Strengthen Me Oh Lord

It started as a tiny thought,

I would not let it go.

Then I started to nurture it,

 and it began to grow.

It followed me with every step,

It wouldn’t go away.

Like wild winds of a tempest storm,

I was battered night and day.

 I threw myself onto my knees

And I began to pray:

Forgive me Lord for the wrong I've done,

I long to start anew;

To live each day with joy and peace,

To live each day for you.

Heavenly Father, thank you form my being able today to decide for You in all my thought, feelings and actions. Now, too, I decide for You as Your Son Jesus Christ decided for You and as His and our Mother decided for You. Strengthen me this day my Lord, that if I am shaken like the branches of a tree in a tempest storm, that I cling to the vine that gives life to the branches, Your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen

“Dear children! Today I call you to open yourselves to prayer. Prayer works miracles in you and through you. Therefore, little children, in the simplicity of heart seek of the Most High to give you the strength to be God’s children and for Satan not to shake you like the wind shakes the branches. Little children, decide for God anew and seek only His will – and then you will find joy and peace in Him. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message to Marija , BVM, Medjugorje 10/25/2013

The Prophets Cry

Chosen by God,

was he formed.

To prepare,
to make straight,
to lead.

Cradled in the womb,

 so still,

until blessed by divine presence,

he leaped.

In faithful obedience

he grew.

The calling a sharp cry within.

Drawn to the silence,

he wandered.

The wilds of the desert his home.

In prayer he found understanding,

With the Spirit he was never alone.

Through fasting he found strength

and courage;

soon holy wisdom came.

Silent no more,

the prophet cried out,

and bodily they heard him proclaim.

All who have ears listen.

Repent, change your ways

while you may.

For the Kingdom of Heaven is near us.

His message still holds true today.




"Dear children! Also today, the Most High is giving me the grace to be with you and to lead you towards conversion. Every day I am sowing and am calling you to conversion, that you may be prayer, peace, love - the grain that by dying will give birth a hundredfold. I do not desire for you, dear children, to have to repent for everything that you could have done but did not want to. Therefore, little children, again, with enthusiasm say: 'I want to be a sign to others.' Thank you for having responded to my call."  BVM, August 25, 2013,Medjugorje

A Marian Apparition Unites Believers in Galilee

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."   Matthew 4:18-19

Medjugorje visionary Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic’s public apparition on Wednesday was attended by Christians, Jews and Muslims alike, and also brought together the three Bishops of Galilee along with Orthodox priests when Mass was celebrated. Organizers estimate 13,000 people were present.

“It was the biggest man-made event in the history of Galilee. Never before have we had this gathering with Our Lady and this huge number of people” Charbel Maroun, the President of the Marian Movement of Lay People in Galilee, tells Medjugorje Today.

“Lots of people were crying of joy, crying because of the grace the experienced. They listened to what they heard about Medjugorje, and loved it. Thousands of young people were there. And one of my co-workers told me about a huge number of confessions” he says.

 “There were a lot of Muslims. They liked it so much, they started crying because they were so happy to be present. There were also many members of the Israeli army. Never mind ethnicity or religious background, everybody was present and happy” Charbel Maroun reports.

“You could feel the Holy Spirit in the entire area. The people of Galilee will never forget this meeting. The majority of people here are weak in devotion and spirituality, and so for many it was the first time they saw such a huge manifestation of prayer.”

During Vicka’s apparition, the Virgin Mary asked the attendees to pray for the Church in Galilee.

We need to make a commitment.

 In a message given Ivan and Marija in the context of a prayer group meeting, on August 19, 1988, Our Lady said the following:

“Dear children, I would like this to be a time of decision for you. Make a commitment to follow me, follow me! I wish to do so much, but I cannot do anything without you: your resolve is too weak.
So pray during this time dear children. Only through prayer can you receive the strength of commitment that you need. I am here to help you my children .  

Today Our Lady asks for our commitment so that her plans in Medjugorje will succeed. In prayer today, let us ask Christ and the Blessed Mother to strengthen our commitment in following them with enthusiasm and courage.

1. Medjugorje Today

2. Medjugorje Day by Day 

Speak About The Glory of God

Our Lady Queen of Peace of Medjugorje’s April 2, 2013 Message
Given to Mirjana on the Day for Non-Believers

“Dear children; I am calling you to be one with my Son in spirit. I am calling you, through prayer, and the Holy Mass when my Son unites Himself with you in a special way, to try to be like Him; that, like Him, you may always be ready to carry out God’s will and not seek the fulfillment of your own. Because, my children, it is according to God’s will that you are and that you exist, and without God’s will you are nothing. As a mother, I am asking you to speak about the glory of God with your life because, in that way, you will also glorify yourself in accordance to His will. Show humility and love for your neighbor to everyone. Through such humility and love, my Son saved you and opened the way for you to the Heavenly Father. I implore you to keep opening the way to the Heavenly Father for all those who have not come to know Him and have not opened their hearts to His love. By your life, open the way to all those who still wander in search of the truth. My children, be my apostles who have not lived in vain. Do not forget that you will come before the Heavenly Father and tell Him about yourself. Be ready! Again I am warning you, pray for those whom my Son called, whose hands He blessed and whom He gave as a gift to you. Pray, pray, pray for your shepherds. Thank you.”

Most High, all-powerful, all-good Lord, All praise is Yours, all glory, all  honour and all blessings.
To you alone, Most High, do they belong, and no mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your Name. ~St. Francis of Assisi

He is Lord, He is Lord,
He is risen from the dead
And he is Lord.
Every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord.~ Author Unknown

Unity With My Son

Just as the branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. John 15:4

Jesus, the word of God, the word made flesh, tells us that we are grafted onto him. This spiritual engrafting was made possible for all of us, whether we are believers or unbelievers, by his death on the cross and becomes effective for each one of us at the time of our baptism.1

We are all rooted in Christ and apart from him we can do nothing, much like a dead branch which is only suitable for the fire.

Separated from him we  become a restless people, agitated in heart and mind. And, often times we find ourselves falling into periods of despair.

Disconnected from Christ we lose our sense of hope. Apart from him we are like a people in exile, searching for a sense of belonging, and often looking for that belonging in all the wrong places

But, much like the branches that remain on the vine, united to the tree from which they draw life,  we are called to unity with the Son, life in Christ.

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this will my Father be glorified……John 15:7,8

Our Lady Queen of Peace has called us to unity with her Son Jesus in her message to Mirjana, May 2, 2012

"Dear children! With motherly love I implore you to give me your hands, permit me to lead you. I, as a mother, desire to save you from restlessness, despair and eternal exile. My Son, by His death on the Cross, showed how much He loves you; He sacrificed Himself for your sake and the sake of your sins. Do not keep rejecting His sacrifice and do not keep renewing His sufferings with your sins. Do not keep shutting the doors of Heaven to yourselves. My children, do not waste time. Nothing is more important than unity in my Son. I will help you because the Heavenly Father is sending me so that, together, we can show the way of grace and salvation to all those who do not know Him. Do not be hard hearted. Have confidence in me and adore my Son. My children, you cannot be without the shepherds. May they be in your prayers every day. Thank you."

Prayer:

O Christ Jesus,

When all is darkness and we feel our weakness

and helplessness, give us the sense of your presence,

Your love, and Your strength.

Help us to have perfect trust in

Your protecting love and strengthening power, 

so that nothing may frighten or worry us, for living close to you,

We shall see your Hand, 

Your purpose, Your will through all things. Amen.

By St. Ignatius of Loyola 

1.Adapted from Magnificat, Sunday 6th, pg. 87 Vine and Branches

 

Illuminate My Soul, Oh Lord, Source of All Grace

Message of February 02, 2012
"Dear children; I am with you for so much time and already for so long I have been pointing you to God's presence and His infinite love, which I desire for all of you to come to know. And you, my children? You continue to be deaf and blind as you look at the world around you and do not want to see where it is going without my Son. You are renouncing Him - and He is the source of all graces. You listen to me while I am speaking to you, but your hearts are closed and you are not hearing me. You are not praying to the Holy Spirit to illuminate you. My children, pride has come to rule. I am pointing out humility to you. My children, remember that only a humble soul shines with purity and beauty because it has come to know the love of God. Only a humble soul becomes heaven, because my Son is in it. Thank you. Again I implore you to pray for those whom my Son has chosen - those are your shepherds."~ BVM Medjugorje02/02/2012

 Then David spoke to Saul: “My lord should not lose heart. Let your servant go and fight this Philistine.” But Saul answered David, “You cannot go up against this Philistine and fight with him, for you are only a youth, while he has been a warrior from his youth.” .... 

But David continued: “The same LORD who delivered me from the claws of the lion and the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul answered David, “Go! the LORD will be with you.”.............

Then, staff in hand, David selected five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in the pocket of his shepherd’s bag. With his sling in hand, he approached the Philistine.  

...As the Philistine approached David, he looked down on him and said, “Am I a dog that you come against me with a staff?”

 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. ~ Proverbs 16:18

.. David answered him: “You come against me with sword and spear and scimitar, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of hosts...For the battle belongs to the LORD.......Adapted from 1 Samuel, Chapter 17

 With God, my friends, we can do anything. Without God we will easily get distracted, we loose our way.

Our Lady has given us five stones they are: 

The Rosary

Fasting on Wednesday and Friday

Daily Reading of the Bible

Monthly Confession

 Holy Communion

As I read Our Lady's message, the old classic Gospel lyrics come to mind:

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.

And He will lift you up, higher and higher.

And He will lift you up, up into heaven.

And He will lift you up.  ~ Bob Hudson

May we all choose to be lifted up.Go!the LORD will be with you.....

Only honest eyes can see the way........

He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”Jeremiah 17:8

"Dear children, As a mother I am with you so that with my love, prayer and example I may help you to become a seed of the future, a seed that will grow into a firm tree and spread it's branches throughout the world. For you to become a seed of the future, a seed of love, implore the Father to forgive you your omissions up to now. My children, only a pure heart, unburdened by sin, can open itself and only honest eyes can see the way by which I desire to lead you. When you become aware of this, you will become aware of the love of God - it will be given (as a gift) to you. Then you will give it (as a gift) to others as a seed of love. Thank you."BVM, Medjugorje, Message of December 02, 2011

A loving mother never stops caring for her child no matter how old that child is. She brings that child before the Lord and lovingly places her[him] into his hands.In constant prayer she pleas for her[him]. She never gives up hope.

Advent is a time of hope, of spiritual awakening, a time to prepare our souls for Immanuel.. Our Lady is asking us to open our eyes, to recognize the things that keep us from coming ever closer to her son. Will we be ready to receive the precious gift which the Lord wants to share with us.Will we be able to say with pure hearts, "come let us adore him"........

Mother Mary, thank you for always interceding for me.

21st  Medjugorje Peace Conference

October 21, 22 & 23, 2011         Bren Events Center, UCI Campus, Irvine, California

Located 40 miles south of Los Angles, CA

INVATATION

"Today I call you to have your life be
connected with God the Creator."
(Our Lady’s message at Medjugorje)

We cordially you, your family and your friends to this conference in Irvine to hear our Blessed Mother's messages and seriously consider living the conversion to which she is ardently calling us.

The Conference Program includes Speakers, Testimonies,
Sacraments of Reconciliation, Medjugorje Holy Hour, Healing Service, Daily Rosary, and Daily Holy Mass

      In June of 1981, six young people in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina, were stunned by the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary and by her impassioned messages given for the salvation of the world: “Dear children, I am your Mother, the Queen of Peace…God sends me to you out of love that I may help you comprehend that without Him there is no future or joy and above all, there is no eternal salvation. ...I call you to have your life be connected with God the Creator.”

      For thirty years, out of love for each one of us, Our Blessed Mother continues to speak to the world through these six visionaries: “Now is a time of grace… I wish to be with you to reconcile the world through prayer, fasting, faith, conversion and peace…God is sending me to show you the way…Give your hand to me…and permit me to lead you.” Yes, now is a time to break free from our old ways of thinking, reasoning, judging and living—a time to embrace conversion of heart and true love for our neighbor, a time to pray and a time to fast.

      At this conference we are encouraged to ponder this invitation from Our Blessed Mother who copiously fills our cup with graces to help us stay connected with God the Creator. We have but to drink from it.

      “I am your Mother, I love you…God has permitted me to obtain graces for you… Realize that all the earthly things are not important for you, that only heaven is that for which it is necessary to strive.”

“I beg of you…to live my messages
and relate them to whomever you meet.”

© Copyright 2011 Medjugorje Peace Conference.

 

If you have any special intentions you would like brought to the conference you may either leave them in the comment box or email them to me and I will include them in the basket of intentions that will be lifted up at the mass and healing service Saturday evening.

 

Please keep the conference in prayer this weekend.

God bless you all,

 

Daily Grace

Our Lady of the Rosary

 "Dear children! Today I call you to begin to pray
the Rosary with a living faith.  Only in that way I will be able to help you. You wish to receive graces, but you do not pray. I am not able to help you if you do not decide to begin.
  I invite you, dear children, to pray the rosary in such a way
that it will be a commitment for you , achieved in joy.
  In this way,  you shall understand the reason I am with you for such a long time. I want to teach you to pray. Thank you for having responded to my call".

  BVM, Medjugorje, June 12, 1986

 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther.But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.  They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them Lk 24:25-33

 Reflection: In this story we find that the risen Christ "interpreted for them every passage of scripture which referred to him," so that his disciples would understand the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection.

 In meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, Jesus also helps us to interpret and understand the meaning of his life and death. And today Our Lady as well says to, "let the faithful meditate each day on the life of Jesus while praying the rosary." It is not necessary to concentrate on the repetitive prayer of the rosary, (which serves as a mantra) but to let the quite rhythm of the prayers keep us centered on the particular mystery on which we are meditating.

 The more we reflect on the lives of Jesus and Mary through the mysteries, the more we become like them in mind and heart. By means of the rosary, the Spirit of God gradually transfigures our hearts and minds to resemble those of Christ and his Mother.

Application: Pray the scriptural rosary  if you have a book with the verses, or if not, pray the traditional rosary truly from the heart, "meditating on the life of Jesus," as Mary asks of us. 

Medjugorje Day By Day, Richard J Beyer

May Love Flow From Your Heart

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours,

yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion

is to look out to the earth,

yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good

and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.

St Teresa of Avila

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'

But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. (Matthew 5: 43-45)

"Dear Children! This time also I am inviting you to prayer. Pray that you might be able to comprehend what God desires to tell you through my presence and through the messages I am giving you. I desire to draw you ever closer to Jesus and to His wounded heart that you might be able to comprehend the immeasurable love which gave itself for each one of you. Therefore, dear children, pray that from your heart would flow a fountain of love to every person both to the one who hates you and to the one who despises you. That way you will be able through Jesus' love to overcome all the misery in this world of sorrows, which is without hope for those who do not know Jesus. I am with you and I love you with the immeasurable love of Jesus. Thank you for all your sacrifices and prayers. Pray so I might be able to help you still more. Your prayers are necessary to me. Thank you for having responded to my call." BVM 11-25-91 Monthly Message, Medjugore


May the love and mercy of our risen Lord  Jesus Christ flow from our hearts today touching all those we come in contact with, even to the most difficult.  In His Name, Amen.

Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes

"Dear children! Again today I call you to consecrate your life to me with love, so I am able to guide you with love. I love you, dear children, with a special love and I desire to bring you all to Heaven unto God. I want you to realize that this life lasts briefly compared to the one in Heaven. Therefore, dear children, decide again today for God. Only that way will I be able to show how much you are dear to me and how much I desire all to be saved and to be with me in Heaven. Thank you for having responded to my call." (BVM 11-27-86)


From Exodus, the miracle of water from the rock:

But the people thirsted there for water; and they grumbled against Moses and said, "Why now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?"


So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying, "What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me."


Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.


"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Ex 17:3-6)

From a letter by St. Bernadette Soubirous, 1861:

The third time I went, the lady spoke to me and asked me to come every day for fifteen days. She also told me to drink from the stream…She indicated a little trickle of water close by. I went back each day for fifteen days and each time…the lady appeared and told me to look for a stream and wash in it…

Reflection: As with Moses and the Israelites in the desert, miraculous water flowed from the grotto at Lourdes as a sign of God’s healing power and love.

In response to this life-giving love, we are called, like St. Bernadette, to consecrate our lives to the Blessed Mother so that, as she says, “I can guide you with love.”

In love we can see with new eyes that, “this life lasts briefly compared to the one in heaven,” and so Our Lady urges us to prioritize our lives, putting God in first place. “Decide again for God,” she says, which will enable her to guide us to peace and eternal life.


The water in the desert and the healing waters at Lourdes both invite us to drink generously of God’s grace and love. Only a prayer and an open heart are necessary. (1)


Today on this special feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, I have renewed my consecration  to Our Lady and have asked  her for consecration of a special child of mine. I ask you to keep this child in prayer today if you would.  I thank God for each of you and ask His blessings upon you.

(1)  Medjugorje Day by Day, by Richard J. Beyer

The Power of Prayer

"Dear children! I call you to prayer. By means of prayer, little children, you obtain joy and peace. Through prayer you are richer in the mercy of God. Therefore, little children, let prayer be the life of each one of you. Especially I call you to pray so that all those who are far away from God may be converted. Then our hearts shall be richer because God will rule in the hearts of all men. Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray! Let prayers begin to rule in the whole world. Thank you for having responded to my call." Our Lady of Medjugore August 25, 1989

Jesus speaks to us about the power of prayer in Matthews’s gospel:

When he was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry.
Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again." And immediately the fig tree withered.

When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, "How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?"

Jesus said to them in reply, "Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,' it will be done.
Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive."

Reflection:

Prayer is by far the most common subject of Our Lady’s messages in Medjugore, as well as a primary teaching of Christ in the gospels. It is the root of joy and peace, as Mary reminds us today, and its power in unbounded, as Jesus teaches his disciples in the gospel. 1


May we find joy and peace through prayer as we begin a new day, a true gift from our Lord above.


1 Medjugorje Day by Day, Richard J. Beyer