Echo of Medjugorje 232 EN

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Fr. Angelo Mutti

founder Echo of Medjugorje

Message o 25 March 2014:

Dear Children, I call you again:Begin the battle against sin as in theirst days! Go to conession, anddecide or holiness. Through youGod's love will low throughout theworld, and peace will reign in yourhearts, and God's blessing will illyou. I am with you, and I intercedebeore my Son or you all. Thank you

or responding to my call.

Bearing God's Love

Our Blessed Mother calls us to ightagainst sin as in the irst days o Medjugorje.We are being oered a new call, a newbeginning; or indeed, the decision orGod must be complete, so that there canbe a new beginning, a new birth into thenew lie: "In truth I tell you, unless one isborn from above, he cannot see the kingdomof God,"the Lord Jesus says to Nicodemus

(Jn 3:3).he time o Lent is a suitable time to be

born in the Spirit (Jn 3:6); the way is notthe ones indicated by the mass media, butby and o the Sacraments which gushedorth rom the Most Sacred Heart o JesusChrist. And beware not to seek HisPresence elsewhere. Beware o appearances!"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out inthe wilderness,' do not go out; or, 'Here heis, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it"(Mt24:26).

Let us pay heed to Mary: Go and

coness, and decide or holiness! And eventhough Our Lady says, "hrough youGod's love will low throughout the world,and peace will reign in your hearts, andGod's blessing will ill you," we need notthink o grandiose things, or allowourselves to be rightened, thinking thatwe are to convert the world.

What we are asked to do,instead, is tobear God's Love within ourselves andwitness it it those around us. Do not thinkthat you are expected to generate greatstreams! We are being asked to be a littlevessel so that God's great river o Love can

be poured out onto the world and into thehearts o others.

Deciding or holiness begins bysurrendering ourselves up to God withtrust! So, with trust, give ourselves over tothe Heart o Jesus who loves us.

Peace and joy in Jesus and Mary!

May-June 2014 - Edited by: Eco di Maria, Via Cremona, 28 - 46100 Mantova (Italia) - Year 30, no. 3

Poste Italiane s.p.a. - Sped. in A. P. - D.L. 353/2003 (conv. in L. 27/02/2004 n 46) art. 1, comma 2, DCB Mantova 232

(Comments to messages by Nuccio Quattrocchi)

Message to Mirjana, 2 APRIL 2014:

Dear Children, with motherly loveI desire helping you, that your life ofprayer and penance be a sincere attemptof drawing closer to my Son and to hisdivine light; and that you know howto detach yourselves from sin. Everyprayer, every Mass and every fast isan attempt at drawing closer to mySon, a return to his glory and a refugefrom sin. They are the way of a newunion between the good Father and his

children. Therefore, my dear children,with hearts open and full of love, callupon the name of the Heavenly Father,that he may illuminate you with theHoly Spirit. Through the Holy Spirityou will become a wellspring of Godslove. All those who do not know mySon, all those thirsting for the love andpeace of my Son, will drink from thiswellspring. Thank you.

Pray for your shepherds. I pray forthem and I desire that they always feelthe blessing of my motherly hands andthe support of my motherly heart.

No one should eel excluded rom thismessage. Te Father's arms are alwaysopen to those who desire returning toHim. He doesn't want anyone to be lost;and i it seems that he is late in keepinghis promise it is so all have the chance torepent (c. 2Pt 3:9). For the same reason,Mary comes to Medjugorje: to bring uscloser to her Son and to his divine light,and remove us rom sin. But this cannotbe done without our own consent, becauseGod respects our reedom even to thepoint o letting himsel be crucified! Tisunthinkable, humanly absurd Sacrificemakes it possible or man to be reunitedwith his Creator. Whoever confesses thatJesus is the Son of God, God abides in him,and he in God(1 Jn 4:15). From sinners toapostles o Mary: this is what we are calledto become.

Message, 25 April 2014:

Dear Children, open your heartsup to the grace God grants youthrough me, as a lower would to thewarm sunrays.

Be prayer and love or all those whoare ar rom God and who are ar romHis love! I am with you and I intercedeor you all beore my Son Jesus, and Ilove you immensely.

Thank you or responding to mycall.

Be Prayer and Love!

As at other times in the past, Maryhas compared the opening of the heartto divine grace, with the blossoming ofnature in spring.

It is beautiful imagery which OurLady uses to awaken our hearts to enableus to see how we need to invest also inthe reality of life that transcends death,and not just in the material existence.

Our Lady's desire is that we allow ourhearts to open up to the grace of Godin the manner that a flower opens up inresponse to the warmth of the sun. OurLady came to Medjugorje - and indeedis still coming - to tell us that the graceof God is eternal life; and to inspire us toBE prayer and love for all those who arefar from God and his love. She doesn'tsay, "Pray!", but "Be prayer!"; She doesn't

say "to love!" but to "Be love!"To do this we need to let ourselves

be transformed by divine graceso as toattract others who are far from God andfrom his love. None of us, however, areable to know who is far from God andhis love, therefore we must be prayerand love for all.

But are we capable of such a thing?We certainly wouldn't be if it dependedon our own strength. We know, however,that Mary is with us, intercedes for usand loves us immensely. So it is up tous to surrender ourselves into her care.Then, what we cannot do, will be doneby divine gace!


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POPE FRANCISAs children before a gift

A healthy Christian is a joyfulChristian, even in times of sorrow andtribulation, said Pope Francis at Massin Casa Santa Marta on 23 May 2014.

Te Christian vocation is this: toremain in the love o God,i.e., to breathe,to live o that oxygen. Remain in the loveo God. And what is His LOVElike? 'Asthe Father has loved me, so have I loved

you'. It is a love that comes rom theFather. Te loving relationship betweenHim and the Father is also a relationshipo love between Him and us. He asksus to remain in this love, which comesrom the Father. (And) the sign that weremain in the love o Jesus is keeping thecommandments; or it is not enough to

just ollow them. When we remain in

his love, the Commandments ollow ontheir own, out o love.Pope Francis turned his attention to

JOY, saying: "Joy is a sign o the Christian.A Christian without joy is either not aChristian or he is sick. Tere's no othertype! He is not doing well health-wise! Ahealthy Christian is a joyul Christian.I once said that there are sour-acedChristians; always with these long aces!Some souls are also like this, this is bad!Tese are not Christians. A Christianwithout joy is not Christian. Joy is like

the seal o a Christian. Even in pain,tribulations, even in persecutions.""Peace, love and joy: the three words

that Jesus lef us with. Who gives usthis peace, this love? Who gives us joy?It is the Holy Spirit! [He is] the greatorgotten one in our lives! I would like toask you - but I will not, eh! - how manyo you pray to the Holy Spirit? He is thegreat orgotten one, the great orgottenone! Yet He is the gif, the gif that givesus peace, that teaches us to love and fillsus with joy. Let us pray or the grace that

the Lord guard the Holy Spirit in us!"

PEACE I GIVE YOU

In his homily at Mass on 20th May,Pope Francis commented on the Lordspromise o PEACE (Jn 14:27-31), askingwhat type o peace it is the world gives.

One type o peace the world offers isthe peace o wealth which leads oneto think: Im at peace because I haveeverything organized, I have enough tolive on or my entire lie, I dont have toworry!. Tis idea o peace begins withthe conviction: Dont worry, you wonthave problems because you have so muchmoney!. However, Jesus himsel remindsus not to trust in this peace, or withgreat realism he tells us: look, there arethieves, eh! And the theives can stealyour riches!. Tis is why the peace that

2 money gives you is notpermanent. Te Popeadded: let us not orgetthat metal corrodes ... acrash in the market andall your money is gone.Te peace which moneygives, he said, is thereorenot a secure but only asuperficial and temporalpeace.

Another peace theworld gives is power.It leads us to think: Ihave power, I am secure, Icommand this, I commandthat, I am respected: I am

be afraid. In act, it is the Lord whocomorts us: I you have this peace o theSpirit, you have the Spirit within you andbe aware o this, do not let your hearts betroubled, be secure!

St Paul also told us that in orderto enter into the Kingdom o heavenit is necessary to pass through muchtribulation. Experience confirms thatwe all have many o them, both great andsmall. All o us!. But Jesus peace assuresus: Let not your hearts be troubled. Inact, the presence o the Spirit enablesour hearts to be at peace, aware but notanaesthetized, with that peace that onlythe presence o God can give.

I we want to know where we findour peace, the Pope suggested that weask ourselves several questions: Do Ibelieve that the Holy Spirit is within me?

Do I believe that the Lord has given himto me? Do I receive him as a gif, as a childreceives a gif, with an open heart? Do Iguard the Holy Spirits presence withinme so as not to sadden him?

However, the Pope said, there is alsoa question that signals the opposite: DoI preer the peace that the world givesme, the peace offered by money, power,vanity? He added: Tese orms o peaceare always accompanied by ear:the earthat they will end. Instead, Jesus peaceis definitive: we only need to receiveit as children and guard it. Te Popeconcluded with a simple prayer: May theLord help us to understand these things.

www vatican news

NOVENA to the HOLY SPIRIT

Breathe in me, o Holy Spirit,

that I may think what is holy.

Guide me, o Holy Spirit,

that I may realise what is holy.

Attract me to you, o Holy Spirit,

that I may love what is holy.

Strengthen me, o Holy Spirit,

that I may defend what is holy.

Defend me, o Holy Spirit,

that I may never lose what is holy.

in peace. Tis was Herods situation, butwhen the Magi arrived and told him thatthe King o Israel had been born, at thatvery moment his peace immediatelyvanished. It only confirms that thepeace o power does not work: A couptakes it away rom you immediately!.

A third type o worldly peace isvanity, which leads us to tell ourselves: Iam esteemed. I am a person that all theworld regards and when I go to receptionsall greet me. However, the Pope said, thistoo is not a definitive peace, or todayyou are esteemed and tomorrow you willbe insulted! Tink about what happenedto Jesus, he said. Te same peoplewho were saying one thing on PalmSunday, on Good Friday were sayinganother," concluding that "the peace ovanity doesn't work either, because it is

temporary, superficial and not secure.Instead the peace that Jesus gives is

a Person; it is the Holy Spirit, the Popesaid. On the day o the Resurrection, inthe Upper Room, Jesus greeting to hisdisciples was: Peace be with you, receivethe Holy Spirit. Tereore, Jesus peace isa Person, it is a great gif, because whenthe Holy Spirit is in our heart, no one cantake away our peace. No one! It is lastingpeace!

In the ace o so great a gif, "our taskis to guard this peace, he said. It is a

great peace, a peace that is not mine: itbelongs to another Person who gives it tome as a gif, another Person who is in myheart, who accompanies me throughoutmy lie.

How do we receive the Holy Spiritspeace? First we receive it in Baptism,or the Holy Spirit comes, and also inConfirmation, or the Holy Spirit comes.And then we are to receive it as a childreceived a gif. In act, Jesus said: unlessyou receive the kingdom o God like a littlechild, you will not enter into the kingdomo heaven. Tus, one receives the peace

o Jesus without conditionsand with anopen heart: as a great gif. And this isthe peace o the Holy Spirit.

o possible objectionsthat there areso many problems about, the Pontiffreplied with Jesus words: Do not letyour hearts be troubled, neither let them

Let us propose to invoke the Holy Spirit every day! Will youdo it? ... I can't hear you! Every day! ... And so the Holy

Spirit will bring us closer to Jesus." Pope Francis 15-05-2013


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Beore the greatigures o JohnPaul II and JohnXXIII, recentlyproclaimed saintsby the Church, weare called to relecton the meaning o

holiness.Pope Francis,

in his homily othe CanonizationMass, said thatthe Church iscarried orth by the saints. In the lie othe saints, in their battles, examples andvirtues (beginning with their idelity toChrist) it is clearly seen how holiness isnot a principle or an idea or a reerencepoint and not even a distant and limitedaspiration.

Even in the teachings o the messageso Medjugorje we see how holiness isa process which is both serious andproound, which in the messages isreerred to as a "way" or a "journey"(25.6.2002; 25.3.2003; 25.6.2005), andthus is a way o living.

In the messages ollowing the greatJubilee Year o 2000, this aspect becameeven more evident. Also John Paul IIhad placed the prospect o holiness asthe oundation o the pastoral planningat the start o the new millennium. his

choice, he explained, was illed withconsequences: "It implies the convictionthat, since Baptism is a true entry into theholiness o God through incorporationinto Christ and the indwelling o hisSpirit, it would be a contradiction tosettle or a lie o mediocrity, markedby a minimalist ethic and a shallowreligiosity." (Novo Millennio Ineunte31).

The ecclesial dimension o themessage o Medugorje has always helpedus comprehend that on this way we do notwalk alone,but that there are models andteachers or us to ollow: "Imitate the liveso the saints" (25.10.2004), or they are agreat stimulus to our own aith, helpingus to be resolute and to undertake the wayo holiness.he Church knows this onlytoo well; she knows that the saints act asher intercessors: they are men and womenwho have translated the wealth o divinelie into human existence, and or thisreason they were given to work miracleswith the power o God.

And or some centuries, this was thecriteria or the Church which determinedthe process or canonization, later

substituted with the consideration opersonal virtues lived heroically. Holinessis a git rom God; but it is also a task,and thereore, it must be developed;it requires idelity, sel-donation, loveo God and o neighbour. It can behidden, or perhaps is expressed with the

eloquence o witness o the martyrs, andis animated by the power o the Spirit andby one's own awareness o his or her aithand Christian vocation.

Our Lady's teaching on this matter (onholiness; on the need to be holy) is also oneo the strong points in the Magisteriumo the Popes who have oten reminded

us how the witness o the saints is whatproduces the most ruitand gives ertilityto the history o the Church. Benedict XVIsaid: "he saints and the blesseds did notdoggedly seek their own happiness; theysimply wanted to give themselves becausethe light o Christ had shone upon them.Only rom the saints, only rom Goddoes true revolution come, the deinitiveway to change the world." [Youth Vigil,Cologne 2005]

he lie o the saints is thereorethe greatest missionary strength that

the Church possesses, according to thedeinition o Mission given by John PaulII in the document Redemptoris Missio:"We are missionaries above all because owhat we are as a Church whose innermostlie is unity in love, even beore we becomemissionaries in word or deed." [RM 23]

It is clear that holiness is not only orthe great men and women o aith whohave been canonized and beatiied and arethus more easily contemplated by all theChurch who prays or their intercessionand ollows their example. he messages

deine the journey to personal holiness asthe high degree o ordinary Christian lie,where this "ordinariness" might be little inthe eyes o the world, but when lived outwith holiness, it can generate the greatestpositive revolutions in history.

Indeed, holiness implies a "decision"(25.5.2006) which is ruit o the HolySpirit in us (25.6.2005) and which leadsone to "not delay" (25.10.2003) and to"work on one's personal conversion. DearChildren, only this way can you becomewitnesses o peace and o Jesus' love in theworld!" (25.2.2002). Moreover, Pope JohnPaul II points out that this transormation- or "training" - or saintliness, is a: "[...]holiness [which] calls or a Christianlie distinguished above all in the art oprayer." [NMI 32]

This connection between prayer andholiness is one o the main elements inthe message o Meugorje. Central to itis the experience o the saints, i.e. theirunion with Christ, their closeness to hisSacred Heart and the Immaculate Hearto Mary, which is possible only throughprayer: In prayer it is possible to develop

the dialogue with Christ who makes ushis intimate riends: "Remain in me andI in you" (Jn 15:4).

his reciprocity is the very essence,the soul o the Christian lie.

Marco Vignati, Comunit Casa di Maria, Roma

The Medjugorje Message & the Life of the Saints 16 May 2014 on PodbrdoApparition to IVAN

Ater the apparitionat the Blue Crossarea o Podbrdo, Ivanreerred the ollowingto those present: "OurLady was joyul andhappy, and as usual,

she greeted us with:Praised be Jesus, mydear children!". Shethen prayed with her hands outstretchedor a time over all those present, especiallythe sick.

Our Lady then said: Dear Children,Also today I especially call you to prayfor my intentions, for my plans which Idesire fulfilling with the world. Pray, dearchildren, and be perseverant in prayer!Your Mother prays with you and alwaysintercedes for all of you before her Son.

Thank you, dear children, also today forresponding to my call."

Our Lady then gave her motherlyblessing to all those present, and to theholy objects brought with them or thatpurpose. Ivan said that he commendedto her intercession all those present, theirneeds, their amilies and in particular,the sick who were present. Our Ladycontinued to pray or a time over all thosepresent. hen, as usual, she let in the signo the Cross, saying: Go in peace, mydear children!

Conversion, Conversion,Conversion!

he thing that Our Lady insists onthe most is conversion. She tells us:Turn away from sin! I must say thatthis is what I ind most striking. Jesusor irst had said that he came intothe world to ask us to to turn away

rom sin: I can immagine him witha powerul voice saying: "Turn awayfrom sin! The kingdom of God hascome unto you!"On that day Jesus gavestart to the Gospel, and he told us thatGod was asking or our "conversion"and he wanted conversion so that Godcould reign, and that we were to makeit possible or him to reign by changingour lives, and living according to God'scommandments; by doing not our will,but his will. Mary, who speaks to us,speaks earnestly and with immenseaection, and she basically says or usto trust in God!

God will not take away what is ours,but God deinitely wants to give uswhat is his, which is so much more: itis greater, more beautiul, richer, more


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Mantua, May 2014

Resp. Ing. Lanzani - Tip. DIPRO (Roncade TV)

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reach out to her children.

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consistent, more durable.

Our Lady says that we cannot liveo earthly and ephemeral thingsalone.She came to remind us that eternityis real; that God is real. Our Lady cansee the wonderul things o God, andshe wants us to be part o them. Godwants this too! his is very importantor us to know! It is so important or ourown inal destiny, on us being awareo God's ininite goodness and o hisplan or mankind. So how can we allowourselves to ignore these things? OurLady has warned us. She, the Queeno Peace, has come to bring us the gitwhich God himsel oers us.

Excerpt fromDiario del Pellegrino byFr. Massimo Rastrelli S.J.

Message to MIRJANA

2 MAY 2014

Dear Children, I, your mother, amwith you or your own good, or yourneeds and your personal awareness.The Heavenly Father has given you thereedom to decide or yourselves and tobecome aware or yourselves. I desirehelping you. I desire being a motherto you, a teacher o the truth, so thatin the simplicity o an open heart, youmight know the immeasurable purity

and the light which comes rom it andwhich dispels the darkness, the lightwhich brings hope.

I, my children, comprehend yourpain and suering. Who more thana mother is able to comprehend you!And you, my children? Few are thosewho comprehend and ollow me. Greatis the number o those who get lost, othose who have not known the truthin my Son. Thereore, my apostles,pray and act! Carry orth the light anddo not lose hope! I am with you. In aspecial way I am with your pastors;with a motherly heart I love them andprotect them, because they lead you toHeaven which my Son has promised.Thank you.

UNEXPECTED GIFT

FOR ECHOWith this edition o Echo, we begin a

special collaboration with Fr. MassimoRastrelli S.J.

Fr. Rastrelli has been visitingMedjugorje since its early years, and thusis an authoritative witness o the graceo Medjugorje, even or high rankingpersons in the Catholic Church, makinghim a valid reerence point since he hasexercised discernment o the acts ando the meaning o the messages or the

Church or the last ew decades.Fr. Rastrell i is also actively involved in

missionary work in the outer suburbanarea o the city o Naples which he beganwhen he was parish priest at the ChiesadellImmacolata at Ges Nuovo in Naples.His anti-usury project has been adoptednation-wide toight the phenomenon ousury.He also ounded the Anti-UsuaryFoundation named ater Saint GiuseppeMoscati, in Naples, the model o whichhas been used by 26 other Anti-Usuaryoundations within the Italian territory.

Fr. Massimo Rastrelli has also writtenmany successul publications, and heis highly appreciated not only or histheological writings, but also or his booksin which he describes the experienceo being a pilgrim o Medjugorje (suchas: Medjugorje, speranza del erzo

HOW GREAT IS THE LOVEOF OUR MOTHER!

Fr. Massimo Rastrelli S.J.

I am happy to extend my warm greetingsto the splendid people o Medjugorjethrough this paper, Echo o Medjugorje.I ondly remember Fr. Angelo Mutti.ogether we believed and we gave thanks. Igive thanks to God or the immense git othe Queen o Peace.

To all I say: how great is the love o ourheavenly mother! How great is her love orus! We absolutely must believe in this love,which she says is o God, o our wonderulFather!

The Queen o Peace tells us: God isFather. God is good. God wants us saved.And she has told us something incredible;Our Lady says to us: "... you are important."Each o you is personally important or meand or God - she says.

Will we give her and to God our Fatherthe joy o believing in these words, orwill we continue to live sad and moanullives, not believing in God's greatness, butabsorbed by our own inner darkness, byour own day-to-day problems?

Several times the Queen o Peacehas told us, with sadness: You do notunderstand, you do not do what I ask of

you."

I greet you and bless you all!

Fr. Massimo Rastrelli S.J.Naples, 13 May 2014

Millennio).

We o the Echo are especially grateulto the Queen o Peaceor the unexpectedgit o this precious spiritual paternity.

Editorial Team

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Echo of Medjugorje 232 EN