T o approach the first reading of Our Lady's newly released message, clean the slate of your heart.
• Be repentant and ask for forgiveness.
• Confirm the circumstances of and around the message. Which visionary received the message? What day was it? What presently is in my heart?
• Print out the message before reading (if received from the computer).
• Place your hands over the message. Close your eyes. Pray to the Holy Spirit with the heart. Ask for a spirit of understanding, enlightenment and what action you must take to respond. Pray for revival.
• Do the preceding without being in a rush. Better to delay the reading of this message until you can settle your heart.
Our Lady Queen of Peace of Medjugorje's January 2, 2009 Monthly Message to Mirjana Soldo on the Day for Nonbelievers
This picture was taken on September 2, 2008 when the number of pilgrims coming to Medjugorje was at its height. The apparition had just ended and Mirjana can be seen with a tear-stained faced and eyes closed, moved by the experience of seeing Our Lady and then having to let Her go again. Each face surrounding Mirjana tells a different story, from deep reverence, joy, surprise, longing, awe, and curiosity. But even in the midst of a crowd of faces, Mirjana’s stands out. She is alone, she is separate, she is worlds apart. Her reality is different from ours. What she knows, what she sees, what she feels, what she has heard we can only wonder at as we stare upon her face, her face who just a moment before was staring into the face of the Mother of God.
The reading of Our Lady's message will either be ink on paper or a profound impact on your thinking, heart and life. Concerning the six approaches to the message at the start of this writing, your approach to Our Lady's message is important in how you consume the words just as you prepare for a special meal. Do you eat a full meal before you eat the special prepared meal? No, of course not. You would already be full. You would not be perceptive of the special meal nor eat any more than a mouthful to taste it. One who is hungry, one who has looked forward to a special meal, will be thinking about the food even after it is eaten. Its taste, nourishment and it satisfying your hunger is remembered. Our Lady's words are the same. You cannot approach the messages full of a day of T.V. watching, the news, little or no prayer, “running, working, gathering,” as Our Lady said on December 25, 2008 and understand what is being lavished upon you – a Heavenly meal which nourishes and leads to the sweetness of the nearness of God. The world offers what is sweet to the tongue but sours in the stomach. Our Lady offers what is often bitter to the tongue but sweet to the stomach. Our Lady's words are said with sureness. She offers what is bitter (difficult) to our taste but very good for the soul.
For example, one aspect of the messages, the overall call, is for us to be the one who reconciles with an enemy ( a spouse, family members, co-workers, etc.). This often is difficult, bitter to our taste, when it is we who have had an injustice against us. However, by doing what is bitter to carry out, we gain, internally, freedom from bitterness and a deep peace in our soul – a lavished grace of sweetness of the presence of God in our heart by taking actions which are bitter to carry out.
Take the above 2nd of the month message. Confirm the circumstances in which the message was given to you this morning. One of Mirjana's charism concerns the non-believer. The date is the 2nd of the month – the day Our Lady has told us through Mirjana is a day for non-believers. The message today says, “Dear children...upon you...my children...you...your soul...you will...you will find...my children...your lips...” all of which is addressed to us who are following Our Lady. But we think, “I'm a believer.” Why, then, did Our Lady establish that this date and message is for nonbelievers unless we are honest and let it address unbeliefs we have in our hearts which need to be purified out? It was Our Lady speaking to Christians, stating to Christians that “There are many Christians who live like pagans.” Search what is pagan in your life and you will discover what is atheistic in your life, aspects of unbelief in your life that the 2nd of the month message seeks to purify you of so that you will be a true believer. It is not pleasant, but rather bitter, to confess that the culture of our time has greater influence on our hearts than most believe to be so. So much so that we cannot change and convict the culture, the sin of abortion, abominations, until we ourselves are purified of unbelief. Our Lady said:
January 25, 2001
Every Christian today is touched by a powerful swaying of which the Scriptures speaks of, about the time of the antichrist, that even the elect will almost be fooled. Almost means that we will have aspects of unbelief in us and almost be swayed. Our Lady's presence is a counter to the 'counter-Christ' - a counter to annihilate everything, not of Our Lady and Her Son. Those aspects of unbelief in our lives are highlighted by Our Lady's pronouncement when She says the words, “...decide for a new life...” These are words which say you are not living God's way, but the world's way. Her encouragement speaks of us coming to a new way of life – a way of life to know God more. Our Lady says on January 25, 1993:
It is amazing in such a time of today's advancements, new ideals, inventions, new methods of civilization, that we know God less, understand God less, than primitive people. Even with the darkness of their limited knowledge, did not divorce, did not abort, did not violate a neighbor, because they had in their hearts the indelible mark of creation and God's Natural Law in their very being. This was true even of those who did not have the light of Christ. Today men of good will will find peace, will understand God's presence among us, will understand the Heavenly court lavishing graces upon us, graces making of us nobles of the Christian faith, who will be rulers over darkness with light bright as the sun shining from our hearts, a noble people with noble goals who possess Her Son on their lips.
Now in the light of the above, approach, pray and reread the message.
January 2, 2009
For those who have the atheistic belief that these are repetitive messages, saying the same thing, look again. Now do you see why Our Lady said on October 25, 1988:
With the Love of the Our Lady and Her Little Son,
New Years 2009 with the Community of Caritas
We, as the Community of Caritas, gathered at midnight, at the dawn of the new year, to pray our first Rosary of 2009. Over the years, more than 100 relics, with Vatican papers, of various saints and articles of the Crucifixion and the life of Christ have been given to the Caritas mission. In the beginning moments of this very momentous year that our “peaceless world” faces, the community desired to be among the saints who had been victorious in all that confronted them as they worked for God’s Kingdom on earth. It is one of many beautiful moments of the New Life Our Lady gives us. As we do every year in this Rosary, between each decade we open up to a message of Our Lady from Words from Heaven, asking Our Lady to speak to us words that will prepare us for the year ahead. These messages have a particular weight to them because of the significance of beginning a new year, still within the time of grace of Our Lady’s apparitions. The Luminous Mysteries were prayed and the very first message randomly opened to brought the community into deeper reverence for what Our Lady wanted to speak to us. It drew our attention to prepare ourselves for the first words She would speak in the New Year from Medjugorje in two days time, on January 2nd. Our community’s first message of the New Year read:
June 22, 1990
If you incorporate structures into your New Life to give the opportunity for Our Lady to speak to you…She will, and often in a profound direct way.
With Love,
Pictured here is a relic of the Crown of Thorns that Jesus wore in the Crucifixion. It was a gift made to the Community of Caritas many years ago from a woman who has sent us many relics over the years. How does one say “thank you” for such a gift? Included among the other relics we have received is a piece from the Last Supper Table, a splinter from the True Cross of Jesus Christ and from the manger He was born in, a thread from a tunic Jesus wore, and also one from the veil of Our Lady, and from the cloak of St. Joseph, and so many saints, both those who walked with Jesus on earth, and those who walked with Him in spirit through the centuries after His death and resurrection, all with Vatican papers.
The monstrance that is seen here at the foot of the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, incredibly, holds a relic of all 12 apostles, including St. Paul. It is often present while A Friend of Medjugorje is writing. He prays for guidance and inspiration from the apostles in evangelizing Our Lady’s messages.
2009 - A Dangerous Year? - Radio WAVE January 2
A Radio WAVE broadcast regarding Our Lady of Medjugorje's message to Mirjana, with A Friend of Medjugorje Friday, January 2nd.
• Click Here to Listen to 2009 - A Dangerous Year? the Radio WAVE broadcast of January 2, 2009
Prayer for Nonbelievers
Come Mary,
Come tomorrow again and again.
We will pray with You.
Bring back our loved ones
Who have left the Church,
Those who have left God.
We will join You on the second of each month.
We will pray for greater graces
To be attached to Your intention.
We will pray that the dam of love,
Of God’s mercy, will break forth,
That Your new prayer be released soon.
We will pray that it will flow out
As a river to all the nations,
That as the rivers fill the oceans,
Your love of God will fill the earth.
We wait.
We anticipate that great day,
And we call You as You have called us,
To add our prayers, fasting, and sacrifices
To Mirjana’s in order that You may
Obtain all Your wishes for the world.
O loving Mother,
Thank You for the gift
That the world is on the brink of receiving!
- A Friend of Medjugorje
©SJP Lic. Caritas of Birmingham
