[leo daly]

Interesting

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02 ... je/1291940

[maryannlucy]

http://aleteia.org/2017/03/15/archbisho ... edjugorje/

[bluecross]

For anyone who doesn’t already know, the Pope’s special envoy travelled to Sarejvo on Monday.

According to local press reports he will have meetings with Cardinal Vinko Puljic, bishop Ratko Peric and the Franciscan Provincial Fr Miljenko Seko.

The Warsaw archbishop is then expected to arrive in Medjugorje on Wednesday (tomorrow).

It is anticipated he will be housed with the Franciscans during his stay at Medjugorje.

Missioned by Pope Francis to report on the pastoral needs at Medjugorje, the Polish prelate will give a written report personally to the pontiff when he completes his stay at Medjugorje which is expected to last through the summer.

Archbishop Hoser is noted for his defence and promotion of family values and confirmed the Virgin’s role in this. “It’s true. It’s very important to invoke Mary for the protection of the family, formed by a man and a woman united by the sacrament of marriage. At Medjugorje we find the Rosary, Eucharistic adoration, fasting and penance are present, and these encourage the development of faith”

[bluecross]

Here’s the transcript of Henryk Hoser’s address to pilgrims and parishioners in St James church when he arrived in Medjugorje yesterday.

No mention of messages, secrets or visionaries and, more significantly, no mention of “Queen of Peace”, but a positive mention that the Pope is very interested in the development of Medjugorje as a place of prayer and pilgrimage for the faithful.

“We are in the place that gathers many pilgrims. Let us all together pray for the intercession of Mother of God, so she would open our hearts to the grace of God, so she would open our minds to the grace of God, to the teaching of the Church and to the Word of God. Our life is the Holy Spirit; Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. We seek for God’s truth, God’s truth about ourselves, but we also seek for the truth about man. This place of prayer is now famous in the whole world, and Holy Father is very interested in the development of devotion of faithful that takes place here. This is also part of my mission – to evaluate the pastoral activity that takes place here and to suggest some guidelines that should accomplish in the future. I come from the country that has special devotion towards the Mother of God. Mary is the queen of Poland. My wish to all of you is to make Mary the Queen of your lives. For the time being, this is just what I shall say.”

[maryannlucy]

The office of Apostolic Nuncio for Bosnia and Herzegovina released information on March 31, 2017 that the Special Envoy of the Holy See for the parish of Medjugorje “shall have press meeting on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at 4 pm, with the respected representatives of the press, in the Hall of St. John Paul II, in the vicinity of the parish church in Medjugorje.”

[bluecross]

As the Pope’s personal envoy to Medjugorje, it’s the next best thing to having the Pope actually present in Medjugorje himself!

So his words from the press conference will be carefully heeded around the world and, of course, he will be speaking from the St JPII hall.

As a Polish prelate he will certainly know about the Saint’s positive views on Medjugorje!

I understand he met three of the visionaries when he arrived in Medjugorje on Friday.

I’m guessing it was Marija, Mirjana and Jakov.

[bluecross]

Today’s press conference was remarkable (and I’ve been to many – even one given by Rod Stewart way back!).

One journalist mentioned how many of his colleague had been brought to tears after listening to Archbishop Hoser speak. All the journos were so polite gracious and grateful for the Archbishop giving his time to them in this way.

And some of the questions were very direct and probing but the Pope’s envoy handled them in the most diplomatic and courteous way. It could have gone on longer except that Fr Marinko reminded everyone that Mass was at 5:00pm. He added that there would be other oportunties for the media to continue their conversation with Archbishop Hoser.

He was VERY positive and encouraging about Medjugorje and there is absolutely no doubt that the Vatican will continue to accompany the phenomenon pastorally and improve things on the ground for parishioners and pilgrims. He recognised that the needs of Medjugorje were growing all the time, admitted he had met with some of the visionaries since his arrival last Friday. Also said that the apparitions, because they are not simply confined to Medjugorje, that they “follow the person”, can only be fully understood by the Church in the fullness of time.

There is no doubt that the Church recognises the fruits of Medjugorje, that it is sacramental and produces an outstanding number of vocations.

He mentioned that the fruits pointed to the phenomenon as “Christocentric” and I loved the way that he referred to the Stations on Krizevac as representing Medjugorje’s Way of the Cross over these past 36 years.

He had no problem addressing Our Lady as the Queen of Peace, a title the Church used, saying how much peace was need in the world and that Medjugorje was a light to bring peace to the darkness in the world.

Good summary of the press conference at this link: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ ... rje-96900/

[maryannlucy]

Marytv.tv has a video of the April 5th press conference on their website.

During the first thirty minutes, the Archbishop gave an overview of the fruits of Medjugorje, followed by 30 min of questions and answers,.
He said that the Medjugorje phenomenon has contributed to 610 priestly vocations, the greatest number of vocations going to Italy, the United States and Germany.
He stated that between 1986 to present, 37 million Holy Communions have been distributed.
The parish of Medjugorje has hosted seminars for the past 23 years. For the last 21 years, there has been an annual seminar for priests; the past 17 years, there has been an annual seminar for married couples; the past 4 years for doctors and people in the medical profession; and for the past year, a seminar for people who work for the protection of human life and a seminar for people with disabilities. The Archbishop encouraged people to sign up for a seminar to discover something about themselves that they would never have dreamt about.
The Mother's Village is a work of love that aids orphans, people who suffer from addiction and the disabled.
The House of Spiritual Exercises has hosted 1,200 groups representing 42,000 participants over the years.
He said the Shrine provides individual confessions, Eucharistic Adoration, the prayer of the Way of the Cross, and the Rosary. He stated that all those are available at Medjugorje at a time when many places do not offer individual confessions, Eucharistic adoration, the Way of the Cross and prayer of the Rosary.
The questions started about half way through the press conference. One questioner asked him his opinion about Medjugorje apparitions compared to other Marian apparitions. He pointed out one difference is the duration of the apparitions (nearly 36 years). Some have counted 47,000 individual apparitions to date to the 6 visionaries. The apparitions do not seem to be connected to the place as was in the past for Lourdes (the grotto), and Fatima (above a tree).

[Medjugorjeprayers]

Exciting news BC and Maryannlucy!

Still, I'm looking forward the most to hear about his time in Medjugorje and how it has changed his personal life. This is the real Medjugorje experience...

As I stated before, He'll never be the same.

[ministryvalues]

Blue Host .. You need to have your webmaster source your content on http://www.themedjugorjewitness.org/

There are a lot of people who work really hard to get original material out to people. They should be recognized.

[bluecross]

I attended a penitential service on Wednesday evening.

The Gospel reading and homily (John 8 : 1-12) was about the kind of people who are quick to pick up stones and condemn others. I recognised myself in this and confessed my sin. The priest responded with these words: “We don’t make it easy for ourselves.”

Sometimes it can be hard to RECOGNISE oneself in the process of condemning those we perceive as sinners, but others do RECOGNISE the hypocrisy. Jesus did on this occasion, but didn’t condemn the stone throwers or the woman.

[ActionReq]

You may condemn others.
No problem.
But do not open your mouth.

Instead try to remember
when you did a similar thing
to a neighbour.

And then condemn yourself.

The only thing after that,
that can come out of your
mouth is:

Leave your sin.

Half talking to yourself,
half to that neighbour.

[Maryh]

Are these statements not to condemn others applicable all across the board?
We are to excuse all behaviour of others and never hold anyone accountable for their behaviours if
pointing out such behaviours seems akin to 'condemnation'.

Isn't it important sometimes to hold others to account, especially if they're guilty of a crime.
(This isn't directed at anyone in particular on here!- I'm just speaking in general)
I think sometimes there is a temptation to perhaps over-spiritualize things and bad people literally get away with
bad behaviour because they can turn around and say 'Forgive and forget' like a good christian.
Next you could be part of a cover up.

I was thinking of Our Lady's latest message, 2nd April,
These words in particular:

Therefore, my children, do not be afraid to speak the truth.


If i told the truth 100% of what i experienced at the hands of others; well i could get them arrested actually.
Wouldn't that also mean i was condemning them on some level? If people knew the truth of their behaviours their whole life
could even be destroyed!
I would be destroying their reputation and their character.
BUT by not speaking the truth, it could be seen as an omission and therefore a lie!
And by default i would be colluding with them and part of their cover up. Others may suffer in the same way at their hands.
Do i just let this happen and hand it over to God?

These messages seem so easy to say; & i try hard to listen, but understanding is a different matter altogether &
putting them into practice.
Its not easy at all!

[bluecross]

Its not easy at all!

So true.

But the reality of picking up stones to condemn someone is that by doing so we judge ourselves in the eyes of God. Jesus condemned hypocrisy but not the sinner. Unfortunately, we can make the mistake of condemning the sinner with the sin.

And then we are also tempted to presume that we possess the truth and knowledge in every situation when usually we only know half the story. Jesus reads the hearts of everyone, sometimes better than we know our own heart because of our blindness.

I was at a funeral today, someone who had travelled with me to Medjugorje a couple of times.

Here’s the hymn she chose to be sung during Communion.

Refrain:

Healer of our every ill,
light of each tomorrow,
give us peace beyond our fear,
and hope beyond our sorrow.

Give us strength to love each other,
every sister, every brother,
Spirit of all kindness, be our guide.

Refrain

You who know each thought and feeling,
teach us all your way of healing,
Spirit of compassion: fill each heart.

Refrain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdPQUxNjeR8

[Maryh]

Thanks for your further explanation Bluecross!
I suppose I'm trying to apply it in my own situation & I'm not coming to any understanding.

If somebody threw the stone at you; & it crushed you (your truth-you had crush injuries and a few broken bones) could you then it turn speak up against the action of the 'stone-thrower'
without in turn condemning him? & you feel you must speak up somehow encase he took a boulder to somebody else's head?
Do you see where I'm coming from?

[bluecross]

Sure, I see where you are coming from.

But peace can only come through forgiveness, not from picking up stones.

That’s the truth Mary desires the world to know and accept.

[Maryh]

Well, I have most definitely worked on the forgiveness aspect for years, (I was all open arms) but
it still keeps me awake at night to think the person is getting away with it and could be doing it to others.
No peace here! I forgave but I still have zero peace. Why? Because there is injustice!

What does our Lady mean then when she says not to be afraid to speak the truth?

'What is truth?' It can certainly be hard to face and very ugly too.

In my country there were many dire situations that were glossed over in the name of Christianity & forgiving the sinner!
I always give people the benefit of the doubt but there can come a time when it's totally naïve to do this.

I genuinely feel like I can't do Christianity at times-
Its not simple at all.

[bluecross]

Yes, life on earth can be unjust, but life is also a wonderful gift that offers eternal happiness. But while we are here there is a cross to carry, either our own or someone else’s, maybe even both. That applies to everyone, not just Christians. Not wanting to do Christianity doesn’t remove the cross.

[maryannlucy]

Mary h, I struggle with judging and sometimes this topic comes up with my confessor. He told me that one has to make judgements all day long to be able to know how to act ... right from wrong. There is nothing wrong with that. We also have to use the graces God gives us to be able to know when to speak up against an injustice or to be quiet. I think the virtue attached with the ability to do this is called prudence. Numerous clergy I have heard say that God does not expect any of us to be door mats. We have to use prudence to speak clearly and act decisively when something is done that is wrong and may hurt others.

[Maryh]

Thanks so much MaryAnnLucy for your input.
So helpful.

I will pray more for the gift of prudence. I do believe that protecting people from harm
is a huge part of what it means to 'love'.

I do believe it would involve an awful cross for some people to face up to the truth
of the consequences of their actions. -Millstones around their necks even.
God have mercy on them.

We're all so different and have different personalities & understanding of things but i especially can never be resigned
to injustice. I feel it is negligent not to act in some situations & the omissions of truth the same as a lie and a false witness.

[irish m]

just back from Medjugorje looking good from what I heard there for the week envoy said mass on Saturday night got photos and got one took with Mirjana had a brilliant week will try to put some photos up if I can or have to get some of the kids to do it
God Bless irish M