Updates  | Medjugorje  | Messages  | News & Articles  | Videos  | Pictures & Photos | Site Map  | About  | Links  | Screensaver  | Wallpaper | Web Feed

www.medjugorje.ws » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace 108 (December 1993)

Other languages: English, Deutsch
Download (0.1 MB )
background image
Be like Mary, to generate Jesus
cally worthless; but for those who believe, it
is the greatest gift we could ever receive.
Indeed, what is man without Him?
In the second part, the message doesn’t
seem to promise easy times, but it does say
if we are really His friends, we'll have no
difficulty in being His testimonies in this
adverse world, even with great sacrifices,
because He will give us the strength and
joy. A special grace then to make us
perseverant in prayer and in testifying to
Jesus’ greatness before the nothingness of
the world. He will make us witnesses of
hope for those, who in this chaos, will lose
everything because they have lost God.
For all those who have responded to Her
call, She says: I am close to you, you can
always count on my presence. I pray and
intercede
always for you all, so you may
open yourselves to my eternal gift of Jesus,
and Satan’s deceipt will disappear. Fr.A.
December 1993, Month of the Immaculate Conception - Orig.Italian Edit: Eco di Medj., C.P.149,
46100 Mantova, Italy. Yr.8#9 - All mail to: Echo of Medj., Cas. Post.27, 31030 Bessica (TV), Italy.
Our Lady's message - 25 Nov. '93:
Dear children, I invite you in this time
to prepare yourselves as never before for
the coming of Jesus - that little Jesus
may reign in your hearts; for you will be
happy only when Jesus is your friend.
It will not be difficult for you to pray,
or offer sacrifices, or testify to the great-
ness of Jesus in your lives, for in this time
He will give you strength and joy. I am
close to you with my prayer and my
intercession. I love you and I bless you
all. Thank you for having responded to
my call.
Friendship with Jesus
brings happiness that helps us
overcome every difficulty
Our Lady mentions this time twice in
Her message. Every time is a great
opportunity of grace for us that we can’t
afford to lose. Like each year at Christmas,
when the apparition of the Child born for
us, of the Son given to us
, opens hearts to
the goodness and love that God has for men
(Tt 3:4). Our Blessed Mother says we need
to prepare ourselves like never before, for
the times are sad and being distracted by
anxiety makes us insensible to heaven’s
gift. So we need more concentration, a
return to prayer, fasting, participation in
Holy Mass as much as possible, sincere
confession that comes from true conversion,
and reconciliation with all.
But perhaps She is saying now like
never before
, because we need to receive a
much greater grace, to be able to face much
more serious events, in which the Lord will
come to purify the earth. Jesus must be our
viaticum for the great battle.
Mary does not promise a finish to wars,
disagreements, raging hate; but to those
who prepare themselves as never before,
She ensures an enormous help: little Jesus
and His friendship
. She doesn’t say that at
Christmas we’ll see Jesus reign in the
world, but that if we really want it, we’ll be
happy in discovering Him close to us
because He reigns in us as our friend.
Jesus says his friends are those who
listen to His word (Jn15). The word friend
has an extraordinary power: it can move a
person to the very core. Jesus the friend is
not a distant God, but a God that is close to
us and eternally faithful. To experience this
friendship is to experience how great and
powerful He is in us.
Then praying won’t be difficult, for we
will joyfully make time to stay with a
friend. For this Friend it will be easy to
offer sacrifices, to renounce, to overcome
temptations, to flee from sin. Jesus with us
is a happiness that can’t be compared with
any other.
This is heaven’s gift to us. To possess it
we must give all we have, like we would for
a treasure or a precious pearl. For the world,
the Christmas gift of little Jesus is practi-
Our Lady’s feasts in December
Besides the feast of the Immaculate
Conception (8 Dec.) we also celebrate:
10 Dec.: Translation of the House of
Nazareth
to Loreto in 1294 - it doesn't
matter whether by angels or a family named
Angel. At first it was taken to Tersatto near
Fiume, then to a laurel wood near Ancona
(hence the name Loreto). It is the Marian
Shrine we cherish the most for in that
house, the Word became Flesh.
18 Dec: A week before Christmas many
Churches celebrate Mary’s Expected Child-
birth. This feast has now been moved to the
liturgy of the 4th week of Advent.
Then there’s the Holy Birth of Jesus -
undoubtedly His Mother's greatest feast.
The secret of fertility
The law of spiritual fertility concerns all
Christians, who cannot remain in isolation.
To become the Mother of God (Mt12:50)
though, one needs Mary’s disposition - i.e.
a virgin heart like Hers: virginitate
concepit; and in intimate communion of
adoration before God, offer space to His
creative omnipotence. The Lord says:
"I want you to believe in my omni-
potence, not in your doing, so you will try
putting Me into action, not yourself or
others. Look for my intimacy, fulfil my
desire to have you, to enrich you, to love
you the way I want. Let yourself be loved,
let me find rest in you, let me vent my
omnipotence on you continually.
If you remain before Me and depend
on My will, without worrying about doing
things your way, racing to get things done
and say what you’ve done. you show Me
you believe in my omnipotence, and I will
work intensely on you when you speak, go,
work, pray, sleep; for I give to my beloved
what they need even when they sleep.
If you stay with Me without rushing, and
worrying about your needs, but totally
trusting in Me, I will give you all you need
according to my eternal plan. I will give
you the feelings that I want from you, great
compassion for others, I will make you say
and do what I want. Then your doing will
come from My love. I alone, not you with
all your activity, can generate new children
that are born from Me. The more you want
to be a true child, like my Only Begotten
Son, the more children I can make, for you
know that if you do my will you are my
brother, sister and mother: so as to generate
Me in others - for I shall give life to other
children by serving myself of true children.
The effort you put into doing things is
smoke compared to what I do in the secrecy
of the hearts of those who love Me."
» pg.2
Those silvery rays!
2nd apparition to St Catherine Labouré in
rue de Lubac, Paris (27.11.1930): Our Lady
was holding a small golden globe, repre-
senting the world in Her hands. As She held
it up lots of golden rings with precious
gemstones appeared on Her fingers. Light
shone from these all round. When the globe
disappeared, She put Her arms down and
outwards; curtains of light shone out over
the earthly globe beneath Her feet. Some of
these rays were golden, others were silvery.
St Catherine later explained that the golden
rays were the graces that Mary has already
showered upon us, and the silver ones were
the graces that She holds in reserve for us.
She will give them to us if we ask for them.
Let us renew our "alliance" with our
Mother: I am all yours Mary and all that I
have is yours! And you, Mother, will give
me all that I, in my ignorance, have not
asked for, and which is much greater than
anything I have so far asked for.
This alliance, similar to the one God
made with His people, is a perfect
108
background image
Pure chance ...
or loving response?
It surprised us that in Her last message
(25.10) Mary spoke for the first time about
the war in ex-Yugoslavia. It was as if She
were replying to that query put by one of
our readers in the previous issue of Echo:
«Why does Our Lady not talk about the
war, as if She weren’t interested in it?»
She not only talked about the war, She
revealed its causes: You do not live, or
you live too little that which I tell you... I
cannot help you if you do not live God’s
Commandments and Holy Mass and if
you don't reject sin.
It seems to confirm what we have been
saying for some time about the causes of
the horrific tragedy: Jerusalem, if you had
only understood on this day the message of
peace! But, alas, it is hidden from your eyes
...
truly: you did not recognize your
opportunity when God offered it!
(Lk19)
We should not be surprised that Our
Lady replies to Her children who ask, and
that She confirms their reasoning given by
the Spirit. She seems to say: Yes it is so,
just as my Son Jesus has said.
Refusal of absolute moral law
is mistrust in God’s wisdom,
and leads man to self-destruction
Advent: for consecrated souls
Oppose paganism of the heart
and live Eucharist
as gift of self
The worst way to affront Advent is to be
sluggish and not search for God’s will. This
is called paganism of the heart, and comes
from voluntarily refusing God, and replac-
ing Him with idols. We can’t wait for Lent
to purify ourselves. Destroying sin in us is
a task we must do always. A will for self-
purification is undoubtedly accompanied by
immense hope that the world will change,
for only through personal change can a new
humanity be born. If we Christians lose
sight of this, we lose all. When you are
rooted in God you also change and
transform what is around you.
Conversion
means being totally changed,
totally accepting God’s will. If a person
says he is converted, but keeps his own
ideas, opinions and tastes, his conversion is
false! Too many cling on to their old and
sinful habits for the sake of personal taste or
sentimentalism. Like this faith can’t grow!
Faith can only grow where a free heart says
an unconditional yes to a will that is not
ours, like in Gethsemane: that’s true faith!
Our God speaks, acts, intervenes; and
there is only one way of knowing if we
have faith in Him: if we accept His
manifested will
, like for example in Fatima
or Medj. And justifications are a waste of
time, like saying it’s not necessary to be-
lieve in apparitions in the Catholic Church.
No, you don’t have to believe, but it’s pride
and stupidity that stop you from using gifts
of God. You can't believe in the dogma of
the Immaculate Conception and not believe
that the Immaculate is alive and active!
God’s will is manifested in many ways:
God is always new and He moves us
through signs that we have to accept. That
isn’t easy because it means taking up some-
thing we hadn’t planned or even thought
about and which often we can’t see clearly.
St Paul says: If we already see it, how could
we hope for it?
A condition of a mature
faith is walking - always - behind the Holy
Spirit, and His ways are not ours. Faith is
not determined by us; that’s why old habits
harden the heart. It’s like, in good faith,
having already planned everything; and so
the Spirit does not dare to speak to you any
further because you’ve already predeterm-
ined it all.
Our "good" Christian way of living also
means having to learn to be turned upside-
down every day, for the Holy Spirit can
always intervene. Following the Holy Spirit
is the first real, great prerogative of our
faith. You see, Our Lady had not counted
on the announcement, but since She had not
planned anything, She was able to let
Herself be involved and taken by God.
From that moment on Her journey was done
with difficulty of the heart: in going after
things She could see but not completely
understand, from Simeon’s prophecy to the
finding of Jesus in the temple.
It’s time every consecrated person was
spiritually freer, more energetic in their
spiritual lives, and knew how to transmit
strength to those searching for something.
Priests in particular should start risking their
own lives a bit more, and forgive their
brothers and thus give the Spirit the chance
to speak to them too. We’ve got to get out
of those man-made schemes; otherwise
faith dies, and without faith one is unable to
see God’s will. There’s a blindness (cf. Jn
9) that corresponds to lack of faith and this
is the greatest sin for a Christian.
The mystery of Incarnation (Jesus with
us: the real discerning point for us all)
demands reverence, zeal, respect, and total
adhesion to the Blessed Eucharist
. The
world needs authentic faith in the Divinity
and Humanity of Christ Who is present.
Without a return to the Eucharist, paganism
will advance in all senses - even if actions
not leading to God are justified inHis name.
Christ is present: a Christian knows that his
hope and his happiness, even in times of
sorrow, is founded on Christ. If every day
our hearts are full of hope it’s because
Christ, alive and real, offers Himself for us
every day. The Eucharist is the live
presence of God in His perpetual offering
for man’s salvation. Indeed, Christ is: He
Who offers Himself eternally to save us.
Advent is also time for announcing the
Truth
, with all our might. Christians often
suffer from an inferiority complex and
don’t know how to announce. The first task
that comes from our consecration is to serve
and announce the Truth, which can’t be
substituted by just serving the poor, for this
is just humanism, not Christianity.
To be able to announce, invoke the Holy
Spirit, so He can convince us that our spirit
is not a spirit of timidity, but of power
(2
Tm 1:7). We can’t hide the truth in the
name of false humility.
The truth has to be
announced, always, in every way. Serving
the Eucharist
is constantly bending one’s
knees, bending down to Christ alive and
real because that way truth and hope can
reach all corners of the earth. The real
possibility of new heavens and a new earth
is found in the authentic presence of the
mystery of the Incarnation. Everything
must return to serving the Eucharist: our
actions, thoughts, pastoral work, our
announcing and leading hearts to Christ.
The Sacraments are for making known
the Eucharist, and it is in the Eucharist that
they find their full sense.
Advent is time for conversion to the Most
Holy. Mary would say: Live the Eucharist
well.
So: become part of the dynamics of
Jesus Who offers Himself eternally.
Niki
Pilate’s question: "What is truth?" reflects
the distressing perplexity of one who often
no longer knows who he is, whence he
comes and where he is going. Hence we not
infrequently witness the fearful plunging of
the human person into situations of gradual
self-destruction. For some, it appears that
one no longer need acknowledge the
enduring absoluteness of any moral value.
All around us we encounter contempt for
human life after conception and before
birth; the ongoing violation of basic rights
of persons; unjust destruction of goods
minimally necessary for a human life. But
more serious still: man is no longer
convinced that only in the truth can he find
salvation. The saving power of the truth is
contested, and freedom aloneis left to decide
by itself what is good and what is evil.
This relativism becomes, for theology, a
lack of trust in the wisdom of God, who
guides man with the moral law. (...) It is no
longer maintained that, when all is said and
done, the law of God is always the one true
good of man."
VS, #84
Pope
sign of contradiction
Sadly, in the western bloc countries it
seems that every word, letter or document of
the Pope is object of bitter criticism, dispute
and refusal. St Paul’s words to Timothy are
indeed true today: The time will come when
people will not be happy with sound
teaching ... and will be avid for teachers
according to their own tastes
(2 Tm 4:3).
Our Lady, in Her apparitions in Slovenia,
said to the priests: Return to the founts of
Christianity ... In the documents emitted by
the Church under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, can be found the foundations for the
spiritual revival of the Church... Many do
not care about knowing what they say. They
are works of the Holy Spirit... Ignoring
these documents of the Church is impeding
a new breath of the Spirit, who desires
reviving the Church and protecting Her
from the streams of evil and the dark forces
that assail Her.
(Sept. ’93)
You cannot imagine what danger - with
regards to doctrine and morals - the peoples
who lived under Communist dominion are
now exposed to; like how Satan tries to ruin
their priests now that all of a sudden they
are exposed to the western theories and
deviations, that they had not known before.
Too many are "soaking" them up!
This is what one young man said after
hearing the Sunday sermon: "The new
Catechism and the Encyclical on morals
(Ver. Splendor) are examples of abuse of
the power of the Church." I fear that many
think like him; but not all. Fortunately, some
think differently: "It’s impressive how the
new Encyclical of John Paul II confirms
man’s dignity and vocation in God’s
creative plan. Amid all the opposition, he
once again makes a point of explaining what
man’s true freedom is; and in his good and
loving manners, he makes us see the true
meaning of moral values in the life of man
and all society."
(Mir 24.11.93)
c
onsecration to Mary, so She may give
us what She wants, as long as we let ourselves
be used by Her the way She wants (as in St
Louis de Montfort's way).
pg1»
background image
SALVATION WILL COME
Letter for Advent to the "victim souls"
and all those who wish to be one
Peace to you sister, peace to you brother!
I am writing again, for I wish to travel
with you towards salvation, with Mary, in
Her Immaculate Heart. We shall read the
Scripture for Advent, divide it into 4 weeks,
and thus reach Christmas. Our Advent will
be one of prayer, adoration, fasts and
renunciation. Christmas is before you. It
will not delay - for it is certain it will be on
25 Dec. What do you expect for yourself,
for your family, for the Church, for the
world? What security do you expect?
Is there desperation, sadness, obscure
thoughts in you, that you are unable to free
yourself of? Are tragic prophecies making
you feel terrified, nervous or discouraged?
Have the liturgical messages of Advent
become a reality that no longer move you?
Has individualism, coldness, rejoicing for
the misfortune of others become your
virtues? Or do you even consider these to be
your indefeasible rights, and this encloses
you in sadness, ire, disrespect, bitterness,
and you argue continually? So you have
become sick, and without hope. But oh, you
only need to be aware of this, and you can
start looking out for salvation! I wish to
make an announcement of hope to you:
SALVATION WILL COME! Open the
doors of your heart to it.
God needs your consent, just like He
needed Our Lady's. Open yourself from
within. Don’t go looking for who caused
this closure, nor why it came about of your
own accord. Just simply start opening
yourself from within - because no message
that remains outside of you (whether it be
from Jesus, Mary, the saints, through you or
others) can change you if you do not
experience it as a message of salvation. God
speaks to every soul in the depth of each
person’s heart, calling each one by name.
The Saviour calls men in every situation and
aberration, and man can hear Him, even
there where he least expects it.
Pray with Mary! She heard the Lord
beyond Her every expectation.
She conceived in a humanly impossible
way, She bowed down before the Invisible,
the Incomprehensible, but the Almighty.
She believed in God and in Her, salvation
was realized. Her whole being blossomed
with salvation. For you Mary is Guidance,
redeemed Reality; She is the Mother who
makes salvation come about in you, like for
Elizabeth. And like Elizabeth, approach Her
with simplicity and sincerity,in prayer. Then
you will experience salvation. This is an
invitation for you to listen to what in you is
not being heard or accepted by you, so you
can take another step towards the fullness of
life; and allow the sorrow, death and
unhappiness still in you to bloom. Proceed
along the way to fulfilment of hope. May
your offering be complete joy in the Lord.
1. Victim souls are nothing special for
the Church!
They are Christians that desire giving all
to God, to receive fullness from Him. These
faithful are the heart of the Church, because
their wish is to do what Jesus wants of His
Church, with all their heart. Only Jesus,
Head of the Church, completed this "way."If
you wish to remain with Him in simplicity,
put yourself in communion with Him, like
Mary at the foot of the Cross. That is how
Her life with Jesus was, and now She is with
Him in the glory, and intercedes for all men.
Her invitation to the faithful in Fatima was
in this sense. The visionaries in Medj.
transmit the same message: «Offer your
lives for the salvation of the world. I am
with you and I thank you. In heaven you
will receive from the Father the reward
He has promised you.»
(25.2.88) If we do
not obey Our Lady, by offering our lives to
God, Satan will reap lives, like what he is
doing now in former Yugoslavia. (25.10.93)
Complete donation to God is fully
realizing oneself
(cr. Mt 6:24). When man
gives himself over to God, he is reborn; so
persecutions no longer keep him back, but
make him happy. The man who fulfils the
divine law of love, experiences full
realization of his being, for in doing so he is
similar to the Almighty One and transmits to
the others divine life. So, a person who
makes this offering of love regenerates
and saves the world
with God’s grace.
A person who lives this total donation,
can do everything! (cf. 1Co 13) He sees the
invisible in all things; through scientific and
mystical knowledge he can understand the
most hidden secrets, because he goes as far
as the infinite (idem.). Who can you give
yourself to totally if not to God? Who
wishes to give you so much as God? Who
can bring you to such complete fulfilment?
He is the only One who will not exploit you,
rather, He will multiply everything in you
one hundred fold. So get rid of your fears,
your narrow-mindedness; reject questions
that come from egoism, born in hearts that
only care about themselves. Give all to God,
so you can receive everything from Him.
2. Decide unconditionally for God!
Don’t worry about who you are, how you
are, what you do. Poverty, being refused by
others, life's failures, past sins and sickness
are not obstacles that impede God from
manifesting Himself in you! These are
obstacles for people who think in a worldly,
pharisaic manner. The important thing is
that nothing conditions you before God, just
like nothing conditions Him in His donation
to man, because He loves the good and the
bad (cf.Lk15). Your shortcomings should
become the conditions whereby you look
for Him and desire loving Him uncon-
ditionally. In this case, your shortcomings
would become your good qualities and
salvation would be close at hand.
3. Turn your burden into treasure!
Do you suffer in your family, or marriage;
do you feel betrayed by society, not fulfilled
in the Church? Are you carrying crosses,
wounds? Do you feel crushed by the burden
on your shoulder? This is the cause of your
illness, your unhappiness. You go to church,
pray, you consider yourself to be a good
Christian - but your appearance betrays
your unhappiness, your state of death.
Beneath that same burden, you can be-
come happy. If you carried a treasure over
your shoulders of the same weight as your
cross, you would be happy. So TURN
YOUR BURDEN INTO TREASURE!
Your cross is the weight of your sins and the
sins of your loved ones. Jesus wants you
and them happy. Who will help Him carry
the cross for you? Can you see He needs
you? Offer yourself willingly. Carry this
cross out of love for Jesus. This burden will
become a treasure.
It's not enough that you, as a Christian,
have a cross.
That which you did not offer
willingly, which you did not carry with
complete trust has remained in you like a
weight, because you were forced. Had you
been a mature, redeemed Christian, you
would have given yourself over to God
out of love
. Then you would be pleasing to
God, happy with yourself, and light for
others. Give yourself over to God willingly.
Present yourself to Him with love, with your
cross over your shoulders and say: "Father I
willingly carry this for my salvation and for
the salvation of those who laid this weight
on my shoulders. Forgive me and them. I
thank you for enlightening me with Your
love, enabling me to see how my sufferings
bear fruit. Grant that I may walk to you with
serenity and fidelity, like Your Son Jesus."
The darkness in you will gradually be
transformed into light which will illuminate
your face and your cross will become
treasure. Cross and sufferings, reality not
redeemed: in you these will be redeemed,
they will become a means of salvation for
the others. Turn your burden into treasure!
4. Offer yourself for your neighbour!
Your greatest sufferings are caused by those
closest to you: family, friends, neighbours.
You cannot get away from them, but you
are not at peace with them! To some you are
bound by family ties, to others by external
circumstances. Relations with these people
have been torn. You cannot escape! Either
you make peace with them in God, or you
suffer. Common realities and grace tie you
to them. Reconcile yourself with them! But
how, if they don't want to, or if they become
even worse? Don’t let this disturb you!
Hand over to God all that they robbed
you of or what you were denied and forgive
them. To God hand over your most inner
soul - where you accumulate words,
thoughts, hate, aggression. Present Him also
with your wounds, and starting from them,
implore forgiveness for those who hurt you.
Then God’s life will enter you: His peace,
His joy. Though nude, like Jesus in the
cradle, you will be pleasing to the Father
and in you the others will be able to find
reconciliation; they will find the child of
God that reconciles.
Conclusion. Christianity is not a difficult
way: it penetrates to the marrow of stones
and makes them tender. It is not a dark way:
it reaches out to the depths of darkness and
mortal desperation and regenerates people
back to life. It is not a way that conducts to a
pathological state, but life from which we
are born. Those who wish to enter this
reality must offer themselves totally and
simply, like Jesus. So that in Him and
through Him, new life is born: a totally
divine and totally human life!
Walk on with courage then, you too,
through the intercession of Mary. If you
keep on like this, despite your poverty, you
can make the world rich. Though you are a
sinner, a failure, you will be saved. From
death-desperation you will be reborn. So to
those who robbed you of everything you
will be able to give everything. To the earth
that moves towards desperation and
darkness, you will bring light. AND YOU
WILL EXPERIENCE SALVATION!
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
Amen. May the Lord let his face shine on
you and be gracious to you. Amen. May the
Lord uncover his face to you and bring you
peace. Amen. And the blessing of God
Almighty, the Father, and the Son and the
Holy Spirit descend on you and remain with
you always. Amen.
Fr. Tomislav Vlasic’ - Chieti
background image
Academy "rejuvenated"
in Lourdes pilgrimage
Thanksgiving for the 15 years of
Pontificate of John Paul II
Card. Andrej Deskur, President of the
Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate
recently guided a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
More than 100 members of the Academy
went to thank the Father for the 15 years of
Pontificate of John Paul II. The Cardinal,
together with the youth from the "House of
Mary," the priests and laymen from the
Academy, sang the Magnificat in front of
the Grotto to thank God for the great things
He has done in these 15 years of Pontificate.
To Mary he offered his Totus Tuus; that the
Pope and his Magisterium be always
stronger than every form of darkness.
The youth from the House of Mary, and
the members of the"All Yours" Association,
entrusted themselves to the Immaculate
Virgin - refuge of sinners and most loving
Mother - so as to receive the strength and
love needed in putting into practice the task
that the Pope entrusted them with: In a
certain way you should be Our Lady herself
who speaks, lives and works in the world.
With the third millenium of Christianity
fast approaching, the Cardinal desired
placing everything in the hands of Our Lady
in the place where She appeared with Her
most glorious title. (Osserv.Rom. 10.11.93)
So the Immaculate
is not just a name
The following comes from a meditation
by the Cardinal to the Associates of the
Academy in Lourdes. He began by talking
about the ties that bind him to the Pope,
from when the priestly vocation and devot-
ion to Mary of the youthful Wojtyla took a
turn under the influence of Montfort’s
Treatise; of when he was tonsured in the
Mass where Karol Wojtyla became a priest;
and when he worked as his collaborator
when Wojtyla was still Auxiliary Bishop of
Cracow. Then that gesture of charity which
surprised nearly everyone: Wojtyla had just
been elected Pope and the first thing he did
was go to the hospital in Rome to visit his
seriously ill friend (Deskur).
The Cardinal then asked himself: The
Marian Academy of the Immaculate had
been inactive for more than 70 years; why
has the Pope chosen to revive it now?
After Vatican Council II, in an atmos-
phere of ecumenism not fully understood,
devotion to Our Lady was being judged by
some as an obstacle for the reunification of
the Church. During a meeting on Mariol-
ogy, some even proposed dividing the most
important truths on faith regarding Jesus
from others regarded secondary.
This was an attempt to give Mary second
place. But this is not possible because the
mystery of Jesus also includes that of Mary.
By the will of God, the Immaculate became
the place where God became visible in the
form of man, like in a new earthly paradise,
and more again, She became the condition
by which humanity was able to meet God.
We need Mary, like every life needs a
mother. Neither Christian life, nor evangel-
ization is possible without Mary. At times,
Group photo in front of Grotto. Card. Deskur is in centre; behind him are the priests
under the pretence of Christocentrism, there
are attempts of putting aside Our Lady, who
is the concrete way in which God, in His
freedom, chose to be born into the world;
and through Whom He still chooses today
to enter the lives of souls.
So the creation of a pontificial Academy
is to remind us that the truths regarding
Mary are of prime importance. Many
"broken-away" Churches look for this
Marian devotion in Catholics. When some
Orthodox patriarchs entered the Basilica of
St. Mary Major and saw the mosaic of Mary
being crowned they said: "This is where we
are united!" But in some German towns
there is very little devotion to Mary after the
Council - because of the tendency to forget
or eliminate Mary’s role in the Redemption.
The Academy is dedicated to the
Immaculate Conception because this
mystery has a message in it which is
extraordinarily up-to-date:
1) the life of man is sacred right from
the moment of conception
, because in that
moment the creature is donated a soul by
the specific creative act of God; 2) the
grace of God is necessary
, without which
nothing in man is neither pure nor holy; 3)
sin exists; men must be reminded of their
responsibility before it, so they may purify
themselves through prayer and penance.
Our Lady says this also in Medj., but it’s
as though She were talking to the wall, not
to Her children! When I was in Switzerland
many children came to me, asking me to
confess them because they had no one to
confess them anymore.
Consecrated people are a cry of alarm
against sin. This is why a revival in Marian
devotion is necessary, with stress on the
value of the Immaculate, which consists of
contempt for sin, the necessity of grace, and
purification: the same things that She says
in Lourdes, Fatima and Medjugorje.
Also the title, Academy, is meaningful. It
reminds us of the Académie Française
which was founded by Richelieu to save the
identity of the French language. Here too
we have something precious to save.
The Academy of the Immaculate:
1) wants to save the identity of our
devotion to Our Lady, also by means of
theological research of the dogma of the
Immaculate starting from the first centuries
of the Churh; 2) wants there to be consecr-
ated people free of sin who make them-
selves available to serve the Church; 3)
wants simple people to be helped in their
devotion to Mary, not just on an emotional
level, but also effectively; drawing from the
treasure of piety that goes back as far as the
first centuries - which also requires a
certain amount of self denial, eg. the
difficulty of a pilgrimage. Our life too is a
pilgrimage with Mary following behind
Jesus, like She followed Him to the cross.
There’s too much "mind" in this world, and
not enough heart.
The fear of asking Mary too much
comes from the Lutheran concept of
Christocentrism. For Luther, Christ has
already done everything, He paid for all, so
men have nothing further to do. In the same
way they believe that any space given to
Mary will compromise Christ’s central role.
But it’s quite to the contrary: placing Mary
back in the centre is replacing God and His
plan back in the centre. Mary is Mater in
capite ed in membris
, i.e. She is the mother
of the Head (Jesus) and of His members
(us). Thus She is mother of all Christ’s
mystical body. It was Jesus’ will that Mary
be at the foot of the cross, in full acceptance
of His offering and of the mission She was
entrusted with; and in doing so She
collaborates in the spiritual birth of every
child of God (Redemptoris Mater).
That is why God’s children can ask Her
for everything with complete confidence
and total trust; and this is why they should
be docile to Her motherly guidance. D.M.
Our friend Armando Reschini, a
consecrated member of the "All Yours"
community and brother of our collaborator
Niki, died in a car accident shortly after his
return from Lourdes. Let us offer prayers
for his family. May this time of trial be a
fount of grace for his daughters, Elena and
Chiara members of the House of Mary, and
for his wife, Alma, who was to join him in
the Community with little Marco.
Efficacious method
for obtaining vocations
When Card. Wojtyla became Arch-
bishop of Cracow in 1964, the seminary
was nearly empty. His consecration to
Mary (Totus Tuus) gave him a certain
confidence. He made a vow to Our Lady: "I
will go on pilgrimage by foot to as many
Marian shrines (small or large, near or far)
as the number of vocations you will give
me each year."
» pg.6
background image
MEDJUGORJE NEWS
Extraordinary healing
The signs of Mary in Medj. have not
stopped, for She continues to work, with or
without publicity. All those who go there on
pilgrimage tell of graces received, but it
does us good to hear also of those
extraordinary cases of exterior healing.
Luciano Bossi from Varese (Italy) is a
45 year old, thin and shy man with two
daughters (10 and 5). His malignant tumour
had reached its last stage; the doctors gave
him a further 30 days. In spite of this he
decided to go to Medj. with a group of aid
workers. It was early August (1993), right
when the Youth Festival was being held.
Though he was exhausted and in pain,
his wife encouraged him to take part in the
evening functions; and he’d mumble: «If I
died now I’d be happy.» On the 6th August,
Feast of the Transfiguration, he was taken to
the feet of Mt Krizevac at 3 a.m. to begin
the climb and so reach the cross in time for
the Conclusive Mass at 5 a.m.
In front of him there were 6 youth from
Sr. Elvira’s Community carrying up a
person with cerebral palsy, while Luciano
was being helped up with great effort
because of the lack of light and the people
in movement. Stephen, the young man in
charge of the Community, noticed when
they were half way up and started clearing
the way for him.
From that moment on the fatigue left
him. He practically flew up and rapidly
reached the top, even before the others. He
was asked to sit down, but he made it clear
that something extraordinary had happened.
After the Mass he made his way back down
on his own and went with the others to Fr.
Jozo. He felt well and had started eating .
Back at home he says little and is easily
moved. He shuns publicity. He returned to
Medj. to thank Our Lady at the wheel of an
aid vehicle. He is now in good health, while
the doctors are unable to give an
explanation. They are waiting on the results
of a final blood test: the doctors say the
tumour cells are the last to disappear. CD
Hail Marys, Glory Be’s and the Creed, we
began straight away and we still say them.
The same with fasts; She asked on a
Wednesday and we began that same day,
and we still fast on bread and water on
Wednesdays and Fridays.
When our Blessed Mother said we
should reconcile, we prayed for as much as
half an hour before each Mass to renounce
Satan and his evil ways. Our Lady wanted
this reconciliation for it is only when we see
each other as brothers that we can pray
together and understand His word. Hate
makes us unable to understand anything.
Grudges and worries that come from harm
done to us impede us from praying.
That is why Our Lady repeats: pray
before the cross
(...) A.Bonifacio - Siroki
Brijeg, 16.10.93
Fr. Jozo:
like in the first days
(...) Our Lady says we need to accept
prayer with enthusiasm like in the first days
(25 Sept. ’93). I remember how we used to
pray day and night in the church. We were
so anxious to understand what Mary wanted
from us. We told the visionaries to tell us
everything that She asked, for we wanted to
do everything She wanted.
When She said Pray, we prayed as one
big family. Our people were already used to
praying, but in the beginning of the
Apparitions there was a special enthusiasm
in us all. Many worried about finishing the
prayer and said: "Let’s stay a bit more, it’s
not nice to finish praying."
New groups would keep on coming,
even during the night. Midnight and midday
were the same: the church was never closed.
People prayed everywhere: on Podbrdo,
Krizevac, in the village ... the homes had
become like houses of prayer. When Our
Lady asked us to pray the 7 Our Fathers,
News from the Blessed Land
(from Sr. Emmanuel’s diary)
* The bridge of Mostar, which gave the
city its name (Stari Most = old bridge) has
been destroyed. It was the last of 17 bridges
that united the Muslim part to the Croatian
part of the city. It fell piece after piece into
the Neretva River under a storm of grenades
on the 9th November. Built 4 centuries ago,
it was a work of art of Turkish architecture
and a symbol of the history of Bosnia and
Herzegovina. Now the city has been cut in
two. Some families took refuge in their
cellars months ago out of fear: stepping out
while the Croats and Muslims fight could be
fatal. But there are also magnificent
examples of enemies helping one another
out, despite the hate that hangs so heavily in
the air.
* Croatian refugees continue to pour in.
The number of camps which receive them is
increasing. Winter is upon us and we can’t
imagine the suffering of these mutilated
families, of these people torn from their
land. They have nothing left, but the
Kingdom of God is theirs!
* Vicka’s arm causes her to suffer
from time to time, but she is not
preoccupied about it. Some friends from
abroad, worried about the mysterious
illness, had suggested she have it examined
by specialists, but after having discussed it
with the Gospa, Vicka told them it was not
necessary. We are therefore relieved. It is all
in the hands of Our Lady.
* Prayer for non-believers in France -
Marija was here in Medj. for a few days.
Her trip to France moved her a great deal.
She felt an urgent need to pray for this
country. Every day she and Paolo would go
to a different church to pray and receive the
apparition. She said: "The faith is almost
dead, the churches are neglected, empty,
lifeless. What a tragedy!"
There is good news too, however, for
precisely in France Mirjana’s invitation to
pray for non-believers is spreading. On the
2nd of every month, in communion with the
Mother of God and Mirjana, people are
gathering in small groups and praying for
atheists. These small groups are multiplying
and the many signs seem to confirm that the
Virgin is happy for this.
* During a brief visit by Jelena to her
family, She was asked about Satan’s role
in the world today
. She told us she’s had
quite a few experiences, allowed by God, to
better understand the fight against the devil.
One day Our Lady showed her how he was
intent at preparing some perverse plans to
destroy God’s plans and so have access to
the whole world. His great power was
evident. On another time Jelena was aware
of his extremely violent desire to destroy
Medj., her prayer group and all that is good
in the world.
* Love is the scope of spiritual life -
Our Lady is looking for our love; it is Her
wish to renew the world through us. Infact
to Ivan, She taught a basic point for the
growth of prayer groups. The visionary
says that in prayer groups love should
circulate liberally, that it must never allow
prayer to become monotonous. Even a walk
or an excursion can help us to grow in our
spiritual life. Love in a prayer group is
more important than prayer itself. To Jelena
too, Our Lady said that the purpose of life
is not prayer, but the love of God, and
prayer is a means to reach that.
* Resurrection of a drug addict - Sr.
Elvira’s Cenacle Community in Medj. is a
place of constant victory over death. An
example: A young man with Aids at the last
stage, arrives and asks to die there with
them. In that environment of prayer,
brotherly love and total trust in God (Who
can do anything), his health starts
improving in an extraordinary way and he
is now living praise to Mary’s mercy.
When he arrived he weighed 40 kg, he now
weighs 80 and is able to work 8 hours a day
like the others. Medical tests show the virus
is still present, but not active.
In Medjugorje Mary donates peace to
refugees.
Philippe, a member of the French
aid association has been in Medj. for quite
some months to help the many victims of
the war. He started up a new form of
apostolate by organizing weekly pilgrim-
ages for refugees. He has already brought
many buses from various places. He arrives
with them early in the morning, then
someone from the parish takes them up
Podbrdo. They are given breakfast and
lunch and in the afternoon they have time to
relax (see a film, confess). In the evening
they participate in the Rosary and Holy
Mass. Listening to them we learn that inner
healing is taking place, that they start
hoping again and find a new serenity; and
this tells us what a great gift Medj. is for the
suffering soul of the Croatians.
Justice for 2 (suspended) Franciscan
monks has finally arrived. Ivan Prusina and
Ivica Vego were suspended by Bishop
Zanic’. Vicka had asked Our Lady about
this at the time, and now 10 years later the
Supreme Court of the Apostolic Seal, on
March 27, 1993 said the penalty inflicted
upon them by the Bishop on 7 Jan. ’83 is in
contrast with Canon Law. Their expulsion
from the order and reduction to a lay state is
thus not valid. Unfortunately, Ivica Vego,
unable to stand the state of inactivity forced
upon him, had in the meantime married.
The wife of Arafat, (a Christian) visited
Fatima "to thank the Virgin for the holy
peace between Palistinians and Israelis."
The Palestinian leader had planned to
accompany his wife, but had to cancel
prior to departure.
background image
Anguished Appeal
Fr. Leonard Orec’, who has taken care
of refugees since the beginning of the war,
has broken his silence to say: "Evil has gone
beyond all bounds. A few days ago the
Muslims occupied Vares which they had
been holding under siege for some time.
More than 15,000 Croats have now been
turned out of their own homes. After Jajce,
Travnik, Kakanj, Bugojno, Fojnica, Konj-
ic’, etc., another city is without a Croatian
population. Don’t you find it sad that after
having defended their own Catholic faith
and national identity for 530 years, they are
now turned out of their own homes while
the whole world just sits back and
watches?! These people will engross the
stream of refugees who have no where to go
- now at the end of the 20th century! The
same thing will probably happen to many
other Croatian towns, from Kiseljak to
Prozor, bound to be ethnically cleansed by
Muslim forces who feel freer and stronger,
now that the hostilities with the Serbs in
central Bosnia have come to an end.
From the start of the war we have always
helped the Muslim refugees who came to us
for help, and we’ll keep on helping them.
But it hurts to see that they who were once
our friends are now persecuting the
Croatian peoples. Like we protested before
against the genocide of Muslims by the
Serbs and for all the crimes committed in
whatever part of the country, we will now
protest much more firmly against the
genocide and damage done to the Croatian
Catholic population of Bosnia."
Fr. Orec’ asks us to make appeals to our
governments and organizations; and to send
aid to these exhausted and abandoned
peoples.
(Split, Nov.’93)
News regarding Bosnia-Herzegovina
has unfortunately not changed. In spite of
all the agreements, the UN humanitarian
convoys
are not getting through to the
peoples most in need. The lives of nearly 3
million civilians, already suffering from
glacial temperatures, depend on this aid that
is not arriving. The Muslim offensive
continues to tear away territories and towns
from the Croatians in central Bosnia. A new
diplomatic initiative proposes compensating
the Muslims with territory that had been
occupied by the Serbs, and in exchange the
sanctions imposed on Serbia will be
reduced. A miracle is needed here though
for an agreement to be reached.
Franic: a personal miraculous
experience made me certain
about Medj.
Archbishop emeritus of Split, Franjo
Franic, is one of the most respected bishops
in Croatia and one of the most authoritative
in the Church. A good and wise bishop, he
opposed Marxist atheism with wisdom and
loyalty; he foresaw the end of Communism
well before it could have been imagined;
and he has fully accepted the messages of
Medj., as we can see also in this interview
by Stipe Pudja in Glas Mira, Nov. issue:
Q. Father Bishop, what is Medjugorje
for you, and how has it effected your life?
A. The phenomenen of Medj. is to me a
continuation of the messages of Lourdes
and Fatima. These messages invite people
today to convert to God through prayer,
penance (especially fasts) and reconcil-
iation
of persons, populations, religions and
cultures through daily forgiveness and
brotherly love. This is the same thing as
Christ’s warning: Unless you convert, you
will all perish in the same way!
Q. Does your opinion on the messages
coincide with what many pilgrims say about
having experienced a change in Medj. too
difficult to explain in words?
A. I personally experienced a profound
inner invitation in Medj. that made me
understand that I too had to convert. The
same thing has been felt in this holy place
by many pilgrims from all over the world.
We know God is present everywhere with
His mercy and that He can distribute His
graces wherever He wants. Nonetheless. we
know since the beginning of the Church that
there are places where God grants graces
and spiritual and bodily healings more than
in others. I became aware of this also
because of the many healings that have
happened in Medj., and which continue to
happen.
Besides this, I had my own personal
experience, which I consider miraculous,
and this convinced me that the messages of
Our Lady in Medj. are authentic. I have
never seen Our Lady, and I prefer not to
talk about my particular experience because
it involves other people. I have written it all
down and keep it as a secret in my files. It
can be revealed only 30 years after my
death, if anyone will be interested in it then.
It regards a prophecy that has come true.
Since then Jesus’ rule: you can see what
the tree is from its fruit,
is my guide. * *
SOLIDARITY
We are our brothers’ keepers!
It is now very difficult to get into Mostar
and many other centres in Bosnia and
Herzegovina that were previously receiving
aid; but it is urgent that we help the
refugees
, spread all over from Herzegovina
to the coast. The UN and other int'l aid
agencies are able to deliver to the peoples of
central Bosnia. Let us pray that they can do
so without danger.
Urgent appeal from the hospital of
Mostar: medical and sanitary material
desperately needed!
Contact your nearest Medj., or other
collection centre. If you wish to send in
donations through us, please say what the
money is for and make cheques out to: »
» Eco di Medj. Mail same to us at: Casella
Postale 149, 46100 Mantova, Italy.
In GB the Medj. Appeal accepts donat-
ions and material. Contact them at Unit J
Lambs Bus. Park, Tilburstow Hill Rd.,
South Godstone, Surrey RH9 8JZ, England.
The Medj. Appeal advises: "we have
opened up a warehouse in Medj, with full
approval and support of the Franciscans and
the local community. It is being manned by
two men and is a joint Anglo-American
initiative. Already deliveries on a daily basis
are being made to various refugee camps.
The plight of the thousands of refugees
is desperate. No report can describe the fear,
the desperation and the horrendous situation
which confronts these human beings. They
are people, not just refugees, and if we can
we must help them."
URGENT APPEAL - Pressing appeals
reach us from friends involved in aid
delivery to the refugees
. Fr. Orec’ says
what they need the most, besides food
supplies, medicinals and detergents
is
wood stoves (for heating and cooking),
woollen hosiery, underwear and footwear.
An appeal for Europe; if you own a van
or truck: your help is needed! Contact a
collection centre near you.
Fr. Jozo’s initiative for sponsorship
of Croatian and Bosnian orphans
-
contact: Matteo Rossi, Casella Postale 54,
54100 Massa, Italy. (phone: 0585-43653).
pg.4» From that year the seminary started
being populated with young men. In some
years as many as 50 entered the seminary.
When he was elected Pope, there were
nearly 500. He of course kept his promise
with joy; and so his life as Archbishop was
a continual pilgrimage... which continues!
(Deskur)
Hushing those who lie
The Church has not "warned against
Medj." as some have said. To put us and
these people at peace, the following is what
the Bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, declared
during a Confirmation celebration last June,
when he brought up the three points
established by the last declaration of the
Bishops’ Commission (11 April 1991):
Medj. has been officially accepted as a
place of prayer and cult. A liturgical/
pastoral team has taken upon itself to ensure
the correct form of cult to Mary is main-
tained in the celebrations of the parish.
The Commission declared a NON
CONSTAT DE SUPERNATURALITATE.
This Latin expression means that in the
actual study phase it is still not possible to
affirm a supernatural presence in the appar-
itions, but that the question remains open.
There is another expression that the Church
uses to express a negative (definite)
judgement: constat de non supernatura-
litate
, but the Commission did not use it.
The two Latin expressions are similar,
and that’s why many misinterpreted the
former with superficiality, thinking it was
negative and forbidden to go to Medj. The
contrary is the case: i.e. that the ways are
still open to a recognition of the super-
natural in the events. Of course, the Church
cannot make a definite declaration while the
events are still going on.
(cf. Stella Maris, Sept. ’93)
Sound advice by St Francis De Sales:
«Our Lord loves with a most tender love
those who are so fortunate as to abandon
themselves totally to his fatherly care,
letting themselves be governed by his
divine providence, without amusing
themselves in considering whether the
effects of his providence will be useful,
profitable, or harmful to them. They are
well assured that nothing will be sent from
his fatherly and most loving heart, nothing
allowed to happen to them from which he
does not draw good and profit for them. All
that is required is that they place their
confidence in him and say from their heart:
"I commend my spirit, my soul, my body,
and all that I have into your blessed hands
to act in accordance with your will."»
background image
MODERN
SPIRITUALISM
Bible speaks clearly:
abomination to the Lord
Many write to ask about the practice of
communicating with the dead - which
seems to be spreading. It is done in various
forms: at times messages are given through
automatic scripture, or recorded on cassette
recorders, or other ways again, like asking
"visionaries" for answers, who receive
surprising replies from their "spirit guides."
There’s even a movement (going under the
name of hope ) for parents whose children
have died a sudden or tragic death. It shows
these parents how to communicate with
their children. Some say they’ve found their
faith through the messages received, having
found comfort, joy to live and help in
prayer. So what can we say about all this?
I’ll try to be as clear as possible, even if
the space is limited. It must be said straight
away that the desire to communicate with
the dead is as old as man has lived; because
of emotional ties, or to ask for counselling,
or enquire about the future.
These days, besides the traditional method
of asking mediums who give messages
when in a trance, other methods have
become popular: like the use of a glass or
coin and lettered cards ("Ouija" board),
automatic scripture, psychophony or
psychovision (with recorders, TV sets,
radios, computers, telephones etc.). Accor-
ding to Mons. Casale, archbishop of Foggia
and president of the Study Centre on New
Religions, 36% of high school children (in
Italy) have participated in seances, and 17%
of these believe they truly made contact
with spirits.
What does the Church say? All the forms
[of inovking the dead] listed above are a sin
against the first Commandment.
The
Bible, i.e. God Himself, says that those who
invoke the dead, practise divination or
magic are abominations to the Lord. In
Deut. (18:10-12) there is a complete list of
these aberrations which all depend on lack
of faith, and consequently from searching
for truth outside of God. The [new]
Catechism of the Catholic Church (no.
2116) confirms this condemnation.
Let us also take a look at what two
Ecumenical Councils (those of Lyons and
Florence) say: that the souls of the dead,
immediately upon their death, go either to
heaven, to purgatory or to hell. Spiritualism
makes people fall quite easily into various
errors that are totally incompatible with our
faith. For example, the belief that after
death, souls are given other chances of
being able to save themselves. The Bible
clearly tells us that only in this life does man
have the possibility of choosing his eternal
destiny, which in God’s plan is eternal
happiness for all.
Another common error is believing in
reincarnation. Let it be clear to all that it is
not possible to believe in reincarnation
and in resurrection.
They are utterly
incompatible! Christians believe in
resurrection. If a Christian believes in
reincarnation then his faith is vain, like St
Paul strongly says. Yet these days it is
calculated that one quarter of the Italians
believe in reincarnation, though they call
themselves Christian.
"I’ve rediscovered my faith ... they’ve
done me good ... they pray and they teach
me to pray ..." All these statements are
based on error, because the objective
goodness of a message is not enough to say
its origin is good. When the devil speaks in
the NT (eg. when he calls Jesus the Son of
God, or when he invites others to go and
listen to St Paul’s teachings) he is saying
things that are true and good. The devil is
crafty - like those magicians who fill their
studios with sacred pictures even though
they are connected with the devil.
The Lord wants our faith to be founded
on His word (the Bible) and on the
teachings of the Magisterium of the Church.
That is why Jesus founded the Church, and
gave the Apostles and his successors that
commitment to: "Go ... preach ... baptise ...;
listening toyou means listening to me." This
alone is the way of God for Christ’s
followers. God can also reveal Himself
through other "supplementary" ways so as
to reach all those people to whom the
evangelical message does not arrive direct -
and this is because salvation is offered to all
men, even those who lived before Christ.
The dead live in another dimension and
have other interests. They can intercede on
our behalf and receive our prayers (of praise
of God and of intercession). Trying to make
them become involved in our problems is
just pure egoism - and the devil takes
advantage of this tendency, even in a direct
manner. Real apparitions are something
entirely different. They are permitted by
God; they are a free and unexpected gift;
and they are never provoked by human
means.
Fr. Gabriel Amorth
couldn’t find. She feared everything and
everyone and didn’t have the strength or
the will to return to her family; though she
did try once but was met with a few harsh,
arrogant words of accusation.
"It was another time though," she tells,
"that I felt things were different. My
parents were calmer and there was some-
thing in them that attracted me. It was then
that they spoke about Medj., Our Lady, the
messages, prayer, fasts and peace. And my
heart had almost reached out to it, but I
closed it up with a sense of contempt and
profound hate. After that meeting, with all
those radiant faces, talks of prayer and
monthly confession, I was just irate. I went
back to my old friends, but my parents
were being more patient with me, they
didn’t get as angry; and this made me
furious. The emptiness in me was
frightening, it dried up every drop of joy
still in me and reflected on my face
mutilated by ire.
My parents decided to return to Medj for
Easter. Dad, Mum and my brother were so
happy; and I was out of myself with anger.
As much as my mother had tried to
persuade me, with all her patience and love,
I refused to go with them. I stayed home on
my own, but I felt so tormented: where to
go, what to do? Thinking of my friends, the
drinks and amorous meetings didn’t help. I
felt totally lost, and amid this confusion I
decided to go to Medj. I got there after a 30
hour trip and found my family with the
help of a priest. I told him that I didn’t
really know why I was there, but he smiled
and said: "The important thing is that
you’re here. Our Lady will do the rest."
That sounded wonderful, but the first
days weren’t good. I went up the hills, but I
thought it was all crap and thought the
others were so naive. Then it was Holy
Thursday - but I didn’t even know what it
meant anymore - and my mother invited
me to the evening functions. "How long
and boring," I thought.
After the Mass there was adoration, so I
went to the chapel too and knelt down.
Then all of a sudden I understood: God
exists, love exists, life is a gift. And after
the bitterness and the anxiety, my heart
experienced serenity, peace and tenderness.
And I understood: parents are wonderful,
prayer is meeting God, the Church is our
mother, Our Lady is the Mother of
pureness, goodness, love and consolation,
She is the woman who wins. Everything
was new; and now I live in a community. I
pray, fast, adore, and act as interpreter for
the youth."
(From Glas Mira, Sept. ’93)
Silent love
makes impression in
young woman’s cheated heart
The many accounts of personal stories
involving Medj. show how only the hand of
God can get to the bottom of a person’s
heart and radically change it.
This is the story of a young woman who
lives in a religious community in Medj. She
was born in a Catholic family; her parents
practised their faith, but from when she was
a little girl, she felt nauseated by everything
they did. At first, out of respect, she hid
these feelings from them, but when she was
only 13, her heart was already distant from
them, from prayer and from God.
One day she took flight, as it were to say.
She started going out with her friends till
late at night, drinking and smoking. Drugs
became an ordinary part of her life; she left
school, and gave herself, soul and body, to
"free thinking programmes," which her
friends offered her. She quickly sank into
the muddy stream of immoral life.
Her dream had come true: no one could
tell her what to do. For her the others were
all cowards, failures or just ignorant. None-
theless, she was tormented by a constant
empty feeling, which contributed in making
her more nervous and aggressive. She had
everything she had ever dreamed of, but she
was neither happy nor satisfied, and she
threw herself all the more into drink and
drugs; but things just got worse. In front of
her friends she feigned happiness, but her
soul was in anguish for something she
Excellent spiritual guidance, thanks to
our Blessed Mother, is found in the books
we mentioned in Echo 106 (page 3). The
meditations of Frs. Slavko and Tomislav
are sent free to whoever writes asking for
copies. Available in the principal languages
Address your enquiries to: Amici di Medj.,
Via Nirone 9, 20123 Milan, Italy.
Donations for October-November:
Medj. in the East ...... US$ 4,555.00
Bosnia-Croatia ......
4,280.00
Radio Maria Poland ... 970.00
Mother Theresa .........
606.00
Other ................
100.00
background image
The picture of the Pope in Our Lady's
arms
(Echo 105) is not a miraculous photo
come out of who knows whose camera. It is
a painting from Cracow in Poland.
Running around after the "fantastic"
stories of miraculous photos impedes our
conversion
. Enjoy the photos; don't worry
about the whys and wherefores of them!
Satanism in the world of
pop music
At the Youth Festival we met twin
sisters, Anna and Maria Barrett, who told us
of their incredible experience. We say
incredible because they both work next to
the stars of pop music; one as a wardrobe
mistress, the other in the editing of records
and cassettes. Their sound faith is indeed a
pleasant surprise.
Anna says: "We’ve worked for 10 years
and by now we really are tired. It’s hard,
especially because of the heavy satanic
presence that we’ve discovered exists in this
world. We’ve had lots of strange experi-
ences with the negative, with Satan and the
people consecrated to him."
Q. What type of experiences?
Anna: Well for me I thought it was
strange that when the various companies
ordered the costumes they always wanted
satanic symbols, or something that mocks
the Church, priesthood and Our Lady.
At first I thought it was just a fashion
that didn’t mean much, but then I found out
it was done on purpose to glorify Satan. Of
course I didn’t have anything to do with it,
but it made me feel anxious about the youth
who are so enthusiastic about their concerts.
It saddens me to see them so infatuated by
the "stars" while these are surrounded by
darkness and deceipt.
These singers are so full of satanic
symbols, and they participate in such
horrific rites, it would make your skin
creep. If only the youth knew what they’re
being captured by when they buy their
concert tickets!
Maria: There’s little attention given in
the Church to the role of Satan. The young
people in particular still think of him as a
cute little angel with horns; and yet
thousands of youth celebrate the devil,
without knowing it, in the words and notes
of songs. The editors of these songs know
only too well though what they’re doing,
for their job is to multiply souls for Lucifer.
Did you know that last week a self-declared
satanic group appeared in Denver, right
when the Pope was there? I was amazed and
asked the organizer why? He replied: "The
Pope’s there; it’ll be interesting ..." His tone
was decidedly sarcastic and evil.
We often go to the priests and tell them
to help the youth open their eyes on this
satanic presence; but not to frighten them,
only to teach them how to defend
themselves. Our Lady teaches us that the
best means are prayer and the sacraments
(confession, Mass and communion) and
blessings. Not all priests are ready though to
accept us. Some don’t seem to believe that
Satan even exists. Denying him and his
works is like a sleeping drug and allows
him greater success.
Here in Medj. Our Lady keeps on warn-
ing us about the devil who is very strong.
But She’s on our side; She protects us and
we have nothing to fear if we pray. We too
have decided to stay by Her and fight Satan.
(From Glas Mira, Oct. ’93)
The Holy Father with his Cross
* Trieste-Medjugorje bus service
continues. Departure from bus station
(adjacent to train station) in Trieste 6 p.m.
every evening. Ring Italy 040-360300.
Return from Medj. every evening 6 p.m.
Return price Lit. 86,200 - valid 10 days.
ATTENTION - Echo is free!
If you would like to make a donation,
send your cheques to Echo of Medj. at our
address in Italy, or through a local
distributor who will forward it on to us.
For material other than Echo please do
not ask us for we are unable to satisfy your
requests. Medjugorje centres usually carry
other material or know where to obtain it,
so please contact the one nearest you.
Please remember: when writing to us
pop an address label into the envelope as
well. That way we won’t get confused and
end up making double entries in our file.
On the other hand, if you receive your copy
of Echo from a distributor, you might like
to mention this fact when you communicate
with us. Thank you for helping us! And
remember, if you want extra copies, just let
us know.
FAMILY NEWS
Thank you to our readers for all the
support. Our needs are always greater. May
the good Lord bless you one hundred fold.
Our immense gratitude to the Blessed
Mother, for Echo continues to reach out in
the Eastern bloc countries, which are so
dear to Her Immaculate Heart. The Russian
edition is received with great enthusiasm.
The requests are many, both from Catholics
and our Orthodox brothers who look upon
Medj. as a beacon. The very nice Roman-
ian
edition (20,000 copies) of Echo is very
popular. It is requested also by many priests
in Orthodox parishes.
The complete Hungarian edition has
also made much way. It is translated by
Elisabeth Varga who doesn’t worry about
suffering (post-operative chemo-therapy):
«working for Echo relieves the suffering,
and Our heavenly Mother always helps the
two Elisabeths and Catherine» (translator
and helpers).
Though Martha Mirkiewicz, a living
miracle, is bed-ridden, she continues to
prepare the 30,000 copies of Polish Echo
every month, with the valid help of friends.
With regards to the Portughese edition, our
friends from the Servos da Rainha group in
Brazil are extremely quick at producing
112,000 copies. Another near-complete
edition, also in Portughese, is prepared by
Gilberto da Cunha from Vila Praia de
Ancora in Portugal.
For all of you indeed, we give thanks to
God our Father Almighty. Through Mary,
He sends us His Son; it is Their desire that
He be born in us, and for this They grant us
grace upon grace and blessing upon
blessing.
Church not afraid to say no ...
Not even to international organizations
that she supports when fundamental laws of
life are at stake. So, though she supports
UNICEF, the Church observes: "It is with
deep regret that the Holy See takes notice
that ... the original positive thrust of the
agency for the well-being of mothers and
children and the nurturing of life has shifted
ambiguously but significantly."
Thus the Church openly dissociates her-
self from "involvement of UNICEF in the
areas of family planning which could in-
clude methods of family planning consid-
ered morally unacceptable to the Catholic
Church and a broad representation of
people throughout the world. (...)"
(Osservatore Romano, 10 Nov.’93)
These could be methods of contraception
and sterilization with world-wide support
to limit population growth in certain poor
countries: but this is contrary to the dignity
of women and to the gift of life.
Sped.Abb.Post.3/70,Aut.Trib.Mant.#13,8.11.86; Legal Dir: A. Lanzani; Printed by DIPRO Italy, Fax: 0422-840804
ECHO IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Italian: Eco di Medj., C.P.149, 46100 Mantova, Italy.
English: Echo of Medj., Cas. Post. 27, 31030 Bessica
(TV), Italy. Fax # 0423-470331. French: Echo de
Medjugorje, 18 Allée Thévenot, 39100 Dole, France.
German: Echo aus Medj., Via C. Balbo 3, 36015
Schio (VI) Italy. fax: 0445-575856 Spanish: Roger
Watson, Fermo Posta centrale, 22100 Como, Italy
Catalan: Amics de Medj., c.Carme 11 baixos, 08700
Igualada-Catalugna, Spain. Portughese: a) Gilberto
Correia, rua de Brito 24, 4915 Vila Praia de Ancona,
(ph.911181), Portugal; b) Servos da Rainha, Caixa
p.02576, 70279-970 Brasilia DF, Brazil. Dutch: Int.
Medj. Comité afd. Nederland-Belgie, Misericorde-
plein 12C, 6211 XK Maastricht, Holland. Polish:
Czeslawa Mirkiewicz, ul.Ign.Krasickiego 21a/3,
PL30-515 Krakow-Podgorze, Poland; Magyar:
Fraternitas, 1399 Budapest, p.f. 701/85, Hungary. fax:
36-2176183 Romanian: Ecou din Medj., P.O.Box
41-132, Bucharest, Romania.
Reduced Editions: Greek: Soeur Despina de la St
Croix, 69 Rue Epirou, Agia Paraskave, 15341 Athens,
Greece. Czech: Medzugorské ozveny, Ilbenstädter,
Str.6, D-60385 Frankfurt, Germany.
Distributors: USA: Peter Miller, POB 2720-230,
Huntington Beach CA 92647. Ph 714-9637240. Fax
9631432; Giovanna Ellis: 9809 Stoneybrook Dr,
Kensington MD 20895. Ph. 301-5883198; Canada:
Giuseppe Bozzo, 8324 Nicolas Leblanc, Montreal
Que H1E 3W5, Ph: 648-3420. Spain: Josè L. Lopez
de S. Roman, Ap.246, Palencia, Spain.
Australia (all editions): Medjugorje Sentinel, P.O.B.
531, Drummoyne NSW 2047. Philippines: Raquel
D. De Leon, P.O.B. 789, 1099 Manila.
Off the Bookshelf: Marija and the Mother
of God, by Heather Parsons. Available in
Ireland, UK, Australia, USA. Contact: Robert
Andrew Press, 2 Herbert Cr, Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15, Ireland for details.
"God is Father" - (English translation),
introduced by Fr. Andrea D'Ascanio. Write
to: I Nidi di Preghiera, Cas.Post. 135, 67100
L'Aquila, Italy