Medjugorje - Our Lady's Christmas 2009 Messages to the World

A belated Merry Christmas to all of you!

I hope your Christmas was healthy, happy, and gave you an opportunity to reflect on what this holy day means for you. I encourage you to take at least one quiet moment in the midst of all of the traveling, opening presents, and catching up with friends and family to meditate upon how God loved us so much he gave us His only Son so we could be forgiven for our sins.

Below you will find the official English translations of Our Lady's December 25th messages to the world, as given to us by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web. And yes, I did mean to type "messages" (plural) because we now have access to the annual Christmas message to Jakov Colo (one of the visionaries), in addition to the regular monthly messages received by Marija Pavlovic.


Enjoy!

Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

Our Lady's Monthly Message (through Marija):

“Dear children! On this joyful day, I bring all of you before my Son, the King of Peace, that He may give you His peace and blessing. Little children, in love share that peace and blessing with others. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Our Lady's Annual Christmas Message (through Jakov):

“Dear children!  All of this time in which God in a special way permits me to be with you, I desire to lead you on the way that leads to Jesus and to your salvation. My little children, you can find salvation only in God and therefore, especially on this day of grace with little Jesus in my arms, I call you to permit Jesus to be born in your hearts. Only with Jesus in your heart can you set out on the way of salvation and eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Movie Review - The 13th Day

Hello again, everyone!


Well, I had intended on starting my reviews with a resource devoted to the reported apparitions at Medjugorje, but Friday night was presented with the opportunity to watch a resource about the apparitions at Fatima. Since the reported apparitions at Medjugorje are supposedly a continuation of what Our Lady promised at Fatima, I guess this is a good way to kick off the reviews!


A ministry at my church Friday night offered a viewing of a movie titled The 13th Day. Here is a summary and my review. Click the image below to watch the movie trailer.

Good resource for:

Those new or experienced with Fatima or Medjugorje apparitions.

Summary:

The 13th Day is a film about the six reported apparitions of Our Lady, between May 13th and October 13th of 1917, to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal. It is based upon the memoirs of Lucia Dos Santos, one of the children who later became a Carmelite Nun and who passed away just four years ago. She was the last surviving Fatima visionary.


The movie is presented as a narrative by Sister Lucia - 15 years after the apparitions -  as she writes from her convent and recalls the experiences she and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, shared those six months. The story starts a day or two prior to the apparitions and takes viewers through the first days of the apparitions, the trials she and her cousins suffered - including death threats and imprisonment by Portugese authorities - and the secrets relayed by Our Lady to the children (the rise of Russia, the coming of World War II, the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II). It concludes with the final apparition, during which Our Lady gave a miraculous sign to the roughly 70,000 people who had gathered in Fatima that day.


The film is mostly in black and white, with color mixed in for dramatic effect when Our Lady appears to the children and when the miraculous sign (the Sun spinning in the sky and plummeting toward Earth) occurs. While I'm not a trained film critic, I would classify the movie as having an early-20th Century style (kind of 1940's-ish).


One new thing I learned: Jacinta Marto, who passed away at the age of 10 from an influenza epidemic in 1918, had her body exhumed 15 years after the apparitions. Her body was found to be incorrupt.


Why this is a good resource: It has been over 90 years since the amazing events of Fatima occurred. Much has been written about them, but this is probably one of the best dramatic representations available



Final thoughts: Younger audiences may find the acting to be a little "cheesy". Mel Gibson set the bar very high on religious films with Passion of The Christ because he had a large budget and could afford top-quality talent. The 13th Day was obviously created with a much lower budget but I think the directors still did a good job of relaying the overall message and the movie holds value as a resource about the messages God is trying to give us through Our Lady. Watch this with an open heart and remember it is a good thing the Fatima apparitions are being retold, as they were (and still are) so important.

You can read other reviews and
purchase The 13th Day - new or used, at Amazon.com

Erik Haan

Medjugorje Book Reviews

Medjugorje - Our Lady's December 2nd, 2009 Message to Mirjana

Hello, everyone!

Below is the official English version of Our Lady's December 2nd message to Mirjana. This is a message for unbelievers, and should be read with that context in mind. This message is brought to us by Steve and Ana Shawl, of Medjugorje Web


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

"Dear children. At this time of preparation and joyful expectation I, as a mother, desire to point you to what is the most important, to your soul. Can my Son be born in it? Is it cleansed by love from lies, arrogance, hatred and malice? Above all else does your soul love God as your Father and does it love your fellow brother in Christ? I am pointing you to the way which will raise your soul to a complete union with my Son. I desire for my Son to be born in you. What a joy that would be for me as mother. Thank you."

Medjugorje - Our Lady's November 25th Message to the World

Below you will find the official English version of Our Lady's November 25th, 2009 message to the world through Marija, one of the Medjugorje visionaries. This message comes to us via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

"Dear children! In this time of grace I call you all to renew prayer in your families. Prepare yourselves with joy for the coming of Jesus. Little children, may your hearts be pure and pleasing, so that love and warmth may flow through you into every heart that is far from His love. Little children, be my extended hands, hands of love for all those who have become lost, who have no more faith and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Medjugorje - Our Lady's November 2nd Message to Mirjana for Unbelievers

Below is the official English version of Our Lady's November 2nd message to the Medjugorje visionary Mirjana.

Mirjana has reportedly been tasked with praying for unbelievers (those who have not yet come to know God's love) and this message should be read with that context in mind.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

"Dear children, Also today I am among you to point you to the way that will help you to come to know God's love, the love of God Who permitted you to call Him Father and to perceive Him as Father. I ask of you to sincerely look into your hearts and to see how much you love Him. Is He the last to be loved? Surrounded by material goods, how many times have you betrayed, denied and forgotten Him? My children, do not deceive yourselves with wordly goods. Think of your soul because it is more important than the body, cleanse it. Invoke the Father, He is waiting for you. Come back to Him. I am with you because He, in His mercy, sends me. Thank you."

Medjugorje Book Reviews

Hello again, everyone!

I just returned from my honeymoon - I married my girlfriend of 10 years October 16th - and I'm about to unveil a new format for this blog and my email newsletters!

The new blog, as you can already see, is titled "Medjugorje Book Reviews". I plan to read all of the books available about the reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje. This is an exercise to fulfill my own desire to learn as much about these reported apparitions as I can, but also to inform all of you out there about which resources are the best and how they can improve your own understanding of the apparitions and your spiritual life.

I won't really be sticking only to books, either. This is a multimedia world and I also plan to check out the Internet videos and DVDs out there, too.

I hope my blog will become a hub for those looking for the best resources on the reported apparitions.

I'm currently in the midst of reading my first book and will have a review in the coming days!

Sincerely,

Erik Haan

Medjugorje Book Reviews

Medjugorje - Our Lady's October 2nd Message to Mirjana for Unbelievers

Below you will find the official English version of Our Lady's October 2nd, 2009 message to Mirjana, one of the Medjugorje missionaries. This message comes to us via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.

Mirjana has reportedly been tasked by Our Lady with praying for unbelievers (those who have not yet experienced God's love, according to Mirjana). This message should be taken with that context in mind.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

"Dear Children, As I look at you, my heart seizes with pain. Where are you going my children? Have you sunk so deeply into sin that you do not know how to stop yourselves? You justify yourselves with sin and live according to it. Kneel down beneath the Cross and look at my Son. He conquered sin and died so that you, my children, may live. Permit me to help you not to die but to live with my Son forever. Thank you!"

Medjugorje - A Sign

Well, just when I was about to go on "hiatus" with my Medjugorje blog, I receive a sign (which will remain private) that I should continue with this blog. I have validation with this because it is the exact same sign I received the last time I thought about giving it up.

So, with humility I will continue on in this mission of delivering Medjugorje-related content. I will be re-evaluating how best to deliver it, though, so stay tuned!

Sincerely,

Erik Haan

Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

Medjugorje - Our Lady's July 25th, 2009 Message to the World

Hello, everyone!

Below is the official English translation of Our Lady's July 25th, 2009 message to the world, as provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission





Message of July 25, 2009

"Dear children! May this time be a time of prayer for you. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Medjugorje - Our Lady's 28th Anniversary Message to the World

Hello, everyone!

Below is the official English translation of Our Lady's June 25th, 2009 message to the world. This message is a special one because it marks the 28th anniversary of the beginning of the apparitions in Medjugorje.

The message, as always, is brought to you by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.

- Erik

"Dear children! Rejoice with me, convert in joy and give thanks to God for the gift of my presence among you. Pray that, in your hearts, God may be in the center of your life and with your life witness, little children, so that every creature may feel God’s love. Be my extended hands for every creature, so that it may draw closer to the God of love. I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Erik's Corner - Pentecost

Our Lady refers to the celebration of Pentecost in May's message to the world. I find the holy day of Pentecost to be the most inspirational of the Catholic Church's celebrations.

Think about what it must have been like to be an apostle shortly after Jesus' crucifixion. You just spent years leaving behind everything in your life to follow someone speaking of the divine, and now your world has been completely shaken up. You've lost your spiritual leader, the Jews are looking for you to crucify you, and your thoughts are probably completely consumed with fear and doubts about what you have devoted your life to. You spend your days hiding, not knowing what to do next.

Then in comes the Holy Spirit - in visible form - and the Church is born.

The apostles experience the miraculous in seeing the Holy Spirit as fire and are filled with inspiration and new abilities. Fear is dropped and the missionary work of the Church begins. Absolutely incredible!

I think the celebration of Pentecost is too often read as something that happened a long time ago but doesn't have the same relevance now. The Holy Spirit has not changed - It is the same as It was 2,000 years ago - and is accessible to all of us!

I have experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit so often. Praying the Rosary daily has strengthened my faith and opened my eyes to the working of the Holy Spirit in my everyday life. When you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit you realize all things are possible. When nothing is impossible fear, anxiety, and stress melt away. You realize the concerns of this life are passing, and eternal life becomes your focus.

I think God gives us the miraculous when we need it. The apostles, fearful of so much in the days after Christ's death, needed to experience the visual and physical to be strengthened enough to begin spreading the Gospel throughout the world. While we are not necessarily blessed to see and experience the visual and physical with regards to the coming of the Holy Spirit, it is nonetheless equally gratifying to feel its presence and be guided by Its divine wisdom.


Erik

Fr. Danko Perutina's Commentary on Our Lady's May 25th, 2009 Message to the World

Below is the official English translation of Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary on Our Lady's May 25th message. This translation is brought to you by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Sincerely,
Erik



PRAY FOR THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

"Dear children! In this time, I call you all to pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon every baptized creature, so that the Holy Spirit may renew you all and lead you on the way of witnessing your faith – you and all those who are far from God and His love. I am with you and intercede for you before the Most High. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of May 25, 2009



Before his Ascension Jesus told his disciples not to leave Jerusalem , but to wait for the promise given by his Father that they would receive the strength of the Holy Spirit and would be His witnesses not only in Jerusalem , but to the ends of the earth. After he said this, he was taken up to his Father (cf. Acts 1:4-9). The disciples and apostles were preparing for this coming through prayer. They were not alone. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was with them. Among those present she was the only one who had the fullness of the Holy Spirit that had come upon her at the conception of Jesus. She must have encouraged the disciples to abandon fear and to take practice of fervent prayer. Before the coming of the Holy Spirit the apostles and disciples were timid, fearful. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they changed. From timid disciples they were transformed into fearless witnesses of Christ. They witnessed what they had seen and heard when they were with Jesus. The flame of love and truth lit inside them encouraged them to immediately start announcing the Joyful News.

In her message of 25 May 2009 Our Lady calls us also to pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon every baptized creature. We have become the children of God through baptism and have entered into communion with Jesus and his act of redemption. Our Lady calls us to pray because prayer is a means that opens our hearts so that the Spirit of God can operate in it. Opening up to the Holy Spirit leads to a renewal of spiritual life encouraging us to bear witness to our faith. We, Christians, have been called to be carriers of the message of God in this world, of the Word of God and to spread the acts of the love of God. Mary, our mother and intercessor, the teacher of prayer to the Holy Spirit helps us to do this. Together with Mary we pray that the Spirit of the Truth and Love operates in us and around us, that it teaches us and makes us stronger in order for us to live a new life doing the will of God.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/05/2009

Medjugorje - Our Lady's May 25th 2009 Message to the World

Below is the official English translation of Our Lady's May 25th, 2009 message to the world. This is provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.

Sincerely,
Erik

“Dear children! In this time, I call you all to pray for the coming of the Holy Spirit upon every baptized creature, so that the Holy Spirit may renew you all and lead you on the way of witnessing your faith – you and all those who are far from God and His love. I am with you and intercede for you before the Most High. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

True Devotion to Mary

I am now reading True Devotion to Mary, a text written by St. Louis de Montfort in the 17th Century.

This is considered by many to be the single greatest literary work concerning the Virgin Mary and how we should be using her power as Mediatrix to further our spiritual lives.

I expect my reading of this book to be a spiritually-enriching experience, and will keep you posted!

Medjugorje - Fr. Danko Perutina's Commentary on Our Lady's April 25, 2009 Message to the World

Hello, everyone!

You will find below the official English translation of Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary on Our Lady's April 25th, 2009 message to the world. This translation is provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission



PRAY FOR PEACE AND WITNESS IT

"Dear children! Today I call you all to pray for peace and to witness it in your families so that peace may become the highest treasure on this peaceless earth. I am your Queen of Peace and your mother. I desire to lead you on the way of peace, which comes only from God. Therefore, pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of April 25, 2009



In her message of 25 April 2009 Our Lady calls us to pray for peace and to witness it at the same time, first in our families and then in the whole world. It is a fact that our time is marked with peacelessness in its many various forms. Having that in mind, we must not remain indifferent, but must make every effort to create peace. The Church, which has been announcing the Joyful News since its very beginning, has been called to announce and always realize peace. In His message written in the occasion of the World Day for Peace Pope John Paul II, of blessed memory, says: «We do not claim to find in the Gospel text ready-made formulas for making today this or that advance towards peace. But on every page of the Gospel and of the history of the Church we find a spirit, that of brotherly love, powerfully teaching peace.» We Christians are called to announce and witness peace with our own lives. Establishing peace is not a question of choice, it is an obligation. Peace is never established once and for all, but needs to be created all the time because the deepest longing of man's heart is actually for peace. In his book Fast with the Heart the departed Fr. Slavko Barbaric writes about peace: «How often we lose peace because we are arrogant, selfish, envious, jealous, avariciuos and consumed by power and honour. Experience confirms that through fasting and prayer evil, arrogance and selfishness are overcome; the heart is opened and love and humility, generosity and goodness grow. Thus, true conditions for peace are realized. Whoever has peace because he loves and forgives also remains spiritually and physically healthy. He remains capable of shaping his own life in a manner worthy of man, who is the most exalted of God’s creatures. Through fasting and prayer, human needs are also diminished and brought to proportion. Also by this, conditions for peace along with a proper relationship with others and material things are being created. In everything we do, whether good or bad, we seek peace. When a person loves, looks for and experiences peace, or even when he stays sober or fights against addiction, he seeks peace. When he becomes drunk, he also seeks peace. When he fights for his life and the lives of those he loves, he realizes peace.»

The Queen of Peace wants to lead us to true peace, which is her Son and our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true king of peace. Prayer is the safe path leading to Jesus and Heaven. In her last message she urges us three times to pray for peace as prayer is the only right way. Let us respond with all our heart and soul to the call of Our Mother Mary, the Queen of Peace, and she will lead us to the true peace, the love of God, closeness and joy.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/04/2009

Medjugorje - Our Lady's April 25, 2009 Message to the World

Hello, everyone.

Below you will find the official English translation of Our Lady's April 25th, 2009 message to the world. This is provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Peace,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

“Dear children! Today I call you all to pray for peace and to witness it in your families so that peace may become the highest treasure on this peaceless earth. I am your Queen of Peace and your mother. I desire to lead you on the way of peace, which comes only from God. Therefore, pray, pray, pray. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, everyone!

My fiance and I celebrated by watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ and attending our local church's Easter vigil, which was beautiful.


Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

Medjugorje Commentary on Our Lady's March 25th, 2009 Message to the World

Hello, everyone!

Below is the official English translation of Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary on Our Lady's March 25 message for the world. This translation is given to us by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission


AWAKEN YOUR SOULS WITH PRAYER

"Dear children! In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. Little children, may He draw you closer to His Heart so that you may become open to eternal life. I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of March 25, 2009


If we look around, we see that, although slowly, nature is awakening thus announcing the spring. In her message of 25 March 2009, on the feast of the Annunciation, Our Lady called us to awaken our souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. When Our Lady calls us to prayer, what first comes to our mind is to pray for the conversion of sinners, for this world, and the like. Only a few people realise that the call for prayer refers primarily to ourselves. The words of Our Lady are always permeated with love and again in her latest message she says: awaken your souls with prayer. These words are a call to change our attitude towards prayer that we have had so far. We have been called to pray primarily for our own conversion, and only then for the conversion of others. It is us that need to change first. Only then will our fellow men and the world start to change. When awaken in this way it will be easier for us to open ourselves to God and to receive the light of the risen Christ.

The pierced heart of Jesus is the utmost reflection of God's love towards man. In all cultures, apart from being an organ of our body, the heart is a symbol of love. That is why Our lady says to us: “May He draw you closer to His heart so that you may become open to eternal life.” Jesus loved people so much that He did not spare Himself. He eventually exhausted Himself and became worn out in order to show people His love. However, in those times Jesus was not accepted. Neither is He accepted today. He is being insulted, hurt, killed with language, curse, slander, hatred. That is why with her tonight’s message Our Lady calls to get closer to Jesus’ heart not only us, Catholics, but the whole world, so that we may become open to eternal life. Will this call get lost yet one more time in the desert and wasteland of this world? Will we miss hearing yet another call of the Queen of Peace from Medugorje?

It is a duty of all those who have experienced the love of God and the love of Our Lady to witness and show not only to Europe, but to the whole world the love that was crucified, that died on the cross, the love resurrected and alive today. Every new day is an opportunity for us to be witnesses of this love. May our greatest advocate, mediator and intercessor Blessed Virgin Mary – Our Lady help us.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/03/2009

Medjugorje - Our Lady's March 25th Message to the World

Hello, everyone!

Below you will find the official English translation of Our Lady's March 25 message to the world, as provided by The Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Sincerely,

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission




Message of March 25, 2009


“Dear children! In this time of spring, when everything is awakening from the winter sleep, you also awaken your souls with prayer so that they may be ready to receive the light of the risen Jesus. Little children, may He draw you closer to His Heart so that you may become open to eternal life. I pray for you and intercede before the Most High for your sincere conversion. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Medjugorje - Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo's Annual Apparition

Hello, everyone.

Below you will find the official English translation of Our Lady's annual apparition to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo, one of the Medjugorje visionaries. This translation is provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.



History of Mirjana's Apparitions:

Mirjana reportedly received daily apparitions of Our Lady from June 24th, 1981 through December 25th, 1982. She received the 10th of Our Lady's secrets during her last daily apparition and was told she would receive an annual apparition on March 18th. This annual apparition has contained a message for the entire world, and this year's message is below.



Annual Apparition To Mirjana - March 18, 2009

Several thousand pilgrims gathered in prayer of the Rosary at the 'Blue Cross'. The apparition lasted from 13:52 to 13:58.


"Dear children! Today I call you to look into your hearts sincerely and for a long time. What will you see in them? Where is my Son in them and where is the desire to follow me to Him? My children, may this time of renunciation be a time when you will ask yourself: 'What does my God desire of me personally? What am I to do?' Pray, fast and have a heart full of mercy. Do not forget your shepherds. Pray that they may not get lost, that they may remain in my Son so as to be good shepherds to their flock."

Our Lady looked at all those present and added: "Again I say to you, if you knew how much I love you, you would cry with happiness. Thank you."



Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

Medjugorje - Frequently Asked Questions

For those of you with questions about what is happening / has happened in Medjugorje for the past 28 years, I have added a "Medjugorje FAQs" link on the right side of this blog. The link will take you to the Medjugorje Web, one of the best resources for Medjugorje-related information on the Internet.

Here are a few good frequently-asked questions:

• I heard that one of the visionaries was dictated Our Lady's life. Is it available?
  
  
• What does Our Lady look like?
  
  
• What is the message or purpose of Medjugorje?
  

Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission

United States Catholic Bishops Urge Citizens to Oppose Freedom of Choice Act

There are now many pro-life members in Congress, and United States President Barack Obama has promised he will sign a radical new bill, titled "Freedom of Choice Act" if it makes it to his desk.

The bill would force U.S. taxpayers to fund abortion and eliminate many of the current protections for the unborn, including parental involvement for minors considering abortions and the requirement of using a licensed abortion doctor.

Our Lady of Medjugorje has told us abortion is a "grave sin", on par with killing someone in a war.

U.S. Catholic bishops are urging those opposed to abortion to contact members of Congress, and have made it easy through the implementation of an online form.

Medjugorje - Our Lady's Messages, 1981 - Present

I have added a link, on the right side of my blog, to all of Our Lady's messages, from 1981 until now (just click the picture of Mary to be taken there). The link is to a page at Medjugorje Web, one of the best Internet resources for information about the reported apparitions. You can read the messages in English, German, Italian, French, Spanish and Croatian.

Medjugorje - Fr. Danko Perutina's February Commentary

Below you will find the official English translation of Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary on Our Lady's February message to the world. The translation was provided by The Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of The Medjugorje Web.



CONFESS YOUR SINS

"Dear children! In this time of renunciation, prayer and penance, I call you anew: go and confess your sins so that grace may open your hearts, and permit it to change you. Convert little children, open yourselves to God and to His plan for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of February 25, 2009


On Ash Wednesday, also known as Clean Wednesday we begin Lent, the intensive season of liturgical year when we prepare for Easter. In her message of 25 February Our Lady makes us aware that Lent is the time of renunciation, prayer and penance.

In his 2009 Lent message Pope Benedict XVI says: “At the beginning of Lent, which constitutes an itinerary of more intense spiritual training, the Liturgy sets before us again three penitential practices that are very dear to the biblical and Christian tradition – prayer, almsgiving, fasting – to prepare us to better celebrate Easter and thus experience God’s power that, as we shall hear in the Paschal Vigil, “dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace and humbles earthly pride” (Paschal Præconium). The Pope continues by saying: “Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word …. Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God. At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live… It is good to see how the ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul II wrote, to make the complete gift of self to God ».

The center of Our Lady’s tonight’s message is a call to confess our sins because this is the way grace opens our hearts and changes us. Jesus established the Sacrament of Reconciliation for all sinful members of the Church, for all those who fall into a grave sin and lose the grace of Jesus. Confession creates an opportunity for us to convert and to regain grace. That is why the fathers of the Church have referred to confession as «another board for salvation after the wreckage of grace».

A sincere confession always leads to a complete conversion, where the meaning of conversion is a change of one’s entire life, actions and beliefs. It is a complete shift. A shift like that happened, for example, to St. Paul , St. Augustine , St. Francis and to many other saints. Conversion leads us to denying our sinful way of life and pagan customs directing us towards our complete surrender to God, to his plan and actions, as Our Lady calls us to do. Besides the negative side related to denying, as we deny such things like food, alcohol, cigarettes, gambling and other additions, Lent has a positive side too, which is our decision that we shall pray more, forgive more, love our fellow men more, worship Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar more, and help others more. Let us include both sides in our spiritual life in order for us to truly experience the fullness of Easter joy.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/02/2009

Medjugorje - Our Lady's February 25, 2009 Message to the World

The following is the official English version of Our Lady's February 25th monthly message to the world, from the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of The Medjugorje Web.


Message of February 25, 2009

“Dear children! In this time of renunciation, prayer and penance, I call you anew: go and confess your sins so that grace may open your hearts, and permit it to change you. Convert little children, open yourselves to God and to His plan for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Medjugorje - Recap of Ivan Dragicevic at St. Andrew's Church in Billerica, MA

Last night I, along with my parents, fiance, and hundreds of others experienced at St. Andrew's Church in Billerica, Massachusetts a powerful prayer session and Mass with Ivan Dragicevic, one of the Medjugorje visionaries. The theme of the night: evangelize!

There was a palpable electricity in the building at the beginning of the night, an energy in the packed house that I don't think has been matched by any Mass I have ever attended. It seemed there was eager anticipation by many who had not yet heard Ivan speak, to learn about his experience as a visionary and why the Virgin Mary has been appearing to him and giving messages to the people of the world for 28 years. But the highlight of the night may have been the homily by the pastor of St. Andrew's, Fr. Michael Parise.

Fr. Michael, during a Mass celebrated after praying the Luminous and Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, delivered a bold, challenging message to the congregation: Those who had come that night to see Ivan had come to the wrong place!

He explained what everyone had come to experience was truly a gift from God, but the point of the evening was not to see some spectacle of the Virgin Mary or hope for some miracle to occur. He criticized those who followed Ivan from place to place across the world, simply putting another "notch in the belt" of how many times they had seen Ivan. He pointed out the only other times he has seen his church as filled as it was last night was during Christmas Masses, and that while the United States media is always pointing out the high percentage of Americans that state they are Christians, the number of practicing Christians is actually utterly pathetic. The point of this evening, according to Fr. Michael, was to take this incredible blessing from God and go back to our parishes, communities, and families and live the messages and spread the Word of God, otherwise the blessing of the evening was lost.

Ivan carried the message in his own lecture, a beautiful, sometimes humorous account of the story of his life as a messenger of the Virgin Mary, saying Fr. Michael was correct in what he said, and that we should realize Ivan is simply like the rest of us, and not some holy figure to be admired. He said it is Our Lady of Medjugorje's wish that all will be called to a more holy life as a result of the messages, because as a whole the people of the world are currently on the wrong path.

Ivan, who experienced his daily apparition at 6:40pm EST, during the 9th decade of the Rosary prayed last evening, shared the message from Our Lady that evening, saying Satan was working hard to destroy her plan on Earth, and that only through our prayers, fasting, and penance can she achieve her plan of converting the hearts of all throughout the world to complete surrender to and love of God.

The Vatican is on YouTube!

I heard an interesting story while watching EWTN this week and thought it would be something nice to post here, since I am leveraging the Internet to spread the word about Our Lady of Medjugorje's messages to the world: The Vatican has launched a YouTube channel!

You can stay up to date on the latest Vatican news in Italian, English, Spanish, and Dutch. They have created a custom YouTube page that has lots of videos.

I think this is a good step into the Internet world for the Vatican, and a great way to stay up to date on what Pope Benedict XVI is asking of the world.

Medjugorje - Commentary on Our Lady's January 25, 2009 Message

Below you will find the official English translation of Our Lady's January 25, 2009 message to the world. This translation was provided to me by Steve and Ana Shawl, of Medjugorje Web (www.medjugorje.org).



INVITED TO WALK THE WAY OF HOLINESS

"Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May prayer be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for you, for the salvation of your souls. I desire, little children, for each of you to fall in love with eternal life which is your future, and for all worldly things to be a help for you to draw you closer to God the Creator. I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path. Only with my help, little children, you will open your eyes. There are many of those who, by living my messages, comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Message of January 25, 2009


In the encounter with God everybody finds the right path and becomes aware of the truth about oneself at the same time. Prayer is the easiest way in which we can encounter Jesus, who is the meaning of our lives. The basic prerequisites in order to pray in the proper way are: honesty, humbleness and courage, which help us to reach for God in an easier manner. In her message of 25 January Our Lady calls us to prayer, as she has done so many times so far. She is also giving us an answer as to why she calls us by saying: “Prayer will be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for the salvation of your souls.” The way of salvation is the way of holiness. In her message of 28 March 1985 Our Lady says: “Dear children! Today I wish to call you to pray, pray, pray! In prayer you shall perceive the greatest joy and the way out of every situation that has no exit. Thank you for starting up prayer. Each individual is dear to my heart. And I thank all who have urged prayer in their families.” When Our Lady speaks of prayer, what she primarily has in mind is families praying together. The best prayer is the one that we say together with Our lady while following the path to our salvation and to the salvation of the world. The path that we follow through prayer is the path leading us to Jesus. Therefore, it is important to pray with your heart, which means praying with your whole being.

Rarely do we think about eternal life, although man has been created for the eternal life in the fellowship with the love of God. There are various obstacles on our way to eternity. These are primarily earthly things, which are like dust in our eyes preventing us from falling in love with eternal life, which is our future. When reading the Book of Genesis we can see that God called upon man to be his partner on earth. Man received a command from God to subdue the earth: «Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it…» (Gen 1:28). We are called to use things, such as TV, mobile phones, newspapers, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and others, not to be slaves to them. Our homeland is not here on earth. We are mere passers-by here. We have been called not only to reign as kings and rule the earth, but to prepare ourselves for eternity.

Our Lady gives the answer to all those who are wondering why she has been appearing for so long. She says: «I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path». To be on the wrong path means to be far away from God. Clear signs that a person is on the wrong path are restlessness, guilty consciousness and discontent. All those who do not follow the commandments of the Church, who commit grave and deadly sins, who always put themselves first, who always have to be right, are the ones that are on the wrong path. Our Lady has been with us for so long in order to help us open our eyes to see what real values are. At the end of her message she encourages those who have responded to her call. Our Lady says: «There are many of those who, by living my messages comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity». This message encourages us all to be better and again make the decision to continue to grow in holiness.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/01/2009

Medjugorje - Our Lady's January 25, 2009 Message

Below you will find the English translation of Our Lady's January 25th message to the world. This translation is provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje.

Please feel free to leave your comments by clicking the "Comments" link at the bottom of this posting.



Message of January 25, 2009

“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May prayer be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for you, for the salvation of your souls. I desire, little children, for each of you to fall in love with eternal life which is your future, and for all worldly things to be a help for you to draw you closer to God the Creator. I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path. Only with my help, little children, you will open your eyes. There are many of those who, by living my messages, comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Barack Obama Reverses Abortion-Funding Policy and What the Visionary Vicka Says About Abortion

FROM CNN.COM:

"President Obama struck down a rule Friday that prohibits U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services."

Read the rest of the article



OUR LADY:

This is a serious issue, with serious consequences. You can probably imagine what Our Lady's thoughts about abortion are, but here are the exact words from visionary Vicka Ivankovic in a 1996 interview conducted by Kresimir Sego and posted at Medjugore Web:


"Once Our Lady told me that the persons who do an abortion commit a grave sin. The children killed that way are little angels for whose death the persons who have done it are responsible.

One should put oneself the question how many people get killed in war, and how many in a mother's womb. Those killed in war are mourned, but children just conceived as though they were not human. There is no difference whether one is killed in war or in an abortion. The responsibility is equal. But man's conscience seems to have failed completely."

Medjugorje - Fr. Danko Perutina's Commentary on Our Lady's December 25, 2008 Message

Below is the official English translation of Fr. Danko Perutina's commentary on Our Lady's Christmas 2008 message to the world.

I am hopeful this blog will become a place where all of us will not only read Our Lady's messages and the commentary on them, but also a place where we begin to start a dialogue about it, so please feel free to share your thoughts by using the "comments" link at the bottom of this post.

Thanks, and Happy New Year!

- Erik



SURRENDER YOUR LIVES INTO THE HANDS OF JESUS

"Dear children! You are running, working, gathering – but without blessing. You are not praying! Today I call you to stop in front of the manger and to meditate on Jesus, Whom I give to you today also, to bless you and to help you to comprehend that, without Him, you have no future. Therefore, little children, surrender your lives into the hands of Jesus, for Him to lead you and protect you from every evil. Thank you for having responded to my call." Message of December 25, 2008


On Christmas Day we celebrate the birth of Jesus. On 25 December Our Lady gave us a message, which is a reminder and a call. She says: Dear children! You are running, working, gathering – but without blessing. These words are true. They touch us even deeper because they come from the mouth of Our Lady. If we just look around, we can notice how anxiously worried about material things we all are. We work hard and have no blessing. There is no blessing because we do not put God first. One was able to notice that these few days before Christmas when wholesale stores, shops and hair salons were more crowded that confessionals. A great attention is paid to appearances, whereas we do not strive towards the inner beauty of the soul that much. If we were so concerned with our salvation and spiritual life as much as we are concerned with external things, Paradise would soon start blooming on Earth.

In her message Our lady continues by saying: You are not praying! In the morning, before going to work, most Catholics just make the sign of the cross, without any other more profound prayer. In the evening, already tired from work, we fall asleep at the second Hail Mary. And it goes on in this way day by day. Our body is getting tired, but our soul is getting even more tired. Then we ask ourselves: Why there is no blessing? Why does not God hear us? He does hear us, but it is us that do not hear Him. Whenever He comes, we are not at home.

Our Lady calls us to stop in front of the manger and to meditate on Jesus, Whom she gives to us today also, to bless us and to help us to comprehend that, without Him, we have no future. Christmas, the birth of Jesus, is a holiday of the eternal and infinite love of God that has entered history in the form of an innocuous child. While we are meditating and thinking of the birth of Jesus, we must bear in mind that it is not merely a nice story of a little child, shepherds, angels and kings who lived a long time ago. It is a holiday that speaks about the incessant connection between God and man. It is not an event that occurred a long time ago. It is a reality that should be happening in us every day. God becomes embodied and becomes God with us every day. We encounter Him at Holy Mass, in sacraments, in prayers and in good deeds. Jesus wants to keep on being born in us, His beloved sons and daughters, as well as in the community of His believers, in the Church, which is His mysterious embodiment.

Our Lady offers us a solution to all our fears and anxieties – it is Her son Jesus. She says: Surrender your lives into the hands of Jesus, for Him to lead you and protect you from every evil. Only in the hands of Jesus, only in His heart shall we have true protection from every evil. Let us bear witness to the Joyful News and let us be happy feeling that primordial joy St. Paul calls us to:«Brothers! Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice!» (Phil 4:4). Let us not be gold diggers who struggle their entire lives searching for gold, finding it, digging it, but remaining the poorest although holding gold in their hands. Let the newly born Jesus bless our whole life and all our noble strivings.


Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/12/2008

Medjugorje Book Review - A Child Shall Lead Them

I just finished reading another book about Medjugorje, titled A Child Shall Lead Them: Stories of Transformed Young Lives in Medjugorje (author Wayne Weible).

This book really highlights some of the fruits of these reported apparitions. Weible gives several accounts of teenagers who were headed down the "wrong path" in life, with vices including drug abuse and alcoholism, but then turned their lives around after learning of what was happening in Medjugorje. He even recounts the story of his own daughter, who had an abortion, and how she later came to be someone who would live and carry the messages of Medjugorje with him.

The book is both saddening and heartwarming. The lives of these children really accents the general state of youth and the dark temptations they suffer through these days. It is no wonder the Virgin Mary has often asked through her Medjugorje messages that we pray for today's youth. But the book leaves a hopeful tone, as well, since the answers to these problems - prayer, fasting, and penance, are so easily accessible. The stories of these children can be beacons of light to not only parents but really everyone. It does not matter what your current condition is. God is always waiting, with open arms, to lead us back home.

I have placed my book for sale on Amazon.com and highly recommend you read it!




Erik Haan

Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission