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                                        EDITOR: JUNE KLINS    EDITOR EMERITUS: JOAN WIESZCZYK

 SPIRITUAL ADVISOR: MSGR. JAMES PETERSON

WEB PUBLISHER: MEDJUGORJE USA   

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VOL. 25, NO. 12   Published Monthly    December 5, 2012

 

Current Monthly Message of  November 25, 2012
  

THE 25TH DAY OF EACH MONTH, THE BLESSED VIRGIN GIVES A MESSAGE TO THE VISIONARY MARIJA, THAT IS TO BE GIVEN TO THE WORLD.

 

“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call all of you to renew prayer. Open yourselves to Holy Confession so that each of you may accept my call with the whole heart. I am with you and I protect you from the ruin of sin, but you must open yourselves to the way of conversion and holiness, that your heart may burn out of love for God. Give Him time and He will give Himself to you and thus, in the will of God you will discover the love and the joy of living. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

 

 


Pictured above are life-size statues of the Holy Family behind Sr. Emmanuel's home in Medjugorje. For a related story, scroll down.  We hope that all of our readers have a very blessed Christmas and New Year.

 

 

If you would like a pdf of the printed copy we send out, email June at jklins1981@verizon.net and put "December pdf"  in the subject line. Permission is given to reprint original articles in our newsletters, provided that no wording is changed and that "The Spirit of Medjugorje" is credited. To reprint articles from other sources we have used, permission must be obtained from that particular source.  (Sometimes permission is granted only to us for our use.)
 

 


Angel in the sky

 

Angel above the Medjugorje Grape Arbors

By Bonita Nesser

   People go to Medjugorje on pilgrimages answering Mary’s call not knowing what God’s plan will be after the experience. I am one such pilgrim.

   After my first trip to Medjugorje in 2005, I came home on fire with the Holy Spirit. I would tell anyone who would listen about my conversion and of this holy place I traveled to. After my second pilgrimage, three years later, I came home with a strong desire to be of service to the Church. I became a Eucharistic Minister (I take the Eucharist to homebound  church members). I am on our church Parish Council; my husband and I are one of the  Marriage sponsor couples, as well as  head of our church’s Marriage and Family Life Team. Being part of these services to our parish happened quickly, right after my return.

   In 2012, I received a third calling to Medjugorje. I traveled this time with my husband as part of our 30th wedding anniversary. I prayed that the reason for my return again would be revealed in some way. After several days in Medjugorje, our group was invited to visit Vicka’s apparition room in her family home. This was the first time Father Bill’s pilgrimage group was ever invited to do this. We were permitted to go in, five at a time, and pray and receive the graces from God. While inside this room, I didn’t see or feel anything extraordinary. We prayed and asked for the Holy Spirit to enlighten us.

   Our group departed, as we filed out of the apparition room, walking back to our pansion house through the grape arbors. I was with 20 or more pilgrims as we walked. For some reason, I lagged behind the group. As I walked alone, I looked up and saw an ANGEL in the sky. I immediately took a picture and was amazed that I captured what I saw on my iphone. I ran ahead showing the others what I saw. They all started looking up, but didn’t see anything. As I walked with this picture in my mind and on my iphone, I asked …”Why of all things did I get to see an angel in the sky while on this pilgrimage? I had never seen anything miraculous on any of my journeys and never expected to this time either. Then it came to me…”Angels are easy to believe. All faiths believe in angels.” (I am from a large Protestant family). Also, Angel means “MESSENGER.”  I know that I am to be brave, and be a messenger for Jesus and Mary. 

   You are called to be a messenger as well.

Editor’s note: Bonita is from Uniontown, PA. Bonita later shared that she had spoken to a large secular group of people and showed them the picture, and almost everyone saw the angel right away. Those who did not, saw it after she pointed it out. She gave each of them a copy and told them all that they were to be messengers also. 

 

 

 

Book Review – I Have Come to Tell the World that God Exists

   "By Mayra Ortiz" 

   So very awesome and inspiring! I highly recommend it! June, you are so blessed to write so beautifully. I lived your words in my heart while reading them! This book is spiritually uplifting and inspiring and I look forward to re-reading it! It was difficult to put down once I began to read. I haven't been to Medjugorje, yet (I so pray & hope to go) but you brought Medjugorje to me with this book!

   Thank you so much for your dedication in writing these books and know that it touches many hearts and spirits. May our Lord continue to richly bless you!

 

Can be ordered from Amazon.com. By clicking this link you will go directly to the book
http://www.amazon.com/Have-Come-Tell-World-Exists/dp/1467068578/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1322377874&sr=1-4

Kindle edition

http://www.amazon.com/Have-Come-World-Exists-ebook/dp/B0080CUYP6/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1322377874&sr=1-4

 
Can be ordered from Barnes & Noble. By clicking this link you will go directly to the book
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-have-come-to-tell-the-world-that-god-exists-june-klins/1107735791?ean=9781467068574&itm=1&usri=best+of+spirit+of+medjugorje+volume+3

 

 Marija and Newborn Baby Jesus

     The following is an excerpt from a talk given by visionary Marija in December of 1999. We thank Judy Pellatt of the UK for transcribing the talk.

    Marija talked about one time when Our Lady brought Baby Jesus with Her:  “He was kind of nestled in into Her dress, and so that made Her more beautiful. The Baby started looking at us, peeking out of the veil, and then He turned His head towards His mother, as if He was shy. The third time He did it, He winked at us. From then on, I took on the habit of winking at people, imitating Jesus. A little baby that age, a newborn, one or two days old is not capable of winking. And yet He winked at us, and it was at that moment when we really realized He was God.

 


Stable behind Sr. Emmanuel's home

 

 

Remind Me, Lord!

By Fr. Angelus Shaughnessy, OFM, Cap.

   Heavenly Father, help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and was rushing home to cook dinner, help with the homework, do the laundry, and spend a few precious moments with her children.

   Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring the moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last time that they go shopping together.

   Heavenly Father, remind us each day that of all the gifts You give us, the greatest gift is Love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not just to those who are close to us, but to all people. Let us be slow to judgment, and quick to forgiveness and patience and understanding and love. Amen.

 

 


Debi's coral heart

 

Medjugorje Reunion 2012 (Part 2)

By June Klins

   On August 26, Fr. Bill Kiel and pilgrimage leader, Dennis Todaro, hosted a reunion at St. Bernard of Clairvaux Church in Indiana, PA, for the pilgrims of their June, 2012 pilgrimage. Last month I reported on some of the testimonies my fellow pilgrims shared at the reunion, with a promise to continue the stories in this issue. Again, I hope that they will touch your hearts the way they touched mine.

   A “beautiful moment in Medjugorje” is how a pilgrim named Allison described what she was about to tell us. She was very emotional as she spoke about her experience in the chapel where Vicka used to have her daily apparitions. Allison said that while she was kneeling there for those few minutes, she did not ask Our Lady for anything in the way of intercession. She just told Our Lady how much she loved Her, and how much her mother loves Her, and how She has brought her mother through a lot of hard times. Then in her heart, Allison heard the words, “As much as you love me, I love you so much more.” Allison could not stop weeping after she heard those words.

   After her return from Medjugorje, Allison fell in her yard and hurt her arm. It was very painful for her because her bones are brittle from the pain medications she takes for cancer. She went to a healing Mass celebrated by Fr. Bill Kiel, who had been the spiritual director of our pilgrimage, and when she went back to her seat, the pain was gone! Allison felt that God allowed her to fall so that she could experience healing. She recounted, “Sometimes we have doubt, but God was saying, ‘Here it is right in front of you. This is My power and healing. I took that pain from you in a matter of seconds, so imagine  what I am doing for you on the inside that you can’t see.’”

   A pilgrim named Debi, who had traveled to Medjugorje with her husband Bill, shared that prior to this trip, she rarely even prayed the Rosary. She shared that it had been a particularly difficult year for their family, and Our Lady had a plan when She invited them to Medjugorje –  to strengthen their marriage and their family. She said that Our Lady was teaching her to be a more loving, nurturing mother and person in all aspects. So, although Debi proclaimed, “I did not need to go to Medjugorje for a miracle,” she really did get a great blessing. 

   Debi said that after they returned from Medjugorje, she and Bill took their family to Belize on a summer vacation. She and Bill were surprised to hear the Hail Mary recited at Mass, and statues of Our Lady seemed to be everywhere they looked. She later found out that 60% of the people in Belize are Catholic.

   When the family went snorkeling there, they came to a remote island, and as she walked out of the water, Debi noticed a perfectly shaped piece of coral in the shape of a heart. She asked the guide if he thought someone had carved it and he responded that it was just formed that way. Debi was in awe of this stone, which had little red splotches on it. It seemed like a very special gift to her personally, because when she was in Medjugorje, another pilgrim gave her a prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, when Debi and her husband celebrated their wedding anniversary there. Debi said, “If your eyes are open, you see how God puts those pieces together.”  She brought the stone home to remind herself every day to consecrate herself, her husband, her marriage, her children and her extended family and friends to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. When Debi finished her story, Bill, who has a wonderful sense of humor, cracked, “It was un-belize-able.” 

  In early November I met up with Debi at a retreat put on by Gospa Missions of Evans City, PA, and she had something to add to her story. That very day, a man she did not know came up behind her and handed her a little book called Life Offering to the Sacred Heart through the Immaculate Heart, and said to her, “You need to do this.”  On the cover of this little book is a picture of Mary with Her Immaculate Heart and she is holding in the folds of her mantle many hearts, which She, in turn, is giving to Jesus, pictured as the Sacred Heart inside the Eucharist. Debi looked for the man to show me who he was, but she never saw him again that day.

   Debi’s husband, Bill, who is a medical doctor, shared that when he visited the Risen Jesus statue in Medjugorje, the scientist in him touched and tasted the liquid coming from the knees of the statue. He found it to feel a bit slimy and that it tasted like the saline solution he uses for injections. He concluded that the liquid had the consistency of human tears. When he was reading our book, I Have Come to Tell the World that God Exists, on the way home from Belize, he read that the liquid has been scientifically tested to be human tears. Bill said, “I found that out independently, and that is amazing.”

   Bill also witnessed a healing he received on the flight to Medjugorje. Before he left for Medjugorje, Bill had a tear in his Achilles tendon and tendonitis. He said it was aching, and he was worried about it snapping in half. As we got closer to landing, Bill looked out the window and saw a bright orange ball in the sky. Debi looked, but could not see it. It lasted about a minute and a half. When the sun came up, it was not as bright as the orange ball. Bill said the bright orange ball in the sky looked like a fire, and as he was thinking  it looked like a fire – but knew it could not be – his left heel started burning like it was on fire.  When he looked at his heel, he noticed that it had become reddened. The next day, the pain was all gone!

   Bill shared another story that happened after the return from Medjugorje. One of his physician friends was in an accident and needed surgery on his head right away. Bill was concerned that if he did survive, he may have to go to a nursing home, and certainly would never be able to work again. Bill poured holy water from Medjugorje on his head and prayed for him.  Debi, who is a nurse, jumped in and added how bad this man looked, with a part of his skull missing, and could not believe that Bill, a doctor, would pour this water [simply water that was blessed in Medjugorje – not from a spring as at Lourdes] so near to a fresh surgical wound. Bill reported that later that day, his friend was able to walk down the hallway, and that he is now 100% cured!

   A pilgrim named Lisa was one of the last ones to witness. Lisa said that after her pilgrimage to Medjugorje, her sister, whom she had not seen in 10 years, came from Texas to visit with two of her children and her 4 year-old grandson. Lisa’s nephew asked to hear all about Medjugorje. Lisa showed them her miracle picture of the Holy Spirit and the little video she took during the miracle of the sun that showed up on her phone as a dove with flapping wings. She talked about Medjugorje for three hours. (I know from experience that is easy to do and the time flies!)

   Then Lisa gave her nephew a rosary from Medjugorje, and she said he had tears in his eyes, and said he would pray it all the time. When her niece picked a rosary from the ones Lisa had left, she picked the exact one that Lisa had bought with her in mind. Lisa gave each of them a book about the Rosary and a book of Our Lady’s messages.

   About five days later, Lisa’s sister called from Texas to thank her for sharing her Medjugorje stories and giving her children the rosaries. She then related that on the way back to Texas, Lisa’s niece asked her mother whom she should talk to about having her son baptized. Lisa said she was not aware that the little boy had never been baptized.

   The Baptism was to take place on Labor Day weekend. And the niece has been praying the Rosary every day. Lisa concluded, “Blessed Mother bringing people to Her Son…”

   The very last one to speak was our tour director, Dennis Todaro. He said, “If it were not for real, I would not have gone back, nor would I be planning trip number 14.” Then he added, “Most people who spoke, spoke with tears in their eyes, and that’s the type of place Medjugorje is. It’s very moving; it’s very powerful.  You have to admit, there’s something there, and it’s for real.”

    As we were walking toward the car that day, we spotted a few of the pilgrims looking at the sky. When we looked up –  lo and behold –  there was a rainbow in the sky!  The sky was blue and it was not raining. We could not see any reason why there would have been a rainbow. When that one faded, another appeared in another part of the sky.  Bill later shared in a note that he and Debi, who left before we did, saw a double rainbow when they left!  What a perfect ending to a grace-filled day of Medjugorje sharing.    

Editor’s note: Dennis Todaro will be leading a pilgrimage to Medjugorje in June, 2013. If you are interested, you can call him at 724-837-7434. Fr. Bill Kiel will be the spiritual director

 

 
              Lisa's Holy Spirit picture                                              One of the rainbows                

 

 

 

 

Medjugorje – A Christmas Story

By June Klins

   Two months ago, a man named Michael Stanton shared some exciting news with me. He wrote, “I recently made contact with a couple from California who made a video about their pilgrimage to Medjugorje for Christmas, 1990. There are miraculous scenes of Our Lady appearing on Cross Mountain. This needs to be seen by as many people as possible. I have been given permission to put the entire video on my website, betweenthefoldsofhermantle.com. Please watch and let me know if you can help me get the word out.”

   When I finally got a chance to watch it, I knew I had to share this gift with our readers. Besides the footage on the mountain, it is interesting to see what Medjugorje looked like back in 1990, and to hear the testimonies of the pilgrims, including a seven year-old who made her First Confession and First Communion in Medjugorje. .

   Paul and Grace Millard said at the beginning of this video that it started out to be just a home movie about their pilgrimage, but because of the extraordinary gifts they were given by Our Lady, they felt compelled to share it.

   Their best gift was given on the very first day that they were in Medjugorje. They went to the English Mass, and then decided to go to Confession. While they were near the confessionals, Paul looked up at Cross Mountain. He said he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “There on the side of Mt. Krizevac” he exclaimed, “was the image of our Blessed Mother. She was all in gold and standing on a white cloud….Her veil was blowing in the breeze and there was a bright light coming from Her hands.”  Paul told me that he, and another pilgrim, who both had video cameras, both had the experience of the image becoming blurry as they zoomed in. Perhaps Our Lady was telling them to just enjoy the present moment.

   Grace added, “Trying to comprehend what I was seeing, I asked, ’Is this really You, Mary?’ And much to my surprise, Our Lady’s image nodded Her head and moved Her hands up and down, as if to say, ’Yes, it is I, your Heavenly Mother.’ How awesome, and yet so gentle. Our Mother showed us a glimpse of Her. Many of us were just standing there stunned.

Others were on their knees, crying – a moment we will never forget.”  

   Fifteen of the eighteen pilgrims in the group were near the confessionals when Our Lady appeared, and all of them saw Her and were touched by this experience. Two of the pilgrims later became Franciscan priests. Paul shared with me that there were people from throughout the United States there and from other countries, and they also saw Her. Was it because that year was the first time in 50 years that the Croatian people were able to celebrate Christmas openly, that they received this gift?  Only God knows.

   The video, which is in four parts on Michael’s website, includes testimonies of the pilgrims in the group.  One young pilgrim, named Teresa Sanchez, said, “Right after we went to Confession, a friend of mine said, ‘Look on the hill. Do you see anything?’” Teresa said that when she saw the image of Our Lady, she could not move because she was so excited. She reflected, “He [Jesus] wants us not only to honor His Father, but also His Mother…At the Wedding Feast [of Cana] Our Lady said, ’Do whatever He tells you,’ and the people did listen to Her. To me, Our Lord is saying, ‘What Mary says is important, too!’  And now She’s coming and telling us things and wants us to listen to Her, because He sends Her out of love, and She only brings us closer to Him.”

Editor’s note: Paul and Grace later shared that they continue to take pilgrims to Medjugorje, as they have for the past 25 years. If you'd like, you can order the DVD directly from the Millards. Contact June at 814-898-2143 for more information.

 

 

 
Medjugorje bread

 

Marija: Stop Satan’s Plans by Fasting

By Jakob Marschner on October 28, 2012.

   Fasting on bread and water is paramount in offsetting plans that Satan is having at this time, Medjugorje visionary Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti told Radio Maria, when sharing the message the Virgin Mary had given her earlier in the evening of October 25: “Dear children! Today I call you to pray for my intentions. Renew fasting and prayer because Satan is cunning and attracts many hearts to sin and perdition. I call you, little children, to holiness and to live in grace. Adore my Son so that He may fill you with His peace and love for which you yearn. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

   “Our Lady knows that Satan is studying the situation and is working on something, and Our Lord reminds us that certain devils can be forced away with prayer and fasting. During all these years Our Lady has called to fasting; after this message, and starting with me, I have to get better about it,” Marija commented.

   “When the Virgin Mary calls to fasting, She means on bread and water alone,” Marija repeated on Radio Maria. Sparing neither locals nor pilgrims, the seer went on to lament what she sees as a laxity in fasting throughout the Medjugorje movement: “From the first days, Our Lady began asking us to fast, and I would say it is what we do the least of nowadays, starting with us, and going on to all the pilgrims,” Marija said. “[Late Medjugorje priest] Father Slavko began seminars in his early years, and unfortunately fasting was not practiced as much as other aspects. We manage somehow, but I think this message was given at the proper time, and winter is coming where we find all sorts of excuses. Her insistence on fasting is missing today,” Marija said.  “I remember that from the beginning until a few years ago ‘bread and water’ meant bread and water. Sometimes [visionary] Vicka’s sister and I used to argue with Vicka: we might make some tea, and Vicka would say, “No – just bread and water,” Marija continued. “We have become a bit wishy-washy without the biblical ‘yes yes, no no,’ and some serious fasting would make us more decided and more saintly, too.”

    “What is fasting exactly? More like turning down things than a fast?” Radio Maria director, Fr. Livio Fanzaga, next asked the visionary.  “She said bread and water.”

[Fr. Livio]- Bread and water from midnight to midnight?

“ Exactly.”

[Fr. Livio]- Wednesday and Friday?

“Yes. At first, it was Friday, and then Wednesday was added. Then for us a novena was asked for, so we would fast for nine days. We were good, at the risk of ‘blowing your own horn.’ When you have the Spirit, your willpower comes through. I think I will get better at it, as Our Lady said, ”Pray and fast for my intentions.”  I ask from my heart, and I hope all you listeners will, too, because if She asks, it is for our own good,” Marija replied.

[Fr. Livio] - In a message that She gave you in 2010, She said that Satan destroys you with what he offers; that is why it is important to know how to renounce.

“Yes, and going back to the example about tea: you start with tea, then it becomes a bit of fruit juice, then a little fruit, a few vegetables. A little at a time, our ‘fasting menu’ becomes large. If She says ‘bread and water,’ it has a reason.”

[Fr. Livio] - Yes, She said just a small crack is necessary.

“Through it Satan knows how to get through. Instead Our Lady says, “Be with me.” We want to be saintly with God.”

   With the Feast of All Saints coming up on November 1, Fr. Livio Fanzaga next mentioned a pattern he thinks to have discovered in the Virgin Mary’s messages.

[Fr. Livio] - I have noticed that almost every year when we get close to the Feast of All Saints, the invitation is repeated to be saintly, as it is this year. Our Lady wants us to be in the grace of God, because this is the road to holiness.

“Yes, and she also just said, ’Adore my Son so that He may fill you with His peace and love.’  We might be looking for it, but our road to holiness is to say ‘yes’ to God daily, even in the little things. Put God in the first place, and the rest will be given to you. If you have God, you have everything,” Marija replied.

[Fr. Livio] - Then you can walk the path towards holiness, even in your family life or work environment?

“Yes, that is exactly the way it is. Our Lady calls us to go forward decidedly towards God, towards fasting, towards grace and not sin or things not of God.”

 

 

   November 2, 2012 Message to Mirjana

"Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you."

 

 

 
Candle area next to St. James Church in Medjugorje

 

Why We Light Candles in Churches

By Fr. Larry Richards

  When I was a child and I used to go to St. Patrick's Church in downtown Pittsburgh every week with my grandmother, the first thing that she would do is light two seven-day candles in front of the Blessed Mother statue. When I asked her why she did that, she said that one candle was for her parents, who were dead, and the other was for all the Poor Souls in Purgatory. She went on to explain that she would light these candles to be a constant symbol of her prayer before God,  that He would re­lease those souls from their suffering in Purgatory; and that, after these souls were released, they would then be saints, and they would be praying for us. Her faith and theology were very sound, and made a deep impression on me!

   The lighting of candles, or "vigil lights," or "votive candles," indicates that someone is praying about something particular, either for themselves or on behalf of someone else. The word "votive" can also refer to a promise to pray for someone, as well as a wish or desire for a certain outcome on behalf of someone, such as recovery of health. The candle burning its life out before a statue of Jesus in the Monstrance or before a statue of one of the saints is a symbol of prayer and sacrifice of the person. All throughout the world, in shrines and churches, you see candles burning as a symbol of prayer. You can light a candle there or have a candle lit for you that will burn 24-hours a day for seven days.

Editor’s note: Fr. Larry is the pastor of St. Joseph Church/Bread of Life Community in Erie, PA and a popular international speaker. You can visit his website, www.thereasonforourhope.org.  Our Lady told the visionaries that more souls are released from Purgatory on Christmas Day than any other day.

 

 

A Christmas to Remember

By June Klins

   Last summer, I heard a priest tell a story about a special Christmas from his childhood. Father said that in his neighborhood lived a lady whom the children all called “the witch.” She lived nearby the field where the children would play ball, and if their ball happened to go into her yard, and the children would try to retrieve it, she would come out of her house screaming at the children if they stepped onto her property. Then she would confiscate the ball. To add insult to injury, she would put the ball in her front window to flaunt it at the children. This happened so many times that she had a whole collection of balls in her window.

   One Christmas, Father and his brother went outside to play in the snow, and when they came back in, their mother told them that there would be a special guest for Christmas dinner. She warned them that if they did not behave, they would be reprimanded. When they walked into the dining room, they were traumatized when they saw sitting at their dinner table none other than “the witch.”  They kicked each other under the table, but did not say anything for fear of punishment.

When dinner was over, “the witch” got up and did the unthinkable – she went around and kissed everyone at the table, including Father and his brother, crying as she thanked them for  what she called “the best Christmas” she had ever had.

   Apparently “the witch” had led a very hard life and this was the first time anyone had ever done something nice for her.

From that day on, she allowed the children to retrieve the balls from her yard.  Father said he invited her to his ordination, and when she went up to get her first blessing from him, she said to him, “Who’d ever guess the neighborhood hoodlum would become a priest?” 

 

 

 
Ludwig and Nicole Medjugorje-bound

 

A Fruit of Medjugorje – The Youth – 2012

by Louise Lotze                

   This past July, I spent three weeks in Augsburg, Germany, visiting my daughter and her family.  That city is blessed with a Dominican Convent, Holy Cross, which houses the Eucharistic Miracle of Augsburg.  Each day there is Adoration after morning Mass as well as Adoration during the Rosary every evening.  This blessed Church surely is a beacon of light and truth in Western Europe.

   My first week there, I noticed a young couple attending daily morning Mass and Adoration, as well as evening Rosary and Adoration.  I also discovered one of the Dominican priests, Fr. Mirco Saric, is a Croatian priest from Dubrovnik.  He escaped 30 years ago from Communist Yugoslavia and came to Germany.  (He has also been to Medjugorje). 

   One evening after Rosary, as I was leaving the Church, Fr. Mirco was outside waiting to lock the iron gates.  I overheard the word “Medjugorje,” and I immediately spoke up to say that I was in Medjugorje the previous week.  He was talking with the young couple. They were both university students in Augsburg, and  I discovered upon talking with them that they were going to Medjugorje the following week for the Youth Festival.  Ludwig  (German for Louis) had been there the past six years for this Festival.  His friend, Nicole, had gone there also.  Nicole's mother was going to drive them there with the three of them sharing the driving, since it would take them 13 hours.  What impressed me was their genuine wholesomeness and simplicity.  Ludwig, age 22, is studying Spanish and Theology.  Nicole, age 20, is studying French and Religion to teach in Catholic schools.  Their English was quite good, and we talked about Medjugorje.  I had brought a backpack to church to show them, and I asked them to hold it up for the picture.  (The message on it was awesome:  “Medjugorje, All the Help You Need.”) I shared with them that I was at the Youth Festival in 2010, so I was there when they were as well, and we celebrated the Eucharist together!  In reflecting on my God-incidence in meeting them in Germany, I felt that they, as our youth, are the future of the Church and the hope of Christianity.  They are true witnesses for Christ and are the Light for this troubled world in need of hope.  After all, Medjugorje is not about Mary.  She comes there to lead us to Her Son, Jesus.  Thank you, Mother Mary.  

Editor’s note: Louise is from Ashtabula, OH. If you are interested in a pilgrimage to Medjugorje for the Youth Festival, contact June at jklins1981@verizon.net for more information. 

 

 

A Spiritual Retreat Before Christmas

The following is an excerpt from a talk by Fr. Slavko Barbaric on December 8, 1985.

  In my opinion, one very important thing for us all is what Our Lady asked Ivan's group a few weeks ago – to have a week’s spiritual retreat, to have one wherever one happens to be, without looking for a cloister or a retreat house, but to hold one in our own daily life. life.

   Each of us, especially now before Christmas, ought to spend a week this way, one ought to devote oneself more to prayer, more to silence; one ought to be more in contact with Our Lord. This program is very beautiful and simple, suitable to us all. No matter where we are, or what we do, what we can do is this – pray more at the beginning of the day, pray to the Holy Spirit, read the Bible, pray the Rosary, attend Mass. Let us retire and live one week this way.

 

Our thanks to Cindy Bielanin, Mary Tirak, Celeste Migneault, Marsha DeLaura, Agnes Trott, Estrella Igras, Barb Sirianni, Dianne Yochim, Vickie DeCoursey, and Sally Dugan for their help with the November mailing.  We thank Louise Lotze and Wendy Ripple for the use of their photos in this issue. Also a big thank you to Pat Berrier, our proofreader,and Michael K. Jones, our webmaster.

The Spirit of Medjugorje
P.O. Box 6614
Erie, PA 16512