53
December 4, 1996

Today, we are particularly touchy about the notion of personal freedom. We say everyone has a right to live exactly as he chooses, and this we refer to as their "life-style". And there's nothing unusual about that . I don't suppose that there should be. God really has created us as free creatures.

Our freedom however, seems too often to go the wrong way. Instead of bringing us closer to God, it seems to distance us from Him. Too often our lifestyle has come to mean 'doing what we like, once it's different from what everyone else is doing', instead of 'doing what we like, once it's rooted in God'.

Our Lady teaches us how to construct our own lifestyles. She says we have to fast, pray and know how to renounce. Maybe we think that that's easy? Maybe we even like to pray, but to fast and renounce.....that's a little bit harder. This goes against the "current" of modern day thinking, i.e. that our time here on earth is for exploiting all occasions for our own selfish interests. Renouncing doesn't quite fit! Ironically, adopting the modern trends we lose out on joy. And contrarily, whoever adheres to Our Lady's words is full of the joy of life. Those around us wonder what's our secret? We can respond that it's our lifestyle discovered in communion with God.

fra Miljenko

THE NUMBER OF COMMUNIONS AND CONCELEBRANTS

Throughout the month of November in the Shrine of the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje 37 000 Holy Communions were distributed, and 1 000 priests from both at home and abroad concelebrated at Holy Mass averaging at 33 priests daily.

PRAYER AND FASTING SEMINARS

In the house of Prayer "Domus Pacis" in Medjugorje, during Advent three fasting and prayer seminars will be held as preparation for Christmas. In his encyclical "Evengelium Vitae" the Holy Father invites us to" return to fasting and prayer in courage and humility..." and Our Lady herself in her messages many times has invited us to fasting and prayer. Once she even said,"..with prayer and fasting even wars can be stopped.." So we invite al those who would like to prepare in a deeper way, for Christ's birth, to participate in these seminars, because they are a rich experince and fitting preparation. The organiser and guide of the seminars is Fr. Slavko Barbaric.

The seminars will be held:

-02 -07. December 1996
-08- 12. December 1996
-16- 23. December 1996

They commence at 16.00hrs on the first day and finish at 12 noon on the final day.

Booking must be done at the information office at the shrine at tel no.+387 88 651 988 or by fax +387 88 65 14 44. The fee is 10 DEM per day.

NEW YEAR

The prayer vigil for the New Year will be held this year too in the church of Medjugorje. The vigil begins at 22.00hrs and finishes with Mass at midnight.

INTERNATIONAL PRIESTS MEETING

From the 1st until the 5th of July, 1997, an international meeting for priests will be held, with the aim of helping priests to get to know the spirituality of Medjugorje, should they so wish.

Many priests on their visit to Medjugorje expressed a desire for such a seminar. In response to this we have decided to begin this year. The organisers will be Fr. Slavko Barbaric and don Cosimo Cavaluzzo. To the occasion we will invite reknowned ministers and religious, whose work is centred on interior healing for priests. The meeting will be made up of lectures, interpersonal discussion, prayer and community participation, and, in the evening liturgy in the Church of St. James. Information can be got from the information centre "MIR" Medjugorje, or by telephone +387-88-651-988. Booking can be done by fax +387-88-651-444. The first 40 bookings have access to accomodation in the "House of Peace" which belongs to the Parish Office in Medjugorje. Should there be an excess of bookings, the organisers will deal with the accomodation.

Since this is the first event of it's kind here we will be grateful for any suggestions.

THE ARCHIVES OF THE SHRINE

We would ask all those who posess pictures or transparencies in relation to Medjugorje to deliver them to us to feed into our archives at the Shrine. We are particularly interested in photographs and transparencies of the first year of the apparitions.

The best way to send them to us would be through someone coming on pilgrimmage, or to hand them in at the Prayer/Educative seminar at Neum. (Transmission through post is not always 100% sure).

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Last Modified 12/03/96