August 17, 2013 Dear Children of Medjugorje, praised be Jesus and Mary! 1. On August 2nd, Mirjana received her monthly apparition at the Blue Cross. Because it was during the Youth Festival, Podbrdo hill was covered with huge crowds of young people! After the apparition, she gave the following message: "Dear children! If only you would open your hearts to me with complete trust, you would comprehend everything. You would comprehend with how much love I am calling you; with how much love I desire to change you, to make you happy; with how much love I desire to make you followers of my Son and give you peace in the fullness of my Son. You would comprehend the immeasurable greatness of my motherly love. That is why, my children, pray because through prayer your faith grows and love is born, the love along which even the cross is not unendurable because you do not carry it alone. In union with my Son you glorify the name of the Heavenly Father. Pray, pray for the gift of love, because love is the only truth: it forgives everything, it serves everyone and it sees a brother in everyone. My children, my apostles, great is the trust that the Heavenly Father has given you through me, His handmaid, to help those who do not know Him, that they may reconcile with Him and follow Him. That is why I am teaching you love, because only if you have love will you be able to respond to Him. Again I am calling you to love your shepherds and to pray that, at this difficult time, the name of my Son may be glorified under their guidance. Thank you! 2. An addiction overcome! Céline, a consecrated person close to Medjugorje, told us about something that could inspire many people suffering from an addiction. For years Céline has lived the Gospa's messages as best she could, particularly the one about fasting on bread and water two days a week. She has really experienced its benefits. But she was sad because she could not give up her morning coffee on those two days. The reason was not of little importance: if she did not have it, her brain remained foggy, she fell asleep at her computer and during the mass; in short, she could not handle it. This did not prevent her from feeling deeply in her heart that even coffee had to be cut out to fully live the message on fasting. Actually she believed that Our Lady was expecting a change from her on this matter and that Our Lady was waiting for her. She started praying to have the grace to renounce coffee, but it never worked. One day, during adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament, an idea dawned on her and without giving it a thought, she heard herself say, "All right, Mother! I won't have anymore coffee, but you know the consequences. So please, be my coffee! Please, ensure that I don't suffer from the lack of caffeine and that I may function as if I was having coffee. Please make sure that I keep my eyes open! Céline noticed that Our Lady accepted this strange deal which worked out very well! From that day on, Céline assured us, there was no more coffee on her fasting days menu, nor did she drink any on the other days of the week, which noticeably improved her health and her clarity of mind at work! She was laughing while saying, "I don't know if Our Lady has often received this kind of request, 'Be my coffee!' But in any case she accepted it!" Good advice for coffee, chocolate, or ice cream lovers ....! 3. A departure for Heaven. The Lord surprised us again by his all-divine wisdom, which is not that of men. Our dear sister Milena Tomas passed away on July 22 at the age of 51, in great peace after a long illness which she endured with remarkable courage and smile. Founder of the small community "The Heart of Mary", she was recognized as a real icon of that Marian Heart by all who met her. She was such a carrier of the spirit and the messages of the Gospa! How we miss her! Medjugorje needs very much to remain close to this spirit! ![]() Here are a few details about her: Milena was born in the country side near Tihaljina. Her parents sold vegetables and their lives were difficult under Communism. In those days, people had to work hard to survive. At an early age, Milena spent hours after school outdoors herding the sheep. She had a great thirst for God and was enamored with the silence of nature, which is so beautiful in that region. Her time in solitude was spent talking to God and reading the Bible. She felt very close to Heaven, and was already envisioning her future as a consecrated person. She did not have access, as so many children do today, to the detriment provided by electronic gadgets that draw attention away from the soul. Her artistic talents made her see beauty in all things and all people. This enabled her to welcome all the individuals who met her later in her community - the good ones as well as the not so good ones. She never judged someone negatively. In fact, in her family, there was a principle (all too rare!): never criticize. What a powerful example and inspiration for our own families! When the apparitions began, she would walk with her family from Tihaljina to Medjugorje (35 km!). She enjoyed walking by night to escape the heat, and anyway they had to work during the day. Thus God prepares saints! From the day of her funeral, blessings from her intercession in Heaven started to inundate us, so I recommend that you pray to her - she is strong! I often wondered why the Lord did not let her Community of the Heart of Mary to continue. It seems that God wanted it to blossom to its fullness in Heaven! In effect, Sr Milena can now attract large crowds to the Heart of Mary, as she is no longer limited to her earthly work. She can stretch out the wings of her heart to welcome, console, and nurture the thousands the people she wanted to help on earth. Dearest Milena, thank you for being what you are! Please help us be living reflections of the Heart of Mary! 4. A blessed flurry of Consecrations! For the celebration of the Year of the Faith and the Marian day of October 13, Pope Francis will consecrate the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. On October 12, the original statue of Mary in Fatima will be taken to Rome. It shall be received by the Pope for the ceremony at St. Peter's Square on October 13, and will be taken back to Fatima on the 14th. Let us remember that on October 13, 1917 Mary made her last apparition in Fatima. On that day she gave the big sign that she had promised to the young shepherds; Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, which was witnessed by the crowd gathered there: the sun started dancing and spinning before 70 000 people. On June 16, 2013Lebanon has been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The consecration, made by the Maronite Patriarch, SB Cardinal Boutros Bechara Rai, in the presence of the President of the Republic Michel Sleiman, was prepared by a special novena of prayer, fasting, adoration, rosaries, confessions attended by thousands of Catholics. Seehttp://www.oeuvre-orient.fr/2013/06/24/consecration-du-liban-au-coeur-immacule-de-la-vierge-marie/ Father Boulos Fahed flew over the country in a helicopter, from which he blessed the whole Middle East with the Eucharistic Jesus in his monstrance. Truly an unheard of event in history! In Ireland, for the solemnity of the Assumption on August 15, Cardinal Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of Ireland, consecrated the country and its entire people to Jesus through Mary at the Marian Shrine of Knock, attended by 15,000 people. A happy and crucial event for this country so hurt by impious laws with the objective of destroying the family! This consecration was prepared by 13.5 million Rosaries prayed by the faithful (http://www.scnci.org). On that day there were approximately 20 bishops present, and those who could not come sent a delegation to represent them. In their beautiful act of consecration to Jesus through the Heart of Mary, they prayed for the family, the homes, the dioceses of Ireland and for the youth. How about France? It would be so profitable for us as well to renew the consecration of our country that has been made in the past! As there is nothing in the horizon at the moment from our Church leaders, let us continue praying! May the consecration Pope Francis is going to make on October 13 inspire the faithful and shepherds of each nation! There is only everything to gain! Dearest Gospa, yes, we want to belong to your Son Jesus completely, through your motherly hands! Without God, we are lost. We beg you, wake up our sleeping souls! Sister Emmanuel + (Translated from French) |
Here are a few details about her: Milena was born in the country side near Tihaljina. Her parents sold vegetables and their lives were difficult under Communism. In those days, people had to work hard to survive. At an early age, Milena spent hours after school outdoors herding the sheep. She had a great thirst for God and was enamored with the silence of nature, which is so beautiful in that region. Her time in solitude was spent talking to God and reading the Bible. She felt very close to Heaven, and was already envisioning her future as a consecrated person. 
