203
October 26, 2004
MEDITATION
"Dear children! This is a time of grace for the family and, therefore, I call you to renew prayer. May Jesus be in the heart of your family. In prayer, learn to love everything that is holy. Imitate the lives of saints so that they may be an incentive and teachers on the way of holiness. May every family become a witness of love in this world without prayer and peace. Thank you for having responded to my call." October 25, 2004
FAITH ACCORDING TO THE MODEL OF SWEDISH TABLE
When someone expresses an opinion or wants to say something very important, it sometimes happens to him to add: “But are you taking me seriously?” It is quite legitimate; especially as we are all more and more invaded by information, exhortations and directives that are not always put into practice. In the inflation of words, the importance of the contents seems to decrease. In the superabundance of proposals, we take for ourselves the right to select what appears important and useful for our personal life. We choose what we like. In other words, it is a life according to the rule of offer, demand, and free choice. It is the logic of the market.
This same mentality introduced itself into the life of faith. The faithful seem to choose the elements and the contents, which appear reachable and acceptable to them, while forgetting the fundamental significance of the faith as a gift, the faith that implies the need for believing in an integral way and the need of putting into practice of all that we believe. This approach of faith could be called “a life according to the model of the Swedish table”. What does it mean? In all that is proposed of the mystery of Salvation and of the sacraments, the believer chooses only what he likes, which leads to all kinds of paradoxes: a believer who calls himself a Catholic will perhaps go every Sunday for Mass, but will not take his marriage seriously; he will speak in favour of life, but will proceed to the abortions; he will ask for the protection of God, but will mistreat his family or his subordinates, etc.
To be a Catholic means to belong to somebody completely. To be a Catholic implies the obligation to believe completely and wholly all the truths that Jesus Christ gives us through the Church, which he founded and which he makes alive. Our first obligation is thus to believe and to give testimony of what we believe, but completely. The Scriptures tell us that we should not omit or modify even one iota. Faith is a serious thing. It requires of us to live all that Jesus lived, and all that has been transmitted to the apostles. To be a Catholic does not only mean to belong to a group or to an organization. To be a Catholic means to be written in the palms of the hands of Jesus Christ, and to put Jesus Christ at the first place in our life.
On this way, Our Lady is our best teacher. She believed completely. She did not choose what should come and how that should happen. She listened and she served. She is the expression of the first true Christian relation to God.
Fr. Mario Knezovic
NEWS
NUMBER OF COMMUNIONS AND NUMBER OF CONCELEBRANTS
During the month of September, 165000 communions were distributed and 3806 priests from this country and from abroad concelebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje.
In September, pilgrims were here from: Canada, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Korea, Malta, Lebanon, Scotland, Austria, France, Portugal, the USA, Slovakia, Spain, Holland, Ireland, Poland, Rumania, the Czech Republic, England, Hungary, Australia, Slovenia, Belgium, Philippines, Egypt, Lithuania, Mexico, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia.
“THE WALL OF LOVE” IN MEDJUGORJE
About 60 members of the humanitarian association “Bedem ljubavi” (“The wall of love”) from Varazdin/Croatia came on pilgrimage to Medjugorje on October 6, at the occasion of the 13th anniversary of its foundation. The theme of this one-day long pilgrimage was “On the paths of friendship, of peace and of love”. They climbed the Apparition Hill and visited other prayer places. In the Adoration chapel, they had a thanksgiving mass presided by Fr. Mario Knezovic.
ST. FRANCIS’ “TRANSITUS”
On the eve of St. Francis’ feast, the Franciscan family all over the world celebrates the moment of its holy founder's passing away from this world into eternity, called Transitus. In St. James’ parish in Medjugorje, this rite is celebrated immediately after the evening Mass. Medjugorje Friars, Franciscan sisters, Franciscan Youth Fraternity (Frama) and members of the Franciscan Third Order took part in this celebration. Together with many parishioners and pilgrims, with participation of the choir of the Franciscan Youth Fraternity and the children’s choir “Little Doves of Peace”, this year’s liturgy of the Transitus was presided by the pastor, Fr. Branko Rados.
1900 KILOMETRES ON BICYCLE FOR AN ORPHANAGE IN UGANDA
In order to help the construction of the orphanage “Kumi” in the diocese Soroti in Uganda, Alois Gerding from Senden (Germany) drove 1900 kilometres from Munster to Medjugorje.
Together with friends, especially the Eink family, Alois and his wife Elisabeth are materially supporting several African priests and their social and humanitarian work. The orphanage “Kumi”, which is led by Fr. Charles Osire, will take care of 200 orphans.
SEMINARS IN "DOMUS PACIS"
There was one "Prayer and Fasting" seminar led by Fr. Ljubo Kurtovic for pilgrims from Germany.
The same house welcomed also a youth group from Montenegro led by Fr. Franjo Dusaj, a Franciscan Youth group from Herzegovina, and a group of young girls for a seminar led by the Franciscan Schools sisters from Herzegovina.
THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING FOR PRIESTS
The 10th International meeting for priests will take place in Medjugorje from July 4 to 9, 2005. The theme of the meeting is “The Eucharist and Mary – Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2,5)
PROGRAM July 4, 2005, Monday 13.00 Registration of the participants in the New Hall behind the Church 18.00 BEGINNING OF THE SEMINAR (Prayer of the Rosary, Holy Mass, Prayer for health of body and soul, Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary) July 5, 2005 – Tuesday 08.30 Laudes in Latin and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 09.00 Talk (Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 10.00 Break 10.30 Prayer 15.30 Talk (Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 16.30 Break 17.00 Prayer 18.00 Evening Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Prayer for health of body and soul) July 6, 2005, Wednesday 08.30 Laudes in Latin and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament 09.00 Talk (Dr Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 10.00 Break 10.30 Prayer 15.30 Talk (Dr Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 16.30 Break 17.00 Prayer 18.00 Evening Prayer Programme (Rosary Holy Mass, Prayer for health of body and soul) 22.00 Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament July 7, 2005, Thursday 6.00 Rosary at the Apparition Hill 9.30 Talk, prayer (Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 10.00 Break 10.30 Prayer 15.30 Talk (Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm) 16.30 Break 17.00 Prayer 18.00 Evening Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Adoration) July 8, 2005, Friday 6.00 Way of the Cross on Cross Mountain, and Confessions 16.00 Prayer, meditation 18.00 Evening Prayer Programme (Rosary, Holy Mass, Veneration of the Cross) July 9, 2005, Saturday 08.30 Laudes at Fr. Slavko Barbaric's tomb 09.00 Sharing of experiences, suggestions and witnessing
CONCLUSION WITH HOLY MASS AT NOON
You may make reservations by e-mail: seminar.marija@medjugorje.hr, or by fax: +387-36-651-999 (for Marija Dugandzic).
We ask all priests who have arranged their own accommodation with a family in Medjugorje to note in their application the name and the phone number of the family where they will be staying. We will arrange accommodation for all the priests who have no direct contacts and have not arranged their own accommodation. (Please note in your application if you wish us to arrange accommodation for you.)
Instead of a monetary payment, we ask you to kindly celebrate five Mass intentions.
It is necessary to bring with you: your celebret given by your superior, an alb and stole, a Bible, a small FM radio with headphones (for simultaneous translation).
Many priests who do not have access to Internet may not have been informed about the existence of this international meeting in Medjugorje. Therefore, we kindly ask all Organizers of pilgrimages, Prayer Groups and Centres for Peace to publish this information as widely as possible by all means at their disposal, so that as many priests as possible may participate. In as much as it is possible, we also kindly ask you to financially assist the priests who would like to come but do not have the necessary funds for such a journey. We thank you in advance and pray for God’s blessing and the blessing of the Queen of Peace upon you and your work.
The lecturer of this seminar is Dr. Fr. Zvjezdan Linic, ofm, born in 1941 in Svilno near the Shrine of Our Lady of Graces of Trsat (Croatia). He became a Franciscan in 1958 and was ordained a priest in 1967. He studied in Samobor, Zagreb, Paris and Innsbruck where he obtained a doctorate in liturgical theology in 1970.
His did his pastoral service among the Croatian workers in foreign countries (in Innsbruck and in Paris) as well as in Croatia (Trsat, Karlovac, Novi Sad, Osijek, then in Zagreb), between 1981 and 1997. Since 1997, he is a director of the House of the Encounters called “Tabor”, near the Franciscan monastery in Samobor, where he organizes and leads retreats and recollections.
Most of the priestly and pastoral life of Fr. Zvjezdan is dedicated to young people and the Franciscan secular Order. Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, he helped a great number of young people to know Christ the Saviour and to enter into the Church. On several occasions, he taught theology. He is giving retreats for priests, religious and laity. He is particularly known as organizer of seminars of Christian initiation and seminars for healing and liberation.
Last Modified 10/27/2004