January 2, 2022
Feast of the Epiphany
Dear Mary TV Shipmates,
Family of Our Lady, Queen of Peace:
It must have been a shock for the Franciscan Minister General who had come from Italy. Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, OFM, the Franciscan Minister General had come to Medjugorje from Rome to preside at the parish’s January 1, 2022, Midnight Mass. The line of nearly 100 priests, who processed into Church with him, had to make its way through the crowds standing in the cold surrounding the church. There was no more room inside. The church had been packed for hours.
In contrast, Marija told Fr Livio, during their discussion on the message for December 25, her experience of attending Mass in Italy the week before: “On Christmas day, I got very sad because at Mass (in Italy) there was only one family with children and the church was with very few faithful.” See their full discussion of her December 25th apparition at:
https://marytv.tv/december-25-2021-marija-speaks-about-our-ladys-message/
Italy may be struggling, but the faith is very much alive in Medjugorje, as Fr. Fusarelli witnessed on New Year’s Eve.
Trying to squeeze into an already packed St. James Church is not an unusual occurrence. I remember 25 years ago trying to squeeze in, but I could only get one foot inside…people were packed shoulder to shoulder. I said my “Good–by” to Jesus and then went to pack. I had to catch a cab to Dubrovnik for an early flight home.
After arriving home, I decided to stop at St. Matthew’s Cathedral for the 5:15 pm Mass. I was surprised to find the Bishop officiating. It was a big diocesan celebration. The Knights of Columbus lined the isles…. As I knelt during Adoration after Mass I heard in front of me, “click, click, click.” Opening my eyes, I discovered it was a South Bend Tribune photographer. He would stop and look around the Cathedral, and then turn back to me and resume clicking away. Then, looking around myself, I saw there were only a handful of people in the Cathedral. I was the youngest person there. And I was the only one kneeling. I was the only shot the photographer had! Sure enough, I was the only picture for that story in the South Bend Tribune the next day! Where were the faithful?Eight years later Bishop Domenico Pecile, the Vicar of St John Lateran Basilica, the Pope’s Cathedral in Rome, testified: “In Medjugorje Our Lady is coming in a very powerful way… It is impossible not to see here the Lord our God. Impossible! In all our churches throughout the world, it should be as it is here in Medjugorje!”
Ivan once described Our Lady this way:
“In Our Lady’s voice, there is no fear, no threat, no pessimism, no anxiety. Her words bring us the sound and voice of God and his peace. She sees very well the conditions of the world and what conditions we are living in. She sees very well the crises of the church, of the family, of the youth. But she also sees very well the source of peace and how mankind can come to this peace.
“Our Lady wishes to guide us through peace to God, to a condition in which we have only peace through God. Therefore, let us allow Him to have the initiative in our lives. May Jesus have the initiative in our lives. Because it is more important what He is doing within us than what we are doing. Allow Him and His love to touch our hearts and to touch our lives with His peace, to speak through our lives, our words, and our actions.”
Our Lady leads us into a living relationship with her Son, Jesus. It is vital that we follow her to him in these days. The Church is in such need of this guidance.
Marija said what we received when Our Lady and the Baby Jesus appeared to her on December 25th is a blessing of peace “not only for us, our families, but also for all those we will meet.” (Again, see her discussion with Fr. Livio on Mary TV’s web page, the link is above)
“It is more important what He is doing within us!” Our Lady’s children are being given something incredible through her continued daily apparitions.
Let’s stay very, very close to the Gospa of Medjugorje, the real living breathing Blessed Mother here with us. She alone has the promise of victory over Satan. If we don’t let go of her hand, blessings will go out through us to the whole world.
“Rejoice, little children, because God is merciful and loves you all with His immeasurable love and leads you to the way of salvation through my coming here!” Our Lady of Medjugorje – June 25, 2018
God bless you!
Denis Nolan
Mary TV
