MAY 1993 - Month of Mary - Orig. Edit: Eco di Medj, C.P.149, 46100 Mantova, Italy. Yr 8 #4
Mailing address: Echo of Medj., Casella Postale 27, 31030 Bessica (TV), Italy. Fax #0423-470331
Send your Spirit and everything will be recreated
and you will renew the face of the earth.
Our Lady’s message of 25 March 1993:
Dear children, Today, like never before, I am inviting
you to pray for peace: peace in your hearts, peace in the
families and peace in the entire world; because Satan wants
war, he wants the absence of peace, he wants to destroy
everything that is good. So my dear children: pray .. pray ..
pray! Thank you for having responded to my call.
Our Blessed Mother’s message of 25 April 1993:
Dear children, Today I invite you all to awaken your
hearts to love. Observe nature and see how it awakens: this
will help you open your hearts to the love of God the
Creator. It is my wish that you awaken love in your families
so that where there is hate and lack of love, love will reign.
When there will be love in your hearts, there will also be
prayer.
So, my dear children, do not forget that I am with you
and that I help you with my prayer, so God may give you
the strength to love. I bless you and I love you with my
motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Return to God with prayer before
Satan destroys peace and all that is good
Observe nature and see how it
awakens. In this month so full of flowers
and dedicated to Her, Mary like the love-
sick Bride in the Song of Songs, invites us
to love with the help of images impressed
into nature by God the Creator. If our
hardened hearts are unable to recognize
God, then look at all Creation and see His
unchanging Love that continues to operate,
for nature continues to obey His laws,
unlike man who has been deformed by
disobedience; and the desire to imitate
nature will be born in our hearts.
Awaken your hearts to love, like
nature wakened by the heat of the sun, for
with the increase of evildoing, the love of
many has grown cold (cf.Mt 24:12). Mary
knows well; Her Jesus came to set the earth
on fire and what more could She want if not
that it continues to blaze? (cf. Lk 12:49).
Could it be that those who were to keep the
fire ablaze have let it cool down, reducing
faith to no more than external practice?
Where is that revolution of love by which
everyone should have known we were Jesus’
disciples? (Jn13:35) So let us awaken the
image of God-Love that was impressed in
our hearts by the Holy Spirit which was
given us (Rm 5:5), like Spring that awakens
the lifeless nature after the winter months.
So, in contact with the Pasqual Mysteries,
with the fire of the Crucified Love and with
the power of the Resurrection, that life [of
ours], imprisoned by sin, must awaken and
start bearing fruit (works of love) again.
Mary’s heart is with us and burns for us
and gives us warmth. More than this, the
rays of Her presence burn us so we may
awaken to love. It is difficult to love, but
this is the only commandment that Jesus left
us: my command is that you love one
another as I have loved you. Everything is
possible with His grace!
Awaken love in your families. God’s
love entered two hearts, making them one.
Why then are they now strangers, at times
even enemies? Our Blessed Mother wants
this live spring to reopen so that water may
flow from it again, water to quench those
thirsting for love. The fire that was lit on the
wedding day must light up again through
faith in His help and with His grace that
made it blossom in the first place, so it may
Awaken love that has cooled
with the fire of the Spirit!
The social, political and religious situation
has worsened not just in former Yugoslavia,
but in many countries, particularly here in
Italy, and indeed all over the world. Mary,
Queen of Peace, can see better than all of us.
She warns us and asks only one thing: an.
immediate return to God. The message is
brief. It openly talks about Satan’s ruthless
dominating will. It makes us see that Our
Lady sees the war as a sad reality for some
and a threat for many.
So, like never before I am inviting you
... Her Dear children, I invite you is full of
the delicacy and respect that She has always
shown us, but also of maternal anxiety (cfr
Lk 2:48). Mary invites us at the start and
end of the message to pray - above all so
we can live peace within us and our
families, and for world peace. In the first
months of the war Mary warned that Satan.
WANTS to show his shameful face to the
world, and through it sweep as many people
as possible onto the path of death and sin.
(25Jan.'91) Now She repeats: Satan wants
war, he wants lack of peace, he wants to
destroy everything that is good: the work
of God’s creation (Gen1) and the fruit of
Christ’s Redemption, which is peace.
If we do not live our filial relationship
with God and in obedience to God’s saving
will through our faith and prayers, we
become slaves to Satan’s will of death and
destruction. If we do not search for and live
God’s peace through praying and being
faithful to Him, our lives endorse Satan’s
will; we side him and become his instru-
ments; he uses us to make war and
destruction. If we are not in God, we cannot
have peace, so that means war. War is in the
will of man who follows Satan’s will.
Mary, Queen of Peace, is inviting us to
follow the Father’s will. So my dear
children, pray, pray, pray.
We are not being asked to recite prayers,
but to decide for God, to turn to the Father.
It is an invitation to turn away from all evil,
and turn to the Father, to hand over our will
to the Father. It means being with God, to
become helpers of God and gifts of God to
men: bearers of peace like Jesus. Mary,
Queen of Peace, has every right to frighten
us, but She doesn’t. She is truly a Mother,
our Mother. And then what good would it
do? The only thing that counts is returning
readily and definitely to God. He WANTS
to save us. He alone can give us peace in
Jesus our Saviour.
Fr. Remo
May, a continuation of Easter
Why did the Church choose May as
a special month for Mary?
One reason is this: during the liturgical
year May is the most holy, the happiest and
most festive period there is. May belongs to
Pasqual time which lasts 50 days; this is the
period in which May falls - if not
completely, at least the first half of it. The
big feast of Jesus’ Ascension is celebrated in
May, except for 1-2 times every 40 years.
Pentecost usually falls in May, and the
feastdays of the Holy Trinity and Corpus
Christi often fall in May. It is thus the time
in which the alleluias are more frequent as
Christ rose from the tomb, ascended into
heaven and the Holy Spirit came to the earth
to take His place.
(Newman)
overflow onto others. When love will be in
your heart, there will also be prayer. Yes,
because prayer means either being part of
love or searching for love. (see pg. 2, col. 2)
In the end Our Lady repeats (She does
not want us to forget) that She does not
forget us. I am with you and I pray for
you so God may give you the strength to
love. Her words are like those of Jesus:I will
pray to the Father and I will send you the
Consoling Spirit. Thank you Mother for
your untiring love.
Fr.A.
Merciful Love - sign of the times (pg. 4)
JESUS, I TRUST YOU
102
Those marks on Our Lady’s dress:
confession and spiritual guidance
In the early days of the Apparitions we
had an extraordinary experience: we had been
wanting to touch Our Lady andShe consented.
At 10.30 pm we went to the field indicated by
Her. Others were with us. We visionaries took
their hands so they could touch Her too. They
all felt something: some warmth, others cold,
or an electric shock. We however, in that
moment saw black spots appearing on Her
dress. She started crying and we did too. She
told us those spots were the signs of our sins
and for the first time Our Lady asked us to go
to confession to encounter God in the truth.
We have had other similar experiences, but
we were deeply moved by that one for the
way the Blessed Mother led us to confession.
She also told us: choose a priest as your
spiritual guide to understand what God wants
from you.
(Marija Pavlovic)
Sacramental confession as a way to
spiritual healing
The Church, which reflects Mary’s matern-
ity, also offers us abundant teachings on
penance in the New Catechism. Through con-
fessing one’s sins and offering hospitality to
the healing work of the Holy Spirit , we will.
see the fruits of revival in our lives.
In the Catechism we find a brief remark by
St. Augustine who magnificently explains this
important phase in our spiritual growth:
«When you recognize your sins and
condemn them, you already agree with God.
God condemns your sins; if you also condemn
them, you are united to God. A man and a
sinner are two distinct things: man is work of
God, a sinner is your work, oh man. Destroy
what you did so God may save what He did,
and your good deeds will begin, because you
condemn your bad deeds. Good deeds start
with the recognition of bad deeds. Through
being truthful you will come to the Light.»
St John Bosco teaches to confide
in spiritual guides
F.Piccollo on St John Bosco: "One day I
noticed some of my friends snatching bread
rolls and I, tempted by greediness, took
advantage of that moment and took two rolls
too. I ran behind the arcade and ate them
avidly, but I soon felt remorse:"It’s stealing.
Tomorrow you take Holy Comunion. You’ll
have to go and confess!" But the father
confessor was Fr. Bosco. I knew how he hated
theft. What on earth could I do?
Not so much out of shame, but not to
disappoint Fr. Bosco, I ran out the door of the
church and went to the Consolata (a nearby
Sanctuary). I was glad it was dim inside. I
chose the confessional with the thickest
grating and started: "I came here because I feel
too ashamed to confess to Fr. Bosco!"
A voice responded: "Go ahead, he'll never
know a thing..." but it was Fr. Bosco’s voice!
Mercy! How could it be! He shouldn't be
here! I was covered in cold sweat. Was it a
miracle? No, Fr. Bosco had been invited, as
usual, to help with the confessions, and I just
happened to find the father confessor I had
been trying to avoid.
"Speak up son. What happened?" I was
shaking like a leaf. "I stole two bread rolls"
"Did they hurt you?" "No." "Then don’t be so
distressed. Were you hungry?" "Yes."
"Hungry for bread, thirsty for water. Good
hunger and good thirst. When you are in need,
ask Fr. Bosco. He'll give you all the bread you
need, but remember: Fr. Bosco prefers you to
confide in him rather than believe in your
innocence. If you confide in him he'll always
be able to help you, but your innocence could
make you slide and fall and no one will be
able to help you. Fr. Bosco’s wealth is the
trust of his boys."
I never forgot his goodness or that lesson.»
PUT MY MESSAGES INTO PRACTICE
Satan wants destruction and
damnation
God wants to use His mercy!
When there is love there is prayer
Praying means doing nothing
which is not Love
The brief yet powerful message of 25
March containing these meaningful phrases:
Satan wants war ... Satan wants to destroy
everything that is good ..; is matter of fact,
and should ring out loud in our ears. [You
may have noted that] I had interrupted my
series of articles regarding "The Woman,
Enemy of Satan," [and that] the Blessed
Virgin has continued talking about the devil.
In Echo Father Angelo has certainly not
forgotten to stress Her words, however,
there are some key factors to consider and
that I would like to insist on.
1. Satan always makes news. Newspapers,
magazines, the radio and TV have spoken
about him a lot of late. I also talk a lot about
him, to say what the Church says about him.
It is clear that the mass media talk about the
devil so much to make news. They present
things that attract peoples’ curiosity. What
they look for is the sensational. The reason
the Bible - and Our Lady - talks about the
devil is totally different. The aim here is to
warn us, to save us, to bring humanity to
God. In fact the Bible mentions him more
than 1,000 times, 300 of which in the NT.
2. God is the Creator, Satan is the
Destroyer. St. Augustine does not hesitate
in saying that if Satan was not impeded by
God, he would kill us all in an instant. I add:
God is the Saviour and wants us all saved,
Satan is the perverter and wants us all
damned. Satan’s action is not turned to just
the single individual, but to all of society.
That is why our society tends to be
disorderly and why we have wars going on
in people’s consciences, the families and the
nations. Our Lady reminded us of this with
extreme clarity. One only needs to open
one’s eyes to see the abysses into which we
are falling.
I am no prophet and I have never
received any messages in particular, but one
only needs a bit of good sense to see that
Italy is only at the start of an economic and
social catastrophe with unforeseeable
consequences. Who can save us? Who can
make us turn back to the real values in life?
Only prayer and a sincere return to God.
3. All eras have seen the presence of
people chosen by God for special
missions. Take for example our recent past;
there is no doubt that Padre Pio was a sign
for all humanity: a sign of the Passion and
divine Mercy, a call to conversion and
prayer. [And Sr. Faustina was the apostle of
love of Merciful Jesus, sign of the divine
will to make Mercy triumph - right when
evil is so rampant that it would make us
think more of God’s punishing justice.
And today Mary, with Her many
apparitions, has roused an army of souls
who offer themselves for the plan of the
Divine Mercy so as to counteract the
destructive plan of Satan.]
Satan is wild because he is given the
freedom to act, by many ecclesiastics as
well. [New and old communities, groups or
single people, make a total offering to God
of themselves. At times, they take upon
themselves the pains of hell to continue the
expiating work of Jesus. One of these
people is Joan.] The unheard-of
sufferances of Joan, caused by demoniac
possession (it seems that she has all hell
It is obvious that those who pray, really
pray, are people in search of God. Theirs is
a conversation of love able to defeat every
difficulty, that goes directly to its destiny.
There is no praying by the hour, but praying
always in complete love. In God these
people place their inner joy and their
troubles, letting themselves be guided from
above. The same commitment - even if in a
lesser degree - is had from others who
notice their constructive example. An
example which obliges others to pray, to
reflect, to pass from distraction to uncon-
ditioned attention. It obliges one, by an
irrestible force that comes from the heart,
not to remain stagnant.
There are few, however, who live at
these heights: only the righteous do not
grant themselves respite as they follow in
the wake of the Saviour. They perfume
everything with love and their prayer
becomes total surrender to God.
Blessed are they who let themselves be
won over by their example and so enjoy an
inner life! There are no actions - apart from
blame - that do not belong to the Lord. St
Paul had already said: Whether you eat, or
drink, or do any other thing, do it all for the
glory of God. The righteous have it firm in
their minds, so that nothing is done that does
not belong to Love.
Do they wash in the morning? It is for
Him. Do they go down the stairs? Every
step is an act of love. And every step during
the day? All for the Lord and Our Lady. Do
they tire beyond all description? For their
friends. Do they suffer in soul and body?
How wonderful to suffer for the Lord! Do
they suffer the heat and cold? Thank you,
Lord. Do they work diligently all day long?
For you, Jesus. If they meet their defamers?
It is a meeting of Love. Do they read a little?
It is done in Their company. And rest a
little? It is done in the name of the Father,
and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And so on,
with every action.
For them it is still not enough: God’s
Love is infinite, and requests more and more
for the glory of the Highest and for the good
of our brothers. Holiness slowly grows with
the offering of little things.
Fr. Giacomo Bozzo
inside of her), her continuous prayer and
offerings to God are extremely significant.
If her liberation is tied to a big defeat by
Satan, then it is worth our while helping her
through that chain of Rosaries that Our
Lady has asked for.
We must say that for Joan too, the
heavenly request for help has not been taken
seriously enough, like Our Lady’s requests
in Fatima and Medjugorje have not been
accepted seriously enough. We can all see
the outcome of this lack of response.
We need faith and we need perseverance,
so let us keep on praying (the Rosary recited
before the Blessed Sacrament is particularly
efficacious).
We promise to inform our readers when
Joan will be liberated.
Fr. Gabriel Amorth
(remarks between [ ] are the editor’s)
Pasqual Triduum - foundation of Christian living
patience and confidence. Let us learn from
Good Friday to accompany Jesus on his way
of sorrow, with humility, trust and abandon-
ment to the will of God, finding support and
comfort amidst the sufferings of life in the
cross of Christ."
"Even though to the eyes of human
experience death still seems the winner,
Christ, in dying and rising, despoiled it from
within, so to speak. Faith is needed to be open
to this new, wondrous horizon. Jesus says as
much to the Apostle Thomas, assailed by
doubt: Blest are they who have not seen and
have believed (Jn 20:29). Faith is not an
illusion; it is a piercing gaze enabling us to
penetrate to the deepest level of reality. Faith
is acceptance of the inner voice of God’s
Spirit and reasonable trust in an historically
based testimony."
Risen Christ gives life in abundance -
"Let us allow ourselves then be touched by
the consoling message of Easter and
enveloped by the triumph of his light that
scatters the clouds of fear and sadness. The
Risen Jesus walks by our side. He allows
himself to be experienced in some way by all
who call upon him and love him. We can
meet him not only in our prayer but in the
various moments of life, if we live with faith
and love."
In the URBI ET ORBI message the Pope
said in his prayer to Jesus: "(...) You have the
power to give your life for the world and to
take it back again in the resurrection. You
have the power to communicate to the
world this divine life that is in you. The
world does not have this Life in itself. In itself
it has a life that is subject to death. You alone
have the immortal life that comes from God.
But God loves the world and God loves you
who have come into the world. In you, the
Father gives Life to those who are in the
world. And you too want this, O Christ our
Redeemer. Your wish is that they may have
life, and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10)."
This pasqual message and experience
reflect the theme for the World Youth Day to
be held in Denver, Colorado: Born to new
life in Christ Jesus.
Christian testimony, which comes from his
personal experience of death and resurrection,
must not forget that "though it is surely
dutiful to take care of the various earthly
tasks, the Apostle urges us not to let us
become absorbed by them to the point where
we lose the supernatural perspective of
eternity." The Pope’s many appeals for peace
and a return to God are founded on the
strength of the Risen Christ and in Whom the
Holy Father trusts.
"From the now empty tomb there
springs forth the Life which overcomes the
forces of death threatening our human
existence. Believers cannot but act with
courage and commitment wherever there is
poverty, hunger, injustice, wherever life is
threatened, from its beginning to its natural
end, wherever life is despised and scorned.
Christ’s followers should feel obliged to
dedicate themselves without pause to the
demanding and urgent task of renewing
society, working with trust and in harmony, to
imprint on history’s progress the enlightening
guidelines of the Gospel, which are indis-
pensable for making this world, our world, on
the eve of the Third Christian Millennium, the
hospitable homeland of every human being.
Brothers and sisters in the faith, the Risen One
calls upon all his disciples, to bear joyful
witness to justice and truth."
The teachings of the Pope have of late been
centred on the great Pasqual Mystery of the
Death and Resurrection of Christ.
Meditate upon Christ’s humiliation - In
particular, starting from PALM SUNDAY
with St Paul, he celebrated Christ who
humbled himself, becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross (Ph 2:6-8), stressing
that, "when we reflect in deep recollection on
the words about Christ’s humiliation and his
exaltation by the Father, we are reminded of
what he, Christ, said of himself in the parable
of the Good Shepherd who gives his life for
his flock. This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life ... No one takes it
from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have
power to lay it down, and power to take it up
again (Jn 10:17-18). We find ourselves at the
very heart of the "mystery of the Gift:" a free
gift that testifies most perfectly to freedom,
that represents the revelation of the complete
love that redeems and saves." It is a testimony
that: "demands the courage to die to oneself,
abandoning the ways of sin to follow the
narrow way of the Gospel."
Holy Thursday: the Eucharist perpet-
uates Jesus’ sacrifice - "During the Supper
that evening, Jesus mystically anticipated the
sacrifice of Calvary and gave himself in
sacrifice, under the appearances of Bread and
Wine, as he himself had foretold (cf. Jn6) and
entrusted to the Apostles and their successors
the mission and power of perpetuating its
memory by repeating the same rite: Do this in
memory of me! (...) Words of fundamental
importance! They recall what Jesus actually
did at the Last Supper; they proclaim to us the
sacrificial intention through the consecration
of bread and wine, replacing the sacrificial
lamb of the Jews, and his express intention to
make the Apostles and their successors the
ministers of the Eucharist.
The Eucharist, as Christ’s real presence
and as the sacrament of interior communion
of love and salvation; the priesthood, as the
Eucharistic ministry reserved to the Apostles
and their successors: this is the essential
meaning of Holy Thursday. It is a question of
a dogma of faith, to be accepted then with
deep, abiding gratitude. It means Christ’s gift,
to be increasingly appreciated in an attitude of
sincere, intense devotion."
Good Friday: God does not follow our
ways - On Good Friday John Paul II led the
WAY OF THE CROSS. "We have come to
the Colosseum, which speaks to us of ancient
Rome. It was at the time that the cross entered
the life and death of the first Christians, called
to bear witness to Christ by the sacrifice of
their lives. They were able to do this because
the Cross filled their death with the death of
Christ; it filled their death with inexpressible
life: his life. Whoever loses his life for my sake
and the Gospel’s will save it (Mk8:35). They
sacrificed their lives, and they saved their
lives in Christ. What a mystery is Christ’s
passion: God made man suffer to save man,
taking upon himself all the tragedy of
humanity. Good Friday thus brings to mind
the continuous succession of historical trials,
the human events marked by the perennial
struggle between good and evil. The cross is
truly the scale of history: it is understood
and accepted only by meditating on and
loving the Crucified. St John wrote: In this is
love: not that we have loved God, but that he
loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our
sins (1 Jn4:10); and St Paul asserted: God
proves his love for us that while we were still
sinners Christ dies for us (Rom 5:8)." In his
plan of salvation and sanctification, God does
not follow our ways: he undergoes the cross
to reach his glorification, thus spurring us to
the Pope’s magistral guidance
Pasqual Alleluia in the streets
of Moscow
18 April'93 - Orthodox Easter. The mayor
of Moscow ordered that all the poor people of
the city be given a free meal. Large banners
announcing CHRIST IS RISEN line the
streets and at midnight the streets were lit up
and the bells of all the churches rang out to
announce the joyful news. During the last
years of Communism everything possible was
done to cancel religious festivity from
people’s memories. Easter Saturday was
Lenin’s saturday and volunteers from the
party cleaned up squares and streets. Then on
the night of the Resurrection free concerts
were held for the youth. 70 years of
Communism however are not enough to make
people forget 2000 years of history and
yesterday the churches were overflowing with
faithful.
The Russian president took part in the
solemn rites in the Cathedral which were
presided over by Partriarch Alexei. They
began yesterday evening at 11 pm, lasting till
nearly sunrise this morning. Happy Easter in
Russian is Kristos voskrese! (Christ is risen) to
which you reply Voistinu Voskrese! (He is
truly risen). It is a greeting that is accom-
panied by a traditional exchange of kisses.
When the Tsar, Nicholas II, was enthroned
at Easter in 1904 he noted down in his diary
that he exchanged kisses and greetings with
more than 1,000 faithful, 730 being soldiers
from his personal guard.
Death and Resurrection in Albania
A tomb we thought had been sealed for
ever has sprung open again: we are talking
about the resurrection of the Albanian people!
Who could have guessed this would happen
when only 3years ago every sign of religion
was destroyed in the name of the most radical
of atheisms, and those who had themselves
baptized were condemned to death?
Now the Pope is here, amid the enthusiastic
crowds, in Tirana and Shkodër. Only 10% are
Catholics, 20% are Orthodox and 70% are
Muslims - all living peacefully together.
The Pope found them before him in their
poor clothes, with their mule-drawn carts,
amid their homes and churches in ruins. Next
to him was Mother Theresa, "humble servant
of the poorest who carried the name of her
homeland to the whole world."
In the Cathedral in Shkodër (used for
decades as a sports centre) 4 priests, survivers
of the persecutions, were consecrated as
bishops. The Pope told the crowd: "Your
experience of death and resurrection belongs
to the whole Church and the entire world.
This experience must not be forgotten, to
avoid repeating the same errors. The venerated
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Counsel,
which was destroyed by the Communists, will
also be rebuilt as a sign that being part of
Jesus’ Church means starting from Mary.
The Pope and the Rosary
"The Rosary is a daily encounter that neither
I nor She ever fail to go to. If you would like
to be close to the Pope's heart for a little, then
may I propose the Rosary hour, in which I
remember all of you to the Virgin, and I
would be happy if you could remember me in
the same way."
12 May'92
The Pope said: Mary asks for
fasts and prayer
(23-3-93) Bonifacio reports: 2 Sundays
ago the Pope spoke about the apparitions
saying Mary is asking for fasts and prayer
and that we must listen to Her. It made me
think of Medj. Fr. Slavko: I did not read this
homily of the Pope, but I was told that the
only word missing was Medj. Everyone
understood that he was talking about Medj.
(from col. 3) Fr. Leonard was also surprised
that he was so clearly referring to Medj. It
was referred to me that the Pope was told
about Medj. not being destroyed and he supp-
osedly said that this was a miracle in itself.
Beatification of Sr Faustina - or the triumph of the Divine Mercy
Low Sunday, 18th April 1993. The Holy
Father beatified (together with others) Sr.
Faustina Kowalska, a Polish religious
known all over the world for the great
message she left to the world concerning the
Divine Mercy.
The Pope, in obvious spiritual commun-
ion with the blessed nun, greeted her: "I
salute you, Sister Faustina. Beginning today
the Church calls you blessed. (...) How
extraordinary your life was! Precisely you,
the poor and simple daughter of the Polish
people, were chosen by Christ to remind
people of this great mystery of divine
Mercy! You bore this mystery within
yourself, leaving this world after a short life,
filled with suffering. (...) I clearly feel that
my mission does not end with death, but
begins..., Sr. Faustina wrote in her diary.
And her mission continues and is
yielding astonishing fruit. It is truly marv-
ellous how her devotion to Merciful Jesus is
spreading in our contemporary world and
gaining so many human hearts! There is no
doubt this is a sign of the times. The
balance of this century about to end
presents, in addition to the advances which
have often surpassed those of preceding
eras, a deep restlessness and fear of the
future. Where, if not in the divine mercy,
can the world find refuge and the light of
hope? Believers understand that perfectly."
Sr. Faustina, simple and humble, with
unlimited trust in God, was entrusted with a
special mission through messages from the
Lord like this:
Write down my words, my daughter; tell the
world about my mercy. All humanity
should appeal to it. Write that before
coming as a just judge I shall throw open
the door of my mercy: those who do not
want to pass through it, shall have to pass
through the door of my justice. The souls
who appeal to my mercy give me great joy;
to them I concede graces that exceed their
own desires. I cannot even punish the
greatest sinner when he appeals to my
forgiveness, but I justify him thanks to my
mercy which is infinite and which for you
remains incomprehensible. (...) Daughter,
tell the world about my mercy, about my
love. The flames of mercy burn me, I want to
pour them onto the souls of men. Oh, what
sorrow they give me when they do not
accept them! My dear daughter, tell the
suffering humanity to cling to my merciful
heart and I will fill it with peace. When a
soul comes to me with trust, I fill it with so
much grace that it is unable to hold it all
and it radiates onto other souls. The souls
that spread the cult of my mercy are
protected by me all their lives; [I am] like a
loving mother who protects her suckling
babe; in the hour of their death I shall not
be Judge for them but merciful Saviour. In
that last hour a soul has nothing in its
defence but my mercy. How I am sorrowed
by the mistrust of my goodness! The sins of
mistrust are the ones that hurt me the most.
Dear daughter, if I use you to ask men for
the cult of my mercy, on your part you must
be the first to place your every trust in it.
From you I want works of mercy that come
from your love for me. Be merciful always
and in every situation, without ever feeling
you may be exempt, without finding excuses
or justifications. Be merciful when you do
things for others, when you speak with them,
when you turn to God with prayers in their
favour. The mercy you show on others is
irrefutable proof of your love for me. This
is the way that a soul glorifies my mercy and
bestows upon it the cult I am asking for.
Sr. Faustina’s entire life was a response
to the mission she was entrusted with. This
is what she said: «When my human nature is
taken by fear, my trust in the infinite mercy
is awakened in me immediately. [Nothing
can stand up to it, but] everything yields to
it, like the shadows of the night that yield to
the first rays of sunlight. Jesus, the certainty
of your goodness is so convincing that I
look with courage even into the eyes of
death. I know nothing will happen to me
without the divine mercy being present. I
will celebrate it during the course of my life
and at the moment of my death, of my
resurrection and always.
Jesus, every day my soul is immersed in
the rays of your mercy. Your mercy is the
conducting line of my life. My soul over-
flows Lord with your goodness. I wish to
love you as no other living creature has ever
loved you, and though I am so miserable
and small, I cast the anchor of my trust into
the profound abyss of your mercy. (...)
As I write I am aware of the devil’s
anger. He cannot stand God’s mercy being
known. One day the spirit of evil told me:
"when people will understand that God is
merciful the worst sinners will find renewed
trust [in him] and will convert, while I lose
everything. You are my torment when you
let others know that God is infinitely
merciful."
But I don’t care about the enemy’s ire.
Oh my Lord, may an inextinguishable fire
burn in me to implore your mercy. My wish
is that your mercy be glorified; I live for this
and I desire nothing else.»
(To be continued)
Love God Infinitely!
Easter retreat with Fr. Tomislav
The theme for this year’s annual retreat for
prayer group leaders, held in Pescara (Italy)
from 15-18 April, was: Towards the trinitar-
ian love. 1,200 people attended. The retreat
ended with an explosion of joy during Mass
on Low Sunday. Fr.Tomislav, together with
the young people from his community, had
prepared the grace for this meeting, with
many days of prayer. The following are some
of Fr. Tomislav’s reflections:
«It is important to see where we are and
where we have to go. Our life is a walk
amid day to day things; in it we can find
God and reach the trinitarian love. It is love
that opens the soul to living a vital relation-
ship with the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. This is the only value we can present
to God. We are not to put our problems in
the centre. If you fix your life on your
problems, you remain in them. We have to
offer them to God, Who knows how to use
them and glorify them.
This is the first step in opening ourselves
up totally to God’s love. We have to try and
hear God’s voice in the others, to see Him in
our friends. He is here, in us, alive, if we
develop our inner attention we will discover
this. We tend to be heavily individualistic,
imposing our thoughts on others. This is not
aperture, it reflects a battle between those
who live by reason and those who live by
heart. Too few feel God with their souls.
The world has to find God its Creator
and learn to relate to Him, see Him as a
living presence. Without this relationship we
will die. Jesus destroyed evil and thanks to
Him the saving grace is in us; it is a power
that destroys sin. Our lives must be
openness
to this power within us. If we are open to it
there will be less fighting among us, and
along this road the world can be renewed.
Only in God can unity and harmony be found.
My Father, our Father - In the NT, Jesus
reveals the Father to us as one who loves
infinitely, and He invites us to live a perfect
life through being in communion with Him.
Being in this perfect life is living Jesus’
infinite love as He showed us on the Cross.
Jesus, in His surrender to the Father, freed the
infinite love which embraces all creatures. We
too have to be surrendered to the Father and
abandon ourselves to Him.
God the Father is immensely loving. His
love is infinite. He is more loving than a
mother. He does not govern, nor judge. He
awaits us. He keeps His house ready for us.
Our sins do not disturb Him; he softens at the
sight of His children returning home. The
world does not know the Father. Neither do
we know Him; we are too superficial. Too
few surrender themselves to Him in prayer.
The Church is full of the prayers of bigots,
by people who are not in communion with the
Father. Many people look only for miracles,
for signs, but not for God. When we recite the
Our Father, we repeat a formula. But it can’t
remain just a formula; for the Father is
present, He is listening to us with outstretched
arms, He loves us infinitely in that and every
moment. So we have to feel this live
relationship with Him, this feeling of true
communion and be convinced of it.
The reason Christians are unable to mani-
fest God and His holiness to the world is
because of this lack of communion. Let us run
to the Father, and free ourselves of feelings of
guilt; because for Him, our faults don’t mean
a thing. Don’t try to analyse your faults; Jesus
offers Himself for us. Let us go to the Father,
like little children; it is He Who thinks of
everything, all we have to do is rest in Him.
It is God who puts both the will and the action
into you. (Ph 2:13)
My nourishment is carrying out my
Father’s will - Jesus came and died on the
Cross so we could go to the Father, not for us
to remain in this human condition. Jesus
always remained in perfect union with the
Father; He chose to do the Father’s will.
Jesus’ love is a sacrificial love: this is His path
and if we want to go to the Father our love too
must be sacrificed so it can triumph in eternal
communion with the Holy Trinity.
This is sublime love. What do we want?
Sublime love or the left-overs of earthly
love?
The Holy Spirit will guide you - Jesus
wants our souls to be totally surrendered to
the Spirit. Let us not then close ourselves
up, but open ourselves entirely, simply and
lovingly. Jesus told His apostles: Don’t.
worry about what you should say, the Holy
Spirit will speak for you in that moment.
How can I feel the Spirit in me? Our
hearts are like filters. Our souls know the
way that leads to God. Our aim is to be open
to the Holy Spirit, descend into the depths of
our souls, and we will be invaded by the
Spirit; whose fruits are: love, joy and peace
(Gal5:22). When we feel harmony, humble-
ness and fondness it means that our soul has
merged with the Spirit, and in this profound
union we will become efficacious means for
salvation, for God’s life runs through us.
Remain in silence and rejoice before
God - If we look at Mary we will see Her
own example of communion with God. Her
humbleness and simplicity permitted God to
be in Her. Our Blessed Mother stripped
Herself of everything to carry out God’s
will: I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let
what you have said be done to me. »
(O.R.S.)
Judgement of faith is not enough to remain in Christ, you need
Whoever does not have the Spirit of
Christ does not belong to him. (Rm 8:9)
After Peter’s profession of faith in Christ
(Mt 16) he receives a great blessing from
Jesus that fills him with a great power: the
charisma of unity of the Church. You are
Peter and upon this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of the netherworld shall
not prevail against it. (Mt 16:18) Peter
receives the promise that the mystery of the
Church will remain in history till the end of
time, and he receives this promise as a con-
sequence of his profession of faith. But, imm-
ediately after being the object of the greatest
blessing a man ever received, he also receives
the greatest curse: Get behind me Satan! You
are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as
God does, but as human beings do.
The Apostle is praised before all, then
severely reprimanded. Why? From a human
point of view, Jesus seems schizophrenic; in
reality it is Peter who is contradictory. It is
openness to the Spirit that permits Christ’s
logical continuity with the truth that comes
from Above. On a human, superficial level, it
is Jesus who quickly changes his mind, while
on a spiritual level, it is Peter who shows
difficulty in being constantly open to the
Light that comes from High. That is why
Jesus said to Peter: Blessed are you, Simon
son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Jesus had prepared a dialogue: Who do the
people say I am? From this general question,
however, He passes on to a more personal
one: Who do you say I am? Apprehension ..
silence. Then Peter receives Light, his soul is
opened by the Holy Spirit and he pronounces
the famous profession of faith.
So judgement of faith is important,
fundamental and always fruit of openness to
the Holy Spirit; but it is not sufficient. This
judgement of faith must continue in a perm-
anent openness to the Spirit. In fact, if you do
not live this way you cannot listen to what
comes from High and your work becomes
your own. That’s what happened to Peter,
who takes Jesus aside and reprimands Him,
not accepting what Jesus says anymore. This
is where the betrayal of faith is, not so much
in judgement, but in the lack of permanence
of judgement.
Why is Mary, Mother of God, not
accepted today? Judgement of faith says that
Her presence is indispensable, but in truth She
is not accepted because hearts are closed to the
fact that the Spirit can manifest Himself
today, that the Virgin can come to help Her
children today in a way we never imagined.
When Peter professed his faith he opened
his heart to the truth that for a Hebrew was
like blasphemy. The words that came from his
mouth were certainly not his words.
Immediately after, however, his heart closes to
the Spirit and he begins being fearful for what
Jesus is saying. This is the old Peter, closed to
the Spirit and incapable of remaining in that
initial state of openness.
It happens because we do not remain in
a state of prayer. The Pope would say not
remaining permanently vigil. Mary tells us:
To understand what you have to do, pray and
God will make you see where you need to
change and what you should do. Without this
continuous prayer, without being permanently
rooted in an openness to the newness of the
Spirit, judgement of faith remains but it
becomes a judgement that kills faith. Life
comes from a continuous openness to the
Holy Spirit Who is Lord and giver of life.
Being closed to the Spirit is the fount of
aridity, of the death of the Church, in
communities and in our personal lives. Faith
IVAN AND HIS VOCATION
Profound spiritual change in world
fruit of apparitions
The following interview of Ivan by René
Laurentin was taken from Chretiens
Magazine : "We have to pray much for the
non-believers. It is difficult to make others
understand the fantastic amount of love with
which the Virgin gives us Her messages.
Right from the beginning She came as the
Queen of Peace, saying: My Son has sent
me to help you. Men have to make peace
with God and with each other. The world is
in grave danger of destroying itself. My Son
sends me to show you how to remediate.But.
peace can't be obtained unless we help too.
Our Lady did not appear just for us
Croats, but for all men of every race and
religion that come here. The biggest sign of
these apparitions is the beginning of a
profound spiritual change in the world.
Many have become aware of how little and
miserable they truly are and have started
trying being better at making peace.
After 11 years of frequenting the
Virgin's school, I tell myself every day: it's
time for you to convert. It's not easy living
by proper values in a world that has wiped
them out. But it's up to us to change this.
People say that the messages are repetit-
ive; for me they are always new and unique
every time I read them again. We have to
talk less and work more. Personal prayer is
very important for one's spiritual walk.
Q. Now that there are less pilgrims, do
you find more time to work?
A. Yes, yesterday I ploughed.
Q. How should we recite the Rosary?
A. Without rushing, and adorn it with
intentions for our and others' needs. Medit-
ate on the corresponding biblical passages.
If you pray well, at the end you are stronger,
more joyful, more rested.
Q. What about fasting?
A. I was the first to receive the message
requesting fasts on bread and water every
Wednesday and Friday. In the beginning it
was very difficult for me, but now I am used
to it. It purifies and strengthens my faith.
We are asked to fast not just on food, but
other things too.
Q. Can you work properly on the days
you fast?
A. In those days the further away I am
from the house and kitchen the better it is.
Q. Ivan, you are 27 years old. What do
you think you'll make of your life? Jakov is
married now, what about you?
A. For the moment I will stay with my
family. I am kept very busy with prayer for
the youth. I am responsible for a prayer
group and I care a lot about this. I try to
spread Mary's message as much as possible.
For the moment this is my mission.
Medjugorje and the war - How many
men are stationed at Siroki Brijeg?
About 300. How many have died? 38!
All the more amazing then when we think
that not one man from Medj. has lost his life
- even though some have fought in Mostar
and other fronts. And not one person from
Medj. has been raped or wounded. The
peaceful Spanish UN soliders in Medj. are
quartered in the Compas bungalows.
Regular confession of our venial sins
helps form our consciences, [helps us] fight
against our bad inclinations, lets us be healed
by Christ, and [helps us] advance on the way
of the Spirit. By receiving often the gift of the
Father's mercy in this sacrament, we are
urged to be merciful like Him. (CCC)
openness to the Spirit
is sterile without this openness, this trust and
surrender to God Who is omnipotent.
If we look at the dialogue between Lazarus’
sisters and Jesus, we see that Jesus says, Do
you believe this? so Martha and Mary can be
open to the Spirit in that instance, because
either you are open now, or your faith does
not exist. When there is openness, it is open-
ness to the omnipotence of the Spirit.
Jesus reprimands Thomas, the doubter, for
not having believed in the possibility of
resurrection, because he was not open to the
unimaginable ways of the Spirit. This
reproach is seen in Mary’s teachings - we are
being called by Her not to think like Peter in
our limited humanity. When we are like this
we are cause for scandal, because the Spirit
always finds new ways, different ways to our
ways. It is the same scandal that made Joseph
think he had to send Mary away. Joseph was a
righteous man, but that judgement, in good
faith, was not enough. He needed openness to
the Spirit to make him accept Mary.
Being closed to the Spirit is a sin which
can never be forgiven. We can see this in
Judas. Jesus offered Himself for Judas right
up to the end, but his closure remained
impenetrable and he condemned himself.
Definite closure to the Spirit brings about a
seemingly irrevocable condemnation.
Judgement of faith that lacks openness
to the Spirit imprisons the life of faith, it
imprisons the Spirit, thus making us Satan’s
accomplices. The problem is not in knowing
how to cite the Bible, because Satan knows
how to do this too, even better than us.
Betrayel lies in this level, in taking it for
granted that the Spirit is dead - so our only
possibility is to recreate oneself, drawing on
one’s own capacities, on man’s abilities. It is
continually trying to find ways, different
ideologies, building on what comes from
human intelligence, never from what comes
from the Spirit. It is obvious this happens
because we don’t pray, we don’t remain in
communion with the Spirit, we don’t create
the conditions for us to be used as His
instruments. No one reflects enough on
Jesus’ 30 years of silence, and no one easily
plans 40 days of desert, of silence and fasts to
be able to face 3 years of apostolic life.
All things that do not come from Above
are used by Satan who takes advantage of our
weaknesses and [spiritual] wounds so our
activities are, deep down, expressions of our
old selves.
Nothing new comes from man, but every-
thing comes from the Spirit. Men only fool
themselves if they think they can recreate
themselves by changing the way of making
things. In the end they are the same and
nothing has changed. To change we need
conversion, we need the spark of the Holy
Spirit to change us. It is only the Spirit Who
manifests Christ’s lordship today.
There are moments in Jesus’ life where it
is more than obvious that Christ wins his
battle in the Spirit, and only in the Spirit.
After 40 days of fasts, of desert, of prayer and
offering, of opennness to the Spirit, Jesus is
tempted by Satan. Jesus, however, has already
won His battle, before being tempted.
When you are deeply placed in the
S
pirit
you have already won the world, Satan and all
his contradictions; you have already resolved
all your problems and sufferances; not
because they don’t exist anymore, but because
on a deep level they have already been
defeated. Let us learn from Jesus that in prayer
He was able to tell Satan, Go away, man
does not live on bread alone, because in the
depths of the spirit He already had love, light
and strength to win.
Fr. Giacomo
(notes from a spiritual retreat for priests)
MEDJUGORJE - DAY BY DAY
Our Lady said to Mirjana:
give me your hands
Fr. Slavko tells how Mirjana received
an Apparition on 18 March, her birthday,
and received the following message:
Dear children, My desire is this: that you
give me your hands. That way I will be able
to take you like a mother onto the right way;
I will be able to take you to your Father.
Open your hearts and let me enter. Pray,
because I am with you in prayer. Pray, and
I shall be able to guide you. I will lead you
to peace and happiness.
The Apparition lasted 7 minutes and
Mirjana said how afterwards she felt like
she was in a desert, like when one returns
from heaven (we understand little of what
returning from heaven could mean). This
time Our Lady did not talk about the secrets,
which sadden Mirjana, but she did not
forget to pray for the non-believers: those
who do not know God’s love. Another Our
Father and Glory Be was said for our inner
peace so we can transmit it to others.
Sr.Emmanuel was present (Alberto
Bonifacio also was) and she said how the
message made her think that: "if Our Lady
asked for both our hands, it means one isn’t
enough to lead us to Jesus. Who would we
lead by both hands? Very small children still
unsteady in their walking, or people with
handicaps and unable to walk without help.
Our Lady knows us, and in Her humbleness,
face to face, She takes us by both hands and
leads us to Jesus."
On the 2nd March, in her monthly
encounter with Our Lady, Mirjana prayed
with Our Blessed Mother from 9.50 - 10.50
am for the non-believers.
Fr. Slavko, we are planning to rent a house for
them. Love must now be born from this hate.
Q. You’ll need people to look after them.
A. Sr. Elvira said her boys know what to
do for they already offer assistance to the old
and have to feed them and change them. I will
help too, but finding people will not be a
problem. The important thing is love.
Love enemies and children of violence
Alberto Bonifacio met Mirjana on 25
March and asked her how we could
collaborate in bringing about peace for our
brothers and sisters.
A. Pray to God that He may give us the
strength to transmit peace to all, and pray
more for our enemies, so God may help them
understand what is right and what is wrong.
Do not judge and do not hate. Pray. We have
to consider them as our lost brothers.
Q. How do you feel about the tragic fight-
ing between Croats and Mulsims in Konjic?
A. As a Croat I suffered first for Comm-
unism, then for the war. I was taught that if
you carry your cross while on the earth you
will go to heaven. That is why I think we
Croats are a people chosen by God to carry
their cross to help Him, first with the Serbs,
now with the Muslims, who received food,
drink, everything from the Croats. Now they
are killing us. We are praying for them, to
give them love. We do not want people to call
us: "those poor people," for we feel loved by
God. I pray that there will not be hate; but it’s
easy to say when you haven’t lost your
family, your home, your town, just every-
thing. Above all we have to pray for the
children who have no blame in this. The Serbs
are Orthodox, but they have no faith. All they
have in their blood is war. If you look at
history you’ll see that the peoples have had to
succumb to them, otherwise the Serbs would
start a war. It was always them to start. Let us
pray to God that He may change their minds
and give them more love and more faith.
Look at the women who have been raped and
are now expecting babies .. it’s terrible.
Q. Now what about these babies - why
don’t you bring them to us?
A. No one wants the children to leave
their country, and now in Medj, together with
Jakov and Annalisa pronounce their vows
longer goes to the daily appointment with
the Gospa at 5.45 pm. Some of his
expressions make us think that he sees Our
Lady every now and again or perhaps every
day at a different time "when he prays."
Jakov, 22 years old, married Annalisa
Barozzi from Mantova on Easter day in
Medj. They met during Jakov’s long stay
(about 1 year) in her hometown. Fr. Slavko
blessed their wedding and Sr. Elvira’s boys
sang for the Solemn Mass. The bride and
groom will live in Medj. where they have
set up their home.
We know how Jakov can be reserved
and reluctant to talk about his personal life
and the apparitions and he doesn’t like
publicity. It is quite some time that he no
Brazil: where souls are open to
Mary’s wishes
We publish the following letter in its
whole: Dear Father Angelo, I write to greet
you and encourage you to continue with
your mission right to the end. A prayer
meeting was held on Friday 26 Feb. in the
parish church of Romanengo (Central N.
Italy), and guests were the visionary
Marija and Wayne Weible (American
writer, prior to Medj. a Lutheran). At the
end of the Rosary we heard Wayne’s
beautiful testimony and then Marija, just
back from Brazil, told us about her trip.
She said how happy she was to have
witnessed so much faith in the young
Brazilians. She told us about the meeting in
the big Cathedral in Rio and how it was
overflowing with people. The Archbishop
and many other bishops were also present.
Someone asked why the bishops were
there and they replied: "Because we have
seen how the people have changed after
coming to know the message of Medj."
And Marija talked about the message:
Don’t talk about prayer, but pray. Testify
with your lives not with words. She said
how the thousands of young people would
not let her out of the Cathedral after the
meeting. They wanted to keep on talking.
"Marija, we won’t let you out until you tell
us what we can do. Tell us, what does Our
Lady want us to do?" And outside the
Cathedral the Carnival was in full swing.
One young man said: "There are so many
people outside dancing in the streets, some
even for 24 hours non-stop. Surely we can
find time to give to God."
I looked at Marija while she was talking
to us and I noted how tired she appeared, yet
at the same time very happy. On some
occasions in Brazil she attended 3 different
meetings on the same day, with temp-
eratures reaching 40°C and over, at times
without a meal. Although she was tired, and
with only one kidney, she joyfully donated
herself. It brought to mind a message given
in 1985: It is my wish that you who are
weak begin to help, trustfully, and the Lord
will repay you with trust.
The joy of Marija’s testimony had become
contagious by the end of the meeting. I saw
how people who had arrived looking worn
out by the worries of life were transformed
and starting radiating the same joy and
peace to the others around them.
In Romanengo too, a bit like in Rio, the
people did not want Marija to go once the
From Sr. Emmanuel’s diary
15 April 1993 : * Exactly 1 year ago Easter
here was much more like a Good Friday, but
what joy this year in seeing the crowds return.
All the visionaries were present.
* Our bishop Paul Zanic’ has been
admitted to the hospital of Split for heart
problems. For our loving and intense prayer,
may the Virgin visit and console him.
* We hear many testimonies. One is from
a Bosnian priest who underwent cruel
tortures: "it was extraordinary when we met to
pray for our torturers..." Let us keep on
helping the prisoners with our prayers, for
there are still many thousands of them.
* Fr. Slavko has announced that the Youth
Festival will be held the first 5 days of
August, as usual.
* From chats with the visionaries we learnt
that the Virgin often urged them to read
spiritual material, and in particular the lives of
the saints. How true it is that the greatest
victories are won by holy people. Satan in
fact, said to St John Mary Vianney (Curé of
Ars): "With just three like you in all of France
I wouldn’t be able to put a foot in." Talking
about saints, they exist our days too, in the
poorest homes in Medj., that no one visits, but
that hide treasures of prayers and mystical life.
* Vicka reports that Our Lady is more
worried about the world's situation than that
in Bosnia & Herzegovina. Our prayers for
peace are more than ever necessary!
Vicka takes Medugorje to the USA
"Vicka recently spent 2 weeks in the US."
Peter Miller, distributor of English and
Spanish Echo in California, wrote to us on 25
March. He continues: "She stayed 1 week in
Chicago and 3 days in Los Angeles. The
people filled 4 churches in Chicago and in LA
I had to book 2 large auditoriums, as the
largest churches would not have held all the
people: 2000 per night with just 2 day’s
notice via word of mouth! Vicka said she
came to the US to bring Medj. to the people,
as most were afraid to travel to the peaceful
village.
I still take regular monthly groups to Medj.
Queen of Peace Ministry is the only Medj.
Centre in the US that has never stopped taking
pilgrimages there. We believe that as long as
Our Lady is present in the village, we have
nothing to fear. In fact, I’ve never heard of a
single incident where a pilgrim was harmed in
anyway in Medj.
There are many rumours here about this
being the last year of Our Lady’s apparit-
ions..." Dear Peter, We’ve heard this before -
lots of time! Don’t worry, we will know when
Our Lady stops visiting the earth when She
will stop appearing, and not a day before!
meeting had ended. They didn’t want that
joy to end. It made me think of the message
of 25 May'92: Start praying again and pray
till prayer becomes joy for you. Then you
will discover that God is Omnipotent in your
daily lives.
Let us pray that Jesus may grant us His
joy and be able to carry it to others. God be
with you. Paul (3 March'93)
Bosnia - no human remedy
the war continues
The blind-alley situation is ever more
tragic. The Serbs in Bosnia did not accept
the Vance-Owen "peace plan." According
to the plan proposed by the UN, Bosnia
would be divided into 10 provinces and
each one assigned to the larger ethnic group
present in each. The Serbs in Bosnia con-
tinue taking time, pretending to negotiate,
and laugh at the threats of military inter-
vention (the divided European nations are
afraid of doing this), and in the meantime
they keep on occupying those territories that
the UN had assigned to the Muslims. Nor do
they intend retreating from the ones they
have already occupied. So they besiege the
Muslim cities, where terrified inhabitants of
the villages have taken refuge, until out of
hunger or bombings, they fall. Now, after
the refusal, they are all the more enraged,
pushed by a mad and brutal "heroism."
What we saw happening in Srebrenica is
happening in many other cities. Their
objective is to unite the Serbs of occupied
Bosnia and Croatia to make Zara their port
for the great Serbia. The length of the
Croatian coast is held under fire by cannons.
It is feared the Croatians, who have had
their pride hurt, may react with violence.
The number of victims increases. There is
still no peace. Sarajevo’s agony continues,
and not only Sarajevo, but many other cities.
A further complication is the bloody
fighting between Muslims and Croatians
who are cleaning out their own provinces of
each other. Here we can see the iniquity of
the so called peace plan which could be
more appropriately named a plan of division
that legalizes ethnic cleansing. It is obvious
that people of different races can live to-
gether only with evangelical peace, which
we are all called to create in us and others.
This war is the purulent sore of Europe, and
shows up just how sick she truly is.
LATEST NEWS - The peace plan,
approved on 2 May by the leader of the
Serbs in Bosnia, Karadzic', has been rejected
by the parliament of the Bosnian Serbs,
despite pressure by the (Serbian) Serbs. The
situation is now open to an armed
intervention by the West, and depends more
than ever on our prayers and fasts.
Radio Maria antenna on former
Cultural Hall in Warsaw!
First message:
Merciful Jesus, I trust You!
Mary’s works grow, the requests for the
Father’s love grow more urgent. Jesus
knocks on all doors and throws open those
of the ministries too! Thanks be to God and
to His Handmaid, for on Friday 26th March,
at precisely 7.38 pm, after interminable trials
during the months before, the permanent
link up for Radio Maria in Poland was acti-
vated and transmission began via satellite.
The first message was: Merciful Jesus, I
trust You! Sr.Elizabeth was the announcer.
She’s from the same convent as Sr. Faustina
Kowalska who was beatified on 18 April.
Before becoming a nun Sr. Elizabeth
worked for a local radio station in Poland.
One evening, before Merciful Jesus in
Cracow where Sr. Faustina received those
famous messages, Sr. Elizabeth met Fr.
Thaddeus who launched the idea of starting
up a radio station. It was 11 February 1990,
the day of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Then came the chain of hearts between
Italy and Poland, that the Echo readers
know about and the idea was slowly
realized. Only God knows how many
prayers and sacrifices it took. Do you recall
Sr. Margaret Makarovic? She offered her
life for RadioMaria. From her deathbed she
sent a message to Fr.Thaddeus: "I offer
everything for Radio Maria." On 8 Dec. '91,
only a few hours after her death, Radio
Maria was transmitting for the first time in
Torun.
Things developed rapidly after that, with
its growing popularity and countless
conversions. Every diocese would like to
receive RadioMaria. 2/3of the Bishops have
already obtained a frequency and at 9 pm
every evening all the Bishops renew the
consecration of Poland to Mary, Mother and
Queen.
Then on 25 Feb.'93, Card. Glemp
summoned the director of Radio Maria: "I
would like to have your Radio here in
Warsaw to receive the programmes for the
millions of Catholics in my diocese, for
everyone." Fr. Thaddeus went straight to the
ministry. He found heavy traffic and was
stopped by the police. Finally, at 10.59 am
he arrived and obtained the frequency for
Warsaw and 13 others: the last ones
available, and just in time, for half an hour
later he would have found the doors closed
and the date expired. Who could have
known? Mary of course, Who sent her
angels to guide him.
In all there are 33 stations, for now. The
highest antenna is 198 metres, placed on the
former Cultural Hall in Warsaw, with the
statue of Lenin below watching as the world
rises. Just a few days ago another antenna
was erected in Katowice, an industrial town.
A satellite has never been used so well, and
never have there been so many debts!
We know the Holy Father reads Echo.
Our gift to him is our joy. We assure him of
our prayers and from him we invoke his
fatherly blessing.
Ivan P.
(We regularly send donations received for
Radio Maria in Poland to Fr. Thaddeus.)
Mirjana and husband during Apparition of 18 March
OUR READERS WRITE
Readers often ask for news about other
supernatural facts. Even though our
programme does not allow for this, we have
decided to give a brief mention of some.
- From Naju in Korea: Fr. Spiees, spiritual
director of visionary Julia, wrote to Fr.
Laurentin that on 14 Jan.'92, after 700 days of
lachrymations, Our Lady stopped crying and
there have been no more messages. An
isolated fact: drops of delicately perfumed oil
emanated from the wooden statue in early
May '92.
- Myrna of Soufanieh (Damascus): After 10
years of apparitions, Myrna stopped seeing
Our Lady on 26 Nov.'92. On the same date
the oil that healed so many stopped oozing
from her hands, and the blood stopped
flowing from the mysterious wound in her
side. In the last message Our Lady said: This
is the last time you will see me until Easter is
united. (The different Easters of the Catholics
and Orthodox).
- Emanuele Segatashja: The little seer in
Khibeho (Africa), who was pagan before
the apparitions and did so much apostolic
work in nearby towns, will soon become a
priest.
Mary cause of division
in married couple?
A brother from abroad writes about his
marriage that is breaking up. His wife says he
is too involved in apostolic work and she feels
he gives her too little attention.
Dear brother, The grace that you both
received, as a couple, through the sacrament
of marriage, must be rekindled; you have to
let it work in you. You must consider your wife
as your own flesh. Jesus will give you the
strength. It is the devil that wants to separate
what God joined. It would be preferable for
you to sacrifice your interests for hers. If you
rekindle that first love you will glorify God. I
am praying for you. You must pray together
with your wife. Fr.A
YOUTH 2000
UK - 25-30 August: 2nd Int’l Prayer
Festival, Aylesford Priory, Aylesford, Kent.
Fr. Slavko Barbaric and Ivan Dragicevic
will attend from 26-30 Aug., and there will
be an Open Day on 29 Aug with Fr. Daniel
Ange.
USA - 11-15 August: YOUTH 2000 has
been chosen by the World Youth Day
Committee in Rome and Washington, D.C.
to participate in Eucharistic Adoration
during the Holy Father’s visit to Denver,
Colorado, for the 8th World Youth Day.
Enquiries for the UK event: write to Youth
2000, P.O.B. 119, London SW7 5RH. Ph/
Fax: 071 370 0211
Enquiries for World Youth Day to the
appropriate sources in individual countries.
Who can say, "I did not
know?"
The Pope makes many appeals to the
leaders of the nations, (one in particular by
letter to the Secretary for UNO); his Easter
day message included the following appeal:
May the Pasqual announcement loudly
resound especially wherever violence,
anguish and despair still oppress individuals
and families, peoples and nations. How can
we keep silent today before the fratricidal
struggles causing bloodshed in Bosnia-
Herzegovina? Who can say: I did not
know? No one can consider that this
tragic situation is not their affair, which
humiliates Europe and seriously compro-
mises the future of peace. Leaders of
Nations, men and women of good will, with
my heart overflowing with sorrow, I appeal
once more to each one of you: stop this war!
Put an end, I beg you, to the unspeakable
cruelties whereby human dignity is being
violated and God, our just and merciful
Father, is being offended!
Jakov & Annalisa marry in St James church, Medj. Mirjana and family can be seen in first pew
Zealous but belated critics
Much evidence in favour yet their
eyes remain closed
A distributor wrote to say how leaflets
against Medj. were being distributed in the
local churches of her town, and among many
of her friends. The author of these leaflets says
he feels it his duty to inform the Medj.
devotees about the other side of the medal: if
it weren’t Mary speaking at Med., spreading
the messages would cause great harm to many
... because Satan comes as an angel of light,
making use also of apparent conversions.
Dear sister, do not let yourself be perturbed.
1. So far the truth has made its own way
through, and in the future too, Medj. will
defend itself with the help of all those who
accept Mary’s messages and start living a
new life. The leaflet says, If it weren’t Mary
speaking at Medj. The message is the same as
in the Gospel, and the world-wide response
and the many conversions show where it all
comes from - and it certainly isn’t the devil.
With what authority does the writer judge
the many conversions "apparent?" Do not
judge we are told. How blind can one be not
to see the plant that produces so much fruit?
It is the profound blindness of those who say
they can see. (cf. Jn 9:39-41)
2. Isn’t the situation in former Yugoslavia
enough to make people see that the church’s
lack of response to the messages of peace has
been fatal? Our Blessed Mother started telling
us 10 years before the tragedy broke out!
And now look at those people helping to
mend those infinite wounds (caused by
refusing real peace) and taking aid to so
many victims: it is they, the faithful of Medj.
Without even wanting it, they are testifying to
Mary’s work done in the hearts of men.
3. It seems that this zealous critic is rather
behind with his facts. Do you really think that
many of the Medj. devotees will let them-
selves be won over by the other side? We’ve
been hearing that side for 11 years, but Medj.
has not grazed by it. On the other hand, the
message has continued to be spread all over
the world, despite the battle it has met with.
Then again, why bother to bring up that
denigrating document again, that the Vatican
disapproved and the Croatian Catholic press
refused to print? Besides, since then quite a
few things have changed. Msgr. Zanic in a
few weeks will no longer be bishop of Mostar
and a year ago Msgr. Ratko Peric’ was
appointed his successor, and he thinks a little
differently. Medj. has been completely saved
from the war, yet the territory surrounding it
has been totally damaged, and during this
time the pilgrims have slowed down, but never
ceased.
Then let us recall that the Vatican removed
the investigating power from Bishop Zanic
and handed it over to the Commission of the
JEC back in 1986. They declared that a
supernatural presence could not be ascert-
ained (but did not exclude it), and they offered
to handle the pastoral side of the many
pilgrimages to Medj, thus encouraging them.
Finally, does not the Pope’s personal
opinion of Medj. say nothing to a Catholic?
He has never kept it hidden from the Bishops
who asked what he thought, and has always
encouraged them to go.
Let them sow wind, these zealous persons
of a lost cause; they will reap hail. Those who
have accepted Mary’s seed in their hearts are
reaping fruits of conversion and peace. The
truth is that Medj. continues to scare those
who want an accomodating Christianity.
Do not be perturbed, do not protest, for the
opponents of Medj. end up bringing grist to
our same mill. It is up to us, with hot coals of
love (Rm 12:20) and peace in our hearts, to
confirm the fruits of the Queen of Peace. She
will do the rest. Peace.
Fr.A.
SOLIDARITY
The hospital in Mostar has made an urgent
appeal for medical and sanitary supplies.
The people of Bosnia lack everything. God
bless those who continue organizing God’s
providence for them. He alone knows with
what sacrifice they do it.
Let us continue offering our support.
Contact your nearest Medj. or Caritas centre.
If you wish to send donations through us,
please indicate your intention. Make cheques
out to Echo of Medjugorje and send to us at:
Casella Postale 149, 46100 Mantova, Italy.
In GB, donations may be sent to the Medj.
Appeal, Unit J Lambs Bus. Park, Tilburstow
Hill Rd, Sth Godstone, Surrey RH9 8JZ,
England. Ph. 03-8827675
Bernard Ellis of the Medj. Appeal writes:
At a meeting in Belfast in March an umbrella
group called UNITED AID was formed to act
as governing body for other (esp. smaller)
charities who wish to assist refugees in central
Europe, particularly Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Each member will retain their own identity.
Its function is to consolidate aid in the UK,
provide more effective deliveries, be
supportive to one another, promote public
awareness. Any individual or organization
can join, being open to all religions and
denominations and shows no affiliations to
any political party.
Prime object: assist refugees and those
who suffer as a consequence of war.
Contact the Medj. Appeal for more info.
Your Donations during March-April:
For Medj. in the East: Lit.10,074,500;
Croatia-Bosnia: Lit.18,446,000; Radio Maria
Poland: Lit.6,453,000; Other: Lit.815,000.
The Marian Centre in Moscow is asking
for a German printing machine with which
they would also print Echo in Russian. Cost:
approx. 24,000 DM. We entrust the request to
our friends with Mary’s cause at heart.
The truth about Maria Valtorta’s:
"The Poem of Man-God"
It cannot be denied that Maria Valtorta’s
works were placed on the Index in Dec.'59
and the fact published in Osservatore Romano
in Jan.'60. 32 years have passed since then and
many things have changed. For example, the
Vatican Council II, the reform of the Holy
Office and the suppression of the Index which
thus has no further obligative value.
Back on its feet again after that hard blow,
Valtorta’s works continued to be a source of
incalculable benefit, for no one can count the
number of people who have discovered or
returned to the Gospel through reading her
works. Neither can anyone count the number
of priests (including bishops), religious,
missionaries, spiritual directors, and men of
God who nourished their souls on Valtorta’s
works, recommended it to others and used it
to help others. In fact, the editor has never had
the need to make any form of publicity.
The editor was never reprimanded by the
Ecclesial Authorities, who gave the impre-
ssion of wanting to let things go. The letter in
circulation which says to be taken from state-
ments by Fr. Philip, seems truthful at a first
glance, but right from the title the letter is
deceiving, wanting to pass off the Holy Office
(no more existing) as the Universal Church.
The well-known Mariologist and consultant
for the Congregation for the cause of Saints,
Fr.Gabriel Roschini, and the Italian Marian
monthly, Madre di Dio, both affirmed that
those who receive spiritual benefit from
reading the Poem may feel free to keep on
reading it and should hold no doubts about
doing so.
With all the materialistic propaganda,
pornography, religious sects and eastern
religions etc. that surround us, it is not
through reading the Poem that the faith and
moral attitudes of the Catholic will be
disturbed!
Daily bus service to Medj. from Trieste
- every evening at 6.00 pm. Cost: 50,000
lire one way. Where: the bus depot, adjacent
to the train station.
Sponsorship of Croatian orphans: Fr.
Jozo’s contact for Italy and Australia is
Matteo Rossi, Casella Postale 54, 54100
Massa, Italy. Bank acc. # 13000/63 Banca
Toscana of Massa. Indicate for Croatian
children. Tel. 0585/43653. Fr. Jozo sent out
a letter to thank the sponsors of the 2,000
children already sponsored.
IN THE FAMILY
* Missionary friends from all over the
world and consecrated people (religious in
monasteries or lay people out in the world)
often write to say how nourishing they find
Echo. Thank you for your friendship, for
encouraging us, for your prayers, for all that
you do!
* Echo will now be translated into Dutch,
thanks to Frank Van Strijthagen of Maas-
tricht. Albania will also now receive an
edition in their own language. For now a
small introductory booklet on Medj.,
complete with a catechism and prayers, is
being produced.
* Friends in Guam wishing to receive a
copy of Echo may write to Delfina Cataluna
who has offered to distribute on our behalf:
P.O.B. 1655, Agana, Guam.
* Please write to us if your address label
is incorrect or incomplete, and please
PRINT your correct name and address.
We entrust our awakening to Love to
Mary, while invoking a Holy Pentecost for
all.
Sped.Abb.Post.3/70 Aut.Trib.Mant.#13/8.11.86 Legal resp:
A. Lanzani, Printed by DIPRO, Italy - fax 0422-840804