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Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
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April 25, 2008
"Dear children! Also today, I call all of you to grow in God's love as a flower which feels the warm rays of spring. In this way, also you, little children, grow in God's love and carry it to all those who are far from God. Seek God's will and do good to those whom God has put on your way, and be light and joy. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Dear children! Also today, I call all of you to grow in God's love as a flower which feels the warm rays of spring.

Seeing the new leaves sprouting and flowers blooming on trees that had shed all their leaves during winter filled me with admiration. This is because I could strongly feel the greatness of the warm spring air given by our Creator God. As I meditated on how not only trees but also small wildflowers and grass cannot grow or sustain life without surrendering themselves to the life-giving warmth of God, I resolved to completely entrust myself to our Creator, the Giver of Life. The Psalmist says, “Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build” (Ps 127:1). Indeed, without the Lord, we can do nothing. Our Lady, by using the expression "as a flower which feels the warm rays of spring," wishes for us to become beings who rely entirely on God's strength rather than our own. She also desires that, by emptying ourselves to receive God's strength and energy, our hearts be filled with God's love. Human beings, created in the image of God, are beings made to love. Without the life-giving love of God, we cannot sustain life within ourselves or grow. What truly brings us to life and continuously allows us to grow is the boundless love of God. God, who is love, created all creation and humankind with His love. And whether we recognize it or not, that love remains the driving force that continues to give life and growth to all creation and humankind. God’s love is the nourishment for our life and growth.

In this way, also you, little children, grow in God's love and carry it to all those who are far from God. 

God's love is one that gives everything, sacrifices, and forgives. The spring flowers that bloom with the energy of God’s love delight our eyes and evoke a sense of beauty. In the same way, those who grow in God’s love and blossom into beautiful souls, practicing the selfless love of God, enable others to experience the beauty of God's love through their example. God's love is a love that must be passed on. Jesus said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:34-35). When we carry within us the self-giving love of God that brings life and put it into practice, people will experience God's love through us. If we do not have God's love in our hearts, we cannot practice or reveal God’s love to others. This is why Our Lady says, “In this way, also you, little children, grow in God's love and carry it to all those who are far from God." We cannot give what we do not possess.

Seek God's will and do good to those whom God has put on your way, and be light and joy. Thank you for having responded to my call.

After calling us to grow in God’s love, Our Lady further encourages us to seek God’s will. Those who grow in God’s love and deeply experience that love cannot help but seek God's will. This is because they have realized that only God can bring about goodness in all things. Our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, sought God’s will first, saying, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). Our Lord Jesus, too, sought the Father’s will over His own, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done" (Lk 22:42), and He accepted death on the cross to fulfill that will.
       To seek and live according to God’s will, two conditions are necessary: prayer and sacrifice. When the Blessed Virgin Mary received the Annunciation, she was deeply immersed in prayer. Jesus, too, prayed fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane. Both found God’s will in prayer and entrusted themselves to it. The will of God that they accepted could only be fulfilled through self-sacrifice. Only those who are willing to endure suffering, persecution, labor, and sacrifice can truly fulfill God’s will.
      Our Lady tells us to do good to those whom God has placed in our lives. The people we encounter directly or indirectly in life are incredibly diverse. Some may show us love and kindness, while others may hate, oppose, betray, hurt, or harm us. Sometimes, we may even face severe attacks and persecution. Our Lady’s teaching that we must do good even to such people naturally reminds us of Jesus’ words: "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:44-48).
       Our Lady calls us to be light and joy. If we do not have God, who is the light and the true source of joy, dwelling within us, how can we be light and joy? Those who grow in God’s love, seek His will, and do good to all can always have God within them, and such a person can bring light and joy to others. Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father" (Mt 5:14-16). Jesus desires that we not be people who curse the darkness while doing nothing but rather be those who light even a single candle in the midst of the darkness.
   
 
 
March 25, 2008
"Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Dear children! I call you to work on your personal conversion. You are still far from meeting with God in your heart. 

On Ash Wednesday, we began Lent by receiving ashes on our foreheads and hearing the priest say, "Repent and believe in the Gospel." Now, we are rejoicing in the Resurrection of Jesus. However, on the second day of the Octave of Easter, Our Lady once again invites us to repentance. This call to strive for our own conversion, even as we celebrate the Resurrection, seems to bring us back to the morning of Easter. According to the scriptures, on the day after the Sabbath, Mary Magdalene and other women went to the tomb of Jesus. They found the tomb empty and heard the news of Jesus' resurrection from two angels. They then brought this news to the apostles, but the apostles considered their words nonsense and did not believe them (cf. Lk 24:9-12). Even when the apostles saw the risen Jesus and worshipped Him, some of them still doubted (cf. Mt 28:17). The fact that disbelief and doubt remained among the apostles, who heard the news of Jesus’ resurrection and saw Him with their own eyes, suggests that the journey of conversion is not completed in an instant.
      Our conversion is not accomplished through a single confession. As long as we do not truly seek to meet God with a heart full of love for Him and place Him first in our lives and hearts, our conversion must continue. The journey of our conversion is a daily process that lasts a lifetime.

Therefore, spend all the more time in prayer and Adoration of Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, for Him to change you and to put into your hearts a living faith and a desire for eternal life. 

We are weak beings, unable to transform ourselves by our own strength. The Apostle Paul also confessed his weakness as follows: “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate... Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” (Rom 7:15,24). Who can save us from our weakness and wretchedness? It is Jesus (cf. Rom 7:25). That is why Our Lady invites us to spend more time in prayer, go to the altar, and honor Jesus, who is alive in the Blessed Sacrament, and stay with Him. Prayer is the act of entrusting everything to Jesus. When we pray, Jesus enters our hearts, drives out all the darkness in every corner of our hearts, and instills in us a living faith. He also kindles in us a longing for eternal life.
      The risen Jesus lives among us, especially in the Blessed Sacrament. To remain in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is our declaration of love. If we love someone, we want to meet them, spend time with them, and confess our love to them from the heart. If we love Jesus, we must go before the Blessed Sacrament. We must turn our steps toward His house, the church, and spend more time with Him than we have so far.
      At the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, before predicting Peter’s denial, Jesus said to him, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers” (Lk 22:31-32). Jesus sees our weaknesses clearly and desires to instill in us a living faith. Let us go before the Blessed Sacrament, earnestly appeal for our weaknesses, and pray for Him to transform us, instill in our hearts a living faith, and awaken in us a longing for eternal life.

Everything is passing, little children, only God is not passing. I am with you and I encourage you with love. Thank you for having responded to my call.

Our Lady asks us to pray more so that Jesus may instill in our hearts a longing for eternal life. When we pray, we realize that what we truly need in our lives is God alone. When we look back on the time we spent longing for and pursuing the things we so humanly desired, we find that there is nothing substantial to hold onto. It all feels like a fleeting dream. As Our Lady says, everything in this world is passing away. Only God remains unchanged. Now and in all future times, what we need is only God. In this context, it is helpful to deeply meditate on the following Gospel passage, which Our Lady has requested us to read every Thursday before the Blessed Sacrament:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Mt 6:25-34).
   
 
 
February 25, 2008
"Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer and renunciation. May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God's love. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Dear children! In this time of grace, I call you anew to prayer and renunciation. 

As in last month’s message, Our Lady emphasizes that Lent is a time of grace in this month’s message as well. This is because Lent is a time that helps us return to God the Father, who awaits us with infinite mercy and love. The parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ in Luke 15 teaches us just how deep God the Father’s mercy and love are. To deepen our understanding of Lent as a time of grace, let us meditate on this parable.
      There was a father who had two sons. The younger son asked his father to give him his share of the inheritance that would come to him. The father graciously granted his request. The younger son gathered all his wealth and left his father's house. He went to a distant country and squandered his wealth in wild living. When he had spent everything, he began to work for a man in that country, but he still suffered hunger, and no one gave him anything to eat. Finally, coming to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants."' So he got up and went to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him. Then he called his servants and ordered them to prepare a feast.
       All the stories in the Bible are beautiful and moving, but this parable is particularly so. Through this parable, Jesus clearly reveals to us what God the Father is like. Like the father in the parable, the God we believe in listens to our requests and respects our free will. Even if we stray from Him and fall into sin, He never ceases to worry about us and show us compassion. Just as the father in the parable saw his son from afar and, filled with compassion, ran to him, God is always concerned for us and always awaits our return to Him.
      Lent is a time to realize the love and compassion of God the Father. It is a time to recognize that God’s grace continues to be with us. How can we become aware that God’s love, compassion, and grace continue to be with us? The parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ shows us the way. When the younger son lost everything, he reflected on the evil he had done and the sins he had committed. He realized that the misery he was experiencing was the result of his wrong choices and actions. He acknowledged that he had sinned against heaven and against his father. Then he turned back to his father’s house, seeking forgiveness and mercy. This is the true image of a repentant person.
      For the past 26 years and 8 months, the theme that has been continually emphasized in the messages given by Our Lady in Medjugorje is repentance. The Queen of Peace constantly invites us to repent of our sins, like the younger son in the parable, and return to God the Father. To help us turn our hearts back to God, Our Lady once again encourages us to pray in this month’s message. Prayer helps us to see our lives and hearts through God’s eyes and realize His infinite love and mercy.
      Our Lady also calls us to renounce. To understand this more deeply, we need to revisit last month’s message. In last month’s message, Our Lady said, “You, little children, are free to choose good or evil… Renounce sin and choose eternal life.” The renunciation that Our Lady asks of us is precisely the renunciation of all evil and sin. What is it that leads us to evil and sin in this modern, affluent world? It is our attachment to material things and selfishness. Our Lady has repeatedly urged us to detach ourselves from material things, saying, “Dear children! You are absorbed with material things, but in the material you lose everything that God wishes to give you... Don't be absorbed with material things” (April 17, 1986). “Little children, you are still attached to earthly things and little to spiritual life... You cannot be converted, little children, if you do not abandon sins and do not decide for love towards God and neighbor” (January 25, 2002). “Dear children! I invite you to decide again to love God above all else. In this time when due to the spirit of consumerism one forgets what it means to love and to cherish true values, I invite you again, little children, to put God in the first place in your life. Do not let Satan attract you through material things but, little children, decide for God who is freedom and love. Choose life and not death of the soul, little children, and in this time when you meditate upon the suffering and death of Jesus I invite you to decide for life which blossomed through the Resurrection, and that your life may be renewed today through conversion that shall lead you to eternal life. Thank you for having responded to my call” (March 25, 1996).
       In the parable of the ‘Prodigal Son,’ the younger son thought that material things would bring happiness to his life. But instead of happiness, he fell into sin and misery. Realizing that only his father could bring him true happiness, he turned back to his father’s house. We need material things to live, but only the minimum necessary to sustain life. To teach us this, Our Lady encourages us to fast. Fasting frees us from attachment to material things and makes us yearn only for God, teaching us that what we truly need in our lives is not material wealth but God.
      The Apostle Paul said, “Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.” (Rom 5:20) Indeed, for those who, like the younger son, cleanse their past, cut off sin, and turn back to the Father’s house, God’s grace is abundantly poured out. God, who “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:45), desires that none of His children be excluded from salvation or fall into destruction but live in His grace and love. Therefore, Our Lady invites us to pray for all those who still do not know God’s love with the following words:

May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God's love. Thank you for having responded to my call.

All the people of this world, regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or religion, are children of God. Our Lady, the Mother of all nations, desires that all her children in this world come to know God’s love, repent, and return to the Father’s house. She asks us to pray for all those who still do not know God’s love. To pray for all those who still do not know God’s love, we must first have love for them in our hearts. We must be like the father in the parable who longed for his sinful son’s return with love and compassion, rather than like the older son, who resented his brother’s return to the father’s house.
      Our Lady knows that our prayers for those who still do not know God’s love will surely have an effect, which is why she asks us to pray for them. Just as the tearful prayers of St. Monica for her son, Augustine, who was in sin, were answered, so too will our prayers for someone’s conversion be answered. If there is someone in our family who is in sin or does not know God’s love, we should pray for them. We must firmly believe that the prayers of intercession we offer from our hearts will surely be answered, for “nothing is impossible with God” (Lk 1:37.) The quantity of our prayers is not the issue. Even if it is a very small amount, if we pray fervently from our hearts, that prayer will move heaven.
       We cannot deny that many of our prayers are related to ourselves. Of course, it is necessary to pray for ourselves. However, we must first pray for others beyond ourselves. Therefore, Our Lady says, “May your day be interwoven with little ardent prayers for all those who have not come to know God's love.” These words, which call us to fill our days with prayers for others, especially for those who still do not know God’s love, instead of prayers for ourselves, help us escape from spiritual selfishness. The heart of a person who can think of others before themselves, even in prayer, is filled with the love of God, who laid down His life for humanity.

Let us pray. God the Father, I am the prodigal son who has returned. I am the son who left Your embrace, became attached to material things, and committed various sins, causing You pain. Now, I confess all my sins and wrongdoings. Like the younger son, I confess to You, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against You. I am no longer worthy to be called Your son; make me like one of Your hired servants.’ Father God, who is always waiting for me, I now turn back to You. Just as You saw the returning son from afar and ran to embrace and kiss him, please accept and embrace me as I place my trust completely in You. Now, I also pray for Your other prodigal children. In accordance with Our Lady's request, I pray for all those who still do not know Your love. Please grant them the grace to repent and return to Your house. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
   
 
 
January 25, 2008
"Dear children! With the time of Lent, you are approaching a time of grace. Your heart is like ploughed soil and it is ready to receive the fruit which will grow into what is good. You, little children, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast. Plant joy and the fruit of joy will grow in your hearts for your good, and others will see it and receive it through your life. Renounce sin and choose eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Dear children! With the time of Lent, you are approaching a time of grace.

Through baptism, we have died with our Lord Jesus Christ and have been reborn with Him and in Him. As those who share in the destiny of Jesus, His life must become our life, and the path He walked must become our path. How can those who follow Jesus, especially Catholics, make His path their own? The Church guides us along this path through the liturgical calendar. Starting with Advent, the Church's liturgical year naturally leads us to follow the significant steps of Jesus’ life. Our Lady also guides us along this path. In this month’s message, Our Lady tells us that with the arrival of Lent, we are approaching a time of grace. Indeed, Lent is a time of grace because it invites us to meditate more deeply on Jesus, who loved us and sacrificed Himself on the cross, and to entrust ourselves to His sacrificial love and mercy. It is also a time of grace because it helps us to cut off sin, repent, and return to the Lord in various ways.
      For Lent to truly be a time of grace for us, two prerequisites are necessary. First, we must directly connect Jesus’ death on the cross with ourselves. Like St. Paul, we must be able to confess, “I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and given himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). As we gaze upon the cross, we must accept in our hearts that Jesus died not just for others but for us personally, and that the cross is filled with immeasurable love and mercy for us. We must be able to shed tears of gratitude. The second prerequisite is to allow Jesus to come down from the cross by no longer sinning. Jesus was crucified as a sacrificial offering for our sins. Continuing to sin is like continuously nailing Jesus to the cross. For those who repent and resolve not to live in sin anymore, the cross will overflow with great grace, love, and mercy.

Your heart is like ploughed soil and it is ready to receive the fruit which will grow into what is good. You, little children, are free to choose good or evil. Therefore, I call you to pray and fast.

Our Lady tells us that our hearts are like tilled soil, ready to receive the seeds that will grow into good fruits. With these words, she encourages us while also challenging us. Even though we have cultivated our hearts well by following her messages and are ready to bear good fruit, we still live in a world where we must constantly choose between good and evil. What must we do to ensure that our well-prepared hearts bear good fruit by continually choosing good over evil? Prayer and fasting. Satan is always lurking around us, trying to lure us into evil. There are times when we feel like we’re living in heaven, only to find ourselves suddenly plunged into the depths of despair. In retrospect, those were times when we were not genuinely praying from the heart or fasting. Therefore, Our Lady continues to call us to prayer and fasting.

Plant joy and the fruit of joy will grow in your hearts for your good, and others will see it and receive it through your life. 

How can we sow the seeds of joy in our hearts? Our Lady has already shown us the way with the following words: “Pray that you may be open to everything that God does through you that in your life you may be enabled to give thanks to God and to rejoice over everything that He does” (January 25, 1989.) “Dear children! I am calling you to a complete surrender to God. Let everything that you possess be in the hands of God. Only in that way shall you have joy in your heart. Little children, rejoice in everything that you have” (April 25, 1989). Through these messages, Our Lady teaches us that the tools for sowing joy in our hearts are prayer, complete trust in God, and gratitude. True joy can only come from God. When our hearts are always open to God, when we entrust everything in our lives to Him and give thanks, God will gift us with joy. The spiritual joy we receive from God enlivens our lives, and this joy naturally flows out of us to those around us. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:16-18).

Renounce sin and choose eternal life. I am with you and intercede for you before my Son. Thank you for having responded to my call.

To choose something means to give up something else. Sin and eternal life cannot coexist. We must choose either sin or eternal life; we cannot have both. We must choose between good and evil, sin and eternal life, and Satan and God. A neutral stance, with one foot in each camp, is not allowed. Our Lady, who has come to help us all reach heaven, speaks firmly to us in our weakness: “Renounce sin and choose eternal life.” Not tomorrow or later, but right now, let us make a firm and resolute commitment out loud: “God, with the intercession and help of Our Lady, I renounce sin and choose eternal life.”
   
 
 
Decmber 25, 2007
"Dear children! With great joy I bring you the King of Peace for Him to bless you with His blessing. Adore Him and give time to the Creator for whom your heart yearns. Do not forget that you are passers-by on this earth and that things can give you small joys, while through my Son, eternal life is given to you. That is why I am with you, to lead you towards what your heart yearns for. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Dear children! With great joy I bring you the King of Peace for Him to bless you with His blessing. 

At the start of the New Year, we exchange well-wishes of "Happy New Year." What is the greatest blessing we can receive? It is having God, the source of all blessings, dwelling within us. On this Christmas Day, December 25, 2007, as we approach the New Year 2008, the Blessed Mother tells us: “Dear children! With great joy I bring you the King of Peace for Him to bless you with His blessing.”  The Blessed Mother finds joy in bringing Jesus, the source of all blessings, to us. How can we bring more joy to the Blessed Mother? By fully receiving Jesus, whom she has brought to us as the King of Peace, and making Him a part of our hearts, lives, homes, and the world.

Adore Him and give time to the Creator for whom your heart yearns. 

Every creature is the work of God. Human beings are the greatest masterpiece among all creatures because they are made in the image of God. Within every human heart and soul, there is a longing for God. Whether we are aware of it or not, this inherent desire exists because we are created in God’s image. As we adore our Creator, the image of God in us becomes more apparent, and we come to realize that we cannot live without Him. To adore Jesus, the King of Peace and Creator, and to give Him time is to pray. Prayer should be done in specific times set aside solely for Him. We should kneel before the crib, the Eucharist, and the Cross, remembering and thanking Him for what He has done for us.

Do not forget that you are passers-by on this earth and that things can give you small joys, while through my Son, eternal life is given to you. 

This world is not our eternal home. We are pilgrims passing through to our eternal home in Heaven. The material things we enjoy now are merely tools for living in this world. Problems arise when we treat these tools as if they are the most important things in our lives. We cannot serve both God and wealth. Wealth should not be placed in the place of God. Nor should we forget God, thinking we will live on this earth forever. As the Psalmist says, our life is limited to about 80 years, if we are strong. All of us, without exception, are living as pilgrims on this earth.  When we leave this world, no one takes material possessions with them. However, we can leave this world with different things in our hearts and souls. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, entrusting their whole lives to Him and hoping for eternal life in Heaven, are truly blessed in the spiritual sense.

That is why I am with you, to lead you towards what your heart yearns for. Thank you for having responded to my call.

One of the titles of the Blessed Mother is "Star of the Sea." Just as a star guides sailors to their destination, the Blessed Mother helps us navigate our lives, guiding us away from sin and darkness and towards living in God. We must realize what a tremendous grace and gift it is that the Blessed Mother is with us.

Star of the Sea, Blessed Mother Mary, look upon your children who are in exile in the valley of tears. Always be with us and guide us to your Son Jesus, who grants eternal life. Amen.
   
 
 
November 25, 2007
"Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you. Little children, give time to God that He may transform you and fill you with His grace, so that you may be a grace for others. For you, little children, I am a gift of grace and love, which comes from God for this peaceless world. Thank you for having responded to my call."

"Praise Jesus!" is a greeting often used by the Blessed Mother. As she says, Jesus should always receive our praise, for he is our Creator and Savior. Considering the life and salvation He has given us, it would not be enough to offer praise and thanks with our whole lives and all our time.
      The Blessed Mother deeply desires that Christ, the King of all creation, becomes the King of our lives. For Jesus to be the King of our lives, we must humble ourselves completely before Him. He must always be the highest. His will and words should become the principles of our lives. To truly say that Jesus is the King of our lives, we must entrust every part of our lives to Him, rather than to other things or people.
       Though Jesus is the King of all creation, he was truly humble unlike the worldly kings and rulers. St. Paul describes Jesus’ humility as follows: “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:6-10).
      Jesus’ humility led Him to even endure death for His creatures, showing a sacrificial love that gives everything for humanity. This is why the Blessed Mother says to us: “Dear children! Today, when you celebrate Christ, the King of all that is created, I desire for Him to be the King of your lives. Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus´ sacrifice on the Cross for each of you.” Only a humble person can make Jesus the King of their life and give themselves for others. To become humble and self-giving, we must first humble ourselves for our own sake and, in particular, model ourselves after Jesus Christ, who gave everything selflessly on the Cross.
       Though Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross was for all humanity, it was also specifically for ‘me’. How can we know that Jesus’ sacrifice was for us personally? The Blessed Mother reveals this path with her words: “Only through giving, little children, can you comprehend the gift of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross for each of you.” By practicing sacrificial love, giving everything to God and others, we can experientially understand the great gift of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross for each of us.
      The Blessed Mother specifically asks us to give time to God. We spend money and time on what we like and consider important. To understand how much we love God, we should consider how much time we spend for Him. So, what does it mean to give time to God? First and foremost, it means to spend time sitting with God, sharing in conversation and love, which is prayer. Prayer is something done with the heart, and when we open our hearts and pray, God enters our hearts and souls. He will illuminate all the dark places in our hearts and souls, filling them with peace and goodness. The more we pray, the more our hearts and souls will yearn for God, and He will abundantly pour His love and grace into them. Giving time to God and praying in that time ultimately benefits us. When we give time to God, He transforms us into people of self-giving love, making us a grace to others. Thus, giving time to God is a way to love Him more, transform ourselves, and become a blessing to others.
       The lack of peace in the world is because humanity refuses the rule of Jesus, who is God and became man, the King of Peace. It is because people do not follow the path of love, humility, and peace that He showed through His Cross sacrifice. Therefore, through her continued appearances in Medjugorje, the Queen of Peace once again urges us this month to make Jesus the King of our lives and to follow the path of love, humility, and peace that he demonstrated on the Cross. The very presence and apparitions of the Blessed Mother, who reveals the path of salvation and peace, are a tremendous grace and love for us!
   
 
 
October 25, 2007
"Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation. Many of you opened your hearts and accepted my messages, but many have become lost on this way and have never come to know the God of love with the fullness of heart. Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin. I am with you and bless you all. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Since June 24, 1981, the Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace, has been appearing daily in Medjugorje, and through visionaries, she has repeatedly stated that her coming to this world is solely for the salvation of humanity. In this month’s message, the Blessed Mother clearly states the purpose of her coming to this world: “Dear children! God sent me among you out of love that I may lead you towards the way of salvation.” The reason the Blessed Mother comes to Earth is very clear. She comes to guide us on the path of salvation and comes in response to God’s command to love humanity. As she said, “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5), the Blessed Mother is fulfilling an important mission to lead us on the path of salvation according to God’s will.
So, what tool does the Blessed Mother use to lead us to salvation? It is her message. The message involves practicing prayer, faith, conversion, penance, and peace, and placing Jesus at the center of our lives. Since her first apparition on June 24, 1981, the Queen of Peace has continually given us messages containing these themes. The Blessed Mother wants us to accept and put her messages into practice so that we may walk the path of salvation.
      The Blessed Mother is pleased that many have opened their hearts and accepted her messages, but she is also worried and saddened by those who still do not accept her messages. She is concerned and sorrowful because she knows that by not following her messages, they are straying from the path of salvation and ultimately heading towards destruction. Love does not give up until the last moment. To ensure that not even one of her children on Earth strays from the path of salvation, the loving Mother urges us once again to wholeheartedly accept her messages.
      The world we live in today may seem more splendid and dazzling than ever with material and technological advancements. However, people’s hearts and souls are filled with darkness, and the world is tainted with sin. This is because people have thoroughly excluded God from their lives and are entirely absorbed in earthly things. The Blessed Mother, seeing through this situation, says: “Therefore, I call you to be love and light where there is darkness and sin.” To respond to this call, we must first place God, who is love and light itself, at the center of our lives and live a sinless life. Only then can we become love and light to others.
       Let us remember that the Blessed Mother wants not only for ourselves but also for all of her children on Earth to be led to the path of salvation through us. Let us respond faithfully to her call so that we do not feel ashamed whenever we hear her words, “Thank you for having responded to my call.”
   
 
 
September 25, 2007
"Dear children! Also today I call all of you for your hearts to blaze with more ardent love for the Crucified, and do not forget that, out of love for you, He gave His life so that you may be saved. Little children, meditate and pray that your heart may be open to God's love. Thank you for having responded to my call." 

The experience of love is not a matter of the mind, but of the heart. Love is something experienced with the heart. In this month's message, the Blessed Mother invites us to set our hearts ablaze with a burning love for Jesus, who died on the Cross.
      Before bearing the Cross, Jesus gave thanks in prayer for the grace that allowed Him to embrace His Cross and carry out the will of God the Father. Carrying that Cross, He ascended Golgotha and prayed for the forgiveness of the sins of all sinners, not only those of His time but also for all future sinners, including us. Even before we were aware, Jesus was already praying for each and every one of us. All of humanity throughout the ages has already been invited to the Cross by Jesus.
      Jesus died for you and me, for us today. He died on the Cross to save us from sin and to give us life. He considered us His friends, and by laying down His life on the Cross for us, His friends, He demonstrated the greatest love.
      Standing at the foot of the Cross, praying with Jesus for humanity, the Holy Mother Mary now invites us to show our love for Jesus. The Blessed Mother calls all of us to ignite our hearts with a burning love for Jesus, who died on the Cross. To do so, we must look at, feel, and love Jesus, who was crucified for our sake, not with our minds but with our hearts. Let us gaze upon the crucifix and offer a prayer of gratitude for Jesus' love for us. Let us hold the crucifix close to our hearts and feel His love for us. Let us kiss the crucifix and express our love for Him.
The place where God's love for humanity is most profoundly revealed is on the Cross. The Cross constantly radiates God's immeasurable love. Therefore, if we deeply meditate and pray before this Cross on what God has done for us, we will feel His infinite love in our hearts. That is why the Mother Mary says, " Little children, meditate and pray that your heart may be open to God's love."
      The Cross should not be just a symbol that appears during Lent. The Cross on which Jesus was crucified should always be at the center of our lives and faith. Let us dedicate ourselves, our families, the Church, and the world before the Cross every day, praying that all of humanity may realize God's immense love for us and love only Him.
   
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