78
November 19, 1997

A SCHOOL FOR THE SINCERE

Whoever spends a few days longer in the parish of Medjugorje begins to notice faces that belong to different nations and races. After one has gotten accommodated in time and space, after one has established his relationship with the Medjugorje events, he can begin to devote himself to the observation of others around himself. What he notices can be summarized in a few words: everyone is praying together, everyone mixes together and no one bothers anyone else.

Naturally, it was not at all easy to arrive at this kind of condition. It was necessary to bypass every learned model and recognize that we are all equal in God's eyes. I repeat, we are all equal. No one is more equal.

The Queen of Peace is the one who opened this school. She is the main teacher, but the organizer of the program is God. For that reason students in this school successfully finish their training, only if they want to, regardless of their human capabilities. The grade is then the same for all, since God appreciates conscientious work, and not a dryly achieved result.

The material presented is not given out only in the parish of Medjugorje and never depends on the number of students. For Our Lady and God even just one student is sufficient, even if he is located at the very end of the world. They come to him and want to instruct him. All that he has to do is open the door of his heart and begin to spell the first letters in this school. That is the one and only requirement at any moment of the instructions.

I immediately know who will not enroll in this school. It will be all those who approach life insincerely. They know that God governs this world, but at that they only give a waive of the hand. Dearer to them is the transient deceptive splendor of this world than the kingdom of God which only awaits us. Well, in the same way I know who will immediately enroll. They are those who are sincere, who are not afraid to undergo hardships so as to reach the real things. This is the right school for them.

Fr. Miljenko Stojic

NUMBER OF HOLY COMMUNIONS AND CONCELEBRANTS

In the month of October in the shrine of the Queen of Peace in Medjugorje 139,000 Holy Communions were distributed and at holy mass there were 3,364 concelebrations by priests from at home and abroad, that is 108 daily.

We will enumerate some of the countries from which pilgrims arrived during October to visit Medjugorje: Poland, England, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Korea, Canada, United States, Australia, France, Scotland, Hungary, Brazil, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia, Portugal, New Guinea and, of course, Croatia.

At the end of October French pilgrims were especially numerous. About 2,000 of them came on a visitation to Mary in this shrine. The French have traditionally organized their largest pilgrimage in the last week of the month of October. That is the occasion on which the organizers themselves meet, share their experiences and enrich one another with the good fruits of their year-long labor.

FEAST OF ALL SAINTS

For the feasts of All Saints and All Souls Day a large number of pilgrims from Italy traditionally come to the shrine of Medjugorje. Those are ordinarily the days when in this shrine together with pilgrims from the whole world we pray in a special way for all the deceased, and especially for all the fallen Croatian defenders. They are not unknown to foreign pilgrims. On the contrary, Medjugorje pilgrims have become great friends of the Croatian people and their great benefactors in the course of the war for the homeland. Our sufferings they experienced as their own, our needs as their own. Many in the world heard about our small country precisely from Medjugorje pilgrims and gave their contributions to the painfully afflicted people of our homeland in its most difficult moments. They indeed demonstrated that they continue to live that saying of Our Lady written in Sacred Scripture: "Do whatever He tells you." And the parishioners of Medjugorje and all those who have felt their love, care, and concern constantly keep them in their prayers and call God's blessing down upon them.

EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICAN

CENTERS OF PEACE

Representatives of twenty Centers of Peace from all the Latin American countries gathered last week in Medjugorje for the Eighth International Meeting of the Centers of Peace. These centers have come forth as the gathering places of all those who have felt the importance of Our Lady's call in Medjugorje. Their activity is encountered primarily in spreading of the messages, and in organization of prayer groups and pilgrimages. This is already the eighth meeting, but the first to be held in Medjugorje. About 350 participants spent one week in prayer and meditation, exchanging experiences of their year-long work in spreading Our Lady's messages of peace among the faithful of the Spanish speaking world. Especially emphasized was the importance of the cooperation of Centers for the sake of an authentic spreading of Our Lady's messages to the world.

PRAYER FOR THE PARISH OF MEDJUGORJE AND THE LOCAL CHURCH

It is the wisdom of life that if we want the river to be clean, then first of all we have to try not to pollute the source in any kind of way. The Queen of Peace at the very beginning of her apparitions said that she chose the parish of Medjugorje in a special way . She thereby formed the source through which flows the river of her activity.

Since it is not always easy to keep the source pure on this imperfect earthly globe, we call on all friends of the Queen of Peace to join groups of prayer for the parish of Medjugorje and for the local church. If they will know how to live Our Lady's words, that is, it will be easier for the whole world to change.

Every day let us pray at least one Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be. This should continue until the time that the church recognizes the apparitions of the Queen of Peace. Then we will decide how to go further.

We would like it if you inform us of the number of people praying. Naturally, success does not depend only on numbers.

Published by: INFORMATIVNI CENTAR MIR - Svetiste Kraljice mira ( Information Center MIR - Shrine of the Queen of Peace), 88266 Medjugorje, BiH, fax number: +387-88-651-444.
Director: fra Miljenko Stojic.
You can receive the latest issue of the Press Bulletin at any time on your own fax machine in the tone mode by dialing the Robofax in our Information Center at +387 88 65 15 55.
E-mail: medjugorje-mir@medjugorje.hr; Internet: http://www.medjugorje.hr Published every other Wednesday.

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Last Modified 11/19/97