Reflection on the Message of November 25, 2002

I CALL YOU TO CONVERSION

“Dear children! I call you also today to conversion. Open your heart to God, little children, through Holy Confession and prepare your soul so that little Jesus can be born anew in your heart. Permit Him to transform you and lead you on the way of peace and joy. Little children, decide for prayer. Especially now, in this time of grace, may your heart yearn for prayer. I am close to you and intercede before God for all of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of November 25, 2002

The Blessed Virgin Mary, mother of each man, addresses today also her maternal word to all those who want to listen and hear. She tells us: “I call you also today to conversion” as she has called us all the days for more than 21 years now. In Gospa’s words resound the words of John the Baptist: “Repent, because the Kingdom of heaven is near”. (Mt 3:2) Through Mary, a time of grace comes to us, a time when the Kingdom of Heaven wants to dwell in the heart of men. Through Mary, the Saviour of the world came to us, the Saviour of the world who wants also this year to be born in our heart. Conversion means change of path, of direction, of mentality, of sinful practices and habits. It is difficult, very difficult to change, but it is possible. It requires a permanent vigilance and perseverance, a permanent combat, it implies falls and raisings. Jesus speaks to us about the narrow and steep path, which leads to life. He wants to tell us that, on this path, we will be tired, that we will sweat, fall and bleed, but happy are those who persevere until the end. Life is a combat, and a proverb says: “Who does not want to fight, it is better for him not to live”. The Old Testament suffering Job tells us: “Isn’t the life of men on earth a combat?” (Cf: Job 7:1)

Mary, our mother, lived this same path of combat, renunciation and death to herself, so that God may live in her. Her glorification in Heaven shows that she was on the good path. At the moment of meeting God through the angel Gabriel, she did not say: “I understood what you say to me”, but “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word”. (Lk 1:38) We cannot nor should not understand everything, but it is important that we trust the word of God, that we trust the maternal words that are addressed to us in this simple message, in which we touch with the heart the maternal heart that beats for each one of us.

Conversion is the work of God, the work that He does in us if we allow Him. I cannot convert myself and even less can I convert others. What I can, it is to desire ardently, to seek, to yearn with all my faculties, all my forces and all the powers that God has given me and has put at my disposal. The problem is not in our distance from God, but in our negligence and our lack of desire to approach Him, to love him and thus to know him. God gives himself to those who seek him with their whole heart.

In this message, Gospa reminds us of the sacrament of Holy Confession, through which we should open our hearts and prepare our souls, so that Jesus can be born. Today still, Jesus wants and wishes to be born. Today still, he is thirsting for us and for our time, our prayer, and above all our heart to receive him. When Jesus enters into the life of a person, this life is not the same any more, but is transfigured and renewed. It is a life filled with peace and joy that this world cannot give.

The time of the Advent is in front of us, the expectation of the arrival and the birth of the Saviour of the world and of men. Let us allow Jesus to enter into our houses and our families. May the door of our families and of our lives be open for Christmas and during Christmas days. Let us be at home, at home in our inner self, to meet him and carry him to others, like Mary.

Thank you, Mary, for being close to us. Thank you for not ceasing to intercede and to pray with us and for us.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medjugorje, November 26, 2002

Reflection on the Message of December 25, 2002

A TIME OF GREAT GRACES AND OF GREAT TRIALS

“Dear children! This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials for all those who desire to follow the way of peace. Because of that, little children, again I call you to pray, pray, pray, not with words but with the heart. Live my messages and be converted. Be conscious of this gift that God has permitted me to be with you, especially today when in my arms I have little Jesus – the King of Peace. I desire to give you peace, and that you carry it in your hearts and give it to others until God’s peace begins to rule the world. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of December 25, 2002

Also this Christmas, the Blessed virgin Mary gives birth to Jesus, leads us to Him and gives Him to us with the desire and the request that we receive Him as she has received Him. In the fullness of time, God the Father, in His eternal love and wisdom, approached Mary through the angel Gabriel, and asked her if she wanted to accept becoming the Mother of the Divine Child Jesus. God never forces anyone, but attracts; He offers His salvation and never imposes it. Mary spoke her “Yes” in the name of humanity entire, in the name of all generations, in the name of each one of us. Her “Yes” resounds until today. In Mary’s body and heart there was place for God. God bended down to the creature – to Mary – asking her collaboration for His plan of salvation of man. God did not want to be only God. He also became man. The Creator wanted to become creature. This is how He showed the value of man and his capacity to receive and to welcome the Creator. The ways of God’s love for man are unimaginable and inaccessible. God becomes small, insignificant, abandons Himself and gives Himself to men. God knows that man can make a home for Him in his life, and that is why He comes to him.

This is why, in this message, Mary again speaks to us the words: “This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials”. In his letter, St. James writes precisely about the utility of trials: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” (James 1:2–3). Our life’s experience tells us that trials go together with grace. Mary’s life confirms it, her life full of trials, suffering and burdens. In spite of it, she sung her Magnificat, because she discovered God as her only treasure. Mary, our Mother, is the most pure result of faith. During her whole life, even in her last trial, which was prophesied by the old Simeon during the Presentation in the Temple – that the sword of pain will pierce her soul – her fait has never wavered. He never stopped to believe that the word of God would be accomplished.

Our faith can undergo severe trials. The world we live in, situations, events, injustices, experience of evil and suffering seems to contradict the Good News of this Christmas event – the Incarnation of God. We have to turn ourselves always again to the witnesses of faith. Hence, one of the most pure, most holy witnesses, one of the examples that stand before us is Mother Mary, whom God gives to us in these days and in this our time. She does not come with empty hands and with an empty heart: today, she holds in her hands the Saviour of the world, the King of Peace. This is how she came on the first day of her apparitions, and this contains the whole programme of her messages, her invitations and her coming: to bring Jesus to us and to lead us to Jesus. The Mother does not cease to knock at the door of our hearts, as she knocked at the doors of the inhabitants of Bethlehem, that they may receive her with Jesus, whom she carried to them under her heart. Until today, she is not tired, although she has found many closed doors of our houses and of our hearts. Also in this Christmas night, she comes to us with Jesus. Let us not remain deaf and blind for this gift from heaven that opened itself to give us a home and warmth in our cold nights and houses. Let us not allow others near us to be cold because of our distance and selfishness.

We thank you, Mother Mary, for the Saviour whom you bring to us and to whom you give birth because of us!

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medjugorje, December 26, 2002

Reflection on the Message of December 25, 2001

BE A SIGN FOR THIS PEACELESS WORLD

“Dear children! I call you today and encourage you to prayer for peace. Especially today I call you, carrying the newborn Jesus in my arms for you, to unite with Him through prayer and to become a sign to this peaceless world. Encourage each other, little children, to prayer and love. May your faith be an encouragement to others to believe and to love more. I bless you all and call you to be closer to my heart and to the heart of little Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of December 25, 2001

In the message of November, shortly before the beginning of Advent, Our Lady called us to prepare our hearts for the coming of the King of Peace who alone can and want to give peace to the human heart, from which comes hatred and love, forgiveness and vengeance, peace and restlessness.

Decisions for good and for war come from the human heart. Without Jesus, peace is impossible. Without Jesus, all human efforts, all initiatives and politics to establish peace are in vain. Trouble and hatred come from a peaceless heart, just as peace and love come from a heart, pacified in God. All depends on where the roots of my being and of my existence are seated, where I have planted the tree of my life. We can approach God only with an open heart that is not asleep, with a heart that believes, with a heart that is not chained up by haughtiness, which finds it difficult to bend the knee before another man and before the Creator.

To avoid this Christmas passing us by, to meet the Child, we have to bend down to the level of a child. Jesus told us: “Unless you turn and become like children…” (Matthew 18:2-4) – which means not childish, but with a childlike heart in the matter of purity and of evil. We have to come to a standstill in front of the manger and imbibe ourselves with this sight, this mysterious event of an unusual birth, which happened on our earth. Since this event, nothing is the same any more, this earth is no more cursed nor condemned to perish. We have to sit at the feet of Jesus, descend from the mountain of our haughtiness and arrogance which believes that we know everything and that we can do everything alone, in order to allow the Child Jesus to talk to us and to fecund us with his peace. This Christmas also, let us learn from children what trust is, let us learn from the Child Jesus who came down to earth, descended into the helplessness of a newborn child, to become able to understand him and to receive him. Children also receive, understand and follow the words of their parents who know how to bend down to their level and to talk to them. This is how God bended down to our valleys in order to become comprehensible for us, this is how the Blessed Virgin Mary came down to us and spoke to us in a language we understand. All her messages can be condensed in two words: pray and be converted. Be converted from dead things and objects to the living God, from whom comes every joy and peace.

Also in this message, Our Lady talks to us and encourages us to peace, not without reason, because we see that we are surrounded and filled by troubles of all kinds and colours. Nothing in life happens accidentally. Everything has its cause, which we maybe do not recognize. Peace and trouble have their causes and reasons. There is no blind destiny in our life, as some like to say often.

As on the first day, June 24th 1981, when Our Lady appeared to the visionaries with the Child Jesus in her arms, so in this message she brings and gives us Jesus, who has the answer to all our questions, the solution to all our problems. Also today, Mary gives us Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. She gives Him anew, as she gave Him once and forever to this humanity, when she had given birth to Him in her body and in her faith, in Bethlehem. This event is not a pious story but a reality that happened on this planet. Without Jesus, we are lost creatures erring on this earth without meaning and without goal, without Him, our life knows no way but is only a wayward life. If we do not have Him, what remains is only lie, death and despair.

While He was walking on this earth, Jesus asked: “When the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8) Jesus comes not only on Christmas, but wants to visit you every day. He wants to find an open door, an extended warm hand, a burning light of faith. Jesus wants to visit you in your daily life, monotonously coloured and full of heaviness of your duties; He visits you in people whom you like and whom you like less, Jesus visits you in all encounters and all conversations with people. Will you recognize Him? Jesus asks: will you listen to his word, will you – like Peter – throw your nets, will you – according to His word – forgive and bless people, life, your ways and crosses, or curse and despair? Jesus asks today also whether he will find faith on earth.

Our Lady does not cease to encourage us and to enthuse us, counting on us who want to receive and to accept the words of her messages. She knows that we cannot be threatened by our enemies and by those who hate us, but mostly by our lack of faith, of love and of friendship for Jesus. We are responsible for our own life, but also for lives of those whom God has placed on our way. Our happiness depends on happiness of others. Let us try today – not tomorrow – to listen to the echo of the voice of God as the longing of our own heart. Let us calm down the noise and voices which consume us – bad news and catastrophes from newspapers, radio and television – in order to feel the nearness and the warm heart of our heavenly Mother and of the little Jesus whom Our Lady bears for us and gives to us.

Medjugorje, December 26th, 2001
Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic, OFM

Reflection on the Message of November 25, 2001

LET US PREPARE OUR HEARTS

“Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer. Little children, pray and prepare your hearts for the coming of the King of Peace, that with His blessing He may give peace to the whole world. Peacelessness has begun to reign in hearts and hatred reigns in the world. That is why, you who live my messages be the light and extended hands to this faithless world that all may come to know the God of Love. Do not forget, little children, I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of November 25, 2001

In the message of the last month, Our Lady told us: “Little children, you are chosen to witness peace and joy”, and today she tells us about restlessness in hearts and hatred in the world.

Everyone seeks joy. Everybody wants to be happy and seeks joy. We all want to be happy. The good and the bad are equal in their desire to be happy. The good ones are good to be happy, and the bad ones would not be bad if they would not hope to become happy in such a way. In his Confessions, the great St. Augustin told us: If we all love joy, it is because we have already known it in a mysterious way. If we had not come to know it – if we were not created for it – we would not love it. The one who knocks at the door of a church – even it he does it with violence and anger – does so because he seeks joy. However, we see that the world around us is mostly sad. Sadness and restlessness strangle our throats and almost suffocate us. There are less and less joyful people and joyful Christians. Nietsche has already criticised Christians because their faces were too gloomy frowning.

Sadness and restlessness walk on our streets, in our villages and in our cities. Sadness has even sneaked into our families. Sadness and restlessness infect even our children to whom, instead of joy, we give things to eat, bigger and bigger and more and more ugly toys to destroy. Joy does not come from things, from toys, from food, from cars, motors, techniques, money or pleasure. Our heart and our soul seek the real food. You cannot cheat your soul while giving it things. If you don’t feed it with God and His Word, it will rebel and seek vengeance. Your soul gives you signs like emptiness, lack of meaning, nervousness, aggressiveness, anger against everything and everybody. You have to recognize these signs, you have to learn again to enjoy in little things and to recognize so many things around us – that everything is given, and that we hove not earned or merited anything.

Gospa, our Mother, walks with us for more than twenty years now. By this message, she prepares us for the time of Advent, which is approaching, and she puts in front of our eyes the King of Peace. Restlessness and hatred govern the world, our Mother tells us in this message, and we know and see that very well. And not only in the world, but they sneaked also into human relationships, families, amongst nations. Our Lady shows us the way, she puts into our hands a powerful means with which we can reach peace, if only we want it and seek it. It is not enough to see and to understand the state of your heart and your soul, of your family. It is not enough to know it, as it is of no use to a hungry man to know that bread is good. It is of no use for us to know that God is love, of no use to know that Our Lady is here out for love for us. We have to follow her words, to make the decision, to start today. We need the encounter and the experience of the God of Love. It is useless to curse darkness; let us light a lamp instead, and darkness is already gone. Sometimes it is enough to lift our eyes just a bit above the mud of this world, above our heads, to pronounce a good and positive word, and darkness is already gone. We have to heal our negative, black, tragic thoughts and pronounce pure words, so that God’s health and peace may reach us. It is not enough to say that there is no prayer in my family, that we can never get together, that every one goes his own way and after his own business. If nobody wants, then you start, have the courage to say to God a word of prayer and a cry, so that through you the light may come down, little by little, on those who are with you.

There are many hearts that follow Our Lady’s messages, which she gives to us still today. Our Lady counts on us, who want to hear her messages; she counts on our perseverance, even when we do not see immediately the fruits and successes. Our security is her presence, her words that she is with us in spite of everything. Let us be and let us remain with Her. Peace and good to you.

Medjugorje, November 26th, 2001
Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic