from Ginny Lopez
in APPARITIONS LIST ARCHIVES
CONTENTS:
MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE & COMMENTARY,
Ocyober 25, 1995
"Dear Children, today I invite you to go into nature because there you will meet God the Creator. Today I invite you, little children, to thank God for all that He gives you. In thanking Him you will discover the Most High and all the goods that surround you. Little children, God is great and His love for every creature is great. Therefore, pray to be able to understand the love and goodness of God. In the goodness and the love of God the Creator, I am also with you as a gift. Thank you for having responded to my call."
This time last year I was driving through New Mexico and Arizona, my very first time in the Southwest. Having lived in the East and Midwest all my life, I was awestruck by the incredibly, starkly beautiful scenery. I remember standing on an overlook at the Grand Canyon, thinking, "Dear Lord, you are some kind of artist." Jesus frequently refers to nature in His teachings about the Father's Love for His children: "Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more important than they?" and, "Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 7, 26-30) How wise in her simplicity is Blessed Mother. She reminds us that we need only look prayerfully about us, to discover the great Goodness of God and Father who loves us unconditionally.
[We do not have the September message from Hillside at this time. Look for it in the November issue.]
Please pray for healings for:
[Katie is a brave, upbeat eleven year old who is battling cancer and we've been including her in PRAYERS AND PETITIONS. The following is an update letter from her daddy.]
"Greetings, Since I last wrote, Katie has pretty well recovered from her major surgeries in September. Last week she had surgery to remove a cyst in her sinus cavity and had another permanent I.V. implanted in her chest in preparation for her bone-marrow transplant procedure that was due to start on Tuesday.
"Katie developed some pretty severe pain in her side Monday morning, so we took her to Children's Hospital to check on it. Since then, the pain in her side has diminished pretty well except for having "attacks" of pain in the early morning. The doctor thinks it might be shingles, but because of the anti-shingle drug they gave her, she might not ever get the rash. She was released yesterday afternoon and came home with a supply of pain medicine. We used it this morning and it relieved Katie's pain.
"Because Katie was admitted for this mysterious pain, the admission on Tuesday for the bone marrow transplant was put on hold. We went to a meeting with the oncologist yesterday. She showed us from the CAT scans taken on Monday, that the chemotherapy is no longer having an effect and new tumors are popping up. She also told us that the chemo used in the four to six week bone-marrow procedure would be very painful and in the end, will not work. In place of that, we going to radiate the remaining tumors. The doctor said there is a possibility that it might cure Katie, but realistically, it will probably just buy her some time.
From what the doctor said, Katie will undergo daily radiation therapy for the next four to six weeks. My wife Sue and Katie will be driving to the Ohio State James Cancer Hospital in Columbus Monday through Friday for the treatments. We go over next Tuesday to start.
We all know that God works in mysterious ways, so this might be a blessing in disguise. We appreciate all the good wishes and especially all your prayers. God bless, Richard
BETWEEN 1949 AND 1950, the profiles of twenty three
"Great Lawgivers" were sculpted into white Vermont
marble and mounted on the wall of the U. S. House
of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Among them
are four Roman Catholics: Pope Gregory IX
(1227-1241), author of authoritative decisions
(decretals) on canon law; Pope Innocent III
(1198-1216), also an author of decretals,
protector of the faith during the Dark Ages, and
convocator of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215);
St. Louis (1214-1270), King of France, whose
efforts to introduce a uniform Roman law influenced
"equal justice under law" in future times; Alfonso
X (1221-1284), King of Castile and Leon,
responsible for several codes of standard law which
influenced American legislative framework. But the
greatest lawgiver in history takes prominent
position among these marble reliefs--Moses--who
looks down upon the Speaker of the House.
(Catholic Heritage, 11/12-95)
MARRIAGE COMMANDMENTS: (1) Thou shalt always love
each other with a love both deep and true; (2) Thou
shalt ever do the best to see each others point of
view; (3) Thou shalt share things with thy partner,
yet respect his private rights; (4) Thou shalt not
resort to tantrums, nor indulge in sulks or spites;
(5) Thou shalt cherish one another in sickness and
in health; (6) Thou shalt regulate thy spending in
accordance with thy wealth; (7) Thou shalt realize
that marriage is a case of give and take; (8) Thou
shalt ask thy God to help thee a success of it to
make. (Courtesy of Brenda)
POPE JOHN PAUL II celebrated the seventeenth
anniversary of his Papacy on October 22. "I
entreat your prayers for the continuation of my
ministry," Holy Father told the cheering crowds in
St. Peter's Square after bestowing on them his
blessing.
GIANNE TALLONE-SULLIVAN, visionary in Emmitsburg,
Maryland, and her husband await the birth of their
first child in December.
SIGN ON A CHURCH IN MUSKEGON: If God seems far
away, who moved?
The Message of Fatima contains many points of Faith and reference. However, the basic, and most essential part of the Message, starting with the Angel the year preceding the Apparitions of Our Lady, is - THE EUCHARIST. Who, alone can Consecrate The Eucharist? To whom, alone, did Christ Himself offer this privilege? THE PRIEST. Remember, dear friends, there is NO ONE on earth above a priest - the Pope is a priest - Cardinals are priests - Bishops are priests. Therefore, your parish priests are as "Alter Christus" (other Christs) equal to any other priest with different "titles."
Because of the Church and the world situation today, let us take, VERY seriously, the following analysis, "The Hands of Holy Orders", and the "Prayer for a Particular Priest". Pray the prayer, at least once daily, for special priests you know. You need not like them, nor agree with them, to pray for them! It is truly for those VERY priests, that our prayers are most meaningful.
THE HANDS OF HOLY ORDERS TO: Our Beloved Priest: Look at the palms of your hands and remember back to that day when your bishop anointed them and sent you forth to love and serve us ... Remember the plans you had that day for these hands to gather and minister to your people? Think back to the babies these hands have baptized ... Think of the children these hands have prepared for First Communion and Confirmation ... Think of the hundreds of homilies these hands have written; carefully chosen words that transformed lives ... Think of the countless times these hands have been held up in blessing and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Now think of your last Mass, and so many others, when you took the bread and wine into these hands, and changed them into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ ... Think of the many Faithful to whom you gave His Precious Body. Think of the retreats, the missions, the days and nights of teaching that these hands have prepared ... Think of the people these hands have gathered and touched and sent forth from these experiences, with a new understanding and love for each other and for our Catholic Church ... Think of the times these hands have reached out and grasped ours in a prayer circle of love ... Think of the hands, young and nervous, which your hands have joined in the Sacrament of Matrimony ... Think of the sick in mind and body who have come to you seeking help and left with hope alive in their hearts again ... Think of the dying bodies these hands have anointed into Paradise.
Today, we anoint your hands anew with our love; with the love of your entire Catholic family. If ever, in the days ahead, you feel lonely and discouraged, please remember these words. Please hold up your hands and look at them, and remember how they fed us the Bread of Life, how they brought hope back into our lives, how they comforted us, healed us, and welcomed us home to our church again. These hands of yours are the hands of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. We reverence them and we cannot live our lives without them ... without YOU. We are proud that you are Our Beloved Priest.
PRAYER FOR A PARTICULAR PRIEST AT YOUR feet, oh dearest Mother Mary, I humbly kneel and beg you to obtain for your cherished son . . . all the graces of which he stands in need.
By the joy your soul experienced when the Son of God became your Son, Obtain for him the grace to celebrate most worthily the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, in which he, like you, brings God to earth.
By the joy your soul experienced when you bore your Son to the home of your cousin Elizabeth and were greeted by her as the Mother of God, obtain for him the grace to bring Jesus to the many souls who hunger for Him, so that his own soul may be filled with the gladness that called forth your Magnificat.
By the joy your soul experienced when, in Bethlehem's humble surroundings you held your Precious Child in your arms and caressed His Sacred Person, obtain for him the grace that his love for Jesus may grow even stronger and that, divesting himself of all things material, he may the more closely resemble his poor and humble Master.
By the joy your soul experienced when you offered your Divine Son to His Heavenly Father in the Temple, obtain for him the grace to find his Divine Master present in every circumstance of his life and to recognize and love His Holy Will under whatever guise His chooses to manifest it.
By the sorrow your soul experienced while your Jesus agonized in the Garden, obtain for him the grace to overcome all temptations that may assail him, and the courage to persevere in the face of even the most trying circumstances.
By the sorrow your soul experienced while your Jesus was derided, crowned with thorns and spat upon, obtain for him the grace to be truly humble and to be ready to suffer the loss of everything, even his reputation, if your Divine Son can be glorified thereby.
By the sorrow your soul experienced when you met your Jesus bent beneath His heavy cross and followed His bloodstained footsteps to Calvary, obtain for him the grace to bear all his crosses resignedly, willingly and joyfully in union with His Divine Master.
By the sorrow your soul experienced when you stood beneath the Cross and offered your Jesus to God as a sacrifice for the redemption of souls, obtain for him the grace to be truly a zealous priest who always places the interest of his God above every personal desire, comfort or safety. AMEN.
Prayerfully from the "Cova at Fatima" we wish you God's Blessing and Our Lady's Protection. Junette and Alan
[Junette and Alan Merwin live in Fatima and carry prayer requests to the "feet of Our Lady," where they join us in prayer. Your prayer requests can be emailed to them at 72561.660@compuserve.com or sent to this newsletter.]
FLORENCE, Italy (CWN): The former president of the Philippines, Corazon Aquino, stole the show with an impassioned speech about her country's return to democracy as international political and religious figures met for a three-day peace forum in Florence. Aquino received several minutes of thunderous applause at the end of Sunday's opening ceremony of "Lands and Skies of Freedom," an annual conference organized by the Sant'Egidio Community, an Italian Catholic peace group. Several hundred delegates, including Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and Shintos, gathered in a 14th century palace in the heart of Florence for the meeting. Polish President Lech Walesa, winner of the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize as leader of the Solidarity trade union, said his country had proved solidarity was achievable and totalitarian regimes could be overthrown without bloodshed. "We have shown the world that dialogue and understanding are the best way to resolve difficult problems and urgent social conflicts," he said. However, it was Aquino's personal description of how her husband Ninoy was imprisoned and later assassinated, and how she came to overthrow dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, which captured the audience's imagination. Reading her 10-page speech quickly -- she later told a delegate she was afraid she would bore people -- the devout Catholic said the Philippines had proved the power of prayer. "Therefore let us kneel and pray, then sit and think, then stand and fight," she concluded. Recalling her husband's murder, when he returned from the United States where he had lived for three years following heart surgery, she added: "It is worth dying for our brothers." The conference, on how inter-faith dialogue can help to promote peace, will hear delegates from nations still in conflict, such as former Yugoslavia. "It is indeed absolutely vital to remember that not only charity, but peace also begins at home," said Shear-Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel, in his inaugural address. Walesa was due to open Monday's sessions, which will also include roundtables on Africa and on fundamentalism. Tuesday's schedule will also cover Islam and the Balkans. The gathering ends on Wednesday with a message from Pope John Paul and a special appeal for peace. (CWN 10/23/95)
LONDON: Princess Diana supports her mother's decision to become a Catholic. Frances Shand Kydd, who was raised in the Anglican church, said her family wasn't surprised by her decision and all four of her children were "really happy" for her. "One of them said: `Oh Mom -- tell the world you have my total support,'" she said. She refused to say which of her children was speaking -- although there is only one who would command the world's attention. In an interview Friday on Scottish Television, Mrs. Shand Kydd said she decided to convert after attending services for six years at the Catholic cathedral in Oban, near her Scottish home. "I was excited, happy, and very peaceful inside -- I had no doubts," she said. "It was like coming home." (CWN 10/23/95)
When we moved to Western Michigan from the Baltimore area three years ago, there were approximately twenty-five friends and family members on the DEAR FAMILY mailing list. Today there are close to 200 on the mailing list (which includes Mexico, Australia, Ireland and England); forty eight on the email list; and in addition, DEAR FAMILY is carried on the Internet and the World Wide Web, which gives it world-wide circulation. I can't claim credit for any of this. This was God's idea and He provides for us in terms of the information included in each issue and, through your generosity, the donations for postage, toner and paper. Our office copier, purchased "used" two years ago, is growing "crotchety" and each time I run off the newsletter, I pray really, really hard, reminding God (as if I have to) that I TRUST in Him. I've discovered that there's great joy in saying yes to God and in trusting Him completely.
God bless :-) DEAR FAMILY, is an independent ministry. It subsists solely on God, free-will donations, which are gratefully accepted, and the generosity of my family. Please copy and pass this newsletter on to others. My thanks to all who make this ministry possible.