Pope John Paul ll - The Final Confrontation

The final confrontation

JUNE 7, 2014  

Pope John Paul II

The following comes from a June 1 posting by Father C. John McCloskey on the Catholic Thing.

“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel.

“We must be prepared to undergo great trials in the not-too-distant future; trials that will require us to be ready to give up even our lives, and a total gift of self to Christ and for Christ. Through your prayers and mine, it is possible to alleviate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it. . . .How many times has the renewal of the Church been brought about in blood! It will not be different this time.”

– Bicentennial talk given in the United States by the future Saint John Paul II, then Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Kraków, Poland

My eyes almost popped out when I first read this. I could not believe it was authentic, but I have checked it repeatedly and yes, he did say it. And he said it to us Americans, who were at perhaps the apogee of our greatness, short of the fall of the Evil Empire.

Well, how seriously should we take this? Very, very seriously. After all, the speaker was about to become one of the greatest popes in the history of the Church. In addition, he was a mystic and, yes, a prophet and truth-teller who suffered under Nazism and communism, as well as in a certain sense also from Islam. (Recall that he was almost killed by a Muslim assassin, only to be saved by the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima, according to his own words.)

Let me be clear: my musings on the words of John Paul are not meant to encourage you to sell your property, close the bank account, build a bomb shelter, and await the rapture. That is not the Catholic thing to do. But it’s hard not to “ponder these things in [our] hearts.” What exactly did the pope see or have revealed to him? Perhaps the best place to seek the answer is his writings, although we lack space to comb through them all here.

We can also look around us at the remains of what was once called the Christian West, noting a host of behaviors and beliefs that seem custom-made to initiate and accelerate decline. For example, we find in the West depopulation, legal abortion, open homosexuality and same-sex “marriage,” epidemic levels of pornography use, declining marriage rates, and rising cohabitation rates.

Politically, even supposedly tolerant and democratic states like our own are beginning to deny the religious liberty rights of families, businesses, and churches. In addition, we observe growing centralization of power in the hands of those unfavorable to any faith except the idolatry of health, wealth, and technology. They place their long-term hope in the possibility that science may one day arrest death. They watched too many Star Trek and Star Wars movies as children. Unfortunately, they may well go where many men have gone before – and not simply into outer space.

This, surely, is the Anti-Church that St John Paul foresaw – in any event it is here, it is growing, and to a great extent it has already demolished Europe.

What are we to do? First, of course, do not despair. As Catholics we live this life looking forward to the next. We can’t lose, for as St. Paul put it, for us death is gain, not something to fear.

How then to confront and combat the Anti-Church? Imitate the lives of the first Christians! Consider this justly famous description of Christians in the anonymous Letter to Diognetus, written in 79 A.D.:

“For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. . . .They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring.

“They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. (2 Corinthians 10:3) They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. (Philippians 3:20) They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. . .they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonored, and yet in their very dishonor are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; (2 Corinthians 4:12) they are insulted, and repay the insult with honor; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers.”

If we live as the first Christians did, we too can confront and triumph over the Church of the evil Global Empires.

Marjana Speaks Of Our Lady's Messages

(c)Mateo Ivankovic December 4, 2015 St. John Damascene First Friday Dear Family of Mary! "Dear children I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation. Thank you." (December 2, 2015) *Today I want to share with you a talk that Mirjana gave in 2014, because I think it complements the message and fills in some blanks for us.  Mirjana was very candid in this talk.  She was speaking from her living room via live stream to a conference in Chicago.  Mary TV was able to provide this link for her to speak in this way!  It was a first!  Mirjana's Chicago March 29, 2014 talk to the Totally Yours Conference in Chicago,  streamed live from Mirjana's living room to the conference: I would like to say hello to everybody. I am a little nervous because this is the first time for me to speak to a conference in this way (over the internet, live streamed). But I will try to do my best. I would like to talk about love, and Blessed Mary. Because you know how much she loves us. How much God loves us. Because, all these years, He has been sending our Mother to help us to find the way to meet Jesus. I want to say quickly the most important messages, the messages I always repeat here to the pilgrims in Medjugorje. I think that you know the first and most important message which Blessed Mary always repeats is the Holy Mass. But Holy Mass, not only on Sunday. When we were children, at the beginning of the apparitions, one time she said to us, "My dear children, if you need to choose between seeing me, having the apparition, or going to Holy Mass, you must always choose Holy Mass. Because during Holy Mass, my Son is with you." She asks from us family prayer, because she said that the parents have a big responsibility in front of the children. Parents must put the roots of the faith in the heart of their children. But they can do this, only, if they pray together and if they go to Holy Mass together. Because children will do only what they see in the home. We cannot talk to our children about the importance of Holy Mass, if they don't see that Holy Mass is in the first place for us. We cannot talk to children about prayer, if they do not see us pray. Because of this Blessed Mary said that we, parents, have a big responsibility. She asks from us fasting. She asks us to fast on Wednesday and Friday. She doesn't ask for fasting from people who are sick, really sick. She said that those people, through prayer will understand what they can do instead of fasting on bread and water. She asks for confession. She said that there is not one person in the world who doesn't need monthly confession. She asked for the Bible in our home. She said that we have all the answers in the Bible. I heard that before this talk, you were reading the message from March 18, 2014. And I must tell you something about this message. It was for the first time, when Our Lady was talking about darkness, that I saw something like a fog in winter. And as she continued to talk about God's love, everything was gone. I think that through this she was saying that if we do not choose God, if we do not choose Jesus, we will not finish good. But with God the sun is always in front of us. God will always show us the way we must go. You know that I have an apparition every 18th of March. Blessed Mary said I will have this apparition for my whole life. Some people think I have this apparition on the 18th of March because it is my birthday. But this is not true. I must tell you that on this March 18th, Blessed Mary did not say to me "Happy Birthday." Because for her my birthday is like all of your birthdays. Because she chose the 18th of March, just as she chose the 2nd of each month, because these dates mean something. And when the things that must happen in the world start happening, you will understand why these dates were chosen, why the 18th of March, why every 2nd of the month. I had daily apparitions until Christmas 1982, and Blessed Mary said to me on Christmas 1982 that I would not have any more daily apparitions. She said there would be one every year, on the 18th of March and that I would have some extraordinary apparitions. These apparitions started on the 2nd of August, 1987 and I still have these apparitions. I do not know for how long. These apparitions on the 2nd of the month are also for prayer for unbelievers. Our Mother, Blessed Mary, never says "unbelievers." When you say to someone, "You are an unbeliever", you give your judgment. You are judging these people. But she never judges. She only says,"Those who haven't felt the love of God yet." And she asks for our help. When she says "our" she doesn't mean the six visionaries. She needs the help of everyone who feels her love like a mother. Blessed Mary says that we can change the heart of unbelievers but only through our prayer and our example. She says that in our daily prayer we should put in the first place, prayer for them. Because Blessed Mary says that most of the bad things that happen in the world, like wars, divorce, drugs, abortion, all these things come because of unbelievers. And she said, "My dear children, when you pray for them, you pray for yourself, for your future." She asks for our example. She doesn't want us to be preaching to other people, she wants us to talk with our lives. That unbelievers can see God and the love of God in us. I ask you with all my heart, to take this very seriously. If you had the possibility only one time to see the tears in the eyes of Blessed Mary, I am sure you would pray with all of your heart. We who say that we are God's children, we have a big responsibility. When she asks for prayer for unbelievers, she asks that we pray in her way. I understand when she says this that she means, first, that we feel love for them. That we feel for unbelievers as our own brothers and sisters who are not lucky like us to feel the love of God. And when we feel like this, then we can pray for them. Never judge, never criticize. Simply love them, pray for them, and give them our example. All of us have at least one unbeliever in our home, a neighbor, someone where we work. And these unbelievers are looking at our lives, and we must ask ourselves if they see God in us or not! For this we will be responsible to God. I also want to tell you one important thing that Blessed Mary repeats in every message on the 2nd of the month. This is prayer for our priests. She is always saying that they do not need your judgment, your criticism, they need your love and your prayer. She said,"My dear children, if you lose respect for the priest, you will lose respect for the Church and for God." Also, when she is giving the blessing during the apparitions, she says "I am giving you my motherly blessing. But when the priest blesses you it is the most important blessing on earth, because when the priest blessed you, my Son is blessing you." She said also "Don't forget to pray for your shepherds, because their hands are blessed by my Son." Because of this, I pray you with all my heart, when you leave this conference and return to your home, your parish, please be an example to others of how we should be with our priests. I you see that your priest isn't doing what you think he must do, don't go around and judge him. Take the Rosary and pray for him. This is the way you can help him. Don't criticize and judge him. Because in this world we have so much judging and so little love. Blessed Mary wants people to recognize us through love. We should not take in our own hands what only God can do. Only He can judge. I am sorry that I cannot tell you more about what Blessed Mary has been preparing us for all these years, but I can tell you one thing.  You have the time we are living in now, our time. And you have the time of the Triumph of Heart of Mary because she said in one message,"What I started in Fatima I will finish in Medjugorje. My heart will triumph." And because of this we have this time that we're living in now and we have time of the triumph of the heart of Blessed Mary.  Through these two times [connecting these two times we have a bridge.   And this bridge is our priests.  Because of this reason Blessed Mary is asking from us so much prayers for the priests.  Because this bridge must be so strong that all of us can go through this bridge because Blessed Mary said with them, through them, I will triumph.  Without priests we do not have triumph of the Heart of Blessed Mary.  Many pilgrims ask me what Blessed Mary thinks when she's saying this.  I can tell you only what I think she wants to say: who can open the doors of heaven for us?  Only our priests.  Who can do confessions for us?  Only our priests.   Who can give us Jesus during the Holy Mass?  Only our priests.  Because of this reason, I ask you with all my heart: think about this very seriously.  And pray for our priests.   Because we will respond to God how we treat our priests.  "I'm trying to tell you everything very quickly because they tell me that I have 15 minutes....and I don't know, can you understand me?   How is my English?  I saw now, Guy and I must say, Guy, you look wonderful, really.  And I'm so happy because of everything that you're doing for Blessed Mary.  Do you want to ask me something? How Blessed Mary looks:  This is the most difficult question for me because to say how Blessed Mary looks is very difficult.  But I can try to tell you that I think she is a little taller than me.  I think this.  Because I'm always kneeling and she's always standing about a half meter above the earth...   And because of this reason I think that she is taller than me....   She always have grey dress and white veil.  Except on Christmas or Easter when she has like a golden dress.  When I say "grey", "golden" it's the only color that looks more like that on earth.... She has black hair, because I can see some here and some here [Mirjana point to her forehead and then makes a gesture to her waste].  It means her hair is long.   She has blue eyes and she's beautiful!  I can tell you what we would do when we were still children at the beginning of the apparitions.  We asked Blessed Mary childish questions.  We asked, "How is it possible that you are so beautiful?"  And she smiled and said,"Because I love."  She said, "My dear children, if you want to be beautiful, love!"  And when we had this apparition Jakov visionary, was only 9 years old.  And when Blessed Mary left, he said to us visionaries: "I think that she's not saying the truth.  And we were screaming at him how can you say Blessed Mary is not saying the truth, and he said, "Look at us visionaries.  Some of us can love all our lives and we'll never be beautiful like Blessed Mary said." I think that he didn't understand about which beauty Blessed Mary was talking about.   Because if you are beautiful inside.   If you have Jesus in the first place in your heart, you are beautiful because you have love.   This is what Blessed Mary wanted to say.  I want to say also good-by to all of you.  And please, try to be apostles of Blessed Mary.  Some pilgrims who come to Medjugorje think we visionaries, we are privileged.  They think it is enough to say things to us because God is listening to us more than other people.  This is not true.  For God, for Blessed Mary, privileged children don't exist.  For them, we are all her children.  And she's choosing us for different mission.   The six of us that she can say messages through us.  But she choose all of you!  Because she needs apostles.  And I will pray for your conference, I will pray that you can be apostles of Blessed Mary.  Please open your heart.  And try to see Blessed Mary with the heart.  Because it's most important to see her with the heart.  Not with the eyes.  Because if you're looking only with the eyes you will not see anything.  But if your heart is looking you will see everything and you will understand everything.  I'm waiting for you.  I heard that some of you will be here for Easter.  Next week we will be together.   Thank you for everything, and please pray for us visionaries also, that we can do everything that God wants from us, but in the right way.  Thank you!  Always together in prayer!!!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV 2015

Medjugorje -Our Lady's message to Mirjana of December 2, 2015

Today, December 2, 2015, Our Lady appeared to the visionary Mirjana in Medjugorje and delivered the following message: "Dear children. I am always with you because my Son entrusted you to me. And you, my children, you need me, you are seeking me, you are coming to me and you are bringing joy to my motherly heart. I have, and always will have, love for you; for you who suffer and who offer your pains and sufferings to my Son and to me. My love seeks the love of all of my children, and my children seek my love. Through love, Jesus seeks unity between Heaven and earth; between the Heavenly Father and you, my children - His Church. 

Therefore, it is necessary to pray much, to pray and love the Church to which you belong. Now, the Church is suffering and needs apostles who by loving unity, by witnessing and giving, show the ways of God. The Church needs apostles who by living the Eucharist with the heart do great works; it needs you, my apostles of love. My children, from the very beginning the Church was persecuted and betrayed, but day by day it grew. It is indestructible because my Son gave it a heart - the Eucharist, and the light of His resurrection shone and will continue to shine upon it. Therefore, do not be afraid. Pray for your shepherds that they may have the strength and the love to be bridges of salvation. Thank you."

Obituary: Sister Mary Randall Dies

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. – Sister of St. Joseph Mary Randall (formerly Sister Robert Marie), 82, member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, died in Framingham on Nov. 28.
A native of Newport, R.I., she was the daughter of Robert A. and Marie (Niland) Randall. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield from St. Augustine Parish, Newport, in 1950. She graduated from St. Catherine Academy, Newport, and earned a bachelor of arts degree from the College of Our Lady of the Elms, Chicopee, Mass.

She taught at the former Immaculate Conception School, Easthampton, and Sacred Heart School in Gardner, Mass. She served the Diocese of Providence for many years at St. Lucy School, Middletown, and St. Joseph School, Newport, and ministered among the people of St. Thomas Parish, Providence, for 37 years, from 1976 until her retirement in 2013.

In addition to her sisters in community, she is survived by her siblings, Father Robert Randall of Florida, Theresa Zimmerly of Ohio, and Joan Soares of Newport; and by several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her brother, Father John Randall of Providence.

The wake will take place at Mont Marie, 36 Lower Westfield Rd., Holyoke, on Friday, Dec. 4, from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., with a prayer service at 10:30 a.m. The Liturgy of Christian Burial will follow in Mont Marie Chapel at 11:30 a.m., with burial in Mont Marie Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of St. Joseph, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA 01104.

Be Firm in Prayer

Be Firm in Prayer (c)Mateo Ivankovic   December 1, 2015 Advent, Week One   Dear Family of Mary!   "Dear children! Today I am calling all of you: pray for my intentions. Peace is in danger, therefore, little children, pray and be carriers of peace and hope in this restless world where Satan is attacking and tempting in every way. Little children, be firm in prayer and courageous in faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son Jesus for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." (November 25, 2015)   Our Lady asks us to be "firm in prayer." She needs us to pray for her intentions in this most important moment in history. There have been many who have prayed for Our Lady's intentions in the past, and maybe there will be many in the future, but at this moment she has only us! We are alive in this difficult moment when peace is in danger. We are those who have come to know the love of Jesus, and are consecrated to Jesus and Mary. We are the ones who are responding to Our Lady's call from Medjugorje. So, we are the ones who must be "firm in prayer" for her intentions now!   But because we live in this world, with all the distractions and challenges that surround us daily, we can become weak in our resolve to pray. We can be tempted to slacken our efforts. "Surely my prayer is not that important," we may think. It is precisely when we are being tempted to pray less, that it may be most important to pray more!   St. Faustina shared about such moments in her Diary:   (872) January 7. During the Holy Hour, the Lord allowed me to taste His Passion. I shared in the bitterness of the suffering that filled His soul to overflowing. Jesus gave me to understand how a soul should be faithful to prayer despite torments, dryness, and temptations; because oftentimes the realization of God's great plans depends mainly on such prayer. If we do not persevere in such prayer, we frustrate what the Lord wanted to do through us or within us. Let every soul remember these words: "And being in anguish, He prayed longer." I always prolong such prayer as much as is in my power and in conformity with my duty.   "Often the realization of God's great plans depends mainly on such prayer." Prayer that comes out of our fatigue or dryness is often the most powerful of prayers. And it is in these moments of prayer when we have to fight to stay faithful, that some big battles are won!   Our Lady gave us this message, in which she sounds like our cheerleader: October 25, 1989 "Dear children! Today also I am inviting you to prayer. I am always inviting you, but you are still far away. Therefore, from today, decide seriously to dedicate time to God. I am with you and I wish to teach you to pray with the heart. In prayer with the heart you shall encounter God. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray! Thank you for having responded to my call." "Pray, pray, pray!" That is the battle cry for us. May we all be firm in prayer, knowing that we are part of Our Lady's great plan for the salvation of many souls in our day.   In Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Cathy Nolan ©Mary TV 2015

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

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje and the ‘Miraculous Medal’

The Medjugorje Message: Medjugorje and the ‘Miraculous Medal’: Today is the Feast of the Miraculous Medal. The medal has an association with Medjugorje. On November 27, 1989, Our Lady said to the visiona...

Vicka - Medjugorje - Secrets - Do we need to fear?

Published on Nov 25, 2015

VICKA YOU HAVE 9 OF 10 SECRETS - DO WE NEED TO BE AFRAID?

Medjujorje: Our Lady's Message to Marija of November 25, 2015

“Dear children! Today I am calling all of you: pray for my intentions. Peace is in danger, therefore, little children, pray and be carriers of peace and hope in this restless world where satan is attacking and tempting in every way. Little children, be firm in prayer and courageous in faith. I am with you and intercede before my Son Jesus for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

THE CERTAINTY OF THE END AND HIS COMING

"The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall...break in pieces all these kingdoms and put an end to them, and it shall stand forever." -Daniel 2:44

The vision Daniel interpreted has been the pattern of history (Dn 2:31ff). Great kingdom after great kingdom has been destroyed. Even the Temple and the city of God, Jerusalem, were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. (Lk 21:6). Jesus prophesied that the fall of Jerusalem would be a prefigurement of the end of the world. "The present heavens and earth are reserved by God's word for fire; they are kept for the day of judgment, the day when godless men will be destroyed" (2 Pt 3:7). "What we await are new heavens and a new earth where, according to His promise, the justice of God will reside" (2 Pt 3:13).

Despite the historical proof of the accuracy of Jesus' prophecy of Jerusalem's destruction, many people, even Christians, doubt that Jerusalem's destruction prefigures the end of the world. However, most of the major critics of Christ's prophecy of the world's end have already been thrown on the garbage heap of history. For example, Karl Marx portrayed Christian eschatology as an escape from taking responsibility for justice in this world. He called Christianity "the opium of the people." Although millions still believe Marx's critique of Christianity, the breakdown of Marxist Communism in the Soviet Union has shown its weakness. The critics of Christianity and of its eschatology are passing away, but God's Word will last forever (Lk 21:33).

Let the world end and Jesus return.

 Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! (Rv 22:20)

THE TRUST TEST

"Test your servants." -Daniel 1:12

The four young Israelite men asked their master to test their faith (Dn 1:12). Likewise, the poor widow in the Gospel reading asked God to test her faith by giving the Lord all her money (Lk 21:4). During the testing they gave God their all, trusted Him in the present moment, and placed their futures in His hands.

Jesus teaches us that our heavenly Father's plan is to provide on a "daily bread" basis (Mt 6:11). Many try to provide for a better tomorrow by storing up treasures, only to have that future plundered by the collapse of financial markets, the whims of world governments, or the ravages of thieves, natural disasters, or divorce. "Now is the acceptable time," not tomorrow (see 2 Cor 6:2). Tomorrow may never happen (see Lk 12:19-20; Jas 4:13-14).

"Stop worrying, then, over questions like, 'What are we to eat, or what are we to drink, or what are we to wear?'…Your heavenly Father knows all that you need. Seek first His kingship over you, His way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides" (Mt 6:31, 32-33).

Don't plan for tomorrow using today's faith. Your plans probably won't factor in the great faith God plans to provide tomorrow. "Test yourselves to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves" (2 Cor 13:5). Trust in God today, and pass the trust test.

 Father, help me not to harden my heart today by being overwhelmed with the seeming burdens of the future (Ps 95:7-8).

 "Blessed is Your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages." -Dn 3:52

"YOUR KINGDOM COME"

"Anyone committed to the truth hears My voice." -John 18:37

Decades ago, our young family gathered with several other young Catholic families and their small children in one family's large log cabin. It was a pleasant party until I happened to notice the host and another young father sitting in a far corner pulling out a recreational drug. They pulled out a cigarette lighter and flicked it into flame. Immediately in my mind, the verse reverberated over and over: "My kingdom does not belong to this world" (Jn 18:36). I knew we had to live as subjects of Jesus the King, at all times, in all occasions. Quickly, I gathered up my family and we left the party to return home.

There is a battle raging between two kingdoms. The kingdom of darkness, led by Satan, the ruler of this age (2 Cor 4:4), and the Kingdom of God, led by King Jesus, "Ruler of the kings of earth" (Rv 1:5), battle constantly for our loyalty. There is no neutral ground in this battle. We cannot serve two masters (see Mt 6:24). We can give our loyalty to only one of the kingdoms. We either live as obedient, loving subjects of Christ the King or we rebel against Him.  King Jesus embraced lowliness. If we are truly His obedient, loving subjects, we must do the same.

 All hail, King Jesus! "Your kingdom come" (Mt 6:10). I will seek first Your kingdom (Mt 6:33) every moment of my life.

 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the One Who is and Who was and Who is to come, the Almighty!" -Rv 1:8

 Praise Jesus, the Lamb Who sits upon the throne!

Amy Grant - El Shaddai ( legendado )

National Geographic: terminally ill draw strength from Medjugorje

Be ready at any moment to meet God face to face.

 THOMAS D. WILLIAMS, PH.D.15 Nov 2015

Two days after the horrendous jihadist attacks in Paris, Pope Francis preached about the “end times,” encouraging his hearers to be vigilant and ready at any moment to meet God face to face.

In his Angelus message Sunday, the Pope invited the ten thousand pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter’s Square to think about their death, the day they will meet God and give an accounting for their life.

The Pope also explicitly addressed the Paris carnage, expressing his “deep sorrow for the terrorist attacks that bloodied France late on Friday, causing many casualties.” Along with offering his condolences to the victims and their families, Francis condemned the massacre as an “unspeakable affront to human dignity.”

“Such barbarity leaves us shocked and we wonder how the human heart can conceive and carry out such horrible events, which have shaken not only France but the whole world,” he said.

Francis unequivocally recognized the Islamist ideology behind the attacks, denouncing the use of God’s name to justify the brutal attacks as “blasphemy.”

Commenting on Sunday’s Scripture readings, the Pope said that Jesus’ preaching about the end of the world contains “apocalyptic elements, like war, famine, and cosmic catastrophes.”

“In those days,” Francis repeated, “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

These signs are not the most important things, however, the Pope insisted. “Our final goal is the meeting with the resurrected Lord.” The most important thing is not knowing whenthe end will come, but being ready for it when it does, he said.

“We are called to live the present,” Francis said, but always ready to meet God whenever he may call.

At the end of the world, Francis said, “Jesus’ triumph will be the triumph of the cross, the demonstration that the sacrifice of oneself out of love for one’s neighbor, in imitation of Christ, is the only victorious power and the only stable point in the midst of the upheavals and tragedies of the world.”

The Pope also warned against an unhealthy curiosity to know details of the future, with recourse to psychics and horoscopes, saying they distract us from what is really important in the present.

We are called rather “to watchfulness,” Francis said, that keeps us focused and ready at all times.

“In our days,” he concluded, “there is no lack of natural and moral disasters, as well as adversities of every kind.”

“The Lord tells us that everything passes and only He and his Word remain as a light to guide and strengthen our steps,” he said.

THE END OF THE END

"When you see these things happening, you will know that He is near, even at the door." -Mark 13:29

Immediately before the end of the world, we will have "trials of every sort" (Mk 13:24). "It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time" (Dn 12:1). "Indeed, had the Lord not shortened the period, not a person would be saved. But for the sake of those He has chosen, He has shortened the days" (Mk 13:20).

We will see a mass apostasy from our Christian faith, as the "man of lawlessness," the Anti-Christ, is revealed (2 Thes 2:3). "Because of the increase of evil, the love of most will grow cold. The man who holds out to the end, however, is the one who will see salvation" (Mt 24:12-13). "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book" (Dn 12:1). "Some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever" (Dn 12:2-3). All of these things are certain and true, for Jesus has promised: "The heavens and the earth will pass away but My words will not pass" (Mk 13:31).

Repent! Live for Jesus alone! Lift up your eyes to see Jesus "coming in the clouds with great power and glory" (Mk 13:26). Maranatha! "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rv 22:20)

 Father, I want to be ready.

 "Jesus offered one sacrifice for sins and took His seat forever at the right hand of God; now He waits until His enemies are placed beneath His feet." -Heb 10:12-13

 Praise the risen Jesus, Who will come again in glory!

ANSWERS TO PRAYER

"I tell you, He will give them swift justice." -Luke 18:8

There's a certain kind of prayer that results in "swift justice." God will not delay long over us when we pray in this way (Lk 18:7). In this way of prayer, we call out to God "day and night" (Lk 18:7) and realize that at all times, even at the best of times, we are in desperate need of God. In this prayer, we cry out: "Save us by Your power, and help me, who am alone and have no one but You, O Lord" (Est C:25). We pray with the psalmist: "Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!" (Ps 130:1) We pray as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemani (Mk 14:32ff). When we pray in this way, we understand "the necessity of praying always and not losing heart" (Lk 18:1).

It takes faith to face head on the terrible condition of our world and our desperate need for God. However, when we pray in faith, aware of our total dependence on God, and call out to the Lord day and night, God's "all-powerful Word from heaven's royal throne" will bound into our doomed land (Wis 18:15). The Lord will save us. He will intervene, break through, and set us free.

Will anyone pray the prayer of necessity and faith? "When the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?" (Lk 18:8)

 Father, "increase our faith" (Lk 17:5).

„I feel something very powerful in Međugorje, I believe God is here”

date: 07.11.2015.

Our journalists had opportunity to talk to many pilgrims in the last few months. One of them was Layousse, young man from Israel who came here during the Youth Festival. “Young people are here and they are members of the prayer groups, while the leader of our group is the representative of one Israelite prayer movement in Vatican. The purpose of our movement is to bring them closer to God, to talk to them and to help them get to know the faith. I heard about Medjugorje from my aunt who was here. When it comes to me, I always believed in God, but in Medjugorje I feel something very powerful, I believe God is here. I was able to see something that I never believed in before, and that is why I am grateful to God. The Youth Festival is well focused on the youth, to teenage people as many young regardless of religions feel completely lost in this world today. There are so many young people who are addicts on many material things and easily fall into temptations, so we need to return to God in order for us to avoid devil. Our Lady is our only hope.”    http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/

Children of Medjugorje November 12, 2015

From the Desk of Sr. Emmanuel Maillard

November 12, 2015,  Dear Children of Medjugorje, Praised be Jesus and Mary!   1. On November 2, 2015, Mirjana received her monthly apparition of Our Lady at the Blue Cross in the presence of many people. After the apparition, Mirjana conveyed the following message:      "Dear children, anew I desire to speak to you about love. I have gathered you around me in the name of my Son, according to His will. I desire that your faith be firm, flowing forth from love. Because, those of my children who understand the love of my Son and follow it, live in love and hope. They have come to know the love of God. Therefore, my children, pray, pray so as to be able to love all the more and to do works of love. Because, faith alone without love and works of love is not what I am asking of you: my children, this is an illusion of faith. It is a boasting of self. My Son seeks faith and works, love and goodness. I am praying, and I am also asking you to pray, and to live love; because I desire that my Son, when He looks at the hearts of all of my children, can see love and goodness in them and not hatred and indifference. My children, apostles of my love, do not lose hope, do not lose strength. You can do this. I am encouraging and blessing you. Because all that is of this world, which many of my children, unfortunately, put in the first place, will disappear; and only love and works of love will remain and open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven. I will wait for you at this door. At this door, I desire to welcome and embrace all of my children. Thank you!" 2. Death does not exist!   In this month of November which is so often feared, we celebrated the saints (not Halloween, God forbid!), and then on the 2nd, we commemorated the deceased and we prayed for them (See PS1). The prospect of death is there for every human being, and many are afraid of it. Yet, it is simply the transition from this life to the other life.  It is actually our real birth. This is why the Blessed Mother tells us that "death does not exist." When she spoke of Fr. Slavko, who died on November 24, 2000, she did not say in her message, "He died peacefully", rather, she said: "Rejoice with me, because your brother Slavko was born in heaven, and he is interceding for you!"  And St. Bernard of Clairvaux said, "When we are on earth, we are not born yet. We are born when we enter into heaven. On earth, we are carried in the womb of the Mother of God." 3.  Consecrate your death!   Living fully in the womb of the Mother of God means to banish all fear of death and the fear of this mysterious birth that is promised to us. Every good mother prepares for the birth of her child with infinite care and tenderness. How much more so does Our Lady! She tells us, "No, dear children, you do not know how to properly celebrate the death of your loved ones! You should celebrate the death of your loved ones with joy, the same joy that you have at the birth of a child." But in our world, which is so locked up in materialism, we have lost the final outlook of our lives! In death, we often see nothing more than a departure with no return, and destruction without mercy, a disastrous wall, when in fact it is a precious door, the door that finally opens onto the life for which we are created.   That is why, as apostles of the Blessed Mother, I propose we consecrate our death to her Immaculate Heart and to the Heart of Jesus, so that this crucial moment in our lives may already fully belong to God through the hands of Mary. This can be done in 4 steps:   A - We can already thank God for the moment he has chosen to bring us home to Him. Whatever the moment, tomorrow or in 50 years, let us tell God how confident we are that He will have chosen the best time for us from the perspective of our eternity.   B - We can take the next step, and thank Him for the manner in which He has chosen to bring us back to Him. May our imagination not spiral out of control! Because then we would suffer in anticipation of something that will not happen! On the contrary, let us quiet our imagination, and instead surrender entirely into the hands of the One who knows so much better than we do what we need.   C - Let us take yet another step, and thank God for the time he has chosen to take to Him the person who is most dear to us. Tomorrow? In 50 years? May He be blessed, because this divine choice is the best for this person, for his or her eternal happiness. This is an invitation to have great trust in God, surrendering to His holy will of love.   D - And lastly, let us thank God for the way He chooses to take this beloved person.   Doing this requires deep inner strength, as we may encounter strong resistance. It is an opportunity to switch to the trust a child has in its father... This can take several days, but with the grace of God and a lively faith, we can finally say YES. And the great gift that comes from this Yes, this trusting surrender to the divine plans, is the healing of our fears or anxieties before death. In the hands of such a Father, of such love, how could fear still haunt us? How could anxiety still dare to seize us? 4. The departure of little Emmanuel Florence is a mother of 6 children in France, near Lisieux. When her first child was born, she was so amazed to see in him the wonder of life, that she turned to her Creator to thank Him for this grace. Florence was already a practicing and even fervent believer, but becoming a mother was a giant step in her intimacy with God and her joy of living for Him. She felt very small before such a treasure, an entirely new being entrusted into her hands. She very soon understood that the life of her little Emmanuel did not belong to her, but was entrusted to her by the Creator, and that she would have to work with Him to help the child become what he was in the eyes of God. To become a saint! Sophie also had other children, and she loved all of them. One day, at the age of 11, Emmanuel suffered severe seizures while at school, and after in-depth examinations, the diagnosis came as a bomb: he had 3 cancerous brain tumors, one of which was not operable. Only parents who have lost a child can imagine the shock. Two possibilities: God would make a miraculous healing, or He wouldn't. Florence and her husband then began to bombard heaven with constant and fervent prayers; and as the news spread, relatives formed a chain of prayer and fasting for the child. Florence then discovered Medjugorje through a message from the Gospa shared in prayer. This improvised prayer and adoration group led to conversions and returns to God that no one could even have hoped for. As for Emmanuel, he was joyful and would comfort all those who came to his home with a knot in their stomach. His parents did not hide the truth from him. When he heard the news at first, he did feel upset, but after receiving the sacrament of the sick, he changed and became calm and serene, even showing humor. Florence understood that the Lord was going to take her child, so she renewed her thanksgiving that she had made at the time of his birth. Though they also cried a lot, it was pain mingled with glory, like for Jesus at the death of Lazarus. Her child had completed his mission, she had to let him go.  "The Lord has given him, the Lord is taking him away, blessed be His name", she thought. She and her husband consecrated the child again to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus so when he went, he would be carried by them towards his eternal happiness. On the night when Emmanuel departed, they were all there with him in intensive care (special permission obtained surely by the Gospa!) and the whole event was very simple, as if going on a trip. Emmanuel had already been given to God, he was not torn away. At the funeral, according to everyone, it was not a burial, but the celebration of a "delivery to heaven"! Tears and smiles were peacefully mingling. On All Souls Day (this Nov. 2), Florence was present when I suggested to pilgrims to put into practice these 4 steps for the consecration of death, ours and that of our loved ones. At the end, she ran up to me and said, "Sister that is exactly what I went through with my son! I understand why we experienced his departure with such peace! No distress, no frustration, no revolt... In prayer, we were literally carried along! Emmanuel did not disappear, he remains with us and we speak about him in our family. With him, the peace of God has been communicated to us!" For this very fervent family, Emmanuel is their bond with heaven, their beloved treasure! As Mary teaches us, they experience his departure as a birth. May we all live true love and rejoice when our loved one enters into their real life. "If you loved me", Jesus said, "You would rejoice that I am going to the Father!" (Jn: 14, 28) 5. A beautiful initiative On November 7th, 80 people participated in a "March for Life" from the Mostar hospital to the church of Medjugorje (35 km), after 40 days of prayer and fighting the culture of death, in particular abortion (200 thousand each year in Bosnia Herzegovina). This initiative, "40 days for life", is ecumenical and international, and some Muslims support it. At least 540 children were saved in the world, of which 14 in Croatia. Many women express their regret at having aborted. A beautiful fruit of Medjugorje and the messages of Mary! 6. We have created a new Facebook! Look today at: https://www.facebook.com/sr.emmanuelmaillard?fref=ts  Follow us on twitter@childrenofmedj  Dearest Gospa, you have lived the death of your parents, of Joseph, Jesus, and several apostles. Please, enlarge our hearts to the size of your Heart and heal us from frustration! Make us desire what God desires, want what He wants in order to savor true peace of heart!   Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French)

How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful Woman

 The Virgin Mary - National Geographic Magazine

  http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/virgin-mary-text

Pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory

Padre Pio’s Mysterious Encounters with Souls from Purgatory
by Dr Taylor Marshall

God chose Saint Pio of Pietrelcina to reveal the supernatural life to our tepid era. His supernatural interior life was made visible through his immense suffering and his well-known stigmata.

As we move into November and pray for the Poor Souls in Purgatory, we do well to recall a few encounters of Padre Pio with the souls of Purgatory.

Padre Pio once described an encounter he had with testified the following to the Bishop of Melfi, His Excellency Alberto Costa and also the superior of the friary, Padre Lorenzo of San Marco.

Below is third person written testimony of the words of Padre Pio:

“While in the friary on a winter afternoon after a heavy snowfall, he was sitting by the fireplace one evening in the guest room, absorbed in prayer, when an old man, wearing an old-fashioned cloak still worn by southern Italian peasants at the time, sat down beside him. Concerning this man Padre Pio states: ‘I could not imagine how he could have entered the friary at this time of night since all the doors are locked. I questioned him: ‘Who are you? What do you want?’

The old man told him, “Padre Pio, I am Pietro Di Mauro, son of Nicola, nicknamed Precoco.” He went on to say, “I died in this friary on the 18th of September, 1908, in cell number four, when it was still a poorhouse. One night, while in bed, I fell asleep with a lighted cigar, which ignited the mattress and I died, suffocated and burned. I am still in Purgatory. I need a holy Mass in order to be freed. God permitted that I come and ask you for help.”

According to Padre Pio: “After listening to him, I replied, ‘Rest assured that tomorrow I will celebrate Mass for your liberation.’ I arose and accompanied him to the door of the friary, so that he could leave. I did not realize at that moment that the door was closed and locked: I opened it and bade him farewell The moon lit up the square, covered with snow. When I no longer saw him in front of me, I was taken by a sense of fear, and I closed the door, reentered the guest room, and felt faint.”

A few days later, Padre Pio also told the story to Padre Paolino, and the two decided to go to the town hall, where they looked at the vital statistics for the year 1908 and found that on September 18 of that year, one Pietro Di Mauro had in fact died of burns and asphyxiation in Room Number 4 at the friary, then used as a home for the homeless.

Around the same time, Padre Pio told Fra Alberto of another apparition of a soul from Purgatory which also occurred around the same time. He said:

One evening, when I was absorbed in prayer in the choir of the little church I was shaken and disturbed by the sound of footsteps, and candles and flower vases being moved on the main altar. Thinking that someone must be there, I called out, “Who is it?”

No one answered. Returning to prayer, I was again disturbed by the same noises. In fact, this time I had the impression that one of the candles, which was in front of the statue of Our Lady of Grace, had fallen. Wanting to see what was happening on the altar, I stood up, went close to the grate and saw, in the shadow of the light of the Tabernacle lamp, a young confrere doing some cleaning. I yelled out, “What are you doing in the dark?” The little friar answered, “I am cleaning.”

“You clean in the dark?” I asked. “Who are you?”

The little friar said, ‘I am a Capuchin novice, who spends his time of Purgatory here. I am in need of prayers.’ and then he disappeared,”

Padre Pio stated that he immediately began praying for him as requested, and it is not known if he had any further dealings with this particular soul. However, in regards souls in Purgatory it is very interesting to note that later in life Padre Pio once said that ‘As many souls of the dead come up this road to the monastery as that of the souls of the living.”

Without a doubt, many souls from Purgatory visited Padre Pio seeking his prayers, sacrifices and sufferings to obtain their release.

Pray for the Poor Souls daily.

Medjugorje - Our Lady's apparition to Mirjana of November 2, 2015

“Dear children, anew I desire to speak to you about love. I have gathered you around me in the name of my Son, according to His will. I desire that your faith be firm, flowing forth from love. Because, those of my children who understand the love of my Son and follow it, live in love and hope. They have come to know the love of God. Therefore, my children, pray, pray so as to be able to love all the more and to do works of love. Because, faith alone without love and works of love is not what I am asking of you: my children, this is an illusion of faith. It is a boasting of self. My Son seeks faith and works, love and goodness. I am praying, and I am also asking you to pray, and to live love; because I desire that my Son, when He looks at the hearts of all of my children, can see love and goodness in them and not hatred and indifference. My children, apostles of my love, do not lose hope, do not lose strength. You can do this. I am encouraging and blessing you. Because all that is of this world, which many of my children, unfortunately, put in the first place, will disappear; and only love and works of love will remain and open the door of the Kingdom of Heaven. I will wait for you at this door. At this door, I desire to welcome and embrace all of my children. Thank you!”

THE GUIDE TO HEAVEN

"Who are these people all dressed in white? And where have they come from?" -Revelation 7:13

Today we thank God for saving and sanctifying the saints on earth and in heaven. We especially thank Him for taking our family members, relatives, and friends to be with Him in heaven. We look forward to becoming holy and joining Jesus and the family in heaven. We cannot do this by our own power but we can let it be done to us (see Lk 1:38).

The Father and the Son have sent the Holy Spirit to make us holy. All we have to do is obey by following the lead of the Spirit (Gal 5:25). However, this is difficult to do because our flesh (human nature) lusts against the Spirit (Gal 5:17). There is a strong opposition between what we naturally want and what the Spirit wants. Therefore, to let the Spirit make us saints, we must allow the Spirit to crucify our flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24). We must let the Holy Spirit take us to the cross to crucify us to the world (Gal 6:14). In this way, we become holy, able to be like our Father and "see Him as He is" (1 Jn 3:2; see also Heb 12:14).

Holiness is the fruit of the Spirit, not the fruit of our efforts. All saints have been produced by the Spirit. "Receive the Holy Spirit" (Jn 20:22). Life in the Spirit leads to life in heaven.

 Holy Spirit, guide me to all truth (Jn 16:13). Guide me to heaven.

 "How blest are the poor in spirit: the reign of God is theirs." -Mt 5:3

 Praise Jesus, Who is the Light of the world! Praise the Holy Spirit, the saint-Maker!

The Signs Remain

Words by Fr Jozo Zovko ofm, parish priest of St James in Medjugorje when
 the claimed apparitions of Our Lady first began in June 1981.
Images by Bernard Gallagher.