Fr. Petar Speaks

The following is an excerpt from a talk by Fr. Petar Ljubicic on 5/26/07 at the Notre Dame Medjugorje  Conference. Fr. Petar is the priest chosen by Mirjana to announce the secrets when the time comes.

   I can never forget one experience. One family from Germany has two sons and one daughter. But that was a family that lived in accordance with the faith and from faith. Their daughter was studying in Cologne, where recently the last youth gathering was. And she fell into the godless community.  After Confirmation she forgot about God, about prayer, about everything, and that was very painful for the family.

   Everything that they continued to do, to pray, to suffer, was in order that she would be converted and come back to God. They came to Medjugorje and they came the Saturday before Palm Sunday. And the mother said in front of the church to me, “We have, Fr. Petar, one daughter, but she has no relationship with God. What should we do? We thought  that she was going to come with us during this Easter vacation, but she did not want to come. At the last minute she said no.”

   I couldn’t have said anything else but this: “You are on very holy ground and therefore the only thing you can say is, ‘May God’s will be done for our daughter,’ and God, Who is powerful and omnipotent, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, He will find a way for your daughter to be converted.”

   The following day, the same place at the same time, there was a young lady standing in front of me, and she asked, “Do you know where my mother is?” “There are more than 5000 people here. How should I know where your mother is?” And then she explained where she said she was going to be. I sat in the car with her and there was no problem finding her mother. It was very late at night, and she said to me, “I really don’t know why I’m here. It’s as if somebody is bossing me around. I am afraid.” Well, I looked at her and said, “Praise God. The fact is, you are here and that’s what is important.” She looked at me and said, “I’m not a believer. I stopped believing in God. The apparitions of Mary, they’re nothing more than stories for children.” But then I said to her, “There is a Queen of Peace here and She is so powerful. She is a powerful intercessor.”

   Holy Thursday arrived. After the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, in the Chapel of Apparitions there was Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.  There was a group of young Germans that came, and they were before the Blessed Sacrament singing “Sanctus” (Holy) from Schubert. But this girl desired to go home, but her mother said, “Out of love for me, remain in this chapel waiting for me, then we shall go home.”

   She obeyed and a miracle took place. She said, “The minute I entered the chapel some kind of power just threw me down on my knees. I didn’t want to kneel, but I could not resist it. And so, as I was kneeling, I was looking at the ciborium that was covered, and here I see Jesus. I was not hallucinating. I truly saw the living Jesus. I heard His voice. ‘You are my beloved daughter,’ the voice said. ‘In this Blessed Sacrament I remain here tonight just for you. Today is Holy Thursday. It is a great day of God’s love. Believe and convert. I am giving you now the gift of prayer. Your brothers and your family are praying for you now. You are on holy ground.’”  And then she said, “I couldn’t resist, but I started crying. Tears were coming down my cheeks like a river…I don’t deserve to hear and see the presence of Jesus.”

   You see, brothers and sisters, only in the Catholic faith can you experience that. The faith in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament can do miraculous things. He remains in the Eucharist in order that He may be our path to Heaven and Eternity.

   Then this young lady said, “I took the leap of faith and trusted Jesus.” And then her following prayer was, “ ‘Forgive me, O my Lord and Savior, for attempting to live without You.’ Then the following day, which was Good Friday, I spent all day long on Mt. Krizevac, the biggest mountain, where I just poured out my heart and cried. On Holy Saturday then I went to Confession. I shall never forget that Confession.”

   For us Catholics the experience of Confession should be as a spiritual renewal and resurrection. “I know,” she said, “Now that with every serious sin, in a spiritual sense, I have committed  a personal suicide. When I come to Jesus I’m sorry for my sins, I decide not to sin any more. He has forgiven me. He is resurrecting me. And I celebrated Easter for the first time in my life as a person who was dead and came back to life.”

   In the spirit of thanksgiving, this girl came to Medjugorje on several occasions afterwards, and she said to me, “I can no longer live in this world that is just a world of sin. I desire to consecrate my life totally to Him. I would like to do penance for my sins and also consecrate my life for the sake of the youth of today.”

   Now she is in the Oasis of Peace. That is a community that is fruit of the apparitions of Medjugorje. The people pray 8 hours a day. They work 8 hours and 8 hours they sleep. Every house has Perpetual Adoration.

   I would like to emphasize what is Holy Confession for us. It is the desire of Our Lady that in order to be true Christian Catholics a believer must go to Confession more often. We are all poor and weak. Even when we don’t desire, we fall. We do fall on the path of life. Confession is for us Catholics, the path to peace. Therefore, he who wants to be sure of his salvation should always make a good Confession. One must die to sin to live for God. We should not fear anything or anyone. My emphasis is that it is not important what kind of sins we have. The most important thing is that we come to Him and pour out our hearts and give Him our sins. Then He forgives and gives us strength to be able to continue on in the path of life. Therefore, we should be thankful. And we should pray that everyone would open their hearts and accept the message of salvation.

Editor’s note: This year the Medjugorje Conference at Notre Dame will be held May 23-25. For information call 574-288-8777.

Message to Mirjana, February 2, 2008

Every year on February 2, Mirjana Soldo receives her apparition privately, alone in her room. This month, she was on vacation in Italy, and the apparition was also private. She transmitted the following message:

Dear children! I am with you. As a mother, I am gathering you, because I desire to erase from your hearts what I see now. Accept the love of my Son and erase fear, pain, suffering and disappointment from your heart. I have chosen you in a special way to be a light of the love of my Son. Thank you.

Mirjana’s Words

By Ana Maria Olivas-Flores

   I went to Medjugorje October, 2004 on pilgrimage for my father's intentions.  In November 2005, my father's request was answered.  I promised him that I would return to Medjugorje for him again to give thanks for his request being answered. My father passed away on Jan 16, 2006, and I did return to Medjugorje in May, 2006 to honor his request.
   Last time, we didn't get to see or hear from any of the visionaries, but this time, we were invited to the Blue Cross with Ivan and the yellow room a few days later with him and also one morning to Mirjana's home with other English speaking pilgrims.  One thing I am grateful to is that they film and put the talks on a DVD which we are able to purchase.  I love everything that Mirjana talked to us about.  I just thought I would share a little of what she said on May 29th.  I am writing it according to how the interpreter spoke:

    "When Our Lady gives a message to us visionaries, personally for me, for example,  Our Lady does not explain that message to me.  Same as everybody else, I also have to pray in order to understand what God wants to tell me through that message.  When Our Lady says, bring back the Bible into your families, the way I understand is to open it every day and read a few lines, doesn't matter how much, but the Bible would really be present in our homes and not to say that we have it, but we never touch it.
   “I would also like to recommend the messages that are so related for me and that are very important, especially in this time of world events.  Micky (her interpreter) will read it to you and your guides will provide it to you in English, because it is important that you reflect on it on your own through prayer. (The messages she referred to are March 18, 2006 and April 2, 2006.)  Go to the Blue Cross, Apparition Hill, no matter where, and try to understand through prayer what God is telling you through these messages, because I notice that we individual people are not understanding the same words the same way.  That is why I always say don't let others explain the messages to you, you explain it to yourself through your prayer.  When you feel peace within yourself, then it will be a sign that you have understood God's wishes.”

   When one is brought to Medjugorje, Our Lady has specific things for each one of us.  I know that I went both times for specific reasons, and both times Our Lady showed me why She specifically brought me there. It wasn't just to do what I had set out to do for my father, but She also showed me that She needed me for something more than coming for my agenda.  It was nice to see and hear both visionaries, but what Mirjana spoke about that morning had messages specifically for me that Our Lady wants me to do.  It would take hours for me to say all that is in the tape, but from the first time I went, Our Lady has specifically shown me that she wants me to pray for our priests.  Mirjana also talked about our priests and now I know how to handle negative comments that are made about priests: 
   "Our Lady never said what they should do, only what we should do for them.  Our Lady says:  ‘They don't need for us to judge or criticize them.  They need our Love and our Prayers,’ and Our Lady says: ‘That if you lose respect for your priest, then you will lose respect for your church and then for dear God as well.’  Therefore, I always ask for pilgrims, when they come to Medjugorje, when you go back home, show within our parishes how we should respect our priests.  If you think that your priest is not doing the way you think they should do, do not waste your time talking about that around - you will cause bad to yourself and to those listening to you.  You better take the Rosary and pray to God for him, fast for him.  That's the way, that's the way to help and only dear God is the one who can judge, because God judges in a different way.  He does it out of love.  We do it in a different way, and don't be like one madam from Italy, that was talking to me for 1/2 hour about her priest, and when I finally succeeded in getting a word, I said, ‘Well obviously you've been praying for him a lot!’  She looked at me as if I was crazy.  ‘To pray for him???’  Then I said:  ‘How do you dare to judge him?  Only dear God can do that.’ "

Editor’s note: Ana Maria is from San Bruno,California.

Priests in Medjugorje

   There is a movement here in Michigan started by some Carmelite nuns at Assumption Grotto Church. They have a booklet called "Chalice of Strength" for Priests, “ Pro Sacerdotibus-Crusade of  Prayer and Reparation.” It asks you to offer your prayers, works and sacrifices on Thursday as a chalice of strength for priests because Holy Thursday was the day the Eucharist was initiated. It gives special prayer to pray for priests, bishops, cardinals and our Pope. You can get a book by writing to them at Assumption Grotto Church, 13800 Gratiot Ave. Detroit, MI 48205 (313) 527-1739.
A donation of 75 cents will help defray the cost, but it isn't necessary. I am asking you all if you would be willing to make some sacrifice on Thursdays, for this worthy cause. You don't even have to have a book, you can just offer any offering, a Rosary, fast from one meal, a short prayer, an invocation, anything would be appreciated.

Confessional in Medjugorje
 

Spiritual Drano

By June Klins

    As I looked down at my bathtub drain which was draining very slowly, I realized it was time to use the drain cleaner again. It seems lately I need to clean my drain about once a month because I have been blessed with very thick hair, which the Divine Beautician thins for me when I shower.

   Suddenly it dawned on me that I have to clean my drain just as often as I need to clean my soul. Our Lady told the visionaries that there is not a man on earth who does not need to go to Confession once a month. Visionary Mirjana always jokes that She does not mention women, but of course, we know better. When we sin, it blocks the flow of grace, just like the clogged drain blocks the flow of water. Just as the drain cleaner cleans our pipes, Confession cleans our souls and the graces can flow again. I have noticed often right after Confession is when I am most filled with the Holy Spirit, when I do my best work, and that at that time I often receive many signal graces.

   Our diocese has just opened a chapel in the big shopping mall here, and priests will be hearing confessions two days a week during mall hours. I love it!!! If people don’t go to confession, bring confession to them! Statistics show that 42% of adult Catholics never go to Confession and only 2% go once a month. The first day it was opened, our bishop, who consecrated the chapel that day, heard 50 confessions and declared it a success.  To have Jesus in a shopping mall is just like when Jesus dined with sinners 2000 years ago. Nothing will stop the Good Shepherd from going after the lost sheep. How awesome that the gift of Confession, “Spiritual Drano,” has been made as easily accessed as a trip to the mall.

Jump on Our Lady's School Bus

By Annmarie Wright

   To the readers of Spirit of Medjugorje, I recommend the book of the same name, volumes one and two. Each is unique in its own way. The first book took me back to the early days of Medjugorje and the excitement that everyone had over the events there. Included are many stories that had not been unearthed previously regarding some of the miraculous healings and stories of the pilgrims and villagers. The new book, "Volume Two," is a continuance of that excitement, but more, a continuation of Our Lady's call to holiness, to Her school of life.......I learn from every page I turn in this extraordinary book.  “How?” you may ask. June has a gift to relay a story with an expectancy of a "grand slam" at the end. I find it ironic, that these books are compiled by a "teacher," an apostle of Our Lady, who is spreading Her messages in a truly awesome way. Everyone needs to be recharged by these stories, to jump on the "school bus" and let Our Lady lead you to Her Son Jesus.

Editor’s note: Annmarie is from Portland, OR.

You can read an excerpt from this book on our home page.

       Thank you to Diane Yochim, Vickie DeCoursey, Ruth Bonanti, Ruth Burick,  Louise Lotze, Vilma Smith, Agnes Trott and Joanne McIntire for help with the mailing last month. Thanks to Joanne McIntire, Julie Gorbatoff, Rudy D’Angelo and Fran Stadler for making us more prayer cloths. Also thanks to Wendy Ripple and Mike Golovich for their photos in this issue. And thank you to Michael K. Jones of Medjugorje USA for taking the time each month to update this website. You can visit his website at www.medjugorjeusa.org.