Thursday, March 22, 2012

Never Alone



Lost in the desert I wander,
How long will it be that I am here?
I walk for what seems like hours;
No water to be found anywhere.

High in the sky,
The sun's rays beat down.
With loneliness as my companion,
only a shadow is
 found.

I fall to my knees and cry out,
“How long must I wander this desert?
I am thirsty and weary and weak”.

Then a voice from above, strong and gentle is heard,
“Keep going my child, you can make it;
You don’t have much further to go.
Keep straight on the path you are taking,
And know that you are never alone”.


We often encounter what seems to be a desert experience in our
spiritual life, and our only prayer is, “Lord, I am thirsty”. Be steadfast and
do not falter. For what father would deny his child water; surely not our heavenly
Father.

 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.~ John 14:18

 "Dear children! In a special way this evening I am
calling you to perseverance in trials. Consider how the Almighty
is still suffering today on account of your sins. So when
sufferings come, offer them up as a sacrifice to God. Thank you
for having responded to my call."
BVM. Medugorje, March 29, 1984

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Great Miracle in Medjugorje

"Celebration of Life" Pilgrimage to Medugorje, Bosnian-Herzegovina

"To offer Him our free will, our reason, our whole life in pure faith, so that He may think His thoughts in our minds, do His work in our hands, and love with our hearts" ….Mother Teresa.
I will try to find the right words to describe to you the great miracle which took place on March 19, when 45 medical doctors from various regions of Ukraine, (including Kiev, Zaporozhe, Kamenka-Dneprovskaya, Cherkasi, Irpin, Gitomir, and Donezk), began their pilgrimage to a little town called Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. To read more go to Chalice of Mercy....

Friday, March 9, 2012

A Good Sign

Today, Pope Benedict XVI highlighted what has become the most visible and fruitful witness to the Medjugorje phenomenon as an important aspect of new evangelization.

Speaking to a gathering of 1,300 priests and deacons in Rome, the Holy Father noted that the Sacrament of Reconciliation is essential to the life of faith and is closely associated with the announcement of the Gospel.

His Holiness said, “True conversion of hearts, which means opening ourselves to the transforming and regenerative action of God, is the 'motor' of all reform and turns into an authentic force for evangilization. During Confession, the repentant sinner, thanks to the gratuitous action of divine Mercy, is justified, forgiven and sanctified... Only those who allow themselves to be profoundly renewed by divine Grace can internalize and therefore announce the novelty of the Gospel.”

He added that new evangelization itself “draws life blood from the sanctity of the sons and daughters of the Church, from the daily process of individual and community conversion, conforming itself ever more profoundly to Christ.”

The Pope reminded his audience that, in administering the Sacrament of Penance, priests are instruments facilitating the meeting between mankind and God. The repentant sinner feels a profound desire to change, to receive mercy, to re-experience, through the Sacrament, “the encounter and embrace of Christ.”

“Thus you will”, the Holy Father added, “become collaborators and protagonists of as many possible 'new beginnings' as sinners you encounter.... New evangelization also begins in the confessional, in the mysterious encounter between man's endless plea... and the mercy of God, which is the only adequate response to humankind’s need for the infinite.” If the faithful are truly able to experience the mercy of Christ in the Sacrament “they will become credible witnesses of sanctity, which is the goal of new evangelisation.”

Medjugorje is often referred to as the “confessional of the world” because of the long lines of penitents that travel to the village from around the globe. Priests frequently report the quality and intensity of confessions at Medjugorje bear witness to the special grace present there. There are many reports of people returning to the Church and Sacraments after decades of absence.


Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, on his visit to Medjugorje two years ago, gave a catechises on Divine Mercy and said, “When you look at a place like Medjugorje, you can see a superpower of mercy. Many merciful deeds were born here or they were supported here.”

In September, 2009, at Ars in France, the Cardinal said: “There are certainly strongholds of Confession today. I think particularly of Medjugorje. I dare speak of that because for 28 years it has become one of the greatest strongholds of Confession. Thousands and thousands of people go to Confession!

The local Franciscans are unable to cope with the large number of pilgrims seeking reconciliation and only with the help and assistance of visiting priests can the demands for the Sacrament of Reconciliation be met. Recently the parish added a further 36 new confessionals to the 25 existing boxes that stand outside the Church.

Alongside the outdoor confessionals in Medjugorje is the statue of St Leopold Mandic, the Cappuchin monk canonized by Pope John Paul II in October 1983 and known as the “Apostle of the Confession” because for forty years he would spend up to twelve hours daily, counseling and absolving thousands of penitents.

Dear children! In this time of grace, when God has permitted me to be with you, little children, I call you anew to conversion. Work on the salvation of the world in a special way while I am with you. God is merciful and gives special graces, therefore, seek them through prayer. I am with you and do not leave you alone. Thank you for having responded to my call. Medjugorje 

Shared By: Blue Cross 
               In God's Company 2 

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Prayer...The Best Medicine of All

The Mother of Jesus urges us to pray as a defense against evil. To Ivan’s prayer group: 

"Dear children, your Mother warns you tonight that Satan is active in a special way these days. Do not allow emptiness inside of you, but fill this emptiness with prayer. Dear children, prayer is the best medicine these days to defend yourselves against evil. And so, dear children, make a special decision for prayer during Lent. Tonight I expect you to pray the Glorious Mysteries when you return home." VPG, BVM, Medjugorje  2 /19/1990

“Confident Prayer in Great Peril”:

But surely God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
He will repay my enemies for their evil.
In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies. 
  ~ Psalm 54:4-7

Our Lady is calling us to prayer today. She has told us many times that prayer is our chief weapon against evil. Prayer of the heart is our communion with God, in unifies us and makes us one with him.
 
If Jesus was called to the desert to pray and unite himself to the Father, then how much more do we need to pray?

 St. Paul  tells us to "pray without ceasing"~ Thessalonians 5:17

It was only in the last few months that I came across the power of the Jesus Prayer. It is a very simple prayer that I find myself repeating throughout the day, 

"Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner"

This prayer proclaims that Jesus is Lord and professes our faith in him as our redeemer.


Let’s simply heed our Lady’s advice today: “Don’t allow emptiness inside of you; fill this emptiness with prayer…it is the best medicine to defend yourselves against evil”

Friday, March 2, 2012

When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God...

Dawn has not yet broken. Slowly she rises and makes her way down stairs.

“The coffee smells so good”, she says to herself. Grabbing her favorite mug, the beige one with the lavender flowers, she pours herself a cup and holds it close to her face, taking in both the warmth and the aroma it offers. “Thank you Lord”, she says quietly, and walks over to the sofa.

 She loves this time of the morning. The house is still and the dog is nestled by the fireplace that her husband has lit for her.

After a few sips of coffee, she pulls out her rosary beads. She kisses the crucifix before beginning to pray and wonders how many others throughout the world are doing the same thing right now.

An image of God’s children comes to mind. They have all just risen and are gathering themselves together. They lift their voices in praise for the many gifts they have received and in prayer for the many needs for themselves and those closest to them. Like the holy apostles and the saints that had come before them, these children of God pray that they, too, might imitate the divine light.

“Imagine if we all begin each day like this”, she thought to herself…….

Peacefulness settles into her soul and she begins to pray for all though who do not believe.

Our Lady Queen Of Peace of Medjugorje’s March 2, 2012 Message Given To Mirjana  On The Day of Non-Believers

"Dear children; through the immeasurable love of God I am coming among you and I am persistently calling you into the arms of my Son. With a motherly heart I am imploring you, my children, but I am also repeatedly warning you, that concern for those who have not come to know my Son be in the first place for you. Do not permit that by looking at you and your life, they are not overcome by a desire to come to know Him. Pray to the Holy Spirit for my Son to be impressed within you. Pray that you can be apostles of the divine light in this time of darkness and hopelessness. This is a time of your trial. With a rosary in hand and love in the heart set out with me. I am leading you towards Easter in my Son. Pray for those whom my Son has chosen that they can always live through Him and in Him - the High Priest. Thank you." 03/02/2012

May we all lift our prayers for those that do not believe in God and for all those that do not yet know him.