115
April 21, 1999

THE TIME OF THE CHURCH

The post-resurrection events, encounters of the Risen One with the disciples, his encouragement and instructions, are the beginning of the time of the Church. The eyes of people turn toward the apostles, from them one awaits testimony about what Jesus proclaimed and did. Accepting the responsibility of proclaiming the Kingdom of God, the disciples of Jesus with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, become the body of Christ. They are the visible sign of the living Jesus because they continue to live what he lived.

Why is Mary's role announced? (cf Acts 1:14) Two places in Luke's gospel help us to understand Mary's importance for the youthful church. Luke finishes the account of Jesus' birth with the words: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." (Lk 2:19) After the finding of the twelve-year old Jesus in the temple St. Luke writes of Mary: "And his mother kept all these things in her heart." (Lk 2:51)

Mary also in our time, the time of the Church, is revealing that which she carefully kept in her heart. From that heart Mary brings forth the heritage of Her son and hands it over to her children.

Fr. Ivan Landeka

N E W S

SAFE CONDITIONS IN MEDJUGORJE

Recently many of our friends throughout the world have been asking us about the safety of conditions in this area of the Medjugorje parish. We immediately answer plainly: the conditions of safety are at the same level as they were before.

The war conditions in Kosovo have no connection with Medjugorje. That is a completely different state with completely different problems. People are mostly misled by the fact that it is happening on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia, and they mistakenly think that it is still one state. It is time for us to quit that mistaken idea. The former Yugoslavia no longer exists. There exist only the states that have liberated themselves from Yugoslav tyranny and the state of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) as the rump remainder of a failed idea. Accordingly, when you travel to Medjugorje, you are not traveling to Yugoslavia or to ex-Yugoslavia, but you are traveling to the modern state of Bosnia-Hercegovina.

Indeed even when the war was going on in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina, travel was still safe to the parish of Medjugorje. Pilgrims have never abandoned this place of peace and prayer.

PRAYER FOR PEACE

Our mass media these days are loaded with the events of the war in tiny Kosovo. Unthinkable horrors have been happening there. It has all been pushed to the absurd. Events even threaten to change into a war of much broader dimensions in which numerous countries might take part. For all this it is necessary as soon as possible to establish peace and not to expand the events of war.

Today things would look completely different had the international community at the breakup of Yugoslavia helped those countries that were yearning for freedom to accomplish it in as simple a way as possible and not, on the contrary, to resolve it by war. Sad to say, it did not happen that way. A still more horrible and unforeseeable war has broken out and come to Kosovo.

The Queen of Peace from the very beginning of her apparitions spoke about peace and about the necessity of praying for peace. She said that by prayer even wars could be stopped. How seriously did we take that? Did we think she was talking to someone else far away, that something like that could not happen to us? It is time to listen to the Queen of Peace and for us finally to begin to pray for peace. The more there are of us who are praying, the less chance there is for war to break out anywhere. Let that prayer be constant, even when everything looks peaceful to us.

HELP FOR KOSOVO

Dear friends,
We want to thank you once again for your help and support which was intended for the people of Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegowina. But, at the present time, we would also like to ask you to help the refugees from Kosovo. During the past days we have all been witnessing the terrible sufferings and ordeals the people from Kosovo have to endure.

Huge masses of refugees have been pouring into Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. These refugees are in dire need of money donations, food, clothing, medical supplies and hygienic articles.

For Money donations please use the following bank account:

"Medjugorje-Mir" Medjugorje
PRIVREDNA BANKA ZAGREB d.d.
Raèkoga 6 - Zagreb CROATIA
Help for Kosovo
No. 7090 - ... - 9982 800-924 204
(Please advise us of your donation per Fax: 00385-21 342 258)

For donations of food, clothing, medical and hygienic supplies please contact:

"Medugorje-Mir" in Split
Tel: 00385 21 361 354; Fax: 00385 21 342 258
e-mail: medjugorje-split@st.tel.hr

Here you will receive detailed information and addresses as to where and how can you send your contribution.

Dear friends of Medjugorje, we trust and hope that you will also in this situation answer the call to help those who are most in need.

May the Queen of Peace give you the strength to continue with your good deeds and to give solace to those who suffer.

RADIO STATION "MIR" MEDJUGORJE

The radio station "Mir" Medjugorje has been in operation already for more than a year. Thanks to God's help and persistence we have succeeded in building it up to being a recognizable voice amidst a forest of other voices. Naturally we will not stop there. We will keep busy working on its development, and on the spreading of the messages of the Queen of Peace by our radio station.

On March 20th Fr. Slavko conducted a prayer meeting at the Belgian National Shrine of Banneux, where Our Lady appeared as Mother of the Poor in 1932-1933 and called for prayer for the conversion of sinners. The program began at 10:00 AM and ended at 6:00 PM with adoration and prayer for healing. Many prayer groups participated and ab out 3000 were present.

The frequencies of radio station "Mir" are: 100.10; 101.50; 102.30 FM

The program:

16:30 - Daily News from Croatian Catholic Radio; 17:00 - Marketing; 18:00 - The rosary from St. James' church; 19:00 - Holy Mass from St. James' church; 20:00 - Biblical Lexicon, 20:15 - Rays of sunshine; 20:30 - A spiritual thought for you; 20:40 - Good night, children; 20:50 - Prayer at the end of day. 20:55 - Signing off; 21:00 - 13:00 Programming of Croatian Catholic Radio.

We hereby wish to thank all who help us by their prayers, and advice, and by their material or any other kind of assistance in the building up of our Radio Station "Mir" Medjugorje.

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 04/21/99