"Dear children; with motherly concern I look in your hearts. In them I see pain and suffering; I see a wounded past and an incessant search; I see my children who desire to be happy but do not know how. Open yourselves to the Father. That is the way to happiness, the way by which I desire to lead you. God the Father never leaves his children alone, especially not in pain and despair. When you comprehend and accept this you will be happy; your search will end; you will love and you will not be afraid; your life will be hope and truth which is my Son. Thank you. I implore you, pray for those whom my Son has chosen. Do not judge because you will all be judged." (January 2, 2012)

On November 7, 2011, I shared a beautiful picture that my granddaughter, Angela, drew for me. (I share it again today!) I shared it because it fit so well with the November 2, 2011 message through Mirjana. Angela really captured something about our human condition in that picture. She showed a girl, surrounded by brown stuff, which seemed to encase her in gloom. But the sun was still shining above and the girl herself was smiling and at peace. Though life was dark at that moment, her faith could conquer the darkness and she could live in the peace of God's love.

My friend, June Klins, published that reflection and the picture in her monthly newsletter (December 2011), The Spirit of Medjugorje. Recently, June sent me an anonymous letter she received in response to that little picture in her newsletter. I respectfully would like to share it with all of you, because I think it demonstrates what Our Lady is talking about in this message of January 2, 2012.

The letter is addressed to Angela and reads:

Dear Angela,

You don't know me, but I am a person who was very, very sad. I was alone and lonely, and I didn't feel loved. I wanted to go to heaven to be with God because I didn't like it on earth. But then, I saw your beautiful picture and it gave me something called "hope". That means that you made me feel better! So I sat down and stared at the picture and then I prayed to ask God to help me. All of a sudden, I knew that I didn't have to go to heaven to be with God because God already came down from heaven to be with me! Now, every day I talk to God and when I feel lonely, He makes me feel better. And I think one day soon, God will send me a friend, because now I have hope. And I HOPE you will keep doing beautiful pictures and sharing them with people to make them feel better. Thank you, Angela. I think you made a lot of people happy with your picture, and you made Jesus and Blessed Mary happy, too. God bless your lovely heart and soul.

Sincerely, your happy friend,

Dee

Wow! Thank you, Dee, for sharing your conversion through Angela's picture and the power of the Holy Spirit. You teach us all so much! Our Lady says it in this message: "Open yourselves to the Father. That is the way to happiness, the way by which I desire to lead you. God the Father never leaves his children alone, especially not in pain and despair. When you comprehend and accept this you will be happy; your search will end; you will love and you will not be afraid; your life will be hope and truth which is my Son." That is exactly what you have done.

Thank you, June, for publishing Angela's picture, and thank you, Angela for drawing it! Thank you, Lord, for healing all of us by your love! Thank you, Father, for never leaving us alone!!! And thank you, dear Blessed Mother for being with us and blessing us!

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

The Story of the Miraculous Pilgrim Rosary

By Richard Bingold

. The Stone Rosary was fashioned by the writer from the very stones on top of Apparition Hill, in Medjugorje, where Our Blessed Mother appeared to the children. I remember the very moment, while kneeling there with Fr. Albert Mary Shamon (deceased) – we were praying the Rosary and Fr. Shamon noticed I was picking up many stones. He asked me, "What are you doing?" I answered, "I think I will make a rosary from these stones.”

   I had no idea what Our Lady had in store for the rosary She was inspiring me to make. It took six months to fashion by hand; every stone and link had to be carefully prepared. The drilling of the stones had to be submerged in water to keep them from breaking. Then the moment came to drill the first stone I had picked up on the hill as it reminded me of a human heart. It was to become the center stone or medallion, to bear the image of Our Lady's young face surrounded by 12 semi-precious diamond-like stones, forming her crown, which represents the 12 tribes of Israel.

   The heart shaped stone, while being drilled, gave off the aroma of fresh roses. The fragrance overcame me to the point that I could not control my emotions. Breaking down into tears, it took almost an hour to drill the three openings through which the fine stainless steel wire would be placed.

   The crucifix also was inspired. I had taken home some thorn branches from the hill along with a much larger stone that I believed I could make into a cross. The thorns from the branches became the crown of thorns behind Our Lord's precious head. The three other smaller thorns became the nails by which Our Lord was nailed to the cross. It came out beautifully, and I sized it to the stone cross and it looked perfect. I decided to encase both the crucifix and the medallion in liquid glass. It took over 30 coats for each to complete.

   On completion of the rosary, I decided to return to Medjugorje to see if one of the visionaries would present it to Our Lady as a rosary that would travel the world in Her honor. The rosary was presented to Our Lady during an apparition to Vicka in 1994. Our Lady, I was told, approved my intention that this rosary would travel the world in Her name. Fr. Jozo blessed the rosary, and became very emotional upon doing so.

   Upon returning home, I was asked to show the rosary at a Marian conference in Rochester, NY. It was at this conference, under unusual circumstances, that I was given the hand carved, 3' high statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje. This statue was carved in Italy by a family of carvers that kneel in veneration to Our Lady while carving. The statue has been with me for 14 years.

   At that conference a man approached the area where the rosary and statue were being viewed. His wife was in a wheelchair. She sat motionless, a victim of MS. He told me she had not moved in years and that he would feed her and bathe her. I noticed he had been kneeling in front of the rosary while reading the story about it.

   Getting up from his knees, he asked me, "Would you pray over my wife with your rosary?" I refused several times, telling him to go find a priest. He said "No, it's your rosary. Please pray for her." A woman standing next to me said, "Oh, come on, we will all pray for her." She grabbed my hand and placed it on the woman's head. I felt embarrassed, but silently prayed the "blessing" Our Lady revealed in Medjugorje, that we could pass on to another in Her name. At first I thought the man moved her chair, and upon opening my eyes, I watched her sit straight up in the chair and lift her arm to touch her husband's cheek with her little hand. He collapsed to his knees in tears with his head now on her lap.

   Thus the Ministry had begun. The Miraculous Pilgrim Rosary Ministry continues to minister to the poor, the sick, the disillusioned and all who are in need of healing. Now in its eighteenth year, the statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje and the miraculous stone rosary are constantly out on the road answering the call of Bl. John Paul ll, to put out into the deep to save souls. By the end of 2011, 116,000 souls had been prayed over with this rosary!

Five Healings

By Richard Bingold

   In the fall of 1994, I received a call from the Reverend Father Vince Malone, pastor of St. Barbara's Church in Winchester, Massachusetts. He had been approached by Maureen O'Connor, my friend in Reading, about my coming to give testimony and pray over his parishioners.

   Fr. Malone and I set a date. When I arrived a day early to prepare, I received a call from a woman who asked me to visit her nephew, Jamie, 27, who had been critically injured in an automobile accident and had been in a coma for the past seven months.

   I asked my good friend, Bruce Ellavsky, an FBI agent, with whom I had visited Medjugorje, to go with me to the hospital. Jamie was lying on his bed on top of the sheets and his condition took us by surprise.  Bruce and I exchanged questioning frowns of pain and concern: still in a coma, the young man was in a spastic state, shaking without stop.

   I opened its case, and, holding it steady, placed the Miraculous Pilgrim Rosary across Jamie's body. In an instant, he slept as if he had been sleeping at peace all the while. Again, Bruce and I exchanged glances, but now with looks of surprise, relief and wonder.

   I said, "Let's pray," then I placed my hand on Jamie's forehead and prayed for a minute, not more than two. Seeing him so peaceful, we stood peacefully. Five or six minutes passed. Bruce and I exchanged a glance and prepared to depart. But just before we did, I placed a large picture of Our Lady above his bed.

   The following night, some 300 attended the solemnity at St. Barbara's Church. After my testimony, the main aisle filled with those who, one at a time, came forward to be prayed over. Shortly after I began, a woman stood before me and said, "I am Jamie's mother."

   I was totally surprised. She told me that, though her son would require months of therapy, he had that very morning awakened from his coma.  And then she lifted her head and looked me in the eye. "I have my son back," she said.

   That simple statement would have made the service complete, but there was more to come – another four hours of stories of suffering and Our Lord's mysterious ways.

   Immediately behind Jamie's mother stood two young women, who turned out to be sisters, suffering from bipolar disease, the modern name for manic depressive disorder. Both were on medication and both had husbands who were abusing them, one verbally and the other physically. They came up to me, arm in arm.

   "We know you," one said. "We had a dad that was a drinker and out of fear we would hide under the day bed when he would come home, placing our baby brother in between us."

   The other sister said, "We don't want you to pray for us, but rather we ask you to pray for our girlfriend, Susan, who lives about an hour away, in Lenox, Massachusetts. Susan is dying of Leukemia. She was in remission and now she is told she has about two months to live."

   She was to have come with them tonight, the sister told me, but it was too risky, for she was hemorrhaging. I was very moved by their unselfish request, and I proceeded to pray for Susan. In addition, I quietly prayed for these two generous women.

   By the end of the service, which had taken some four hours, the church was empty but for the two sisters, at that moment in the very first pew, heads bowed, praying before the statue of Our Lady of Medjugorje and the Pilgrim Rosary.

   "They are in a bad way," Fr. Vince Malone said, "see if you can console them."

   I went forward and, standing near them, asked, "Have you ever asked Our Heavenly Father to remove this depression from you?"    They looked up, their expressions saying in so many words, "Are you kidding?"

   With that, I said, "Why don't we go ask Him!"

   One each side of me, I took them by their hands, led  them toward the main altar, saying to them, "Kneel and pray to our Heavenly Father, and from the bottom of your hearts, beg Him to remove this depression from you, in whole or in part, whatever is His will for you."

   I got up and went to pack up to leave.   Fr. Vince came through the church at that moment, and seeing them in front of the tabernacle asked what they were doing.  I said, "They are praying to Our Heavenly Father."  Fr. Vince responded, "Oh! O.K." And we left them there, praying.

   Some three months later, I received a call from one of the sisters. She said, "Richard, have I got a story to tell you. My sister and I have not had a moment of depression since that night. I am totally off my medication and my sister is on the mildest prescription. Our husbands are now behaving so well. We had the most joyous and peaceful Christmas you can imagine."

   I said, "Praise God!"

   "But that's not why I called you," she said. "I want to tell you about Susan. We called her the next morning to relate the evening. Susan asked what time we had prayed for her. We told her about 7 p.m. Susan said that she had felt well at dinner and had got up to go to the bathroom to check her bleeding and found her bleeding had all dried up."

   I waited at the other end of the line, wondering what would come next.

   "Richard, since then, Susan has been to every doctor in Boston General Hospital and none can find a trace of the cancer."

   As of this writing, August 15, 2010, Susan is still cancer-free. This event happened in the fall of 1994.

COMMENTARY

   The events that took place at St. Barbara's Church were certainly very profound. This story reflects on the power of God to heal those who come to Him with humility and faith. We are weak souls that find it hard to trust (faith). Yet, time and time again, Our Lord shows us the way to Him. We question too much and trust too little. Yet through His mercy, He shows us how to come to Him. He draws us near so we may witness His Mercy.

Medjugorje Expands to 61 Confessionals

By Jakob Marschner

   Always famous for the long lines of people waiting to go to Confession, Medjugorje is now building 36 more outdoor confessionals to facilitate more privacy and fewer open air confessions. When construction is finished, there will be confessionals both north and south of St. James Church.

   When the apparitions began in Medjugorje, one of the first visible changes was the sudden stream of people who wanted to go to Confession. This stream never stopped and so, for many years now, Medjugorje has been known as “the world’s confessional.”

   At the moment, this status is being expressed in construction work beside the local St. James Church. By building 36 new confessionals, the parish of Medjugorje will take the total number to 61, more than doubling today’s 25 outdoor confessionals.

   Earlier this week [Nov. 19, 2011], parish staff removed all of the outdoor benches on the north side of St. James Church where the candles are lit.  A webbed and metal fence was put up, and construction of the new confessionals on that side of the church began in the configuration of a “U” with passageways to walk.

   Parish staff officials tell Medjugorje Today that the change is needed, citing reasons of privacy among many other factors leading to the decision to build the new confessionals.  “Conditions during the warmer months of the year when more than 300 priests are oftentimes willing to hear confessions also influenced the decision,” parish staff members said.  

St. Patrick, the Irish, and Fasting

By June Klins

   Last month we told you that St. Patrick is our patron saint this year. We also told you that we were going to highlight fasting this year because it is the hardest and least-talked about message of Our Lady. So I did some research to see if St. Patrick had anything to say about fasting. What I found is that there are only two authentic letters left that St. Patrick wrote. One of them, called “Confessions,” says that one night in his sleep, St. Patrick heard a voice that told him to fast.

   The legend regarding the banishment of snakes from Ireland supposedly occurred following St. Patrick’s “Great Fast” on Mount Croagh Patrick in County Mayo. It is said that St Patrick climbed the mountain, where he fasted for 40 days, after which he threw a silver bell down the side of the mountain, knocking the she-demon Corra from the sky and banishing all the snakes from Ireland. The fact is that there were never actually any snakes in Ireland to expel! The whole episode is really symbolic of St. Patrick converting the natives to Christianity and banishing the Druids whose symbol was the serpent. Although I could find no evidence to support it –  since most of St. Patrick’s writings are gone –  it is likely that he did fast, since a voice told him to.  Also, the conversion of all those people would have most likely required fasting.

   I also discovered something else very interesting in Fr. Slavko’s book, Fast with the Heart. In this book, Fr. Slavko says that the Wednesday/Friday fast goes back to the early Christians, and it was practiced in Ireland, where the Church was very strong in the beginning. Father wrote, “The two-day practice of fasting left its mark in the Gaelic names for the days of the week: Wednesday – Ceadaoin – means the ‘first fast’; Thursday – Daordaoin – means ‘between fasts’; and Friday – Aoine – means ‘the fast.’

A Joyful Lent!

By Sr. Emmanuel

   Sometimes children show astonishing generosity when it comes to helping others. Invited by Our Lady to do small sacrifices for the realization of Her plans, some become vigorous in their resolutions and offer us, the adults, an edifying example! Their little efforts described below promise to inspire all of us, and help us to continue to live Lent with joy! We know that even the most hidden sacrifice, offered with love, can save a soul. 

 Fast from any words that could hurt (13 years old)

To please Jesus by going to see him during Mass on Thursdays (5 years old)

Stay happy all day (5 years old)

To remain quiet during the Rosary (5 years old)

I took noodles without chicken (8 years old)

I did not seek revenge (11 years old)

I did not complain while saying the Rosary (11 years old)

I refrained from lying (11 years old)

Our Father

The following was excerpted from a homily by Father Larry Richards on July 25, 2010.

   When Jesus says, “This is how you are to pray,” today He just begins with “Father.” But in Matthew’s Gospel, He starts with Our.Our. Now I believe that if you say this prayer, you are going to have to live this prayer. When you say “our” you have got to let it echo through your being – what does that mean? It means everybody in the world is our brother and sister. There is no my Father before God. It isn’t “me and You, Jesus.  Look how great we are and all you poor people over there.” That means God is open to everybody. A group of us this past week went up to Canada. There are people from all over the world there. This God of the universe is for everybody. He is not just for me and my little clique of people and I know something that you don’t. We do not believe in Gnosticism. This God, when I say “our” – that means everybody. That means all of the people who have died; all of the people who are living; the people who I like; the people who hate me; the people who love me; my family, my friends, my enemies. He belongs to all of us. So the very first word out of my mouth when I say “our” is that God, You are my Dad, but then everybody else is my brother and sister. So do I treat people like my brother and sister? When I say “our” that is what I am saying.

   Teresa of Avila ­– when she would start saying the Our Father –  she could never get past the Father. She would go into hours of ecstasy; to begin to realize what it means for God to be our Father, that intimacy. The word Father is much more intimate than that. It means Abba, Daddy. It means the prayer that you and I say should be the first syllables out of a baby’s mouth. Abba, Dada, Papa – that intimacy. So when you pray, how do you pray? Do you get into a very formal mode about this is how I am to pray, and I am coming before You, Oh God of the Universe? Or are you coming to God and say, “Dad. Daddy. Papa” – is there an intimacy between you and your Dad? He looks at you as He does in the Baptism of Jesus and says, “You are My beloved daughter” or “You are My beloved son.” Beloved son; beloved daughter; beloved father. So when you pray, is there an intimacy there? Or is it a ritual? Do you just say your prayers, or do you enter into the intimacy with your Dad?

   Then it talks about how God is in Heaven…. there is this thing that, “I am in awe of You. You are in Heaven, I am on earth. You and I are not the same.” So this great awe of God, that is where we get Fear of the Lord. The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom – not the fear of the Lord where I am afraid, but Fear of the Lord where I am humbled. You are God. Wow! You do such great things for me. Wow! You are so good. You are so glorious. You are in Heaven.

   Then it talks about hallowing the name of God. How do we hallow? What does it mean? …It means that the way we live is the way we make God’s name holy. God is holy by definition. He is Other. But when you and I live for God’s glory, we hallow the name of God by the way we live. So do I live in such a way when I am at work, when I am with my family, that hallows the name of God –  that makes God’s name holy? People look at Jesus and they saw the intimacy He had with the Father and they say, “Hey, teach us to do the same thing.” So when we are praying, when we are living, people should see our lives in such a way that they want to imitate it. They want to be like it because we are hallowing the name of God.

   Hallowed be Thy name – what is the next thing? Thy Kingdom come…When the early Church prayed for the Kingdom of Heaven, they are praying for the world to end. Is that what you and I pray for? Lord, let today be the last day. I am ready. Are you ready if today was the last day? Do you build the Kingdom of Heaven with your life? Or do you build your own kingdom with your life? Do you build a name for yourself and what people will say about you and what you do? Do we build up our own kingdoms, and our own family and our own money, or do we build up the Kingdom of Heaven by the way we live? May Thy Kingdom come. We need to build up the Kingdom of Heaven. We need to long for Heaven, to have that holy longing inside of us. Thy Kingdom come,

   Thy will be done. Again this is pretty simple. I think I and ninety-eight percent of the world does not mean this. The way we should pray the Lord’s Prayer, if we meant it, if we are being honest – “Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, my will be done, please bless it on earth as it is in Heaven.” What we really want when we go to pray is, “Hey, God, these are my needs. These are my wants. This is what I want You to do for me. You do this for me and I will be happy. If you don’t do this for me I am going to be mad.”  Years ago someone came to me and they said,

“Father, I am mad at God.” “Why are you mad at God?” “Because I have been praying for something for so many months and I haven’t got it.” And I go, “Oh, so that is what prayer is? Hey, God, you jump through my hoop or I will be mad at You.” So God is your lackey, your slave. He does what you want. Is that what it is? Or is it what Jesus says, “Your will be done.”?  Someone else came to me once and said, “Father, I am having a bad day.” I have those every once in awhile myself. And I said, “Did you ever thank God for your bad day?” “I did not!” “Did you say the Lord’s Prayer this morning?” “I did.” Did you say, “Your will be done?” “I did.” “Well this is His will for you. Why aren’t you thanking Him for it?” “Well, that isn’t what I meant.” “I know.” Is that what we mean when we go to God and say, “Your will be done?” That I want what You want in my life, period? Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. That means in my life it is the same thing that is happening in Heaven.

   Give us this day our daily bread.  Now, what the early Church prayed for, when they said this, was the Eucharist .…Everything you and I have comes from God. So we acknowledge that when we are saying that. You are asking for your dependence on God – that “God, I know I can’t even get bread today without You.” Another way of saying that is, “Lord, I can’t even take my next breath without You giving it to me.” Is that what I mean – that “Lord I am so dependant that I can’t even take my next breath, so give me my next breath?” Give me my daily bread. Or as I talked about up at Walsh University yesterday, when you pray, “give us this day our daily bread” means at all possible you go to daily Mass. It is not give us this day weekly bread, it is give us this day our daily bread. So, if you are able, do you go to daily Mass? Is it part of your life? Then people hit me with this –“That is not part of my spirituality.” It is time for your spirituality to change! You are asking God everyday to give you Himself in the Bread of the Eucharist.

   Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. When I pray, do I mean that? You and I are looking at God and saying, “God, you forgive me the way I forgive others.” So again, if you do that, nice – good job. You will be forgiven. If you don’t forgive, even one person…let us say in your life right now there is one person you have not forgiven, then you cannot be forgiven. In Matthew’s Gospel, He makes this real clear. After He teaches us the Our Father, He says, “If you forgive the sins of others, then you will be forgiven. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you.” As C.S. Lewis says, “We must forgive one another or be damned.”  Do I have a forgiving heart? Because every time I say that prayer, I am telling God, “You forgive me the way I forgive others.” That is what you and I pray every time we say it. So God will always answer that request. He will forgive you the way you forgive others. Forgive us as we forgive others.   Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

   And lead us not into temptation. And that means in [the book of] James, God does not lead us into temptation; we do that ourselves. We lead ourselves into temptation. So you and I have got to know that when it comes to temptation, God is going to be on our side, but we can’t go running toward temptation, or allowing ourselves to be in a place of temptation. What does that mean? Basically [if] you are a guy and every time you go on the internet you are tempted to look at porn, and you go and do that, well then what you have got to do is – you have got to get that computer and put it someplace you won’t.… One guy – true story – years ago, the way he dealt with it is he had a big picture of me and he put it above his bed. That killed temptation in about two seconds! He said, “Father, all I had to do was look up and that’s done.” Thank you.

   Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. God will deliver us. Sometimes we go seeking the evil one. But when we do that by the way we live, we need to be crying out to God, “God, you have got to save me!” That means we have got to be people who are living in prayer. We have got to be praying always. So when you and I are in the midst of temptation; when you and I are in the midst of evil, [say] “God, help me,” and He will. You see, when we pray this prayer, the Our Father, it is a life-changing prayer. That is why for twenty-one years the only penance I’ve ever given is one Our Father. It is the perfect prayer of Christ, and He taught us this prayer. If you and I really pray it, and we mean it, our lives will be changed.

Thanks from Fr. Frederick

    I am Fr. Frederick Kazibwe, a priest in the Kampala Archdiocese, Uganda, now at St. Balikuddembe Mengo–Kisenyi Catholic Parish, located at the outskirts of Kampala City.   I hereby express my heartfelt gratitude and thanks for your response towards my request for Masses. The stipends help me facilitate transport, visit the sick and prayer groups.  Mass stipends help me print and spread monthly messages from Medjugorje, which are of great help and inspiration to our prayer groups. I appeal to you, to continue sending your Mass requests.