On April 25 Our Lady gave us this message through the visionary Marija:
“Dear Children! May this time be an incentive for personal conversion for you. Pray, little children, in solitude, to the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in faith and trust in God, that you may be worthy witnesses of the love which God bestows upon you through my presence.
Little children, do not permit trials to harden your heart and for prayer to be like a desert. Be a reflection of God’s love and witness the Risen Jesus by your lives. I am with you and I love all of you with my motherly love.
Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Some good news from the village of Medjugorje!
For 38 days, since March 22, St James church has been closed. However, thanks be to God, on April 27 it once again opened to the faithful for personal prayer, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., observing of course the prescribed social distancing.
Our Franciscan brothers have been tested for the virus and thankfully they are in good health. They can now move freely in the areas around the parish.
The evening Mass is still celebrated without the faithful for the time being (together with the millions of invisible people who are following it through live-streaming!), but we hope that the Mass will be celebrated again publicly, at least on Sunday, at the Rotunda. On Thursday evening, after Adoration, an update from the parish will be given by video with simultaneous translation.
The civilian authorities in Sarajevo have allowed the villagers to leave their homes, with no more limits in the evening. Field work is well underway this season. Young people under the age of 18 can only go out between 8am and 1pm, likewise for people over 65 which includes myself, and only 3 days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. I appreciate being able once again to walk along the narrow red paths of the plain and over the stones of the Blue Cross! In this holy place, we pray fervently for you, for those who are still confined to their homes. We bring your intentions to the Gospa who “loves each of her children as much as she loves her Son Jesus,” as she herself said, which is extraordinary when you think about it!
For my part, as long as I can, I will continue to make evangelization videos in order to reach you where you are living, suffering and hoping… After having lived so long in contact with pilgrims in the overcrowded Medjugorje experiencing great moments of grace, it seems surreal to speak to you now in front of a small iPhone, in the upper room of our house… I cannot wait to see you here again and to be able to look into your eyes!
Another piece of good news: during the “Month of Mary”, from May 1st to 31st, we can all make a lovely gift to Our Lady. Let me explain… One day, while talking with Vicka, the visionary, she told me: “When the Gospa appears to us (the visionaries) she gives us great graces, graces which she has not given before and which she will no longer give afterwards.” I said, “So if I am next to you during the apparition, these great graces fall upon you, and not on me since I do not see her?” Vicka then exclaimed, “Of course they do fall on you too! You just need to open your heart to her coming!” “And do I receive them even if I’m in America or China, far from Medjugorje?” “Sure, sister! You see, what matters is that you welcome her into your heart when she comes.”
Isn’t that good news for all of us? Therefore, to all those who wish to welcome her warmly, I suggest that we remain silent for a minute or more at the time of Mary’s coming (around 6:40 p.m. from April to September), and to speak to her heart to heart, and start by thanking her. This is a rather short meeting that will unite us all firmly around our Mother, the Queen of Peace. Even a simple Ave Maria would already be a great gift to her and for us. The ideal is to pray a rosary, if possible. With the time differences, if that moment falls at night, everyone can set a specific time to experience this special appointment. Dive into her arms! (See PS 1)
You know how much Mary dreams of bringing us together under her maternal mantle, when our hearts are united. “My greatest joy,” she told the prayer group, “is to see you praying together to my Son Jesus with one heart.” And isn’t the Rosary precisely a contemplation of the life of Jesus with the eyes of Mary? “When I was on earth,” she said, “I was praying the Rosary constantly. I had the eyes of my heart constantly fixed on the life of Jesus, my Son, and this is what the prayer of the Rosary is.” (See PS 2)
We will also pray ardently for the rapid reopening of our churches around the world, a right that we should really be given. (For our Italian speaking friends, listen to Mgr. Giovanni d’Ercole short statement about our rights. (See PS 3)
In recent days, I was able to make a few more videos, you will find them in the list below. But given the ordeal we are all experiencing, don’t miss the video about suffering,
,because if one cannot see the deep meaning of one’s suffering, it can become intolerable. Discover the fruits of your suffering, as Mary teaches us especially through Vicka who is bearing heavy crosses, but with Jesus, not without Him!
Don’t miss either the Video on the Future, you put its title here?, because more than ever, we need answers that come from Heaven which do not disappoint.
I cannot recommend enough the marvelous teachings of Ralph Martin about the mystics of the Church. Let us dedicate a special time in the day to listen to his CDs and discover incredible beauties of our Catholic faith. Even in the midst of today’s hardships, your hearts will be truly lifted up and experience a new happiness to be part of God’s creation and have such a Savior! Here are the new heavenly friends you will have:
May God’s blessing always be with you and with your dear ones!
Your sister, Emmanuel +
(Community of the Beatitudes)
Translated from French
PS 1 – I know an American woman who was so desperate that she decided to commit suicide. On the day she planned her suicide, however, as a last resort, she decided to take just three minutes to fall into Mary’s arms at the moment of the apparition. Not only did she relent on committing suicide, but she was filled with a great peace, to such an extent that she said to me a few days later, “I am the happiest woman in the world!” Mary had not told her anything, but through this embrace she felt like she had become like a new creation.
Marija, the visionary, said that, “When I read John Paul II, I don’t know if he’s copying the Gospa, or if the Gospa is copying him!”
PS 3 – For those who understand Italian, listen to this short speech from Bishop Giovanni d’Ercole about our rights to open our churches for mass and personal prayer!