Medjugorje Day by Day - December 31st Reflection

Today's reflection, from Medjugorje: Day by Day, by Richard J. Beyer:

December 31

When you hear the bells at midnight

The Mother of God speaks of peace in the new year:

Next year will be a year of peace - not because men have named it so - but because God has planned it. You will not have peace through presidents, but through prayer (LJM 12-31-85).

At the same time, to another of the little seers in Jelena's prayer group, Jesus said the following:

When you hear the bells at midnight, you shall fall on your knees, bow your head to the ground, so that the King of Peace will come. This year I will offer my peace to the world. But afterwards, I will ask where you were when I offered it (LJM 12-31-85).

Five years later, on New Year's Eve in 1990, the Gospa said to Ivan's prayer group:

Dear children, tonight your Mother invites you to go together with me to the church in joy and prayerfullness (there was a special Mass at 11:30 p.m.). In tonight's special joy, pray in church for the intention of peace (VPG 12-31-90).

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And in Romans, Paul echoes the Virgin's call to peace:

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (Rom 14:17-19).

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Reflection: The Queen of Peace fittingly closes the year with a call to peace. This has always been her central message, the primary reason for her apparitions in Medjugorje. And, with the prayers of her children, what wonders she has achieved! The fall of the Berlin Wall, the liberation of Eastern Europe, the collapse of Communism, the rebirth of the Russian republics, the rise of both democracy and the philosophy of human rights.

     A new age of peace has dawned "Not through the presidents, but through prayer." All of us who have helped Our Lady through prayer, fasting, and sacrifice; all of us who have tried to live her messages; all of us who have believed in her and trusted her - we too have had a part in ushering in this new age.

In decades to come historians will puzzle over the cataclysmic events of the 1980s and 90s, trying to figure out how it all could have happened. And most will be unaware that it was the work of a young maiden on a hillside in Yugoslavia, who wept for peace. Gathering the faithful from every land, she worked miracles. She continues to this day.

Application: On New Year's Eve in 1985, Jesus said "When you hear the bells at midnight, you will fall on your knees, bow your head to the ground, so that the King of Peace will come." Let us live that message tonight.

Medjugorje Day by Day - December 24th Reflection

I thought I'd share with everyone today's reflection, from Medjugorje: Day by Day, by Richard J. Beyer.


Merry Christmas Eve!

Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

December 24

The Vigil of Christmas

On this vigil of Christmas, the Blessed Mother calls us to glorify Jesus and his Nativity:

Dear children, for Christmas my invitation is that together we glorify Jesus. I present him to you in a special way on that day and my invitation to you is that we glorify Jesus and his nativity. Dear children, on that day pray still more and think more about Jesus (WM 12-12-85).

And on this vigil in 1990:

Dear children, tonight your Mother invites you to give her all your problems. My dear children, Rejoice! (VPGM 12-24-90).

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The following is Matthew's passage on the birth of Christ:

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, so of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

     All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and the shall name him Emmanuel," which mean, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her. She bore a son, and he named him Jesus (Mt 1:18-25).

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Reflection: Tonight we celebrate the greatest event of all time - the birth of the Messiah - the divine God taking on human flesh. For ages the Jewish people had waited for him, and when the miracle finally occurred, the first to hear of it were not the nobility or Temple hierarchy, but simple shepherds. The birth was in a stable, not a palace. Even at the beginning, the Messiah came first to the humble, the ordinary, the poor. And he still comes to them, to all with hearts humble enough to receive him.

Application: Greet the Christ child with prayer and love this evening. Give your heart as your gift.

Medjugorje Day by Day - December 21st Reflection

Merry Christmas!

I like, from time to time, to share readings from one of my favorite Medjugorje - related books, Medjugorje: Day by Day by Richard J. Beyer. The December 21st reflection is especially important in our current age:

December 21

Do not look toward material things

During Advent of 1985 Our Lady said:

Dear children I am calling you to prepare yourselves for Christmas by means of penance, prayer, and works of charity. Dear children do not look toward material things, because then you will not be able to experience Christmas. (WM 12-5-85)

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St. Paul also warns of materialism or "worldly desires":

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ (Ti 2:11-13).

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Reflection: Many of us are aware of the hollowness of a materialistic attitude during the Christmas season, of how it can smother the spiritual message of Christ's birth. In this vein, the Second Vatican Council stated:

     Since in our times, variations of materialism are rampant everywhere, even among Catholics, the laity should not only learn doctrine more carefully, especially those main points which are the subjects of controversy, but should also provide the witness of an evangelical life in contrast to all forms of materialism (The Laity, 31).

    
We are called, then, not just to avoid materialism in our own lives, but to serve as an example to others of simplicity of lifestyle and the priority of spiritual values over the material. 

Application: Let us simply take Our Lady's advice today to, "prepare ... for Christmas by means of penance, prayer, and works of charity ... do not look toward material things because then you will not be able to experience Christmas."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's December 2nd Message to Us

Hello again, everyone!

Below is the official English version of Our Lady's December 2nd, 2010 message to us, as given to the visionary Mirjana.

This messages comes to us from the Information Center in Medjugorje, via Steve and Ana Shawl of Medjugorje Web.


Erik Haan
Medjugorje Book Reviews

"Dear children; Today I am praying here with you that you may gather the strength to open your hearts and thus to become aware of the mighty love of the suffering God. Through this His love, goodness and meekness, I am also with you. I invite you for this special time of preparation to be a time of prayer, penance and conversion. My children, you need God. You cannot go forward without my Son. When you comprehend and accept this, what was promised to you will be realized. Through the Holy Spirit the Kingdom of Heaven will be born in your hearts. I am leading you to this. Thank you."