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Echo of Mary Queen of Peace 187 (May-June 2006)
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Category: 2006
Category: 2006
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Son. He has conquered by His death and
resurrection and, through me, He calls
you to be a part of His joy.
closeness. I am with you and intercede
before God for each of you. Thank you
for responding to my call.”
then, “went out to the Jews again” (ibid.)
without waiting for Jesus to reply. Yet Jesus
had only just said that He was born for this.
“For this I have come into the world, to
bear witness to the truth,” and that everyone
who is of the truth hears His voice. If Pilate
had listened perhaps he would not have
asked that question. Pilate, however, is not
willing to heed the words of Jesus. He is
closed up in himself, in his own culture and
power, and in his idolatry of Caesar and of
self. Closed up as he is in his own idea
about life, he loses the only chance to enter
into Life!
our idols and at times pass them off as
expressions of God’s will; and we thus
more or less abuse the Name of God. Mary
has always said to us that only sincere
surrender to God is an efficacious antidote
to the poison of the old serpent (cf. Nm 21:9
e Jn 3:14-15)
to be assumed in Him, to be - through Him
- surrendered to the Father. Crucified with
Jesus, we can hang up on the wood of the
Cross all that denies His Love. United to
Christ to be One in God, we can be one
with our brethren. To be everything in
everyone, said Paul (1 Cor 9:19-23) for love
of Christ and of the Gospel.
Son,” says Mary. This increased trust that
she asks for isn’t just another step ahead,
but demands radical change. It is
conversion to Christ, founded on faith in
Jesus and Mary and not on our own ideas.
So it isn’t a question of doing something
for Christ or for the Church, or even for
the world, but it means to be in Christ and
of Christ; to live in Him and of Him, to
breathe in Him and of Him, to be
assimilated into Him so that all our actions,
reactions and relationships are in Him.
conquered by His death and
holiness. Renounce sin and set out on
the way of salvation, the way which my
Son has chosen. Through your
tribulations and sufferings God will find
the way of joy for you. Therefore, my
children, pray. We are close to you with
our love. Thank you for responding to
my call.”
Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38) Mary’s
message gives us hope while also urging
us to decide. The first words on their own
express an urgency: Courage my
Children! I have decided to lead you on
the way to holiness. That “courage” is a
call to come out of our sepulchres.
“Awake, oh sleeper, and arise from the
dead, and Christ shall give you light” (Eph
5:14). Yet, it is more than a call. It is a
decision which Mary has already made,
that she is determined to fulfil.
to say “yes” – yes, I am ready to let myself
be led onto the way of holiness; or if we
so choose we can respond: no thank you,
I prefer to remain where I am. Mary,
however, doesn’t even seem to consider a
negative response, for she immediately
indicates this way: “renounce sin and set
out on the way of salvation, the way
chosen by my Son.”
Resurrection. It is the way of the Cross
already taken by Jesus and which He freely
chose: I lay down my life of my own accord
(Jn 10:18). It is Love which lets itself be
nailed to the Cross to become a
for the forgiveness of sins
there is no other. Christ is the Lamb that
was slain, and we - assimilated into Him
with holy Baptism - are other lambs like
Him. Feed my sheep
we may not weary our God (cf. Is 7:13),
let us hastily lay aside all feelings of
haughtiness, every spirit of arrogance,
tyranny, division, and pride, and every sin.
Let us stop contemplating ourselves, and
turn our eyes, heart and soul to God.
to do evil, learn to do good, to seek justice
(cf. Is 1:16-17).
but it is the only one that takes us to God.
The way of holiness is already traced out,
and is paved with the beatitudes (Lk 6:20–
23).
(Mt 5:48).
companions of every man’s life; they are
not characteristic of the way of holiness.
Characteristic of this way, instead, is the
way one comes through the tribulations
and suffering. We can face them alone, or
we can face them with Jesus. We can seek
support and consolation from the world,
or from God. Through your tribulations
and sufferings God will find for you the
way of joy.
she will know how to lead us with the
Spirit’s Wisdom and with the sweetness
of her Immaculate Heart. So let us pray;
let us turn off the channels of our television,
and tune in to the Channel of Love. We,
says Mary, are close to you with our
love, where “we” stands for God the
Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit,
and the Virgin Mary. Is there anything else
we could need?
Ph/fax 0423-470331 - Email: info@ecodimaria.net- A translation of the original Italian: Eco di Maria
you to be a part of His joy,” Mary says
in her message. The victory of Christ is
absolute, decisive and definitive, and we
are called to be, with Mary, part of His
joy, by entering Heaven. The blessed
Virgin is the Door to Heaven, and we are
called to enter it through Her. Jesus is the
victor, and He opens the door to Heaven
for us, but Mary is the threshold, and she
introduces us.
of God that shines in the face of Christ (2
Cor 4:6). This authentic joy is our witness.
We are always carrying in the body the
death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may
also be manifested in our bodies. For
while we live we are always being given
up to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life
of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal
flesh (2 Cor 4:10-11).
closeness,” continues our blessed Mother.
Prayer is necessary, not because it is
imposed by a God of vanities, but because
it puts us on the right wavelength where
we can tune in to God’s Heart. His heart
beats in tune with ours; our heartbeats
merge into His. It is in this consonance
that we can become aware of His
closeness, of His presence. Peace and joy
in Jesus and Mary!
love for him had not faded, but rather, that
his memory is firmly engraved in our
hearts. Pope Benedict said of his “beloved
predecessor” on the occasion:
phase of his earthly pilgrimage. His agony
and death constituted almost a prolongation
of the Easter Triduum. … ‘God tested
them,’ it says in the Book of Wisdom, ‘and
found them worthy of himself; like gold in
the furnace he tried them, and like a
sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them’
burned, consumed by the flames;
consequently, it was a sign of total offering
to God. This biblical expression reminds
us of John Paul II’s mission. He made his
life a gift to God and to the Church and,
especially in the celebration of the
Eucharist, he lived out the sacrificial
dimension of his priesthood.
Christ, Priest and Victim: Jesus, High
Priest who gave yourself to God as offering
and victim, have mercy on us.
character of his whole life. He never made
a mystery of his desire to become
increasingly one with Christ the Priest
through the Eucharistic Sacrifice, a source
of tireless apostolic dedication.”
through a world torn and tormented by
violence! Symbolically, it is like the
journey the prophet pointed out from sea
to sea, from the river to the ends of
the earth. It is the journey of the One who,
in the sign of the Cross, gives us peace
and makes us become messengers of
reconciliation and of his peace.”
recalls the institution of the priesthood.
During this Mass the Chrism is blessed
(holy oil used for anointing in various
sacraments). It is a beautiful moment in
which the priests gather round their bishops
and renew their promises. “Being a priest
means becoming an ever closer friend of
Jesus Christ with the whole of our
existence. The world needs God - not just
any god but the God of Jesus Christ, the
God who made himself flesh and blood,
who loved us to the point of dying for us,
who rose and created within himself room
for man,” the Pope said in his homily. “This
God must live in us and we in him. This is
our priestly call: only in this way can our
action as priests bear fruit.”
for those who desire collaborating with
Christ to form the Church: “One becomes
capable of salvation only by offering one’s
own flesh. The evil in the world must be
borne and the pain shared, assimilating it
into one’s own flesh as did Jesus. Jesus
assumed our flesh; let us give him our own.
In this way he can come into the world and
transform it.”
us to God’s heights,” said the Pope at the
Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday.
but not all of you,’ the Lord says (Jn 13:10).
What is it that makes man unclean? It is the
rejection of love, not wanting to be loved,
not loving. It is pride that believes it has no
need of any purification, that is closed to
God’s saving goodness. It is pride that does
not want to admit or recognize that we are
in need of purification.”
his table… He is ceaselessly this love that
cleanses us; in the sacraments of
purification - Baptism and the Sacrament
of Penance - he is continually on his knees
at our feet and carries out for us the service
of a slave, the service of purification,
making us capable of God. His love is
inexhaustible, it truly goes to the very end.
celebrated his first year as Pope. It was
the 19
Paul’s, but has already shown clear signs
of strength and stability.
given the profound difference between the
two Pontiffs. Nonetheless, it cannot be
denied that there is a line of continuity
especially in basic decisions. Hence, we do
not lament his illustrious predecessor, but
rather, we are delighted in his style which
delves deeper into the contents of the faith
with wisdom and elegance.
paper does not have the space for them.
Thus, we have decided to dedicate this page
to the reflections Benedict XVI offered his
flock during the Easter celebrations which
are at the heart of the liturgical year and
fulcrum for our life in the faith.
Sunday Mass. “There was a time - and it
has not yet been completely surmounted -
in which Christianity was rejected precisely
because of the Cross. The Cross speaks of
sacrifice.. instead, we want life in its
entirety, without restrictions and without
sacrifices. We want to live, all we want is
to live,” said the Pope in realistic tones.
Then he added: “We do not find life by
possessing it, but by giving it. Love is a
gift of oneself, and for this reason it is the
way of true life symbolized by the Cross.”
war horses to vanish... break bows and
proclaim peace. This is brought about in
Jesus through the sign of the Cross. The
Cross is the broken bow, in a certain way,
God’s new, true rainbow which connects
the heavens and the earth and bridges the
abysses between the continents. The new
weapon that Jesus places in our hands is
the Cross - a sign of reconciliation, of
forgiveness, a sign of love that is stronger
than death.
injustice with other injustice or violence
with other violence: let us remember that
we can only overcome evil with good and
never by paying evil back with evil.”
is being consigned to a special delegation
so that it may begin the journey to Sydney,
where in 2008 the youth of the world are
planning to meet again around Christ to
build with him the Kingdom of peace.
From Cologne to Sydney - a journey
the purifying power of his goodness.
Washing one another’s feet means above
all tirelessly forgiving one another,
beginning together ever anew, however
pointless it may seem. It means purifying
one another by bearing with one another
and by being tolerant of others...”
so we must seek our place. In the Way of the
Cross, it is impossible to remain neutral.
Pilate, the sceptic intellectual, tried to be
neutral, to remain uninvolved; but precisely
in this way he took a stance against justice,
because of the conformism of his career,” said
Benedict XVI on the evening of Good Friday
at the Colosseum where the Way of the Cross
is traditionally relived, the place of
martyrdom for thousands of Christians.
kindled the light of love. We have seen how
St Augustine found his way, as well as Francis
of Assisi, St Vincent de Paul, St Maximilian
Kolbe and Mother Teresa of Calcutta. So it
is that we too are invited to find our place, to
discover with these great, courageous saints
the way with Jesus and for Jesus: the way of
goodness and truth.”
Calvary we are often led to consider the
evil of man, and perhaps feel guilt, but we
also need to consider the positive figures
that remain close to Jesus. The Pope thus
pointed out other ‘stations’. “But we have
also seen stations of consolation. We have
seen the Mother, whose goodness stays
faithful unto death and beyond death… the
courageous women, who stood before the
Lord and were not afraid to show solidarity
with this Suffering One… (and) Simon the
Cyrenian, an African, who carried the
Cross with Jesus.” We see, then, that
“through these ‘stations,’ that consolation,
just as suffering, is never-ending.”
is “not simply a collection of the obscure and
sad things of the world. Nor is it a form of
moralism, ineffective in the end. It is not a cry
of protest that changes nothing.” It is instead
the, “way of mercy that puts a limit on evil.
This is what we learned from John Paul II.
As the way of mercy it is the way of salvation.
Thus, we are invited to take the way of
mercy and with Jesus, put a limit on evil. Let
us pray to the Lord to help us be ‘infected’
by his mercy. Let us pray to the Holy Mother
of Jesus, the Mother of Mercy, that we too
can be men and women of mercy, and thereby
contribute to the world’s salvation,” he
concluded
resurrection from the dead: unheard-of,
decisive event!for the destiny of mankind.
In the homily of the Easter Vigil Benedict
XVI asked: “Of what exactly does this
“rising” consist? What does it mean for us?”
To reply the Holy Father borrows a word
from the theory of evolution: “It is the
greatest ‘mutation,’ absolutely the most
crucial leap into a totally new dimension that
there has ever been in the long history of
life and its development: a leap into a
completely new order which does concern
us, and concerns the whole of history.”
questions: “What does it mean for us, for the
whole world and for me personally? Above
all: what happened? Jesus is no longer in the
tomb. He is in a totally new life. But how could
this happen? What forces were in operation?”
death and transformed it… Resurrection was
like an explosion of light, an explosion of
love… It ushered in a new dimension of
being, of life in which, in a transformed way,
matter too was integrated and through which
a new world emerges,” he continued. This
great explosion, as the Pope has called it, also
involves all of us: “The great explosion of
the Resurrection has seized us in Baptism so
as to draw us on… Baptism means that we
are not dealing with an event in the past, but
that a qualitative leap in world history comes
to me, seizing hold of me in order to draw me
on… The Resurrection is not a thing of the
past, the Resurrection has reached us and
seized us. We grasp hold of it, we grasp hold
of the risen Lord, and we know that he holds
us firmly even when our hands grow weak.
We grasp hold of his hand, and thus we also
hold on to one another’s hands, and we
become one single subject, not just one thing.
I, but no longer I is the formula of Christian
life rooted in Baptism, of Resurrection within
time. I, but no longer I: if we live in this way,
we transform the world.”
be held prisoner by death, and the tomb could
not hold on to ‘the living one’ who is the
very source of life,” commented Pope
Benedict on a sunny Easter Sunday. “The
lifeless body was suffused with the living
breath of God and, as the walls of the tomb
were shattered, he rose in glory. That is why
the angels proclaim he is not here, he can no
longer be found in the tomb... (for) he
conquered death… and he opened the earth,
throwing it open towards Heaven.”
freedom be experienced everywhere. Today
the words with which the Angel reassured
the frightened hearts of the women on Easter
morning are addressed to all: ‘Do not be
afraid! ... He is not here; he is risen.’ … Let
the people of the third millennium not be
afraid to open their hearts to him. Christ is
now alive and he walks with us. What an
immense mystery of love!”
sign caused by suffering?
teaches the contrary and attempts to
remove every trace of pain and sorrow?
Yet the signs on the body of the Risen One
are truly blessed. They tell of His passion,
His mission consumed on the cross; they
witness the unique act of eternal salvation.
unimaginable for the human mind, but
perceivable by the senses possessed by the
soul. Yes, the soul can see, feel and touch
the things of heaven.
ask me that you may love them constantly,
because they are a source of every grace.
Invoke them often; cast your neighbour
into them; impress in souls devotion to
them. From my Wounds come fruits of
holiness. Through meditating upon them
you are newly nourished by Love.”
wounds. From them come salvation and
light, the same light that flooded the closed
sepulchre and broke the seals of death.
They are open fountains that offer beverage
to those who thirst for justice, peace and
indulgence.
familiar that moves us to compassion – it
is the paradox of the cruelty of the passion
and the meekness of Jesus who permitted
it.
help us understand the Man who sustained
that horrendous act for us; to help us know
the King that wore the crown of thorns
that relentlessly pierced his head. As we
contemplate those hands and feet pierced
through for love of us our heart is touched
by God, moved by His Grace.
Christ calls us into this Wound, to place
ourselves on His Heart, to feel its warmth,
and hear it beating – for us, for love of us.
fount of forgiveness that will never dry
up. Rather, it is thrown wide open at every
Mass to pour forth the Blood that washes,
nourishes and purifies penitent hearts.
and protection in His side. There we shall
be hidden from vile gazes, and exposed to
one gaze only: that of Mercy.
a body?
granted. The body is an immense gift of
God. It is a mystery and it is our
responsibility to know it. Years of study,
analysis and research are not the key that
enable one to understand the mystery of
the body, nor to live according to the
original dignity it was assigned.
comportment, recuperated and elevated by
Christ to the dignity of being able to stay
in God’s presence. The unveiling of this
mystery belongs to each Christian. He has
full access to the knowledge of the
mystery, and to the rediscovery of this gift
of God which is the body.
Christian. It is, in fact, a consequence of
Christ’s bodily resurrection in which our
own bodily dimension assumes the
characteristics foreseen by grace, and our
obedience to this grace becomes an
important element of our life at the service
of the soul’s relationship with God.
the extent of becoming enslaved to its
appearance. At the opposite pole are those
consecrated persons who neglect their
bodies as though they were not part of the
mission to which they are called.
have with their bodies. What we need to
ask is: what type of relationship does
God want us to have with our bodies?
My personal experience is that human
efforts are not enough to create a balance
within the body, because without faith the
body becomes a container where all the
disturbances and dramas of the soul
accumulate or are dumped. The answer
that leads to unity of the being, through
which a Christian can find fullness of truth
comes from the paschal passover of
Jesus in man.
harmony had lodged. Through coming into
the passion and death of Jesus with what
we have and are, the way is opened for
the resurrection of His life in our own flesh.
The body’s function is to serve as a temple
for the laws of life, and the body is given
the task of concelebrating that which the
soul celebrates in its union with Jesus
Christ. The body thus finds fullness and
order.
members to sin as instruments of
wickedness, but offer yourselves to God
as men who have been brought from death
to life, and your members to God as
instruments of righteousness…” (cf. Rom
6:12-13).
thinking of ourselves. Each of us should
think of his neighbours and help them to
become stronger Christians. Christ did not
think of himself.” (Rm 15:1-3)
and for Christ, thus I unite myself to Him
whilst my blood is being drawn. I wouldn’t
consider it a sacrifice, of course, but a
simple response of love to Jesus who gave
me life and health as a free gift, and through
donating my blood I become in a small
way a gift for others.
this simple gesture may become a spiritual
offering. So I first go to Mass to receive
the Holy Eucharist. That way, Jesus is
present in my soul and my body and His
life and blood circulate in my own.
environment, the nurses, the other blood
donors, so that together with my own, all
the blood being donated is offered up to
the Father our creator. I pray that it be
united to the Most Precious Blood of the
Son who redeemed us, consecrating it to
the Holy Spirit, who inspires acts of
selflessness, so that the act may be
recapitulated in the Love of God.
who it will be, invoking upon him or her
spiritual health. I feel that my prayer is
answered, because this gesture is not just
a physical gift; through prayer I unite to
my blood my desire for God, the
unreserved offering of myself to Him.
This gesture, when lived with one’s gaze
turned to God, becomes a precious
appointment that I feel I could never
neglect.
the example of Jesus Christ, so that united
in mind and voice you may give glory to
the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.” (Rm 15:5-6)
also is something to offer, and procures
joy because I have given something of
myself. This awareness arouses gratitude,
and I am strengthened by the image of a
similar exchange in the spiritual field.
Such should be the daily life of one who
desires offering his life. If we think that
everything is given us, and that that which
we renounce, which we feel the lack of,
goes to nourish and sustain a brother or
sister in need, it becomes easier to remove
our gaze from ourselves and raise our eyes
to the Lord, to thank Him for each of these
gestures whether they be ordinary or
mysterious, dark or even painful.
everything that we truly need to nourish a
needy brother, everything would be given
us again, when divine wisdom wills it.
example. A little of my own vital strength
goes with my blood to help and sustain
another person, but my body quickly
becomes active and makes new blood. This
mirrors our spiritual nature.
are created within us to receive from the
Lord new gifts to share with growing joy
and gratitude. The blood that is re-formed
in my body is the same as the blood I
donated, yet it is also new. Likewise, the
grace that is given us after a renunciation
made out of love is always a new grace,
and is precious and unique. We shall thus
feel attracted to the Lord ever more
strongly; we shall feel the call to enter the
circulation of life in the Spirit that is never
interrupted: it is one of giving and
receiving, dying and rising, receiving love
and giving love, that we might be love.
thanksgiving to God the Father, the Son
and the Holy Spirit, for the gift of physical
and spiritual health, and an external sign
of a reality that I desire living ever more
fully, without limits and without
interruption in my day-to-day living, my
prayer, and my vocation. “You received
without cost, give without charge.” (Mt
10:8).
birth of this man who joined
offered us by those
in the triumphant
and suffering church
ought to be guarded
as one would a
treasure. They are no
interests and their love and concern for us
is real.
celebrated, and we’re all invited. An
abundance of grace and blessings are
being offered to all who care to rejoice
the founding fathers of the Society of
Jesus, and who is likened to St. Paul for
his zeal and missionary success.
In 1542 he began his work in Portuguese
India. He preached with great success in
Goa, then in southern India and Ceylon
(Sri Lanka), in Malacca, and Japan. Tens
of thousands of locals were converted,
and many Christian communities were
founded. His premature death impeded him
from reaching mainland China.
taught a Christianity based on love and
charity. “Everything that he did, he did with
intense joy,” it is said of him. He especially
sought to comfort the sick. News
quickly spread that he could heal the sick
and even raise people from the dead, his
fame preceding him on his missionary
voyages, and the sick vied for his presence.
In a letter to St. Ignatius, Francis wrote:
“… it was impossible for me myself to
satisfy all, and at the same time to avoid
their quarrelling among themselves, every
one striving to be the first to get me to his
own house.”
and these became valid witnesses: “So I
sent round children whom I could trust in
my place. They went to the sick persons,
assembled their families and neighbours,
recited the Creed with them, and
encouraged the sufferers to conceive a
certain and well-founded confidence of
their restoration… God was moved by the
faith and piety of these children and of
the others, and restored a great number of
sick persons to health, both of body and
soul.” According to witnesses, these
children would ask for his rosary beads to
place on the sick visited in his name.
expressed his disappointment that too few
were willing to put their talents at the
service of God: “Many times I am seized
with the thought of going to the universities
of Europe and of crying out, like a man
who has lost his mind…” to give them a
shaking, that someone might respond:
“Here I am, Lord. What do you want me
to do?’ like Samuel in the Bible. Many,
many people hereabouts are not becoming
Christians for one reason only: there is
nobody to make them Christians.”
of all missions. He died in 1552 on 3rd
December. His incorrupt body is enshrined
in the Church of the Good Jesus in Goa,
India.
your intercession our hearts that they may
convert, leaving the rest to the infinite
mercy and generosity of Jesus.
Chastity Ministry
and January) when Christ’s birth is
celebrated.
Piety, so that both personal or community
devotion is integrated into the apex of
Christian life: which is sacred Liturgy.
Everything must flow into sacred Liturgy,
and the harmony that comes of this helps
each person to reach maturity in the faith
and in the spiritual life.
while its roots are always deeply planted
in the mysteries of the Christian faith, and
will lead to a vital bond with Christ, based
on belief in Him. It will prepare the heart
and open the way to an encounter with
Christ in the liturgical celebration of the
Holy Mass.
on our personal conversion, to find the
space for extra personal or communal
prayer. Many and varied are the initiatives
proposed. The important thing is that these
proposals are in harmony with the liturgical
time and feasts of the moment. Often May
is included in the fifty days of Easter, so
our pious exercises can reflect on the
participation of the Virgin Mary in both the
paschal mystery and Pentecost.
Furthermore, Marian devotion points
immediately to the Incarnation of the Son,
and it is here that we discover the true face
of Jesus, who received His humanity
through her. Through meditating on the
mystery of Mary’s life, we are encouraged
to feel that the encounter with Jesus, God-
with-us, who shared in our earthly life in
a redeemed
necessary for our journey and our spiritual
life and so that we can open our hearts to
the love of the heavenly Father.
this Mother, as John did at the feet of the
Cross, so that Mary can be at our side in
our daily lives, and lead us to holiness.
Holy Trinity.
to the Mother of God. Many are the
initiatives that promote devotion to Mary:
prayers, processions, pilgrimages to
Marian shrines, homilies and reflections.
But not everyone is familiar with the
origins of these May devotions, so this
article intends to briefly consider these, that
we may acquire greater awareness and
appreciation of Mary’s month.
Mary were gradually introduced; but there
are also the various expressions of popular
piety that have been accepted and
encouraged by the Magisterium of the
Church. Already in the ninth century
Saturday was dedicated to Mary, and still
today it is possible to choose for the
Saturday liturgy a memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. This choice no doubt recalls
the importance of Holy Saturday to
understand the role of Mary in the history
of salvation. Mary, who became the Mother
of the newly-born Church and of every
person, awaited with certainty the
Resurrection of her Son, and she was there
to confirm the apostles and disciples in their
unsteady faith. Just as she was present in
the newly formed Church, so is Mary close
to us in our earthly pilgrimage, and in the
Saturdays of our life and history; and even
if our salvation is already wrought by
Christ, it is uncompleted in this life and
the world.
to be accompanied by the love
of a Mother throughout
life’s ordeals. To her they
have entrusted their
own lives, their
families and their
nations. Marian
devotion has
developed over time,
and at the end of the
XVI century an entire
month was dedicated to
her. At the time an
efficacious apostolate for
the people was through pious
exercises, while the Liturgy of the
Church remained more difficult and distant
from the people.
the sweet scents of spring. This represents
an image of beauty and the splendour of
life - and this is how Mary has always been
perceived by the people.
the solemnity of Mary’s Dormition (which
we call the Assumption) is celebrated,
while the Coptic Church dedicates to her
dignity is given to the parts which are
without it, and so that there may not be
any disagreements inside the body, but
that each part may be equally concerned
for all the others. If one part is hurt, all
parts are hurt with it. If one part is given
special honour, all parts enjoy it.”
has looked upon his lowly handmaid” (Lk
1:46).
might a doctor of the law or a sage would.
As a young girl she was scarcely
considered, particularly for those times.
She didn’t even belong to a well-to-do
family, as when Jesus was presented at the
temple, she and Joseph offered two doves:
the offering of the poor. Not even when
she became the Mother of God was she
given any consideration. No one noticed
her, and not even Jesus appeared to show
her any particular attention.
she listens, keeping everything in her heart.
The gifts she received are not wasted, but
she makes them produce fruit. She doesn’t
impose herself, but lets herself be guided.
She is “la piccola” (the little one).
appealed to Him. What exam did Mary –
the little one – pass to be found worthy of
becoming the Mother of God? What
strategies did she use to become the
chosen one? Perhaps the secret is precisely
in her littleness. And if one asks what
qualities God found in her to be so pleased
with her, we come to the same conclusion.
The answer is always the same: her
littleness. Mary is the little one who allowed
God to work in her, and He was able to fill
her with gifts, with grace, and she became
the all pure, the all holy, the all love, totally
offered up to Him.
from evil, her lowliness that makes her the
Mother of God. It is her lowliness that
draws down God’s benevolence, and He,
the all holy, all good, all righteous, is so
pleased with her lowly heart that He makes
her not only all beautiful but also
invincible… then and now.
for lowly people. “I bless you Father, …
because you hid these things from the
learned and the clever, revealing them to
mere children” (Mt 11:25). If we were
convinced of this, we would never
complain about our place in life. We would
accept, like Mary and the saints, the place
allotted us by Divine Providence. We would
be happy with our lowly state, and we’d
see the joys and sufferings of life with
different eyes. It is for this that the evil
one always tries to make us seek out the
first place, to make us desire greatness.
says: “When you are a guest, make your
way to the lowest place and sit there, so
that when your host comes he may say:
friend, move up higher” (Lk 14:10). God
invites us to choose the last place so He
can lift us up to Heaven.
himself little the devil cannot see him and
therefore he cannot harm him.” So Mary,
the little one, immunized herself against
evil. The Lord’s action – the antidote to
sin – is thus efficacious in the lowly; and
it doesn’t seem to take effect in those who
prefer to be big.
little, He let himself be totally destroyed,
and the Father exalted him and filled him
with glory. Mary too put herself last;
becoming little and was able to say: all
generations will call me blessed. If we
make ourselves little – the opportunities
are there for all – we too would be happy
like Mary, now and in eternity.
given the light we need to clearly discern
those things that procure us life from those
that procure us death.
being little is not bad, but is a good, and a
privileged way to live life to the full. Then
perhaps we’ll know how to praise and
thank God, as Mary did, for the wonderful
things the Father works in us and in others.
rivers of ink flow.
discuss the matter. The purpose of Our
Lady’s presence amid us is to save the
world, or rather, each of God’s children
born into the world.
every 25 years and has been called “year
of grace” since Old Testament times. In
particular I’m thinking of a verse from
Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon
me, because the Lord … has sent me to
bring good tidings to the afflicted, to bind
up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty
to the captives, to proclaim the year of the
Lord’s favour” (Is 61:1).
Mary has received the gift of the Lord’s
Spirit? She is His bride; she conceived of
Him; she was overshadowed by Him, and
so that this may not appear a singular case,
she shared the gift of the Spirit with the
Apostles at Pentecost, that is, with the
dawning Church.
– a Vatican Council II document), and as
such she possesses in super abundance all
the characteristics and functions that
Jesus, Head of the Mystical Body,
transmitted to God’s people: prophetic,
priestly and regal functions.
apparitions are not an initiative of hers,
but that it is God who sends her – when
and where He wills. So, it makes no sense
when some ironically complain of Our
Lady being “overly talkative.” A prophet
sent by God is a watchman and as such
cannot remain silent before danger,
otherwise he would burden himself with
enormous responsibility.
Blessed Virgin should call the words
addressed to the visionaries and to us “her
messages.” The words of Mary, at times
so tender and sweet, at times severe or
veiled by sadness, are in any case an echo
of the Good News, of Jesus’ Gospel, for
she too is at the service of the Gospel, or
rather, as JPII called her, she is the “star
of the new evangelization.”
the poor and the miserable, and to bind up
the wounds of broken hearts. A broken
heart equals conversion, and conversion is
the underlying theme of all the messages.
Conversion is neither impossible nor
mortifying, but is the only right thing man
can do: that is, give first place to God.
because things are exactly the way God
desires. First comes God and the things of
God; then the rest. Spiritual harmony is
reflected in the harmony of the entire
environment, and Mary – who is still the
faithful servant of God – is justly called
the Queen of Peace.
and by the will of God she spreads it to
the earth. If all men heeded Mary’s
messages, truly the entire world would
enjoy the benefits of the sabbatical year,
of the Jubilee, with the gift of forgiveness,
offered and received, and the retribution
of earthly goods according to justice. The
fruit of justice is peace.
This time is definitely marked by Satan’s
work, and on many occasions our blessed
Mother has warned us about him. If the
Lord permits this it is for a greater good.
And may we, who have been touched by
Our Lady, obtain in this jubilee year an ever
greater fidelity to her messages, the gift
of prayer and profound peace of heart.
1-6 August 2006. Theme: “Your word is a
lamp to my feet and a light to my path”
Further info at: http://medjugorje.hr
Medjugorje - the sky was opened. No
news. Yet extraordinary news. For
Christian souls it was something familiar,
yet it was also new. It brought new life:
faith, hope and love were awoken,
activating the divine life in persons.
the living presence of Our Lady in our
midst was for some joy, while others would
have wanted to suppress it. As always,
jubilation becomes inspiration and
promotes the faith in God’s people - but
when one doesn’t believe it creates fear in
those “free-in-God-to-choose” people.
In this human vortex Mary comes as
Mother of all, despite divisions and human
reserve; she is, after all, Queen of Peace.
As such she announces to every person the
grandeur and nobleness of life in God.
Despite the different responses to her call,
she remains close to the people with her
motherly love.
of Peace and the people are immediately
favourable. Drawn as though by a magnet,
the people obey Our Lady and begin to
journey on the way to God. The Lord, on
His part, generously affirms the presence
of his Mother with graces and signs. The
people accept the reality of this special
presence of Our Lady who came to settle
in the parish of Medjugorje, and Medjugorje
begins to spread out to the world.
Nonetheless, I will point out some.
Germany: “Ivan, what do you say: did Our
Lady appear?” He responded with surprise:
“Reverend, you don’t doubt, do you?” “I
want to know what you think,” I told him,
and he said: “How could one not believe
after all these graces and signs?” I then
asked: “What would you say if tomorrow
the visionaries said they were lying?” and
he responded: “I would say: now you are
lying, because Our Lady did appear!”
parish priest, walked behind the Virgin and
with him the entire parish. It was an
honour to be taken off to prison for a night-
long interrogation. Joyful testimony lights
up the face of a believer, and fear cast
away by a soul generates unfailing faith!
life of the Church: confession, participation
at Holy Mass, prayer and fasting became
a reality. It was truly a pleasure to lead
the liturgy. One of the events that I will never
forget is the way the people participated
1982, when the work in the fields is less
intense. The church was overflowing: two
Rosaries, holy Mass and Eucharistic
adoration, and no one in the church as
much as moved! Silence! The entire parish
was like a true and proper convent.
to gather. To live for God was their life!
No one had to force them.
an experience of his in August 1981:
“Yesterday I hid out on Podbrdo amongst
the thorns. I couldn’t go to the site of the
apparitions because the police were
controlling me. It was about 9 pm. The
birds were already quiet. One thing could
be noticed: from all the houses rang out
prayer and song. Life here is immersed in
God. For one who studies this type of
phenomenon, this is unique, unrepeatable.
A particular dimension of life is manifested
here.”
to another. The news was for all mankind.
It entered through the pores of the spiritual
movements: adoration of the Blessed
Sacrament, reading of the Word of God
and devotion to Our Lady became the
basis for the reawakening of the people.
The messages touched even non-believers;
some converted; others - bound by their
fear of God – reported the news but gave
it a “hostile character.” The correct news,
however, reached those who thirsted for
God. Mankind was suddenly embraced by
the divine news.
interpretations have changed. Some wander
in the desert and at times return to slavery,
despite the novelty. But everyone awaits the
promised signs!
Holy Spirit, they know how to access the
secrets and promises: they are aware that you
need to enter into participation of the
mystery and find the Light. It will be late
for those who wait for the visionaries or
someone to tell them what to do: they will
be blind though they have eyes!
daughters of God created in His image. To
be children of God is the aim of Our Lady
who calls all mankind that it might enter the
This is the REALITY in which the signs
given by God that serve as orientation for
the journey, disappear.
radically live the Gospel are saints: a small
remnant. Often they are reserved, unseen,
persecuted, but God opens the way for them
in a silent way. And, He opens the way –
miraculously - for all the people, because it
is called to enter the promised REALITY.
There will be triumph and immense joy!
tries to close up divine revelations in narrow
frames and human interests will remain in
the desert or end up in slavery. He who
surrenders himself to God will have life in
God.
pray?” She replied: “Nothing! What could I
ask for if I’ve already been given
everything… God brought me back to life.
I simply receive God’s gifts and hand them
out. The rest is a waste of time. Our Lady’s
behaviour with God is our model. What
more could she have asked for?”
challenges he is rich in goods - he has
everything and gives everything!
to consecrate the soul that He finds willing.
One who transmits the life of God pours
into others living faith, hope and love. Light
casts away darkness and opens up for
mankind the way which offers a response
to every question - so that mankind knows
where it’s going.
visionaries in Gospa’s name in 1981. May
the new graces of 2006 make all the elected
luminous, that they may be light to light the
way for mankind enclosed in darkness.
consciences to re-awaken; time for us to be
bold, that our pride in the mission may show
salvation to men. If we are authentic
intercessors, as is the Queen of Peace, the
open skies will be every day clearer, and the
secrets will exist no longer because the Light
clarifies every mystery!
on readers’ donations. Thank you for
helping us to help Mary call her
children around the world.
Mary.” See address below.
2. International Postal Orders payable to
Echo of Mary (see address below)
3. If convenient by BANK TRANSFER into
one of our accounts. Specify payment for
Echo of Mary Assoc.
- Italy: Banca Agricola Mantovana (BAM),
Ag. Belfiore, Mantova. Bank coordinates:
St., Oban, Argyll, PA34 5SA. Acc. no.
8326 0400 154351
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in favour of MPS New York, Acc. no.
544778865, for Further Credit: Ass. Eco di
Maria, Acc. no. 33753011
able to change at the last hour on Calvary
the heart of the centurion, head of the
crucifiers. Today, with that same love, she
desires working the full transfiguration of
the world, making it receptive to the
uncreated light of the new heavens and new
earth.
sentiments of filial love, and… a certain
degree of uneasiness for the ambiguity of
our response to the ineffable gift of her
pure love. We know only too well how
much obstinate indifference and subtle
treason sits deep in the folds of our ailing
hearts, that continue to resist to the
Mother’s tender and faithful love.
of evil present in the hearts of her children
– knows how to recognize and give worth
to every little gesture of response to the
heavenly gift of Her call. For this she
thanks us, implicitly entrusting us with
keeping it and developing it. It is Mary’s
desire to bring it to maturation, so that it
will produce currents of life and salvation
for ourselves and others.
to the heavenly wedding banquet of the
Lamb, to unite them eternally to his regal
gift that lights up the new creation: “Dear
Children, decide and believe that God
offers Himself to you in fullness. You are
responded to her call.” In fact, she has been
calling us with endearing motherly passion
every day for the last 25 years: “I am, my
dear Children, untiring; I call you even
when you are far from my heart…” (Mess.
14.11.1985).
that it led Him to the “folly of the cross,”
can explain this incomprehensible
“lowering” of the Queen of Heaven and
earth, who isn’t afraid to remain lengthily
at the door, knocking upon the stone hearts
of her children: it is because they are so
sick that they are loved even more. Only
this inexpressible love urges her to immerse
herself totally in the mystery of “kenosis”
of her Son who did not consider his
equality with God a thing to be grasped
jealously. Instead, “he emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant… and humbled
himself” (Phil 2:6-8). This is the true root
of Mary’s humility. Though she weeps
tears of blood for her children that are lost
through sin (cf. mess. 24.05.1984), she
submits herself to the precious yet terrible
gift of freedom given to each of her
children, which is a divine seal: “…God
gave everyone freedom which I respect
with love; and I submit myself, in humility,
to your freedom” (Mess. 25.10.1987).
is the pure love of God that gushes forth
who is calling you through me.” (Mess.
25.10.1987).
over the world today through the
“handmaid of the Lord” depends –
incredibly – on our free response of love
to her call. In this sense, we are
objectively responsible for the salvation of
a multitude of brothers and sisters
throughout the world. “Jesus... needs you.
Your hearts offered up to Him will help
Him save the world” (Mess. 12.03.1984)
our personal response to Mary’s calls!
Also the prophetic Magisterium of the Pope,
in perfect harmony with the message of
the Queen of Peace, warns us that the time
has come to make unambiguous and deci-
sive choices: “The Cross of the Lord
embraces the world; His Way to Calvary
crosses continents and time. In the Way
of the Cross there is no chance to be
neutral. We must look for our place.” (Pope
Benedict XVI, 14.04.06).
and desires destroying not only human life,
but also nature and the planet on which
you live… I bless you and I will remain
with you for as long as God wills. Thank
you because you will not betray my presence
here. Thank you because your response is
serving the good and the peace.”
Lady then said: ‘Dear
the importance of prayer for those who have
not known God’s love. Do you ask
yourselves if you are following me? My
children, can’t you perhaps recognize the
signs of the times? Don’t you talk about
them? Come along with me. As your
Mother I am calling you! Thank you for
responding.”
the apparition of Our Lady at a day-long
prayer conference in Milan:
greeted everyone and said: ‘Praised be
Jesus Christ my dear Children.’ After this
Our Lady prayed over all of us here with
her hands outstretched. She blessed us all
with her motherly blessing. She also
blessed all the objects, holy objects that you
brought for the blessing. Then, she
particularly prayed over the priests that are
here present. After this I commended all
of you here present, all your needs, your
families, your parishes and your priests. I
particularly commended all of you present
here today who are sick, and also all those
rejoices with you. I am joyful, joyful.
As your Mother I will intercede with
my son for you all. Also today I am
calling you, Children, to live my
messages. Pray, pray, pray, my
Children. Thank you, my Children, for
responding to my call.’ ”
love for you. Purify your heart of
everything that impedes you from
receiving me. That way you will know my
love and the love of my Son. My heart
desires winning through you and thus to
triumph. It is to this that I am calling you.”
through assiduous reading of the
Word of God that you can learn to
love Jesus Christ; only in Him that you
can come to know the truth and
freedom; only through participation in
His Easter can you give meaning and
hope to your life. (Benedict XVI)
I-31030 Bessica TV, Italy.
you, in the Name of the Father, and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit!
)
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