CONTENTS:
"Dear children, today I call you to love. Little children, without love you cannot live; neither with God, nor with brother. Therefore, I call all of you to open your hearts to the love of God that is so great and open to each one of you. God, out of love for man, has sent me among you to show you the path of salvation, the path of love. If you do not first love God, then you will neither be able to love neighbor, nor the one you hate. Therefore, little children, pray, and through prayer, you will discover love. Thank you for responding to my call.""Father, you so loved the world that in the fullness of time you sent you r only Son to be our Savior." (Eucharistic Prayer IV)
In an act of supreme love, the Good God Our Father sent us His Son, allowing Him to suffer an excruciating death for our sakes. Now, He sends us Mother Mary. The message she brings is so simple, so easy: Pray. Pray for the grace to truly love: God, neighbor, enemy. This is our salvation.
Through prayer comes love. Ask and you will receive. Through love comes peace. "I leave you peace, my peace I give you." (Prayer For Peace) The formula for bringing peace to the world is so simple. .
"Praise Jesus, praise Jesus! My children, you are not living up to the devotions of the Lenten Season. It is not too late to start now. You must go on committing yourself to my Immaculate Heart, and please do the Lenten duties that I asked you to do. Go to confession, reconciliation, and do much penance for all the wrong doings you have done. Many have not gone to Mass during the week. I asked you to do so at this time. I am with you always, and I love each and every one of you. I keep all of you close to my Immaculate Heart, and I bless you each and every day that you are at the Cross. You deserve every blessing that I give to all of you. Remember each day that you are at the Cross to go in holiness. I will be able to keep my promise to Joseph that he will be here at the Cross Easter Sunday, approximately 10:30, and he will be under my protection on the way to the Cros s. Queen of Heaven Cemetery, here at the Cross, is a most blessed place. I want you to know that I am your motherly Mother. I am your Mother, the Queen of Peace."[Joseph Reinholtz is home from the hospital, recovering from his stroke. He was at the Cross on Easter Sunday and also on the Sunday following Easter. Our Lord has told him that he will walk again. God love you, Joseph. Our prayers for your recovery continue.]
Please pray for: healings for Felicia (a recent scan shows that there are no longer any cancer cells in her brain--praise God!), Julie, Father Martin, Father Francis (leukemia) and Baby Freed, Katlyn Peterson, Jim (viral meningitis), Judy, Evelyn, Anne. "May He who blessed our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless and heal them all.
May the Holy One in mercy strengthen them and heal them soon, body and soul, together with others who suffer illness." (The Mi-Sheberach Prayer) Joan G.'s intentions for her family; Pat's intentions; Kelly's intentions; the repose of the soul of Marie Spencer, a friend from Maryland who passed away on April 15, Holy Saturday morning. Marie died peacefully, while praying the Rosary.
All of those involved in the tragic bombing in Oklahoma City, including those who were unjustly accused. From Medjugorje comes a request that we pray for Our Lady's special intention. "Father of us all, hear our prayers and fulfill our needs, according to Your will."
"ADOPT A PRIEST AND PULL HIM OUT OF LONELINESS. Many priests are alone,
without any family. If you would like correspond with a priest and remember
him on special occasions, write to: ADOPT-A-PRIEST, C/O PO BOX 5357, Sun
City West, AZ, 85376. We will send you the name of a priest, a photo, short
biography and mailing address. Thank you and God bless.
"In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth . . . ."
So begins the traditional first reading of the Easter Vigil Mass, taken from
Genesis 1: 1-22.
From a lector's point of view, it's a dramatic reading. God steps out
into the vastness of eternity, and raises His arms, beginning that
magnificent symphony, CREATION!
It's a controversial reading: creation VS evolution.
But does it really matter? Is the "how" so important? So what if God
took six days to create the heavens, the earth and all living creatures, inclu
ding my personal favorite, ". . . all kinds of creeping things." Perhaps,
instead, He lit a celestial fuse, setting off a "big bang."
As an old friend used to say, "Don't sweat the small stuff." The
important thing is that God created. He, alone, is the author of life. He,
alone, brought everything into being. How He did it is the "small stuff" in
God's great scheme of things. He set it all into motion. He gave man his
soul. He continues to watch over and love the fruit of HIS vine; the work of
HIS hands.
On March 30, 1995, the encyclical EVANGELIUM VITAE (THE GOSPEL OF
LIFE), written by Pope John Paul II and dated March 25, 1995, the feast of
the Annunciation, was released. The Holy
Father reminds us that we are made in God's image, and that while God is the
sole authority over life, we have a moral obligation to protect it. ("Be
fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the
fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on
the earth." Genesis 1: 28)
He speaks out strongly, and rightly so, against experimentation on
human embryos, abortion (this does not condone the killing of
pro-abortionists), euthanasia and suicide. He focuses on the death penalty,
reminding us that executions should be extremely rare,
" . . . if not practically non-existent."
On the relationship of civil law to moral law, Holy Father clarifies
that any man-made law that is contrary to Divine law and moral order, is
void, having no binding force on our consciences. God is the
Creator of all life. He is the true Author of the Gospel of Life. We are
the defenders of this Gospel. And on the sixth day, "God looked at
everything he had made, and he found it very good." (Genesis 1: 31)
God bless:-)
A RECENT REVIEW in the NEW YORK TIMES states: ". . . the controversy over
the film [PRIEST], which was furiously denounced by John Cardinal O'Connor,
the Archbishop of New York, and subsequently became a target of protesters,
has not helped business at all." Those wishing to protest the anti-Catholic
movie, PRIEST, can E-Mail Disney at
THE ARCHBISHOP OF PARAGUAY asked the Holy Father's advice about allowing a
priest from Medjugorje to speak in his diocese. The Holy Father replied:
"Authorize everything that concerns Medjugorje." To an American pilgrim in
Rome, who gave him several rosaries from Medjugorje, the Holy Father said
with tears in his eyes: "Do everything you can to protect Medjugorje. Pray
for the protection of Medjugorje!" THE MEDJUGORJE STAR, March 1995
MEDJUGORJE VISIONARIES: Jacov and his wife, Annalisa, have a baby girl,
Arianna Maria. Ivan and his wife, Laureen, are expecting a baby.
"IT IS A VERY GREAT POVERTY to decide that a child must die that you may
live as you wish." (Mother Theresa)
MAY 18 IS THE BIRTHDAY of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. The best
birthday present we can give him is our prayers, which the Blessed Mother
continually begs for her chosen son.
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