I will arise and go now, and go to Medjugorje… June 27, 2024 Dear Family of Mary! There have been many brilliant homilies given in Medjugorje during the Anniversary time! Today I am so happy to share one of them! Fr. Paul Montague gave this homily of June 18, 2024 at English Mass! It is so lovely and so true!! I am grateful to Stefanie Hogue for transcribing it for us. If you would rather hear Fr. deliver the homily, here is the link on Mary TV’s website: https://video.marytv.tv/watch/mmjUicsgeq3?ctx=t2IRKm6DsiE%2CIRBKmbjFsDA I will now share the transcript to you in full: English Mass in Medjugorje Tuesday, June 18, 2024 Fr. Paul Montague A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew 5:43-48 Jesus said to His disciples, “You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,’ that you may be children of your Heavenly Father; for He makes His sun rise on the bad and on the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” The Gospel of the Lord HOMILY As I was reflecting on my pilgrimage here to Medjugorje, I was asking myself, “What is it that makes this place so special?” And a poem came to mind by William Butler Yeats: I’ll arise and go now, and go to Innisfree, And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made; Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee, And live alone in the bee-loud glade. And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow, Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings; There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow, And evening full of the linnet’s wings. I will arise and go now, for always night and day I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore; While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey, I hear it in the deep heart’s core. –The Lake Isle of Innisfree If we were to take the word “Innisfree” out and replace it with “Medjugorje”: I’ll arise and go now, and go to Medjugorje; And I shall have some Peace there, For Peace comes dropping slow; Dropping from the veils of the morning To where the cricket sings. I think that we all can identify here in Medjugorje that: “Peace.” “Mir” – the Peace that Our Lady speaks of so often. And we all wish for that Peace. And Our Lady asks us to pray for Peace. “Peace must reign between man and God, and between all people.” “Pray for Peace in your heart,” Then, “in your families.” And after that, you can “carry Peace to the whole world.” So that “you become makers of my Peace in the world.” Our Lady also said that to those of us who are entrusted with this mission, “Do not be afraid of anything.” When referring to Medjugorje, Our Lady has said that what she started in Fatima, she will finish in Medjugorje. And what happened in Fatima? Our Lady came to warn the people that there were times of great danger in 1917, and she came to the three children. She appeared to them bearing messages to the people of God; calling mankind to repentance, and to rediscover their faith in God. She came at a time in the world when there were so many great evils lurking in the midst of the first World War – then known as the Great War – when millions of people lost their lives. And the year 1917 was the beginning of the Communist movement gaining momentum and power throughout the world. Beginning in Russia, when the Bolshevik Revolution succeeded and allowing the Communists to establish the world’s first Communist regime. And like Ahab and Jezebel, they confiscated people’s private property and took away their rights. The time was followed saw the extermination of countless faithful – both the laity and the priests alike. The closure of many churches and parishes. And the spread of atheism, not just throughout Russia, but also throughout many other parts of the world. We now know, of course, in hindsight, that Our Lady succeeded in the destruction of the Russian Communist empire which held much of Eastern Europe in tyranny. When I first came to Medjugorje in the early 1980’s, Medjugorje was under Communist rule in the former Yugoslavia. I observed first-hand an oppressed people, who suffered like Naboth from injustice. On the 25th of June, 1981, the present six visionaries – Ivanka, Mirjana, Viska, Marija, Ivan, and Yakov – saw Our Lady, or “the Gospa,” on the Hill. The supernatural events which followed continued despite all the efforts of the Communists who were in power at the time, to stop and suppress it. Many scientific studies – even the condemnation of the local Bishop – did not suppress the apparitions, giving strong evidence that these events were from God. During the bitter war which broke out in the region, Medjugorje remained an oasis of Peace, because people listened to Our Lady’s messages and implemented them in their lives. This was due to the fact that they did respond to Our Lady’s message. And, in fact, many millions of people have come here. Millions of conversions have taken place, which are so powerful that they are changing, and will continue to change the whole face of the earth. Perhaps the greatest miracle of Medjugorje are the confessions which take place. The Sacrament of Reconciliation of Mercy and Forgiveness has practically disappeared in the western world, with the odd exception here and there. Therefore, the heart of man has closed. The western world is now in moral decay, and the powers-that-be are seeking a Godless society, where religious freedom and freedom of expression are suppressed and controlled. It is almost back to the situation in the former Yugoslavia when Communism reigned. I remember living in New Zealand when I came to Medjugorje in those times, and thinking how wonderful it was to have freedom of expression, freedom to practice your religion. And now I discover that in my own country, things such as religion are not spoken out very much. Your faith; people are reluctant to speak about their faith. Why? Because the demons are at work in our society to destroy all presence of God. However, promoting a Godless society has its consequences, which is all too evident and ultimately will lead to the destruction of that society; unless people repent and turn back to God as Ahab did. If mankind does not turn away from the sinful ways and begin to make the journey towards repentance, many sufferings, sorrows and evils will come. The world is becoming spiritually dry. Evil is strengthening. Conflicts are multiplying. And people are fearful of the future. We are all called to be Apostles of Good News, Conversion and Peace in this world. Because the consequences of sin is war, and that is now trampling right on our doorstep. It is no coincidence that Our Lady has asked us to pray for Peace. We may feel powerless to do anything about the situation – almost like a David versus Goliath. But remember, David destroyed Goliath with a single stone. Our Lady gives us Five Stones, or weapons, more powerful than any nuclear arsenal, which we can use to overcome the power and influence of evil and sin in our lives, and in our world. And those Five Stones are: Prayer – to pray with the heart with Love, Trust, Abandonment. Prayer heals human souls; heals the history of sin. Without prayer we can’t have an experience of God. Fasting – You know that many occasions in the Old Testament are examples of Fasting. Our Lady asks us to Fast. She suggests bread and water. Through fasting and prayers, one can stop wars, can suspend the natural laws of nature. Daily Reading of the Bible – If we want to commune and know about God, we need to read His Word, to allow that Word to transform us. Confession – Our Lady asks for monthly Confession. From the very first days of the apparitions, she has asked us to go to Confession regularly and to receive Holy Communion. And she said also, “Monthly Confession will be a remedy for the Church in the west.” And the Eucharist – She tells us to make sure we go to the Eucharist: Sunday Mass; and where possible, Daily Mass. Why? Because we are receiving the food for the souls. We are receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. Christ’s Blood is coursing through our veins. We are strengthened in our Faith and in our Trust. Just as in 1917, Our Lady appeals for help. She is depending on us to help her. We know from her many apparitions that she is depending on our Rosaries, which Padre Pio often referred to as the “weapon against Satan.” In 1917 in Fatima, Our Lady said, “Continue to pray the Rosary every day in honor of Our Lady to obtain Peace for the world.” And she revealed herself as, “Our Lady of the Rosary.” She also prayed the Rosary, remember, with St. Bernadette at Lourdes; again emphasizing the power of the Rosary. Today, as in 1917, war threatens; so the need to pray is great. Let us join Mary’s spirit of Love and become her prayer warriors to defeat the evil which threatens our world. Let prayer transform us so that we may be Apostles of Love and fulfilment of Christ’s commandment to, “Love our enemies” and “to pray for those who persecute us.” If we resolve to implement Our Lady’s messages in Medjugorje, we can be confident of success in the knowledge that Our Lady herself said, “What I started in Fatima, I will finish in Medjugorje. My Heart will Triumph!” And as we arise to return to our respective homelands, let us hold on to the Peace that we have found here in Medjugorje and fetter it in our hearts. English Homily – June 18, 2024 Medjugorje! Thank you, Fr. Paul Montague, for this beautiful distillation of what Our Lady has been sent to give to us in these days, these most difficult but also glorious days! Mary, our Mother and Queen of Peace…pray for us!! In Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Cathy Nolan (c)Mary TV. TV
