|
Commentary on the
Monthly Message of December, 2003
& a monthly reflection
Peace to all! Below
is the official English translation of this month's Commentary on Our Lady's
message to the world through the visionary Marija & the monthly reflection as provided by the Information
Centre in Medjugorje via The
Medjugorje Web™
"Dear
children! Also today, I bless you all with my Son Jesus in my arms and I
carry Him, who is the King of Peace, to you, that He grant you His
peace. I am with you and I love you all, little children. Thank you for
having responded to my call." Monthly message of December 25, 2003
Our
Lady has regularly said the messages are for each one of us individually so try
to read them as if your own name was there; "Dear .........." - it can
makes the messages so much more personal.
Commentary:-
I LOVE YOU ALL The
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace, tells us: "Dear children!
Also today." Also today, as during all these years for Christmas,
the Mother of Peace comes to us carrying in her arms her Son Jesus, King
of Peace. Also today, like the first day of the apparitions when the
visionaries saw her for the first time on the hill called Crnica, Our
Lady comes with the Child Jesus in her arms, as if she wanted to say: I
bring Jesus to you and I lead you to Jesus. What do we need more? Let us
desire the utmost; let us languish for that, because God does not want
to give us a little but everything, not any kind of life but a life with
Him, which begins already here.
Nobody could imagine how many hearts - during all these years - would
make their experience of God, of a new birth and of a rebirth here; as
at the beginning so today. We also cannot measure or imagine the power
and the depth of the love of God and of his patience with us. God is
patient with us; he waits until we finally trust him, so that He may
give us nothing else but Himself. This is why, for Christmas, it is
important to look forward to somebody and not to something. Here, the
Virgin Mary does not bring something to us. Peace is not something but
somebody. It is a person who has a name; it is the King of Peace - Jesus
Christ, the Newborn Baby. Let us not be content with mediocrity,
tepidity, traditions and customs that go along with Christmas, but let
us desire the essence of Christmas. When we arrive to that, then
everything has a meaning: feast day garments, food and drink and all
decorations that accompany Christmas, according to the proverb:
"What is the use of speed if you do not have a goal?" The same
applies to our faith. What is the use of all external religious customs
if we do not know their foundation, the core and the meaning of all
that?
Christmas is a day that belongs to Jesus, and to us too. He is the one
who has given us this solemnity, this feast. He, the King of Peace, did
not come only to live with us but also to die for us to remain forever
with us, to remain Emmanuel - God with us. God did it for us and for our
salvation.
Only the small and the humble ones discover God. So many of them
discovered Jesus through Mary and through her presence here, among us.
Only the humble ones see that the heart of child can see further than
the heart of the adult. But the adults also can have a heart of child.
The humble ones - those who have a heart of child - see that something
incredible has happened among us, something that exceeds our
intelligence, something majestic. Also for this Christmas, Jesus comes
to tell us, that our sins are forgiven, that God has nothing against us,
that He has come to lead us out of darkness, out of restlessness and out
of confusion. He penetrated our tombs to lead us to life. He penetrated
our hatred to introduce us to love. Jesus Christ - He is Christmas,
indeed. God descended on our earth; He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Also today, He comes to us
through Mary.
When we look at a child, including the Child Jesus in the manger, it
seems to us so fragile, so weak and so incredible. Just like His Church:
weak, too human, sinful and frail. However, under external appearances
is hidden the invincible force of heaven, which wants to live in each
one of us, if only we allow it to approach us. Mary, the Queen of Peace,
tells us again and again: "I am with you and I love you all."
She loves us all, whether we want it or not; she loves us, whether we
receive her or not. If we receive her, it will be for our salvation and
for a new life for us and for our neighbor. Let us pray the Lord that it
may happen.
Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic - Medjugorje ~ December 26, 2003 (Official English translation.)
Download
printable page in .rtf format
Monthly
Reflection:- WHO IS MY WAY?
As
seekers of God, we are glad that Saint Thomas had asked: Lord, we do not
know where you are going and which is your way... It is as if Thomas had
expressed aloud, and in the name of all of us, the reality of our lack
of understanding of the plans of Christ, of his way, his goal... Where
are you going? Jesus said to Thomas that he was the way, the truth and
the life. (Cf. Jn 14,6) This is how Jesus presented himself.
If we want to arrive at any destination, we must know the way. A way is
not just a road, a railway, an air corridor or similar. A way, it is
also a possibility of an encounter. If we want to meet a person or a
friend, we must cross a certain way - enter in touch, shake the hands,
become friends. It is important to know the way, if not, we will get
lost. How to find the way towards God, and how to walk on his ways - it
is the fundamental question for all believers. To know the way that
leads to the encounter with God is the capital duty not only of
religious people but also of humanity in general. To meet our Creator,
it is a must, to which each one must aim.
In a world without God, innumerable doctrines deny the existence of God
and offer their own ways. Many succumb by ignorance. Stirred by this,
the German theologian Hans Kueng said to an atheistic journalist:
"You do not believe in God. Consequently, an endless and splendid
world remains closed to you. You are like a deaf person who does not
have access to the wonderful world of music". It is difficult to
make something transparent to someone, as long as the person has not
felt herself the beauty of the light. Thus, it is not so much important
to prove the existence of God, but to help people to open the eyes of
the heart and of the soul, so that they may see and understand for
themselves. The Pope Paul VI said: "Let us not curse darkness, but
light a candle!"
In Medjugorje, through Gospa, God has lit his lamp in the darkness of a
world, which was at the time still communist. Thus the Apparition Hill
became the city located on the mount, the light that shines in the night
of so many hearts. This light, like the Morning Star in the night of
Bethlehem, shows distinctly and illuminates the way that leads to Jesus.
It is precisely here, on Apparition Hill, that our contemporaries repeat
in front of Our Lady the question of Saint Thomas: Lord, where do you
stay? Thus, Our Lady becomes the most beautiful indicator of the way,
which leads out to Jesus. She does not want to be anything else. She
does not lead people to herself, but towards the One who is the Way, the
Truth and the Life. So, through Our Lady, the pilgrims of Medjugorje
experience God and, with her, they find their own way. Thus, together
with John the Baptist, Mary wants to tell us that our own experience of
faith can become for others a pathway to Jesus.
Fr. Mario Knezovic (Official English
translation - Medjugorje Information Centre - Press Bulletin #193,
December 26, 2003.)
Annual Apparition to Jakov on
December 25th 2003
At the last daily apparition
to Jakov Colo on September 12th, 1998, Our Lady told him that henceforth
he would have one apparition a year, every December 25th, on Christmas
Day. This is also how it was this year. The apparition began at 3:15 pm
and lasted 8 minutes. Our Lady gave the following message:
"Dear children! Today,
when in a special way, Jesus desires to give you His peace, I call you
to pray for peace in your hearts. Children, without peace in your hearts
you cannot feel the love and joy of the birth of Jesus. Therefore,
little children, today in a special way, open your hearts and begin to
pray. Only through prayer and complete surrender, will your heart be
filled with the love and peace of Jesus. I bless you with my motherly
blessing."
English translations of messages, commentaries
and reflections courtesy of The Information Centre
in Medjugorje via The Medjugorje Web™ and gratefully acknowledged. Sign up for The Medjugorje Web e-mail information service.
http://www.medjugorje.org
Message from
Steve Shawl - The Medjugorje Web. "All of you know that we do not
solicit our subscribers or recommend products or causes. But, we have been
involved for over one year with an incredible relief effort called
"Rebuild for Bosnia". The organization provides assistance to the
forgotten victims of the horrors of the war in Bosnia-Hercegovina. The effort
provides homes, medical attention, and help to the most severe and needy
cases. Please take a look at the following page on our site: http://www.medjugorje.org/rebuildforbosnia.htm
To help raise funds for this effort, we are selling excellent quality and
unique videos about Fr. Slavko, and Medjugorje. Please note that all videos
are in NTSC format only for the US & Canada. There is also a secure
donation page for those who would just like to contribute to the cause. This
initiative is a grass roots expression of living the Gospel and Our Lady's
messages in Medjugorje!!" God Bless! - Steve Shawl - http://www.medjugorje.org
close
window
last
updated 31st December, 2003 - Praised be Jesus and Mary - His Peace to all! - ê¿ê
|