CONTENTS:
"Dear Children, I invite you little children, to help me through your prayers, so that as many hearts as possible come close to my Immaculate Heart. Satan is strong, and with all his forces wants to bring the most people possible, closer to himself and to sin. That is why he is on the prowl, snatching more every moment. I beg you little children, pray, and help me to help you. I am your Mother and I love you. And that is why I wish to help you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Mary, Our Mother, in her love for us, rushes to gather her children close to her in the face of danger. The danger is satan, too often regarded as a myth. This evil one is clever. While we focus on the large-scale tragedies of the day (Oklahoma, Rwanda, Bosnia), he chips away at us in a million little ways (off-color entertainment, school sports scheduled during traditional worship hours, minor civil disobedience, petty grievances against friends, family or business associates). There are so many examples; you can fill in the blanks by simply scanning the Ten Commandments in your bibles.
Mary constantly prays to the Father on our behalf, and a mother's prayers are heard. Let us join her in prayer. Let us examine our own consciences and concentrate on turning our lives completely over to the Will of God, while turning our backs on the evil one.
"Praise Jesus, praise Jesus. My children, I am the Immaculate Heart of Mary, your Mother. I come before you--each of you--at this Cross to remind you to renew your prayers of the Rosary at the Cross.NEWS NOTE:"I ask Joseph for each of you to continue your many prayers that you have offered to me for the many sick people of the world. Do not fail me at this time, as many of you have done.
"I will send you my blessings, which I give to you each day at the Cross. It is a very special blessing that I give to you all from the Cross. Continue to do so, because I love you all.
"Again I say to you, remember your prayers of the Rosary, and remember I am your Mother, the Queen of Peace. I bless you all for what you have done for me already. I am your Mother, the Queen of Peace, and I ask you all to go in peace. That concludes my message. Go in holiness from this day forward."
Joseph continues to improve and is usually at the Cross on Sundays. The following comes from a pilgrim who visited Hillside on Easter Sunday, Joseph's return to the Cross, following his stroke in February:
Easter Sunday Our Lady brought with her a young child of about five or six. Joseph wept with joy when he recognized little Mitch. This young man had suffered from an inoperable brain tumor. Before Mitch's death late in the winter, his daddy frequently took him to the Cross. After the apparition on Easter, Mitch accompanied Our Lady to Purgatory to release souls into Heaven.
Please pray for healings for:
for the victims of natural disasters
for true peace and reconciliation throughout the world
for all government and religious leaders, especially our Holy Father
for the bishops of the US, as they gather June 15-17 to consider significant revisions in the Order of the Mass, that they will heed the guidance of the Holy Spirit and remain loyal to the Magisterium
for all special intentions including, those of Joan and Fathers Martin and John
Father of us all, You know our needs. We trust in Your loving care. Hear our petitions and our thanksgivings. Amen.
CORRECTION: The address for ADOPT A PRIEST
given in the April issue was incorrect. The
correct address is: Mrs. R. Ross, ADOPT A PRIEST
Program, PO Box 5357, Sun City West, AZ 85376-
5357.
Our friend, Father Anthony, will spend a week in
Poland, where he will officiate at the wedding of
his nephew. We send our prayers and good wishes to
the young couple. He will travel on to Tunis to
visit with and help a priest friend. His final
stop is Rome, where he will " . . . say Holy Mass
with the Pope . . . and see some miraculous shrines
. . . and return home to USA on July 6th with God's
help." God go with you, Father Anthony. Our
family, along with Father Martin and Mama Theresa,
hope to visit with Father Anthony later this
summer.
Carol and Bob Ross, are visiting friends and
family here in Muskegon, during June. She informs
me that her book, BY WAY OF THE CROSS, will be
published this summer. This book is a beautiful
account of a soul's response to God's call. Soon I
hope to tell you how to order your copy.
Father Martin and Mama Theresa spent Ascension
Thursday with us. That evening, several friends
joined us for a pot luck supper, followed by Holy
Mass. (How wonderful that God is present in such a
special way, attended by Our Lady, the angels and
saints.)
Father and Theresa shared their recent pilgrimage with us:
"Being in Medjugorje was like a whole other world. Compared to Rome, it was a haven or better yet, a small piece of heaven. Prayer was always top of the list, though times away from the crowded areas seemed best. I tried to appreciate the Croatian Mass and services, but it seemed so foreign. On the other hand, the services that were really all inclusive of many languages were especially very meaningful for me. A true sense of unity and family. There were many languages in Rome also, but in Medjugorje we were all pilgrims on a spiritual journey. Simple tourists were far and few between.
"Each day [seemed] to bring new and wonderful inspirations to the soul. There is such an overwhelming peace. It is not a peace that is forced on one, but rather like a gift all wrapped up and waiting to be opened and enjoyed. It is a matter of letting go and letting God take over. As humans, we tend to let go a little at a time because our trust levels are very shallow. Once we learn that we can completely trust in Him, let go of our fears and shields, break down our walls, we can open our hearts fully to His peace. We can then let our hearts open wide and receive all the gifts He has to give us."
When asked about Rome, Father, with eyes opened wide, replied, "They drive on the sidewalks there!" (He said it gave new meaning to the title ETERNAL City.)
IN CLOSING:
During the last three years, the mailing list for DEAR FAMILY has grown to include those of different faiths and denominations. I discern this to be a sign that the Good God Our Father is using this newsletter to reach out and embrace His children in the Spirit of ecumenism and Fatherly love. Even though Our Lady warns that time is short, He continues to call us, joyfully welcoming those who respond.
We experienced something very beautiful last week, during Father Martin's visit. While attending noon Mass at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Muskegon, Father Johnson, the pastor, greeted Father Martin, our Orthodox brother in Christ. Both priests embraced during the "Sign of Peace" and again at the end of Mass. The following day, Father Martin met another local priest who also warmly welcomed him. Father told me later that these two Roman Catholic priests made up for the slights that he, as an Orthodox priest, has endured over the years.
The Spirit is moving throughout Western Michigan--and in many other areas throughout the world. As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, let us invite the Holy Spirit to enter our lives. Let us pray for unity among all the Father's children. And if there is some action that you or I can take to hasten this unity, then let us throw off the shackles of fear that hinder us and reach out to our brothers and sisters. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
God bless,
Virginia "Ginny" Lopez
3348 S. Riverwood Dr., Twin Lake, MI 49457 USA
Lagin@aol.com
[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.]
"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, including 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:-)