Excerpt from the Homily at the Croatian Mass, 6/25/06

…Most of us will go to Holy Communion tonight but I am asking what will happen to Jesus after you receive Holy Communion? Because what is happening? We do have Communion, we do sing the songs, we go home, at dinner, and no one thinks about Jesus anymore. Jesus is within you, all of us become the temple of the Holy Spirit after Baptism, but after Holy Communion we're the tabernacle. Who had ever remembered to take the candle with us and after Communion to light the candle and walk through the town and let them know Jesus, the tabernacle, is walking through the town? Do you ever remember after you come back from Holy Mass to say, "Jesus is here, in my home, in my apartment, in my house Jesus dwells."? Will you ever remember when you go home tonight or tomorrow to your home, "In our bus is Christ the Lord, Jesus is traveling with me in my car, Jesus will bless all the areas that we are going through."?

…To pray - how beautiful that is, but is your prayer a real encounter with Jesus? Does your prayer disperse the sin within you? Before prayer do you look at Jesus or Heavenly Father and then you say every word and then you feel your heart exchanged because God's heart enters into your heart and from your heart into God's heart - did you ever experience that? And that is Medjugorje. That's why Medjugorje is an experience, which started with the visionaries. They said, "We have experienced, we see Our Lady," but they were not important, it is not them who are important to us; it is that Heaven is so close, that Our Lady is so close and knowing that death is not the end and that you can talk to Our Lady as we talk to a normal human being, person, that She talks our language, your  language, language of your people and of all people.  Death is just transformation into the area where we do not suffer anymore and you will understand everything and you will be smiling how naive we were on earth. Let us pray.

 ... Let us remember how Our Lady was teaching us how to confess in a good way with the heart and how to reconcile ourselves with God and how to forgive and how to say "forgive me," but even more important, how to believe in the fact that you are forgiven… How is it possible that one who went to confession hundreds of times  doesn't believe that he was forgiven? How come that a man who washed his hands ten times and he saw that they were clean, he still does not believe that his hands are clean? How come that a man who repents does not believe that he is clean, pure and free and sin hasn't any power over him? How come that we look backwards? Jesus says that the one who looks backwards is not worthy of God's Kingdom, he will not have God's power if he looks backwards. Why do you keep the sins, why do you talk about the sins of the past instead of the plans for the future? Why don't you just believe, when Jesus says you are forgiven and then He says, "If you forgive you will be forgiven"? Why can't we believe Him? And that destroys our bodies and our souls, my dear friends, the fact that we carry the guilt in ourselves which are so unrealistic, phantoms, and we carry that into ourselves and it destroys us. How many mental illnesses, schizophrenics, how many new diseases, metaphysics, denial of man, how that destroys the souls? Simply because they cannot believe they are forgiven and loved. Brothers and sisters, let us take our task to learn how to believe in the forgiveness of sins. Why do we say we believe in the forgiveness of sins, resurrection of the body and everlasting life, if after that you say, "Oh, my sins of the past..." and of course, as long as we carry these sins of the past you cannot go forward, like false stones that keep you bound to the past, but if you say it's over, I am free, how joyfully you would come before God and God would just embrace you and Our Lady would rejoice saying, ”Finally you believed.” Let us understand that millions of Christians are suffering under the false sins because they do not believe in the forgiveness of sins. That's why Medjugorje is a spiritual bath, wash, a clinic that heals us because when the spirit is healed, 70% of the physical illness can be healed because medicine says 70% of the physical illnesses are specifically human illnesses and the many specifically human illnesses are caused by the spirit. The fact that you don't believe in the forgiveness of sins means you do not believe in God's love, you do not want to be different, that destroys you. More illnesses are not caused by any viruses or bacteria or lack of immunity or cancers or something like that. No, it's on a spiritual level. Oh, how important is to be faithful, most respected faithful, how important it is tonight to rejoice Mary, our Mother, to imagine how She's looking at everyone of us, everyone of you, and She is looking even if you would believe tonight or not. Will you be pure and new and free tonight? Will you go home tonight and say, “Now I know to Whom I believed” as St. Paul said. Friends, we do not believe in some fake God, we believe in the historical God, in Jesus, our Friend from Nazareth. You can lean your head on His shoulder and say, “Jesus,” and you are already held and you are saved. He enjoys forgiving you. He wants only one thing: to take you into Heaven. And why don't you allow Him to do that? And when will you understand that He's your friend, and that only with Him you can succeed in anything?...

25^th Anniversary Pilgrimage

By June Klins

    A big thank you to all who prayed for us on our pilgrimage to Medjugorje for the 25^th anniversary !  It was a grace – filled week.  I have plenty to share and will do so in the next few months. But for now I thought I would give an overview of  the pilgrimage for those who have never been to Medjugorje.

   On Saturday, June 17, our group of 26 pilgrims flew from Toronto to Budapest and then on to Split. Before boarding the plane, our group leader, Carolanne, asked us each to pick a slip of paper with a name of a fellow pilgrim, who would be our “prayer partner.” She told us to pray and offer a sacrifice for that person every day and to be extra kind to them, but not to give away the name. Then on our last day she would give a prize to those who correctly guessed their prayer partner’s name.  Later she also gave everyone a heart shaped box. The bottom was larger than the top and was to remind us that the hearts of Jesus and Mary are way bigger than ours.  We were to write down something that was on our hearts and put it in the box and talk to Jesus and Mary each night before bed about what was in our heart. The theme of the pilgrimage was “Giving your heart to Jesus and Mary.”

   We finally arrived in Medjugorje on Sunday evening. We were too late for the Croatian Mass which is celebrated every evening at 7:00 PM. Thankfully God had provided us with a wonderful priest for our group, and he obtained permission to have a private Mass for us in the Adoration chapel, which was very special.

   The next morning we went bright and early to visionary Mirjana’s house to listen to her testimony. Afterwards we went to the English Mass at 10:00 AM (as we did most days) and then met with our tour guide Zeljka Rozic, who is Vicka’s cousin. Zeljka suggested that we climb Apparition Hill late that afternoon before the crowds would be rolling in for the anniversary later in the week. It happened to be the evening that Ivan’s prayer group was meeting at the Blue Cross, so we went to the Blue Cross after descending Apparition Hill. The prayer group met at about 9 and started the evening at Blue Cross with joyful singing. At about 9:30, we began to pray the Rosary. At about 10:00, Our Lady appeared to Ivan. Ivan said that Our Lady came extremely joyful and She greeted Ivan and all with “Praised be Jesus, my dear children.” She prayed over everyone and gave Her motherly blessing. Then, She gave this message: ”Dear children, also today, your mother calls you with joy and  today brings you peace.  Carry this peace to others. Dear children, be my bearers of peace.  I am bringing you love, dear children.  Bring this love to others.  And today I am calling you, dear children, at this time to renew my messages, live my messages. Thank you, for having responded to my call.”.

   After the English Mass the next day, we attended Ivan’s talk in the conference center, which is usually called the

 “yellow building.”  In the afternoon we heard Fr. Svet, one of the Franciscan priests who is assigned at St. James, speak in the same building. During the free time we had before dinner I made one of several visits to the Adoration Chapel, which is open from 2 PM till 6 PM.  Later that evening some of us attended a concert by the Irish singer, David Parkes who has an amazing conversion story. After the concert some of us went to pray at the statue of the Risen Jesus.

   We had to rise early the next morning to go to Jakov’s house for his talk. Jakov, the only visionary who has not hit the big “4-0” yet, is very youthful looking and as we would later hear, has a very nice singing voice. (Jakov sang a song to Our Lady on the anniversary.) 

    It is recommended that you spend some time alone when you go on a pilgrimage, so during our free time after Mass I went looking not only for a place to be alone, but also a shady spot. By then the temperatures had been in the triple digits for days and I was not used to that kind of weather, living in northern PA.  The only shady spot I could find where I could be alone was in the cemetery behind the church. I had a perfect view of Cross Mountain from there, which we had planned on climbing that evening. Because of the heat, Carolanne decided to postpone the climb for the time being.   We ended up having an awesome sharing session with our priest, Fr. Doug Kuzell.  At 10 PM, we attended the Holy Hour of Adoration that is held every Wednesday and Saturday. This is my favorite part of the Medjugorje experience. To pray with people from all over the world, all praising and thanking God in different languages and together in one word of “alleluia”  is my idea of Heaven on earth.

   The next day, Thursday, we took a side trip to Siroki Brijeg to hear Fr. Jozo, who was the pastor at the time when the apparitions began. When we returned, Carolanne decided that it would be a good time to climb Cross Mountain. I was not feeling well because of the heat and thought it not wise to climb the mountain then, so I joined the group of others who were not climbing and we prayed the Stations of the Cross behind the church which encircle the Risen Jesus statue. The Stations we used were a Scriptural Way of the Cross, compiled by our priest Fr. Doug. (These Stations are available on Fr. Doug’s website, www.prayernecessities.com, and can be downloaded and printed for free. There are also pictures from our pilgrimage on his site.)  While we were praying the Stations, the Croatian Mass was going on and the choir was dynamic. To have the Mass as the background for the Stations was an awesome experience I cannot put into words. Those climbing the mountain said they too could hear it. Afterwards I was fortunate to find a short confession line and took advantage. Later my son and I lit candles near the outdoor cross, and prayed for all those for whom we had said we would pray.

   On Friday my son and I attended the German Mass because he had to catch the 11 AM bus to Split. Although we have German roots we did not understand one word and were glad that the Mass is the Mass is the Mass, no matter what language!  On my way back from the bus stop I ran into someone I knew from my internet prayer group. She and her friends invited me to go with them to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Surmanci (featured in our April issue).  I had missed the bus trip with my group to Tihaljina to see the famous statue of Our Lady that morning and I had really wanted to go to Surmanci ever since I heard about it, so I was excited. How appropriate since this day was the feast of the Sacred Heart. That night some of our group went to Ivan’s prayer group meeting and apparition on Apparition Hill, but I chose not to fight the crowds and instead went to the Adoration of the Cross after the Croatian Mass. With several things to do at once, who can say Medjugorje is boring???

   The next day, June 24, was a threefold blessed day. It was the feast of John the Baptist, the Immaculate Heart of Mary and also the anniversary of the first (silent) apparition.  In the morning we went to the Cenacolo Community to hear the testimonies of former drug addicts who had been helped by this community. Before the vans came to pick us up we had a few minutes to visit the Oasis of Peace where there is a very real looking crucifix in the Adoration Chapel. After an early dinner, we walked to Sr. Emmanuel’s for a Rosary meditation/talk, and then headed to the Croatian Rosary and Mass, which was extremely crowded.  There were 252 priests concelebrating that night and 5 of the 6 visionaries were there. Vicka could not attend, as she was not feeling well, having had spinal surgery just weeks before.  After Mass and other prayers, there was an outdoor Adoration service till midnight, when the Blessed Sacrament was moved inside the church till 5 AM. I was on Cloud 9 !

   Sunday was the big day - Feast of the Queen of Peace. Some of us remarked how we had never seen that many people in one place before. We heard (unofficial) reports that 250,000 people were in Medjugorje that day and over 900 priests would be concelebrating the Croatian Mass. How awesome it was to be a part of that celebration. The morning was a good time to be away from all the crowds, so we took a little trip to Mother’s Village, the orphanage founded by Fr. Slavko and visionary Mirjana. In the afternoon we had a party, complete with cake and prizes. No one won the prize for guessing who their prayer partner was. We had been so kind to one another that no one could figure it out!  Zeljka gave your petitions and letters to Vicka to be presented to Our Lady that evening.  At the Croatian Rosary and Mass we ended up sitting almost to the vineyards because it was so crowded. Many tears of joy flowed that night after we read Our Lady’s June message. 

What’s New in Medjugorje?

By June Klins

   Since my last pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 2002, there have been several improvements.  The first thing I noticed was that the dirt road behind St. James that leads to the cemetery is now paved, has lighting and is beautifully landscaped. The Luminous Mysteries that line the new walkway are breathtaking.  Although I had seen pictures of them, I was surprised that they were much bigger and more beautiful than I expected.

                                                                                                                                            Behind St. James

Another improvement is the new building housing the information center and a new Franciscan bookstore. The information center is now much larger.  Although the old Franciscan bookstore is still operational, the second one in the new building is much roomier and is even air-conditioned, which offered a nice respite in the blazing summer heat. There seemed to be a greater variety of merchandise also, including some large and beautiful statues.  One of our pilgrims likened the new store to a “Walden’s.” 

                                                                                                                             New Information Center & Franciscan store

Arm in Arm with My Guardian Angel

By Virginia Hogue

 My heart was pounding with joy, for the day had finally arrived.  I would begin my journey to Medjugorje. It turned out to be a journey I couldn’t have anticipated in my wildest dreams.

   When I arrived at the airport I learned my plane was going to be late. I feared a domino effect would cause me to miss my connecting flights and end my trip before it started.  Luckily, my Lady, Mary, was with me, and I made it to my first destination, New York City, on time.

   While I had made it to New York, neither of my suitcases had. I spent several hours in pursuit of my bags. With less than an hour to go before I left the security of the United States, one of my suitcases was finally found. 

   My heart was still racing with excitement; I would be leaving New York, then on to Vienna, and finally Sarajevo after nine short hours. In route, somewhere over the Atlantic, I was waiting in line for the restroom, when a young woman came up behind me. I could tell right away that she was not feeling well.                        

 I quickly grabbed an air sickness bag, opened it and held it at the ready for her. Even with my assistance, she managed to miss the bag completely and hit the next thing in her line of fire – me!  While I felt sorry for the girl, my spirits still weren’t dampened.

   When I arrived in Sarajevo my now lone suitcase was once again missing in action.  The airport personnel there told me, “We will find it and deliver it to you in Medjugorje.” Despite possessing but one vomit-stained outfit, my excitement still grew. I was now but a short two hour bus ride from Medjugorje.

  Virginia leaving for Medjugorje

 Halfway between Sarajevo and Medjugorje the bus developed mechanical difficulties. It took hours to fix. For me, this was the final straw.  All the excitement I had been feeling for weeks just drained out of me. I was hot, dirty, exhausted, and literally, had only the clothes on my back. I was almost ready to convert to Buddhism!

   When, at last, I arrived in Medjugorje, my first sight was that of St. James Church.  For me, this was a dream come true. I began to feel the joy return. It was short-lived though when I found that there was no room for me to stay at the home of the visionary Ivanka, where I had been told I would stay.

   A sense of calm returned, however, when Ivanka compassionately patted me on the leg as she drove me to find housing. A spot was found for me in a home close to town, near St. James Church. Not only could I actually see it from the balcony of my room, but I could also hear the sounds of the church broadcast over loudspeakers.

   My first night in Medjugorje I began what would turn out to be a daily ritual. I washed out my one outfit in a basin the size of a medium mixing bowl.  Then I would carefully hang it on my balcony to dry so that it would be ready to wear the next day. This system worked fairly well, except for my blue jeans which I put on damp each morning.

   I am a very proud person. I am very attentive to my personal appearance, clothes and hair.  In the past, I have prayed to Mary to make me like Her, more humble.  She answered my prayers.  It was very humbling to have none of my regular grooming products, and to wear the same outfit for seven days. I guess you should be careful what you pray for!

   The next day I went to get a closer look at St. James Church. On the way back, I somehow made a wrong turn and found myself lost in a strange country with people who did not speak my language.  Due to the last minute changes of accommodations, I didn’t know the address or name of the people at whose home I was staying.  To make matters worse, the temperature, which was supposed to be in the mid-eighties, had soared into the triple digits.  It would reach as high as 112. (They said this was an event unprecedented in over 400 years.) I didn’t know what to do, and I was beginning to feel the effects of the heat. I noticed a young Croatian girl in her front yard.  She didn’t speak any English, but, nonetheless, I told her, “I need help. I am lost and I am sick.”   She took me into her home, gave me a glass of water, and left to find someone who spoke English.  About 15 minutes later she returned with a woman who spoke broken English. With Mary’s help they got me back to the house where I was staying. In the heat, my feet, ankles and legs had swelled to 3 times their size. My roommate said they looked like barrels. That night and every night after that was spent sleeping on the balcony because the house had no air conditioning. 

    By this time I had been in Medjugorje less than two days and I was ready to go home. I was battling with Satan and he seemed to be winning. I stayed up all night praying the Rosary.  I asked Mary to change my attitude, and not let Satan beat me.  By morning my prayers had been heard.  My mood had improved, and once again I fell in love with Medjugorje.

   One of my dreams was to climb Apparition Hill. However, it is so rocky and dangerous I knew I would never make it on my own.  A young man named Anthony who was staying in the same house with me generously offered to help me make the climb.  Another woman, Mildred, asked if she could join us.

   Without Anthony’s help I would have fallen many times.  As we climbed higher I became concerned for Mildred.  No one was helping her.  About halfway to the top I decided to stop and let Anthony help Mildred the rest of the way.  I remained alone, and due to the terrain, I couldn’t go up, down or sideways, and it was starting to get dark.  I began praying the Rosary.  As I prayed, I looked over at Cross Mountain.  A little later I looked again, and noticed the cross had turned, and behind it was a soft, pink glow.  I continued to watch the cross as it kept turning and intermittently glowing.

   After about 30 minutes several more people came along.  I told them to look at the cross, and they too saw it turning.  I was hoping Anthony and Mildred would return soon so they too could see it.  Anthony got there in time to see it burst into color.

   As we prepared to start back down, Anthony said, “I don’t know how I can get you both back down.”  The three of us were standing there alone, when from nowhere there appeared a young Croatian girl. Without a word, she took me by the arm, and we made it down the mountain with such speed and agility, it was as if we were flying.

   When we reached the bottom, she released my arm.  I turned to thank her, and she had simply disappeared!  My two companions didn’t reach me for at least another 30 minutes.  It was at that moment I realized I had Divine help. A priest and many others have told me they believe it was the Blessed Mother.  I believe it was my guardian angel.

   The next day was the 25^th anniversary of the first apparition. I was at Ivanka’s home as she prepared for her apparition. We were preparing to say the Rosary. I was happy, talking and full of anticipation.  About two minutes before we were to begin the Rosary, I inexplicably fell asleep in my chair. Never before had I fallen asleep in that manner. I felt as if I had been drugged.  I had to be taken to a room where I could lie down.  I immediately fell asleep and didn’t awaken until just after the apparition had ended. Brokenhearted, I had missed Mary’s visit. But the strangest thing happened as I descended the staircase – some Italian women ran up and lovingly embraced me, repeatedly saying “Madonna loves you.”

  On my seventh day in Medjugorje my suitcase finally arrived. In my bag was a cross my son Jerry had made to place on Apparition Hill.  Our family name was engraved on one side of it.  Anthony offered to take the cross to the top for me and place it near the statue of the Blessed Mother.  Anthony told me that due to the rocky terrain he was unable to actually stick the cross into the ground, so he laid it on a rock.  He then turned to walk away, and when he turned back around, the cross had become planted between two large rocks. He said he could not explain how the cross came to be wedged between those rocks, but that it was there to stay. He said it was wedged so tightly it could not be moved.

   Thankfully I had an uneventful trip home. All in all, it was a good trip. I attended Mass and other services at St. James, and saw 5 of the 6 visionaries. I saw the spinning cross, and walked arm in arm with my guardian angel.  I pray that Jesus and Mary will overlook the bad attitude I had for a few days, and continue to shower the Medjugorje blessings on this humble servant and her family. (Virginia, Bobby, Jerry, Angela, Taylor, Rachael, Robert and Cheyenne.)  Actually, They already have, as my second suitcase finally arrived a week after my return.

   Before my pilgrimage I had prayed to have a heart like Mary. I didn’t understand the adversities that happened to me on my journey until I was home about a week. And then my eyes became opened to the suffering of Jesus and Mary, and I realized mine was a drop in the bucket compared to Theirs. I needed to be purified, stripped of my pride.  I plan to return to Medjugorje in the future.  

"Dear children! This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials for all those who desire to follow the way of peace. Because of that, little children, again I call you to pray, pray, pray, not with words but with the
heart. Live my messages and be converted.” (Our Lady, 12/25/02)