Sr Emmanuel’s Report January 2023

Medjugorje, January 16, 2023

Dear friends, praise be to Jesus and Mary!

 1. On December 25, 2022, the visionary, Marija, received the following monthly message:

“Dear children! Today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, that you may be His peace and a reflection of clarity and joy of Heaven. Pray, little children, to be open to receive peace because many hearts are closed to the call of the light which changes hearts. I am with you and am praying for you to open yourselves to receive the King of peace, who fills your hearts with warmth and blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Message given to Jakov Colo during his annual apparition on December 25, 2022:

“Dear Children! Today, as the light of Jesus’ birth shines over the whole world and as I hold Jesus in my arms in a special way, I pray that each heart may become the stable of Bethlehem in which my Son will be born, and that your lives may become the light of his birth. Little children, you live in turmoil and fear. Therefore, little children, on this day of grace, pray to Jesus to strengthen your faith and to become the Sovereign of your lives. For, my children, only with Jesus in your life will you not look at trouble, but pray for Peace and live in Peace. You will not look at fear, but rather at Jesus who frees us from all fear. I am your Mother who watches over you unceasingly, and I bless you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for responding to my call.”

2. The “little remnant”. In 42 years of apparitions, Mary did not create a new religious order, a congregation, or even a new spiritual trend. No, she simply transmitted the Gospel to the world with a mother’s heart, mother’s words, and a mother’s perseverance in spite of all the obstacles she came up against. Her goal was, and is, to form “apostles of her love”, those who let themselves be guided by her, and her school is open to all, young and old.

During my many missions, I have had the joy of meeting wonderful people who have the courage to resist the prevailing apostasy and to live the simplicity of the Gospel, against the current of what the world professes today. In every country, in every city, I have been struck by the magnificent work of Our Lady in prayer groups, in small homes of fervor and in families committed body and soul to their faith. I also see in them those apostles of whom St. Louis de Montfort spoke, totally surrendered to Mary in order to be able to identify with Jesus. They are the future of the Church, and even if they are few in number – even despised – their confidence in a better future is unshakeable. They are preparing in secret the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart and the New Pentecost of love, they form that “little remnant” which, in spite of its poverty and thanks to its poverty, attracts the Holy Spirit in this world which has chosen death.

An unshakeable woman! During the Passion of Jesus, Mary stood firm, believed, hoped and offered everything to the Father with love, in the midst of great suffering. This is why she was given the task of understanding and accompanying the apostles, who were often undermined by those around them. Like a beacon of consolation and peace, she shines in the midst of the storm that is increasingly shaking the Church of Christ.

To be an apostle, it is not necessary to do great things, rather “do small things with great love,” as advocated by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and St Therese of Lisieux. Being with Jesus: that is what counts. His presence alone is a guarantee of unity and fruitfulness. The whole history of the Church shows us that God looks at what, in the eyes of the world, does not count. Our Lady teaches us that we are all important. So, what does it matter if we are insignificant in the eyes of men? We are not insignificant in the eyes of God. Let us rejoice!

3. Joseph Ratzinger’s prophetic words! In the wake of Benedict XVI’s departure to the Father, let us recall his vision of a brilliant ecclesiology, a view of the Church well rooted in the Bible and its tradition. How could he not suffer from the apostasy of the so-called Christian countries? In 1969 when he was just Professor Ratzinger, he saw the Church in crisis. Even at that time it was being persecuted, “deprived of its privileges, almost catacomb-like but holy, a Church formed by those who seek not to please the world but the Church of the faithful to God and to the eternal Law. All will seem lost, but at the right moment, precisely in the most dramatic phase of the crisis, the Church will be reborn.”

Yes, there will come a time when “all will seem lost,” for the Church follows the Master even in His dereliction! The Venerable French mystic Marthe Robin said the same thing. When Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane by the traitor, He said: “This is your hour and the reign of darkness.” But He was 3 days away from his resurrection! Darkness always has an expiration date. So, like her Master, the Church is approaching her resurrection. She will follow her Master in His Resurrection as she follows Him now in His agony! (PS1)

Yes, the Church will be reborn, for the gates of Hades cannot prevail against her. She will then be holier. According to Benedict XVI, “The rebirth will be the work of a small remnant, apparently insignificant but indomitable, which has gone through a process of purification. Because this is how God works. Against evil, a small flock resist.”

This is how the Church will be able to enter this new time announced by Our Lady in her messages, “a time of peace, a time of spring” for which she has been preparing us for 42 years. When the secrets entrusted to the six visionaries are realized, it will be the end of Satan’s power.

4. A subtle enemy. Benedict XVI’s pastoral concern was to bring people living today, to Christ, to join the surrounding culture with Christian culture.  His catechesis is timeless because they expose to us truths of faith that do not change.

He had the courage to denounce the subtle enemy of Christ and His Church: relativism. He never stopped fighting against this scourge that denies the reality of Christian Baptism and sows confusion.  “When the Church opposes the sins of this age, when it denounces the destruction of marriage, the destruction of the family, etc., then it is immediately opposed to a Jesus who would have been not only merciful but also always understanding… To be a Christian must not cost anything… Christ went up on the cross: a Jesus ready to tolerate everything would not have been crucified.”

5. A miracle of Benedict XVI? I invite you to read on social networks the moving testimony of Pierre Srsich, a 17-year-old young man, suffering from stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a large cancerous tumor on his lungs. Each new round of chemo made him more depressed. But he was able to take advantage of a providential offer through the Make-a-Wish Foundation (USA), which helps children with life-threatening illnesses realize their dreams. Peter had a dream: to go to Rome and meet Benedict XVI. Sure enough, he did so in May 2012 with his family. But little did he know he would receive the blessing of his life! Without knowing anything about what this young man was suffering from, the Pope laid his hand on his chest, right where the tumor was and he blessed him. A blessing is usually done by laying hands on the head! The medical examinations that followed this encounter showed that Peter was cured. He entered the seminary and nine years later he was ordained a priest.

Peter is not the only priest to have an amazing story, where suffering and heavenly consolation are mixed together! Looking death in the face transforms the heart. Let us give thanks to God for Peter, let us also pray for him and for all priests, that they may radiate the Light of Christ in this world of great spiritual darkness. We need them so much!

6. Have you received your saint of the year? It’s not too late to pick a saint from the list we published in December: https://sremmanuel.org/pearls/choose-a-saint-for-2023-2/

You need the saint’s faithful assistance, take the gift! In Medjugorje, our house received the Child Jesus, King of Love as a special protector. Joy of joys! I will keep you informed of what He has in store for us, and I invite you to pray to Him with us. Let us not forget this word of the Venerable Marguerite of the Blessed Sacrament, Carmelite of Beaune (France): “Prayers offered by the merits of the infancy of Jesus are always answered.” (PS2)