Our Lady's Monthly Message via medjugorje.com

Peace to All! Below please find the official translation of Our Lady's January 25, 2008 message to the world as translated and provided by the Information Center in Medjugorje.

God Bless!Steve and Ana Shawl the Medjugorje Web http://www.medjugorje.org/

Message of January 25, 2008:

“Dear children! With the time of Lent, you are approaching a time of grace. Your heart is like ploughed soil and it is ready to receive the fruit which will grow into what is good. You, little dhildren, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast. Plant joy and the fruit of joy will grow in your hearts for your good, and others will see it and receive it through your life. Renounce sin and choose eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Idol Worship?

I was tuned in to a Christian radio station as I was driving to mass yesterday morning. The protestant preacher on the program was talking about idol and icon worship as it exists in the world and in religion. My ears perked up because I was planning on going to St. Elizabeth Seton to see the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima in the evening.

I agreed with the preacher's basic message, which was that we don't need icons when we have given our lives over to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit resides in our hearts. However, the preacher went on to say that people who "pray to" religious icons were in effect in the same league with those who worship rock stars and movie idols! Does anyone out there think he wasn't talking about Catholics?

Think about the millions of Europeans and Latin American Catholics who have a sincere devotion to Our Lady, Mary the Mother of Jesus. Do you honestly believe that they are breaking the second commandment as the preacher specifically suggested? All of them?

I doubt it with all my heart. Even so, as always, let God be the judge.

Catholics don't "pray to" Mary, we ask for her intercession with Jesus. There are volumes of scholarly works available to anyone who wants to research the relevant theology. I encourage you to click on the Fatima link, or any of the other links on the right of the page, to get started. We owe it to the millions of devotees to know our stuff before we criticize.

I visited "the statue" for about two hours last night. I spent most of those two hours in prayer.

I saw hundreds of devotees approach the statue of Our Lady of Fatima, reverently kneeling, asking for her intercession. No trick of the devil here, just good old time religion and a big dose spiritual healing through God.

Your comments are encouraged.

--Jim Crockett

THE SEEKER by Carol Rae Blake circa 1975/6

The seeker seeks his way steadfast and courageous
For the way is long and the load is heavy
But he knows he must go on for the call in him
is strong and steady.
He must seek the truth to still the questioning heart.

The pitfalls are many and sometimes too long
The way between the splendor and the glory
But he is young and the call within him
is strong and steady.

He has seen Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
Color more brilliant than anyone has seen
Magnified and intensified
Mesmerized by the depths of their flaming brilliance

The truth, the light and the way...the core
of the new embryo of complete understanding.
The seeker has found his truth.

But no. The Demons came, ghoulish, grasping,
horrifying and beckoning the seeker to
follow them Into their hellish depths of
blackness and pain.
An illusion of the truth the seeker finds
and must go upon his way.

He sees the lowest depravity, cast-offs, rejects
pitiless creatures whose ghosts search for
they know not what.
But they are cells put together to form life and
therefore he must experience them, not completely
joining, but within their midst available to be
accepted or rejected. Part of his truth might be there.

He joins the company of the vagabond and the beauty
is great to his tired eye and weary soul and
he is refreshed and springs with new life
as he explores the glory of God in nature and the
earth he created. Another part of the truth
is here and he seals it in his heart and mind to
recall and bring forth like the spring water letting
it cleanse and purge the past.

The seeker seeks and his youth yearns
for the truth to bring silence and
quiet and peace of mind.

Is the truth within or in the world outside
All has a part in the seeker's mind
To look in the face of all mankind
The successful, the wholesome, the sick and the blind.

He will search on
and be all he can strive to be
He will find the truth as he journeys on
For he has the beauty of youth and
is courageous and strong.

The seeker is a child of God and will be
guided night and day
Kept safe as his questioning heart takes
him on his way

To the journey's end which will be the
beginning... for the truth the way
and the light
Is the beginning to God and the highest of heights.

God bless the seeker.


The Seeker was written by Carol Rae Blake
after morning coffee and conversation with me
in 1975/6. My mother reproduced this piece
and sent it to me 25 years later. I have
reproduced it just as she sent it to me.

Carol Rae was our next door neighbor in
in Whittier, California, while I was growing up.
She has since passed from Leukemia.
God rest her soul.

THE WAY #708

The world, the devil and the flesh are a band of adventurers who take advantage of the weakness of that savage you have within you. In exchange for the poor bauble of pleasure, which is worth nothing, they want you to hand over to them the pure gold and the pearls, the diamonds and the rubies, drenched in the living and redeeming blood of your God--the price and the treasure of your eternity.

--Josemaria Escriva

Medjugorje Overview

Overview of Medjugorje--edit from http://www.medjugorje.org/

Since 1981, in a small village in Bosnia-Hercegovina named Medjugorje, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been reportedly appearing and giving messages to the world. She tells us that God has sent Her to our world and, these years she is spending with us are a time of Grace granted by God. In Her own words She tells us, "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and peace, you must return to God".

Our Lady's mission is one of peace and love. She has come to earth to reeducate us and to help us convert and recenter our lives back to God. Our Lady's role has always been one of guiding people to Her Son, Jesus. What a fantastic opportunity we have before us! It is important that we understand both the magnitude and the urgency of Our Lady's call to conversion, and that we respond with all our hearts.

Our Lady continues to give messages to six people from the village of Medjugorje: Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana, Vicka, and Ivanka. These six people (referred to as "visionaries") have had apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary since June 24, 1981. In addition to these messages, Our Lady is to give each of the six visionaries a total of ten "secrets" or happenings that will occur on earth in the near future. Some of the secrets pertain to the whole world while others concern the visionaries themselves or their local village. Only one of the secrets so far has been revealed by the visionaries. Our Lady has promised to leave a supernatural, indestructable, and visible sign on the mountain where she first appeared. Our Lady said: "This sign will be given for the atheists. You faithful already have signs and you have become the sign for the atheists. You faithful must not wait for the sign before you convert; convert soon. This time is a time of grace for you. You can never thank God enough for His grace. The time is for deepening your faith and for your conversion. When the sign comes, it will be too late for many."

When each of the six visionaries has received all ten "secrets", Our Lady will stop appearing to them on a daily basis. Currently, Marija, Vicka, and Ivan have received nine secrets, and Our Lady still appears to them every day, wherever they are, at 5:40pm during daylight savings time, and 6:40pm the rest of the year. Mirjana, Jakov, and Ivanka have received all ten secrets, and Our Lady appears to them once per year, and will do so for the rest of their lives. For Ivanka who received her 10th secret on May 7, 1985 it is on the anniversary of the apparitions, June 25 each year. For Jakov who received his 10th secret on September 12, 1998, it is on Christmas day each year. And for Mirjana who received her 10th secret on Christmas 1982, it is on her birthday, March 18 each year. Our Lady has also been appearing to Mirjana on the 2nd of each month since August 2, 1987 for the express purpose of praying for all unbelievers. Mirjana tells us that it is very important that all of us pray for the unbelievers in the world, who are defined as those who do not yet know God's love. Sometimes these appearances on the 2nd of each month are in apparitional form, and sometimes as locutions. No one knows when Our Lady will give the tenth secret to Marija, Ivan, and Vicka.

Once Our Lady stops appearing there will be three warnings given to the world. Mirjana will witness the warnings and they will ocurr on the earth. Ten days before each of the warnings, she will advise the priest she chose for this task (Father Petar Ljubicic), who will then fast and pray with Mirjana for seven days. Then, three days before the warning is to take place, Fr. Petar will announce to the world what, where, and when the warning is to take place. Fr. Petar has no choice, and must reveal each warning. Mirjana's testimony will be a confirmation of the validity of the apparitions and an incentive for the conversion of the world. After the first warning, the others will follow within a rather brief period of time. So it is that people will have time for conversion. After the three warnings, the permanent visible sign will be left on the mountain where Our Lady first appeared in Medjugorje. Those who are still alive will have little time for conversion. For that reason, the Blessed Virgin calls for urgent conversion and reconciliation. The permanent sign will lead to many healings and conversions before the messages become reality.

The ninth and tenth secrets are grave matters. They are a chastisement for the sins of the world. The punishment is inevitable because we can not expect the conversion of the entire world. The chastisement can be lessened by prayers and penance, but it can not be suppressed entirely. An evil which threatened the world according to the seventh secret, had been eliminated through prayer and fasting. For that reason the Blessed Virgin continues to ask for prayer and fasting. The invitation to prayer and penance is destined to ward off evil and war and above all to save souls. Our Lady says: "You have forgotten that with prayer and fasting you can ward off wars, suspend natural laws."

Since the apparitions began in 1981, millions of people of all faiths, from all over the world, have visited Medjugorje and have left spiritually strengthened and renewed. Many bring back stories of miracles in the form of healings (of mind, body and soul), supernatural visual events, and deep conversions back to God. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones, to investigate with an open mind and heart the messages which are given to us by Our Lady of Medjugorje. I invite you to read these messages and decide for yourself how this messenger from Heaven will affect your life and that of your family.

I don't think that anyone could argue, regardless of religious orientation, that today's world is in a state of crisis. All one has to do is read the newspaper or watch television to be see how eroded the morals of our world have become. It is shocking to see and hear of the examples of inhumanity, cruelty, violence, abuse, drugs, war, crime, etc., etc. Much of the world has strayed far from a life centered around God and family. The answers which we need to redirect our life can be found by reading and living Our Lady's messages and the Scriptures.

We must realize that Satan is real. He uses us for his own end and purposes. His main purpose is destruction. Destruction of love, peace, faith, family, and life. Just as God gave David 5 stones with which to defeat Goliath, Our Lady is also giving us 5 Stones or Weapons we can use to defeat satan. They are:

Daily Prayer (Of the Rosary)
Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays
Daily Reading of the Bible
Monthly Confession
Holy Communion

We must realize that Our Lady's plan is for the entire planet, that this war is a war of love against destruction, and that Our Lady's goal in this struggle is the reign of love, and the return of souls to God.

Matthew 16:25-27 "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would a man show if he were to gain the whole world and destroy himself in the process? What can a man offer in exchange for his very self?"

My Conversion Memories

EASTER WEEK 2006 REVISITED


The Triduum was indeed one long liturgy, and I soaked up every minute of it. I watched as 12 of my classmates had their feet washed on Thursday night. It was a beautiful mass with the full choir, all the Deacons, and so on. We have been going to the 5:00 teen mass on Sundays, so I hadn't heard the choir in a long time. We read the Passion, and I stayed for the exposition and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for about half an hour, praying and trying to comprehend the adoration concept...

I stayed for all three services on Friday; the Stations, the Tenebrae, and the Liturgy of the Word. The Tenebrae was beautiful, with seven of our best male voices chanting the psalms from the back of the church. The sadness of the candles being extinguished was punctuated when the Pascal candle was taken away, and they made a startling, loud noise in the back to signify the sealing of the tomb.

The vigil was a joyous occasion. We all (about 60 people between Catacumins, Candidates, Sponsors, and Godparents) met in the basement room an hour ahead of time to get organized. Everyone dressed up, and looked sharp. My dear friend Frank Morall was there to sponsor his girlfriend's son, Robert Chang. Frank and I have drawn close over the past year, sharing our age related employment troubles, attending mass together, and RCIA. Frank is recovering from cancer.

My wife, Lynette, was my sponsor for the vigil. All the Catacumins and Candidates sat together with sponsors front and center, and the kids sat together in our "usual" pew. It started with lights out. Father Bill kindled a fire in the back, and all candles were lighted from there. We had five readings, starting with Genesis, proceeding through the Gospel of the Lord rising from the tomb. Then they played some beautiful music with bells and brought up lights around the church.

Father Bill then baptized the Catacumins. It was a great moment, and I found myself saying "Amen" after each one received their holy water. I celebrated with Deacon Jayce, who led our class, while I was in line to get confirmed, and took "Paul" as my confirmation name. The kids were cheering for me when we said our vows, and there was thunderous applause. I was beaming.

Deacon Jayce asked me to bring the gifts up, so that was a very special moment too. It was a great night to share with Lynette by my side. I felt both restored and born again when I received the Body of Christ. The camaraderie within the group was very special.

Well, here we go into the new dawn...