MEDJUGORJE NEWS - Our Lady of Medjugorje

MEDJUGORJE NEWS
New Zealand
Issue n°73 – September 2014
FREE
IN THIS ISSUE
* Latest Messages from Our Lady (p.3)
* From the Editor (p.4)
* Natasha’s Testimony (pg 5 – 6)
* Italian finds peace after suicide attempts (pg 7)
* Crippled young man cured in Medjugorje (pg 8)
* Medjugorje statue seems to cry in Italy (p.8)
* The transfiguration of the Lord in us (p.9)
* News from Medjugorje (Children of Medjugorje) (p.10-12)
* Just checking in (p.12-13)
* If you knew how much I loved you (p.14-15)
* Why I choose the Catholic Road (p.16-18)
* Our Lady is calling you (p19)
* The Comforter is with us in our troubles (p20)
* Whisperings of God (p22-23)
* My soul is thirsting for you (pg 23)
EDITOR:
Sarah Moran, Medjugorje News
PO. Box 287
DARGAVILLE 0340
Phone: (09) 439 6151 – (Fax: (09) 439 6182) - Email: Sarah.medjugorjenews@gmail.com
Web site: www.medjugorjenews-nz.org
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As its name implies, the aim of this newsletter is essentially the spreading of the
messages received by the visionaries in Medjugorje, according to the wishes of Our Lady
The Medjugorje Story
On the evening of 24 June 1981, in the parish of St James in Medjugorje, six young people claimed to
have seen the Blessed Virgin Mary on Podbrdo Hill. The next day four of the six alleged another
meeting with Our Lady, and said they spoke with her. On this occasion, the four teenagers (three girls
and a boy) were joined by another young boy and a teenage girl. These six became the definitive
visionaries in Medjugorje; they are Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan
Dragicevic, Marija Pavlovic and Jakov Colo.
Since 1981, these six young people have been the centre of world attention, and medical and
scientific studies. Their principal claim is that practically every day to the present time, our Blessed
Lady has been appearing to one or more of them, and that from her they have received thousands of
messages for the parish of Medjugorje and the world. All six still claim apparitions, though only three
of them now on a daily basis, and each of the six says that he or she has received, or is in the process of
receiving, ten secrets. The first of the secrets is to be revealed to the world through Mirjana Dragicevic,
and the third is said to be concerned with a permanent sign that will authenticate the apparitions and
be a help to conversion, and will be evident to all at Medjugorje. The visionaries say that Our Lady
identifies herself to them as the Queen of Peace.
As a result of these claims, more than forty million people have visited Medjugorje from all over the
world and there have been many assertions regarding remarkable signs and wonders, cures and
spiritual healing. There is no doubt at all that those millions of people have found a pilgrimage to
Medjugorje one of the most spiritually significant experiences of their lives.
News from Medjugorje can be found at the official website:
http://www.medjugorje.hr/
We acknowledge and accept that the authority regarding the authenticity of apparitions, locutions and
related messages as well as all private revelations from Our Lord, Our Lady or any Saint rests with the Holy See
of Rome whose final judgement we will respect and obey.
We also affirm our total allegiance to our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, our Priests and
Bishops and our Holy Father, Pope Francis .
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THE MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE
The Blessed Virgin Mary proposes a six-point programme:
1. Faith - Belief in God and in the supernatural. It is your true vision. Therefore live by it.
2. Commitment to God - Let Him direct your life. Begin by turning away from sin in true conversion and repentance.
3. Prayer - Regular Mass, monthly confession, daily rosary and dedication to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate
Heart of Mary.
4. Fasting - Bread and water on Fridays (and Wednesdays) if you can. If not, at least cut back or practise some other form of self
denial.
5. Peace - In your own heart, in your family and neighbourhood and workplace, in all your human relations and reaching out to the
war-stricken world.
6. The Holy Bible - We should read part of the Holy Scripture every day.
The Messages of Mary are addressed not only to Catholics but to the whole human race, regardless of beliefs
or religion.
Our Lady’s Messages
25 April, 2014
"Dear children!
Open your hearts to the grace which God is giving you through me, as a flower that opens to the
warm rays of the sun. Be prayer and love for all those who are far from God and His love. I am with
you and I intercede for all of you before my Son Jesus, and I love you with immeasurable love.
Thank you for having responded to my call."
25 May, 2014
“Dear children!
Pray and be aware that without God you are dust. Therefore, turn your thoughts and heart to
God and to prayer. Trust in His love. In God’s spirit, little children, you are all called to be witnesses.
You are precious and I call you, little children, to holiness, to eternal life. Therefore, be aware that this
life is passing. I love you and call you to a new life of conversion.
Thank you for having responded to my call.”
25 June, 2014
“Dear children!
The Most High is giving me the grace that I can still be with you and to lead you in prayer
towards the way of peace. Your heart and soul thirst for peace and love, for God and His joy.
Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray and in prayer you will discover the wisdom of living. I bless
you all and intercede for each of you before my Son Jesus.
Thank you for having responded to my call.”
25 July, 2014
“Dear children!
You are not aware of the graces that you are living at this time in which the Most High is giving
you signs for you to open and convert. Return to God and to prayer, and may prayer begin to reign in
your hearts, families and communities, so that the Holy Spirit may lead and inspire you to every day be
more open to God’s will and to His plan for each of you. I am with you and with the saints and angels
intercede for you.
Thank you for having responded to my call.”
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From the Editor
I decided that I would go to Holy Hour and sit
in front of The Lord, I figured He had to listen
to me then. Wow what a transformation, the
person who went into that church was different
to the one who came out. An unbelievable
feeling of peace filled me and a trust in the
Lord so great. I left that Church in the
knowledge of the power of The Lord and the
Eucharist.
It also reminded me of the shame of my
outburst and the song that I love of the
forgiveness of Our Lord. (See below “As gentle
Dear Friends of Medjugorje News,
Many blessings to all our readers. Am sitting
at my desk wandering what Our Lord and Lady
want in their magazine, I have been procrastinating
wandering what ‘I am going to do”. I should have
written on my forehead “yea of little faith”. The
Lord has his plans for the magazine and I am just
the instrument!!!! Hope you enjoy the contents.
As for me, the last three months have been a
roller coaster. Not enough hours in the day,
worrying about this and that, and not being able to
see the wood for the trees. Sound familiar. I had
taken my eyes of The Lord, I was working on my strength not
the strength of The Lord and getting nowhere fast. I had been
yelling at The Lord, as I am prone to do in my frustration. Then
as silence”)
May the Lord Bless you and keep you, may The Lord shine
His face on you and give you peace.
Sarah Moran
Visiting those in prison – by writing
Would you like to become involved in a very special work of mercy by writing to long-term prisoners in a foreign country?
Divine Mercy Publications have set up a team of letter writers to correspond with the inmates of a maximum security jail in
Zambia, central Africa. Most of these are Catholics/Christians to whom we send reading and prayer literature as well as
clothes and toiletries.
The requests for pen pals are growing; the prison we write to has over 400 inmates, most of whom are in desperate need
of consolation and encouragement. They are served by an Irish Catholic priest, whom they see 2-3 times per month.
We wish to continue this important work of mercy and need helpers to ‘adopt’ a prisoner and write on a regular basis,
usually once every 1-2 months. Can you help?
There will be absolutely no cost to you, Divine Mercy Publications/Trust will cover all expenses including sending funds
via the prison Chaplain approximately twice per year to help the inmates purchase food, toiletries, medicines, clothes and
in some case pay a portion of their children‘s school fees to prevent them becoming ‘street kids‘.
All you need give is your time and mercy to these needy souls.
If you would like to know more please contact us.
Thank you for your consideration of this important request.
Divine Mercy Publications Trust Christchurch. PO Box 20266 Bishopdale Christchurch 8543 – Ph/Fax 03 3592087
As Gentle as Silence
Oh, the love of my Lord is the essence
Of all that I love here on earth.
All the beauty I see, He has given to me,
And his giving is gentle as silence.
Every day, every hour, every moment,
Have been blessed by the strength of His love.
At the turn of each tide, He is there at my side,
And his touch is as gentle as silence.
There’ve been times when I’ve turned from his presence,
And I’ve walked other paths, other ways,
But I’ve called on his name, in the dark of my shame
And his mercy was gentle as silence.
If you have some patience, if you know how to offer up all your difficulties to God, you will
bring yourself much nearer to Heaven. - Saint John Vianney (1786-1859)
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Featured articles from August’s Spirit of Medjugorje
Natasha’s Testimony
By June Klins
On my June 2012 pilgrimage to Medjugorje, we visited the Women’s Cenacolo Community and heard the
testimony of an inspirational young lady from Ireland, named Natasha.
Natasha, beaming with the joy of the Lord through her whole testimony, said that she entered the community
because she had a drug problem. “The drugs were the consequence of a lot of situations I lived in life because I
was always an empty person; I never felt filled up with anything… I had no real faith in my life. I had no real values
in my life because I never believed in anything.”
Natasha shared that she was dyslexic and had difficulties in school, and began taking drugs at a very young
age. “I wasn’t happy on the inside. I was sad and I was lonely…. My mistakes started then because I never even
went to my mother and shared a little problem I was having in my life. I started taking drugs when I was 13. Like a
whole lot of other drug addicts, I started with cigarettes. Then after this is boring, you always want something else,
and look for something else. By the time I was 17, I was already addicted to heroin. At the beginning, I did it
because I liked it. I liked it because it helped me feel like a stronger person, that I’m better than other people. It
gave me false courage. It gave me more confidence from the inside.”
Natasha continued, “This road, it went forward for many years because I didn’t know who I was at the end of
the day. Everybody suffers in life, everybody has difficulties in life, but I was used to confronting my problems with
drugs. I used it like an anaesthetic. Every difficulty I had, I went and I took drugs just to escape from reality and all
my problems. I fell into this routine of life. The road of drugs – there is nothing nice to say. You’re a selfish person.
You don’t have respect for yourself. You don’t have respect for anybody. You don’t even have any dignity left. You
become like a slave to your addiction. Even I always say in testimony that heroin is like ‘the devil in powder’
because it takes away everything from you.” She said that people, particularly family, tried to help her. “I went to
AA; I went on a methadone program; I did the 12 Steps. I entered in all different styles of communities in Ireland,
and a lot of times I gave the best to myself, but there was always the same thing – it was inside of me – I couldn’t
grasp what it was. I said, ‘My God, I’m doing everything. I always feel empty and I can’t put my finger on it.’ I
relapsed many times.” She never finished school, nor held down a good job. “Also, in these times when I was
really struggling – I was 26 – I didn’t even have any more will to live because I had no real values, no faith in my
life. So what am I going to do? I asked everybody for help in every way. Everybody was sick of me. There’s only
so much that other people can do for you, and at the end of the day, I was a woman. I had to stand on my two
feet.”
“By the hand of God, I got to know Cenacolo Community and I came for one month – six years ago.” Natasha
said she was 26 when she entered, and regretted that she had wasted half of her life prior to this. “I entered and I
didn’t even know what colour I liked. I didn’t even know what kind of food I liked. Everything for me was boring.
Everybody’s always doing the same thing – going to work, paying the bills, doing everything. So a lot of times
when I was clean, I would colour my hair... After two hours, the happiness passes. Then I say, ‘Okay, next week
I’m going to go to buy myself new clothes.’” She wanted to fill the emptiness with something that you touch.
Natasha said she had the will to change and have a better life, to be the person God created her to be. But she
also had a lot of fear because she was used to fighting her difficulties with drugs. In the Community, there is no
television, no Facebook, no computers, no makeup, no hair colour, no jeans – material things. But she decided to
try it for a month.
When she entered the Community, there were 18 women living in the house. “You know what it is to live in a
house with 18 women?” Natasha quipped, “If God wasn’t in the middle of it, we’d be killing each other!” “We are
from all over the world. I come from Ireland. There are girls from Croatia, from Italy, France, from everywhere.”
She said the women struggle not only with drug addictions, but also food or alcohol addictions, and even
addictions to the Internet.
Natasha was assigned a “guardian angel” – a girl who was with her 24 hours a day. She resented the fact that
her guardian angel was five years younger than herself. “Already, that was enough for me, and I wanted to get
away straightaway because I was thinking, ‘I can teach you something. Where have you been in your life?’ An
awful lot of attitude problem – an awful lot of ‘I know better than you’ – an awful lot of pride inside of me.”
Natasha explained, “In this community, we live from the Providence of God; we don’t buy anything. What we
have, we eat; what we don’t have, we don’t eat. If there is no milk, we drink tea; if there is no tea, we drink water.
It is like an education. Before, outside, I ate everything and too much, to be honest with you. I was never happy. I
always wanted more. I always wanted bigger. I always wanted better. Instead of one pair of shoes, I wanted 10
pairs of shoes – one pair for every outfit. It’s the mentality. These material things didn’t make me happy. So, here
we wear skirts and we don’t choose the skirts. It’s more or less an education to be a woman. Mother Elvira says,
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‘Women, when you enter Community, you have more body attitudes like men – hands in the pockets and jeans
falling down, and with the hooded tops and everything. You sit with your feet up and everything. But when you
wear a skirt, you have to walk in a certain way and you have to sit in a certain way.’ And she also says in a family,
the children have to know who is the mother and who is the father because today in the world it’s so confused,
that you have to give these real values to the kids.”
After nine or ten months with the Cenacolo Community, one day, Natasha said to her guardian angel, “Look, I
had enough. I’m going home. You annoy me because you’re always laughing, always happy, and I don’t
understand. I don’t believe in the faith or in prayer.” She said she had a closed heart and wondered how it could
be so simple with faith and prayer. She still contended, as she did on the outside, that only weak people pray.
“You have to have the strength to be good by yourself. I still wanted to do everything by myself in my way – a little
bit good and a little bit bad.” She was afraid to change because she didn’t know what to expect.
The women in the house tried to help her, but she provoked them in every way. She wanted to see how far she
could push her guardian angel – to see if everything she was telling her was true. Her guardian angel said,” I don’t
care. Natasha, I don’t even know you. I just want to help you. You have come here like everybody else, but you
have to lower down your pride. You have to become humble. You have to let the others help you.” Natasha said,
“And the more I provoked her, the nicer she was to me! It certainly annoyed me. I thought, ‘How can she be so
nice?’ She said to me, ‘Look, you have to start praying.’” Natasha had been praying since she arrived, but her
heart was not in it. She was in the chapel physically, but admitted that her head was back in Ireland. “I wasn’t
present with the prayer and I never knew how to pray with the heart.”
One day, her guardian angel said to Natasha, “You listen, and you try to commit yourself to prayer and
everything, and you’ll see things will change.” Natasha said she felt a strength – like a burst of energy – and said
she would try. “But I didn’t realize it’s easier saying it than doing it!” Her guardian angel said, “Okay, tonight we get
up at two o’clock in the morning.” Natasha was not too crazy about this idea. Her angel said, “Like a sacrifice, we’ll
get up at two o’clock.” Natasha asked, “You want me to get up at night time and go to the chapel and pray?” For
her, this was too much, and she said, “I can’t get up at two o’clock in the night, because we also wake up at six
o’clock in the morning. No, I am not capable.” Her angel replied, “If you want to do good for yourself and you want
to be happy, like everybody else, you have to start doing sacrifices…You’re often limited in your head, and you
only want to do what you want to do. You have to go a little bit further.” Natasha did get up with her at two o’clock,
not only that night, but for nine nights in a row! They prayed a novena to St. Padre Pio. Natasha had difficulties at
first, but then it got easier. “I felt better because I was doing something that I didn’t want to do. So in the morning,
when they woke me at six o’clock, I was happy because I overcame myself. After a while, she didn’t even have to
wake me anymore. I continued going and going. Still today, I do the same thing, because the way of faith and
prayer is a lot of sacrifices. We’re human people, and we live here; it’s not like we’re saints and perfect. We have
a lot of defects. Every day you make mistakes. Every day I have to choose to do good in Community. I also have
to choose to give myself to others.”
“Our whole day is tied with prayer, with the Word of God, the Bible, with sharing. We also have moments when
we do personal prayer. Also the way of faith happens outside the chapel because it’s easy to put yourself on your
knees and pray five to six hours every day. Everybody can do it and pray good, but if you’re not capable of putting
it into practice, it doesn’t serve you any good. Everybody can talk about love and forgiveness and giving yourself,
but if you’re not capable of showing it during the day, it doesn’t do you any good. Also here I learned the way of
faith and prayer and more. I have to do sacrifices. And I always have to love the other people.…”
Towards the end of her testimony, Natasha shared that three years prior to that time, one of her brothers died
as a result of a heroin overdose. “I could easily be in his shoes,” she reflected. “It is only with the strength of
prayer that you can carry on.”
Editor’s note: For more information on the Cenacolo Community, you can visit their website,
www.comunitacenacolo.it.
God Our Father, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was the first church built to honour Mary as Mother of God. A
Roman couple had promised their inheritance to her, and one night she told them, in separate dreams, to
construct a church. The Pope also had this dream; at the same time, snow fell on the site Mary had indicated,
despite the summer warmth, and so the basilica was built. I ask the Blessed Mother to pray for the conversion of
sinners throughout the world, that we may all accept the love of her Son. May our churches soon be filled with
those who now are lost. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Amen.
- Saint Mary Major, Basilica in Rome, for the Feast of the Dedication on August 8
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Italian finds peace after suicide attempts
By Jakob Marschner 10 July 2014
As a child, Gabriella Belotti lost her mother. As a young woman, she lost her father, too. Having lost a child in
the womb, she also lost her husband. After three attempted suicides, she began to notice signs that led her to
Medjugorje. Here she found a peace that took all her suffering
sufferi away.
Medjugorje brought relief to many suffering pilgrims. But only few had been through more than Gabriella
Belozzi, a 53 years old woman from Gorlago, Italy.
“My life has been marked by pain. After losing the people dearest to me, my parents, my husband Roberto, the
love of my life, and our son who died before he was born, I thought I would go crazy. I was in despair but Roberto
never left me alone: I began to notice the signs he sent me, and that led me to Medjugorje where I found peace
and rediscovered
ediscovered God” she tells the local newspaper Bergamo News.
At age 5 in 1966, Gabriella Belotti lost her mother. She sacrificed her life to save Gabriella when a roaring
motorcycle was about to hit the little girl. The driver was sentenced to 18 months
months in prison. “We never saw him,
nor has there ever been a hint of apology for what he had done” she says.
After growing up with her father and her three sisters, Gabriella Belotti went to college: nine more difficult years
for the young woman. “I suffered
red a lot from being separated from my family, I often felt alone and sad. After nine
years I came home and, along with my father, I lived some happy years until, following a cardiac arrest on the
night of May 3, 1984, my dad died holding my hand. I had feared
feared his death during childhood and now it had
happened. Soon after, my marriage to my first husband ended because I was looking for a family while he was
not” she tells. More difficult years followed the death of her father. Then, around the turn of the centuries,
c
she met
the love of her life.
“On June 18, the birthday of my dad, I decided to buy a new car. At the salesman, I met Roberto. He was the
perfect man: we had many interests in common, and he also wanted to start a family after the end of a previous
previ
marriage” says Gabriella Belotti. Except for the major tragedy of losing a child in the womb, the couple had some
very nice years together. “We were very happy and seven years after meeting, we tied the knot. We decided to
buy a house in Porto San Paolo,
o, Sardinia. It was a peaceful period until, after 18 months of marriage, Robert died
in a car accident on December 1, 2008. I was desperate, I seemed to go crazy. I began to drink and tried to
commit suicide three times” she tells.
In the midst of her sufferings, Gabriella Belotti started to notice what seemed to be signs. “I began to see
Roberto’s car everywhere, to hear his name everywhere, to see hearts of stone and glass. I learned how to
decipher these symbols which became a natural language and the
the only thing that kept me alive. These were the
signs that eventually led me to Medjugorje” she explains. “One day, at the airport in Sardinia, my attention was
drawn to a book about Medjugorje: It was published in Turin in December 2008, Roberto’s hometown
hometo
and the
month and year of his death.” “In Sardinia, one day a real estate agent took me to see a new house on the hill of
Porto San Paolo. On the wall of the house there were two hearts made of stone. These hearts were the reference
points for my way of rebirth. In the front yard was a crucifix with Jesus Christ, the Madonna, the Queen of
Salvation. Next to that was a statue of St. Anthony, the patron of orphans and widows like me, and on the side a
large stone with the words “Village of Serenity” Gabriella Belotti tells. “The message was clear: the home for our
hearts are Jesus and the Virgin Mary. I felt a strong desire to go to Medjugorje, and I left on Easter Day 2011
which marked my rebirth.”
In
n Medjugorje, Gabriella Belotti found peace: “As I was walking up Apparition Hill, I saw a heart-shaped
heart
stone
on the ground. I heard a voice say, “It is for you”. I pulled it out from the ground and cleaned it, it was perfect, and
the back had a picture of a lamb. I held it close, and I cried from joy and sorrow, the pain was killing
kill
me slowly. At
one point I fell asleep with my head between my knees” she remembers. “When I woke up, I felt a peace in my
heart that I had not felt for a long time. I began to pray the Hail Mary with the Rosary that I had just taken up
because everyone had one. I did not know the Rosary, I was far from God for more 30 years, but now I did not
want to go down that hill.”
In the evening, in my hotel room, I saw a cloud shaped like a heart which slowly formed a face. I thought I was
crazy but it was all true: others also saw it. Upon returning home from this trip, I realized there was no trace of
pain anymore. Seeing Roberto’s tomb no longer made me cry. I felt a miracle within me because it was impossible
that such pain could be gone in an instant. It was a moment that changed my whole life” says Gabriella Belotti.
7
“I have experienced pain without faith. I cannot even describe how much it tore my life and my soul, but also I
cannot describe the joy that I live in my heart now when I returned to live with
with God.”
Gabriella Belozzi just published a book about her life. The revenue will go to charity.
Crippled young man cured in Medjugorje
By Jakob Marschner on 15 July 2014
For three years, Andrea de Luca was suffering from perthes, confined to a wheelchair as his femoral head and
hip were flaking. During Mass in Medjugorje, he felt a strong heat, and upon his return he heard a voice tell him to
walk. Medical experts confirm a healing they cannot explain. Unbearable pain and a paralyzed life in a wheelchair
are among the consequences of perthes, a rare disease that leads the femoral head and hip to flake. 21 years old
Andrea de Luca from Castellammare di Stabia, Italy, lived this condition for three years until he was cured in
Medjugorje.The doctorss who were treating him, Dr. Anastasio Tricarico, a professor of orthopaedics and
traumatology at the University of Naples, and Dr. Pasquale Guida, an expert of orthopaedics from Naples, testify
to Andrea de Luca’s inexplicable healing. In Italian author/journalist
author/journalist Paolo Brosio’s new book, “Ray of Light”, they
further present before and after x-rays
rays showing the restoration of bones that had been broken and missing.
One day, a young man greeted me: ‘Hello professor” while he was riding a bicycle. I could not believe it was
Andrea, whose disease I had followed for three years” Dr. Pasquale Guida told the Italian tv station RAI.
In September 2009 Andrea de Luca and his parents went to Medjugorje. It was the last hope they had for a
cure. The first sign came one evening as he had gone into the garden of the place they were living. “I could not
sleep. I went out into the yard, made the Sign of the Cross, and began to pray. Then the head of Our Lady’s
statue before me lit up. Although it was a beautiful light,
light, one you cannot describe, I got scared and went back
inside. I invited my parents to come and see. When they arrived, two beams came out of the statue, one from the
heart, the other from the leg” Andrea de Luca tells the Croatian daily 24 sata. “Then one
o day, a nun told me: ‘Talk
to Jesus. Talk. Tell Him to take away your disease.” The following day I went to Mass and prayed for the first time
myself. I felt a heat in my entire back” says De Luca, 16 years old by the time. Because of fear, he would not put
his crutches away. That he only did when he returned to Italy. When we returned home, I waited with my crutches
in order to get out of the bus. Then three times I heard a voice in my heart saying, ‘You are my apostle. Walk and
wear my light’. From that moment ceased the very big pain that I had felt for three years” says Andrea de Luca.
He was silent in public for almost five years before he started telling what had happened to him. “I did not want
to talk about it then. I was a child. Now I am an adult,
adult, and the doctors have confirmed that a miracle happened in
my case” he says.
Medjugorje
rje Statue seems to cry in Italy
By Jakob Marschner 4 August 2014
Believers flocked into the street when a statue of the Virgin Mary brought from Medjugorje seemed to shed
tears for four days in late July in Piane Crati, Italy. While some believed it was a sign and others suggested a
natural cause, the local diocese collected
ected samples for laboratory tests. Calabria in southern Italy was stirred for
four days from July 21 when a Medjugorje statue of the Virgin Mary seemed to shed tears in the main square of
the village of Piane Crati. Church authorities have remained silent,
silent, but ensured that samples will now undergo
scientific analysis. First to notice the seeming tears were a group of local boys, around 11.30 pm on July 21. Their
finding drew almost all the local people out into the street, the regional newspaper Il Quotidiano
Quotid
reports. The
phenomenon was repeated on July 22 and 23, both times around 9.30 pm, then again on July 24 at 9.30 am, the
regional newspaper Gazzetta del Sud informs. Both on July 21 and 22, the lacrimation occurred a few hours
before it started raining,
g, regional newspaper Il Lametino adds. No rain fell on July 23 or 24.Local deacon Albino
Venneri witnessed the first occurrences and alerted Piane Crati’s parish priest, Fr. Antonello de Luca, who was on
a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Their contact led to the diocese
d
taking up samples. The final occurrence on July 24 was
attended by 62 years old local citizen Carmine Mancuso who, for two years, has lived with three seeming stigmata
on his chest, and who is sweating blood during the consecration of the host while at Mass. Watching the statue
seem to shed tears provoked another dramatic reaction: “Two women were in front of the statue in a discreet
attitude of prayer. They were joined by the stigmatist who uses to recite a Hail Mary every time he is passing by.
While
ile the three greeted each other and got ready to leave, they noticed a tear burst
burst forth from the face of the
statue. The three looked at each other, eyes wide open, in total amazement. Reported by witnesses, Carmine
8
Mancuso fainted with sharp pains in the chest“ Gazzetta del Sud reports. “For about an hour, the tears were noted
by bystanders, and people flocked there. A drop remained on the chin for at least a quarter of an hour. In the
morning sun it would have to disappear in a few minutes. Instead, itit was there” the regional newspaper adds.
Regional tv station Rete Calabria suggested that variations of temperature and humidity in the area could
explain the formation of water molecules on the statue. Meanwhile, people flocked from all parts of Calabria.
Cala
The
village of Piane Crati is also the home of Cristian Felice who suffered from the incurable and deadly disease ALS
for five years before he stood up from his wheelchair on top of Apparition Hill in Medjugorje on September 26 last
year. When the statue
atue seemed to start weeping in the place inhabited by both Carmine Mancuso and Cristian
Felice, regional newspaper Il Lametino dubbed Piane Crati “the village of miracles”. And indeed, Piane Crati sets
itself apart from other parishes and places: “It is a community with a high percentage of believers. Faith is being
lived through good works and prayer. Numerous are the testimonies and even signs of religiosity marked by
moments of great intensity and mystery. The events tie in with the lives of some amazing
amazin people, the emblem of a
place that seems almost ‘chosen’” editor Gaspare Stumpo comments in his regional online journal Savuto Web.
“What happens then in this lovely corner of Calabria? A miracle, an incident resulting from an excess of
mysticism, or the clumsy interpretation of a natural phenomenon? The answer comes in time and prudence,
appropriate now more than ever” he adds.
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The Transfiguration of the Lord in us
Atop Mount Tabor in Israel is where the pure light of Christ – the uncreated light of his true identity – was first
revealed to the world. Not at his birth, not at his baptism, nor as he preached and healed. Although the Light
L
of the
World came to us in those momentous events, it was not revealed so clearly, so powerfully, so dramatically as
when he let Peter, John, and James witness it on the mountaintop, as seen
seen in today’s Gospel passage.
"This is my beloved Son; listen to
o him." The transfiguration of Christ occurs – again and again – every time we
listen to him and our faith is enlightened. It happens every time we have a breakthrough from blindness to
understanding, from sinfulness to holiness, from doubt to trust. However,
However, now we are transfigured with Jesus!
Whenever we let his uncreated light consume the darkness within us, the people around us see Christ's true
identity in us. We shine with him. This is what evangelization is! And the more we identify the areas of darkness
dark
that still linger in us, letting Jesus expose the truth in his light so that we repent (which means to change) and
receive forgiveness, the more we're transformed
trans
into our true identity.
What is our true identity? It's our innermost being that was created
created in the image of God! It’s our sainthood! Now
that we’ve been redeemed by Christ – and have embraced this truth – we are no longer sinners (no longer people
disconnected from this image) but we are saints, imperfect though we are, learning more and more
mor how to live out
our true identity. Transfigurations are not meant to be solely for the high points of our lives. Although the glow of
mountaintop experiences may fade, it's still present in our lives as long as we stay close to the source of true light.
It's in the dirt and darkness of the low points of life where our
our holiness makes a difference. Jesus left his
mountaintop experience to enter into the ministry of suffering. When we're transfigured by the light of Christ, we
are called by Christ to leave our
ur mountaintops to reveal his presence to the world, and although there is suffering
in this ministry, we're comforted by remembering that every Good Friday is eventually followed by a Resurrection
Sunday. Listen. Can you hear God's voice saying about you what he said about Jesus on Mount Tabor? "This is
my beloved child; listen to him/her." He is saying this to others as you do the work to which he's called you. Some
folks will hear him, some won't, but our yes to his calling is not based on how many people
peopl will heed his voice. We
serve God because we have been transfigured. Our holiness impels us to go where we can do the greatest good.
© 2014 by Terry A. Modica
9
Excerpts from
Children of Medjugorje
From Sister Emmanuel - http://www.childrenofmedjugorje.com/
On May 2, 2014, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, surrounded by a large crowd. After
the apparition, she gave the following message:
"Dear children, I, your Mother, am with you for the sake of your well-being, for the sake of your needs and for the
sake of your personal cognition. The Heavenly Father gave you the freedom to decide on your own and to
become cognizant on your own. I desire to help you. I desire to be a mother to you, a teacher of the truth - so that
in the simplicity of an open heart, you may become cognizant of the immesurable purity and of the light which
comes from it and shatters darkness, the light which brings hope. I, my children, understand your pain and
suffering. Who could understand you better than a mother? And you, my children? Small is the number of those
who understand and follow me. Great is the number of those who are lost - of those who have not yet become
cognizant of the truth in my Son. Therefore, my apostles, pray and act. Bring the light and do not loose hope. I am
with you. In a special way I am with your shepherds. With a motherly heart I love and protect them, because they
lead you to Heaven that was promised to you by my Son. Thank you."
On June 2, 2014, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross, in the presence of a huge crowd!
After the apparition she gave the following message:
"Dear children, I call you all and accept you as my children. I am praying that you may accept me and love me as
a mother. I have united all of you in my heart, I have descended among you and I bless you. I know that you
desire consolation and hope from me because I love you and intercede for you. I ask of you to unite with me in my
Son and to be my apostles. For you to be able to do so, I am calling you, anew, to love. There is no love without
prayer - there is no prayer without forgiveness; because love is prayer - forgiveness is love. My children, God
created you to love and you love so as to forgive. Every prayer that comes out of love unites you with my Son and
the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit illuminates you and makes you my apostles - apostles who will do everything
they do in the name of the Lord. They will pray with their works and not just with words, because they love my Son
and comprehend the way of truth which leads to eternal life. Pray for your shepherds that they may always lead
you with a pure heart on the way of truth and love - the way of my Son. Thank you."
On June 13th we celebrated a great Franciscan saint who is very dear to the Croatian people, even though he is
Portuguese: Saint Antony of Padua. 20 minutes from Medjugorje there is a beautiful sanctuary dedicated to him,
and every year thousands of Croatians go there from far away, often walking barefoot. To further exemplify how
popular this saint is with the people, few are the families who do not have an "Ante" or "Anthony" among their
sons. Even Vicka is one of them, her only son is named Ante! Saint Antony received many charisms from God,
one of which was preaching in the Holy Spirit. When he spoke, hearts opened to God like flowers to the sun. Saint
Francis of Assisi therefore entrusted him with preaching, and teaching his brothers. One of my favourite
anecdotes from his life goes like this: One day Saint Anthony was preaching, and a passerby began to listen to
him. The man had committed very grave sins and had been making fun of God, but when he heard Anthony's
words of grace, his heart was touched and he could feel the incredible love Jesus had for him. Seeing himself
loved so much, he began to sob like a little child, and his tears became even more abundant when he thought
about all the harm he had done to Jesus with his sins. He then decided to change his life, to follow Jesus with all
his heart, and to go to confession.
Upon entering Saint Anthony's confessional, his crying prevented him from uttering a single word. So Anthony
suggested that he go back home, write his sins on a piece of paper, then come back to the confessional, and he
did. Anthony slowly read the impressive list of sins while the man could only nod as a sign of acquiesce. He still
hadn't recover his voice, so strong was the emotion that had seized him. Finally Anthony reassured his penitent
and encouraged him to change his life and to live with Jesus according to the Gospel. Then he gave him a
penance and the absolution from all of his sins. The man had made peace with God! Anthony carefully folded the
paper where the terrible list of sins were written and gave it back to the forgiven sinner who left unburdened and
joyful. When the man arrived home, he wanted to burn the paper. He unfolded it and to his surprise, he found the
paper completely blank! His sins had totally disappeared! Gone! God was caught in the middle of a delicate act of
mercy! It is then that the man realized even more the grace of his confession: when God sees that we come to
Him with a real contrition, the desire not to sin any more, and the decision to change our ways, He rejoices so
much that not only does He forgive us our sins, but He forgets them! They no longer exist! They are washed in the
blood of the Lamb and God becomes amnesic of our evil deeds.
If we have sincere contrition, even the debt caused by the sin is erased, either partly or totally, according to the
depth of our repentance. In other words, the pain from having wounded Jesus, The one we love, spares us
10
purgatory, either completely, or partly. Our desert fathers even claimed that the gift of tears is the greatest gift that
we can expect from the Holy Spirit. It is a burning love, a most blessed burn because it opens wide the gates of
Heaven!
Our Lady invites us! She knows that the root of our spiritual illnesses is that we actually love Jesus too little.
This is the real cause of the disharmony we feel within ourselves and with others! The one who loves Him is so
happy, so free! This is why Mary offers us a sure way to grow in the love of Christ. She recommends that we
stand in front of the cross and adore her son, and to adore Him with all our hearts, for a long time! We can then
contemplate his sores, his wounds, and how much He suffered to save us. Little by little our hearts begin to feel
compassion for Him and we start to hate our sins that struck Him to death. We desire to change the direction of
our life. Genuine contrition emerges within us. Furthermore, with our eyes focused on his open heart, we are able
to receive what sprang from this heart. The wound inflicted by the lance 2000 years ago never closed. Water,
blood, and the Holy Spirit sprang from this heart, and continue to flow in a stream that never dries out. This Heart
is the wellspring of a whole river of love! If we are with Mary as we contemplate Him, then we receive an
abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit! I would say even a shower with the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit gives us
his light, a light of his very own, all made of love. He reveals to us how we have sinned, how we have forsaken
Jesus, in what way we have betrayed him, denied him... The good things we could have done and didn't, etc.
However, the Holy Spirit does not give us this light in order to accuse us! The accuser is called Satan, let us
make no mistake about that! As for the Holy Spirit, He gives us a light of love that drives us to throw ourselves
into the arms of Jesus and let ourselves be covered with his infinite mercy. There, love is born, grows and
reaches its fullness.
On June 25th, for the 33rd Anniversary of the Apparitions, Our Lady gave this message:
"Dear Children! The Most High is giving me the grace that I can still be with you and to lead you in prayer towards
the way of peace. Your heart and soul thirst for peace and love, for God and His joy. Therefore, little children,
pray, pray, pray and in prayer you will discover the wisdom of living. I bless you all and intercede for each of you
before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call."
On July 2nd, Mirjana received her monthly apparition in the new building near her house. After the apparition,
she shared the following message:
"Dear children, I, the mother of all of you gathered here and the mother of the entire world, am blessing you with a
motherly blessing and call you to set out on the way of humility. That way leads to the coming to know the love of
my Son. My Son is almighty, He is in everything. If you, my children, do not become cognizant of this, then
darkness/blindness rule in your soul. Only humility can heal you. My children, I always lived humbly, courageously
and in hope. I knew, I became cognizant that God is in us and we are in God. I am asking the same of you. I
desire for all of you to be with me in eternity, because you are a part of me. I will help you on your way. My love
will envelop you like a mantle and make of you apostles of my light - of God's light. With the love that comes forth
from humility you will bring light to where darkness/blindness rule. You will be bringing my Son who is the light of
the world. I am always alongside your shepherds and I pray that they may always be an example of humility for
you. Thank you."
To still be with us! For the 33rd anniversary of the apparitions, we were expecting a powerful message from
the Virgin Mary. These are the words that have stayed in our minds above all: "The Most High is giving me the
grace that I can still be with you..." What does she mean by still? I am not among those who have seen or heard
her, but according to Vicka, we are far from having accomplished what she had planned to do through her
apparitions in Medjugorje. From the very beginning, Mary explained her plan clearly: "I have come to convert the
whole world and reconcile it with God." She also said, "I have come to bring the world closer to the Heart of God."
But just a few years ago she said this: "The world is going further away from the Heart of God every day." This
remark hurts! But Mary is Mother of Hope and she (no doubt) has obtained from God the ability to continue to
come so that this plan may be at last realized, and so that satan may not succeed in diminishing and destroying
the impact that her coming has upon us. Now the ball is in our court!
How and when have we disappointed her, to the point of preventing her from accomplishing all the good that
she was expecting to do through Medjugorje? We have started to pick and choose what we want from her
messages; we have allowed our consciences to be lulled to sleep by the materialism that surrounds us. We
haven't taken seriously that God should be in the first place in our life and instead of him we have preferred
earthly wellbeing (that we lose anyway when we don't live under his blessing). To encourage us to change our
course, here is a simple testimony that dates from the 90's. We know that Jakov lost his mother about a year after
the apparitions began. He was devastated, since she was the only family he had. But the very evening of the day
she died, during the apparition, Mary said to him: "Do not weep, Jakov, your mother is with me in Heaven!" When
I heard this, I went to see Jakov to ask him what his mother had done to go to straight to Heaven, what had there
been in her life that was so beautiful that God should have taken her so quickly like this? I guessed that the
11
answer might be of interest to each one of us!
But Jakov remained evasive and said to me, "I can't think of anything special to tell you, Sr Emmanuel. There
was nothing extraordinary about my mother." I urged him to think about it some more, knowing that not everyone
goes directly to heaven, he insisted saying, "No, I assure you, there was nothing special about my mother, she
was just like everyone else, she did everything the Gospa told us!" I had my answer! "She did everything the
Gospa told us!"If today, despite our luke-warmness, our wanderings and our lack of humility, the Virgin Mary has
decided to continue to come, let us not disappoint her! This is the time of grace, so let us take hold of it! Let us not
allow the enemy to rejoice at finding in us an open door that we offer him through our compromises with sin. Let
us not give him free reign to attack, since our future is at stake, as well as that of our children. She is giving us a
second chance. If we desire peace rather than disaster, there is still time to "do everything that she tells us!"
JUST CHECKING IN
Author unknown
A minister passing through his church
in the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
and see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
a man came down the aisle,
The minister frowned as he saw
the man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was kinda shabby
and his coat was worn and frayed,
the man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed,
each noon time came this chap,
each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister's suspicions grew,
with robbery a main fear,
He decided to stop the man and ask him,
"What are you doing here?"
The old man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
"I stay only moments, see,
because the factory is so far away;
as I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kinda what I say:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY,
BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM
CHECKING IN TODAY."
The minister feeling foolish,
told Jim, that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime.
Time to go, Jim smiled, said "Thanks."
He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar,
he'd never done it before.
12
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
and met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
he repeated old Jim's prayer:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP
AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I
THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."
Past noon one day, the minister noticed
that old Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
he began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
why Jim was so glad,
when no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
The minister stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke
up and with a winsome smile;
"the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
that in here all the while everyday at noon
He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM,
HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP,
AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY,
AND SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS
CHECKING IN TODAY."
If this blesses you, pass it on ...
May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Angels watch over you.
But for those of us who are already His, He not only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has engraved
our names there, and we are continually in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)
Yes, I do love God. He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and
everyday. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without him, I am nothing but with Him "I can do all things
through Christ that strengthens me." Phil 4:13
I wished that I knew who write this. I would like to say job well done ... 2jesus
So this is me ... Just Checking In
Prayers go up, Blessings come down.
13
“If you knew how much I loved you, you would
cry with joy”.
It was during the Northern hemisphere summer of 1981, my mother and I were sitting on the steps of my Baba’s
(grandmothers) small house in Opuzen, a small village on the Coast of the former Yugoslavia. It was a scorching
hot day and we were just enjoying the passersby however neither of us could understand why bus after bus laden
with people were driving through this tiny village. Little did we know of the phenomenon that had just happened in
the small village of Medjugorje that was an hour’s drive inland from where we were, the apparitions had begun. I
was born into a traditional Croatian Catholic family. My parents immigrated from Yugoslavia in 1955. Their faith
was important, and was probably what got them through some incredibly difficult years. They put their children in
Catholic schools and ensured we were all raised in the traditional Catholic way. My Baba on my mother’s side,
Baba Marta, was extraordinarily devout, which is why I believe my mother always was. Never did I see my Baba
without a rosary in her hands and her home was scattered with Catholic memorabilia.
During one visit to Yugoslavia I will never forget my Baba showing me each picture of her Catholic Calendar,
and describing to me what each picture meant. Whilst I found this beautiful, the hilarity of seeing all her money
stashed within each page was what took my attention, more so when she knew how much was within each month
and if there happened to be a dinar missing or not! My parents, my grandparents had a simple, unwavering faith.
They did not need to understand, they simply believed. This has been my greatest gift from my Baba and my
mother. It was a simple belief and acceptance of what is, and that God does exist.
I was rather rebellious in my teenage years and in spite of my strong belief in God, going to mass I found a drag.
I went only because I was probably too scared not to! Not of what God would do to me…but of my mother! Well I
must say, in spite of the heavy resistance, mass served me well during those tumultuous years. I would go to
church, sneak my study notes in and recite my notes in for my exams. I did, however, always pray as deep in my
heart, I knew God was there for me. Once again, whilst in my 20s, in spite of having a very close relationship with
God, and having a simple but strong faith, I was not a regular attendee to church. My trust in God however was
incredibly strong and was what got me through some rather tough times during those years. Then came my 30’s
when in 1996 two things of significance happened to me. The first was ‘something’ made me decide to go back to
church and secondly, someone handed me a copy of Wayne Weible’s book on Medjugorje. I had already heard of
Medjugorje, however once I read this book, I changed forever.
Within a month I attended the Eucharist convention and met Wayne. It was the most beautiful convention I had
been to that year. I purchased more copies of Wayne’s book and patiently stood in line for him to sign. As he was
signing my newly purchased book, Wayne stopped, glanced up at me, put his hand in his pocket and held out his
hand. In it he had a small medallion of Our Lady and as he handed it to me he said, “Our Lady has asked me to
give you this. This is very special.” What did it mean? I did not fully understand, nor did I need to. All I knew was
that inside me I felt an explosion of joy that was indescribable. How do I explain it? I don’t know how to nor will I
try, all I knew what that what I felt was something I had never felt before. This euphoria was with me for some time
and my life took yet another turn. Within a month, my husband Philip and I were on a flight to Medjugorje. The
events leading up to this trip, plus the trip, changed our lives forever and would be the turning point for Philip,
whom many years prior put his Catholic faith to one side.
Now Philip had decided to return to mass. We laughed for many years about his first visit to see a priest and
have confession, “Father it has been 27 years since my last confession.” Thank goodness, the priests simple
response to Philip was, “welcome back.” This was all Philip needed to hear, and from then on, his faith was fully
ignited again, and would be the single most important factor that totally transformed his life. Since that visit to
Medjugorje in 1995 I returned to regular weekly mass, and often many times during the week. I was fortunate
enough to have found a family at Sacred Heart Parish in Ponsonby, and Mons. Shannahan was the perfect priest
for Philip and I at this time. Later, we were fortunate to gain Mons. Cronin who became like a father to me.
Over the next few years Philip and I became very involved in our Parish, and we started having rosary meetings
in our home. My personal dedication to Our Lady seemed strong probably due to the fact my parents came from
the then Yugoslavia and I felt this strong connection. Also, my mother’s faith was extraordinary, which I believe
helped. It was within a couple of years that I had my first close experience with death. A young cousin of mine
died at 40 with cancer. During his illness we would have gatherings, sometimes very large gatherings, in our
home, praying for my cousin. It was quite beautiful to bring so many together. He passed away shortly after his
diagnosis on the anniversary of the apparitions, June 25th. The following year my father was diagnosed with
cancer of the bowel. It was the worst time for me, and once again, my faith and prayer helped our family through,
as did the countless rosary evenings in our home. At times our substantial sized lounge was overflowing with
people.
Then one by one, it seems that every year, someone else we knew was diagnosed. At one time, a father and
daughter together, suffering passed away within a week of each other. It seemed surreal how all of a sudden this
14
disease was surrounding us and we were becoming anchors for so many, either restoring their faith or simply
providing them with hope. In 2003, to my absolute shock, my mother, at 72, was diagnosed with Cancer of the
Breast. Here we were, once again, being caregivers, helpers, leading rosary group meetings as my mother now
had to undergo surgery and treatment. Interestingly, my coping mechanism and absolute trust in Our Lady was
what kept me going and gave me strength for my mother. I knew already that more than any other one thing, my
belief and following of the Our Lady and her messages given at Medjugorje have been what held me together.
The following year, the unthinkable happened. Philip, my husband was now diagnosed with cancer. It was
however not a cancer which surgery could fix, it was a deadly cancer, and five months following his diagnosis, he
had gone to the Lord. I could not help but believe that the ten years prior to this, our journey to Medjugorje, Phil’s
conversion, my commitment to Our Lady, the numerous cancer diagnoses of friends and family, was all an
apprenticeship for my greatest challenge yet. I did not see it as a test, I saw the 10 years prior as a gift to me, to
help me to cope and fully surrender, like never before, my will and life to God. For the sake of not repeating what
has already been written in my book I will move forward.
If ever my faith was to be rocked, this was the time, and on many occasions, people asked me if this had
affected my faith. My answer was always simple, “no”. It had made my faith so much stronger. Acceptance was
always the key. Acceptance of ‘what is’, acceptance of Gods will for me, acceptance of myself. Thank God for my
faith, thank God for the deep, deep faith that was instilled in me by my mother for all those years. Thank God for
Mons Cronin and my Sacred Heart family.
It is now nearly 10 years since that time, and my life has been, and continues to be an extraordinary journey.
Not easy by any means and I have had many hurdles to climb and many challenging people to contend with. It
has however and will continue to be, extraordinary, purely and simply, because I believe what Our Lady tells us,
“If you knew how much I loved you, you would cry with joy”.
Tanya Unkovich is a business consultant and published author. Tanya was recently interviewed by Dr. Robert Schuller on the Hour of Power
in California. Her passions are writing and helping others to find hope in their lives. www.tanyaunkovich.com tanyaunkovich@xtra.co.nz
I had to endure many difficult moments which I would not wish even on my worst
enemies. Nevertheless, I consider my prison days as a higher education in humility. In
prison I learned a great many things, as how to be of service to others in their need.
- Blessed Basil Hopko (1904-1975), Feast day June 23
A
fter a long and very cold winter, suddenly it was 84 degrees in May! The
sweat was dripping off my face as I was doing some cleaning when suddenly I
heard the "Salve Regina" on the church chimes just a few blocks from here. It
was like a soothing glass of spiritual ice water for me. It reminded me that Mary
is our mother, always there, looking after us. Christ gave her to us, as our
mother, from His death bed, the Cross.
As the month of May, dedicated to Our Lady, draws to a close, today's gospel
recounts the visit of Our Blessed Mother to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with
St. John the Baptist. A question that Elizabeth asked Mary is one which we can
ask also, "How does this happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord should
come to me?" (Luke 1:43) For though Mary does not come to us in person, as
she did in Elizabeth's situation, she is always available to us in prayer.
As we continue the mission of her Son, while on earth. let us turn to her often
with love, devotion and our many needs, as did her Son. And when our earthly
mission is complete, may she hold us in her arms, as she did Jesus.
Joan Murphy, OCDS
|
email: jmurphy( )syracuse.net
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Why I choose the Catholic Road to Jesus
JOSHUA (Jahsh ew uh) Personal name meaning, "Yahweh delivered (or saved)." English versions differ in
their transliteration of the Hebrew names. Its New Testament equivalent is Jesus. So Jesus, in Hebrew,
means "God saves". He does. He saved me. "Saved you from what?", you may be thinking. Saved me from
myself. He saved me from my own sinful nature, from my rebellion. Saved me from an eternity of separation
from God. "Nice guys" don't necessarily go to heaven. Why? Because "nice guys" are not perfect. You
have to be perfect to be in the eternal presence of perfection. So how does an imperfect "nice guy" go to
heaven. Can't. At least not without divine help. And that's how Jesus saved me.
Before the foundation of the world, God created a plan to allow sinful, fallen, "nice guys" to share the glory
that He intended for them. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.(John 3:16) "But", you object, "surely some people are
good enough to get into heaven on their own". "What about Mother Theresa"? Perhaps an analogy would be
helpful. Suppose I told everyone who is now in Cuba (sorry but I had to slip my ethnic background somehow
into this testimony) that they had to jump the 90 miles it would take to get to Key West. I would even allow
them to get a running start. Now most people would be able to jump perhaps 5-8 feet. The most talented,
groomed long jumpers might be able to make it 20-25 feet. But NOBODY would be able to jump the vast
expanse of 90 miles. Now suppose standing on the beach was a man with "eyes like diadems", a glorious
resurrection Body and nail scars on His hands. Just as the next person leaped in the air while trying to make
his jump, this nail scarred man scooped him out of the air and carried him across to Miami. Victory!! What is
impossible for a human is possible through the intervention of Jesus Christ.
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus
looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Mat 19:25-26)
In a similar way Jesus is waiting to scoop you up and take you to His Father. Spiritually now but eventually
physically as well. But to do so requires that initial leap of faith. So you may be thinking "easy enough, I'll
just believe in Jesus and I'll go straight to heaven". Here's where it gets a little complicated. The belief that is
necessary is not a belief in the mind, but a faith in the heart and soul. You see even the demons know that
Jesus is Lord. The Christian walk starts with the realization that Jesus died for "my" sins. It starts with
repentance. Let me tell you how my walk started.
Baby Steps
I had the great privilege of being a "cradle Catholic". My parents made sure that I attended Catholic grade
school and high school and received all the sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church. I went away to
college and misbehaved like most kids do. I returned home for Medical school and, in 1981 married a
wonderful woman named Barbara. We attended Mass regularly, particularly after the birth of our first child,
Barbara Angela, in 1984. We had our only other child, William Jr., in 1986. Other than weekly Mass,
however, our lives were not particularly devoted to God. I'm sure, though, had you asked anyone that knew
us, we would have been described as "nice people". And, despite all my years in Catholic school, and
thousands of Masses, I was under the impression that "nice people" went to heaven. Life was good.
The Call
In 1990, an expected event caused a very unexpected reaction. My wife's grandmother, who my wife
loved more than anyone on the earth, passed away. Now she was in her late 80s, had suffered from
Altzheimer's disease and was frequently ill. Thus her passing away was no great surprise. What did surprise
me was MY reaction. Questions I had never asked before popped into MY mind. "What if it was ME who had
died"? "Am I SURE that I am going to heaven"? "What does the Bible say about it"? I was shocked to
realize I DIDN'T KNOW the answer to these questions. I had NEVER read my Bible. All I knew was the
verses that I could recall from Mass. I decided at precisely that moment that I was going to read the Bible
cover to cover and any other spiritual material I could get my hands on. And so I began.......
The Challenge
Approximately two years had now passed. Using a one-year Bible reading program (which I highly
recommend) I had now been through the Bible TWICE! And, not only had I read the Bible but dozens of
books, written by both Catholics and Protestants, which commented and expanded on the Bible. No longer
was I a spiritual ignoramus!! I could now, on occasion, QUOTE scripture!! I knew the DETAILS of Old
Testament Bible stories. I had Christianity down cold! Then came the next shocker. My sister, who had
become very active in an evangelical Church (her husband has since become a pastor), asked me a simple
question. "William", she said, (whenever she calls me William I'm in trouble), do you love God with ALL your
heart? OOPS! "Gosh, Liza, ask me a Bible verse. Quiz me on an Old Testament story. Ask me the date of
the Reformation. But don't ask me THAT question!!!" After much soul searching, I meekly admitted to myself
that there were many things that I loved more than God. Definitely my family and my profession. Possibly
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even less significant things. Oh-Oh! This is when I first realized the difference between knowledge of God in
your heart and knowledge in your head. Up to this point, like the stellar academic student I had always been,
I knew God and the Bible in my head only. I begged God to teach me how to REALLY know Him.
Prayer
God showed me that the way to His heart was through prayer. I was lead to a prayer form known as
"centring prayer". If you are interested, you can get information about this subject on the internet at
http://www.centeringprayer.com/. Basically, centring prayer involves two or more daily sessions of
approximately twenty minutes in silence before God. Sharing time and Spirit with Him. I began to slowly get
to know Him. He had broken the ice. Alleluia!
In addition to centring prayer, I developed a daily regimen of intercessory prayers and Bible study. But now
my Bible study was different. I learned, by God's grace, to read with my heart and not my head. Not always,
mind you. But frequently enough to find an ever deepening relationship with my Wonderful Creator.
But am I REALLY saved?
Throughout this time we continued to go to Mass weekly. However, gradually, as I read more and more
non-Catholic evangelical material and Protestant Bible commentaries, I began to have new and perhaps even
more serious questions. Why didn't I have a tearful, "bells and whistles", conversion experience? Why can't I
even remember the EXACT date that I was "saved"? Have I REALLY received Jesus into my heart?
Frustrated, I went to see one of my ophthalmology professors, Dr. J. Lawton Smith. Apart from being a world
class neurophthalmologist, Dr. Smith was a Pentecostal Christian. I asked him my questions and his answer
was simple but emphatic. "Docky, (Dr. Smith is from South Carolina and has an "interesting" vocabulary),
you need to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit". I answered, "you're right Dr. Smith, I need to be Baptized in the
Holy Spirit" and I promptly left his office. "What in the world is Baptism in the Holy Spirit"?, I asked myself as
I walked down the hall. Shortly thereafter I began to collect all the reading material I could on Baptism in the
Holy Spirit. Most of the books were written by non-Catholic Pentecostals. Jack Hayford, Derek Prince, and
the TBN TV network became my breakfast, lunch and dinner. I became obsessed with the desire to be
Baptized in the Spirit. I read literally hundreds of articles and dozens of books on the subject. I prayed
sincerely to the Father, not asking Him but begging Him for the Gift. But nothing happened. So, I just kept
reading, and listening to tapes, and watching TBN. But nothing happened. I read about others with similar
difficulties. They had told God they didn't want to live any more if it meant living without this Gift. I prayed
HARDER. But nothing happened.
Then, early on the morning of my son's First Communion before anyone else was awake, IT
HAPPENED!!! I began, Glory to God, to speak in tongues. And the Lord showed me that He had waited to
give me the Gift on that precise day. I may not recall the date on which I was "saved", but I'll NEVER be able
to forget the date I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. Alleluia!
An Unexpected Side-effect
One consequence of all my reading of predominantly Protestant literature was that I began to question
some of my Catholic beliefs. I became especially worried about my Catholic friends and those who attended
my Church. Did they KNOW Christ? Would their belief in questionable non-Biblical Catholic doctrines affect
their salvation? What about all the kids growing up in the Catholic Church without a true knowledge of
Christ? I resolved that I would make a difference. So I became a CCD teacher (the Catholic equivalent of
Sunday school) for children aged 12-13 who were to be Confirmed. I determined that I would teach them the
Good News and preach Christ Jesus crucified. And I did. But something unexpected happened. As I began
to study the material to present to the students I gradually began to deeply appreciate the richness of the
Catholic faith. I realized how shallow my objections to the Catholic dogmas I had internally criticized truly
were. I thought about the millions of brilliant Catholic minds that have existed since the establishment of the
Church. I added to this the millions of Catholic monks, nuns and priests who lived cloistered lives completely
sacrificing themselves to be in constant prayer. Then I had the overwhelming realization that the present
theology of the Roman Catholic Church is the PRODUCT of these sources augmented by the Holy Spirit of
God Himself!
How could an idiot like me try to elevate my understanding of scripture above that accumulated over two
thousand years by the Catholic Church as it has been guided by the Holy Spirit? I can't and I won't. Instead I
will count my blessings that God, in His infinite Mercy, has guided me to a deeper understanding of my
Catholic faith. Alleluia!
The Real Presence
The Catholic Church teaches that as a result of the consecration by the priest during Mass the bread and
wine are transformed or transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, in
Communion, Catholics receive the Lord Himself! Many Christians and even some Catholics question this
dogma as unbelievable. Frankly it is UNBELIEF in this central teaching that I find difficult to understand.
Why? We believe that the Son of God was born of a Virgin mother. We believe that He died, was raised
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from the dead and ascended into heaven with a glorified body. We believe that during His ministry on Earth
He performed many miracles among which was the feeding of 5000 men from a boy's supply of 5 loaves and
2 fish.
Why then should there be ANY hesitation in believing that Jesus can transform bread and wine into His Own
Body and Blood? The hesitation is even harder to understand when Bible study is undertaken. Jesus clearly
defines this teaching in John Chapter 6. In fact, this teaching was so difficult for his own followers to accept
that many left him. Later, Jesus at the Last Supper clearly described the bread and wine as His literal Body
and Blood. Paul later discusses the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 in a fashion identical to the
Catholic teaching of today.
Add to the Biblical evidence the recorded early traditions of the Church and the many documented
Eucharistic miracles and any residual unbelief must melt away. Like Thomas, we must stand before the Lord
in the Blessed Sacrament and say "My Lord and My God". A wonderful internet resource on the Real
Presence including documented Eucharistic miracles and teachings of the Church Fathers can be found at:
http://www.therealpresence.org/. Once I fully acknowledged in my heart, by faith through the grace of God,
that the Eucharist is the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ my life changed forever. No longer would
Mass on Sundays be sufficient. How could I have access to the Body and Blood of my Lord and not receive
this wonderful gift every day that it was possible for me? How could I miss the monthly Eucharistic
Adoration? How could I not kneel down in awe when, at the conclusion of Adoration, Christ Himself in the
consecrated Host gave me His blessing?
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and
his paths beyond tracing out! (Rom 11:33)
The End of the Road
I continue to travel on the Catholic road to Jesus every day. Despite the enormous graces God has made
available to me, I will not infrequently stumble on a rock in my path. Sometimes the rock is a boulder, either
large or small, thrown by the evil one. More often however, and to my great sadness, I am the source of the
rocks. My refusal to completely surrender to Jesus or my lack of acceptance of a given situation will
sometimes cause me to stumble. The old self will sometimes stubbornly resurface causing me to fall yet
once again. But Jesus is always there to pick me up. As in a Haitian prayer: "Lord, how glad we are that we
don't hold you, but that you hold us". There are other times, however, wonderful times, when I seem to float
along the road. I can effortlessly glide forwards pushed tenderly along by His Holy Spirit. I can look up at the
distance, towards what appears to be the end of the road, and see Love Himself beckoning me towards Him.
And I know that someday I will see Him as He is. Forever. Alleluia!
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
Jesus Saves. He saved me. God bless you,
William Zambrano MD May 13, 1998
My Seven Favorite Bible Verses
The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called
me." Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he
calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The
LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for
your servant is listening." (1 Sam 3:8-10)
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your
thoughts. (Isa 55:9)
This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his
strength or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and
knows me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I
delight," declares the LORD. (Jer 9:23-24)
"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psa
46:10)
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough places plain: (Isa 40:4)
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Rom 8:31)
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This
is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law
and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Mat 22:37-40)
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Is Our Lady calling you
Dear Sarah, Firstly thank you for your newsletter which I copy and distribute at our monthly
Medjugorje evenings of prayer here in West Australia. Our Medjugorje evenings of prayer have been
going now Sarah for nearly 5 years. Each month the prayer group travel to a different parish within our
diocese where we try and repeat the spirit of Medjugorje and distribute free dvd's on conversions at
Medjugorje - Medals with cards and Rosary beads all which have received Our Blessed Mothers
Blessings at Medjugorje and these we gladly distribute free of charge. We also make up a flyer with
the latest messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje and any relevant news on Medjugorje. Our evenings
consist of Eucharistic Adoration with Holy Rosary and whereupon we play Adoration music from dvd in
between each decade of the Holy Rosary. The rosary is led by a member of the congregation in
different languages. We then have Benediction and conclude with Holy Mass. Our Spiritual Advisor of
our evenings is Fr. T. Bogoni who also says a few words on Medjugorje. We finish with light
refreshments in church foyer to encourage fellowship and we all look forward to our prayer nights each
month.
In the last few years we have accompanied the pilgrims together with our Spiritual Directors on
pilgrimage and always Our Blessed Mother has never brought us less than 45 pilgrims.
These pilgrimages were advertised in our local Catholic paper but alas this paper has closed until
October when they will be reviewing their situation.
My request from you Sarah is to advertise our pilgrimage in your newsletter naturally at your full
costing dear. We normally have pilgrims from the eastern states join us on pilgrimage which we
warmly welcome. Therefore, given my local Catholic paper is no more for the time being I would be
grateful if you could consider advertising the following in your newsletter. Herewith info Sarah:PILGRIMAGE OF PEACE- FOR 8 NIGHTS ITALY & 7 DAYS MEDJUGORJE AND 1 NIGHT SPLIT.
DEPARTING PERTH 7th – 25 th OCT. $4,999.
SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR REV. FR. DOUG HARRIS.
Cost includes 8 night stay in Italy visiting Monte Cassino. Castelpetroso.
1 night San Giovanni Rotondo. Monte Sant'Angelo. Corato. Lanciano.
2 nights Collevalenza. 1 night Assisi
4 nights Rome including General Audience with His Holiness Pope Francis.
Entry fee for museum and Sistine Chapel.
Visit St Peters and many more shrines and places of interest.
Depart Rome flying Croatian airlines to Split and onto Medjugorje.
Arriving Medjugorje in this oasis of Peace for 7 day stay. Following our visit to Medjugorje we will
spend one night in Split prior to our return flight home.
Cost of $4,999 includes all flights, 6 hr stay in Airport hotel to rest and shower both on departure and
return enabling you to arrive refreshed. Excellent accommodation all with ensuite facilities,
Bed/breakfast/dinner, transfers, taxes, tipping and guide 24/7 who speaks several languages plus local
guides also in various places. Spiritual Director much loved Fr. Doug Harris. If interested please
contact Bada at
Helloworld Travel.
Morley. W.A. Tel 08 9276 5577 email
bada.morley@helloworld.com.au
or
9402
2480
Mob
0407
471
256.
email
medjugorje1947@gmail.com
19
True Life in God N.Z. Assn.
“Remember to keep holy the Sabbath Day”
Jesus speaks to Vassula Ryden (now72) saying: “about the Ten
Commandments”.
The Dictation reads: "I have asked you to remember to keep holy the
Sabbath Day ... you have given up divine Truth for a lie, and worship and
serve creatures instead of serving Me; most of you do not observe te
Sabbath Day; no, you are not, you are not observing My Law...” (dictated
during August 1990).
To read this Dictation and others, please go to www.tlig.org (international
website).
True Life in God literature is available from Christine Eathorne, 260 Mill Rd, Otaki 5512
Email enquiries:
ceek@xtra.co.nz
The Comforter is with us in our troubles, by Cyril of Jerusalem, 430-543 A.D.
"He is called the Comforter because he comforts and encourages us and helps our infirmities. We do not know
what we should pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us, with groanings that cannot
be uttered (Romans 8:26), that is, he makes intercession to God. Very often, someone has been outraged and
dishonoured unjustly for the sake of Christ. Martyrdom is at hand; tortures on every side, and fire, and sword, and
savage beasts and the pit. But the Holy Spirit softly whispers to him, 'Wait on the Lord' (Psalm 27:14). What is
now happening to you is a small matter; the reward will be great. Suffer a little while, and you will be with angels
forever. 'The sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing to the glory that shall be revealed in us'
(Romans 8:18). He portrays to the person the kingdom of heaven. He gives him a glimpse of the paradise of
delight." (excerpt from CATECHETICAL LECTURES 16.20)
New Horizons – Nuovi Orizzonti
St Philomena House
“ ... go after the one which is lost ...” Lk 15:4
We are establishing a rural community for young men in NZ who have lost their way. It is an
invitation to all those ready to make a change, to live in a rural setting, learning skills for future
employment, with psychological support and an opportunity to grow into maturity in a loving
family environment. We offer an encounter with the love and mercy of God.
A charitable trust has been formed and registered, a website created and many interested
parties are participating in the building of this vision, volunteering their professional and practical
skills. All involved parties are giving of their time and energy freely. There are no salaries. The
programme is free. We would greatly value your prayers and support.
For further information please visit our website: www.newhorizonsnz.com or email us on
contact@newhorizonsnz.com.
“The Gospel as revealed to me”
(Formerly titled) “The Poem of the Man-God”
A life-changing detailed description of the lives of Jesus and Mary – based on
over 700 mystical visions and dictations granted to Maria Valtorta in the 1940’s.
Pope Pius X11 in 1948 gave verbal approval when he pronounced “Publish this
work just as it is – those who read it will understand”.
Available from Maria Valtorta Readers Group, NZ (non profit)
39a O’Dowd Rd, Taradale, Napier 4112
Ph. 06 8447086 email:tenstory@xtra.co.nz
(Send S.A.E. for price catalogue)
MariaValtorta
20
O’connor travel world
I nc. Pilgr images Au st rali a & NZ
spiritual journeys,
not tours
Sp e cia l P i lgri m a ges for 2014/ 2015
Our Lady, Queen of Peace, Medjugorje PILGRIMAGE 4 October 2014 (15 days)
Please come and join us on this very special pilgrimage as we travel to Dubrovnik (known as
the Pearl of the Adriatic!) for one night and then on to Medjugorje for 8 nights where you will
celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. We then fly to Rome for 3 nights and whilst there
attend a general audience with Pope Francis.
Cost per person, share twin: AUD$5350.00*
Chaplain: Fr. Peter Ferwerda
HOLY LAND AND JORDAN PILGRIMAGE 2 February 2015 (20 days)
Please come and join us on this extremely special Spiritual Journey and walk in the footsteps of
our dear Lord in the Holy Land, and also visit Petra and Amman in Jordan.
Cost per person, share twin: AUD$6290.00*
Chaplain: Fr. Robert Slattery PP, St. Michael the Archangel Parish, Belfield, NSW
Our Lady, Queen of peace PILGRIMAGE 16 April 2015 (17 days)
Visit the beautiful town of Saints Francis and Clare, then spend 9 grace-filled nights in Medjugorje.
Celebrate the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena in Rome and be at the General Audience at the Vatican
with Pope Francis.
Cost per person, share twin: AUD$5950.00*
Chaplain: TBA
Our Lady of Fatima PILGRIMAGE 10 May 2015 (26 days)
Visit Fatima (for the feast of Our Lady of Fatima 13 May) and then onto Avila (St. Teresa), Madrid,
Zaragoza (Our Lady of the Pilar), Barcelona (Gaudi’s La Sagrada Famiglia), Montserrat (Black
Madonna), Lourdes, Rocomadour, Lourdes, Nevers (St. Bernadette), Lisieux (St. Therese), Paris
and more.
Cost per person, share twin: AUD$9950.00*
Chaplain: Fr. Father Kim Ha, PP Immaculate Conception, Dulwich Hill NSW
* Airline/airport taxes & fuel surcharges are included in costs. Note that all costs are ex Australia and are current but are
subject to change at the discretion of the airlines and/or operators and due to currency fluctuations.
Contact our office for full itineraries and costs, or if you
would like us to organise a tailor-made group pilgrimage for
your parish or special group.
We utilise the services of Singapore Airlines and Emirates
Airline to all main destinations.
O’Connor Travel World
Inc. Pilgrimages Australia & NZ
P.O. Box 3,
Surrey Hills, VIC 3127
Australia
ABN 54 686 198 307
Tel: +61 3 9830 5489 | Fax: +61 3 9836 8429
O’Connor Travel World
Email: kathryn@oconnortravelworld.com.au
is a pilgrimage apostolate
Web: www.oconnortravelworld.com.au
consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
and the Immaculate Heart of Mary
WHISPERINGS OF GOD
Who’d ever have guessed that I would become a priest? My parents hardly ever went to church. In fact, they
were divorced, and my Mom remarried, when I was only ten years old. I never went to Catholic school. From preK right through high school I was sent to public schools in NYC. And yet, God had ways of whispering to me. Both
my grandmothers were religious, and I was very impressed by their love for God. One of my earliest memories as
a tiny child is my father kneeling down with me at the side of my bed to say night prayers: "Now I lay me down to
sleep...God bless mommy and daddy and...." Even though Mom never went to church, she saw to it that I made
my sacraments. I remember one afternoon when I was about thirteen years old. I was hanging out on the corner
after school with my friends. My mother came by and told me to go and join the Confirmation classes that were
starting that day. I told her "No," I wanted to stay with my friends. But Mom insisted that I go to CCD classes. I
didn’t like it, but I had to go. Who’d ever have guessed that one day I would become a priest?
Although there were long months in which I never went to church, I was developing a deep fascination with God,
and with the role of the priest. I even remember building a simple little shrine altar in my bedroom.
As a teenager I had a lot of problems with my Mom’s new husband, my stepfather. He scared me, and I felt so
alone. It was then that I began to hear God’s whisperings more clearly. I felt drawn to church and to prayer. I
started going to church not only on Sundays, but every day of the week. When things at home or within me got
especially bad, I would start talking regularly with a priest. God gave me the light and strength I didn’t have to get
through my teenage years. During this time I was feeling a deep attraction, a "calling" if you will, to become a
priest. But I didn’t want to do it. I wanted to get married someday and lead a "normal" life. I liked science and math
and thought it would be exciting to become one of the world’s first astronauts, or, if I couldn’t do that, at least an
aeronautical engineer, designing planes and rockets.
But as I grew older and understood more about the world and its problems, I began to realize that there would
be plenty of astronauts and scientists. What the world really needed were more people to teach us about Jesus
and the new way of living that he won for us. People needed to know about God’s love for them, so that they
could start to love themselves and one another. Otherwise we would be using all the inventions of the scientists
to hurt each other, instead of making the world a better place. I kept going to church and the pull to become a
priest kept getting stronger. But I didn’t want to do it. I even tried to make a deal with God. I told God I wanted to
be a regular married man, but that I would make a lot of money and give it to the Church for God’s work. Now I
realize, with a smile, that I was trying to buy God off. God didn’t want money, God wanted me.
During these years I became enamoured with St. Theresa of Lisieux. I would read her autobiography at least
once a year. She helped me, and millions of others, to see that you don’t necessarily have to do great things, like
convert thousands of people, in order to become a great saint. You needed to love, to put love in everything you
do, to make love the most important thing in your life. St. Theresa is the special patroness of priests. I guess she
was praying for me, just like my grandmothers, and many others, because one day the whole direction of life
changed. I was going to my after-school job when I "happened" to run into two brothers I had played ball with a
few times. I had always liked these brothers. They seemed so nice and wholesome, very different from many
other boys I knew. As we travelled along together talking, I learned that both of these brothers were studying to
become priests. I was very impressed with their generosity. I remember thinking that if they can be so generous
with God, giving their whole lives to God, I could be that generous, too. I don’t know what ever happened to those
brothers. I don’t even know if they became priests. But from that day onward I decided that my goal would be to
become a priest, if God would have me.
One of the great joys in my decision to become a priest is that I have been able to live and work with people as
nice as those two brothers. Not everybody in this world is able to have the beautiful friends and companions that
priests have. And I am doubly blessed. Because I am a priest in the Dominican Order, I do not have a wife and
children of my own, but the many thousands of Dominican priests, brothers, and sisters throughout the world are
truly my family. And what a wonderful family we are! Being a Dominican priest has also given me great
opportunities to do special studies and ministries. After becoming a priest, I studied to become a social worker
and to learn Spanish. I have worked for many fulfilling years with poor families, both in the United States and in
Latin America. In recent years, I have enjoyed working as a Catholic chaplain at a large state university. I preach,
celebrate Mass, and council college students, helping them to grow, the way priests used to help me when I was
young. The life of a seminarian and then a priest has not always been easy. But just as happened when I was a
teenager, when I had problems, God whispered to me, drawing me closer in prayer.
I am so grateful to God for keeping me a happy priest for over thirty years now. It is such a joy and an honor,
again and again, more times than I could ever count, to be an instrument of God’s grace to people in need. Dear
God, I thank You for making something beautiful and worthwhile out of my humble life. I pray that you too will
listen to God’s whisperings to you. I pray that, whatever God is calling you to do and be, you will be generous with
God, so that God might be as generous with you as God has been with me. Remember: no one ever outdoes God
in generosity.
****************************************************************22
Are you a Catholic? Is it simply because your parents are Catholic? Here are the reflections of one Catholic on
this important question. May it help you to form your own answer.
I AM A CATHOLIC BECAUSE... Jesus Christ has captured me! No one in all history can compare with Him-His sublime teachings, His perfect love, His power to heal hearts, minds and bodies. In Jesus, heaven touches
earth, God is with us, the Reign of God comes.... Day in and day out I experience the liberating power of Jesus'
Presence in my life- - loving me, sustaining me, guiding me, challenging me, healing me, empowering and
ripening me. In Jesus, I touch God deep within me, and all around me. Jesus brings out the very best in me.
Jesus and His Good News would have been lost in history, except that Catholics for 19 centuries have been
practicing and preaching His Way of Love. Millions of Catholics down through countless generations have been
captivated by Jesus. Catholics have come together to share the Word of God in the Holy Bible and in the Holy
Eucharist. United in faith and love, the Spirit of the risen Jesus continues to live and work through us. Through
the Catholic Church I have come to know and belong to God's family- - in baptism, in prayer and worship, in
preaching and instructions, in the Holy Bible, in suffering, sacrifice and service, in the great witness of the saints.
Although other Christian Churches also seek to know and serve Jesus, and these brothers and sisters teach
and inspire me, yet it is the Catholic Church that was founded by Jesus Himself through Peter and Paul and the
other apostles. All through the centuries, and all around the world, the Catholic Church has been the most
authentic and consistent witness of the Good News. In order to faithfully advance the Reign of God in the world,
the Church must continually seek to be renewed and reformed. Love and unity among Jesus' followers suffer
whenever Christians, and the structures they create, refuse to be renewed and reformed in His Spirit. Although
many non- Christian religions also help to advance the Reign of God in the world, yet it is through the Christian
religion, and in particular the Catholic Church, that the Reign of God breaks decisively into human history,
providing the leaven to raise up saints and a society rejoicing in justice and peace.
In my heart of hearts, where I am one with God and all creation, it is through the Catholic Church that the
deepest desires of my heart for ultimate meaning and love are fulfilled.
RonaldStanley,O.P.rstanley@ramapo.edu
http://www.ramapo.edu/content/student.resources/OSD/word/cm/catholic_Ministry/Fr_Ron_bio.htm
MY SOUL IS THIRSTING FOR YOU, OH LORD - Volume II
By Willy Vermeulen available for $5.plus $1.40 postage, 4/8 Elizabeth St, Tauranga 3110 or e-mail
willyv@kinect.co.nz
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