail Mary, full of grace...Mother and Queen of Peace - pray for us. Mother of the Church - pray for us. Mother and Queen of the family - pray for us. Consolation of the Sorrowful - pray for us, help of Christians - pray for us, help of the sick - pray for us, gate of heaven - pray for us. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

A warm greeting to all of you. Welcome to Siroki Brijeg. You are now in a sanctuary, in a church, that was the first to be built after four hundred years of Turkish rule. When the Moslems entered into our land, they had destroyed eighty monasteries in one year. It was terrible, a great sorrow for us. It is then that Pope Pius V called the entire Christian Europe, the entire Church to pray together with him, the Pope. The Church responded in prayer and a miracle took place. Heaven responded to prayer. And in the event that took place in Lepanto, the intervention of Our Lady could be clearly seen. The Turks no longer advanced forward. They were stopped. The Pope proclaimed that day The Victory of Our Lady, The Victory of the Rosary, Our Lady's Day, The Day of Her Rosary.

You are here in Our Lady's church. Here She has waited for you and greeted you as the great Blessed Mother assumed into heaven. No, you are not strangers. In the last message, She says that She loves us all. That She is our Mother and that She blesses us. And it is in this church that during this jubilee year, one can gain the plenary indulgence. It is the church of the jubilee. Here in this church our martyrs also have greeted you.

+++++You see on your right here, there is a tomb, a very interesting tomb. When the Communists came here fifty-five years ago, they found thirty Franciscans here in the monastery and they told them that there was no more God. And those soldiers that came were inspired by terrorism telling them that there was no more God, there was no more church, there was no more priesthood nor the need for them. They were told to remove their habits. But not one of those thirty Franciscans was willing to even enter into a debate about this. An enraged soldier took the crucifix from the wall, threw it at the feet of the Franciscans and said, "Now you can choose, this is your last chance, choose - death or life." One by one the Franciscans came forth and embraced Jesus. Jesus humiliated at being thrown on the floor. And each one, one by one, said, "You are my God and my everything." One by one they were taken outside,and they were thrown into the flames to be burned, here in the garden. Those were thirty brothers who went forth to their death with song. Some of them sang Salve Regina, others sang The Litany of Our Lady. They all blessed their enemy and forgave them.+++++

Today at their tomb, we learn who Jesus is for me today. Who is Jesus today in my family? Is Jesus today my God and my everything in my home, in my life and in my work? If truly Jesus is my God and my everything, then can I say that I don't have time to pray. If Jesus is my God and my everything, can I then say that I don't have time or I am not able to go to Mass on Sundays. Who is Jesus today for me and what am I prepared to give for Him today? This is a question that you must ask dear pilgrims. Is Jesus only a theory for you, is He only an ideology? Is He the One whom you have read about or studied about, or is He the One who is truly your God and your everything?

Full text of Fr. Jozo's Talk http://members.tripod.com/~prodigalson/jozo3.html

Tears of Mary

Tears of Mary at Crucifixtion

"My daughter, whatever I am asked through the tears of My Mother, I shall give lovingly."

Our Lords words to Sister Amalia on November 8, 1929 .....from catholictradition.org

Posted by Micki http://thewindowshowsitall.blogspot.com/

About Purgatory

What about Purgatory?
March 12th, 2009 by Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
Purgatory is one of those things we don’t hear about very much anymore. In fact, a recent survey conducted by US Catholic indicted only 73% of Catholics believe purgatory even exists (interestingly enough, 77% believe that their prayers can help those in purgatory get to heaven). I can understand how the idea of purgatory makes many uncomfortable. Honestly, it makes me uncomfortable. While obviously a much better place than hell, I really don’t want to go there. I don’t want my loved ones to go there. It’s much easier to think that if we live a good life, God will immediately welcome us to heaven with open arms. Unfortunately, save for the elect few who are perfect at death, this is not what scripture, the Church, or the saints teach us.
Matthew 12:31-32 tells us that “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come,” which implies that there is a place where forgiveness can still be obtained after death. By the same token, 1 Corinthians 3:15 and 1 Peter 1:7 speak of a “cleansing fire.”
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church , the Church teaches that
All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. (1030)
The Church gives the name Purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned (Cf. Council of Florence [1439]: DS 1304; Council of Trent [1563]: DS 1820; [1547]: 1580; see also Benedict XII, Benedictus Deus [1336]: DS 1000). (1031)
This teaching is also based on the practice of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred Scripture: “Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin” (2 Macc 12:46). From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God (Cf. Council of Lyons II [1274]: DS 856). The Church also commends almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on behalf of the dead . . .(1032)

Perhaps the saint who offered the most evidence for the existence of purgatory in recent times is St. Padre Pio. He was known to speak with souls in purgatory and dedicated much of his suffering and prayers to help free souls from that place of purgation. He is known to have stated that “I was talking with some souls who, while on their way from Purgatory to Heaven, stopped here to thank me because I remembered them in my Mass this morning,” and that “more souls of the dead from Purgatory than of the living climb this mountain to attend my Masses and seek my prayers.” St. Catherine of Genoa remarked that “There is no peace to be compared with that of the souls in Purgatory, save that of the saints in Paradise, and this peace is ever augmented by the in-flowing of God into these souls, which increases in proportion as the impediments to it are removed” and that “The ‘fire’ of purgatory is God’s love ‘burning’ the soul so that, at last, the soul is wholly aflame. It is the pain of wanting to be made totally worthy of One who is seen as infinitely lovable, the pain of desire for union that is now absolutely assured, but not yet fully tasted.”

So, then, souls in purgatory, although suffering, are also at peace, because they know that they are assured salvation. Still, they need our prayers and sacrifices and Mass offerings to help them move up to heaven more quickly. As Catholics we believe in the communion of saints which includes the souls in heaven, the souls on earth, and the souls in purgatory. We have a responsibility to pray for those who have passed on before us. In doing so, we can hope that others will pray for us after our time on earth is done. Despite what we may like to believe, Purgatory is real. We should be thankful that God does give us the chance to be made perfect even after we die.
Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur has a Master of Arts degree in Applied Theology from Elms College, and is editor of SpiritualWoman.net. She is also the author of Letters to Mary from a Young Mother (2004).
(This article is adapted from a weekly column Patrice writes for CatholicMom.com

Prayer of Saint Gertude the Great for the Holy Souls in Purgatory http://www.cwo.com/~pentrack/catholic/prstgurt.html

Baptism in the Holy Spirit and Fr. John Randall's talk.

Fr. John Randall

Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Writing's of Dorothy Vining
BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT
Recently I’ve been thinking I should write about the baptism in the Spirit as something that has been important in my life and the life of many, many Christians. Two things have come together that prompt me to do it now, especially since it doesn’t involve too much thinking. The first was finding a copy of a talk I was asked to give during a Life in the Spirit seminar some years back. The second was an online audio that I chanced upon by Fr. John Randall, an old time charismatic, telling what the baptism in the Spirit has meant in his life.
MY TALK
In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, the Lord says: “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness.” And Paul says, “I will, therefore, all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities, for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
You see before you someone leaning heavily on the Lord’s sufficient grace.
I have always hated being the center of attention. I wouldn’t exactly say I volunteered for this talk. Rather, I was sort of pushed into it. Someone said, “Dorothy, why don’t you give the talk on Receiving God’s Gifts? Good. That’s settled.” I never said “yes,” or “OK,” or any of those positive things. I just didn’t say “no,” because I knew God wanted me to do it. I don’t know how God can make you know something without ever saying anything, but he can.
They say the fear of public speaking is the most common phobia. Anyway, it’s one I’ve had as far back as I can remember. In grade school I dreaded book reports because the teacher sometimes made us give them orally. Spelling bees were OK. I could spell and I didn’t mind getting up and spelling one perfect word. But I had to be perfect. Perhaps I feared that if I had to say more than one word people might find out I was not perfect. I would stumble and stutter and my mind would go blank in front of people.
Now, if that wasn’t bad enough, at the age of 33 I developed agoraphobia and I still had it when I first started going to prayer meetings nine years ago. Agoraphobia has gotten a lot of publicity recently — they now have centers to treat it and support groups — but back then it was called anxiety or panic attacks. I had them in stores, in buses, in cars, in theaters, in church, at meetings, at work. I saw psychiatrists and took medication. I was still taking medication when I attended my first prayer meeting.
I won’t go into detail about those years. Suffice to say when all you can manage is to sit still in the back row at a prayer meeting (you’ll always find your agoraphobics in the back, on an aisle seat, near an exit) one is not about to get up and say anything! God, through the prayers of a number of people, over the years, has very graciously healed my agoraphobia, after over twenty years of suffering from it. Believe me, when I can’t think of anything else to praise him for, this will do for starters. Fear can be just as crippling as any physical illness. Thank you, Lord.
I have never been able to express myself well orally. I listen to people who have that gift with amazement. How do they do it? They just open their mouths and speak in sentences and paragraphs and the whole thing hangs together and makes sense. I can write, but even writing doesn’t just flow. It comes in bits and pieces and I have to put it all together like a jigsaw puzzle.
As I mentioned, I’m supposed to talk to you about God’s gifts. If I’ve prefaced this talk by giving you some insight into my past (and present) dis-ease and some of the healing that I’ve had, it is because I want to impress upon you most of all that God is in the business of healing. God is our Father. He loves us with a Father’s love, better than any earthly father could. God is good. He is the personification of goodness. God is love. He can’t do anything that is not loving. God wants to bless us. He wants to shower good things upon us. He wants us to have abundant life - Abbondonza! as Father Joe Moore used to say. God doesn’t want us all tied up in knots and bound and hung up and wounded and hurting. He wants to free us and heal us.
Jesus is savior. Jesus is healer. Jesus sends us the Spirit to empower us. Jesus came to bring us salvation. The word “salvation” comes from the same root as salve — a healing ointment. God wants to gift us with healing, to pour balm into our wounds, to loosen us up and free us. And he wants to anoint us to heal others. As Mary Ellen quoted: “The glory of God is man fully alive.”
We read about spiritual gifts in 1 Cor. 12. All of God’s gifts are directed toward our salvation, our healing, our wholeness, our holiness, and fullness of life. These all mean the same thing. But God does not force himself on us. He is always there, ready to give us good things. As in the famous picture, God stands at the door and knocks. There is no knob on the outside of the door. We have to open it from within. We have to turn toward God and invite him to enter. That’s what repentance means. You can do it in an instant. It’s simply a decision to turn to God, to decide to follow Jesus, to invite the Holy Spirit to lead you.
According to the guidelines for this talk we must “turn away from non-Christian religions, spiritualism, witchcraft, occultism, sex outside of marriage, adultery, homosexual acts, murder, robbery, shoplifting, cheating, lying, slander, drunkenness, and getting stoned.” Serious sin will block the action of God in our lives but there is no sin so serious that with the grace of God we cannot turn away from it. We do not have to come to God all cleaned up. I like the way Father Carew put it: “God loves us just the way we are, but he loves us too much to let us stay that way.” For Catholics involved in serious sin the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) would be the way to show we really want to follow Jesus.
Next week we are going to pray for baptism in the Spirit for anyone who has decided to follow Jesus and wants more of his Spirit. With God, there’s always more. He’s inexhaustible. Luke 11:9-13: “If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
With the baptism in the Spirit comes the spiritual power we all need. Again, from Luke 24:49: “I am going to send you what my Father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” With those words, Jesus ascended into heaven.
And what happened at Pentecost? As we read in Acts 2:2-4 there came a wind from heaven and tongues of fire and those who had been fearful before and had denied Jesus and weren’t anywhere about when he was crucified began to speak in other tongues and preach the word so effectively that 3000 were added to their numbers that day! We need the Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses for God. The more we allow him to do in us, the more we can witness to. We cannot witness to what we have not seen or experienced. We cannot talk farther than we have walked, and the more we allow God to gift us and heal us, the more we can help others.
Different people have different experiences when they are baptized in the Spirit. Some may laugh or cry. Some are quiet and don’t feel anything at first. A common manifestation of receiving the Holy Spirit is the gift of tongues. Some say you haven’t been baptized in the Spirit if you haven’t received tongues but I knew of many instances when tongues were received sometime after the baptism, and if God will wait days or even months, he could wait longer. I remember a woman, a former member of this prayer group, telling how she was opening the refrigerator door to get a bottle of formula for the baby (some months after she was baptized in the Spirit) and she started praying in tongues for the first time.
Mother Angelica of the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) relates that a priest drove by her convent as she was working outside and wanted to pray with her for the baptism in the Spirit. After he had done so, she thought, “Is that all there is to it?” The next morning she started to pray upon awakening and found she she couldn’t pray in English. Another Sister came to her door and since Mother Angelica couldn’t talk she just pointed to her mouth. “You have laryngitis?” asked the sister. And according to Mother Angelica in a short time all the Sisters in her convent had the same “disease.” The story of how those cloistered nuns started a worldwide TV network is truly marvelous. What can’t God do with a yielded soul!
Last year I was handed a tract by a Pentecostal Protestant which said, “Did you know that Mary, the mother of Jesus, spoke in tongues?” I had never heard that so I quickly looked it up. Turn to Acts 1:14 and then go to Acts 2:4. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was present when “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
Some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Cor. 12, like tongues and prophecy, are frequently manifested in prayer meetings. In prophecy, someone will speak out as God, in the first person. Sometimes prophecy is about the future. More often, it is an encouraging or uplifting word from God. Sure, he’s saying the same things he has always said but in fresh ways. (In fact, if it isn’t in accord with Scripture, it’s not from God.) What I like about prophecy is it immediacy. It’s God speaking to us TODAY. It’s God speaking to his people NOW, saying the same things he said 2000 years ago, but NOW, to US. I have personally received very little in the way of prophecy and I wrote about it before.
There are gifts of healing (gifts - plural) such as emotional, physical and spiritual healing. There is the working of miracles. We are hearing that we should be seeing more and more miracles in days to come. There are gifts of discernment of spirits and of hearts (I know people with these gifts), gifts of wisdom and of knowledge. God has many gifts he want to give his people.
Over the past weeks several speakers have mentioned how gentle God is when he works in us. God always does the right and loving thing. He knows exactly where we are and where we are coming from. He knows our woundedness and how much we can handle, then he gives us the grace to handle it. When I first joined the prayer group I volunteered for the book ministry because I wanted to do something behind the scenes that I would be comfortable with. Then I nearly resigned when they asked me to recommend books at the meetings. But it was a healing experience. I would never have volunteered to be a Eucharistic minister or to pray on a healing team, but when I was asked to do those things God saw me through it and now I am comfortable with them. Maybe you don’t think it’s a big deal for me to stand here and read a few pages to you but I know where I came from and the fear that used to curl and coil inside of me like a living thing. To me it proves God is a God who frees and heals.
The gifts of God, the charisms, are for the healing of the body of Christ. We are part of the body of Christ. They are for our healing and the healing of others. As we open more to the Spirit and the spiritual gifts, we find our lives being filled with excitement, with power, with wonder, and with thankfulness. Anyone who thinks being a Christian is dull hasn’t really tried it!
FATHER JOHN RANDALL'S TALK
Father Randall is an old-timer in the Catholic charismatic renewal. Now retired, 78 at the time of this talk, he tells how he was already a priest, baptized, confirmed and ordained, when David Wilkerson’s group ( of The Cross and the Switchblade fame) prayed with him for the baptism in the Spirit — and the difference it made. ~~(Click on difference to listen to Fr. John Randall) ~~~ Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled faces, behond the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another. – 2 Cor. 3:17.http://www.musingsat85.com/myblog/

Our Lady's Medjugorje Message to Mirjana of March 2, 2009

Dear children, I am here among you. I am looking into your wounded and restless hearts. You have become lost, my children. Your wounds from sin are becoming greater and greater and are distancing you all the more from the real truth. You are seeking hope and consolation in the wrong places, while I am offering to you sincere devotion which is nurtured by love, sacrifice and truth. I am giving you my Son. March 2, 2009

Medjugorje: Mirjana apparition with Our Lady.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JILKhtfRA7g

The latest video of Our Lady's apparition to Mirjana, of March 2, 2009