Message of February 25, 2014
“Dear children! You see, hear and feel that in the hearts of many people there is no God. They do not want Him, because they are far from prayer and do not have peace. You, little children, pray – live God’s commandments. You be prayer, you who from the very beginning said `yes` to my call. Witness God and my presence and do not forget, little children: I am with you and I love you. From day to day I present you all to my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Message of March 25, 2014
“Dear children! I am calling you anew: begin the battle against sin as in the first days, go to confession and decide for holiness. The love of God will begin to flow through you into the world, peace will begin to rule in your hearts and God’s blessing will fill you. I am with you and intercede for all of you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Medjugorje Update:
(Excerpts from the Information Center “Mir” Medjugorje, (www.medjugorje.hr)
++ The experiences of Medjugorje pilgrims Medjugorje was busy in the last few days as there were groups of pilgrims from 15 countries. Massimo Nosscenttini from Italy shared his testimony with us and he heard about Medjugorje in 1981, for the first time, but arrived here already in 1983. His profession is a bus driver and he told us that Gospa completely changed his life. “As a bus driver, I visited all European shrines and that was my job. But, three years ago I was at the apparition with my group in the home of Marija, the visionary. Only our group was present and during the apparition I felt strong embrace, something that blacked me completely. I was trying to turn my head and to look at my colleague who was next to me, but I was not able to do that. That lasted for roughly five minutes. After that, I looked into Marija. She stood up and turned to us and told us: “Gospa embraced you all.” That was what I felt, that strong embrace and my whole life changed in that moment. I promised to bring as many people as possible to Medjugorje and I was hoping other people would receive what I had received.” Massimo is now a group leader and he stopped driving because of his age now. “Just to bring a group of pilgrims here is completely enough for me, for I believe that Medjugorje is heaven on earth for me! I witnessed changes in many people. I was also bringing people who were not Catholics and who had conversion here. One young man who experienced conversion here is now in the monastery in Poland and that was really powerful and profound conversion.”
++ The 80th anniversary of construction of the cross on Cross Mountain celebrated 17.03.2014 On Sunday, March 16, 2014, we celebrated the 80th anniversary of construction of the cross on Cross Mountain and of the first Holy Mass that was celebrated at the foot of that cross. During the Holy Mass at 11 a.m., celebrated by the pastor Fr. Marinko Sakota, all faithful remembered the Franciscans and parishioners who participated in the construction. The solemn academy was held in the evening and the documentary about the construction of the cross was shown. Fr. Marinko said during the Holy Mass in his homily: “One small hill became the hill of transfiguration. Today, we remember that great event, when hill Sipovac was renamed to Krizevac (Cross Mountain) after the construction of the cross. The change and transformation took place. It was not that only the name was changed, but especially since 1981, that hill became the hill of transfiguration. Many have experienced transformation of their lives at that hill.” At the beginning of the solemn academy, the Provincial of Herzegovina Province, Dr.Fr. Miljenko Steko, welcomed all parishioners and pilgrims saying that he feels a bit awkward to speak about the reality that we are not aware of completely. “It is obvious that God had intended a great mission for you and for us. It was all in God’s providence. That God’s intention touched the heart of Fr. Bernardin, his parishioners and is touching our hearts today. We are proud of those great men who had spirit like Fr. Bernardin who himself was brutally killed in the river Neretva together with our other Franciscans in February 1945. All of that was gathered in one sheaf of pain, suffering and above all love and all those invisible realities that Krizevac presents.
The annual apparition of Our Lady to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on March 18, 2014…..The visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo had daily apparitions from June 24th 1981 to December 25th 1982. During the last daily apparition, Our Lady gave her the 10th secret, and told her that she would appear to her once a year, on the 18th of March. It has been this way through the years. Several thousand pilgrims gathered in prayer of the Rosary.. The apparition lasted from 13:46 to 13:51.
“Dear children! As a mother, I desire to be of help to you. With my motherly love, I desire to help you to open your heart and to put my Son in the first place in it. Through your love for my Son and through your prayer, I desire for God’s light to illuminate you and God’s mercy to fill you. In this way, I desire for the darkness, and the shadow of death which wants to encompass and mislead you, to be driven away. I desire for you to feel the joy of the blessing of God’s promise. You, children of man, you are God’s children – you are my children. Therefore, my children, set out on the ways on which my love leads you, teaches you humility and wisdom, and finds the way to the Heavenly Father. Pray with me for those who do not accept me and do not follow me – those who, because of hardness of their hearts, cannot feel the joy of humility, devotion, peace and love – the joy of my Son. Pray that your shepherds, with their blessed hands, may always give you the joy of God’s blessing. Thank you”
Blessed John XXIII and Blessed John Paul II will be declared Saints on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 27, 2014.
Pope John XXIII
1881 – 1963
Papal Reign
1958 – 1963
Pope John Paul II
1920-2005
Papal Reign
1978-2005
Pope Francis 2/19/14 (excerpts)
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of healing. When I go to confess myself, it is to heal myself, to heal my soul, to heal my heart and anything that isn’t going well. The biblical icon that expresses best their profound bond, is the episode of the forgiveness and healing of the paralytic, where the Lord Jesus reveals himself at the same time as doctor of souls and of bodies (cf. Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 5:17-26)
The Sacrament of Penance and of Reconciliation flows directly from the Paschal Mystery, in fact, on the very evening of Easter the Lord appeared to the disciples, locked in the Cenacle and, after greeting them saying “Peace be with you!,” He breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any,they are forgiven” (John 20;21-23). This passage reveals to us the most profound dynamic that is contained in this Sacrament. First of all, the fact that the forgiveness of our sins is not something that we can give ourselves. I cannot say: I forgive my sins. Forgiveness asked, it is asked of another and in Confession we ask for forgiveness from Jesus. Forgiveness is not the fruit of our efforts but it is a present, a gift of the Holy Spirit, who fills us with the purification of mercy and grace which flows incessantly from the wide open heart of Christ crucified and risen. In the second place, it reminds us that only if we allow ourselves to be reconciled in the Lord Jesus with the Father and with our brothers can we really be in peace. And we all have heard this in the heart when we go to confess ourselves, with a weight in the soul, a bit of sadness; and when we receive the forgiveness of Jesus we are in peace, with that peace of the soul that is so beautiful that only Jesus can give, only Him.
Even from a human point of view, to vent, it is good to talk with a brother and tell the priest these things, that weigh heavily in my heart. And one feels that they vent in front of God, with the Church, with the brother. Do not be afraid of Confession! When one is in line to confess, they feel these things, even shame, but then when Confession is ended, they feel free, great, beautiful, forgiveness, clean, happy. And this is the beauty of Confession! I would like to ask you – but don’t answer out loud, each one responds in their heart-when was the last time you confessed? Each one think about it. Has it been 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 years, 20 years, 40 years? Everyone take count and if a long time has passed, don’t miss another day, go, the priest will be good. Jesus is there, and Jesus is much better than the priests. Jesus receives you, He receives you with so much love. Be courageous and go to Confession!
Dear friends, to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation means to be wrapped in a warm embrace: it is the embrace of the infinite mercy of the Father. Let us remember that beautiful parable of the son who left his home with the inheritance money; he squandered all the money and then, when he didn’t have anything, he decided to return home, not as a son, but as a servant. So many faults he had in his heart and so much shame. The surprise was when he began to speak, to ask forgiveness, the father did not let him speak. He embraced him, he kissed him and made a feast. But I tell you: every time we confess, God embraces us, God makes a feast! Let us go forward on the path. May God bless you!
CENTER FOR PEACE – WEST
update
Thank you Father George, 1952-2014. Farther George Wolf died in February of cancer at the age of 62. Father was the Spiritual Director for our September 1998 Medjugorje pilgrimage and has been a good friend since. He was a very humble, prayerful priest with a great sense of humor. Eternal rest, grant to him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
NEW WEBSITE!!!
The new website is up and running. Check it out and let us know your thoughts and suggestions. www.centerforpeacewest.com
The new email address is
info@centerforpeacewest.com
We have an area for Eucharistic Adoration and Prayer Groups on our website. If you would like your parish information included, please email or call us and we will add the information. Thank you. Jeff Pettit, for creating such a wonderful site for us.
We are always looking for volunteers for our bookstore. It is located across the hall from the Adoration Chapel at St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Beaverton, OR. . We have books including those by Fr. Slavko and the new book “Medjugorje What’s Happening” by Fr. Jim Mulligan. We also have many other items; rosaries, Medjugorje CD’s with the rosary, the music; medals, DVD’s on Medjugorje, holy cards, crucifixes, and much more. Call us if you are interested.
21st International Meeting of group leaders, organizers of pilgrimages, peace centers leaders and prayer and charity groups regarding Medjugorje, March 3-7, 2014.
The annual meeting had 250 participants from 17 countries. The program began each morning with Eucharistic Adoration followed by lectures, Q & A with the presenters, including Visionaries Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo and Jokov Colo. We climbed and prayed going up Cross Mountain and Apparition Hill. One night, after the evening prayer program, we had a special evening of music by the amazing parish youth group, dancing, delicious food and LOTS of fun.
On the last day of the meeting, Fr. Marinko Sakota, the pastor of Medjugorje, who was the main lecturer at this seminar, celebrated Mass and spoke in his homily about things that we were meditating upon in the previous days. “We thought about where and when we make mistakes. That is why we have Mary as a model and that is why the theme of this seminar was ‘Behold, your Mother’, so we could learn from Her in the way She is doing and in the way She speaks to us. She is doing everything with Jesus, with God. Through all of the topics that we touched, we could see how important it is to live with Jesus. That is what the Queen of Peace is saying to us.”
Comments from participants: “An excellent meeting. I feel like I have been on a retreat. Fr. Marinko is so humble, full of love and the Holy Spirit. He spoke from his heart.”
“Fr. Marinko spoke to the 5 messages of Medjugorje. He encouraged us to go to Adoration and let go of our problems and be healed.”
“It was special to sing Happy Birthday to Jokov on his special day. He encouraged us to make sure all pilgrims take a day for themselves to pray and be alone with God….so He can speak and we can listen.” More next month. To listen to the talks from this meeting, go to www.medjugorje.ie,, the official English website for Medjugorje.