Center for Peace-West
Medjugorje Information Center
Volume 13, Issue 6 - June 2000

Message of May 25, 2000

“ Dear children! I rejoice with you and in this time of grace I call you to spiritual renewal. Pray, little children, that the Holy Spirit may come to dwell in you in fullness, so that you may be able to witness in joy to all those who are far from faith. Especially, little children, pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that in the spirit of love, every day and in each situation, you may be closer to your fellow man; and that in wisdom and love you may overcome every difficulty. I am with you and I intercede for each of you before Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Are We Living Our Lady’s Messages?

In the message of April 25^th, Our Lady directly calls for conversion. [On May 13, in his homily at the Mass of Beatification of Jacinta and Francisco, Pope John Paul II said the message of Fatima is a call to conversion.] Conversion is not merely for “the others” who have strayed away from God, rather it’s a call to all of us to renew our lives and come closer to God through prayer and penance. As we look back over the past year many people may wonder, where it has gone so quickly? As we grow older the years seem to rush by! We think of the high points and the low points in our lives over the past year. For some it may be a year of great suffering or grief and they look forward to more peace and joy in the new year. But the basic question for each of us to ask is: have I come closer to God during the past year? If my answer is “yes”, I can thank God for his goodness to me and ask him to give me strength and perseverance to grow in his grace. If my answer is “no”, then I must take a long hard look at my lifestyle. I must try to discover the areas of my life, that hold me back from coming closer to God and do something about them. This involves change or conversion. I cannot do it all on my own. When we make a commitment to god we are opening our hearts to the power of the Spirit of God and he can do great things in us and through us. As soon as we say “yes” to God we are embarking on a training course to be saints. Through prayer and the study of scripture the Lord is guiding us along the way and through Holy Mass and the sacraments he is sustaining us with his grace. When St. Paul surrendered himself to God he was able to acknowledge that God was doing great things in him. “It is to heaven that we look expectantly for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ to save us: He will form this humbled body of ours anew, molding it into the image of his glorified body, so effective in his power to make all things obey him”. (Phil 3:20-21).

Fr. P. Devine, C.S.Sp.

Pray to the Holy Spirit Before Mass

In 1983, at the beginning of the novena honoring the Immaculate Conception, Jelena Vasilj, the girl with the gift of hearing inner voices (locutions), came to the parish office and said that Our Lady desired for us to pray to the Holy Spirit before Mass. We believed her, accepted the invitation, and began to pray to the Holy Spirit. We thought the invitation referred to the novena and we stopped invoking the Holy Spirit at the end of it. However, on January 2, 1984, Jelena arrived with a new message from Our Lady:

Why have you stopped praying to the Holy Spirit? I asked you to pray always, at all times of the year, so that the Holy Spirit will spread among you all. So begin again to pray!

We have obeyed and every evening before Mass we sing a hymn to the Holy Spirit. In the invitations made through Marija Pavlovic, Our Lady encouraged us to pray in this way:

Dear children: Tonight I wish to tell you during the days of this novena to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on your families and on your parish. Pray, and you shall not regret it. God will give you gifts by which you will glorify Him till the end of your life on this earth. Thank you for having responded to my call. (June 2, 1984)

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit that God promised and sent to the Apostles. He also promised the Holy Spirit to the entire Church, because through the Holy Spirit the renewal of the earth will come. It is the same Spirit who in the beginning hovered over the waters and brought peace and order. It is the same Spirit of God who rose from the dead, healed the sick, warmed those who were cold and now lavishes His gifts on those who ask. In particular, it is this same Spirit who can lead us to the Eucharistic mystery of Christ’s presence. It is the Holy Spirit without which we can do nothing. While it is also good to call upon the Holy Spirit in any time of need, it is especially important to do so when preparing for the meeting with Christ in the Sacrifice of the Mass. (Celebrate Mass with your Heart……….Fr. Slavko Barbaric, OFM)

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and enkindle in them the Fire of your Spirit.

GREAT JUBILEE 2000

What if I can’t go to the Holy Land or Rome

for a Jubilee Pilgrimage?

The cathedral of every diocese has been designated as a place of pilgrimage for the Holy Year. Then in each diocese, other sacred places have been designated. Once there you need to

a. assist devoutly at a liturgical celebration (Mass, Lauds or Vespers) or

b. other pious exercise; make some pious exercise (Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, the recitation of the Akathistos Hymn in honor of the Mother of God), or

c. as a group or individually, spend some time in Eucharistic adoration and pious mediations, ending with the “Our Father”, the profession of faith in any approved form, and prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The General Conditions for a Plenary Indulgence must be fulfilled whenever we seek to gain a Plenary Indulgence (complete remission of the temporal punishment due to sin).

MEDJUGORJE PILGRIMAGE

YEAR 2000

October 3-14, 2000

Cost $2,075*

*Subject to change

Deposit deadline

7/7/00

Final payment deadline

8/4/00

Spiritual Director

(to be announced)

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If you would like to apply for funding or help someone go on Pilgrimage to Medjugorje, please contact the following address.
Thank you and God Bless.

Medjugorje Pilgrimage Scholarship Fund

PO Box 91191

Portland, Or 97291

Address to the Pilgrims of Turin

Yesterday afternoon you arrived at the Shrine of Medjugorje. It is unlike other shrines, for Our Lady dwells here. Letters arrive from all over the world every day for Our Lady. You are here, and Our Lady desires to live this day with you. Are you prepared to listen to Her, hear Her, and see Her? She understands that we are weak. Man has not learned by chance to cultivate the land and protect nature’s plants that they may bear good fruits. Some time ago the vines in Europe became diseased; the French quickly found a means of protecting them. How must one protect grace? Jesus said, “Without Me you are not able to do anything,” We are the witnesses, the leaven. Jesus is the seed. We are the earth, and we must be good earth.

With which garment have you entered the wedding hall in Medjugorje? Have you robed yourself with new life? Our Lady repeats, “Be converted.” But how is that possible if you are filled with pride? The result of your pilgrimage does not depend upon Our Lady; it depends upon you and your obedience.

Being converted means receiving a new heart, relinquishing your heart of stone for a new heart. We are not only the children of Adam, but we are Christians, followers of Jesus, children of god. When coming to Medjugorje, it matters whether you choose to fast or not. Are you capable of saying, “I will not eat or drink. I am thirsty, but it is not necessary for me to drink. I desire to be prepared that I may hear the invitation well. I have not been called here to observe; I have been called in order to respond”?

If you lack the inner strength to fast, you lack love. To be converted means to love. To sing well is of no use, and money is worthless.

During the first month of the apparitions, a Jesuit priest arrived here. He was a professor and a fine man. He was sent here by the Bishop to investigate Medjugorje. He recounted: “When I entered the courtyard, upon taking my first step, I felt a grace. I fell on my knees. I could not take the notebook from my bag which contained the questions I

had been instructed to ask you and the visionaries. I then wrote the Bishop: “Dear friend, I have found the answer, I have received grace, and I have converted.” This did not suffice for the Bishop. We are weak. Truth can only be seen through the eyes of humility.

Medjugorje is a poor village; it is small and far removed from the world. Medjugorje teaches us to abandon the idols that we believe have great value and to entrust ourselves to the providence of God.

We are in the hands of the Father. Be not afraid of your sins and of your weaknesses. You must believe that divine grace is capable of renewing you.

Our Lady has never threatened anyone; She has invited everyone. Grace is stronger than you are. If it arrives, all things find their proper places before God.

( Fr. Jozo-Medjugorje A Testimony)

Medjugorje news:

Excerpts from Sister Emmanuel’s letter: On April 30^th, I was fortunate to be in St. Peter’s Square in Rome for the canonization of Sr. Faustina. The Pope was obviously very happy. He announced with authority what we were so badly hoping for, that from now on the second Sunday of Easter will be for the whole church Divine Mercy Sunday. His actual words: “Jesus said to Sr. Faustina, ‘Humanity will not find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy.’ This is not a new message but it can be considered a gift of special enlightenment, which helps us to relive more intensely the Easter gospel-to offer it as a ray of light to the men and women of our time. It is important then that we take in completely the message that comes to us from the Word of god on this second Sunday of Easter that from now on in all the Church will take the name of ‘Divine Mercy Sunday!’”

* The Pope reveals the Third Secret of Fatima! On May 13^th during Beatification ceremonies of the two ‘little shepherds’, Jacinta and Francisco, in Fatima, the Holy Father made known the “third secret” of Fatima. It involved a vision of the assassination attempt on his life. It also concerned the war waged by atheistic systems against the Church and Christians, and it describes the immense suffering endured by witnesses to the faith in the last century of the 2^nd millennium. It speaks

of an endless Way of the Cross-led by the popes of the 20^th century. Cardinal Sodano announced that the complete text of the third secret would soon be made available by the Vatican, together with a commentary produced by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

* Many people today are giving ears to all sorts of prophesies about the future, and the fear makers are making a lot of money! But for us children of Medjugorje called to be Mary’s apostles, it’s our responsibility to radiate her won joy at what’s coming to reign in the future: “a time of peace that my heart waits impatiently for.” (June 25, 1995). Taking the example of little Jacinta and Francisco, let’s hasten her victory by actively and lovingly supporting her plans!

The Papal Coat-of-Arms

A few days ago, Pope John Paul II celebrated his 80^th birthday. During his long pontificate, much praise and criticism have been written about him. However, most agree on one point: Almost no one in this century has so perseveringly represented his fundamental values as he. One of these values is human dignity. He believes that the foundation of this human dignity is the bond of man with God. All his meetings with individuals, peoples and cultures, therefore, are designed to promote the values of life and man which must never submit to the interests of ideologies, economic systems or countries. In his papal coat-of-arms, the cross is the central point under which the letter “M” is engraved, symbolizing Mary, the Mother of God. The cross of Christ is the measure of man’s value and at the foot of the cross are found God’s mercy and consolation, as the Mother of Jesus has experienced.

Fr. Ivan Landeka