from Ginny Lopez
in APPARITIONS LIST ARCHIVES
CONTENTS:
MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE & COMMENTARY,
November 25, 1995
"Dear Children! Today, I invite you that each of you begin anew to love - first of all, God, who saved and redeemed each of you, and then brothers and sisters near you. Without love, little children, you cannot grow in holiness and cannot do good deeds. Therefore, little children, pray, without ceasing pray, so that God reveals his love to you. I have invited all of you to unite with me and to love. Today, I am with you and I invite you to discover love in your hearts and in the families. For God to live in your hearts, you must love. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Love and prayer. These tenants of the spiritual life are repeated over and over in Blessed Mother's messages. To truly love, one must pray, pray unceasingly. When you can go through your day including God in all you do--asking His advice, praising Him, sharing with Him the joys, the sorrows, the aggravations and frustrations-- without even thinking about it; when prayer becomes that natural, then you naturally begin to understand the meaning of love. It becomes easier to extend that Godly love to all with whom you come in contact, because you have loved God first. He is number one in your life. When you begin to put God first in your life, you are truly on the road to holiness.
MEDJUGORJE MESSAGE & COMMENTARY,
December 25, 1995
"Dear Children! Today, I also rejoice with you and I bring you little Jesus, so that He may bless you. I invite you, dear children, so that your life may be united with Him. Jesus is the King of Peace and only He can give you the peace that you seek. I am with you and I present you to Jesus in a special way, now in this new time in which one should decide for Him. This time is the time of grace. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Merry Christmas from Our Lady. From Heaven she brings to us a Christmas gift, her most precious treasure, her Infant Son, the King of Peace. It seems so simple: if everyone in the world would view PEACE as a tiny, innocent baby, how could anyone not accept PEACE? Wouldn't there then be peace in our families, our nations, the world? "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you." (John 14: 27)
"Praise Jesus, praise Jesus! My children, I ask you to attend Our Lady of Sorrows Church [Chicago] on the first Saturday of the month. Saturday devotion, the Holy Rosary, healing Mass, confession and communion, and the blessing after Mass. On the first Tuesday, the Rosary, Mary devotion at Our Lady of Lebanon Church [Hillside] at 5:45 PM. Rosary and Mass, litany and benediction, and blessing after the Mass. "Next--at Christ The King Church in Lombard. Three Rosaries and Mass celebration, confession, communion and blessing will be given on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 PM. I am your Mother, the Queen of Peace. I bless you with my Motherly Blessing. I thank you for listening to my messages. I am the Mother of God, the Queen of Peace. I love you all."Praise Jesus! My children, I am your Mother, and I come to tell you about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Holy Mass is the unbloody sacrifice of the new testament, which the Body and Blood of our savior Jesus Christ are offered to God under the appearance of bread and wine. Humanity's redemption was accomplished when Jesus bowed His Head in death on the Cross. The Holy Mass is the sacrament of the sacrifice of redemption."
Please pray for healings for:
FROM CONYERS, GEORGIA concerning alleged
visionary, Nancy Fowler: "In obedience to Jesus
and her spiritual director, Nancy was not present
at the apparition site [on November 13, 1995] but
prayed alone. Nancy did include the pilgrims in
her prayer petitions. After the Rosary ended,
George Collins spoke to the pilgrims at the Farm.
Later the pilgrims gathered on the Holy Hill at 3
pm to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet. It was a very
prayerful day for both Nancy and the pilgrims just
as Jesus had asked on October 13, 1995: 'Let My
children come in faith and pray; the graces remain
here. You, my child, will not return until October
13th next year. Let the faithful be faithful. Let
them come in faith.'"
WORDS TO LIVE BY: To Forgive Is A Decision, Not
An Emotion.
ISSUED BY THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF
THE FAITH regarding activities/writings of Vassula
Ryden: "Many bishops, priests, Religious and lay
people have sought an authoritative judgement from
this Congregation on the activity of Mrs. Vassula
Ryden, a Greek Orthodox residing in Switzerland,
who in speech and in writing is spreading in
Catholic circles throughout the world messages
attributed to allegedly heavenly revelations. A
calm, attentive examination of the entire question,
undertaken by this Congregation in order to "test
the spirits to see whether they are of God" (cf. 1
Jn 4:1), has brought out--in addition to positive
aspects--a number of basic elements that must be
considered negative in light of Catholic doctrine.
In addition to pointing out the suspect nature of
the ways in which these alleged revelations have
occurred, it is necessary to underscore several
doctrinal errors they contain. Among other things,
ambiguous language is used in speaking of the
Persons of the Holy Trinity, to the point of
confusing the specific names and functions of the
Divine Persons. These alleged revelations predict
an imminent period when the Antichrist will prevail
in the Church. In millenarian style, it is
prophesied that God is going to make a final,
glorious intervention which will initiate on earth,
even before Christ's definitive coming, an era of
peace and universal prosperity. Furthermore, the
proximate arrival is foretold of a Church which
would be a kind of pan-Christian community,
contrary to Catholic doctrine. The fact that the
aforementioned errors no longer appear in Ryden's
later writings is a sign that the alleged "heavenly
messages" are merely the result of private
meditations. Moreover, by habitually sharing in
the sacraments of [the?] Catholic Church, even
though she is Greek Orthodox, Mrs. Ryden is causing
considerable surprise in various circles of the
Catholic Church. She appears to be putting herself
above all ecclesiastical jurisdiction and every
canonical norm, and in effect, is creating an
ecumenical disorder that irritates many
authorities, ministers and faithful of her own
Church, as she puts herself outside the
ecclesiastical discipline of the latter. Given the
negative effect of Vassula Ryden's activities,
despite some positive aspects, this Congregation
requests the intervention of the bishops so that
their faithful may be suitably informed and that no
opportunity may be provided in their dioceses for
the dissemination of her ideas. Lastly, the
congregation invites all the faithful not to regard
Mrs. Vassula Ryden's writings and speeches as
supernatural and to preserve the purity of the
faith that the Lord has entrusted to the Church."
Vatican City, October 6, 1995.
Purgatory is a concept that has faded into the background in recent years. Ignored, it doesn't go away. Purgatory, the state a grace-filled soul enters after death but before Heaven, when there is still reparation to be made for past sins, is very real.
Does Holy Scripture define Purgatory as a reality? Yes. In 2 Machabees 12:46 we read: "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins." However, Protestant bibles do not contain the books of Machabees.
Theologian and apologist, Scott Hahn, invites us to turn to Luke 16: 19-31, the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. Lazarus was a poor man covered with sores, lying unnoticed at the rich man's door. When Lazarus died, "...he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'" Further on in this chapter the rich man implores Abraham to send Lazarus "...to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment."
Traditionally we see "this place of torment" as hell. Yet, the souls in hell have no concern for themselves or the salvation of those still alive. Hell is all-consuming hatred. Hahn suggests that the rich man is suffering the cleansing fires of Purgatory, where he is unable to help himself but can and does request help for his brothers who are still alive.
Consider the child who accidently breaks a neighbor's window. He goes to the neighbor, admits to the accident and apologizes. When we go to Confession, we admit to the priest (Jesus really) that we have broken the Lord's Commandments and we tell the Lord that we are sorry.
Now, even though the child has apologized, he is still responsible for the repairs to the window. Although in Confession we are absolved of our sins (we were forgiven when Jesus died on the cross), we must make reparation.
Was there ever a time in the history of your family when someone had a falling out with a friend or family member? Did those bitter feelings infect others with hatred that continued down through the years, perhaps even centuries? The effects of sin are not always limited to the sinner himself. These effects often affect future generations. At Medjugorje Our Lady once spoke to Vicka about the need for "generational healing" when praying for those in Purgatory.
It is possible to make full reparation during one's lifetime? An honest and true understanding of what it means to offend God, our Abba, who loves us unconditionally; a true horror of and firm resolve to avoid sin, that can come only after deep reflection and prayer; uniting personal suffering with the Passion and Death of Jesus, with humble and contrite heart--this is how we can bypass Purgatory and go straight to Heaven.
Purgatory is real. Souls are confined here for a time span known only to God. They have need of our prayers, being no longer able to pray for themselves. They are our friends, neighbors, families, ancestors.
November is dedicated by the Catholic Church to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. But God is not governed by calendar or clock. Remember these souls throughout the year. Pray for them, remembering that the most perfect, powerful prayer is the Mass. As you pray for and remember them, they will remember you with the gratitude of those about to see the Face of God.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in it's recent statement concerning Vassula Ryden, a Greek Orthodox Catholic, mentions that one of the things that caused controversy was her "habitual" reception of the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church. As a child I learned that under exceptional circumstances, a Roman Catholic could receive the sacraments of the Orthodox Church because the Orthodox Church participates in the unbroken line of apostolic succession. Some friends are concerned about the fact that a priest friend told them they could not participate in Orthodox liturgies, nor could they receive the sacraments in the Orthodox Church. What was my opinion?
Rather than give an opinion, I went to THE CODE OF CANON LAW for the Latin Church and found Canon 844, Section 2: "Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and provided the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, Christ's faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a catholic minister, may lawfully receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid."
Canon 844, Section 3: "Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the eastern Churches not in full communion with the catholic Church, if they spontaneously ask for them and are properly disposed. The same applies to members of other Churches which the Apostolic See judges to be in the same position as the aforesaid eastern Churches so far as the sacraments are concerned."
Then I went to the VATICAN COUNCIL II Document on Catholic Eastern Churches and found: (Sec. 26) "In view of this {...a common sharing in the sacraments and in other sacred functions and things.}, "lest we be an obstacle to the salvation of men through the harshness of our judgment," and in order to further union with the Eastern Churches separated from us, the holy council has laid down the following lines of action: (Sec 27) In view of the principles just noted, Eastern Christians who are separated in good faith from the Catholic Church, if they are rightly disposed and make such request of their own accord, may be given the Sacraments of Penance, the Eucharist and the Anointing of the Sick. Moreover, Catholics also may ask for those same sacraments from non-Catholic ministers in whose church there are valid sacraments, as often as necessity or true spiritual benefit recommends such action, and access to a Catholic priest is physically or morally impossible. (Sec 28) Further, given the same principles, a common sharing in sacred functions, things and places is permitted for a just cause between Catholics and their separated brethren.
My thanks to Father R. Gant, who made a present to me of a copy of THE CODE OF CANON LAW and recommended that I obtain VATICAN COUNCIL II Documents.
The Old and New Testaments continually refer to God, dealing with people through their sufferings and special gifts individually bestowed. Suffering is the more recognizable of the two. Special gifts are not always recognized by the average person unless they have gone though a similar experience.
The following excerpts from a new book release, BY WAY OF THE CROSS, an autobiography by Carol J. Ross, fall into the above category. BY WAY OF THE CROSS is the simple story of Carol's life of immense suffering, from childhood through her adult years, including the raising of seven children, up to the present day:
1) CAROL'S TEEN YEARS: "Polio struck fear in the hearts of everyone. I was lonely, confused and frightened. I was shut off from all that I cared about and loved in my teen life."
2) HER SON'S TRAGIC ACCIDENT (a parent's nightmare): "Oh how Patrick dreamed that one day he would be a big-time player. Memories overwhelmed me of Patrick's Little League and All Star years. Surely, we all were in a different ball park now...It was hours before we saw a nurse. She told another parent that her child's surgery had been delayed because a little boy was hemorrhaging in the operating room. The words spread quickly in that little hell of a confined area. Was the child Patrick? My heart seemed to stop momentarily."
3) HER WORDS OF FAITH IN TIMES OF DESPAIR, ANGER AND SUFFERING (Multiple Sclerosis): "I am not alone in this journey of faith, for He carries me. I am the smallest lamb whose legs are weak."
4) HER WONDER AS A PILGRIM IN A FOREIGN LAND: "Later the cross atop Mt. Krizevac could be seen by all across the village, as it lit up and spun. Amazing? You bet! This solid concrete cross is impossible to move. It is stone grey in color, but that night it looked brighter than a neon sign!" coupled with her two major concerns: can I physically endure this trip? WHY am I really doing this?
5) HER EXPERIENCES IN A WAR ZONE: "The war was as close as five miles away on one side of the village, and twelve miles away on the other. Still, we all felt safe in Our Lady's protective care within the boundaries of Medjugorje village on this day."
We all tend to think that our problems and sufferings are major, until we turn the corner and see our fellow brother or sister.
BY WAY OF THE CROSS has approx. 50 color photos, as well as 6 reproductions of color lithographs. It is the sort of book that gives hope, by rekindling faith and trust in God, to those who have experienced any sort of crisis in their lives. Simply and beautifully written. Upbeat in nature.
BY WAY OF THE CROSS is available locally in Western Michigan: Michael's, The Place Of Angel's, 1261 Holton Road (M120 just south of Giles Road), North Muskegon, Michigan 49445 (616) 744-2423, or by contacting: CMJ ASSOCIATES, INC. PUBLISHERS, PO Box 661, Oak Lawn, IL 60454, Phone - (708) 636-2995, Fax - (708) 636-2855, Email- JWBY@AOL.COM
MASTERCARD and VISA are accepted. Cost per book is $29.50; Illinois sales tax is 7.75 per cent; shipping/handling 1-2 books $3.00; shipping/handling 3-4 books $6.00.
Every year I get farther behind, in the material preparations for Christmas. This year's Christmas cards might get out by Ground Hog Day. However, I finished the Christmas shopping. After years of shopping for Ed and Nick, it was fun to shop for a girl. Tina (17) has been a part of our family since June. Rather than allow this lovely young woman to go without a home, we took her in. Not a day goes by that I don't thank God for this child. She's blossomed; she's healed. She came to us with a brain tumor and five bleeding ulcers. The ulcers have healed and the tumor is now a tiny cyst. She still suffers from migraines- -stress, the doctor says--and double, blurred vision, but she looks forward to starting the second half of her senior year in high school with new glasses and relatively good health. She has a beautiful laugh and sense of humor. Our home rings with laughter. God has been so good to us over the years by sending the joy of young people into our lives. Nick's and Tina's friends congregate here. Our young friend, Kirby, who lived with us during his senior year of high school, is in the Navy. His first assignment was Alaska and now he is in the state of Washington. On leave last fall, he spent quite a bit of time with us. In fact, while I was in the hospital, Nick, Kirby, Tina and their friend, Angie, came to see me every afternoon. That first day after surgery, I awoke to find four pairs of young eyes anxiously watching to make sure I was still breathing. God love them. Our children are so very precious and in sending them to our home as He does, Christmas comes every day.
The following is a story that appeared on SPEED THE NEED, an ecumenical mission news service on the INTERNET. Let me leave you with this reflection on the spirit of this holy season from ALL SAINTS CHAPEL:
There he sat in his living room. It was Christmas Eve, and snowing hard. He had the evening paper laid out on his lap. His wife and kids were bundling up to make it for the candlelight service at All Saints Chapel. This father refused to go and worship...his faith had dwindled into logic. He used to believe. When he was a boy with childlike faith he used to talk to God and watch for angels. Now as an adult, he refused to believe that God even existed, or that He would humble Himself to become a baby. And so, as he sat there in that big chair, his wife took the children out the door to the car and across town to the chapel. Now he was home alone with his stubborn logic. As he paged through the sports section, he heard a loud "thump thump" against the picture window. "Those darn neighbor kids...they are throwing snowballs again...this time at my window!", he said outloud with anger. Rising to his feet, he charged to the front door, opened it, and scanned the front yard for those little rascals. He saw no one. There were not even any footprints in the snow except for those of his wife and children as they had walked to the car. "I know I heard something, but what was it?", he thought. Just as he was turning to go back in the house, his eye caught some movement beneath the picture window. He looked closer and saw two little birds, spinning in circles with one wing raised. They were in pain, hurt, confused, and unable to help themselves. "Ah," he thought, "That is what I heard. Birds flying into my window." He was suddenly filled with compassion. The wind was blowing hard, the night was cold and the snow was coming down harder. This man realized that if he did not save the birds from the winter night, they would die. He attempted to lift them into his hands, but they were afraid of him and scurried off a few feet away. He then opened the garage door and tried to scoot them into the garage, but they did not understand. He got some bird food and sprinkled a trail into the garage, but they did not follow it...they needed warmth and safety, not food. He just could not get through to them. Finally realizing that the little birds just did not understand him, he thought to himself, "If only I could be a bird just like them, then they would not be afraid of me, I could communicate with them and lead them. Then it hit him..."That is why God became a baby...so we would not be afraid of Him, He could be on our level and save us."
Across town in the middle of the candlelight service at All Saints Chapel, the shadowy figure of a man could be seen making his way up the aisle, taking a seat, and completing a family. His childlike faith was restored. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:1)
As the world celebrates Christmas, may you experience the peace and love of the Holy Family. I have arranged for you [all who read this newsletter] to participate in the spiritual benefits of 900 special Masses offered by the missionaries of the Seraphic Mass Association, in honor of the Infant Jesus during the Christmas Season. The Masses will begin on Christmas Eve. I hope you will be happy with this spiritual gift and I pray many graces will come to you during this Holy Season.
The members of the Lopez Family wish you and yours, our DEAR FAMILY, God's choicest blessings during this holy season. God love you.
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.