Message April 25, 2020
MESSAGE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
April 25, 2020
"Dear children! May this time be an incentive for personal conversion for you. Pray, little children, in solitude, to the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in faith and trust in God, that you may be worthy witnesses of the love which God bestows upon you through my presence.
Little children, do not permit trials to harden your heart and for prayer to be like a desert. Be a reflection of God's love and witness the Risen Jesus by your lives. I am with you and I love all of you with my motherly love. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Medjugorje and the Pandemic
The visionaries are sheltered in their family homes, like all of us. Marija has sent this lovely fraternal note to us: 'God bless you, my dearest! With the Risen Jesus in our hearts and the Gospa with us, we lack for nothing. We are also in prayer, just as the Gospa taught us from the very beginning. Prayer holds first place and conversion in the family. A big kiss to all of you! Your Marija."
Fr. Marinko Sakota, parish priest in Medjugorje, talked about the pandemic. "For us this is a problematic period….this is something that has disrupted our daily life; it prevents us from daily activities — something unexpected, unplanned and undesired. This is for us a cross....However, it is important that we listen to the words of Our Lady Queen of Peace and what She desires. She said, 'Return to my Son, to my Son, Jesus, return to prayer and fasting. Do not be afraid.'
This is our Mother speaking from love towards us. She loves us and desires our salvation, and we? We only wish to be freed of this problem, coronavirus... " Our Lady doesn't tell us, 'I will protect you from all problems. I will protect you from coronavirus, I will protect you from all crises. I will protect you from sickness.' No, she never said that. Our Lady desires that we do something — that is, we equip ourselves for all situations in life — when life is good, without any problems, and also for when we have problems — that we are equipped through prayers, through fasting, to strengthen our faith and believe in the Lord, to strengthen our hope, to strengthen our love towards God, towards others, to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, that we adore Jesus, that we pray before the Cross, read the holy Scriptures, that we confess, that we convert, that we change, that we love all people regardless of their behavior — and this way, draw closer to God's love and to grow in that love.... In this present situation of coronavirus, which we now find ourselves, doctors advise we can't always protect ourselves from the virus, but we can do things to strengthen our immunity such as taking vitamin C and vitamin D, and so all these things will help the immunity, our immune system, to protect against viruses. Our Lady gives us the guidance and advice for spiritual immunity, interior immunity.”
The Spirit of Medjugorje P.O. Box 6614, Erie, PA 16512-www.spiritofmedjugorje.org. May 2020
"Fruits of Mary's Love"
Medjugorje is a sign from Heaven where God and man can meet, can establish a stable relationship and thus, stop the river of evil which is flooding the world.
In Medjugorje, one can already see the fruit of an established unity with God: unity among people."
Medjugorje Visionary Marija; 'Virus Is Evil, It Doesn't Come From God. I am Convinced It Won't Last Long.'
When discussing the message of February 25, 2020, visionary Marija told Padre Livio on Radio Maria: "This virus is evil, it doesn't come from God. I am convinced that this situation won't last long, but for us it is an invitation to start a new life. When I heard this Coronavirus, I asked myself: 'How can we fight him?' As the name tells us, let's stick to the Crown, let's stick to the Rosary. Holy Rosary has won on a thousand occasions. Let's start with the Rosary in our families. May the Lord free us from this fear...Jesus said that certain evil spirits can only be removed by prayer and fasting. Even for this virus we start praying and fasting."
THE SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE
APRIL 2020
The Man Who Held Baby Jesus
By: June Klins
Last month I came upon a very interesting short video on the website, betweenthefoldsofhermantle.com. In the video, Medjugorje guide, Miki Musa, was with a group on Apparition Hill and they were at the Fourth Joyful Mystery Station, "The Presentation in the Temple." Miki began his reflection by noting that Simeon was a man of strong faith. He pointed out that just the day before, when the group heard visionary Vicka speak, she had said that Our Lady wants us to pray for "strong faith." Then Miki told them that when they look at the plaque, they will see old man Simeon holding Baby Jesus.
Motioning as if to hold Jesus, he asked, "Isn't this what our priests do every single day?" At this point, he reminded the group to pray for priests, as Our Lady asks. Miki said, "It's easy to complain about them, to criticize and judge, etc, but we are supposed to pray for that intention. In that way, we will have more holy priests for sure." He said that it is up to the faithful how holy the priests will be. He also reminded the group (and us) to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Miki then shared an experience he and other Medjugorje guides had two years prior. He said that every winter the Medjugorje guides go on a one-day pilgrimage with their spiritual director. That year they went to Zadar, a city about three hours away from Medjugorje. They went to the church of St. Simeon, where the parish priest met with them and shared the story of why St Simeon is one of the four patron saints of Zadar.
The priest said that when the Crusades started, a nobleman from Venice went to Jerusalem with the intention to save as many relics as possible, to bring them to Western Europe, so they would not be destroyed or lost. The nobleman found the tomb of the old man, Simeon. When the tomb was opened, St. Simeon's body was found to be incorrupt!
As the nobleman was sailing along the Croatian coastline with this special relic, he became sick and they had to stop. He realized it was going to take a while to get better, so he thought he'd better find a way to take care of the special treasure in his care. He told a priest that his brother had been killed in the Crusades and that he was taking the body back to Venice for burial. He asked the priest if he could bury "his brother" temporarily in the graveyard and he would pay all the expenses incurred. The priest consented. When the nobleman's health grew worse, and he realized he might be dying, he confessed to the priest that he had lied. He told the priest that when they open the casket, they would see.
Sure enough, when they opened the casket, they were shocked to see the man who held Baby Jesus in his arms. There was a great celebration in the town. They took the body to St. John the Baptist Church. The Croatian-Hungarian queen at the time, Elizabeth, was a very devoted person and she donated 500 pounds of gold for the new coffin to be made. She also donated money for a new church to be built for the coffin.
Miki said the priest in Zadar was talking to them in front of the altar, and above the altar was the gold coffin containing the incorrupt body of St. Simeon. Since there were no tourists, the priest opened the coffin for them. Miki said he got goose-bumps as he viewed through the glass the old man Simeon, the man who held Baby Jesus in his arms. Miki expressed, "You don't know what to say, what to do, what to think—just completely overwhelmed!"
The priest added that what is even more amazing is that the coffin is not hermetically sealed. Air flows through it. All the laws of nature say that the body should decay, but it does not. Every thirty years, they open the tomb and take the body out to see if the body is in the same condition as it was 30 years before. The most recent examination had been three years before Miki's visit there, and the priest had been present for it. The priest then added one final incredible detail. He asked, "What happens with your skin in the summer time when you're sweating? The pores open for the
body to breathe, right? But when it's cold, the pores are closing. Two thousand years after, his skin still reacts to heat and cold, the same way as our skin." Awestruck by this extraordinary miracle, Miki declared, "Words are useless!"
Like Miki, I was in awe of this story, and wished that I could have also seen the man who held Baby Jesus. But then I realized, as Miki mentioned at the beginning, I do see a man who holds Jesus every day when I attend Mass. In fact, I AM — we are all, each of us — the man (or woman) who holds Jesus (on our tongues or in our hands and then in our bodies) every time we receive Him in Holy Communion! He is just as present physically to us as he was to Simeon two thousand years ago. "I am the living bread that came down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever..." John 6:41 St. Simeon only got to hold Jesus once, but we can hold Him every week, or even every day! How blessed we are!
"Do not leave the church without an appropriate act of thanksgiving." (Our Lady, October 1984)
The Song of Simeon
Then it was time for the purification offering, as required by the Law of Moses after the birth of a child; so his parents took him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. The law of the Lord says, "If a woman's first child is a boy, he must be dedicated to the Lord." So they offered a sacrifice according to what was required in the law of the Lord----"either a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons"*
Now there was a man named Simeon who lived in Jerusalem. He was a righteous man and very devout. He was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he eagerly expected the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's Messiah. That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, Saying,
"Lord, now I can die in peace!
As you promised me,
I have seen the Savior
You have given to all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
And he is the glory of your people Israel.!"
Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, "This child will be rejected by many in Israel, and it will be their undoing. But he will be the greatest joy to many others. Thus, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul." Luke 2:22-35
His beautiful prayer, commonly called the Canticle of Simeon, is sung in monasteries and religious communities around the world as part of Night Prayers.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.....
"Something to Think About"
We are in Quarantine
The Latin root of the word "quarantine" is "forty". So what does the Bible say about 40? The flood lasted 40 days. 40 years Moses fled Egypt. 40 days Moses stayed on Mount Sinai to receive the Commandments. Exodus lasted 40 years. Jesus fasted for 40 days. Lent is 40 days. 40 days for a women to rest after giving birth.
A group of theologians thinks the number 40 represents "change". It is the time of preparing a person, or people to make a fundamental change.
Something will happen after these 40 days. Just believe and pray. Remember; whenever the number 40 appears in the Bible, there is a "change".
Please know that during this "quarantine" rivers are cleaning up, vegetation is growing, the air is becoming cleaner because of less pollution, there is less theft and murder, healing is happening, and most importantly, people are turning to Christ. The Earth is at rest for the first time in many years and hearts are truly transforming.
So, during this time, enjoy it with your loved ones and return to the family altar together. Family prayer is a great blessing. Through prayer you will see the changes God can work in you and in your home. Christ promises us that everything works together for the good for those who love God: Romans 8:28!
Remember we are in the year 2020, and 20+20 =40.
Also, 2020 is the year of the United States Census. Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, was born during the census.
Lastly, 2020 is perfect vision. May our sight focus on the Lord and living according to His perfect vision for us knowing He hold us in the palm of His hand.
May these days of "quarantine" bring spiritual liberation to our souls, our nation, and our world.
*The best is yet to come.*
*Trust in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!* Amen! Contributed by Mrs. Nadine Mordt
"Love conquers death and makes life last."
Chapter 13 of My Heart Will Triumph by Mirjana Soldo
"I know your pain and suffering because I lived through them. I laugh with you in your joy and I cry with you in your pain. I will never leave you." From Our Lady's Message of May 2, 2015
The Winds of Change are Blowing
When a little child runs to its' mom the youngster wants or needs something.
When a mother runs to her child it is in danger or immediate need
When Our Blessed Mother in Heaven rushes to her 'children' here on earth is it because we are in danger, possibly great danger? Her messages come from Heaven and detail our need to fast and pray for each other — now.
Pope Francis speaks out about Fake News
Excerpts from his message on World Communications Day 2018
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Truth Will Set You Free (Jn. 8:32)
Communication is part of God's plan for us and an essential way to experience fellowship.
Made in the image and likeness of our Creator, we are able to express and share all that is true, good, and beautiful. We are able to describe our own experiences and the world around us, and thus to create historical memory and the understanding of events. But when we yield to our own pride and selfishness, we can also distort the way we use our ability to communicate. The capacity to twist the truth is symptomatic of our condition. On the other hand, when we are faithful to God's plan, communication becomes an effective expression of our responsible search for truth.
____we are witnessing the spread of what has come to be known as "fake news". This calls for reflection, which is why I have decided to return in the World Communications Day Message to the issue of truth.
____I would like to contribute to our shared commitment to stemming the spread of fake news and to rediscovering the dignity of journalism and the personal responsibility of journalist to communicate the truth.
____The term "fake news" has been the object of great discussion and debate.
____Untrue stories can spread so quickly that even authoritative denials fail to contain the damage.
____Fake news.. tricks turning people into unwilling accomplices in spreading biased and baseless ideas (lies). The tragedy of disinformation is that it discredits others, presenting them as enemies, to the point of demonizing them and fomenting conflict. Fake news leads only to the spread of arrogance and hatred. That is the end result of untruth.
____None of us can feel exempted from the duty of countering these falsehoods. Praiseworthy are those institutional and legal initiatives aimed at developing regulations for curbing the phenomenon. We need to unmask what could be called 'Snake-Tactics' by Satan 'the Father of Lies'.
Medjugorje Message, July 25, 1999
"Dear Children, Also today I rejoice with you and I call you all to prayer with the heart. I call all of you, little children, to give thanks to God here with me for the graces which He gives to you through me. I desire for you to comprehend that I want to realize here, not only a place of prayer but also a meeting of hearts. I desire for my Jesus' and your heart to become one heart of love and peace. That is why, little children, pray and rejoice over everything that God does here, despite that satan provokes quarrels and unrest I am with you and I lead you all on the way of love. Thank you for having responded to my call."
"He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never imagine. Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely. St. Catherine of Siena, her Feast Day April 29.
We are all advised to wash our hands frequently for 20 seconds: The time it takes to pray one 'Our Father' or two 'Hail Marys'.
'A Mothers' Love is the engine that empowers Our Love!' Pope Francis
Happy Mother's Day: On Earth and in Heaven
The Holy Family, P.O. Box 442 St. Marys, PA 15857 message by phone 814-787-5683