The Spirit of Medjugorje Online

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, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

If you would like a pdf of the printed copy we send out, email June at jklins1981@verizon.net and put "March 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, permission must be obtained from that particular source. Thank you.

The statue on Apparition Hill (The cross on Cross Mountain can be seen on the far right.)

THE BEGINNING – MARY’S CALL

By Cynthia Ryan

It all began with a visit to my friend, Louise, whom I had not seen for over ten years. (We had met on a pilgrimage to Fatima, Lourdes & Garabandal.) At this visit, Louise had given me a Medjugorje magazine, book, calendar and past newsletters. Upon arriving home and having read the Medjugorje material voraciously, I wished I had the money to go there. “Someday I would,” I thought.

About three days after I arrived home, I was sorting through my mail, when I came across a postcard from a travel company offering pilgrimages, including one to Medjugorje for $1850. Again I thought, “I wish I had the money!” After opening more of my mail, I discovered a statement from Joann Fabric Stores. I had forgotten that I had bought their stock, and when I looked at the total stock value, I knew, right then and there, that Our Blessed Mother was calling me to come to visit Her in Medjugorje. The total stock value was $1906!

Soon after, I called my cousin, Maggie, who showed interest in joining me, and we decided on “Fiat Voluntas Tua” (Thy will Be Done!) Travel. With our “Fiat” Travel package, we were encouraged to pray a Novena to the Holy Spirit, to end the day prior to our departure date, which we did. Maggie and I chose Fiat, because the visionary Mirjana, who prays for unbelievers, was to see Our Lady while we were there on November 2^nd, All Souls’ Day. Since we are all unbelievers at one time or another, and since I had planned on praying for my conversion, and the conversion of my loved ones, in 2010, I felt that this was where I had to be. (“Unbelievers” are those persons who have not experienced a deep, abiding love of Jesus in their hearts.)

I must stress that prior to our trip, neither Maggie nor I thought that we were “privileged souls”, deserving or expecting miraculous events. We both are on our journeys to the holiness that God wants us to acquire – just like everyone else. The following is from the diary of my pilgrimage.

October 28, 2009: Between 3:20 PM and 3:35 PM, at the Sarajevo airport, while some of our pilgrim group were praying the Rosary, waiting for the rest of our group (Intercessors of the Lamb) to arrive, we were directed to look at the sun. What a beautiful welcome gift from Our Lady! During the Divine Mercy Hour! Aptly, the colors of the rays emanating from the sun were red, white and gold. And it seemed that a white circular disk (Host) was in front of the sun, shielding our eyes from the harmful rays, while the sun spun behind it. We could not take our eyes off of this spectacular sight! Afterwards, I thought, “Wow! I didn’t deserve this gift, but ‘Thank You, Mary! I know You know that we are here because You called us to come.’”

October 29, 2009: When Maggie and I went to the Franciscan Bookstore, we found Job’s Tears rosaries, the kind on which our Babcia (our maternal grandmother), prayed. The late Pope John Paul II also had one like it. We also found the thorn thistle rosaries made by the villagers from the local plants.

October 30, 2009: This morning, Maggie and I climbed up Apparition Hill with our group, while praying the Rosary. What rocks and stones to traverse! Our Lady and our Guardian Angels definitely helped us. Thank God for no rain, and for walking sticks! When we got to the spot of Our Lady’s first apparition, Maggie and I proceeded to pick up five stones to place on our altars at home to remind us of our Goliath. (Each stone represents our way to holiness as directed by Our Lady: Prayer from the Heart- Rosary, Monthly Confession, the Holy Bible, Fasting, the Eucharist.) As we were looking up at the white marble statue of Mary, we noticed the sun, again spinning, vibrating and shedding red and white rays (Divine Mercy) with the Host protecting our eyes. I lost track of how long we stared in awe. One thing I did this time was take my sunglasses off, and saw that the Host was eclipsing the sun, that is, the Host disc looked black in front of the spinning sun! Even while the sun was passing through the clouds, we could still see the sun as though the clouds were not there! With my sunglasses on again, the Host disc looked white again. With or without my sunglasses, my eyes were not harmed! That’s not all! Maggie and I looked again at Mary’s face, and as we stared at Her lovely face, we saw three red droplets fall from Her left eye and land on Her cheek. (Tears of Blood?) Then one of our pilgrims called our attention to Our Lady’s left hand. It no longer looked white like the rest of the statue, but had taken on a flesh color! I don’t know how many people saw it, but at least four of us did. We’ve only been here three days and what gifts we have received! Thank You, Lord!

October 31, 2009: Mirjana met with our group and told us to make sure we each went to Confession before going to the apparition site on November 2^nd. So, I went to Confession today with my “grocery list” of sins. Afterwards, I felt a whole lot better. During Mass I felt a strong remorse for my past sins, to the point of tears. I asked Jesus for the gift of tears, so that I may realize in the depth of my soul how terribly I have caused my Lord pain!

November 1, 2009: Maggie and I climbed Cross Mountain this morning. It took at least two hours for our group to stretch our limbs along the rocky path, with stops at the Stations of the Cross for meditation and prayer. We reached the concrete Cross, which was erected in 1934 by the pastor and villagers in commemorating the 1900th year anniversary of Our Lord’s death on the Cross. In it was placed a piece of the True Cross of Christ. Having reached the Cross, I noticed that some pilgrims were touching their foreheads to the base of the Cross. So, I decided to do the same. As I did, tears of sorrow – (deep grief) -- streamed from my eyes. To think that I was so close to Our Lord’s instrument of death, the Cross on which my sins nailed Jesus! Before we left the top of the hill, thirteen of our group decided to pray the Rosary of the Holy Spirit, during which we had times of silence in which to share any promptings we may have received from the Holy Spirit. When one of our pilgrims shared that she was “ungrateful” to God and felt convicted of it, I too felt the same conviction that I was not grateful to Jesus for dying for my sins. A little while later, during silence, I felt overwhelmed with a swirl of warmth, which seemed to envelop my whole body from head to toe. (Yet, it was still morning and quite cold out.) I felt as though I was being embraced by the Holy Spirit and I didn’t want to move. (I felt just like I did when I was slain in the Spirit years ago.) I felt as though the Holy Spirit was showering blessings upon me and the whole group! Others felt the same way. While we carefully descended the hill, twice I felt a tinge of pain in my right ankle, as I stepped awkwardly, anxious to reach the bottom. Later that night, I noticed redness and a swelling of my ankle, yet there was no pain at all!

November 2, 2009: Maggie and I waited at the bottom of Apparition Hill, sitting on rocks, waiting for Mary to appear to Mirjana. We were nowhere near her, but we felt that Mary knew we were there. As we prayed our Rosaries, we turned around to look at the sun and, again, it began pulsating and emitting wonderful gold, white and red rays, circles of red (like drops of blood); and red above the sun (like flames of fire); and rays fanning away from the sun. For Maggie, rays were flowing from the sun to her forehead, with the Host in front, shielding our eyes again. We couldn’t take our eyes off the sun for at least 40 minutes, while we continued to pray our Rosaries. During the sun’s pulsating, we really felt warm, in spite of the cold air! At 9 AM, during the apparition, we saw trails of white, in the form of a huge cross over the village of Medjugorje! (sky-writing by Our Lady?) Hopefully, most of the pilgrims present turned from the apparition site to look at the sky, since shortly after a few minutes, the cross had dissipated.

Later, when Maggie and I were in church, waiting to pray the Rosary with the villagers, we smelled a most powerful fragrance -- roses! There were few people near us; no roses near us. We both realized that, again, Our Lady was blessing us with Her presence. Its scent lasted about four or five minutes. It even came back three times afterwards, while we were praying the Rosary.

As I was singing in the choir during the Mass, I looked up at the stained-glass window, right across from the choir seats. I had never seen a picture like this one of Mary at the foot of the Cross, hugging Jesus’s feet! It was All Souls’ Day, and we were remembering our loved ones who had died. During the Mass, while I was singing, “Amazing Grace”, copious tears flowed from my eyes. (This was my late husband, Jim’s, favorite hymn.) After Mass, Maggie and I went to see the Resurrected Jesus (the huge bronze statue of Jesus standing up , leaving His Cross on the ground in back of Him), which was seeping liquid from His right knee. We made our cloths sacramental by touching them to the sacred liquid.

November 3, 2009: Maggie and I went to visit Mother’s Village. At the gift shop were many beautiful items. I was about to leave with my purchases and, since I already have a collection of crosses, I didn’t go to the table with the crosses. I truly believe that Our Lady wouldn’t let me leave without at least looking at the crosses, since, when I did, I found Her most wonderful gift – a pewter-like crucifix, picturing Mary at the Foot of the Cross, handing Jesus Her Heart. After I saw Our Lady at the foot of the cross, I had intended to search for a picture of it on a postcard or in a book, since it touched me so. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find it, but I was delighted when Our Lady directed me to Her crucifix, which I could wear. You cannot wear postcards or books! To think I almost missed receiving Mary’s gift – one that I could wear!

CLOSING THOUGHTS: Maggie and I felt our Babcia was with us, smiling down at us each day of our pilgrimage – from the language in the prayers and hymns (close to the Polish language), the way the food was prepared, the way the villagers dressed, their smiles, their warmth, their quickness to help us, their simplicity of life, their love of their God and their Gospa, their making God a priority in their daily lives with their daily Masses, Adoration, Our Lady’s Peace Chaplet and three Rosaries a day, their Job’s Tears rosaries, their roses and Our Lady’s roses. (Babcia had a beautiful rose garden.)

Most of all, Maggie and I will never be the same. Our Mother Mary, our Gospa, has spoiled us with so many spiritual gifts! And we know that She loves us very much, and continually leads us to Her Son, Jesus!

Our Blessed Mother and Her Son love us sooooo much!! Let us set aside time in our busy days to pray for our own conversions and the conversions of our loved ones. What does that mean? To love God deeply – with our whole heart – that we really know in the deepest recesses of our hearts that we are loved by God – a God Who is very concerned about our well-being! We do not realize how powerful our intercessory prayers are! Let us try to do God’s will. Let us complete the plan that He has for each of our lives! Let us live this life as though we were on a journey to our eternal life – with God, Our Father -- for eternity!

Our earthly life is so short. Let us not be deceived to think that this is all there is. We were made to live forever with God and with those we love. When will we begin to act as though we truly believe that? Who knows how much time we have left on earth? Are we living our lives for this life, for our own selfish needs, or for the next life ,for the needs of our neighbors, our brothers and sisters in Christ? Let us begin to live in the present, tuned in to the Holy Spirit’s promptings, so that we will truly fulfill the purpose we were created to be. Let us take Our Lady’s messages seriously. She says, ”Dear children, I invite you for your individual conversion. This time is for you! Without you God’s plan cannot be realized. Dear children, grow day by day closer to God through prayer. I GIVE YOU THE WEAPON AGAINST YOUR GOLIATH…YOUR LITTLE STONES.”

Editor’s note: Cynthia is from Ruther Glen, VA.

Medjugorje Webcam

By June Klins

As I waited for the page to open on my computer, I felt like a little kid opening a Christmas present. I couldn’t wait to see it! Then, there it was – a black screen with some dots of light.” Hmmmmmm,” I thought.

I had just received an email from Sean Bloomfield, of Queen of Peace Productions, that said: “Queen of Peace Productions recently installed an amazing new webcam in Medjugorje. The webcam shows live images of Apparition Hill. See it here: http://www.medjugorjevideo.com/webcam/bigcam.html.” Since I am not able, at this time, to travel to Medjugorje and climb Apparition Hill, Apparition Hill can come to me! That is why I was so excited.

It soon dawned on me that there is a six hour time difference between Pennsylvania and Medjugorje, and that what I was looking at were stars in a dark sky – or so I thought. After I read the information on the website, I learned that what I thought were “stars” were actually lights that the parish had installed along the trails leading up Apparition Hill since 2006, the last time I was in Medjugorje. The website also mentioned that some of the “stars” could be flashlights being used by pilgrims climbing the hill at night. It said that when there is an apparition on the hill at night, many flashlights can be seen.

I patiently waited for morning to arrive, so I could try the website again. This time I could see rocks and bushes, and more rocks and bushes, and still more rocks and bushes .. .and then I spied the statue of Our Lady, way in the upper right hand corner of my screen! The statue marks the site of the first apparition of Our Lady in Medjugorje. It is where the miraculous and indestructible permanent sign will appear, to prove to the world that Medjugorje is authentic. It was so awesome!

The next time I looked at this page in the daylight, I saw the wooden cover over the crucifix near Our Lady’s statue was covered with snow, and was more visible than the statue. The snow on the hill was very beautiful, and reminded me of the message where Our Lady says, “Find peace in nature and you will discover God the Creator Whom you will be able to give thanks to…”(7/25/01)

I wrote to Sean Bloomfield to thank him for this awesome website. Sean wrote that the webcam on Apparition Hill was two years in the making, was the result of many prayers, and that, eventually, he would like to have a webcam on Cross Mountain also. Obviously, this is an expensive venture, so your prayers and donations are much appreciated.

Editor’s note: If you don’t have access to a computer, you can go to a library to view this site. The picture above does not do it justice.

Fr. Jozo Reflects on Lent

The following is an excerpt from Fr. Jozo’s reflection on the message of February 25, 2008:

   In these days I vividly recall my childhood and the Lent of my youth. Our people in Herzegovina recognizably changed their daily lifestyle during that time. Radio or any other music was considered inappropriate. The only song that was heard in our homes, on our grazing fields, on the roads, in the villages and in all the meetings was the melody of ‘Our Lady’s Sorrow’. Our daily prayers became longer and somehow more devout because the verses of ‘Our Lady’s Sorrow’ sung
of the passion and death of Our Lord and Savior according to the Gospel of St. John. Tears would flow from our eyes. Lent was also the time of our sorrow. Our compassion was awakened for the Mother and for Jesus, Who was betrayed, insulted, scourged and crucified. Their immeasurable suffering was the atmosphere in which our prayers penetrated our hearts and blessed our work, inspiring us to even greater fasting and sacrifices. Lent was also a time of reading the Sacred Scripture. I remember how my tears flowed as I read the Bible out loud to everyone by a small oil lamp. Everyone would say, “You see and read the best. Read out loud for us”. I was happy in such an ambiance of Lent.
   We prayed the Way of the Cross every Friday and Sunday. The heart-wrenching melody filled with pain of ‘Holy Mother, hear my prayer, in my heart each wound renew of my Savior crucified’ would melt away all unruliness and every heart of stone. Spiritual splendor and sincere repentance formed our Lent. All of our Lenten penance experienced its pinnacle on Good Friday in the Veneration and kissing of the Most Holy Cross and His wounds.
   Today, in our midst, there are those who have not come to know God’s love. They come from families where prayer was extinguished long ago. They come from families where swear words and arguments were heard. Alcohol and a life without Sundays and Sunday Mass together impoverished those who perhaps tried to substitute their deficiency with a diploma or a political career. As Our Lord tells us, those are families built on sand. They fall. They create pain and fruitless victims. We are grateful that Our Lady never accuses them or their parents; nor does She accuse us for our many failures. Instead She encourages us to pray and to renounce. What then are we to renounce?
   First of all, I need to renounce my criticism and condemnation of such individuals and families. I need to renounce my comfort and conviction that I have done all that I could. I need to renounce my ego and selfishness which blinds me so that, like the priest and the Levite in the Gospel, I do not see the wounded poor. They saw him, but cunningly avoided him, and left him behind without feeling guilty.
   I must renounce my conviction that I am praying enough, and that what I am giving to God is more than just a little. I want to ascertain ‘how’ I am giving to Him. Our Lady calls us to pray short prayers, encouraging us to make them ardent. This means with all our hearts and souls. I need to learn ‘how’ I give, not only ‘how much’. I also need to renounce my intentions for my own family and my loved ones, because my neighbor is the one who has not come to know God’s love.
   This Lent I want to renounce false fasting. Many have renounced vices such as cigarettes, alcohol, nightclubs and gambling. They are watchful and sensitive to swear words or have renounced meat or certain pleasures as they continually count how many days are left before their promise ends along with their unendurable sacrifice. After Lent, they
then return to their prior habits, vices, companionships and sins. I must renounce such fasting. I must set aside such a sacrifice which does not enable me or inspire me to enduring love and enduring sacrifice. Sacrifice is not a torment of self, but a freeing of self and of one’s family. Fasting is positive because it frees us for what is good.
   I want to renounce my fear that I am wasting my time when I give it to my Lord, to my prayer family and to the Church on Thursdays. I want to renounce my thinking that nothing exceptional is accomplished through prayer. I want to renounce my bad habits, profanities, coarse language and gossip directed against others. I want to renounce my superficial approach to the Medjugorje messages. I want to renounce looking at the messages as information and the Medjugorje movement as mere sensationalism.
   I want to be in the service of Medjugorje, of the Queen of Peace and of Her projects by living the messages and fulfilling the Apostolate which includes each one of us and our witness with our life by our fruit.
   For this reason, in this remaining time of my Lent, I will learn fervent short prayers which I can pray at my work, while driving, in my sickness and in my suffering. I will practice short and ardent prayers to Our Lady, to Jesus and to His Divine Mercy.
   Let us remember St. Francis of Assisi who stopped in the middle of the city to pray. Let us remember the saints who, with their ejaculatory prayers, continually stood in God’s nearness. When in my heart I carry the light to those whom I meet, and who live and look at faith differently, they receive the light of grace and conversion. Yes, I truly want to be ‘the light of the world and the salt of the earth’. I truly want to be the leaven that has the power of rising and changing
the ‘dough’ of my surroundings.

Ivan at the Divine Mercy Shrine

By Suzanne deFriesse

On January 28, 2010, I had the awesome privilege of hearing Ivan Dragicevic, visionary from Medjugorje, speak at the Divine Mercy Shrine in Stockbridge, MA.

It was so lovely! We had a gentle snow falling when we arrived, which made the Chapel so warm and cozy. We arrived just as they were starting the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which was a nice way to start the evening. Three women provided some lovely music, which got us all in the spirit of prayer. Because of the limited seating in the Shrine, we stayed in our seats until the evening began.
Ivan arrived at around 5:45 PM, in time to start the Rosary at 6:00. We prayed the Rosary, with some beautiful meditations read by the Divine Mercy prayer group members. At 6:40, Ivan had his apparition of Our Lady, and then we had a healing Mass from 7:00-8:00. Fr. Anthony Gramlich, the Rector of the Shrine, was the main celebrant, with three other priests. They are celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the Shrine, and this was the “kick-off” Mass. Fr. Anthony was on fire! His homily tied in many of Mary’s appearances throughout the years, and how they weave together. He spoke of Her humility and the perfect simplicity of Her messages. He said that he likes to think of Her as the “great robber of hell”....stealing souls from the clutches of the evil one, and gently guiding them home to Her Son (NOT in the breaking one of the Ten Commandment ways). It was so inspirational.

After Mass, Ivan spoke and shared the messages of Medjugorje. He talked about the early days of the apparitions, and spoke of the importance of family prayer, the Eucharist, and love of neighbor. He focused on the importance of the five stones (prayer from the heart, especially the Rosary; Eucharist – making the Eucharist the center of your life; daily Bible reading; monthly Confession; and fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays).
Ivan described Our Lady’s visitation in this manner: “Her joy was so full...Her eyes were full of tears… She loves us so! She came in light, extremely happy saying, ‘Praised be Jesus, my dear Children.’ She extended Her hands over all of us and prayed over us for a long time. She then prayed over the sick people, and blessed us with Her Motherly blessing. She prayed over all the priests and prayed for vocations.”

   Ivan and Our Lady then spoke privately for some time and prayed the Our Father and Glory Be together. She then prayed over our heads again, and prayed for our families, and recommended our petitions and needs. She left in the sign of the Cross saying, “Go in peace, my dear children.”
   Ivan left directly after his talk (around 9:15) because of the bad weather and the two hour drive he had to make. Fr. Anthony then had a healing service in which the Holy Spirit was very present. Many rested in the Spirit, and there was perfect peace and joy.
   My three friends and I made our way back to the Guest House on the grounds of the Shrine, and spent the rest of the evening soaking in the graces.

Editor’s note: Suzanne is from New Milford, CT.

Medjugorje

When St. Paul writes, “I fill up by my sufferings the things that are wanting to the suffering of Christ, whose body is the Church,” he writes from within the theology of suffering – a theology that is no longer accepted by many members of the Church.

The familiar question of those who do not want to embrace it is, “Why would God want anyone to suffer?” Jesus, in His agony in the garden, asked, “Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me, but Thy will, not mine be done.”

The Father wanted Him to suffer, so we could realize how much God loves us. And the Father would have presented to Himself a spotless lamb in pure, redemptive sacrifice.

We need, in honesty, to look at Haiti. The collection of things has been tremendous – though short of what would be required to replace what was lost. But the people of Haiti need deep respect and prayer and sacrifice, from a world that must draw back from its shallow charity into the depths of identification and the generous offering of what we are.

Mirjana’s Message – February 2, 2010

Mirjana was in Naples, Italy, when she had her February 2^nd apparition.

“Dear children; With motherly love, today I call you to be a lighthouse to all souls who wander in the darkness of ignorance of God’s love. That you may shine all the brighter and draw all the more souls, do not permit the untruths which come out of your mouth to silence your conscience. Be perfect. I am leading you with my motherly hand – a hand of love. Thank you.”

According to the translation of the “Leggo Cronaca,” (an Italian newspaper), after the apparition, Mirjana did something unusual. She took the microphone and spoke immediately to the crowd, explaining once again what Our Lady asks of 'Her children': prayer, confession, Mass attendance, Communion and sacrifice to offer for world peace.

Sacred Scripture

At the end of Chapter 21 of the Gospel of St. Luke (verse 34), Jesus teaches, "Do not let your hearts grow dull with revelry, drunkenness and the affairs of this life." (Msgr. Ronald Knox translations of the Latin Vulgate)

We normally do not think of those three together. But the affairs of "this life" (it is interesting that it does not read "this world" or "worldly") can make our hearts grow dull, and dull hearts are not very responsive to living a spiritual life. I know that nothing dulls my brain more than any kind of "business" -- paying bills, making phone calls, or bookkeeping. Yes, these things have to be done, but if one finds them dulling one’s heart (or brain), it would be best to do them in small doses. While also, as verse 36 teaches: "praying at all times." Even praying amongst paperwork will help. Praying will help us to prevent our hearts from growing dull -- a disease we do not want.

Brother Craig can be contacted at www.monksofadoration.org

Visit to see Our Lady of Tihaljina statue, a side-trip on Carolanne's 2006 pilgrimage

Blessed Journeys is taking reservations for a pilgrimage to Medjugorje September 27-October 6, 2010. Call Carolanne at 716 491 9431
for more information. www.blessedjourneysinc.com

Thanks to Vickie DeCoursey, Marge Spase, Gina Adams and Joan Leysa for their help with the February mailing. Thank you to Marian and Tina Illig for making us more prayer cloths. Thank you to Mike Golovich and Donna Arnson for their photos.

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