Reflection on the Message of June 25, 2007

OPEN YOURSELF TO THIS GREAT MERCY

“Dear children! Also today, with great joy in my heart, I call you to conversion. Little children, do not forget that you are all important in this great plan, which God leads through Medjugorje. God desires to convert the entire world and to call it to salvation and to the way towards Himself, who is the beginning and the end of every being. In a special way, little children, from the depth of my heart, I call you all to open yourselves to this great grace that God gives you through my presence here. I desire to thank each of you for the sacrifices and prayers. I am with you and I bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of June 25, 2007

Today, too, echoes the voice of the heavenly Mother. Today, too, she does not give up on us, even when we give up on ourselves and when we give up on her. We can hear her motherly words and her call for conversion. Our Lady knows that the conversion is a process and a way to the Promised Land in which peace, freedom and joy abide that only God can give. Like Israelites, we need to abandon slavery and to cross the desert to the freedom of the Promised Land into which the God wants to lead us through the Mother of his Son. Mary crossed the desert of earthly life. With Her, we will certainly come to God.

God’s love does not exclude anybody. God created man in His own image and therefore he cannot give up on man. “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them”(Gen, 1, 27)

Queen of Peace says to us: “Don’t forget, all of you are important in this great plan which God carries through Medjugorje.” Mother Mary said to us: “Dear children, this is a time of mercy, this is a holy place.” The appearances of Our Lady are God’s bending toward man, toward you and me. The appearances of Our Lady are God’s service to man. How is it possible not to see, not to recognize God’s immense love which is manifested through the presence of Our Lady in Medjugorje?

Because she is a mother, Our Lady does not give up and does not tire, despite all our resistances. She knows that not everyone will believe and accept her messages and God’s love which is manifested today through her presence. Despite that, she talks, she appears to us, she invites us and she loves us, her children. We, too, are in danger that God’s words, which He gave us through the prophet Isaiah, will manifest on us: “Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

The words of Our Lady are full of hope and joy. She knows that man can accept and fulfill what the God asks of him. Mother wants us to experience the truth that God is the deepest foundation of our existence. In the words of Our Lady we find that the God accepts us exactly as we are. We all know that we do not always walk the straight way in our lives. There are many turns; many wrong decisions which, through our lives, have lead us to our present situation. Still, God loves us and accepts us as we are. God knows you and me by our names: “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of My hands” (Is 49, 16); God never looks at His hands without seeing yours name and mine. Such God’s love and mercy manifested to us throughout the past 26 years of appearances of Our Lady. Let us open to the God’s mercy through the presence of Our Lady, here in Medjugorje.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje, 06/26/2007

Reflection on the Message of July 25, 2007

LET PRAYER BE LIKE THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE

“Dear children! Today, on the day of the Patron of your Parish, I call you to imitate the lives of the Saints. May they be, for you, an example and encouragement to a life of holiness. May prayer for you be like the air you breathe in and not a burden. Little children, God will reveal His love to you and you will experience the joy that you are my beloved. God will bless you and give you an abundance of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of July 25, 2007

Our Lady calls to us as our Mother and invites and encourages us today, on the day of Saint Jacob the apostle, the patron saint of the Parish of Medugorje and pilgrims to inherit the life of the saints, the lives of those who came to heaven into a homeland we shall never leave. In her message on the 25th of July 2002, Our Lady also said: Dear children! Today I rejoice with your patron saint and call you to be open to God’s will… Ask your holy protectors to help you grow in love towards God.” The saints are those who intercede for us and stand up for us before the face of God. That is why we turn to them and give up our prayers to them so that they may present them to God. The holy are an example to us that it is worth being faithful to God and that God will never betray us.

“Let prayer be like the air that you breathe” – says Our Mother Mary. Our body needs air. We know how we feel when we don’t have enough air. Without air our body cannot live. So as we have a physical body we also have a spiritual body. We can imagine that we are spiritually dead without prayer. Without prayer man’s life only consists of the body, material things, on dead things which do not have any life. Prayer is not something that is stipulated or ordered by the Church, God or Our Lady. Prayer is not only a devout exercise. Prayer is much more than this. Prayer is life. Without prayer we are dead and there is no life in us. Without prayer God has no room in us in which he can visit and heal us, save us and heal our hearts and souls.

It is only in prayer that God can reveal his love and we can experience the joy of being beloved children of God and Our Lady. From experience we know that it is not enough to only know that food is good, it is necessary to eat it to be able to live. It is not enough to know that God and Our Lady love us, rather it is necessary for us to experience this, experience it in out life as a reality more true than the physical one we see with our eyes.

“You will experience the joy of being my loved ones” – Our Lady says to us. However, it is necessary to fulfil one condition and this is prayer with our heart in which the soul opens and surrenders to God through Our Lady. The Gospel tells us at Jesus’ baptism at the River Jordan from the heavens thundered the voice of our Heavenly Father: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mark 1, 11). These words apply to Jesus. But through Jesus and in Jesus, also to you and me. Everyone of us are in Jesus and through Jesus the beloved son of the Father, beloved daughter of the Father, the chosen one, favourite of Our Father’s Heart. In Jesus and through Jesus we are also Our Lady’s beloved children.

Throughout our lives we have been told many times that it is important to love God. However it is far more important that God loves us. Our love towards God is of secondary importance. God’s love for us has precedence: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4, 10) – tells us the apostle John in his gospel. And still adds: “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. (1 John 4, 16).

Let the Virgin Mary, full of grace and Immaculate lead us and introduce us to the secrets of Our Father’s heart and love which he has for us.

Fra Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje 26.7.2007

Reflection on the Message of August 25, 2007

MAY YOUR LIFE BE A REFLECTION OF GOD’S GOODNESS

“Dear children! Also today I call you to conversion. May your life, little children, be a reflection of God’s goodness and not of hatred and unfaithfulness. Pray, little children, that prayer may become life for you. In this way, in your life you will discover the peace and joy which God gives to those who have an open heart to His love. And you who are far from God’s mercy, convert so that God may not become deaf to your prayers and that it may not be too late for you. Therefore, in this time of grace, convert and put God in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of August 25, 2007

The motherly words of Our Lady are words from the Gospel said with simple, motherly words. In this message we also hear a reflection of Jesus’ words from the beginning of the Gospel: “Convert and believe the Gospel.” Conversion is a continuing process. It is everyday walking with Jesus, everyday following His word which is demanding and at the same time embraces the very life of God, of Jesus. The Virgin Mary has emptied herself, subdued her will to God’s will. Our Lady did not expect a message from God. It was she who renounced her will and therefore was able to understand so clearly that God called her to be the mother of His son Jesus. Her life became God’s life. She is full of God and all turned towards God. She is persistent with us because she knows that there is no other, easier or faster way that will lead us to God and to His gifts of joy and peace He wishes to bestow upon us. Her messages reveal Her determination and motherly love that wishes us wellbeing, the salvation of our souls and eternal life in God. Mary has remained a reflection of God. That is why she calls us and wants our lives to be a reflection of God’s goodness, not of hatred and unfaithfulness.

“Pray, little children, that prayer may become life for you.” Some say that they do not like to pray as they cannot bear to dive into their own souls. Prayer is not looking at oneself. It is looking at God. To pray is to direct a spotlight towards Christ. What I need to do reveals to me gradually. It happens inside of me. By getting to know Christ I get to know myself. The mystery of man reveals itself only in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus we are unknown to ourselves. Who knew Jesus better but the very Virgin Mary who carried him under her heart, who raised him and believed in him until the end of his life, all the way to the foot of the cross at Calvary . Even today she is still the One who leads us to Jesus through Calvary towards resurrection.

The Gospel is not the past. God did not love us only once. He loves us every day, every moment throughout our life. This very moment is also filled with God’s love and presence. This is why mother Mary and the Queen of Peace is coming to encourage us, to wake us up, to open the eyes of our souls in order for us to open our hearts and meet the source of life, of peace and joy – God. God brings us to truth with love, and if it must be so – with suffering, too. He does everything to save our souls. He cannot remain still and indifferent to us – people – who are the crown of His creation.

The time when the Virgin Mary comes to us and appears before us is a time of grace, time bestowed upon us as a gift. This is why she says to us: “In this time of grace, convert so that it may not be too late for you.” We are free to think that besides this time of grace, there is also a time when God denies His grace and pulls back His held out hand. Let us listen to the voice and words of our heavenly Mother Mary which save our souls and make us feel the joy of life, so that we are not too late to enter the feast of life.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje 26/8/2007

Reflection on the Message of September 25, 2007

PRAYER – PATH TOWARDS PERFECT LOVE

“Dear children! Also today I call all of you for your hearts to blaze with more ardent love for the Crucified, and do not forget that, out of love for you, He gave His life so that you may be saved. Little children, meditate and pray that your heart may be open to God’s love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of September 25, 2007

In her latest message, Our Lady encourages us with her motherly words to feel an ever greater love for the Crucified. This love must flow from our hearts as the heart is the centre of human being. We may very well say that man is his heart. So many times has Our Lady called us to wake up, to begin to feel love because only love is fruitful. Only deeds done out of love and only prayer said out of love reach directly God’s heart.

God has done everything for us. He has given about his Son so that every man who lives his testimony has eternal life (cf. 1 John 5,11-13). There is nothing God desires more than the salvation of man. If God desires it so ardently, what are we then waiting for, why are we defying him, why do not we open ourselves to Him fully?

In the second part of her message, Our Lady calls us to meditate about God’s words so that the word of God may enter the depths of our soul and blaze with more ardent love for God. The more we enter the spirit of God’s word, the more ardent our devotion becomes. Our Lady is aware of that as she too has cherished God’s words in her heart, meditated about them and lived by them (cf. Luke 2, 19.51).

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a role model of the Church for she is also the Praying Virgin (Virgo orans). By being a role model she is the one that encourages us to adopt a correct attitude towards prayer and towards God. She often calls us to prayer because we are weak and unable to pray in the correct manner. Some pray only during hardship or when they carry their cross or when burdened with pain and suffering. It is not only then that one should pray. We are also called to prayer when life is good to us, when we feel fine. It is then when we should say a prayer of gratitude so that God may give us more blessing and multiply the gifts that he has given to us. Prayer is not of secondary importance. Prayer is a matter of life and death. Just as a man drowning needs air, so do all the faithful need prayer because it is through prayer that we receive grace and turn our hearts towards God. While we think of Mary, the Mother who is the embodiment of the Word and the Teacher of spiritual life, we thank her for being our teacher and instilling in us love.

Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26/09/2007

Reflection on the Message of October 25, 2007

BE THE LOVE AND THE LIGHT

“Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation. Many of you opened your hearts and accepted my messages, but many have become lost on this way and have never come to know the God of love with the fullness of heart. Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin. I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of October 25, 2007

At the beginning of her message, our Lady repeats the main goal of her mission – our salvation. Not once did she place herself in the first place. The words she uttered two thousand years ago at the wedding feast in Canaan in Galilee : Do whathever my son Jesus tells you (comp. John 2:5), are still relevant for us. To do whatever Jesus want, that is, to do God’s will – there lies the salvation.

As a true mother, our Lady wants for all her children to be saved. Therefore she constantly calls us, but she also warns us, like she did in the message of November 25th 1998, when she said: My children, I invite you all to the road of salvation and I want to show you the way to the heaven. There is only one way which leads to the eternal life, which leads to paradise, and that is Jesus Christ. He said of himself: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6).

Our Lady says that many people have opened their hearts. To open our heart means to give our whole being to the God who is love, but also to the messages which invite us to such giving. The heart is the most precious, most beautiful possession of a human being. The heart is a symbol of life and love, of all good things which humans have. Our Lady has already asked of us to dedicate ourselves again to her heart and the heart of her Son Jesus. In her message of October 25th 2003 she said: Do not hesitate, my children, but say with all your heart: I want to help Jesus and Mary to introduce more brothers and sisters to the way of holiness. She reminds us that there are those who became lost on this road of dedication, because they never did give their hearts to the God. In the Gospel, Jesus often reminded his listeners that they have closed hearts, hearts of stone. And the people who have such hearts have inverted systems of value, in which the first place does not belong to the God, but to some person, wealth, honor, human considerations or something else. To have pure heart, heart of flesh, religious heart, means to turn completely to the God, who awaits us in secrecy and in silence.

Our Lady encourages us to be the love and the light. To be love means to be a witness of the pure Christ’s love which was given for us. This love is unconditional; it does not ask for anything, it just gives. It always thinks of others before it thinks of self. We learn such love from Jesus if we give ourselves to Him with our whole hearts, because he invites us to love not just our friends, but also our enemies. People were always ready to love their neighbors and hate their enemies (Mt 5:43) because it was easier. Jesus has gone beyond that. His disciple, believer, Christian, cannot be fastidious with his/her love. He/she has to love all people, including the enemies, in the spirit of the Lord. That means to be the love. What does it mean to be the light? To be the light means to shine for the others, so they do not stumble and wander in the dark. We should be the light which Christ has ignited, so people can see the truth and the face of His heavenly Father, instead of wandering and stumbling in misconceptions. In this light, people can recognize all men as their own brothers and sisters. As a true mother, our Lady follows us and blesses us on this road.

Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26.10.2007

Reflection on the Message of November 25, 2007

JESUS – THE KING OF OUR LIVES

“Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you. Little children, give time to God that He may transform you and fill you with His grace, so that you may be a grace for others. For you, little children, I am a gift of grace and love, which comes from God for this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of November 25, 2007

In her last message, Our Lady invites us to decide in favour of Christ the King of all creation so that he can become the king in our lives. Christ is not a king like other kings who dressed in crimson and robes, wore crowns and wanted to rule over other people. Christ the King with his life is completely different to worldly kings. He surpasses and exceeds them by far by establishing a kingdom of peace, love and forgiveness. It is constantly expanding, it is a reality, but also at the same time an ideal to which we aspire. Jesus is the real and true kind who came to the world to serve in his humility. Only he who serves other may truly be king, following the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. True humility consists of seeing ourselves as we truly are: to recognise our gifts and thank the God for these, but also to recognise our weaknesses and accept ourselves, knowing that in spite of everything God loves us. This knowledge gives us great joy but at the same time calls us to accept great responsibility in servitude and humility.

Our Lady further teaches us, but at the same time also calls us to receive gifts as only in this way can be understand the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross which we can rightly call a victory of love. He, who taught men to love each other, and what’s more even their enemies, remained true to his words to the end: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15, 13). It is because of this the Jesus even suffered his traitor in his midst and did not reveal him, he did not allow Peter defend him with his sword, and graciously forgave him even when he denied him. Those who in Jesus’ name were led by love in their own life most contributed to the achievement of God’s kingdom on earth.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (John 3, 16). Our Lady calls us to understand the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross which is the greatest gift among all gifts. In Jesus, God gave us his heart, all the depth of his love. It is the most beautiful and greatest gift. Jesus loved us until the end giving us all of himself completely. Coming into this world he became an unceasing gift to us all. He came to bless us with his love. We can accept this gift properly if we surrender ourselves to him completely so that he may transform us with his grace. So transformed, we can openly say converted, we too can then we can be a grace for others. We can be eyes for the blind, ears for the deaf, tongues for the mute, and hands and legs for those in need.

Jesus is the King of the world and the greatest gift. He sent his and our Mother here to us in Medugorje, Our Lady who is a merciful gift of love for all of us. The voice of Our Lady the Queen of Peace throughout all these 26 years is a call for peace in men’s hearts, a call to peace in the world. Let the one, whom God has chooses in a special way and joined the Kingdom of his Son, help us to accept Jesus as the Ruler of our lives, so that we may faithfully cooperate in the spreading of his Kingdom of love, justice and peace.

Fr. Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26.11.2007

Reflection on the Message of December 25, 2007

JESUS CHRIST IS THE KING OF OUR HEARTS

“Dear children! With great joy I bring you the King of Peace for Him to bless you with His blessing. Adore Him and give time to the Creator for whom your heart yearns. Do not forget that you are passers-by on this earth and that things can give you small joys, while through my Son, eternal life is given to you. That is why I am with you, to lead you towards what your heart yearns for. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of December 25, 2007

On this day, on Christmas, Our Lady tells us in her message how joyfully she brings us the King of Peace, who will give us his blessing. Christmas is surely one of the most beautiful days of the year, even for the people who perceive it in their own, different way. It is the most beautiful day in the history of mankind, because the King of Peace was born.

The life agenda of Jesus, and our life agenda, is summarized in the angel song which was sung at His birth: “Glory be to God in the highest Heavens, And on earth peace among men who please Him!” (Lk 2, 14). Every time we speak to God in our prayers, God comes to us and fills our heart with peace. We can spread peace around us only if we are filled with the God’s peace. Human heart becomes reckless if it is infested with the sin, or if it turns away from God. The sin corrupts the man, who is made on God’s image, and he/she spreads dissatisfaction. For the man, the only way to convert, change and return to the original state of the son is the sacrament of confession, which many took these days, making their peace with God. Every time when Jesus comes to us, into our heart, He makes it beautiful, because this is why He came to earth.

Our Lady invites us to give more time to the Creator for whom our hearts yearn. To give more time to the Creator means to pray more. If we expand our daily prayers only a little bit, our friendship with Jesus grows, He enters our life, blesses our day and everything we do, enlightens our mind and warms our heart.

On this earth, we are only passing by, we are only pilgrims. They who came before will leave earlier. Small things of this world can sometimes prevent us from reaching greater good. In Jesus, the doors of eternal life are opened for us. Through all these years of appearances, Our Lady teaches us in her school of love how to reach the eternal life and how to pray.

Our Lady also reveals us the true meaning of Christmas We can understand it better by watching Her, who was from the beginning present in the mystery of Christ’s salvation, full of virtues like faith, hope, love, humility, silence and joy. Humility is the key which helps us to open our hearts to God, so He can enter and transform it. Only by complete dedication to God can we find a way from the heart filled with the false pride or vanity to the heart filled with true humility and love.

Fra Danko Perutina
Medugorje 26.12.2007

Reflection on the Message of December 25, 2006

JESUS IS YOUR PEACE

“Dear children! Also today I bring you the newborn Jesus in my arms. He who is the King of Heaven and earth, He is your peace. Little children, no one can give you peace as He who is the King of Peace. Therefore, adore Him in your hearts, choose Him and you will have joy in Him. He will bless you with His blessing of peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of December 25, 2006

In the Christmas messages that the Virgin Mary has been giving us, she has spoken about peace and called us to it: “Dear children! Also today I bring you little Jesus, who is the King of Peace, in my arms to bless you with His peace. I call you to be my carriers of peace in this peaceless world. I am bringing Jesus, the King of Peace, to grant you His peace. Put the little Newborn Jesus in the first place in your life. In a special way I bless you, little children, with a blessing of little Jesus. Let Him fill you with His peace. ”

Christmas is the utmost manifestation of the love of God. “But when the goodness of God our Saviour and His love to man appeared” (Tit 3, 4). It is dew fallen from the sky at Christmas, tenderness raining from above.

Evangelist Luke describes that a great heavenly army joined the angel and praised God: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests” (Lk 2, 14). With their song the angels express the meaning of what happened, saying that the glory of God is materialized through the birth of the Child bringing peace to people. In the biblical sense peace refers to a whole of all things, particularly to forgiveness of sins and the gift of God’s Spirit. The biblical expression for peace is close to the expression “grace”. The peace granted by God stands for much more than a mere absence or elimination of wars and conflicts among men. It stands for a re-established, peaceful relationship of a son towards God, that is, in one word, salvation. Justified by faith – an Apostle says – we are in peace with God. In this sense, peace is identified with the very person of Christ. “For He Himself is our only peace” (Eph 2, 14).

The Virgin Mary continues coming and bringing us Jesus just as she did when she came and appeared on Apparition Hill for the first time, with the Baby Jesus in her arms. Our Lady’s words and presence are neither loud nor unusual or noneveryday. Her presence with us here and among us is hidden in the commonness of the human word and simplicity. God is revealing Himself in the commonness and simplicity of a child. Jesus remains with us dressed and hidden in the simplicity of the Eucharist bread. And it is precisely this simplicity where the omnipotence of God’s love and closeness resides. This greatness and omnipotence is capable of creating new life and transforming the hearts of men. The words of Our Lady are nothing new or unfamiliar. They are a reminder of the wisdom and truth of God’s word.

The Virgin Mary is full of grace and full of God. She has emptied herself completely in order for God to reside in her fully. She is all turned to God. Therefore, she speaks to us: “Adore Him in your hearts, choose Him, no on can grant you peace as He can, and you will have joy in Him.” Let this happen in our lives every day, not only at this Christmas.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medugorje, 26/12/2006

Reflection on the Message of December 25, 2004

I CARRY MY SON JESUS IN MY ARMS TO YOU

“Dear children! With great joy, also today I carry my Son Jesus in my arms to you; He blesses you and calls you to peace. Pray, little children, and be courageous witnesses of Good News in every situation. Only in this way will God bless you and give you everything you ask of Him in faith. I am with you as long as the Almighty permits me. I intercede for each of you with great love. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of December 25, 2004

Mary is joyful because she is coming from the joy, the glory, from the celestial fatherland, which we must still join. She appears because she wants that we also arrive and be where she is. Her maternal desire to see us where she is, is as great as the joy that she is carrying in her heart. As on the first day of the apparitions, today also, she is carrying in her arms Jesus, her Son and our Saviour. In her arms and in her heart, she is carrying God, she is giving him to us and she is leading us towards him. Mary, our Mother, desires that we also can hear and listen to the words of the angel, like the shepherds: “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Lk 2,10-11) The Saviour of the world is born for you and for me, for each person.

God is born, “and to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” (Jn 1,12)

Jesus is unique in all the history of humanity. Because he lived, because he existed, we do not have the right to despair, whatever our cross, our illnes and our suffering may be.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3,16) God gave his Son Jesus to save you, to save me. God so much loved the world that he desired to become man and to take upon oneself human life, human sufferings, even death, to destroy it.

We celebrate Christmas, the birthday of Jesus. It is a day of joy and of blessing for the earth, for all humanity. Since his coming, nothing is the same any more in the history of humanity.

“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” (Is 9,1) We also, we can leave our darkness, our illnesses and our fears, because God came in our darkness, in our sins and in our illnesses to destroy them.

The birth of Jesus was neither pleasant, nor idyllic. He was born in a manger, among the animals, “because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Lc 2,7) The manger inside of us, it is the space in which live the animals. It is the space which we would like to hide of ourselves and of others. We are ashamed of it, because it is not clean and it does not smell good. But he wants to be been born today in the manger of our heart, where all is not perfumed or pleasant. But Jesus wants to come in our hearts, to illuminate everything by his blessing, by himself.

It is such a God that Mary, our Mother, brings to us and offers to us today. We can be united with Jesus, because he is within us. We have the possibility of becoming almighty by the faith in him, because he is the Almighty and the Highest. Then, we can become courageous witnesses of the presence of God, and his Almightiness on this earth, in our situations and in the circumstances in which we live.

The Mother is with us, and with her, we are in safety. We are under her protection and her intercession. Let us do all that we can to be day after day closer to the heart of Jesus and of Mary. Let us allow her to take us by the hand and lead us to peace that God gives us.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medjugorje, December 26, 2004

Reflection on the Message of May 25, 2003

PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

“Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. Renew your personal prayer, and in a special way pray to the Holy Spirit to help you pray with the heart. I intercede for all of you, little children, and call all of you to conversion. If you convert, all those around you will also be renewed and prayer will be a joy for them. Thank you for having responded to my call.” Message of May 25, 2003

All along these years of apparitions, the Blessed Virgin Mary tells us with the same love and with the same exigency (or better insistence?): “Today I call you to prayer.” Into these few words, she has put her heart and all her love for us, her children. She aspires after our conversion; she desires it, so that we may be happy. She is neither predicting the future nor satisfying our human curiosity; she distinctly tells us what God wants of us today. Through her, God tells us what is most important – he tells us everything – because she gave birth to Christ, the Word of God.

“Renew your personal prayer.” Mary speaks to each heart individually. She does not address herself to the crowds, but to the individual, to the person, by name and first name. To you and to me. She knows well that the world can be changed only while beginning with the individual. Nothing will happen if we wait until the others change, until they become better, until they start to pray, to forgive, and to live their life and their faith more consciously and with more responsibility. It is much easier to change and to overcome others then oneself.

Prayer is a means that helps us to change ourselves. If our prayer does not change us, we should change our prayer and our manner to pray. The prayer has no meaning in itself if it does not transform us, if – through prayer – our heart is not growing, is not coming closer to God. This is why Our Lady tells us: “Pray to the Holy Spirit.” In the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul tells us: “Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rm 8,26)

A prayer says: “Come, Holy Spirit, come in our cities, in our homes, in our families, in our glances, in our hearts. Without you, we read books and do not become wise. Without you, we dialogue much and do not come closer to one another. Without you, reality consists in dry events, facts and numbers. Without you, our life falls apart into a succession of meaningless days. Without you, there is no fidelity. Without you, our thoughts become delirious. Without you, technology destroys us. Without you, churches become museums. Without you, prayer is just babbling. Without you, our smile becomes petrified. Without you, our environment becomes a desert. Come, Holy Spirit, our emptiness cries after your fullness! Come, Spirit Creator, make your dwelling in our world!”

We could and should continue to pray and to invoke the Holy Spirit to come, to descend on all the spaces of our life where He has not come yet. We need Him to come down and enter into our families, where there is incomprehension, ill treatment, exploitation and accusation. We need Him to come where there is hatred, blasphemy, drunkenness and immorality, where people are captive, bound by sin and despaired.

“If you convert, all those around you will also be renewed.” It is impossible that those around us remain unchanged, if we are on the way of conversion. This is why Gospa told us in the message of the last month: “Decide for God, that in you and through you He may change the hearts of people.”

For all these reasons, God sends us Mary, our Mother. Wherever she appears, the presence of the Holy Spirit ignites and flowers. Many people made this experience in Medjugorje, coming on pilgrimage with an open and contrite heart, with the desire to come closer to Jesus through Mary. Where there is Mary, there also is the Holy Spirit. She is the spouse of the Holy Spirit. We know it with certainty through the word of the angel Gabriel: “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Almighty will overshadow you.” (Lk 1,35) We also know it through the word of Jesus to the apostles, namely to remain in town waiting for the descent of the Spirit that was promised. Indeed, they received the Spirit, in the Last Supper room, united in prayer with Mary.

May the Pentecost that is approaching be not spiritless – without the Spirit of God whom God wants to give us through Mary.

Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic
Medjugorje May 26, 2003