Our Lady of Medjugorje has appeared to six visionaries since 1981, telling us God exists, and that we need to return to a life of prayer. She has told them these will be her last apparitions on Earth.

This blog is here to help you live a the full, holy, and enriching life Our Lady says God wants us to live, by providing you with reviews of books related to the apparitions and messages.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

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

Wednesday, March 25, 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.”

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

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

Saturday, March 14, 2009

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:



Erik Haan
Medjugorje: The Messages & The Mission




Sunday, March 8, 2009

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.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

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.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

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