Fr. Martin’s reflection on - Our Lady’s Message

25^th June 2024

‘43rd Anniversary of the Apparitions’

Dear children! “ I rejoice with you and thank God for permitting me to be with you, to lead you and love you. Little children, peace is in danger and the family is under attack. I am calling you, little children: return to prayer in the family. Put Sacred Scripture in a visible place and read it every day. Love God above all that it may be good for you on earth. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Dear Brother’s and Sister’s of Medjugorje North East and beyond,

hearts are full of Joy as we celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Our Lady’s coming to us in Medjugorje.

24^th June 1981 was the beginning of a great spiritual renewal for so many people, and has continued to this day, with people from all nations who have encountered the love of God in such a deep way through the messages of Our Lady Queen of Peace. That is why Our Lady begins this month’s message,

“I Rejoice with you and thank God for permitting me to be with you, to lead you and love you.”

Our Lady Rejoices because she is filled with thanksgiving to God for permitting her to be with us.

Yes, we should always remember that Our Lady is sent to us from God with the Gospel message of conversion and repentance.

Mary comes to us, not just as Mother, but as.

Mother and Teacher, who leads us and loves us in the Faith. Our Lady ‘rejoices’ with us because so many have been led to encounter the love of God through her presence.

Our Lady ‘Rejoices’ because she is leading and loving us towards eternal life.

Then Our Lady says : “Little Children, peace is in danger and the family is under attack.”

Our Lady comes to us as “Mother and Queen of Peace.”

Peace has been the main message of Our Lady since her first apparition in Medjugorje.

Over the years Mary has emphasised the importance of praying for peace and cultivating peace in our own hearts. The innermost message of Our Lady’s is that peace concerns not just the avoidance of war but is a radical call for conversion towards God and a radical decision for the good. The situation In the world today is not good.

We have wars in various places with untold suffering amongst the innocent, and some aggressors taking advantage of this.

Our Lady is alerting us that peace is in danger, so that means each of us have to make a decision for peace, beginning in our own situation. This means deciding for prayer and forgiveness. Then Our Lady tells us that “The family is under attack.”

Family life is under attack in so many ways, i.e. marital breakdown, addictions of various kinds, pornography, and confusion over gender identity

At the heart of this attack on the family is the crisis of Faith.

Our Lady tells us the remedy, “I am calling you, little children, return to prayer in the Family.”

Our Lady calls us back to God’s original plan for humanity in family life. This means that every family is called in God’s plan to be a reflection of Trinitarian love. Prayer is the means by which every family can be such a reflection.

In the life of the Holy Family at Nazareth, the Sacred Scriptures, especially the Psalms would have had a special place in their prayers.

So, Our Lady asks us “Put Sacred Scripture in a visible place and read it every day.” Let us do just that, to place the Word of God in a place where it can be seen, and where it will call us to ‘Take and Read. ‘We could also use a daily Missal and look at the Gospel each morning/evening, so that the Word of God takes firmer root in our hearts.

Our Lady concludes this month’s message with the words, “Love God, above all, that it may be good for you on earth.” This is the most important thing for all of us, “TO LOVE GOD.”

Above all, that means to give him the first place in our hearts, each day, by deciding for him and his Kingdom.

The truth is, it is better to live with God, to open oneself to God, to receive peace in prayer, to receive the power of forgiveness in Holy Confession, and to forgive. When we do these things, - we feel it is good. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” We bring about God’s Kingdom here and now.

Our Lady wants us to be happy on this earth, to live in goodness and harmony.

But as we read earlier in this message humanity is on course for destruction because “peace is in danger and the family is under attack.” So let us ‘Love God, above all.’ That means seeing our true priorities through the lens of Faith and Love.

Beginning and ending each day with prayer and placing our lives into the hands of our Heavenly loving Father.

God Bless,

Fr. Martin