- Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:26 pm
#524
Fr Jozo's letter on the occasion of the 24th Anniversary of the
apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje.
Message of June 25, 2005
“Dear children! Today I thank you for every sacrifice that you have
offered for my intentions. I call you, little children, to be my
apostles of peace and love in your families and in the world. Pray that
the Holy Spirit may enlighten and lead you on the way of holiness. I am
with you and bless you all with my motherly blessing. Thank you for
having responded to my call.”
The Anniversary of apparitions, which She has announced in Her message
before the last, the Queen of Peace has rewarded with Her motherly
heart that is thankful for every small or little sacrifice, for every
sacrifice and prayer for Her intentions.
I have stopped in front of that gratitude. Actually that humble
gratitude has stopped me and made me think. I think that it is not the
case of proper upbringing, but the emphasis is on the importance of
sacrifice. The emphasis is on obedience and answer to the call: change
the world with fast and prayer.
“Today I thank you for every sacrifice.” We are witnesses to fasting
and prayer for Our Lady's intentions. In front of our eyes are lines of
pilgrims, many barefooted from far away places. A rosary in a hand of a
tired and exhausted pilgrim is the most beautiful scene on our roads.
Those sunburned faces were thirsty not just for water but for Mother as
well. Each one of them has presented his pain and contribution for
Mother's intentions, for Her who has been spent 24 years liberating us
from selfishness and teaching us how to be there for others.
To sacrifice one's self for others is the most beautiful evangelic
motif.
How many prayers and sacraments, how many confessions and confessors
who have persevered on their way from death into life, from darkness to
light;
how many believers have listened to announcements in languages that
they do not understand. They did not feel that they are wasting their
time; they were washed in those waterfalls of grace.
The Sun was shining and Herzegovinian stones became hot. It's heat made
blisters on the pilgrims' feet. None of the thousands of people is a
climber nor they feel like one, but as a pilgrim who always has and can
give more.
It is distressing to watch bloodstained feet of a pilgrim who has never
walked on stones. Unannoyed he climbs up and stumbling advances from
one stone to another, to the Cross, all the way to the statue of the
Queen of Peace. Those bloodstained feet of pilgrims are for Our Lady's
intentions. To stop footsteps of those who are walking towards the
abyss of no purpose and evil.
So many fingers are in motion, counting rosary grains and
wholeheartedly assigning their prayers to the Queen of Peace's
intentions. They present that prayer and sacrifice for those for whom
they are responsible to build a better world for. So many rivers of
sweat flow for intentions of the Queen of Peace. So many sacrifices.
The Mother watches Her children from all over the world and speaks with
magnificent love: Thank you for every sacrifice!
“I call you, little children, to be my apostles of peace and love.” An
apostle is a person that is chosen and sent. He does not speak or
perform on his own behalf, but on behalf of the One who has sent him.
Truly, it is wonderful to think about those who are sent by God. There
are people who are sent by other people to finish work that they have
been chosen for. Names of Christ's apostles are not erased by History
nor forgotten with time. They stay. The Queen of Peace says that we are
Her apostles. She puts on our agenda and into our heart what we should
do on Her behalf. Show love and make peace. Share and distribute what
all children are deprived of: love and peace. Apostles' duty is to be
what he testifies and to live for what he proclaims.
Our Lady's apostolate of love and peace is Her whole life and mission.
Therefore, it is an honour to be Her apostle. It always fills us up
with kindness and thought: She has chosen me for Her apostle. An
apostle should follow in the footsteps of Her Son and Her children –
the saints. Peace and love can not be distributed through the air like
radio waves, they do not flow through the waterbeds, they need to be
sown and grow in hearts of people who completely devote themselves to
Jesus, who always accept the Lord’s will and do as He asks. That is,
actually, that further step that the Virgin is inviting us to do.
“Pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and lead you on the way of
holiness”. That is the only way and there is no other way. Our calling
for holiness is happening every day of our life. Of course, it includes
our sacrifices, prayer and sacraments.
Dear brothers and sisters!
With this message we have began the 25th year with the Queen of Peace.
Our apostolate is once again emphasized. Let's do it with enthusiasm
and loyalty.
On the day of the Anniversary, Silvija a girl from Padova stood up from
her wheelchair. While the group was praying she felt the grace and
heard the voice: “Stand up and walk!” She stood up and walked without
no problem, witnessing the grace of recovery.
May such grace happen to each one of us. May Our Lady heal us all so
that we can walk like Her apostles who will spread love and peace to
everyone. Masses of people who came to the Anniversary fill us with
gratitude and adoration. We are happy for giving our contribution. Let
us persevere in our magnificent calling. I wish you happy and glorious
days during the hot summer and your holidays. Be Our Lady's apostles on
your holidays as well.
This month we will pray for:
1. For a successful and merciful meeting between our Pope Benedict and
youths from all over the world in Cologne. May they all hear the
message of the Church and meet Jesus.
2. For spiritual vocations of priests and nuns. May the Lord bless our
Church with new and holy vocations.
3. For our Visitation prayer community. May it grow, according to Our
Lady's will, in all our centers and whole world, especially in the
newly formed prayer communities. May the Lord give them strength on
their way.
Dear brothers and sisters, I pray for each one of you and recommend you
all to the Queen of Peace so that you can live Her messages.
I send you my brotherly greetings.
Yours sincerely,
Father Jozo Zovko, OFM
apparitions of the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje.
Message of June 25, 2005
“Dear children! Today I thank you for every sacrifice that you have
offered for my intentions. I call you, little children, to be my
apostles of peace and love in your families and in the world. Pray that
the Holy Spirit may enlighten and lead you on the way of holiness. I am
with you and bless you all with my motherly blessing. Thank you for
having responded to my call.”
The Anniversary of apparitions, which She has announced in Her message
before the last, the Queen of Peace has rewarded with Her motherly
heart that is thankful for every small or little sacrifice, for every
sacrifice and prayer for Her intentions.
I have stopped in front of that gratitude. Actually that humble
gratitude has stopped me and made me think. I think that it is not the
case of proper upbringing, but the emphasis is on the importance of
sacrifice. The emphasis is on obedience and answer to the call: change
the world with fast and prayer.
“Today I thank you for every sacrifice.” We are witnesses to fasting
and prayer for Our Lady's intentions. In front of our eyes are lines of
pilgrims, many barefooted from far away places. A rosary in a hand of a
tired and exhausted pilgrim is the most beautiful scene on our roads.
Those sunburned faces were thirsty not just for water but for Mother as
well. Each one of them has presented his pain and contribution for
Mother's intentions, for Her who has been spent 24 years liberating us
from selfishness and teaching us how to be there for others.
To sacrifice one's self for others is the most beautiful evangelic
motif.
How many prayers and sacraments, how many confessions and confessors
who have persevered on their way from death into life, from darkness to
light;
how many believers have listened to announcements in languages that
they do not understand. They did not feel that they are wasting their
time; they were washed in those waterfalls of grace.
The Sun was shining and Herzegovinian stones became hot. It's heat made
blisters on the pilgrims' feet. None of the thousands of people is a
climber nor they feel like one, but as a pilgrim who always has and can
give more.
It is distressing to watch bloodstained feet of a pilgrim who has never
walked on stones. Unannoyed he climbs up and stumbling advances from
one stone to another, to the Cross, all the way to the statue of the
Queen of Peace. Those bloodstained feet of pilgrims are for Our Lady's
intentions. To stop footsteps of those who are walking towards the
abyss of no purpose and evil.
So many fingers are in motion, counting rosary grains and
wholeheartedly assigning their prayers to the Queen of Peace's
intentions. They present that prayer and sacrifice for those for whom
they are responsible to build a better world for. So many rivers of
sweat flow for intentions of the Queen of Peace. So many sacrifices.
The Mother watches Her children from all over the world and speaks with
magnificent love: Thank you for every sacrifice!
“I call you, little children, to be my apostles of peace and love.” An
apostle is a person that is chosen and sent. He does not speak or
perform on his own behalf, but on behalf of the One who has sent him.
Truly, it is wonderful to think about those who are sent by God. There
are people who are sent by other people to finish work that they have
been chosen for. Names of Christ's apostles are not erased by History
nor forgotten with time. They stay. The Queen of Peace says that we are
Her apostles. She puts on our agenda and into our heart what we should
do on Her behalf. Show love and make peace. Share and distribute what
all children are deprived of: love and peace. Apostles' duty is to be
what he testifies and to live for what he proclaims.
Our Lady's apostolate of love and peace is Her whole life and mission.
Therefore, it is an honour to be Her apostle. It always fills us up
with kindness and thought: She has chosen me for Her apostle. An
apostle should follow in the footsteps of Her Son and Her children –
the saints. Peace and love can not be distributed through the air like
radio waves, they do not flow through the waterbeds, they need to be
sown and grow in hearts of people who completely devote themselves to
Jesus, who always accept the Lord’s will and do as He asks. That is,
actually, that further step that the Virgin is inviting us to do.
“Pray that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and lead you on the way of
holiness”. That is the only way and there is no other way. Our calling
for holiness is happening every day of our life. Of course, it includes
our sacrifices, prayer and sacraments.
Dear brothers and sisters!
With this message we have began the 25th year with the Queen of Peace.
Our apostolate is once again emphasized. Let's do it with enthusiasm
and loyalty.
On the day of the Anniversary, Silvija a girl from Padova stood up from
her wheelchair. While the group was praying she felt the grace and
heard the voice: “Stand up and walk!” She stood up and walked without
no problem, witnessing the grace of recovery.
May such grace happen to each one of us. May Our Lady heal us all so
that we can walk like Her apostles who will spread love and peace to
everyone. Masses of people who came to the Anniversary fill us with
gratitude and adoration. We are happy for giving our contribution. Let
us persevere in our magnificent calling. I wish you happy and glorious
days during the hot summer and your holidays. Be Our Lady's apostles on
your holidays as well.
This month we will pray for:
1. For a successful and merciful meeting between our Pope Benedict and
youths from all over the world in Cologne. May they all hear the
message of the Church and meet Jesus.
2. For spiritual vocations of priests and nuns. May the Lord bless our
Church with new and holy vocations.
3. For our Visitation prayer community. May it grow, according to Our
Lady's will, in all our centers and whole world, especially in the
newly formed prayer communities. May the Lord give them strength on
their way.
Dear brothers and sisters, I pray for each one of you and recommend you
all to the Queen of Peace so that you can live Her messages.
I send you my brotherly greetings.
Yours sincerely,
Father Jozo Zovko, OFM