Holy Spirit Novena Day 3

DAY THREE

Heavenly Father,
You have called me to be a member
of the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ,
and to be a temple of the Holy Spirit.
I ask You to give me these gifts of the Holy Spirit:
wisdom, that I may understand the follies of this world;
understanding, that I may grasp more fully
the meaning of my existence
and the purpose of all things in the world;
counsel, that I may always choose the proper way;
fortitude, that I may remain faithful to You
under the pressure of temptation.;
piety, that I may revere You in all I do, think or say;
fear of the Lord, that should the motive of love fail me,
I may quickly be awakened to the eternal consequences of my deeds.
Visit me by Your grace
and Your love
and grant me the favor I so earnestly seek in this novena...

State your request here...

Amen.

Come, O Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of Your faithful,
and kindle in them the fire of Your love.

Holy Rosary & Mass - Tuesday May 19, 2020 EWTN

Medjugorje and St. John Paul II

Dan Lynch
May 17, 2020

May 18th is the 100^th anniversary of St. John Paul II’s birth. On May 17,

Pope John Paul II called Medjugorje “the confessional of the world” and said that if he were not Pope that he “would be living in Medjugorje as a priest helping to hear confessions.”

On April 6, 1995, he made public his desire to go to Medjugorje and wrote to friends in Poland, “We every day return to Medjugorje in prayer.” He concluded his daily private Rosary in the Vatican gardens with the prayer, “Our Lady of Medjugorje, pray for me.”

He told visiting pilgrims in Rome, “Our Lady of Medjugorje will save America.” He wrote to friends in his own hand, “I thank Sophia for everything concerning Medjugorje. I too go there every day as a pilgrim in my prayers. I unite in my prayers with all those who pray there or receive a calling from prayer from there. Today we have understood this call better. I rejoice that our time is not lacking in people of prayer and apostles. Medjugorje is better understood these days. I myself am very much attached to that place.”

Medjugorje visionary Mirjana Soldo spoke about Pope John Paul II and Medjugorje. On October 3, 2009, she was asked whether she had ever met with Pope John Paul.

Mirjana answered, “I am the only one of six visionaries who was lucky enough, had the honor, to encounter Pope John Paul II. You can imagine how the other five are jealous of me,” she said with a smile.

“I was in the Vatican,” she continued, “St. Peter’s Basilica, with an Italian priest. The Holy Father was walking by and he was blessing us. When he approached me, he blessed me and he just continued to walk. However, this Italian priest loudly said to him, ‘Holy Father, this is Mirjana from Medjugorje.’”

“The Pope came back and blessed me again. As he left, I said to the priest, ‘He just thinks I need a double blessing.’ But then after, he received a note, an invitation to Castel Gandolfo, close to Rome, in order to see the Pope. I couldn’t sleep all night because I really loved him and I respected him and I could really feel his love for Our Lady.”

“So the next day when he and I met alone, I was just crying. I couldn’t say a word because I was so excited. He noticed that I was excited. I think he tried to talk to me in Polish because he thought in the Slavic languages there are things in common. I didn’t understand a word!”

“But finally I had enough strength and courage to ask him, ‘What are you trying to tell me?’ Then we talked. Among other things he said to me, ‘I know everything about Medjugorje. I’ve been following Medjugorje. Ask pilgrims to pray for my intentions, to keep, to take good care of Medjugorje, because Medjugorje is hope for the entire world. And if I were not Pope, I would have been in Medjugorje a long time ago.’ ”

“A priest told me that from the very beginning,” Mirjana continued, “the Pope was very fond of Medjugorje because two months before the apparitions in Medjugorje started, the Pope was praying to Our Lady to come again on earth. He said, ‘I cannot do it all alone because Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Poland etc, are all Communist, I cannot do it on my own. I need you.’ And later he heard that in Yugoslavia, a Communist country, in a little village, Our Lady appeared. Then he said, ‘That is a response to my prayers.’ ”

Mirjana concluded, “On the Mount of Apparitions, I saw a pair of shoes of the Pope in front of me. After the apparition, the gentleman who brought these shoes (he didn’t introduce himself) said, ‘It was the Pope’s desire for a long time to come to Medjugorje. So I said to him, ‘If you do not go, I will take your shoes.’ And that is how I brought his shoes, so they may be present during the apparition.’ ” And that is how the Pope’s desire to come to Medjugorje was satisfied.

Our Lady of Guadalupe on Fire, Despite COVID-19!

Dan Lynch
                                         May 6, 2020

Jane Schiano Wigutow of Huntington, New York, Guardian of the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe reported, "Our Lady has been on fire. Great stuff happening even in lock-down!"

In the most dangerous COVID-19 state in our country, Jane and her Team have been traveling with the Missionary Image on a Journey through the New York metropolitan area and the diocese of Rockville Center since late February. Their Journey has included Visitations to many churches and to most of the offices of the Diocese of Rockville Center, where they told the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her modern mission to bring conversions, a Culture of Life and a Civilization of Love, for which St. John Paul II prayed.

They also visited hospitals and a nursing home and brought the Image for many Home Visitations, without the Team members entering the home. Now with the churches in lock-down, they have been innovative and have followed Our Lady of Guadalupe's request to St. Juan Diego, "Do the best that you can."

Lori Rainville, our Apostolates' Visitations Coordinator, emailed Jane,

Thanks, we are all fine here. Hope you, yours and the Team and their families are all well.

I’ve meant to email you for a couple of weeks now but just haven’t had the chance. My son and his 4 kids are staying with us. Kids are no longer attending school so we homeschool them here. I’m often reminded of why I never became a teacher!! LOL. I’m also working from home and find myself working evenings A LOT!

Sounds like you’re doing what you can with Our Lady. I’m happy to hear that two Planned Parenthoods have closed! Funny to think that abortion is an “essential” service. Things certainly are twisted.

Take care and hopefully, we’ll talk soon.

In Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart,
Lori

The following is Jane’s most recent report to Lori,

She [Our Lady of Guadalupe in her Missionary Image] had a sleepover with a family whose teen daughter was an atheist. First, the Mom had an outdoor Visitation for her neighborhood. She combined it with a food drive cuz neighbors wouldn't come for religion, but would to donate food. Got a lot of people. An elderly couple were very blown away.

That night, she put the Image in her daughter's room. Mom felt heartbeat. Said nothing, but daughter saw her touch Our Lady's heart so she did too. Felt it!!! Amazed!! To say the least.

Then in the morning the daughter, hours before she's normally up, started urgently calling her Mom. The Image was vibrating (like it did for us the weekend before Masses stopped). Please pray for the daughter, who is very much looking for direction now. We said go.to.confession!!!

[Jane had previously reported to us that the Missionary Image was at a church event and was seen by the people to be vibrating. Jane wrote, "People said it was especially around her waist or by the Baby Jesus, but seemed strong everywhere when I was holding her. It also happened in someone's home as well, just over the Baby.]

Our Lady was on televised Spanish Mass with Bishop-Elect Luis Romero. He said that between tv and social media, they reached six to ten thousand people!! Marta posted the story to our Facebook page. [Click here to see more photos and videos of their Visitation.]

We have a non-stop schedule again with Our Lady. Going to church drive-up blessings, hospitals, nursing homes (all outdoors), Planned Parenthoods. Tons of home visits. Was on a Zoom Rosary with 150 people.

Really want to keep Our Lady longer!! She has so much to do here, and so many people ready to step up and do it! This Saturday she's supposed to go on a flatbed truck for Rosary tour with megaphone.

It is such a consolation to have Our Lady here with us. She is pure and humble in the midst of the filth, evil and pride here.½  There's so much demand for the Home Visits.

Everyone loves her and she is very active, and if things open up here we can also go back to big church events.

Love,
Jane

---

Perhaps Our Lady is Calling YOU  to Host a Visitation with
The Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Images visit churches and wherever else Our Lady’s motherly love is needed. The Images bring works of mercy to convents, prisons, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and abortion centers. Because of the presence of the Image, many abortions have been prevented and over twenty abortion centers have closed through Our Lady’s intercession.

St. John Paul II asked Our Lady of Guadalupe “to ‘visit’ as a ‘pilgrim of faith’ each and every diocese, parish and family in America.” In response to this, the Missionary Images have journeyed on Visitations throughout the world and to each state of the United States to over 1000 parishes. They have received the veneration of hundreds of thousands.

Our apostolate coordinates Visitations of the Images and trains Guardian Teams to prepare for the Visitations in cooperation with their local pastors. The Team plans and implements the Visitation.

The Visitations include Holy Hours of Prayer for Life, Peace and Protection from a booklet with the recitation of the Rosary and veneration of the Image. There is a talk explaining the Image and the messages of Our Lady. Religious goods are available for sale to promote the devotion.

PERHAPS OUR LADY IS CALLING YOU TO HOST AN IMAGE FOR HER.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HOST A VISITATION PLEASE CLICK HERE.

You may also call our Center at 802 524-5350.

St. Joseph the Worker and Our Lady of America

  Dan Lynch April 30, 2020 

  

The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker is celebrated on May 1. The Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in order to impress on our minds the dignity of human work and the principles according to which it should be carried on. He chose St. Joseph as the model and helper of all workers.
  
From the example of St. Joseph, we should learn that we work in obedience to God’s command for our earthly needs while at the same time hoping to attain our heavenly reward. He who took care of the Holy Family by his skill and labor will not fail to extend his help and protection to his co-workers.
Pius XII decreed that the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker should be celebrated on May 1, the traditional Workers’ Day. He hoped that St. Joseph’s patronage would promote peace between workers and their employers and end the strife that too often marred their relationship.

From Scripture we know that the great virtue of St. Joseph was his obedient faith. “He did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife.” (Mt. 1:24). He did this in spite of the apparent fact that Mary’s pregnancy was visible to everyone. He took her in the mystery of her motherhood and acted in obedient faith, as did Mary when she said, “Let it be done to me according to your word”. (Lk. 1:38). “Blessed are they who have not seen, yet have believed.” (Jn. 20:29).

As the Second Vatican Council teaches, “The obedience of faith must be given to God as He reveals Himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals Himself and willingly assenting to the revelation given by Him.” (Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, 5). St. Joseph is the model of this obedient faith.

St. Joseph obeyed the command of the angel and took Mary as his wife in marriage and virginity in a communion of love with God and each other.

As the virgin father of Jesus, St. Joseph showed Him all the natural love and affection of a father’s heart. He placed his life at the service of God in total self-giving for our Savior who grew up in his house. And Jesus grew “in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” (Lk. 2:52).

On his part, Jesus “was obedient to them” (Lk. 2:51) and thereby sanctified His daily work with St. Joseph. Work was the daily expression of love in the Holy Family. Work, which was a consequence of Original Sin (see Gn. 3:17-20), was now redeemed by Jesus who labored at the workbench with St. Joseph. Work is a human good that transforms nature and makes man in a sense, more human.

Pope Paul VI said, “St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies; he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things – it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.”

Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph to be the “Patron of the Catholic Church”. We place our confidence in his protection because he will protect the Church family just as he protected the Holy Family.

St. John Paul II prayed, “May St. Joseph become for all of us an exceptional teacher in the service of Christ’s saving mission, a mission which is the responsibility of each and every member of the Church: husbands and wives, parents, those who live by the work of their hands or by any other kind of work, those called to the contemplative life and those called to the apostolate… .”

St. Joseph’s Pure Heart

Jesus and Mary desire that the Pure Heart of St. Joseph be honored on the First Wednesday of each month. On March 30, 1958, St. Joseph appeared to Sister Mildred, the mystic of the devotion to Our Lady of America. He said:              

I am the protector of the Church and the home, as I was the protector of Christ and His Mother while I lived upon earth. Jesus and Mary desire that my pure heart, so long hidden and unknown, be now honored in a special way. Let my children honor my most pure heart in a special manner on the First Wednesday of the month by reciting the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary in memory of my life with Jesus and Mary and the love I bore them, the sorrow I suffered with them. Let them receive Holy Communion in union with the love with which I received the Savior for the first time and each time I held Him in my arms.

Those who honor me in this way will be consoled by my presence at their death, and I myself will conduct them safely into the presence of Jesus and Mary.

So, let us respond to the requests of St. Joseph, honor him as Jesus and Mary requested on First Wednesdays and ask his intercession for the great gifts of God’s protection, peace and the presence of St. Joseph and them at our death.