OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF AUGUST 25, 2010

“Dear children! With great joy, also today, I desire to call you anew: pray, pray, pray. May this time be a time of personal prayer for you. During the day, find a place where you will pray joyfully in a recollected way. I love you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Message to Mirjana August 2, 2010

“Dear children! Today I call you, together with me, to begin to build the Kingdom of Heaven in your hearts; that you may forget that what is personal and – led by the example of my Son – think of what is of God. What does He desire of you? Do not permit Satan to open the paths of earthly happiness, the paths without my Son. My children, they are false and last a short while. My Son exists. I offer you eternal happiness and peace and unity with my Son, with God; I offer you the Kingdom of God. Thank you.”

Preparing to Meet the Lord

A. Pray, Pray, Pray.

“Stay awake! For you do not know on which day the Lord will come.” (Mt 24:42) Such is the Gospel warning of August 26. On August 27 we have: “Lord, Lord open the door for us. Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.” (Mt 25:1f) Our Lady seems to be giving a commentary on these two Gospels.

1. Who is calling? Certainly Our Lady, who seems to be the special ambassador of God in our age. Ivan said once that in the first eight years of her apparitions most of the Messages came from Jesus. Heaven is calling us.

2. For Whom? Obviously each one of us, but everyone on earth. The theme of Ivan’s talk in Kurtland, Ohio on May 5, 2010 was that we are living in the darkest hour of the whole history of mankind.

3. Why? Our Lady has said that the world has drifted away from God into a practical atheism in which they think they can get along without God. As a result, she says, the world is heading for its own destruction. She wants to save the world and put it back on track through prayer.

B. Personal Prayer.

1. What is Prayer? Let us turn to the master of prayer, St. Teresa of Avila. “In my opinion, prayer is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends and taking time frequently to be alone with the One we know loves us so much.” She goes on to say that Christians pray differently than other people for two reasons: 1) they know that Jesus is always present no matter what and He is always watching us closely, especially the movements of our heart; and 2) that Jesus always loves us unconditionally wherever we are.

2. What is Personal Prayer? Personal prayer is an intimate conversation between two people who enjoy each other’s company. Each one shares spontaneously what is in his/her heart, so that for each there is a time for speaking and a time for listening to the other.

3. Why? When we pray in a group, we can let the group carry us and not put our heart into what we are praying or there is the temptation to let our mind wander all over the place. In personal prayer I am in front of another person who is watching me closely. I am more apt to speak very sincerely and say what is exactly in my heart.

C. Putting the Message into Practice.

1. Find a Time and Place. Our Lady calls us to decide on specifics. We have to go through our schedule and choose. If we are threatened by the request, we can start with a 1-minute meeting. After a few days that will give us the strength for a 2-minute meeting, and so we can build up to 15 minutes.

2. What to Say? In Mirjana’s Message of August 2 above, Our Lady indicates that the very best question is: “What do you want of me? How can I please you?” God’s Will is that we fulfill our mission in life and Our Lady reminds us that we have a mission so great that we cannot comprehend it!

3. General Purpose. The experience of personal prayer leads us to live in the presence of Jesus and Mary always so that we will then Pray, Pray, Pray!

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF MAY 25, 2010

“Dear children! God gave you the grace to live and to defend all the good that is in you and around you, and to inspire others to be better and holier; but Satan, too, does not sleep and through modernism diverts you and leads you to his way. Therefore, little children, in the love for my Immaculate Heart, love God above everything and live His commandments. In this way, your life will have meaning and peace will rule on earth. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

June 2, 2010 – Our Lady’s Apparition to Mirjana

“Dear children, today I call you, with fasting and prayer, to clear the way by which my Son will enter into your hearts. Accept me as a mother and a messenger of God’s love and of His desire for your salvation. Free yourself of everything from the past which burdens you and gives you a sense of guilt; of everything that brought you to error – darkness. Accept the light. Be born anew in the justice of my Son. Thank you.”

Love God Above Everything

A. God Gave You the Grace to Live and Defend the Good.

1. At Creation. When God created us, He instilled in our soul several natural gifts. One of these is the gift of habitual knowledge of the first general principles of moral action, e.g. “do good” and “avoid evil.” Through our use of practical judgment our conscience applies these principles to particular cases.

2. At Baptism. In this Sacrament we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, third     Person of the Blessed Trinity, Whose presence fills us with a divine instinct for God and the accomplishment of His Will. The Holy Spirit brings also a great number of supernatural virtues, gifts and fruits to help us to face the many challenges of life in our efforts to make the right choices.

3. Actual Graces are transient helps at any given moment that God freely gives to the person of good will who seeks to do the right thing.

B. Satan Through Modernism Diverts You and Leads You to His Way.

1. Modernism is a form of subjectivism that tends to place primary emphasis on a certain interior religious feeling. This leads to all kinds of errors.

a. They assert that the Church and the Sacraments were not instituted by Christ Himself but grew out of man’s need to give sensible manifestation to his religious feeling.

b. They say that Faith is a craving for God coming from one’s interior feeling.

c. They hold that dogmas do not contain absolute truths, but are mere symbols capable of continuous change.

d. They state that in religion everything is subject to change (relativism). Pope Pius X condemned Modernism in 1907.

2. Pope John Paul II attacks Modernism in his encyclical The Splendor of Truth by underscoring the objectivity of truth. Truth is the correspondence of the mind   to reality and the book of Genesis begins with a given: God exists, etc.

a. Conscience is not the tribunal that creates the good; conscience itself must be enlightened by and formed by the light of truth. Divine law is the universal and objective norm of morality.

b. God the Father offers us not only the truth about the good – the commandment of love summed up in the Ten Commandments – but also the “new law” revealed by Christ, which is His Spirit within us – His grace enabling us to love and do good.

3. Pope Benedict XVI continues the attack against relativism in his encyclicals.

C. Love God Above everything and Live His Commandments.

1. In loving God we are saying He is number one in our life and the source of all our blessings. This is an act of humility, a confession that of ourselves, we are nothing and He is everything.

2. In obeying His Commandments we give witness to our love of Him and in   loving our neighbor we manifest signs of the same love. We also give good example which helps to create a Christian atmosphere in the public square that is becoming more and more secularistic.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF APRIL 25, 2010

“Dear children! At this time, when in a special way you are praying and seeking my intercession, I call you, little children, to pray so that through your prayers I can help you to have all the more hearts be opened to my messages. Pray for my intentions. I am with you and I intercede before my Son for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

May 2, 2010 Message

“Dear children. Today, through me, the good Father calls you to, with your soul filled with love, set out on a spiritual visitation. Dear children, be filled with grace, sincerely repent for your sins and yearn for the good. Yearn also in the name of those who have not come to know the perfection of the good. You will be more pleasing to God. Thank you.”

How to Honor Mary During the Month of May

1. Sing This Song in Your Heart.

“Bring flowers of the fairest, bring flowers of the rarest, From garden and woodland and hillside and vale. Our full hearts are swelling, our glad voices telling The praise of the loveliest Rose of the Vale.

Refrain: O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.” (repeat)

2. Pray the Rosary United with Mary.

a. First, Purify Your Heart. “Sincerely repent for your sins” through an act of contrition and go to Confession when you can. As Our Lady says: “No one can pray with a heavy heart.” Then turn over to her all your problems and concerns with full confidence that she will take care of them.

b. “Bring flowers of the fairest.” Our Lady said once that each Hail Mary was like picking a flower and offering it to her with love. So we want to offer each Hail     Mary to Our Lady as a sign of our love, which means it should come very sincerely from our heart. She has said that the only prayers that reach heaven are those that         come with love from our heart.

c. “Bring flowers of the rarest.” In God’s paradise, Mary is “the loveliest Rose of the Vale.” She is totally acceptable to God because she is without sin and she is the “privileged Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Spouse of the Holy   Spirit.” So our prayers should always be united with the prayers of Our Lady. As Pope John Paul II used to say: “Her Son would not know how to refuse any of her requests.”

3. With Mary Relive the Mystery of the Visitation. (“spiritual visitation”)

a. Reach Out to Others. “Mary went with haste into the hill country.” Mary put the good of Elizabeth before her own concerns. We should be attentive to the needs of others before our own. This is called caring and it is a sign of love. Let Our Lady guide us in this.

b. Greet Others Lovingly. “Mary greeted Elizabeth.” The usual greeting was Shalom – Peace be with you or May every good thing be your good fortune. Our Lady advised Ivanka: “Think positive thoughts, say positive things, do positive things and you will always have peace and carry peace.” Ask Our Lady to place kind and caring words on your lips for everyone.

c. Cause Hearts to Leap for Joy. Mary greeted Elizabeth and John the Baptist leaped with joy within her. The reason: Mary brought Jesus to them and Jesus unleashed a powerful grace that caused gret delight. Our words should always uplift a person’s spirit. If Mary is with us in this effort then Jesus will act.

May is the “special time” when we honor Our Lady and seek her special intercession in all our needs. But Mary asks us to pray for her intentions this month, and she guarantees that she will be with us and hearts will open.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF FEBRUARY 25, 2010

February 25, 2010 Message

“Dear children! In this time of grace, when nature also prepares to give the most beautiful colors of the year, I call you, little children, to open your hearts to God the Creator for Him to transform and mould you in His image, so that all the good which has fallen asleep in your hearts may awaken to a new life and a longing towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

March 2, 2010 Message

“Dear children. In this special time of your effort to be all the closer to my Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it, I desire to tell you that I am with you. I will help you to triumph over errors and temptations with my grace. I will teach you love, love which wipes away all sins and makes you perfect, love which gives you the peace of my Son now and forever. Peace with you and in you, because I am the Queen of Peace. Thank you.”

Lent: Transformation into Christ

A. Open Your Hearts to God the Creator.

1. Recognize Your Father. God chose us to be a special and unique image of Himself. He looked forward eagerly to the moment we would appear on this earth, and, as He said, He shed a tear of happiness when we were born. In His infinite wisdom, goodness and providence, He has carefully arranged all the circumstances of our life down to the least detail. He created us out of love, and, as a loving Father, He awaits patiently for the response of our love – that moment when we  realize how caring a Father He is, and then leap into His arms as an expression of our love and thanksgiving.

2. Give Him Your Heart in total surrender. He is the source of all our blessings and the center of our lives. As our Creator, He has to be Number One. But He has given us free will and never forces us. We have to choose Him. “I am calling you to complete surrender to God. You, dear children, are not conscious of how God loves you with such a great love. Therefore, forsake everything and give your time to God.” (3-25-88)

3. Speak with Him. “Today I call you, through prayer, to open yourselves to God as a flower opens itself to the rays of the morning sun.” (4-25-88) “Grow in love. A flower is not able to grow normally without water. So also you, dear children, are not able to grow without God’s blessing. Each day you need to seek His blessing so that you will perform all your actions in union with God.”

B. Let Him Transform and Mould You.

1. Transform. Our Lady’s messages are always commentaries on the words and events of her Son Jesus. She is obviously thinking of the Transfiguration of Our Lord on the first Sunday of Lent three days later, when Our Lord surrendered His life to the Will of the Father. Transformation implies a radical change of the heart, not a superficial change like changing our clothes or demeanor.

2. Mould. The Father wishes to transform us into little children so that we can enter His kingdom or rule and become images of His Son. Children are naturally    dependent on their parents and look to them for everything. Thus, they are   attentive to their wishes for their well-being.

3. Listen. At the Transfiguration the Father said: “This is my Beloved Son; Listen to Him.” Jesus said 75% of all our troubles come from not listening to Him. He is constantly speaking to us through His Words of Scripture and to those attentive to His whispers in prayer. Our Lady is the best example, so much so that St. Augustine called her the “mould of God.”

C. Our Lady is with Us “To Awaken to a New Life.”

1.“To Be Closer to My Son, to His suffering, but also to the love with which He bore it.” In the Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus she asks us to pray: “O Good Jesus, make us open our hearts to You at least in the moment we remember Your Passion suffered for us.”

2. “To Triumph Over Errors and Temptations with my grace.” She asks us to pray: “Protect me from all dangers, then lead me and guide me.”

3.“To Love which wipes away all sins, makes you perfect and gives you peace.” She asks us to pray: “By means of Your goodness, Your love and Your grace, save us. We desire to be yours. Give us the grace to be merciful to you. Give us the grace to love everyone as you have loved Jesus Christ.”

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF JANUARY 25, 2010

“Dear children! May this time be a time of personal prayer for you, so that the seed of faith may grow in your hearts; and may it grow into a joyful witness to others. I am with you and I desire to inspire you all: grow and rejoice in the Lord Who has created you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

How to Converse with God

A. A Time of Personal Prayer.

1.What is Prayer?

a. St. Teresa of Avila: “Prayer is a loving conversation between two friends who know they love each other very much and who especially enjoy each other’s company in their private time together.”

b. Personal prayer is conversational prayer. Conversations are spontaneous, because the sharing springs from the heart naturally. That is why it is often said that prayer cannot be taught; it must be experienced or practiced. The more we converse, the more real and spontaneous our sharing becomes.

2. How to Pray? Jesus has given some excellent pointers on this to a mystic.

a. “Come with your heart in your hand,” Jesus says. That means come with:

1) Great desire. “Desire is another name for love.” – St. Augustine

2) Joy. “Express your joy in being with Me.”

3) Delight. “Delight in this opportunity to be with Me and speak with Me.”

b. “Open your heart to Me.”

1) “Tell Me what is exactly in your heart and on your mind.”

2) “Share with Me your joys and sorrows, problems and concerns; your life.”

3) “Tell Me what is happening in your life today.”

c. “Listen to Me; give Me a chance to speak.”

1) “To make some comments on what you have said.”

2) “Let Me say what is in My Heart.”

3) “I want to tell you then what I desire of you.”

3. Become More Child-like.

a. Jesus says to take on the heart of a child; children are so open and simple, so real and spontaneous in the way they speak.

b. Jesus said that is why I told you in the Gospel: “Unless you become like      little children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

c. Jesus also said: “Little children confide spontaneously in the Lord. The child trusts in the Lord very naturally and so understands the truth, because they understand with love.”

B. So that the Seed of Faith May Grow in Your Hearts.

1.Faith is the soul of prayer, and faith is a gift. So Our Lord wants us to pray continually for this gift. Pray “Lord, increase our faith.” Faith puts us in contact with the real presence of God.

2. Love is the root and cause of faith. That is why faith pertains more to the heart than the mind. Unless our faith causes a spontaneous movement of the heart, a spark of love, there is no prayer. Our mind and heart can only raise themselves to God if God Himself draws them.

a. God raises our mind to Him by the light of faith;

b. God raises our heart by the spark, the ardor, the desire brought on by this light of knowledge touching the heart.

c. You believe that God is your Creator. That means that God loved you  from all eternity and created you that you might respond by loving Him  in return. Therefore, I thank God for this and I offer Him my love.

3. Effects.

a. You will be led to live in the presence of God more and more.

b. Continual conversation with God. Faith binds us to God in a continual communion. Our spirit merges with the Spirit of God, our hearts merge with the Sacred Heart and we share His sentiments.

c. We see things the way God sees them.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF DECEMBER 25, 2009

Latest Monthly Medjugorje Message, December 25, 2009

“Dear children! On this joyful day, I bring all of you before my Son, the King of Peace, that He may give you His peace and blessing. Little children, in love share that peace and blessing with others. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Annual Medjugorje Message, December 25, 2009 – Annual Apparition to Jakov

“Dear children! All of this time in which God in a special way permits me to be with you, I desire to lead you on the way that leads to Jesus and to your salvation. My little children, you can find salvation only in God and therefore, especially on this day of grace with little Jesus in my arms, I call you to permit Jesus to be born in your hearts. Only with Jesus in your heart can you set out on the way of salvation and eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Latest Special Medjugorje Message, January 2, 2010 – Our Lady’s Apparition to Mirjana

“Dear children! Today I am calling you to, with complete trust and love, set out with me, because I desire to acquaint you with my Son. Do not be afraid, my children, I am here with you, I am next to you. I am showing you the way to forgive yourselves, to forgive others, and, with sincere repentance of heart, to kneel before the Father. Make everything die in you that hinders you from loving and saving – that you may be with Him and in Him. Decide for a new beginning, a beginning of sincere love of God Himself. Thank you.”

Mary is the Star of the New Evangelization

-Pope John Paul II

The Graces we should ask for each day are clearly stated in these messages.

A. Total Surrender into the Care of Mary.

1. Complete trust and love of Our Blessed Mother who loves us infinitely and  is so eager to take care of all our needs if only we would place all our confidence in her goodness.

2. Renewing the Act of Entrustment to her each day that she might lead us and guide us in all our prayers and actions so that she can present us to Jesus.

3. Living in the presence of Mary who is always at our side like a good Mother waiting for us to turn to her for protection, guidance, and help in all our needs.

B. The Removal of All Hindrances to Our Union with Jesus.

1. Confidence in the infinite mercy of Jesus who is so anxious to forgive all our sins and failings.

2. Sincere repentance – forgiving ourselves for all the rosaries not prayed from the heart, our negligence in fasting and making small sacrifices, our lack of attention to His presence and His words. Forgiving others who might have wounded us or slighted us.

3. Reception of the Gift of Peace from Jesus through our acts of contrition crowned in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

C. A New Beginning in Our Relationship with Jesus and the Father.

1. Deciding that we will make every effort to draw closer to Jesus by letting Our Blessed Mother bring us into His presence in every prayer.

2. Desiring to be united with Jesus in all our actions and to dwell in Him in union of thoughts, desires, and affections.

3. Reception of the Blessing of Jesus, which is the enjoyment of His presence and the availability of His protection, help in times of need, and the graces we desire.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF NOVEMBER 25, 2009

“Dear children! In this time of grace I call you all to renew prayer in your families. Prepare yourselves with joy for the coming of Jesus. Little children, may your hearts be pure and pleasing, so that love and warmth may flow through you into every heart that is far from His love. Little children, be my extended hands, hands of love for all those who have become lost, who have no more faith and hope. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Prepare Yourselves with Joy for the Coming of Jesus

A. Renew Prayer in Your Families.

Renewal includes returning to some of the basics of authentic prayer. Jesus taught one of His devotees the following….

1.Principal #1: Delight in being with Jesus. Jesus told the person simply to go into Church, genuflect, and smile; say nothing. The smile is an expression of joy and a sign that you love being with Jesus. This is basic.

2. Principle #2: Be personal: Greet Him with a personal title. Who is Jesus for Me? He is the source of all your blessings. Say something like…

a. My Savior: He rescued you from eternal darkness and continues to protect you by preserving you from danger. Recently, Our Blessed Mother asked us to say often this beautiful prayer: “Jesus, Mary, preserve me from every kind of evil, and lead   me, guide me.”

b. My Shepherd: Jesus cares for us at every moment and leads us to good pastures and the springs of happiness. “I know mine and mine know me; they listen to My voice and they follow Me.” (John10)

c. My Friend: Mary says that Jesus is our very Best Friend – He died for you! Jesus is our constant companion, supporting us in every trial, and waiting for us to acknowledge His presence with love.

3. Principle #3: Open your heart. Jesus told the person that this is the very height of mystical prayer – sharing what is exactly in our hearts – our concerns, our joys, our sorrows, our hopes, our needs. Above all, we should believe deeply in the value of group prayer. Remember what Vicka said: “There is no evil that can resist a complete Rosary prayed by a group, especially family groups, prayed from the heart.”

B. Purify Your Hearts.

1. Through Confession. Mary: “Let Confession be the first act of your conversion.”

a. Catalina Rivas, the famous mystic from Bolivia, was given a commentary on the Mass by Jesus and Mary. At Holy Communion, Our Lord said: “Wait a minute, I want you to observe something.” A woman who had just gone to Confession before Mass received the Sacred Host and white light flashed  through her person and all around her. Jesus said: “This is how I Myself rejoice in embracing a soul who comes to receive me with a clean heart.”

b. St Therese of Lisieux prepared for Holy Communion by asking Our Lady to clean all the rubbish in her soul and then to share her own sentiments.

c. Our Lady’s suggestions are contained in her recent Message (Nov. 2, 2009) to Mirjana: “I ask you to look into your hearts and see how much you love the Father. Is He the last to be loved? Surrounded by material goods, how many times have you betrayed, denied and forgotten Him? Do not deceive yourselves. Your soul is more important than your bodies; cleanse it.”

2. Through Good Works. Prayer is a purifying experience, because it raises our minds and hearts from this earth to heaven. Charity covers a multitude of sins.” (James 3) Reaching out to our neighbor with a smile, a good word, a helping hand cleanses us of our selfishness, the root of all sin.

3. Through Surrender. Ivan said once that Mary was giving him a “college course” on prayer of the heart in which he was trying to surrender to Jesus all the unnecessary things in his heart, his attachments, frivolous activities, etc. Our Lady indicated to him that Jesus seeks a peaceful heart in which to rest.

C. Prepare Yourselves with Joy. Mary: “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” – she rejoices because salvation has now appeared. (Luke 1:47) Jesus rejoices over the Father’s revelation to the “little ones.” Mary wants us to be her “extended hands” through the joy of our faith and the warmth of our love extended to those who have no faith. She asks us to approach Bethlehem as the shepherds did.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF OCTOBER 25, 2009

“Dear children! Also today I bring you my blessing, I bless you all and I call you to grow on this way, which God has begun through me for your salvation. Pray, fast and joyfully witness your faith, little children, and may your heart always be filled with prayer. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Living With Mary

A. Today I Bring You My Blessing: My Motherly Presence.

1. Mary’s Presence. So often Our Lady has offered us her “blessing” or her “Motherly blessing” which is always the gift of her presence. It is so important for us to accept the gift of her love and to thank her each day for it. She has always insisted that she is our Mother and that she wants to be a constant part of our life. “God sent me to help you,” she says; “I am your Mother,” “I will protect you.” “I  am with you to instruct you,” “I want to guide you,” etc.

2.Union of Hearts. “Know that I love you; know that you are all mine.” (2-25-84) “I wish to be with you constantly with the heart. I give you my heart; accept it!” (10-29-83) “Give me your hearts; I desire to change them completely.” (2-13-84) “I pour out my blessings over you, and my heart wishes to be with you.” (10-26-83) “I desire to stay in your heart and for you to stay in mine.” (2-24-84) Our hearts should melt as we read these words.

3. Our Response. The daily renewal of our Consecration to Mary’s Immaculate Heart should be filled with a loving response to Our Lady’s words as we surrender ourselves completely to her care. Jesus said once: “The sign that you love Me is to think of Me often.” We think of our Mother constantly when we walk in her presence, consult her at every turn, listen and respond.

B. The Saints Teach Us How.

1. St. John Vianney. Our Lady appeared to the Cure of Ars “standing by the fireplace, clad in a robe of dazzling white sewn with golden roses, her shoes white as snow, her hands gleamed with the richest diamonds, her brow circled with a crown of stars shining like the sun. I saw her smile sweetly. I cried out: ‘Take me to heaven.’ Her response: ‘You will always be my child and I shall always be your Mother.’ Her presence was heaven on earth!”

2. St. Martin de Porres. His earthly father rejected him because he was a mulatto, so he went to a nearby Church to greet his Heavenly Father. There he discovered a chapel to Our Lady and entrusted himself to her.

a. He asked Our Lady to bring him to Jesus. She told him to pray before the crucifix. He begged some candle stubs from the owner of the house where he was staying, and lit them before a crucifix. The curious owner looked through the keyhole and saw Martin, arms outstretched, weeping in prayer.

b. He asked Our Lady to show him Jesus. Our Lady told him to pray in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. He spent whole afternoons there in prayer. When he went to Holy Communion ‘he was like a burning coal.’

c. He asked Our Lady to show him the face of Jesus. Our Lady told him to go into the city of Lima and to visit the sick. He studied medicine and spent his  life ministering to them, often curing them miraculously.

d. He joined the Dominicans as a lay associate and asked Our Lady how to grow in the spiritual life. She asked him to build up his desire to be with Jesus by using every opportunity to acknowledge His presence. He walked through the monastery stopping at every picture and statue to say a little prayer.

3. St. Therese of Lisieux. She lost her mother at an early age and asked Mary to be her mother. She also asked her to prepare her every time she received Holy Communion by helping her cleanse her heart, bringing her angels to sing in welcome of Jesus and to share her love for Jesus.

C. Our Lady is Waiting at the door of our hearts to help us at each moment. We should welcome her with great joy and ask her at each moment how we can walk in the presence of God and embrace Jesus at every turn…in our prayer, our fasting, witnessing to our faith, this is how to pray continually.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF SEPTEMBER 25, 2009

“Dear children, with joy, persistently work on your conversion. Offer all your joys and sorrows to my Immaculate Heart that I may lead you all to my most beloved Son, so that you may find joy in His Heart. I am with you to instruct you and to lead you towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

The Power of the Holy Rosary

A. A Call to Prayer: “With joy work persistently on your conversion.”

Coming just before October, month of the Holy Rosary, and near the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (October 7), it is fairly easy to detect in this message echoes of Our Lady of Fatima where she asked us to pray the Rosary (“joys and sorrows”) and to consecrate ourselves to her Immaculate Heart. Therefore, when she calls us to “conversion” she is asking us to change and improve the way we pray the Holy Rosary. This is consonant with her remark that her messages are just commentaries on what Our Lord says in the Gospel and through the Sacred Liturgy.

1. Joy. Ivan has always insisted with me that “Our Lady brings good things. She comes as Our Lady of Peace. She also told me that she comes as Our Lady of   Mercy too. Therefore she brings hope, which is so much needed today.” History attests (Lepanto, Vienna, Fatima, Austria) to the power of her intercession to bring   peace. So we should pray with joy, knowing that as we pray the Rosary with her we are achieving peace.

2. Persistence. In Our Lord’s commentary on prayer as presented by Luke 11:5, He uses the word “persistence” as the main spirit of our prayer, because, we are going to receive what we ask for. “I tell you ask…seek…knock….” Confidence in God inspires us to persist.

3. Conversion. All our graces come through prayer, so also the grace of conversion. Motivated by the great gift of peace coming, Our Lady wants us to increase our Faith, firm up our confidence, and make our trust total.

B. With Mary: “Offer all your joys and sorrows to my Immaculate Heart.”

Our Lady wants us to unite all of our sentiments and dispositions with her and those of her Son, so that we share their feelings experienced in the Joyful and Sorrowful Mysteries. She adds that if we do this, her Son will change all our sorrows into joys. By so doing, we begin to live their life.

1. Our joys are to be united with the joys of Jesus and Mary in the Joyful Mysteries.

a. The Annunciation gives us the joy of receiving. Jesus comes again to save us and to bring us the wealth of His merits. As St. Francis de Sales says: “We should give Jesus the biggest welcome we can muster.”

b. The Visitation graces us with the joy of giving. Having experienced the joy of the presence of Jesus in our hearts, we will gladly want to share this great blessing with all we meet.

c. The Birth of Our Lord reveals to us the joy of total dependence on Mary. Jesus wants us to experience the great joy of receiving the maternal care that He received by submitting Himself completely to her care.

d. The Presentation helps us with the joy of obedience. Our Blessed Mother knows everyone’s mission in life and she awaits our complete docility to her guidance in her efforts to present us as a gift to the Father.

e. The Finding in the Temple manifests the joy of growing with Mary as our Educator. Jesus obediently submitted Himself to a life of union with Mary at Nazareth, where she taught Him to pray and grow in wisdom and grace.

2. Our sorrows are to be united with the sorrows of Jesus and Mary in the Sorrowful Mysteries.

a. The Agony in the Garden shows us the sorrow for sin that we should have. The compunction we have consoles Jesus in the hour of His greatest sorrow.

b. The Scourging brings home to us the sorrow for the pain we caused Jesus. Our fasting and little sacrifices ease the pain that Jesus still suffers.

c. The Crowing with Thorns reminds us of the sorrow for wounding Jesus. Jesus said: “Those closest to Me wound me the most in this Mystery.”

d. The Carrying of the Cross recalls the sorrow of the burden we put on Jesus.By fulfilling the Will of God and our duties of state, we ease the burden.

e. The Crucifixion reveals the sorrow of dying where Jesus gave His all for us.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF AUGUST 25, 2009

“Dear children! Today I call you anew to conversion. Little children, you are not holy enough and you do not radiate holiness to others, therefore pray, pray, pray and work on your personal conversion, so that you may be a sign of God’s love to others. I am with you and am leading you towards eternity, for which every heart must yearn. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Pray, Pray, Pray and Work on Your Personal Conversion

A. I Call You Anew to Conversion.

1.Conversion means that the way we are doing things is not quite correct, to regret our sad predicament, and to change some things so that we hurry to get back on the right road. Basically, it comes down to the way we are praying and relating to God. It may mean we are not praying with our whole heart, there is not enough feeling in our prayer, we do not pray in a child-like manner, we do not throw ourselves into prayer and pray earnestly, we do not pray confidently with a firm faith and total trust, or some such.

2. The Call, we must remind ourselves, comes from God Himself. “The Father is calling you through me,” Our Lady says (10-25-87). And what is that call? “God calls you to convert and to return to the way of truth and salvation.” (9-25-98) The “way of truth” is the fact that the Father loves each one of us immeasurably and calls us to a life of deep, personal intimacy with Him in this life, so that we can live with Him forever. And that is our “salvation.” The Call indicates that there is  something wanting on our part.

B. You Are Not Holy Enough.

1. Holiness….means to be like God, and “God is Love.” (I John 4)

a. We are said to be holy when we “love God with all our mind, all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves.” We can love God with “all our mind” by thinking of Him always and thinking his thoughts; “with all our heart” by always desiring to be with Him no matter what we are doing; “with all our soul” by seeking to accomplish His Will at every moment; “with all our strength” by marshalling all our forces, energies, and concentration to give Him full honor and service.

b. We are said to be holy when we walk in His presence and seek to be united  with Him continually through prayer, i.e. by praying always, united with Jesus, following the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, for the accomplishment of God’s Will.

2. Living in Holiness.

a. Our Lady has a pointed message in this regard: “Dear Children! Today again I am calling you to pray with your whole heart and day by day to change your life. Especially, dear children, I am calling you by your prayers and sacrifices that you begin to live in holiness, because I desire that each one of you who has been to this fountain of grace will come to Paradise with the special gift which you shall give me and this is holiness. Therefore, dear children, pray and daily change your life to become holy. I shall be with you.” (11-13-86)

b. What strikes me is: “I shall be with you.” Our Mother wants to lead and guide us step by step in our prayer so that we pray the way she prays and that we offer little sacrifices that she will point out through the day.

C. Practice. Our Lady gives these points for us to review….

1. “Decide for God every day.” “Start living in God’s love. When you get up in the morning “open yourself to God as the flower that opens itself to the rays of the morning sun.” (4-25-96)

2. “Put your life in God’s hands.”

“God only wants your complete surrender.”

“Have more faith and trust in God Who loves you immeasurably.” (8-25-96)

3. “Each evening, make your examination of conscience, but only to give thanks for   everything God’s love offers us at Medjugorje.” (12-25-85)

4.“When God is in the first place, you will seek the Will of God in all you do.”

“Conversion will then become a daily duty you will do with joy.” (4-25-96)

5. “Through (constant) prayer, you will be able to live your conversion.” (6-   25-96)

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.