Gentle woman, quiet light, morning star, so strong and bright

ourblessedmother2 By Mark Lam

“…Gentle woman, quiet light, morning star, so strong and bright, gentle Mother, peaceful dove, teach us wisdom; teach us love.”

Whenever I hear the words to the song “Hail Mary, Gentle Woman”, thoughts of Medjugorje come pouring in. It was in Medjugorje that I first paid attention to the lyrics of this beautiful song. My wife and I visited Medjugorje in October of 2004. It has been two years now. How quickly time flies.

Many say that Medjugorje must be the closest place to heaven here on earth and I cannot help but agree. And they say once you know how heaven feels like, then that’s the only place you ever want to be. Oh how true, how true! All you need is to be touched by God once in this life time, to know that you’ll never want to let go; it becomes all that you long for, how beautiful is this feeling. How blessed are those who are called to Medjugorje.

Medjugorje is a little town in Bosnia over flown with grace and peace. You will be touched by the faith of the people there and the strong conviction they have for their faith. This conviction is contagious, and it could be yours! For me, it was a chance to be closer to Mother Mary and ultimately, our Lord Jesus. I came back home with a renewed love for the Holy Rosary and a new found appreciation for what the Holy Rosary is used for – to truly and completely meditate on the Birth, Life and Passion of our Lord Jesus. Medjugorje is a place of renewal for Christians of every denomination; it is a place to open up, let go, and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Using Mother Mary as His handmaid, our Father continuously preaches the messages of peace and repentance to all His creation. Day after day, months after months, years after years, Our Lady calls us to be converted to her beloved son, to be in union with the Holy Trinity. Lord Jesus, please take my hand, I long to be forever in your embrace.

MCC Annual Retreat

Medjugorje Centre of Canada

Medjugorje

If you knew how much I love you you’d cry of joy

itinerary4 - The Cross By Gabriel Fung

When I hear the word “Medjugorje” I get hyped up instantly, and feel the urge to share with everybody a series of images that would be flashing right in front of my eyes.

In the first image, I see myself

Read More from two years ago listening to a sharing from two friends who have just returned from their Medjugorje pilgrimage. At that moment, I was intrigued by the miracles happening in this place – the miracle of the dancing sun, the miracle of the oil leaking from the knee of the Risen Christ statue, and most importantly, the miracle of conversion.The week after my friends’ sharing, I picked up a Medjugorje newsletter by chance. It tells of the whole story starting from the inception of the Marian apparitions. At this time, my parish was organizing the pilgrimage to this little village. Everything seemed to happen coincidently. I felt like God was telling me that I had to go to this place and see for myself. It was indeed a calling. Answering His call, I went to Medjugorje in June 2005, during the 24th anniversary of the apparitions.

When I got there, I was a little disappointed by the boring, repetitive schedule – hours and hours of praying the Rosary and going to Mass, day after day. However, things seemed to come to pass quite quickly, and I’ve unconsciously fallen in love with praying as we approached the end of the 10-day pilgrimage. It was a miracle!

Upon returning to Canada, my life has become more spiritually oriented: I pray the Rosary more frequently and I fast on bread and water once a week; I love going to daily mass and I long to receive the Eucharist.

Looking back, I have to thank all of my friends who inspired me to go on this pilgrimage. Most importantly, I have to thank God for such a calling and Mother Mary for her blessings.

In closing, allow me to share with you one of my favourite Medjugorje messages: “If you knew how much I love you you’d cry of joy.”

MCC Annual Retreat

Medjugorje Centre of Canada

Medjugorje

I wonder how do they know Medjugorje is the closest place to heaven on earth

heaven By Gabriela Leong

I was laughing when some people said to me “Medjugorje is the closest place to heaven on earth”. They are still living I wonder how do they know Medjugorje is the closest place to heaven on earth. Months later, a Catholic friend of mine said that no one goes to Medjugorje unless Our Lady invites them. I received an invitation in June of 2005.

I wasn’t too excited when get on the plane to Croatia, my eyes opened wide when I reviewed the 10-day program; I was thinking “What? Mass twice a day, rosaries, 3-hour prayer? That’s what we do in heaven? God you must be kidding!” First two days, it was so exhausting to pray so much, I’d fall right to sleep at night.

It was truly a testament to the prayerfulness of the local people there. They came out as families or by themselves. Most remarkable were the young people. It was truly a blessed environment. I skipped a few talks given by visionaries; it became more of a private prayer retreat than a pilgrimage. I didn’t learn much of the history of the apparitions nor did I delve into the controversy surrounding the apparitions. All I knew was that when you came to Medjugorje, whether you wanted to at first or not, you ended up praying.

My conversion experience was one of a recommitment to a life with God through prayer. I didn’t see the sun dance or rosaries turn to gold. I didn’t see visions, much less visionaries. The only miracle was a miracle of peace and prayerfulness. I learned to simply spend time with Jesus and Mary and to allow myself to be drawn by them to the Father.

Our lady knew what I needed and what my soul longed for. And somehow, in a way I didn’t even notice at the time, she provided for me.

I would only encourage you to respond generously when your invitation comes. And I don’t just mean an invitation to Medjugorje, but an invitation to enter more deeply into the divine life with the Father.

MCC Annual Retreat

Medjugorje Centre of Canada

Medjugorje

Reflection in January 2003

Reflection on the Message of January 25, 2003

PRAY FOR PEACE

“Dear children! With this message I call you anew to pray for peace. Particularly now when peace is in crisis, you be those who pray and bear witness to peace. Little children, be peace in this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of January 25, 2003

The Blessed Virgin Mary calls her children again; she calls all those who want to hear her motherly voice and respond to the voice of peace. The call is given in love and leaves us freedom to accept it. In Our Lady’s motherly voice there is no intimidation, no threatening, no pessimism, no fear and no panic. Her voice and her words come from a heart that is pacified in God. She sees well the situation of the world, but she is not in despair because of it. She also sees well the crisis of the world, of men, of the family, of youth and of old people, but she also sees well the possibility of these same men to reach peace and to witness the peace that she gives us, and to which she invites us. Mary, our Mother, wishes to lead us to the experience of a heart full of peace that we can obtain through abandonment to God, without effort and without tension. This is what the psalmist speaks about: “Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child. Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever.” (Ps 131)

We have to develop trust and exercise ourselves in trust in the Almighty who wants to give us this experience. Such an experience of trust and peacefulness is a treasure from which one can live and which can be given to others. I believe that each one of us has had the experience of an encounter with an aggressive person, but also with a person whose heart is pacified. We run away from those who are aggressive, we avoid them because they bring trouble and threaten our peace. On the contrary, we are ennobled by an encounter with a person whose heart is pacified, a person who makes no offence, utters no calumny, does not attack, has no hatred in the heart. We can feel that such an encounter make us take part in the peace of that person. The most frequent cause of peacelessness and tension is mistrust, which engenders a feeling of being threatened. Ladislaus Boros says in connection to this: “True Christianity knows the power of meekness, knows holiness of character, and the power of abandonment. A new strength enters into the world where those, who bear witness in their blood tremble in pain and still persevere without being revolted and without perverting their suffering by hatred, desire of vengeance or vanity. It is a great delight to encounter a truly meek person. She can set her seal on the entire life of another.”

These are fruits of faith and of trust that the Holy Spirit produces in us. Faith bestows on our life relaxation and peace. To believe in someone means to have the possibility to come to know this person. If I do not trust someone, I cannot come to know this person, because I am closed. It is the same with our relationship to God. If I do not believe what Jesus tells me in the Gospel, I will never be able to make the experience of what He promises me by his word.

Words of Our Lady’s message, just as the Gospel, may seem distant, idealistic and impossible to be put into practice in our lives. Our Lady’s message reminds me of Jesus’ words: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Mt 5,48) At first sight, it is an almost impossible demand. The Gospel really demands from humans what is impossible for human strength. This impossible demand of the Gospel would like to lead us not to rely on ourselves but on God. Only then shall we have peace. If we try to put these demands into practice by our own strength, we shall be defeated and frustrated. Women in Africa usually carry loads on their head, and if they keep them in a good balance, they can walk many kilometres with them. If loads are not in a good balance, they will hurt their back after only a few meters. In the same way, we have to understand well the Gospel, which does not support loads, according to the words of St. John: “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 Jn 5,3). Let us rely on God. May He become more important for us then we are important for ourselves. Let us allow Him to take initiative in our lives, because it is more important what He does in us then what we do ourselves. Let us allow His love to touch us, so that His peace may come into our lives, our words, our encounters and our deeds.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medjugorje, January 26, 2003

MCC Annual Retreat

Medjugorje Centre of Canada

Medjugorje

Reflection in February 2003

Reflection on the Message of February 25, 2003

PEACE IS A PRECIOUS GIFT FROM GOD

“Dear children! Also today I call you to pray and fast for peace. As I have already said and now repeat to you, little children, only with prayer and fasting can wars also be stopped. Peace is a precious gift from God. Seek, pray and you will receive it. Speak about peace and carry peace in your hearts. Nurture it like a flower which is in need of water, tenderness and light. Be those who carry peace to others. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of February 25, 2003

Our Lady’s words, just as her love for us, her children, remain unchanged. As in the last message, she calls us also today to prayer and fasting for peace. She presented herself here as Queen of Peace who brings and gives us peace. Many have experienced it in their hearts. They took this peace into their daily life. Although in her messages she addresses herself to everyone, saying “dear children”, as a mother she speaks to each one individually, to each heart. Starting with the individual, peace spreads into the family and from the family into the people and into the whole society. It is important to answer to this call personally. Everything starts with the individual. We should not expect and wait for others to be converted, to become better, to believe, but it is important to turn ma heart personally to the Mother who leads us to Jesus – the King of Peace. She sees well how much men are threatened, how much peace is threatened in human hearts. She knows well that peacelessness and hatred come from a troubled heart. She offers us a remedy for this and such heart.

Our Lady has neither revealed something new here, nor has she brought something unknown. Our Lady addresses us the same invitation as the Prophets in the Old Testament: conversion of hearts, faith, fasting and prayer. According to the witness of the visionaries, Our Lady has invited us all to peace, to fasting and prayer, to conversion and a strong faith. From the beginning of the apparitions to August 14, 1984, people were fasting one day a week. On the vigil of the Assumption 1984, through the visionary Ivan, she gave us this message: “I would like the people to pray along with me these days. And to pray as much as possible! And to fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays, and every day to pray at least one Rosary: the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries.”

There are many other messages in which Our Lady invited us to fast: On September 20, 1984, Our Lady invited us: “Dear children! Today I call on you to begin fasting with the heart. There are many people who are fasting, but only because everyone else is fasting. It has become a custom which no one wants to stop.” On September 26, 1985: “Dear children! … Especially live the fast, because by fasting you will achieve and cause me the joy of the whole plan, which God is planning here in Medjugorje, being fulfilled.” On September 4, 1986: “Dear children! Today again I am calling you to prayer and fasting. You know, dear children, that with your help I am able to accomplish everything and force Satan not to be seducing to evil and to remove himself from this place. … Therefore, dear children, my call to you is that your day would be only prayer and complete surrender to God…”

In the message of July 25, 1991, Our Lady said: “Dear Children! … At this time peace is being threatened in a special way, and I am seeking from you to renew fasting and prayer in your families. Dear children, I desire you to grasp the seriousness of the situation and that much of what will happen depends on your prayers and you are praying a little bit. Dear children, I am with you and I am inviting you to begin to pray and fast seriously as in the first days of my coming…”

In the message of April 25, 1992, she told us: “Dear children! Today also I invite you to prayer. Only by prayer and fasting can war be stopped…”

We need to recall Our Lady’s words, but even more to take them to our heart and put them into practice in our lives. It happens that we forget the words, but if we take them seriously, they will lead us to the source, to Jesus, from whom Mary takes and brings the desired peace of heart and soul.

The Blessed Virgin Mary invites us often to fasting, but even more often to prayer. Fasting is a prayer of the body. Fasting cannot go by itself. It is always linked to prayer, to almsgiving and works of charity. Jesus himself speaks about the power of fasting (cf. Mk 9,29). In her messages, Our Lady says that through prayer and fasting war also can be stopped. Our Holy Father John-Paul II also invited and keeps inviting all Christians to prayer and fasting for peace in the world. This is the only way for overcoming difficult and deep crisis in the world: through fasting to obtain the conversion of hearts, and to stop the wars that are begotten in human hearts. Thos who pray are more useful for the world then those who fight, and if things are bad in the world or become worse and worse, it is because there are more warriors than those who pray. Let us become warriors in Our Lady’s school of prayer and of love, so that – from day to day – we may come closer to God, belong more to God, and with us also this world.