Bulletin
181
Medjugorje,
December 26th, 2002
“Dear
children! This is a time of great graces, but also a time of great trials for
all those who desire to follow the way of peace. Because of that, little children, again I call you to pray,
pray, pray, not with words but with the heart.
Live my messages and be converted.
Be conscious of this gift that God has permitted me to be with you,
especially today when in my arms I have little Jesus - the King of Peace.
I desire to give you peace, and that you carry it in your hearts and
give it to others until God's peace begins to rule the world. Thank you for
having responded to my call.”
December
25, 2002
A NEW TIME IN GOD'S
WAY
We
are entering into another new year. New minutes, new hours, new days are
awaiting us… In the beginning of the year, we exchange congratulations and
best wishes. What do we wish to one another? What are our desires for one
another? Are we greeting with the heart or only shaking hands and pronouncing
courtesies? Media publish best wishes and messages given by different companies
and organisations. Regularly, they wish us much success. However, is anybody
asking the question what success means, who succeeds and in which way?
The
time we live in runs after success. Progress and business accomplishments are
the leading ides in the world in which – according to its own logic – God
should have no initiative and be unemployed. The world of trade understands only
the language of profit and success at any price. In such a world, man wants to
have everything under his control. Forgetting that everything is given to us, he
even wants to control and dominate time, one of the most beautiful gifts. God
gives it to us to walk towards Him.
God
alone is the master of the time, but we all can use the time given to us by Him.
God’s time is the kairos
– the right moment for the good and for spiritual growth. Often, papers
publish ideas about a “new time”, as if the time we have is not useful and
good for man. On the contrary, this is a time of grace for each one individually.
Our Lady knows it. This is precisely why, at this time, in Medjugorje, She calls
us to move ahead meaningfully, and one can move ahead meaningfully only with
Jesus who is the Way.
A
new time is in front of us. It will be a new chance for us in proportion with
our capacity to make an end to the old time and the old sinful man within us.
Only Jesus – through the Church and in the sacraments - gives us a chance for
the real fullness of life in the time that is before us. So, let us find time in
this year to draw at the source of strength for Christian life – the
sacraments. Let us not try to fix up of our time, but let us try to live it and
to give it. If, as Christians, we do not find time for the One who has given us
each moment of our life, then it is a sign that we become people who, in the
year to come, will only wish success and business, and not life in time in
God’s way. Time that is used only to achieve success and profit is a path that
leads straight to death, and I believe that each one of us wants to live!
We
know that our life is in Jesus, but do we belong to Jesus? If we do not belong
to him yet, let us do it in the time that is before us!
Fr. Mario Knezovic
NEWS
NUMBER OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During the month of
November, 35,000 communions were distributed and 996 priests from this country
and abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
Pilgrims
were here from Canada, Italy, France, the USA, Austria, Germany, Slovenia,
Poland, Yugoslavia, Mexico, Korea, England, Malaysia, Croatia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The
Second Death Anniversary of Fr. Slavko Barbaric
On the second death
anniversary of Fr. Slavko Barbaric, on the solemnity of Christ the King,
November 24th, many Croatian and foreign faithful and pilgrims came
to Medjugorje. They prayed the rosary on Apparition Hill and celebrated the
evening Holy Mass in the parish church.
Fr. Slavko accompanied Our
Lady’s apparitions in Medjugorje from their very beginnings and – thanks to
the gifts received by God – he very soon became one of the most eminent
apostles of Our Lady’s messages. His whole life was woven into Medjugorje, he
is buried here, and he remains forever present here. He knew how to incarnate
the spirituality of Our Lady’s messages through prayer and works. He was a man
of Christ, a priest of Christ, a man of the Church. We thank him for all that he
has done, we pray with him and for him, so that God’s plans may be realised in
Medjugorje and through Medjugorje!
Radio
“Mir” Medjugorje: Celebration of the Fifth Anniversary
Radio “Mir” Medjugorje
started broadcasting on November 25, 1997. On November 28th, 2002,
Radio “Mir” Medjugorje celebrated solemnly the 5th anniversary of
broadcasting and the end of the procedure of receiving permanent approvals, in
the presence of hundreds of guests, listeners and friends of the radio The
programme of celebration began at 6 pm with Holy Mass at St. James’ parish
church in Medjugorje, presided by Fr. Branko Rados, pastor of Medjugorje. The
programme continued in the New Hall of the Parish by distribution of awards and
rewards, as well as the promotion of the spiritual song of the year and the
spiritual album of the year.
Fr. Mario Knezovic, Director of the ICMM
and Radio Editor-in-Chief, greeted the guests at the beginning of the programme.
Fr. Branko Rados, pastor of
Medjugorje, Fr. Slavko Soldo, Herzegovinian Franciscan provincial, Fr. Miljenko
Mica Stojic, for many years Director of the Information Centre “Mir”
Medjugorje, and Fr. Ivan Landeka, pastor of Medjugorje at the time of the
creation of this radio, also spoke to the assembly.
The Gold Medal of the
Shrine of the Queen of Peace, for the contribution to
the creation and the work of radio “Mir” Medjugorje was given to: Fr. Ivan
Landeka, Fr. Miljenko Stojic and Ljubica Lukic and Ivo Mirko (posthumous). The
Silver Medal of the Shrine of the Queen of Peace was given to: Marija Dugandzic,
the first Chief-Editor of this Radio, Nikica Dragoje, its technical director, as
well as Bozidar Vacek and Drago Pilicki for the contribution to the technical
development of the Radio.
Awards for the
contribution to the work of radio “Mir” Medjugorje were given to: Ankica
Cavar, Stipe Cavar, Davor Dragicevic, Huanita Dragicevic, Croatian Catholic
Radio, Zeljko Sivric, Dragan Soldo, Visnja Spajic, Ivo Sego, Kreso Sego, Jure
Vasilj and Vedrana Vidovic.
The spiritual album of the
year is a CD by Ivo Separovic and the Octet Bljesak from Okucani, The spiritual
song of the year was sung by Daniela Sisgoreo Morsan from Zagreb. The award for
the best Franciscan Youth Song was given to the Franciscan Youth Fraternity from
Siroki Brijeg. For the first time was sung the song “To Fr. Slavko” (Fra
Slavku), written by Jakov Dzolic, composed by Vitomir Dugandzic and sung by
Marija, Silvija and Ana Bosnjak.
CELEBRATION
OF ST. NICHOLAS DAY
On the feast of St.
Nicholas, December 6th, the children of the parish Medjugorje
traditionally gather together to celebrate the feast of their beloved saint –
St. Nicolas. There was no end to their prayers, enthusiasm and joy. Numerous
children from the parish gathered together for the Eucharistic celebration, and
after Holy Mass St. Nicolas came. He rewarded the children who had been good and
those who were not always obedient were invited to be better, especially now as
Christmas is approaching.
The
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
On the Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception, as usual, numerous pilgrims came to Medjugorje. Most
numerous were Croatian and Italian pilgrims. On the day itself, the Rosary for
Peace was prayed on Apparition Hill.
About 2500 pilgrims participated in the evening Holy Mass.
Christmas
at Medjugorje
The parishioners, the
faithful from neighbouring parishes and the pilgrims prepared themselves for
Christmas by a novena. In addition to the evening prayer program in church, the
Rosary was prayed on Apparition Hill.
During Advent, two fasting
and prayer seminars were conducted at "Domus Pacis", the House of
Prayer. About 100 pilgrims Croatian and Austrian pilgrims participated in these
seminars, desiring through prayer and fasting to prepare for Christmas and to
draw closer to the mystery of God born on earth.
During the Christmas
holidays, peace prevailed in the shrine of the Queen of Peace with an atmosphere
of prayer and unity among the faithful who arrived from all parts of the world.
For Christmas itself, there were several hundreds of foreign pilgrims. On
Christmas Eve, several thousands of pilgrims participated in evening Holy Mass.
The Eucharistic celebration began at 10 p.m. with a prayer vigil that ended with
Holy Mass at midnight. The feast of Christmas itself passed in the Christmas
peace and joy of pilgrims and parishioners gathered around their Mother.
On December 17th,
the Military orchestra from Mostar and the Parish Choir of the Queen of Peace
from Medjugorje performed in the parish church their Christmas Concert, and on
December 22, the Children’s Choir from Dubrovnik “Little Singing
Dubrovnik” and the small parish choir from Medjugorje “Little Doves of Peace”
gave their Christmas Concert. The choirs so wished a Merry Christmas to the
faithful and to Medjugorje pilgrims from all over the world.
Again,
this year, the members of the “Cenacolo” community (former drug addicts)
presented to the parishioners and the pilgrims a production of the Living Manger
three times. Through a specific musical and scenic presentation, they showed to
the faithful that they really live the motto of their community: “From
darkness to light”, and that it is possible to find a way from the hell of
drugs and addiction to life.
Annual Apparition to Jakov
on December 25th 2002
At
the last daily apparition to Jakov Čolo on September 12th, 1998, Our Lady told
him that henceforth he would have one apparition a year, every December 25th, on
Christmas Day. This is also how it was this year. Our Lady came with the Child
Jesus in her arms. The apparition began at 5:20 pm and lasted 7 minutes.
Our
Lady gave the following message:
“Dear
children! Today, on the day of love and peace, with Jesus in my arms, I call you
to prayer for peace. Little children, without God and prayer you cannot have
peace. Therefore, little children,
open your heart so that the King of Peace may be born in your heart.
Only in this way you can witness and carry God's peace to this peaceless
world. I am with you and bless you
with my motherly blessing.”
Seminars
at “Domus pacis”
In 2002, 48 different
seminars took place in the house of prayer “Domus Pacis”.
Twenty-four “Prayer and Fasting”
seminars were held for pilgrims from Austria, Germany, Poland, France, Ukraine,
Russia, Italy, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. About 1000 faithful took part in
them, deepening their faith in the Lord,
while answering Our Lady’s call to prayer, fasting and inner silence. These
seminars were held by Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic.
One
hundred and forty-one members of the Franciscan Youth Fraternity from
Herzegovina gathered together for 5 spiritual recollections.
The Franciscan School sisters led 7 seminars for young
girls. One hundred and seventy-one girls took part in them.
Eleven spiritual seminars
for 400 pilgrims were organized by different spiritual movements.
For
“Prayer and Fasting” seminars, contact
Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic, Zupni ured Medjugorje, Gospin trg 1, 88266 Medjugorje,
Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Fax: 00 387 36 651 444)
THE
14th INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FESTIVAL
Next
year, the International Youth Prayer Gathering will
take place as usually from July 31st to
August 6th. The theme of the Festival is: “Through the Rosary Open Your
Heart To Me”.
Things
to bring with you: small FM radio with headphones, a Bible and umbrella.
All
groups participating in the Youth Prayer meeting: please do not arrange or make
plans for any other programs during this week.
During
the time of the Youth Festival (except on Sunday) there will be no morning
Masses for pilgrims. All pilgrims will attend the Evening Mass with youth.
During
the whole Youth Festival, there will be simultaneous translation.