OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF DECEMBER 25, 2011

“Dear children! Also today, in my arms I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for Him to give you His peace. Pray, little children, and witness so that in every heart, not human, but God’s peace may prevail, which no one can destroy. It is that peace in the heart which God gives to those whom He loves. By your Baptism you are all, in a special way, called and loved. Therefore, witness and pray that you may be my extended hands to this world which yearns for God and peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

December 25, 2011 Message to Jacov

“Dear children! Today, in a special way, I desire to take you to and give you over to my Son. Little
children, open your hearts and permit Jesus to be born in you, because only in this way, little children,
you yourselves will be able to experience your new birth and set out with Jesus in your hearts towards the
way of salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Jesus comments in Poem of the Man God:

• The Shepherds. It is Our Blessed Mother who once advised us to come to the manger as the shepherds did.
  • And Jesus gives the reason: “God always shows Himself to those who have a child’s soul. He reveals to them His mysteries and allows them to hear His divine words and the words of Mary. That is why Our Blessed Mother keeps calling us “little children.”
• Their Qualities. Jesus comments on the qualities of the shepherds’ childlike souls.
  • Faith. The shepherds believe the Angel’s words, because they are entirely open and possess a firm faith: “Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy. Today, in the City of David, the Savior is born: Christ, the Lord. You will recognize Him in a stable wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, because there was no room for him in the town.”
  • Desire. The shepherds hurry to Bethlehem in prompt obedience and with great desire, spurred on by the amazing words told them by the Angel.
  • Humility. They come to the cave in profound humility, approaching with deep reverence and modesty. Joseph invites them in and Our Lady beckons them to come close. She puts her arm around a little shepherd boy holding him tight.
  • Generosity. With spontaneous generosity, the shepherds give their wealth to their Lord: milk, cheese, wool. They then profess they are servants: “How can we help you? Can we inform your relatives?” Mary: “Please inform my cousin Elizabeth and Zacharias.” Elias, a shepherd: “I know Zacharias’ shepherd.”
  • Love. They crown their visit with love by asking: “Please let us kiss the hem of his garment.” Mary asks for their names. “Elias, Levi, Samuel, Jonah, Isaac, Tobias, Jonathan, David, Simeon, John, Joseph, Benjamin.” Mary: “I will remember each and every one of you.” Jesus says: “they leave their hearts there.”
  • Witness. Filled with joy, they spread the good news to every one they meet.
• Jesus Comments…
  • The qualities of the shepherds describe how everyone should approach Me in the Eucharist and in every prayer.
  • The shepherds address their words to My Mother, because it is always My Mother who gives Me to those who seek Me.
  • When someone says to My Mother: “Please give me your Jesus so that I may love Him,” My Mother smiles with great delight and her smile lights up the heavens with a rainbow.
• New Year’s Resolutions.
  1. I will read Our Lady’s message every day and ask her what she had in mind when she gave this message and what she had in mind for me.
  2. Each day at Holy Communion I will seek the Peace of Jesus by asking our Blessed Mother: “Please give  me your Jesus so that I may love Him.”
  3. I will hold on to Jesus with a firm faith and share His presence with everyone I meet during the day.

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

“Dear children! Rejoice with me, convert in joy and give thanks to God for the gift of my presence among you. Pray that, in your hearts, God may be in the center of your life and with your life witness, little children, so that every creature may feel God’s love. Be my extended hands for every creature, so that it may draw closer to the God of love. I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Pray in Your Hearts to Feel God’s Love And Make Him the Center of Your Life

God the Father gave Blessed Eugenia Ravasio (Beatified by John Paul II in 2002) the ABC’s of surrender:

1) Meditate what Scripture says about me;

2) Pray like a child to me;

3) Give Me your Fiat.

Our Lady said:

“God sent me to help you and bring you to the Father.” (1991)

“God is your Father.” (1987)

“He loves you immeasurably” (1991)

“with such a great love.” (1986)

“He watches over you always.” (1988)

“and He blesses you every day” (1990).

“Pray to understand God’s goodness.” (1995)

“He is your Greatest Friend.” (1992)

“Put God in the first place” (1996) “then you will always seek His Will.”

“Open to God like a flower in the morning seeking the sun,” “open like children to the Father’s love.” “God will help you and guide you, and even work miracles in your life.” (1992)

A. God’s Self-Revelation in Sacred Scripture.

1. “The Lord is kind and full of compassion, slow to anger, abounding in love. How good is the Lord to all, compassionate to all His creatures. Psalms 144:8-9

2. “God sent His Son into the world not to condemn it, but so that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17

3. “Yahweh spoke to Moses: This is how you will bless the People:

‘May the Lord bless you and keep you!

May the Lord let His face shine on you, and be gracious to you!

May the Lord look kindly on you and give you peace!`

Thus shall they invoke My name and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:22-27

4. “I have loved thee with an everlasting love, so I have kept for you My mercy. Jeremiah 31:3

5. “I will heal their wavering and love them with all My heart.”    Hosea 14:5

St. Therese of Lisieux: “Jesus has chosen to show me the only way that leads to the divine furnace of love. It is the way of childlike surrender, the way of a child who sleeps, afraid of nothing, in its father’s arms.” Four Scriptures contain this message:

6. “Whoever is a little one, let him come to me. Proverbs 9:16 7.

7. “As a mother caresses her son, so will I comfort you. And you will be nursed and be carried in her arms and be fondled on her lap. So will I. At the sight of this, your heart will rejoice.” Isaiah 66:12-14

8. “To him that is little, mercy is granted.” Wisdom 6:7

9. “The Lord shall feed His flock…and shall take them up into his bosom.” Isaiah 40:11

B. God’s Is My Father.

My Father in Heaven, how sweet it is to know that You are my Father and that I am Your child! Especially when the skies of my soul are cloudy and my cross weighs more heavily, I feel the need to repeat to You: Father, I believe in Your love for me!

Yes, I believe that you are a Father to me at every moment of my life, and that I am your child! I believe that You love me with an infinite love! I believe that You are watching over me night and day and that not a hair falls from my head without Your permission!

I believe that, in Your infinite Wisdom, You know better than I what is good for me. I believe that, in Your infinite power, You can bring good even out of evil. I believe that, in Your infinite goodness, You make everything to the advantage of those who love You; even under the hands of those who strike me I kiss your hand which heals! I believe, but increase in me faith, hope and love! Teach me to surrender myself to You like a baby in its mothers arms Father. You know everything. You see everything, you know me better than I know myself. You can do everything, and You love me! My Father, since it is Your wish that we should always turn to You, I come with confidence to ask You, together with Jesus and Mary….(here request the favor that you desire). Divine Father, beneficent dew of humanity, may You be known, honored and loved by all men!

(Mother EUGENIA)

C. THE FIAT OF THE ETERNAL FATHER.

MY BELOVED FATHER.

THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. BE THOU MY FATHER. BE ALWAYS MY ETERNAL FATHER. DO NOT LEAVE MY SOUL. DO NOT LEAVE ME OUT OF YOUR SIGHT, MY FATHER, FOR I AM YOUR CHILD WHOM YOU HAVE CREATED TO PLEASE YOU, TO ADORE YOU, TO HONOR YOU, LIVING MY DAYS AS YOU HAVE GIVEN ME THE LICENSE TO LIVE IT.

Day after day, my children, say that in your mind. This will be the way you will say your FIAT to your FATHER. And I your FATHER will open my arms like this (and He stretched out His Arms) and I every day will gather you in my arms and I will hold you and will rock you as your BELOVED MOTHER (Blessed Mother) rocks each baby in her arms. For yes, you are my children. Remember the FIAT of each day as you live.

As you do this from the beginning of the day, I promise you, my children, I guarantee you I will cover you in my arms. I will send you my angels with St. Michael to protect you and all the saints of your devotions to be with you during the day to guide you and assist you.

I promise you, you will feel the power of my great LOVE for you that I will send you day in and day out. But you have to offer me – everyday – as you get up in the morning – that FIAT.

The Eternal Father to Mother Eugenia Ravasio

“I am coming to bring hope to men and nations. How many have long since lost it!” “I am among you…Happy are those who believe this truth!

“I wish men to know as soon as possible that I love them and that I feel great happiness in being with them, and talking with them.”

“Come, come closer to Me. You have every right to approach your Father.”

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF APRIL 25, 2008

“Dear children! Also today, I call all of you to grow in God’s love as a flower which feels the warm rays of spring. In this way, also you, little children, grow in God’s love and carry it to all those who are far from God. Seek God’s will and do good to those whom God has put on your way, and be light and joy. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Grow in God’s Love

A. The Symbol of the Flower .

1. Its Meaning . Our Blessed Mother refers to each one of her children as a flower. “I wish that you would become like a flower in Spring,” (1984) and to the prayer group, “I wish you to be a beautiful bouquet of flowers that I want to present to God.” (10-25-94) She refers to flowers 25 times in her messages. Elsewhere, she calls her children roses of love, lilies of sinlessness, cyclamens of simplicity. (Gobbi) Many times Mary is described as “very sad, because her flowers are dying of thirst…it breaks her heart to see them withering…She is in the garden…standing near a rosebush…pitying the parched plant.” (Valtorta) She is always tending the flowers.

2. Its Characteristics .

a. Fleeting . “Do not forget that your life is fleeting like the Spring flower that today is wondrously beautiful but tomorrow has vanished, so pray and surrender to God.” (3-25-88) And again: “Decide for holiness, be real with yourselves, bind yourselves to God and do not forget that your life is as passing as a flower.” (8-25-01) Here today, gone tomorrow. She wants us to use our time wisely “and not waste one second of it.”

b. Dependent . Flowers naturally open up when the sun comes out. “Open your hearts to God like the Spring flowers that crave the sun.” (1-31-85) “I invite you to open the door of your heart to Jesus as the flower opens itself to the sun; Jesus desires to fill your hearts with peace and joy.” (1-25-95) “I would like each of you to be like a flower that is going to open for Jesus.” (12-21-84) Just as flowers grow and develop in the warmth and light of the sun’s rays, so also Our Lady wants us to realize that we are totally dependent on God’s grace.

c. Fragile . Flowers are very delicate plants that can easily wilt when injured. She calls us to be strong in our faith and dedication. “Each person is like a flower. If someone tries to crush you, try to grow even more. If someone pulls a petal, continue to grow as if you were complete.” (6-21-84) “I desire that you be a flower that blossoms, a flower that does not cease to bloom” (1983)

3. Its Needs . Our Lady says that “a flower is in need of water, light, and tenderness.” (2-25-03)

a. Water . “Every second of prayer is like a drop of dew in the morning that fully refreshes each flower. In the same way, prayer refreshes man, especially personal prayer. Man can thus become a really fresh flower for God. See how drops of dew stay long on flowers until the first rays of sun come.” (1-27-86) Mary calls us to constant prayer.

b. Light . “I call you to grow in love. A flower is not able to grow normally without water and light. So also you are not able to grow without God’s blessing. Seek His blessing daily.” (4-10-86) Our Lady is reminding us of just how much we need God.

c. Tenderness . “Open yourself to God’s plans and purposes…your life does not belong to you. May the tenderness of little Jesus always accompany you.” (12-25-93) “We open our souls to you, Father, so that we may be touched by your holy Mercy.” (6-22-85)B.

B. Growing in God’s Love .

1. Our Poverty . Like any good parent, Our Blessed Mother wants us to grow and particularly to grow in our love of God, because we are destined to live in union with Him in love forever – a process that begins on this earth. Our Lady gives us the image or symbol of a flower to place us on the right path for this growth:

“I am guarding you like a little flower that does not want to die. So I call you to surrender to me so that I can keep on presenting you to God fresh and without sin.” (8-1-85)

a. Humility. Our Lady wants us to think often about the flower. It has the promising potential of great beauty, but it is fragile, vulnerable and radically needy of light, warmth, water and tender loving care. It cannot do much by itself and seems to be completely dependent on help from the outside. Sometimes it takes people a lifetime to learn this lesson, because we all like to run our own show. That is why the saints recommend that we grow in our sense of our need of God by making an explicit act of humility before we start praying.

b. Surrender. The next step after admitting our inadequacy is to surrender all to God. God really needs this before He can properly help us. Our Lady advises us: “I am calling you to a complete surrender to God. Let everything you possess be in the hands of God. Only in that way shall you have joy in your heart.” When this is done, we are placing God in the first place in our lives.

c. Love. And Our Lady insists that we must do this out of love. “Understand that without love, you cannot comprehend that God needs to be in the first place in your life. So I call you to love, but not with a human love, but with God’s love. In this way, your life will be more beautiful and without self-interest. You will than comprehend that God gives Himself to you in the simplest way out of love. To understand all this, you must pray, pray, pray.” (9-25-97)

2. Prayer. The ordinary way in which friendships blossom is that people commingle in social gatherings and get to know one another. Slight bonds of interest start between two people and they continue to meet on their own and they begin to feel very comfortable with one another. Their mutual confidence increases and they like each other more and more, and a friendship is born.

a. This bears out St. Thomas Aquinas’ prescription for cultivating a friendship: 1) growing in knowledge, 2) insight and understanding, 3) union and communion.

b. St. Grignion de Montfort attests that knowledge must grow into a spark of desire for the other person, before a real relationship is born, which makes sense, because St. Augustine avers that desire and love are really the same thing.

c. But many marriage counselors hold that communication is the key to mutuality if it is done properly.

d. To grow in knowledge and love of God, Our Blessed Mother keeps insisting that we must keep praying more and more from the heart and things will happen. She asks: “Why do we pray?” and she answers her own question: 1) “To be with God;” 2) “To sense and feel God present;” 3) “To experience God.” She says: “Accept my call to pray until prayer becomes a joy for you. And then you will discover that God is Almighty in your everyday life. I am with you in this and I wait for you.” (5-25-97)

3. A Gift. Prayer is a gift and we must ask for this gift every day and God seeing our good will, will respond in a tangible way.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDJUGORJE’S MESSAGE OF OCTOBER 25, 2007

“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.”

Come Closer to Mary and Be Closer to God

A. Mary – Gift of God’s Love.

1. God’s Love. Our Blessed Mother wants us to recognize immediately that she does not come among us on her own, but that she comes as a great gift from the Goodness of God and as an extraordinary manifestation of His Love. God as our Father always has His eyes fixed on us and is full of concern when we drift far from Him. As the best of fathers, He always is very magnanimous and does the best thing for us: He sends us His own Mother.

2. God’s Mercy. Our Lady wants us to recognize the extremity of the Father’s love, a gesture of His Mercy. He sent us His Son and we crucified Him; He sent us His Holy Spirit and we shut Him out of our lives so as to engage in our own pursuits; and now His Mother comes. The very thought of a mother should melt people’s hearts. She comes as Mother of Mercy to avert God’s Justice; it is a last resort. Her role is to put us back on the path of salvation and holiness.

3. Our Response. To express our appreciation, love and gratitude to the Father’s merciful love, Our Lady has asked us each evening during our night prayer to make a special point of thanking the Father for the gift of Medjugorje and thereby the gift of Mary. Our Lady has said that thanksgiving is a sign of appreciation and growth in appreciation means growth in love.

B. The Categorical Imperative: Accept Mary into Our Lives.

1. First Way: Consecration. When God offers us a gift, the best and only response is to accept it. We do this by inviting Our Blessed Mother into our lives each day through our consecrating and promising to surrender ourselves completely to her presence and guidance. She offers her very self, her Heart, her Love; we try to do the same by praying: “Impress true love in our hearts so that we have a continuous desire for You” – i.e., we want to be continually united with her throughout the day. When we do not renew our consecration each day in a personal and heart-felt way, we are very cruel. We are telling the Father that we do not want His gift, we are telling Mary that we do not want her to be a part of our everyday life.

2. Second Way: Prayer. Mary said that prayer is conversation. She has also saidthat with our consecration, she gives us the gift of her continual presence. How odd to walk with our mother continually at our side and never talk to her. She has said: “I want to hear your voice.” She has also said: “I will take you by the hand and we will walk together discussing the beauty of life.”

a. Holy Mass. When Our Lady told the visionaries “I will meet you at the door of the Church” she was wanting to lead them through the entire celebration of Mass.

b. Holy Rosary. She said that when we unite our prayer with hers during the rosary, it becomes efficacious – God accepts our prayer as coming from her.

3. Third Way: Monthly Message. Mary said: prayer is listening. The best way to listen daily is to make the message part of the Rosary. Mary: “When you pick up the Rosary, you are inviting me to a conversation with you.” Open up the treasures hidden in the Monthly Message by discussing it with Our Lady during the Rosary. Our Lady’s comment on the Monthly Message: “There you have the source of your graces.” This mutual reflection on the Monthly Message is the only way Our Mother can guide us and form us. Since she described her messages as a commentary on Holy Scripture, their link to the Word of God speaking to us and the Mysteries of Christ’s life is obvious.

C. Be Love and Light Where There Is Darkness and Sin.

1. Smile Often. Show that you are positively and genuinely interested in their welfare and that you want to gift them with your own joy. Mother Teresa smiled at everyone she met and was heralded as “The Smiling Sun.”

2. Be Positive. As Our Blessed Mother said: “Think positive thoughts, say positive things, do only positive things and you will taste peace.” You will be able to bring peace to others.

3. Pray for Others. Our Blessed Mother: “Love all because they are your own brothers and sisters.” Prayer is a great manifestation of love and besides “prayer changes hearts.”

4. Love with God’s Love. God loved us by deciding in advance to love us and then He brought us into being. He put our good before His own by suffering and dying for us. And His love persevered to the end, it was relentless. And it was always smothering us with blessings no matter how bad we were: “He lets His sun shine on the good and the bad.” (Matt.) He always seeks to bring out the best in us by heaping kindnesses upon us.

5. Turn Negatives into Positives. Follow Scripture: Never criticize, never argue, never judge, never complain, return good for evil.

-Rev. Robert Hughes, S.M.

OUR LADY OF MEDUJORGE’S MESSAGE OF JANUARY 25, 2004

Pray for Those Who Do Not Know God’s Love