Bulletin
207
Medjugorje
February 25, 2005
“Dear children! Today
I call you to be my extended hands in this world that puts God in the last
place. You, little children, put God in the first place in your life. God will
bless you and give you strength to bear witness to Him, the God of love and
peace. I am with you and intercede for all of you. Little children, do not
forget that I love you with a tender love. Thank you for having responded
to my call.”
February 25, 2005
The
Language of prayer and of the desert
In
the time of Lent, we are invited to persevering prayer, to fasting, to penance
and to the works of mercy. All these acts are complementary and they become one,
all are important and proceed one from the other. The time of Lent is a time of
walking through the desert. This desert is not a useless solitude. The desert is
the space for our silence and for the word of God. The desert is not a space in
which we would be abandoned; it is the space of the encounter. It is important
to know how to stop our rushing. It is important to hear the right word in the
middle of such an amount of talking. One author wrote: “So much talking - but
only one true word. So many sounds - but which is the right one? So many ways -
but only one way is true.”
The
space of the desert has to be filled by the spirit of prayer and so create a
spiritual oasis. Only prayer enables us to understand the time of loneliness and
of trial. Jesus was praying, and this is how ha came to understand the will of
the Father. The Virgin Mary is praying and so accepting the plan of God. Moses
was praying, and this is how he found the way of the exodus. Prayer is an
encounter, the encounter between God and man. It is the encounter, which makes
us live. This is why Jesus is saying that we should pray unceasingly. Our Lady
is often repeating this in her messages.
Our
prayer must be humble and free from our personal plans. In prayer, we must be
freed from any haughtiness. We should always remember what Jesus said about it:
to pray in the secret of the heart. In prayer, we receive everything and we do
not give much. We offer an empty heart, and God fills it. In prayer, it is also
necessary to know how to wait. The cardinal Michael Faulhaber wrote: “Be
trustful and patient in each prayer, even when the hours of God pass so slowly.”
God never remains silent; he is perhaps speaking the most when we have the
impression not to hear anything.
We all desire changes in
our environment and in the world, but we have the impression that nothing
happens. Thus, we become impatient and oppressed by the thought that the world
is evil. That everyone is evil. Then, it is necessary to go into the opposite
direction: we are the ones who have to change. We also should know that we
cannot change only by our willpower. We must and we have to allow God to change
us. In prayer, God is acting, and He is transforming us. This is why in the time
of Lent, and at any time, let us not expect changes in others, but in ourselves.
Albert Schweitzer said: “Prayer changes people - and people change the world.”
Fr. Mario Knezovic
NEWS
NUMBER
OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During
the month of January 2005, 40.000 communions were distributed and 761 priests
from this country and from abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
In
January, pilgrims were here from: the USA, Italy, Korea, France, Canada, Bosnia-Herzegovina
and Croatia.
PRESENTATION
OF THE BOOK “THE CROATIANS KNOW IT”
The
book “The Croatians know it” written by Ivan Ugrin was presented on January
23 in the video-room of the Information center “Mir” Medjugorje. The book
was published by «Matica Hrvatska» Split. This is the third book written by
Ivan Ugrin, journalist and redactor of “Slobodna Dalmacija”. The
distinctiveness of his texts is his Christian approach of the problems of our
time.
«Matica
Hrvatska» Citluk organized the presentation of this book. The speakers were Fr.
Miljenko Stojic, Josip Botteri Dini, Kresimir Sego and Andrija Stojic.
Feast
of Blessed Cardinal Stepinac – Commemoration of the martyr’s death of the
Franciscans of the parish Medjugorje
On
the Feast of Blessed Cardinal Stepinac, February 10, the parish of Medjugorje
commemorates the martyr’s death of the Franciscans from this parish: Fr.
Krizan Galic, Fr. Jozo Bencun, Fr. Marko Dragicevic, Fr. Mariofil Sivric, Fr.
Grgo Vasilj and Fr. Jenko Vasilj, six out of 66 Franciscans of the Herzegovinian
Province, who were killed by Tito’s partisans and communists during and at the
very end of the Word War II.
The
Sacrifice of Mass was also celebrated in memory of all the victims from the
Parish Medjugorje, fallen during the World Wars I and II, and during the recent
war for the defence of the country, as well as in memory of all those who gave
their lives for the faith and the homeland. The Mass, concelebrated by 18
priests, was presided by Fr. Branko Rados, pastor of Medjugorje. In his homily,
Fr. Branko underlined the unwavering fidelity to Christ and to the Church of
these martyrs; their example speaks to us in our times, when it is so easy to
make compromises with false values. The parish choir under the guidance of Sr.
Slavica Kozul sung during Mass. Sanja Komadina from Radio “Mir” Medjugorje
read a short biography of the murdered Franciscans from Medjugorje.
The
10th International Meeting for Priests
The 10th
International meeting for priests will take place in Medjugorje from July 4 to
9, 2005. The theme of the meeting is “The Eucharist and Mary – Do
whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2,5)
PROGRAM
July
4, 2005, Monday
13.00-18.00
Registration
of the participants in the New Hall behind the Church
18.00
BEGINNING OF THE SEMINAR (Prayer
of the Rosary, Holy Mass, Prayer for health of body and soul, Glorious Mysteries
of the Rosary)
July
5, 2005 – Tuesday
08.30
Laudes
in Latin and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
09.00
Talk
(Dr.
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
10.00
Break
10.30
Prayer
15.30
Talk
(Dr.
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
16.30
Break
17.00
Prayer
18.00
Evening
Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Prayer for health of body and soul)
July
6, 2005, Wednesday
08.30
Laudes
in Latin and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
09.00
Talk
(Dr
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
10.00
Break
10.30
Prayer
15.30
Talk
(Dr
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
16.30
Break
17.00
Prayer
18.00
Evening
Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Prayer for health of
body and soul)
22.00
Adoration
of the Blessed Sacrament
July 7, 2005, Thursday
06.00
Rosary
at the Apparition Hill
09.30
Talk,
prayer (Dr.
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
10.00
Break
10.30
Prayer
15.30
Talk
(Dr.
Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm)
16.30
Break
17.00
Prayer
18.00
Evening
Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Adoration)
July
8, 2005, Friday
06.00
Way
of the Cross on Cross Mountain
Confessions
16.00
Prayer, meditation
18.00
Evening
Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Veneration of the Cross)
July
9, 2005, Saturday
08.30
Laudes
at Fr. Slavko Barbaric's tomb
09.00
Sharing
of experiences, suggestions and witnessing
The
lecturer of this seminar is Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linić, ofm, born in 1941 in Svilno near the Shrine of Our Lady of
Graces of Trsat (Croatia). He became a Franciscan in 1958 and was ordained a
priest in 1967.
He
studied in Samobor, Zagreb, Paris and Innsbruck where he obtained a doctorate in
liturgical theology in 1970.
His
did his pastoral service among the Croatian workers in foreign countries (in
Innsbruck and in Paris) as well as in Croatia (Trsat, Karlovac, Novi Sad,
Osijek, then in Zagreb), between 1981 and 1997. Since 1997, he is a director of
the House of the Encounters called “Tabor”, near the Franciscan monastery in
Samobor, where he organizes and leads retreats and recollections.
Most
of the priestly and pastoral life of Fr. Zvjezdan is dedicated to young people
and the Franciscan secular Order. Through the sacraments of Christian initiation,
he helped a great number of young people to know Christ the Saviour and to enter
into the Church. On several occasions, he taught theology. He is giving retreats
for priests, religious and laity. He is particularly known as organizer of
seminars of Christian initiation and seminars for healing and liberation.
You may make reservations
by e-mail: seminar.marija@medjugorje.hr,
or by fax: +387-36-651-999 (for Marija Dugandzic).
We ask all priests who
have arranged their own accommodation with a family in Medjugorje to note in
their application the name and the phone number of the family where they will be
staying.
We will arrange
accommodation for all the priests who have no direct contacts and have not
arranged their own accommodation. (Please note in your application if you wish
us to arrange accommodation for you.)
Instead of a monetary
payment, we ask you to kindly celebrate five Mass intentions.
It is necessary to bring
with you: your celebret given by your superior, an alb and stole,
a Bible, a small FM radio with headphones (for simultaneous
translation).
Many priests who do not
have access to Internet may not have been informed about the existence of this
international meeting in Medjugorje. Therefore, we kindly ask all Organizers of
pilgrimages, Prayer Groups and Centres for Peace to publish this information as
widely as possible by all means at their disposal, so that as many priests as
possible may participate. In as much as it is possible, we also kindly ask you
to financially assist the priests who would like to come but do not have the
necessary funds for such a journey. We thank you in advance and pray for God’s
blessing and the blessing of the Queen of Peace upon you and your work.
SEMINARS AT DOMUS PACIS
In January, one seminar for 30 members of the Franciscan Youth Fraternity from
Herzegovina (FRAMA), as well as one seminar for 30 young girls, led by the
Franciscan sisters, took place in “Domus Pacis”.