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www.medjugorje.ws » Eco di Maria Regina della Pace » Echo of Mary Queen of Peace 105 (September 1993)
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prayers and for the love you show me. I
am inviting you to decide to pray for my
intentions. Dear children, offer up
novenas, making sacrifices in those things
that bind you the most [to sin]. My desire
is that you be bound to me.
I am your mother dear children, and I
don’t want Satan to distract you. He
wants to lead you onto the path of evil,
but he cannot if you do not permit him.
For this reason, my dear children, you
should renew prayer in your hearts, then
you will be able to understand my call
and my ardent desire to help you. Thank
you for having responded to my call.
Mantua, Italy. All mail to: Echo of Medjugorje, Casella Postale 27, 31030 Bessica (TV), Italy. - Yr.8 #7
children to help in Her great plan of salvat-
ion, which is God’s great plan of salvation
(see messages 14 Jan. ’85 & 25 May ’93).
It is consoling to hear Her thank us for
our prayers and love - it means there are
still those who pray and love Her. And we
know Mary doesn't concentrate the love and
prayers on herself: like a mother, Her first
concern is for Her children, and since She
belongs totally to God, everything She
receives is transmitted to God.
This is why She asks us to give 2nd place
to our intentions: Pray for my intentions;
decide [to pray for my intentions] - for the
little things that worry us must be secondary
to her urgent plan of salvation, for which
She fights and prays before God. When a
ship is about to sink, a person doesn’t think
about himself, but concentrates on helping
to save the ship - if the ship is saved, so is
he. Our Blessed Mother knows what the
world needs for She sees everything in
Gods’ light. If we put aside our intentions to
pray for Hers, we can be sure that She will
not forget them - for our intentions are
Hers. Thus, let us start praying for Her
intentions, personally and with our groups.
To give more effect to our prayers Our
Blessed Mother suggests the use of
novenas, and to sacrifice those things that
keep us tied down: bad habits, certain
friendships, mundane pleasures; for they
have a deleting effect on the spirit and
vigour that we otherwise receive to make us
efficient soldiers. At the beginning of the
war, Our Lady suggested a similar novena
so Her Fatima promises could be realized
(25 Aug. ’91).
Yet this is not all. Every time we offer up
a sacrifice and choose God in favour of any
other thing, God immediately makes Him-
self be felt. He fills whatever is empty. He
fills with joy and power the person who
prefers Him to whatever other satisfaction.
those who place God first, before any other
thing, and God makes them invincible.
Satan is trying to distract us from this
commitment, but Our Lady has forewarned
us. She wants us to drive him back -
decisively - for though he is powerful, he
can do nothing to us unless we permit
him. You see, if we pray, all that he wants
to do against us is transformed into our own
good and for the glory of God (7 Feb. ’85).
So Mary wants us to remain bound to
Her without dangerous distractions, for Her
great plan, and though this small squad
(small, though spread all over the world)
may seem to disappear in front of Satan’s
devastating work, we can feel sure under the
guidance of She Who is: terrible as an army
with banners (Sg 6:10). With God we will
do great things: He will trample on our
enemies (Ps 60).
Of course we cannot forget the power of
prayer with the heart: it can open
everything, provide us with a remedy, and
with light to see. This is also the condition
required to understand the call to realizing
Her plan in this grave moment and Her
immense desire to help us.
Lady are not given by chance, but each one
is a step to the triumph of Her Immaculate
Heart on the earth that leads to the House of
the Father. In this message, Mary comes as
our Mother, calling us Her dear children. It
is indeed a great mystery of love that makes
us wonder: that same pure womb that
accepted the Son of God, also accepts and
nourishes each one of us!
This Mother - God's and Our Mother -
thanks us for our love and our prayers. She
is happy, but not totally, and She explains
to Her, but to sin. This stops us from being
totally Hers. What are these things? Each
one of us must search our own conscience,
seriously and with sincerity, to discover
what they are. Our Blessed Mother gives us
a remedy for them: Offer novenas and
sacrifices. That way we can be totally Hers
and free of the devil who, like a prowling
lion is looking for someone to eat (1 Pt 5:8).
Our Blessed Mother also asks us to pray
with the heart, for Her intentions. She had
already asked us to do this (25 Sept. ’91).
Why does She ask us again? When we pray
to God, He takes our requests seriously and
is "tied down" by our intentions. What I
mean is that if I pray for my vegetable
garden to produce abundant fruit, God can’t
use that prayer to give peace to the world.
Our Lady is asking us now to pray with
the heart, for our prayer to be free of
intentions, so that She Who sees and knows
all the urgent needs of humanity, will use
our prayers for the salvation of the world,
without forgetting our own personal needs;
for Mary, Our Mother is an attentive, loving
and good Mother.
Pope: authentic teacher given by God to His
Church, and the only authority on morality
that the present-day world listens to. We
know this pleases our readers, particularly
in countries where though there may be a
large Catholic presence, they neither get to
hear nor read his teachings: faithful echos
of Mary’s messages.
the meeting with the world’s youth by
meditating upon the mystery of divine life
placed deep in the heart of each person.
The theme of the clash between light and
darkness that marks the history of mankind
was once again proposed by the Pope
during the vigil and closing Mass in Denver.
He wanted to strike out at those elements of
today’s culture and civilization that go
against life and express Satan’s refusal of
the Truth. The two meetings in Cherry
Creek State Park (prayer vigil on evening
of 14th and Mass on the 15th) proved to be
a lesson on the Christian meaning of life.
it abundantly (Jn 10:10), as we know, was
the main theme of the 8th World Youth
Day. The Pope expanded this theme by
starting from the Scriptural words: The.
Good Shepherd lays down his life for his
sheep (Jn 10:11). "Death assails life. At the
level of our human experience, death is the
enemy of life: an intruder that frustrates our
then that among the 10 Commandments the
Lord of Life, the God of the Covenant,
should have said on Mount Sinai, You shall
not kill.
engraved on the tablets of the covenant, but
even before that this law was engraved on
the human heart, in the sanctuary of every
individual’s conscience. In the Bible, the
first to experience the force of this law was
Cain, who murdered his brother Abel.
Immediately after his terrible crime, he felt
the whole weight of having broken the
commandment not to kill. Even though he
tried to escape from the truth, saying: Am I
my brother’s keeper? (Gn 4:9), the inner
voice repeated over and over: "You are a
murderer." The voice was his conscience,
and it could not be silenced."
So what is needed to build the culture of
life is righteousness of conscience: a gift
from God, placed deep in the heart of each
person. Often this inner light is darkened.
"Why do the consciences of young people
not rebel against the moral evil that flows
from personal choices? Why do so many
acquiesce in attitudes and behaviour which
offend human dignity and disfigure the
image of God in us? The normal thing
would be for conscience to point out the
mortal danger to the individual and to
humanity contained in the easy acceptance
of evil and sin. And yet it is not always so.
Is it because conscience itself is losing the
ability to distinguish good from evil?”
This obscuring of the faculty of seeing
and judging the truth appears in many
ways, the root of which the Pope indicated
as coming from "a culture which holds that
no universally valid truths are possible,
nothing is absolute. So, in the end objective
goodness and evil no longer really matter.
Good comes to mean what is pleasing or
useful at a particular moment. Evil means
what contradicts our subjective wishes. Each
person can build a private system of values."
The Pope warns youth against "this false
morality" that suffocates one’s conscience.
"Conscience is the most secret core and
sanctuary of a person, where we are alone
with God. In the depths of his conscience
man detects a law which he does not
impose upon himself, but which holds him
to obedience. That law is not an external
human law, but the voice of God, calling us
to free ourselves from the grip of evil
desires and sin, and stimulating us to seek
what is good and true. Only by listening to
the voice of God in your most intimate
being, and by acting in accordance with its
directions, will you reach the freedom you
yearn for. As Jesus said, only the truth will
make you free (Jn 8:32). And the truth is
not the fruit of each individual’s
imagination. God gave you intelligence to
know the truth, and your will to achieve
what is morally good. He has given you the
light of conscience to guide your moral
decisions, to love good and avoid evil.
Moral truth is objective - a properly
formed conscience can perceive it." But
often this inner freedom is damaged, mak-
ing it difficult to sincerely accept the truth.
"If conscience, which is light, no longer
enlightens, how can we overcome moral
darkness? Jesus says: The eye is the body’s
lamp. If your eyes are good, your body will
be filled with light; if your eyes are bad,
your body will be in darkness. If your light
is darkness, how deep will the darkness be!
(Mt 6:22)
world. No follower of mine shall ever walk
in darkness; no, he shall possess the light of
life (Jn 8:12). If you follow Christ you will
restore conscience to its rightful place and
proper role, and you will be the light of the
world, the salt of the earth. A rebirth of
conscience must come from 2 sources: first,
the effort to know objective truth with
certainty, including the truth about God;
and secondly, the light of faith in Jesus
Christ, who alone has the words of Life.
When the light of faith penetrates this
natural consciousness we reach a new
certainty. The words of Christ ring out with
utter truth: I came that they might have life,
and have it abundantly. Against all the
forces of death, in spite of all the false
teachers, Jesus Christ continues to offer
humanity the only true and realistic hope.
He is the world’s true Shepherd. This is
because he and the Father are one. In his
divinity he is one with the Father; in his
humanity he is one with us. Because he took
upon himself our human condition, Jesus
Christ is able to communicate to all those
who are united with him in Baptism the Life
that he has in himself. And because in the
Trinity, Life is Love, the very love of God
has been poured out into our hearts through
the Holy Spirit who has been given to us
(Rm 5:5). Life and Love are inseparable:
the love of God for us, and the love we give
in return - love of God and love of every
brother and sister."
forms part of our earthly existence? How is
it possible if it is appointed that human
beings die once, and after this the judge-
ment (Hb 9:27)? Jesus Himself provides the
answer, and the answer is a supreme
declaration of divine Love, a high-point of
the Gospel revelation concerning God the
Father’s love for all creation. The answer is
already present in the parable of the Good
Shepherd.
Christ says: The Good Shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep. Christ, the Good
Shepherd, is present among us, among the
peoples, nations, generations and races, as
the One who lays down his life for the
sheep. What is this but the greatest love? It
is the death of the innocent One: The Son of
Man is departing, as Scripture says of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of
Man is betrayed.
Christ on the Cross stands as a sign of
contradiction to every crime against the
commandment not to kill. He offered his
own life in sacrifice for the salvation of the
world. No one takes that human life from
him, but he lays it down of his own
accord. He has the power to lay it down and
the power to take it up again. It was a true
self-giving. It was a sublime act of freedom.
In the new life of the resurrection, he has
become a life-giving spirit (1 Co 15:54),
who can now bestow the gift of Life on all
who believe in him.
Life laid down - Life taken up again -
Life given. In him, we have that Life which
he has in the unity of the Father and of the
Holy Spirit - if we believe in him, if we are
one with him through love, remembering
that whoever loves God must also love his
brother (1Jn 4:21).
Teach the youth gathered here, all the
youth of the world, the meaning of laying
week’s stay in Denver threw a different light
on the Pope's presence in that city.
Thoroughly disappointing was the
amount of space the local press gave to the
superficial and trivial matters. Denver
Post and Rocky Mountain News inundated
its readers with articles about everything
except for what really counted: the
accommodation, the showers, the fast food,
the pilgrims' attire, the weather, the sick, the
rubbish left after the meeting, but so little
about the Pope’s meditations. They only
seemed to care about whether he was in
favour of or against abortion. Could it be
that they didn't know?!
So the young people who were unable to
attend the meeting were denied the right of
knowing what the Pope wanted to tell them.
In a country that boasts of it’s information
service, we could only call it a symptom of
"wanting to deliberately gag the Pontiff."
This would explain why John Paul II was
unable to celebrate the Way of the Cross,
and why in Cherry Creek Park the platform
seemed so small that a normal square
outside any Sanctuary would have been
preferable. Not only, but the PA system
proved insufficient, nor were there enough
screens during the wake or the Mass on the
15th, so that more than half the youth
present could neither hear nor see a thing.
Then we who could see and hear were
astounded when the PA system failed twice
as he was talking. All we could hear was the
rolling of the drums of the "Hollywood"
type orchestra that accompanied the liturgy!
The Pope’s presence was not looked
upon favourably. Only the youth really
wanted to listen to him, though some of
them were used as instruments in yet
another demonstration of the cult of
American independence. During the wake
of the 14th, the testimonies that followed the
Pope’s reflections seemed more like a lesson
in faith for the benefit of the Pope!
One of the speakers came out with: "Holy
Father, my faith is big!" Another joyfully
exclaimed: "We are the Catholic Church!"
Then someone thanked the Pope "for having
come from Rome to stay with us."
mission. Challenge the youth of the Church
to carry on the vast mission of making you
known to all those who have not yet heard
of you! Give these young people the
courage and generosity of the great
missionaries of the past so that, through the
witness of their faith and their solidarity
with every brother and sister in need, the
world may discover the Truth, the Goodness
and the Beauty of the Life you alone can
give.
Teach these young people the proper
use of their freedom. Teach them that the
greatest freedom is the fullest giving of
themselves. Teach them the meaning of the
Gospel words: He who loses his life for my
sake will find it. You are the Good
Shepherd! And there is none other!
Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus! (
were the ones who went to where the Pope
had called us. If it hadn’t been for him none
of us would have been in Denver - the
attraction in Denver was the Pope, for all.
Neither dare we think the Pope went to
Denver to be taught a lesson in faith, or to
hear a speech prepared by American
intellectuals. We really did get the
impression that for them the Pope was
just an "ornament" for a youth meeting
that would have succeeded anyway.
How many people were there? For the
American mass media: 200,000, some said
300,000, and the more generous: 370,000.
Yet we all heard the Bishop of Denver,
Msgr. Stafford, tell the Pope there were
750,000 people. Why then say there were
less? The press and local TV stations had
been trying for some time to keep people
away from Cherry Creek State Park, and the
county sheriff had launched an appeal,
advising people to stay home.
It would have bothered "the authorities"
to see the Pope being welcomed, listened to
and followed by too many people, as what
they wanted to demonstrate was just the
opposite: that his presence was superfluous
and disturbing. But Our Lady upset those
plans, and called such a great number of
youth that they didn’t know how to handle
it, since they had not expected more than
400,000. The day after the papers talked
about finding whoever was responsible for
the "disaster." What disaster? What we saw
was about a million people (our Italian TV
reported this number) come from all over
the place to become like one, finally before
their father in faith, whom they know loves
them and takes them seriously.
In Denver we saw that the real men of
God are those who make communion
grow. The Pope announced the Gospel and
stressed the importance of searching for
one’s vocation and mission. All this
exploded in our hearts during the Mass
celebrated by him. What became evident is
that communion of the Church, acquired
through the Sacraments, knocks down the
barriers of separation built by Satan.
To Mary we entrust the Pope’s plans for
the new evangelization, and may we never
break away from that wonderful mystery
that God gave us called communion with
Jesus Christ in the Holy Catholic Church.
All the negativity was destroyed by the
Pope’s message. We know that many do
not give importance to his words, but this
mustn’t deter us. What the Pope told us in
Denver is light - the strongest light granted
by God to the Church and the world of our
time. For the faithful the important thing is
to pray and meditate upon it, and let
ourselves be guided by he who is consecrat-
ed to Mary.
To remain in communion with the Pope
means defeating Satan who teaches many to
be pridefully indifferent to the Magisterium
of the Church.
says how the American mass media insisted
on bringing up the same old controversies:
disagreements within the Church, female
priesthood, birth control - as if all the
Pontiff’s teachings were limited to this.
Mr Steinfels, representing the Jewish
religious environment, spoke about how
broad the meaning is, instead, of the value
of "life" as presented by the Pope during
Jerusalem, that is, in the opposite direction
to the way the world is going.
I see you have many things worrying
you, and that you do not have peace in
your heart. What you need is to find rest in
prayer, by letting Jesus and Mary pray in
you - for They know what you need the
most (cf. Rm 8:26). Once your soul is
surrendered up to God in prayer, it
receives peace. When we depend on Jesus,
and surrender ourselves to Him, He enters
us; and like in the multiplication of the 5
loaves He produces fruit - because
without me you can do nothing (Jn 15:5).
Which means that "with Me you can do
everything," and if I do everything in Jesus,
then through Him everything goes well.
And I won’t be so anxious because I won’t
have to answer to men (who can be
demanding and ruthless) for my actions,
but to Jesus - and we know Jesus is
merciful, and He knows how to make good
out of the wrong I do. How consoling!
So everything can be resolved by my yes
- like Mary's yes, the yes of [accepting] the
cross, the yes of the childlike to whom the
secrets of the kingdom are revealed, while
they are hidden from the learned and the
clever (Mt 11:25).
No one can claim to be privileged -
including the visionaries - unless we
consider those who are given a great deal,
and so God will demand much of them (cf.
Lk 12:48). And though God showers us
with His loving gifts, we are still free, like
Judas, to say no.
God is not hard of heart. He loves us.
And it’s because He loves us that He wants
to make us similar to His Son Who is
happy to do the Father’s will even when it
means suffering. Jesus, Who knows how
the Father loves Him, does not hesitate to
go on the cross where He is glorified. The
sacrifices that Our Lady asks of us would
have no meaning if they were not for love.
We can renounce things that give us
immediate gratification to obtain a much
higher Good, an infinite Good, both for us
and the others. This gives us real joy.
All this is possible, however, with the
help of a guide who can lead us on our
faith walk, like Jesus did with the Apostles,
with Mary Magdalene and the disciples.
We also know that Jesus said no when
some, moved by enthusiasm after a sign or
a healing, asked to follow Him. Jesus had
to take care of those who had been called
and who had left everything to follow Him.
So following Jesus is something that
can’t be done alone. It takes a father to
guide us, a doctor to heal us, an
environment that allows us to grow. In
your case, you need a priest to act as your
spiritual director in the place of Jesus,
and a group or community to help you.
Often, spiritual directors are difficult to
find. There has never been a time where
there have been so many teachers of theory
and so few practical helpers, so many
teachers and so few fathers! (cf. 1Co 4:15).
That is why Our Lady has come to the
Church to act as a spiritual guide, simple
and practical, all over the world. We can
find this maternal guidance in those priests
or lay people, or groups or communities,
where Her call is developed.
I am sure Jesus will grant you this gift,
and in the meantime I and other friends are
praying for you and pleading for you. You
are no longer alone.
pointed out how the Pope was condemning
moral relativism, i.e., the refusal of a law
or a universal truth that deeply distinguishes
modern-day civilization, particularly the
so-called developed countries. Rabbi Jack
Bemporad from the University of Fairfield
in Connecticut added that this item was the
real meaning of the Pope’s visit, and he
concluded by stressing that intelligent
journalism should have accepted and ampli-
fied these matters.
anies the beginning of a conversion, find
themselves battling with feelings of bewild-
erment and disconcertion, perhaps for old
problems not resolved, or conflicts that have
been bottled up inside, or old passions that
keep on surfacing. This is nothing to marvel
about, but is a natural symptom in a person
called to go beyond those first steps of a
conversion, and with Jesus, face up to the
next, often hard ones.
An Australian sister with a joyful begin-
ning in her conversion writes: "At times it’s
so difficult to believe Her words of love and
be faithful: it seems so unreal ... for certain
situations I don’t see an answer. (...) I can’t
understand why Our Lady gives so much to
the visionaries and seems so indulgent
towards them. Not that I would like to be in
their place, but this freedom is a real thorn
in my side. (...) Why does God not give us a
bit of respite? He seems so hard-hearted.
(...) Our Lady keeps on asking for sacrifices,
but I’m tired of giving, giving, giving and
never receiving. I’m tired of thinking of
others and never of myself. (...) I still pray,
but out of fear, not out of love..."
The following is that part of my reply to
her that may be of interest to all:
Dear sister in Christ, (...) It seems to me
that what is happening in you is similar to
what happens in many others, whose
conversion starts from an extraordinary
event, like Medjugorje for instance. Without
a doubt, such a conversion is a stimulus to
change life; and things start off well, but
inevitably one finds oneself before the same
old inner and outer problems, especially
having to face up to those deep wounds that
remain. So what happens when we feel
alone, without help? We are discouraged,
rebellion rises in our hearts, we feel
stressed, even effortless.
The initial conversion must become "daily
conversion," says Our Lady (25.2.93), and
needs to be continually purified (Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament is very effective),
of our inner feelings to be freed of false
idols, to create a harmony between spirit
and nature. Otherwise our conversion
becomes illusion or disappointment.
The key word to help keep us on the move
is accepting one’s cross, oneself and the
others. That is what Jesus asks of those who
want to follow Him. When we accept our
cross, Jesus Himself forgives, purifies,
corrects our intentions and frees our heart
from looking for self-achievement. And He
gives us peace and joy: the kingdom of God
is righteousness and peace and joy brought
by the Holy Spirit (Rm 14:17).
But this can’t be achieved in a day. The
road is a long one; we can’t walk it alone,
humanity. Look at the TV and the papers
and see how worldly life is. People conform
to the world. They look at ugly things and
become ugly. They look at frightening
things and are filled with fear. This way, the
world will die. There is no prospect for the
world - on this material level.
The only prospect is being born again in
Christ: when people are in trouble and [they
can] announce hope and be bearers of life,
to people and groups. God alone can give
life to the world, and God can give it
through His servants, who are open to Him.
So these young people that you see here
have decided for this life, to be reborn, to
possess life and manifest life everywhere.
Everywhere? Just so, wherever there is
tragedy, God wins and gives life. Wherever
there is incomprehension and the world says
it is impossible to forgive, God says: it is
possible. Where the world says it is
impossible to heal, God says: it is possible
to heal. Where the world looks ahead with
trepidation, the servants of God jump with
joy because they know they are going on to
meet the Lord and thus defeat even death.
Those who serve God announce life, they
do not die. This is the reason why these
young people have started on this journey.
To you parents I say: you gave them life
humanly speaking. Take part in this process
of rebirth so you too may be reborn,
generated by God. I invite all of you to live
this life, this peace which is greater than all
situations of tension, this joy that is greater
than all the sadness, this light that is greater
than all the darkness, this love that is greater
than all the hate. This is life, so I invite you
to live joyfully this act of consecration and
be happy that your sons and daughters are
going to be reborn and that you too want to
be reborn in Christ.
So all of us here, and indeed the entire
Church, in this moment are profound
participants of Christ’s life in these young
people. And as Christians, let us offer our
joy to the Lord because of these young
people who are open to the Lord and who
look upon their future and the world’s
future with serenity; because they are
preparing to call out to all men that there is a
way to happiness, a way to joy.
Miravalle (University of Steubenville in
Ohio) and from an inspiration by Msgr. Paul
Hnilica, the idea came to start up a new
international movement called VOX. The
aim of VOX is to promote the definition of
Mary Mediatrix of all Graces - a
definition which was placed aside after
Vatican Council II.
From Santa Barbara in California the
movement is spreading all over the world.
Its full name is Vox populi Mariae
Mediatrici and it has already gathered up a
million signatures for a petition that will be
presented to the Holy Father. The book,
"Mary Co-redeemer, Mediatrix and Advo-
cate," by Mr. Miravalle was presented to
Cardinal L. Ciappi, theologian emeritus of
Casa Pontificia, and will soon be translated
into the principal languages.
in the non-stop prayer organized by Yvonne
from France and other teams in Italy, has been
given to Our Lady via Vicka.
overpowered me ... (Jr 20:2-9) I beg you to
offer your living bodies as a holy sacrifice,
truly pleasing to God ... (Rm 12:1-2)
If anyone wants to be a follower of mine,
let him renounce himself and take up his
cross and follow me ... anyone who loses his
life for my sake will find it (Mt 16:24-27)
Fr. Tomislav addressed family and
friends as a large group of young men and
women took the habit:
To begin, I want to ask: how do you feel
about seeing these young people who've
decided to leave the world? Each one listen
to their own heart. It is on rare occasions
that parents truly understand how big a step
their children have taken. Many think: they
are young, healthy, able and good-looking
and they could have had a wonderful life -
why then choose consecration? I then, on
their behalf, wish to explain the meaning of
such a step so you may become part of this
act of consecration and offering they are
making to the Lord.
There is a word that defines what they
are doing. That word is birth. What they are
doing is taking another step in their birth to
life. The world asks why they give up life;
and they all reply: It is here that I find a life
much fuller than what the world offers.
These young people yearn for that immense
space called life. Each of them is convinced
that this is more difficult than remaining in
the world, but they also know that this road
leads me to a fuller life, a more complete
happiness, and this is birth.
They have discovered that when you
walk behind Jesus, the road to life opens up
wider and wider. He promised happiness to
those who follow Him; He promised they
could enter the perfect life - like it says in
the Gospel. He also promises them a
hundredfold while on the earth and then
eternal life (Mt 19:27-29). The steps these
young people are taking lead to this life, to
this birth. The world does not understand.
This is no wonder, for not even St Peter
understood. We know Jesus indicated the
way to Jerusalem and Peter was against it,
for it was difficult, it meant persecution,
condemnation and death. Peter couldn’t
understand it was a way of birth, victory and
resurrection. And Jesus said: Away from me,
Satan - to Peter. So we Christians have to
see that these forms of resistance exist
within us. Our resistance is our blindness,
our inability to see the life that Our Lord
gives us, it is our inability to be reborn.
After the Lord’s Resurrection, the
Apostles were reborn, they became new,
despite the difficulties and persecution.
These brothers and sisters here have decided
to give themselves totally to the Lord so
they may enter this life. There is something
in the life of those who give themselves up
totally to the Lord that cannot be understood
in terms of human logic - like two people
who fall in love: human logic cannot tell us
why they are so close.
There is a fire burning within my bones
that I am unable to contain, says the
Prophet. This fire burns constantly in a
servant of God, even if the environment is
contrary. All the human logic cannot stop it.
These young people and those who
participate in this faith walk thus experience
Podbrdo heard the voice of Mary: ... renew
prayer in a forgotten and abandoned
place! At a later date that pilgrim under-
stood that the message referred to the ruins
of a church on Mount Kurescek near
Ljubljana where a church had existed since
the 15th century. The church had been
dedicated to the Queen of Peace but was
damaged during WW II and left in ruins.
Holy Mass was celebrated once again
on those ruins on 10 Feb. 1990. After
Communion a deacon (who goes by the
name of Smaverski - Our Lady wants him
to remain unknown) heard a voice: I am
the Queen of Peace. May prayer be
renewed here in this place. Here you will
meet my Heart and the Heart of my Son...
This will be a place of healing from
spiritual illnesses. (...) Be faithful and pray,
I will be with you. Do not try to prove
anything; I will give you proof. Learn from
the messages I give in Medj. I bless you.
In the meantime, the church was rebuilt
and the Archbishop of Ljubljana, Msgr.
Alois Sustar, consecrated it on 30 August
1992. The messages received by Smaverski
(usually every first Saturday) are published
by his spiritual father (a Jesuit priest) once
the Archbishop has checked them.
Truly, Our Lady keeps on reminding
Her children of what’s necessary for their
peace, when they do not understand or
accept it (cf.Lk19:41). Here She says:
Peace depends on man’s obedience to God
and to She who speaks in His name.
Terrible powers surround you. Only in
being obedient to God and His Gospel,
through prayer, fasts and sacrifice, will
you be able to keep your heads above
them. (25.7.92)
Often, Mary’s words are for priests:
Priests, my beloved sons, accept my
invitation to conversion. Permit my Heart
to transform you according to the Heart of
my Son. (...) Once again I invite the faithful
and the priests to renewal: they must
follow me with trust, and realize my
messages of Medj. and Kurescek.
Pray very much for priests, and love
them. In particular pray for those among
you who are in danger, love them and do
not abandon them. (...) Priests, my beloved
sons, I desire that you plunge yourselves
into the meaning of your vocation, and
recognize the work you do when recon-
ciling people’s souls [to God]. Put your
hearts into this service: so noble and full of
grace. Take my peace to all men.
All sanctuaries should be places of
reconciliation. All you who search for
peace and reconciliation, go to sacramen-
tal reconciliation (confession). Forgive,
and you will be forgiven. Fortify yourselves
with the Body of my Son. All you who are
sincere will experience peace.
What the refusal of the Queen of
Peace has cost - 8.2.92: If humanity,
Christians and especially the Croatians
could at least see now the wrong they did
in not obeying me! (...) For 10 years I
invited them, warned them, begged them.
The majority did not accept me, God’s
messenger, nor did they accept my
warnings or invitations to consecration.
The consequences are terrible. Oh, if only
they would recognize me now as the Queen
of Peace and accept me as Mother,
through whom God speaks.
Youth Festival, held from 31 July to 6
August. The Czechs and Slovaks were the
most numerous (5 bus loads). Then there
were the Croatians, Italians, Germans,
French, Hungarian, Irish, English and
Belgians. Fr. Slavko was the able guide of
the theme, From Darkness to Light: building
a new life on the ruins. He, like the others,
spoke in Croatian while Marija Dugandzic’
translated into Italian, Milona translated into
English, German and French, and others
into Czech and Magyar.
The day began at 8.30 a.m. when the heat
was already stifling in the giant tent, but this
didn’t balk the young people. The day was
made up of prayers, testimonies, reflection
and singing. A high-point was the Rosary at
6.00 p.m. followed by Holy Mass, and
Adoration from 10.30 p.m. till mid-night.
The music provided by the orchestra and
Fr. Liam from Ireland, was a wonderful
accompaniment to the reflections and
prayers, and helped to intensify the retreat.
Moving testimonies were given during
the mornings. Fr. Petar spoke about
vocation. Sr. Elvira’s young people talked
about their stories with drugs and how grace
helped them get out of it. Fr. Liam, Sr.
Emmanuel and Marija Pavlovic’ also gave
testimonies. Wednesday night, around mid-
night, songs and chants in various languages
could be heard as the youth began wishing
Our Lady a happy birthday. Many offered
Her flowers, placing them at the foot of the
statue of the Immaculate Conception, some
had letters and petitions.
Thursday 5 August: Mary's birthday.
Fr. Jozo came to speak to the youth. He was
delayed by the news of the death of the
young husband of one of his nieces, killed
in battle in Mostar. He invited all to pray for
peace before the cross, and he blessed
rosary beads and holy pictures for all.
That evening there was a concelebrated
Mass. Main celebrant was Archbishop
Franic’, who invited everyone to stay and
recite the Rosary after Mass. In the mean-
time groups of people started making their
way up Krizevac where many young people
stayed the night in prayer. At 3.30 a.m. Fr.
Slavko started his way up, doing the
Stations of the Way of the Cross, with a
large group of followers. Mass began at
day-break, and as the sun began to appear
the youth were filled with joy. Fr. Slavko
said how Krizevac had been transformed
into Mt. Tabor and how they felt wrapped in
the love of God. "Take Mary into your
homes," he concluded, "and you will never
fear anything again." Alberto Bonifacio
Medjugorje has not been attacked. Since
each pilgrim that arrives is a great victory
for peace, we are saddened by the cancelling
of many pilgrimages. If there were any real
danger, we would warn you. Fr. Jozo says
in fact: "It would be better to bring the
pilgrims here, rather than [send us] money."
Fr. Slavko says: "No problem, they can
come." Vicka says: "Let them come, there is
nothing to fear!"
* On 2 July, during the apparition to
Ivan on Podbrdo, Our Lady told him there
would be no more messages on the hill for
the pilgrims, but that they would continue
The pilgrims are
invited to join the
prayer group on the
hill as they have
always done. It was in
1982 that Our Lady
asked Ivan to pray
together with 16 young
people from the village
(that she chose) in the
evenings on the hill.
We thank the Virgin
for the great blessing
of Her presence on the
hill, we beg Her to
remain still more.
* Medj. buried its
first fallen soldier, Ilko
Barac’, 20 years old. Mirjana learnt of the
killing of 20 of her relatives in Bosnia,
massacred by Muslims. No family around
us has been spared the anguish of having
lost a relative of some sort. There are more
and more massacres, thanks to the arrival of
professional killers from outside. The
soldiers from Medj. fighting in Mostar,
Stolac’, Buna, etc. say that coming back
here from the front is like going from hell to
heaven. It is up to us and our humble yet
fervent prayers to make it so heaven
spreads, not hell.
* (August) A great crowd of pilgrims
arrived for the Assumption celebrations. On
14th August hundreds of women came in
procession from the crossroad at Tromedja
to Podbrdo. They were the mothers of
Croatian soldiers, come to implore
protection for their sons, from the Mother of
Crucified Christ; full of hope that She, a
Mother like them, would hear their cry.
* Marija’s wedding. The date of her
marriage with Paolo Lunetti from Monza is
set for 8 Sept. It will take place in the Holy
Apostles basilica in Milan. To impede her
from being treated as a star, no journalists,
TV teams or even private movie cameras
will be allowed in; and here we can stress
how the visionaries suffer when they are
treated like objects of curiosity, when
instead the people should be centering on
God.
(We of Echo, together with all Medj.
friends, wish her happiness. May Our Lady
bless her and accompany her in her new task
in family life, as well as in the task she
already has in the Church.)
after his 75th birthday, Msgr. Pavao Zanic’s
resignation was accepted. At the moment he
is in Italy. He is succeeded by Coadjutor
Bishop Ratko Peric’.
community has settled permanently in
Medjugorje. This Marian community started
up years ago after a Medjugorje experience.
There are already hundreds of members
spread over 7 different dioceses. Their
modest home situated between Podbrdo and
Krizevac has a chapel where the community
prays day and night in adoration before the
Blessed Sacrament.
Close by there is also another group of
young people belonging to Sr Elvira’s
Cenacle community. These young people
built their own home, and divide their day
between prayer, work and giving hospitality
to numerous friends in need of healing.
* For more than 1 year now in Medju-
gorje, Mass is celebrated every evening for
the Croatian soldiers and for all the war
victims. The 19th May is the day the young
soldiers came back home from the front in
Mostar, all unharmed, and this day has now
become a day of prayer and pilgrimage
for the army.
Cardinal Franjo Kuharic replied to
queries concerning Medj. Glas Koncila
gave a report of it on 15 August. The
Cardinal made the following declaration:
"The special Commission has been
studying these events for 3 years, and we
bishops have accepted Medjugorje as a
place of prayer, a sanctuary. This means
that we have nothing against people
honouring Our Lady in a way that conforms
to Church doctrine and to the faith. With
regards to the supernatural aspect of
apparitions, we have said that for now we
cannot state that there is a supernatural
aspect. We still have important reservations.
Therefore, this aspect is left for further
inspection. The Church is not in a hurry."
On 22nd August in another interview the
new bishop of Mostar, Msgr. Ratko Peric’,
was asked: "What do you think of the
supposed Marian apparitions in Medju-
gorje?" Glas Koncila reports:
"I agree 100% with the decision made
by the Catholic Bishops in Zara on 10 April
1991, that is: Based on the investigations
made so far, it is not possible to say that
apparitions and supernatural revelations are
occuring in Medjugorje. Nonetheless, one
must recognize that many pastoral impulses
came from Medj. What my predecessor,
Bishop Pavao Zanic, wanted was for people
to convert not just in Medj., but wherever
people live."
To the question: "How will you collabo-
rate with the Franciscans of Herzegovina,"
Bishop Peric replied: "That’s not an easy
question. It is strictly connected to the truth
in Medj. The Franciscans in our diocese are
not what you could say in strict obedience.
Nonetheless, there is no reason to worry,
because the saying, if it comes from God it
will remain, is also valid for Medjugorje."
were one of you, for the Spirit makes me
grow day by day if I remain open to
conversion.
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could be avoided and stopped only through
prayer and fasts. We sadly note that man’s
attempts at stopping it have worsened and
complicated the situation. The solution
proposed was to divide Bosnia & Herze-
govina into 3 decentralized states, depend-
ing on ethnic majority: 52% to the Serbs
(were 32%), 30% to the Muslims (44%) and
18% to the Croatians (17%).
But this plan has done nothing but wors-
en ethnic cleansing, for the peoples not
belonging to the ethnic groups in the
assigned areas are sent away, and in the
meantime they work at making their areas as
large as possible. This foul and criminal
operation was first done on large scale by
the Serbs, who now occupy 70% of Bosnia
- and we know how ruthless they were.
Then the Muslims, after being defeated by
the Serbs, decided to strike back by hitting
out at the weaker Croatians, by taking over
towns and villages from Travnik to Bugojno
and Kakanji, etc. The Croatians too, in
certain areas, have been no better.
The Archbishop of Sarajevo, Msgr.
Vinko Puljic’, says: "From when the inter-
national community began tolerating the
Serbian violence and accepting the law of
the strongest wins, civilization took a step
backwards. The only thing that counts now
is this law whereby the strongest man wins,
and since the West has accepted this, all the
armed groups are throwing themselves into
conquering land by force. If it’s true that the
UNO is going to accept the division of the
Balkans based on ethnic representation, then
civilization will fall down completely. And
justice won’t exist anymore, not just here,
but no where in the world, because there’ll
be no more limit to evil."
The war could have been stopped at the
start if the European countries had decided
to act instead of organizing so many useless
meetings, and if they had listened to the
Pope who repeatedly called for humani-
tarian interferance, saying it was neces-
sarily a charitable act towards those unable
to defend themselves. We saw how Europe
only had to threaten they’d use their air for-
ces to make the Serbs move out of Sarajevo.
Sadly, the situation worsens (time of
writing:3Sept.'93), partly because the peace
plan was not accepted by the Muslims who
have had their territory greatly reduced. And
in this tragic theatre of war 200,000 lost
their lives, 14,000 are wounded, 1,000 of
whom are children who will be maimed for
life, and a thousand children are missing!
There is another, crucial, problem: The
Croatians had fought side by side with the
Muslims and accepted into their territory
half a million refugees. Now the Muslims
have turned against them. This would be a
great chance to show how love knows no
enemies! And yes, this is happening already
in many places. Let us pray that this
evangelical novelty may make its way into
the hearts of many, with the help of the
Queen of Peace, Mother of all men. This
could be the beginning of reconstruction. *
weapons and food.
politicians but from the Rosary!" - said
Fr. Jozo on 1st August. "The UN soldiers
have brought us drugs and traffic in weap-
ons and sex. (...) Our Lady did not say we
would be freed by the UNO, nor that we’d
find peace in Geneva. No. And things are
getting worse while these false meetings are
being held." He said of the 50,000 Croatians
from Bugojno who crossed Serbian territory
to escape from the Muslims and arrived here
without anything and now live in the woods:
"do we have to ask London or Paris or
Geneva why they had to do this? We are not
looking for help from the politicians
anymore, but only from Our Lady."
He then spoke about the new Rosary
Crusade, and about how Pope Pius V
defeated the Turks in 1571 in Lepanto with
the Rosary. He spoke about Sinj and Boka
Kotorska near Ragusa (now Dubrovnkik in
Montenegro) "where armies were defeated
with prayer." (Here now there are many
persecuted Catholics and a missing Bishop.)
There were no victories with armed men.
The victories came about by a miracle.
Today Europe is divided, like then, in
front of the Muslims who arrive from all
over the world as volunteers, loaded with
weapons. Now it’s here ... tomorrow it
could be in Italy, or Germany. The mother
Church in Italy has been hit too.
Know how to read the signs of the time!
Start organizing the Rosary."
preference to Croatians. Bishop Puljic’
replied to this accusation: "I do not defend
the Croatians, but the rights of each and
every man. I do the same for the Muslims
violated. But look, here in my diocese
(Sarajevo - which embraces all of Bosnia)
there were 144 parishes with half a million
faithful. The Serbs have destroyed and
occupied 66 parishes, and razed churches
and convents to the ground. Then the
Croatian-Muslim alliance broke up and the
Muslims have now occupied a further 33
parishes. Two thirds of the faithful in my
diocese have had to escape from their
homeland. The Church has been here for 9
centuries, and now its on the point of
disappearing...
The Catholics are those who suffer the
most of course. Here in Sarajevo they’re
starting to deny citizenship to anyone who is
not a Muslim. People are losing their jobs
because of their religion. In the schools the
students are being taught to hate the Serbs
and the Croatians. (...) An agency
confiscated 75 tonnes of aid that Caritas had
sent to us for distribution among all those in
need, irrespective of race or religion.
Medj. for the Solemnity of the Assumption,
or the youth festival, tens of thousands of
Croatians were escaping from their cities in
central Bosnia under shellfire and gunfire.
Desperate, they arrived in Citluk and other
nearby towns with all their belongings in
one plastic bag. Alberto Bonifacio
witnessed their arrival and sent us a long
report. The following is part of that report:
In the torrid heat they look for water: to
drink and wash themselves, but here the
water and electricity is rationed and arrives
only a few hours a day. They tell of horri-
fying episodes, the women are practically
insane over the death of their sons, the old
and the children are terrorized. Yet, those
areas were Croatian, like Mostar, and
according to the UN plan, they should have
remained so. But they were invaded by the
Muslims who have been made aggressive
by the Mujahedins from the East. For them,
killing a Christian is a good deed.
So, with all those dollars from the rich
Arabian countries they have had no trouble
in buying weapons, particularly from the
UN soldiers! It also seems that they have
bought the mass media, if it’s true that by
now public opinion blames only the
Croatians for starving 55 thousand Muslims
(inhabitants and refugees) under besiege in
Mostar, while their (Muslim) armed units
(see Echo 103, page 8), which Echo helped
to buy, arrived in the hospital early July.
Mrs Randon brought us back a thank-you
letter from the management of the hospital
on the 18 August.
She told us: "The situation worsens.
Things are really chaotic! We were
welcomed both by the hospital staff and the
new Bishop, who was saddened by the
tragic events. He said how very little
humanitarian aid arrives now because
people are afraid to go (to Mostar).
He praised and thanked the Italians and
Germans for their generosity, and above all
he asked that everyone pray very much:
"because if they sign for a peace without
Christ in Geneva, that peace will not
last," the Bishop said.
report of horrifying events concerning the
war in the Balkans, to the point that one
might think: "the Lord is not with us,
nothing can be done." The following events
are what we could call miraculous, where
God manifests His might and saves His
chosen ones - from the ashes of death he
awakens life.
* Strangers become one big family
under bombing - This testimony is from
Sarajevo, but is not uncommon to the many
other besieged cities. "There were 400
people in our block of flats. Before the war
we were all strangers. At the most a few
quick words would have been exchanged
between those that lived the closest, and that
was it. Only just a few days after the bomb-
ing started, we became like one big family.
We shared every drop of water, piece of
bread, every bit of Providence that arrived.
We got to know everyone, one by one, and
if someone went missing we’d worry about
them, doing the rounds to see if someone
knew where they were, worrying that
something might have happened. Teams
were organized to go out and look for them.
These teams were mostly made up of boys,
and these were usually the ones who went
out looking for water and other necessities.
We learnt to love and trust one another. One
could say that an old world is dying under
the bombs, and at the same time a new man,
a new world is being born."
* A Serbian woman in Bosnia shared
the little food she had with a Muslim monk
for more than a year. But to get it herself she
had to go from Dervis, her home town, to
another town, and in between there were
guards and check-points...
* Killed because they refused to kill -
During the war in Slavonia, 300 Serbian
reservists were taken near the Croatian city
of Vincovci and were told to take up their
arms and attack the Croatians, but they
refused to attack that city - for the inhabi-
tants were peaceful, like brothers. They
were warned that if they refused a second
time they’d be shot. The reservists did not
give in to the threats and were all shot dead
by their officers; to become martyres for
peace. Their death too will bring new life.
* "He freed us from the lion’s mouth,"
and "turned the wolves into lambs."
Some nuns from a small town in Slo-
venia were captured. One of them recently
told me: "As soon as they saw me (young
and pretty) the chetniks isolated me from the
others, and put me in a cell. I thought that
after the violence they would have killed
me. All I could do was pray. I had a rosary
ring on my finger and I recited the Rosary
continuously. Then 5 chetniks broke into the
room, violently. I greatly intensified my
prayer, and then at a certain point I felt no
more fear. I was able to pray for them and
bless them in the name of the Lord.
After 5 hours their commander came (it
was 11 p.m.) and he sent them out. He asked
me what I was turning around on my finger.
"I’m praying for you," I replied and showed
him the rosary ring. He knelt down before
me and begged me to give it to him and
teach him how to pray with it. I was happy
to give it to him. We prayed together. In the
end - still on his knees - he said: "My dear
sister, when this war will end I will find you
to thank you. I am not baptized, I live
pilgrims and aid workers he never forgets to
thank them for what they do - or remind
them about what is primarily important.
"Thank you for coming. Your final aim
is not deliving supplies, nor is it visiting the
towns in ruin.. You came because Our Lady
called you.
Right from the beginning Our Lady said:
Convert! This means change. And you’re
wrong if you think you’re all right
because you’ve brought something to the
poor. No, you haven’t given anything if you
don’t give your faith, if you can’t show your
conversion. What you bring could be less
than a crumb that falls from the table of a
rich man. Don’t try and fool yourself. You
are more important, you are a son of God
and you have to make yourself entirely
available for Our Lady. So stop now and
encounter God, Our Lady and yourself.
For nearly 12 years the Virgin has been
teaching us that the devil exists and he can
be sent away only through prayer and fasts.
First you didn’t believe, and now you go to
Mostar to see how strong Satan is. But
tomorrow he might show his strength in
your home, your parish and your town. The
Church has to learn from all that is
happening here, because it’s like a school.
In my room I have a cross made out of
pieces of bombs that fell on Osijek where
we said a novena to the Immaculate
Conception. From a bomb, symbol of
violence, death and destruction, an engineer
made a cross, symbol of love. When you see
this cross, symbol of the sufferance of my
people, you will understand that only the
cross can save you. It’s not the medicine or
food you brought so someone could live
another day that will save you!
This sufferance is a mystery and Our
Lady wants to help us understand. Do not
ask Her why She let Her Son be killed
before Her own eyes. But just say: "Thank
you Jesus for your wounds, thank you for
suffering, for dying! Thank you Jesus for
your Redemption! Our Lady wants you to
enter now into the mystery of salvation,
which means sufferance and the cross.
That is why I told you not to talk about
your trucks and the aid you bring. It’s
trivial, there’s no need. It’s just a mask if
you don’t understand what’s behind it. Let
the UNO do this, but not you! You’re [here]
for conversion, for light, for being a witness
to having understood that great call Our
Lady makes to all men. Then your group
will become a great sign for the Church.
The important thing for you now is to
return home and put your lives in order,
because now is the time of conversion.
Our sufferance is greater when we think
that if we had obeyed 3 or 4 years ago
things could have been different. Why the
war? If you, if your parish, if all of us had
pray, for decisive action in disarming the
aggressor), then Mostar and the other towns
would certainly not have been destroyed!
Don’t put your conversion off! If you do
not do this, you will all die the same way,
Jesus tells us. Don’t look for excuses: "Are
they true or false these Apparitions?" Don’t.
make fun of Our Lady Who has been
here for 12 years, or of Her messages,
because refusing Her is tied to all this
sufferance and those lost lives."
relived Medjugorje in pretty Ferrini Park on
the 25th July. Fr. Jozo recited the Rosary
with them and then celebrated Holy Mass.
In his homily he asked if we had lost our
Lord, our treasure, our pearl, and where we
had put it for it couldn’t be found anymore
in our churches, in our public life, or in our
family. Then he told us about the 5 stones
with which Mary teaches us to defeat
today's Goliath (seemingly invisible).
The 5 stones are: the Rosary (and he told
of that American who distributed a million
rosary beads to people in his town); the
Eucharist ("a nation will fall if its churches
are empty"); the Bible ("without it we are
illiterate. The only international language is
the word of Christ"); fasting ("we send
money and supplies, but we are unable to
fast"); confession ("is not a toy but reconci-
liation, it’s making peace with God and with
our brothers, it’s starting again").
"Could you tell us something about repose
by the Spirit that often happens when you
bless people. Some say it’s negative, many
don’t know what it is or why it occurs." He
replied: "Repose by the Spirit is for us a
mystery, like all the fruits of the Spirit. We
are unable to know everything, but we can
see the fruits and situations. It depends also
on the person, his availability - when he
puts all his trust in the Lord and wishes to
offer his life. It is then that a person is able
to receive a grace, help, light, new love, new
oil in the lamp. Why do they fall? I don’t
know, but I do know that all those who look
for the Lord with a humble heart and are
open to grace are blessed.
So don’t judge, don’t try to explain what
it is, what you think it is, because you might
think something that is not right, your
judgement is not sure. So, [all we need to
do] is say that it is the Lord Who does it.
Some of us can sing, others can’t. The Lord
gives some gifts to some but not to others. If
someone near you receives a gift you should
feel God’s presence, you should not look
and doubt or be jealous. For the person who
receives it, it could be very special. Go in
peace..."
children. So far more than 3,000 children
have been sponsored. The sponsors have
expressed their satisfaction at the initiative
also because of the contact that is made
between the children and sponsors.
All those (in Italy and Australia) who
have paid for the first quarter and are not in
receipt of the child’s details, should advise
Angela & Matteo Rossi, Casella Postale 54,
54100 Massa, Italy.
the Lord and our heavenly Mother. Now I
understand the sense of my life. This rosary
ring will be my sign of gratitude."
A little while later he brought me a camp
bed and he kept guard in front of the door
till the morning. Then he took me back to
the other sisters and let us all go. Now I
think of him as a brother and I pray for him
and his companions every day."
the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
Dear children, I want you to
understand that I am your mother and
that I wish to help you, and invite you to
pray. It is only through prayer that you
will understand and accept my messages
and put them into practice in your lives.
Read the Holy Scripture, live it, and pray
to be able to understand the signs of this
time. This is a special time: that is why I
am with you, to bring you closer to my
Heart and to the Heart of my Son Jesus.
My dear children, I want you to be
children of the light, not of the darkness,
so live what I tell you to do. Thank you
for having responded to my call.
explains that today there are two different
plans of action: Hers and Satan’s. We are all
called to choose with responsibility. Those
who choose Mary, Queen of heaven and
earth, are summoned by Her motherly and
learned Heart on the 25th of every month;
let us take heed.
After 12 years Mary tells us of her ardent
desire for us to understand that She is our
Mother. Without this understanding, and
the profound experience of daily living that
accompanies it, we are lost on this earth and
easy prey for the one who wants our death.
But Our Lady is given all the power and
wealth of the Holy Trinity. She takes
advantage of Her motherly tenderness to
make us listen to Her advice and be able to
receive the grace which helps us resist and
live as Her children: rich, joyful, full of light
and winners over all the powers of darkness.
How can we obtain all this? Our Lady
shows us the way, the one and only, sure
way: prayer, through which we under-
stand Her messages, accept them and live
them. Through prayer, and only through
prayer, we are able to understand that Mary
is not just Mother of God, but also our
Mother. It is through prayer that we are able
to accept Her and live on this earth as Her
children. What marvellous things (and how
many) we can obtain through prayer, in
particular through reciting the Rosary - a
prayer which puts chains around Satan and
makes him fall back into his kingdom of
darkness!
Our Blessed Mother has another desire:
She wants to take us by the hand and lead us
to the Holy Scripture, so that we’ll read it
and live it. She would like us to experience
what She experienced on this earth, so
fruitfully, with humbleness and fullness.
She accepted the word of God in Her womb,
Who became flesh, and through Her, the
light that enlightens all men came to the
world. She is the first believer and the
perfect believer at the feet of Her God and
Lord. She avidly listens to Him, making
treasures of everything and pondering on
them in Her heart. If Mary lived like that,
then we who wish to be Her children, how
can we live any other way?
Through prayer we are also able to
understand the signs of this time where
untruth, violence and confusion seem to
prevail. It is the sign that appeared in the
sky when the dragon also appeared: It is the
sign that heralds God’s victory, that is, when
the dragon was hurled down to the earth,
and so came the salvation, and the power
English: Echo of Medj., C. P. 27, 31030 Bessica
(TV), Italy. Fax # 0423-470331. French: Echo
de Medjugorje, 18 Allée Thévenot, 39100 Dole,
France. German: Medjugorje Komitee, Postfach
272, 39100 Bolzano, Italy. Spanish: Roger
Watson, Via Fulda 2, 22100 Como, Italy. Ph #
031.543082. Catalan: Amics de Medj., c.Carme
11 baixos, 08700 Igualada-Catalugna, Spain.
Portughese: Servos da Rainha, Caixa p.02576,
70279-970 Brasilia DF, Brazil. Dutch: Frank
Striithagen, Misericordplein 12C, 6211-HK
Maastricht, Holland. Russian: Dom Marii,
Plotnikov 3, 121002 Moscow. Polish: Czeslawa
Mirkiewicz, ul.Krasickiego 21/3, 30-515
Krakow-Podgorze, Poland. Czech: Medzu-
gorské ozveny, Ilbenstädter, Str 6, DW-6000
Frankfurt, Germany. Magyar: Fraternitas, 1399
Budapest, p.f. 701/85, Hungary. fax: 36-217-
6183. Romanian: Anca Dragos, str N.Pamfil 53,
Bl 29, Ap 49, 72124 Bucharest, Romania.
Greek: Soeur Despina de la St Croix, 69 Rue
Epirou, Agia Paraskave, 15341 Athens, Greece.
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. Philippines: Raquel D. De Leon,
POB 789, 1099 Manila. Spain: Josè L. Lopez
de S. Roman, Ap. 246, Palencia, Spain.
Australia (all editions): Medjugorje Sentinel,
P.O.B. 531, Drummoyne NSW 2047.
Do not fear: She, the Immaculate One, Who
defeated Satan and the world through Her
seduction, takes us into Her Motherly
Heart to bring us nearer to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, for we are all nourished by
the truth that enlightens, by the meekness
that makes our victory greater, by the peace
that They wish to pour into our hearts. Then
we will shine out like children of the light
with our works of light, and the darkness
will be unable to defeat us.
So let us surrender ourselves up to the
loving arms of our Mother and live as joyful
children of the light, as witnesses that show
to this disoriented world the way to eternal
salvation.
Mostar and many other towns of Bosnia-
Herzegovina, we still need to urgently help
the many refugees in Herzegovina.
Contact the aid centre nearest you. If you
wish to send your donations through us,
please indicate your intention and make
cheques out to: Eco di Medjugorje, and mail
to same at Casella Postale 149, 46100
Mantova, Italy. In GB donatons may be sent
to the Medj. Appeal, Unit J Lambs Bus. Park,
Tilburstow Hill Rd, Sth Godstone, Surrey
RH9 8JZ, England.
Bernard Ellis from the Medj. Appeal
writes to say that apart from the supplies and
vehicles they donate, they also support the
"near 150 young people from all over the
world working in camps ... with vehicles,
finance and travel arrangements. (...) We also
support the Terra Ravno programme for the
rebuilding of six villages... and our repre-
sentatives, who work with the Franciscans,
ensure that all that we send is received by
those most in need and that it is shared
impartially, irrespective of race or religion."
a.m. next day. Departure from Medj. 6 p.m.
Cost: 86,200 lire return. Where: the bus depot,
adjacent to the train station. Autotrans bus co.
main office in Rijeka - ph.51-211222
against New Age publications. "New Age
religious efforts have decided to jump on the
"Mother Mary" bandwagon (this title is often
a key to be cautious.)" ... The most serious
manipulation of Mary’s appearances come
from the book Mary’s Message to the World,
byA.Kirkwood: a masterful blending of Cath-
olic and other Christian truths with New Age
beliefs and mysticism. (...) The messages are
dangerous - offering consolation to those who
don't want to accept the reality of sin, and
God’s justice..."
For William A. Reck's book on the matter,
write to: Riehle Foundation, P.O.Box 7,
Milford, Ohio 45150, USA.
donations. If you would like to
contribute, send your cheques to: Echo
of Medjugorje, Casella Postale 149,
46100 Mantova, Italy. If you prefer,
send your donation to your local
distributor who will forward it on to us.
Thank you and God bless you.
miracles of his Radio Maria in Poland can
be compared to the miracles of Fr. Kolbe in
the press. Blessed Mother, look upon him
and heal him, that he may soon start
working for You again.
Let us also pray for Fr. Roberto Cona
who for years has been offering his
sufferance for Our Lady’s works. I bless
you all in the name of the Crucified Christ
and Our Lady of Sorrows.
)