Jesus, after His resurrection, comes to His frightened and hiding apostles with the greeting, "Peace be with you." To make clear to them its source during His ministry, He says, "Peace is My gift to You."

   And Mary tells us that peace will come as an answer to prayer. Peace exists in any community when its members love one another. But the most difficult form of love is to love people who have hurt us.

   And all over the world are people who have been hurt, whose ancestors have been hurt. And the wounds they have suffered are made known to their children and their children's children to the third and fourth-or fortieth-generations.

   To a frightened world, the people hostile to one another, may be able to arrive at a certain cease fire in which the ones with greater power name the terms of the dropping of arms, the cessation of active hostilities. Then after some tentative agreement, we are back at the Old Testament, "Peace. Peace. But there is no peace."

   And Mary calls us to know what we need is an earnest coming to prayer and sacrifice by little people with heart-given sacrifices and prayer for openness to the mercy of God, to the risen Christ, to a world that cannot give peace or live in it.

   The war to end wars has never been fought.

Congratulations to Msgr. Peterson, who celebrated his 60^th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood on May 15. If you would like to send him a card, send it to the above address.

Volume II of The Best of “The Spirit of Medjugorje”  has FINALLY been sent to the printer. If you do not have a copy of Volume I yet, get your copy now!  Please pray for the success of both volumes. It is all about spreading the messages of Our Lady.

“Renew My Church, Begin With Your Family”

By Wendy Ripple

The first part of this story appeared in our May newsletter. The author shared her family’s journey of faith and healing that began with her diagnosis of breast cancer and led to a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. The story left off with the author, a former Roman Catholic, agonizing over the fact that her husband, an Episcopal priest, but formerly a Roman Catholic priest, could not receive the Holy Eucharist in Medjugorje. (Part I of this story can be read in its entirety on our website, www.spiritofmedjugorje.org. It will be in the archive section in the May issue.) 

  I developed a throbbing migraine and I cried continually for about eight hours which did nothing but make the headache worse. I was nauseated.  All the time I was alone with Isaac while Michael spent time in Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in the chapel at the Oasis of Peace Community.  My thoughts then turned to Isaac.  What about Isaac?  He was such a gift from God!  How can the love between me and Michael be sinful when God gave us Isaac?  Remembering back to the time we met, I had been so sure that our love was a gift from God.  I was sure that only He, with perhaps the help of Our Mother, could have coordinated the events of our meeting and falling in love.  How could our love be sinful?   How could my husband return to the Catholic priesthood and leave Isaac behind? How could he leave “us” behind?   Nothing made sense as my head spun and throbbed. 

    It never occurred to me that we could return to the Church as a family – even though a day or two earlier the Blessed Mother’s message seemed to be so directed toward us.  It never occurred to me that Michael could return to the Church if he relinquished his promises made at ordination.  Michael was a gifted preacher, after all, he was called to Holy Orders.  Of course, it never occurred to me at that time to stop and pray or to listen.  It was more my way to try to solve the dilemma on my own, to take matters into my own hands – even in the middle of a pilgrimage, even in the middle of Medjugorje – I did not surrender.  Fellow pilgrims attempted to console me.  Individuals from the group told me over and over, “You will receive great graces for suffering in Medjugorje.”  I did not find any comfort in this reassurance.

   Isaac and I finally met up with Michael in the Adoration Chapel.  We prayed the Rosary with hundreds of pilgrims in multiple languages in anticipation of another apparition.  We were blessed to be present for two apparitions during one short pilgrimage!  This apparition was a private apparition for Marija.  I was spent.  Isaac was tired – and bored.  A few moments before the apparition, we gave our seats to others and made our way to the aisle.  The three of us knelt down and continued to pray.  Isaac looked at me with those wide brown eyes and asked if I would “concentrate” him to Our Lady.  Through the fog of the headache I knew he meant “consecrate.”  I smiled and nodded that I would.

   Again, a holy silence signaled the presence of the Blessed Mother. I closed my eyes and silently prayed to the Blessed Mother and gave Her my son, just as he had asked.  A minute or so into my prayer I felt Isaac’s weight on my lap.  Immediately I thought that he was being a fidgety six year old boy that couldn’t even give me a moment to pray to the Blessed Mother.  I opened my eyes to see exactly what he was doing only to find my son completely slain in the Spirit, lying perfectly still on my lap in the presence of the Mother of God!  I nudged Michael as the tears streamed down my face.  He began to cry. We closed our eyes and continued to pray through the end of the apparition.  Isaac seemed to sense the end of the heavenly visit as he got up to his feet.  We left the chapel together.  Outside Michael and I asked Isaac what had happened.  He said he felt someone pushing his forehead, and then he simply asked if he had behaved well enough to deserve a trip to a souvenir shop.

   My migraine just would not abate.  My head continued to pound through the souvenir shop and back to our room.  I knew what I had to do next.  I knew what I had to do for my soul and for my head.  I caught up with Father Bill and asked him if we could talk.  Of course, this meant that I wanted him to hear my confession.  He said that he would come get me from the room when he returned to the house.  I felt sicker than ever.  Was an Episcopalian able to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation from a Roman Catholic priest?  Could I receive absolution?  It had been about eight years since my last confession – was I really ready for this?  Confession was one of those sacramental rites in the Episcopal Church that was rarely, if ever, celebrated.  Initially, I found that an attractive aspect of the Anglican religion, but here I was, longing for the sacrament I tried so hard all of my life to escape. 

   Back at our room I laid down on the bed trying to relieve the throbbing in my head.  I felt like I was being tormented by Satan and by my sins of the past.  I felt like the pain in my head was a consequence of all of the sins enumerated in my little notebook.  At one point, just before Father Bill called, I looked at Michael and exclaimed, “Sometimes I think it would be easier simply not to believe!”  I did not doubt God’s love or existence – surely I had been privy to many miraculous moments and signs to reinforce my belief – but I realized that choosing God’s way takes work and a great deal of self-denial.  For a moment, I did not think I had it in me to fully commit.  No sooner did that thought enter my head and leave my lips, when God’s grace once again took over, and just as  I was about to give up, a knock came at the door.  I stood up, walked across the room, and opened the door to Father Bill.  He heard my confession and I shared my feelings of returning to the Catholic Church with him.  I also shared that I really believed that Michael needed to return, and that I thought he needed to return as a priest without me and Isaac.  Without hesitation, Father Bill simply stated that Michael could return and receive dispensation from the promises of Holy Orders and we could return as a family.  My headache resolved.

   I still had not shared with Michael my desire to return to the Roman Catholic Church, but apparently the Holy Spirit had been working overtime on both of us.  The morning following my confession, Michael pulled me aside and told me that he felt called to relinquish the priesthood and return to the Catholic Church.  Independently, and unbeknownst to each other, we had each been called to the same.  Our sin had not been our love – that truly is a gift from God.  Our sin was our selfishness and our unwillingness to be obedient to God and to His Church.  Our sin was denying Christ in our lives by abandoning Him in the Holy Eucharist because we did not want to live according to His law, but according to our own. Mary had met us where we were – broken, with cancer, and in the Episcopal Church -  and led us back to Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  God called the two of us to become one, and then called us back to His Church!  He came looking for us – just as in the story of St. Paul.  The cancer knocked us off of our proverbial horse.  Through illness and difficult times we learned how to surrender to God’s will and His love.  In Medjugorje our eyes were opened to see the Truth and we were called home to His Church, to Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  We were called as a family.  We were called to “renew Her Church,” beginning with renewing ourselves in Christ.

   We returned home from Medjugorje filled with grace and a divinely inspired plan.  The next 18 months were filled with Canon Law, paperwork, and prayers – and two more trips to Medjugorje – as we, with God’s help, Jesus’ love, Mary’s direction, and Pope John Paul’s intercession, enacted our plan.  There were times that we questioned our call and times that we were fearful of what was to come.  But prayerful surrender prevailed, and heavenly reassurances assisted us in our daily affairs.  Father Jozo delivered a message to Michael in the midst of our second pilgrimage.  He knew Michael without introduction, and he knew our story.  He hugged Michael, blessed him and told him, “Do not be afraid.  Put maximum effort into your work for the glory of God and Mary.”

   My annulment was granted within only a few months. And - finally, on December 12, 2006 – the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pope Benedict XVI granted a rescript which released Michael from the promises made with the sacrament of Holy Orders.  On January 25, 2007, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, Michael, Isaac and I found ourselves in the Bishop’s office; Michael signed the paperwork from Rome and we were officially Roman Catholic once and for all. With God, nothing is left to chance!

Editor’s note: The “work” that Michael was told by Fr. Jozo to “put maximum effort” into is a book about the mercy of God. We will let you know when it is published.

Mirjana’s Message of 5/2/07

"Dear children! Today I come to you with a motherly desire for you to give me your hearts. My children, do this with complete trust and without fear. In your hearts, I will put my Son and His mercy. Then, my children, you will look at the world around you with different eyes. You will see your neighbor. You will feel his pain and suffering. You will not turn your head away from those who suffer, because my Son turns His head away from those who do so. Children, do not hesitate."

MIR in Medjugorje

By Isaac Ripple

   Before I was born, my mom and dad decided to name me Isaac.  They chose this name because it is a biblical name and it means, “God’s laughter.”  My dad, whose name is Michael, had already decided that he did not want me to be named after him. 

   Then one night right before I was born, my dad sat up in bed and said to my mom, “I want him to be named Michael.”  My mom said, “Okay,” and they went back to sleep.  The next day my mom and dad started playing around with my name.  They thought Isaac Michael sounded odd, but Michael Isaac sounded lovely.  So, I was born and baptized as Michael Isaac.  People call me Isaac and my dad Michael. 

   I always thought my name was cool because it means ‘God’s laughter.’  And I like hearing my name, Isaac, in church when the story of Abraham and Isaac is told.  At age six my name became even cooler.

   When I was six, my mom, my dad and I went to Medjugorje.  One day our tour guide took us to the Blue Cross at the foot of Apparition Hill.  Dennis, our tour guide, asked me to place roses at the feet of Mary.  When I went to lay the flowers at the base of the statue, I recognized a banner that read, “MIR.”  Mir means ‘peace’ in Croatian and Our Lady of Medjugorje is known as Our Lady, Queen of Mir – Peace. 

   My full name is Michael Isaac Ripple.  My initials are M.I.R!

Editor’s note: Isaac is a third grader at Our Lady of Peace School in Erie, PA.

P.O. Box 6614

Erie, PA 16512