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

25^th June 2026

“Dear children! Rejoice with me because the Most High permits me to be with you, to lead you to Him Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Rejoice, little children, and be joyful also in difficulties and you will have the strength, because you will be aware that you are transient and you will know to offer everything to God. That is why, do not forget: I am your Mother and I love you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

(With Ecclesiastical approval)

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

As we celebrate Forty Five years of Our Lady’s coming in Medjugorje, we are filled with joy and happiness that the Mother of God has touched so many lives in that time, and so many have responded to the call of the Queen of Peace to repentance and reconciliation. Indeed this month’s message is filled with a spirit of ‘Joy’ and ‘hope’, Our Lady uses the word ‘Rejoice’ twice in this message, along with the word ‘Joyful.’ We can sense the joy and happiness of Our Lady as we reflect on this message and pray that the Holy Spirit of the Most high will bless us all with that spirit of rejoicing.

Our Lady begins,

“Rejoice with me because the Most High permits me to be with you to lead you to him, who is the way, the truth and the life.” Notice the opening word of this message, ‘Rejoice.’ Our Lady is often described by the visionaries ‘full of Joy, radiant with beauty.’ Our Lady is rejoicing because God permits her to be with us during these times, in order to lead us to Jesus, who is the Way, The Truth and the Life. Our Lady is the Mother who always points us to her son. She never points to herself, but him, who is Our Lord and Saviour. Our Lady invites us to ‘Rejoice’ with her, because she comes from God with the Gospel message of conversion and repentance, and during the time of her apparitions in Medjugorje, so many people have responded to her call to Salvation. This is indeed cause for great rejoicing, beause so many souls have heard the call of the Queen of Peace, and responded. That is why at the end of each monthly message, Our Lady says, ‘Thankyou for having responded to my call.’ The ‘Rejoicing’ that Our Lady calls us to is an expression and a fruit of her love. This ‘Joy’ that so many have experienced in Medjugorje is connected to the reason for life and an inner liberation that can only happen through love. The love of a Mother . This liberation of the human person, is one that frees from enslavement, and inner darkness, human egoism, a wrong relationship towards oneself, towards others, and fundamentally towards God. St. Paul says, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 : Cor. 9:7) Our Lady comes as gift to us in these times, because she was the one who was always ‘ Rejoicing’ in the generosity of God’s mercy. ‘My soul Magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.” ( Luke : 1:47.)

Our Lady always takes us to her Son Jesus. She reminds us who he said he was. “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14: 6) Jesus is the specific path, and access to God the Father – the Way to be followed. Jesus is the embodiment of ultimate divine Truth – the Truth to be received. Jesus is the source of spiritual and eternal Life – the Life to be lived. Thousands of pilgrims have experienced the grace of Jesus as their Lord and Saviour in Medjugorje. They throw themselves into the loving embrace of him , who is their way, their Truth and their life. They are healed of the wounds caused by distance and lack of peace. The long lines of pilgrims waiting for Confession in Medjugorje are living proof that this suffocating distance can be overcome, in him who is our Way, Truth and Life.

Our Lady continues, “Rejoice , little children, and be joyful also in difficulties, and you will have strength , because you will be aware that you are transient, and you will know how to offer everything to God.” Again Our Lady asks us to ‘Rejoice’ and this time adding, ‘Be Joyful.’ Our lady asks us to be Joyful not just when life is going well, but also when it isn’t. We can do this by remembering that we have the pearl of great price, in him who is our Way, Truth and life. That life is passing , and that we are on the ‘Way’ – the right path to God. Nothing can take us from that path, from that truth, because we are with Jesus. Mary. Accepted each one of us as her children beneath the Cross at Calvary. In that most painful moment, she was still saying ‘Yes’ to God, to his will, and was filled with hope, that death was not the end. We too can remember her love and her faith, when we are in difficulties, and turn to prayer with her at such times. She is present, praying for us before God, but reminding us that in times of difficulties we too need to do our part – that is to pray more. Because praying means to look for her protection and help. It means to let oneself be guided in searching for God’s closeness. One must pray to be able to express one’s own ‘yes’ in simplicity and love. In doing this we discover how to offer everything to God, as Our Lady did.

Our Lady closes this message with some beautiful words asking us not to forget that she is our Mother and that she loves us. This is the kind of Mother we have in Our Lady. She loves us, and she asks us not to forget this. She loves us, she suffers with us, she leads us, she teaches us. These words we should all take to heart, and take comfort in them.

God Bless,

Fr. Martin