Christmas at Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Kuala Lumpur
When I first came here, it was more to support the humanitarian aid. As I began to work with Father Slavko I began to pray more, to attend the evening programme, the rosary, Podbrdo, Krizevac. As time passed by, my spiritual life was opening up, and getting progressively better. I was learning more about my Catholic faith. I was learning a lot from Fr. Slavko basically by watching him, observing him, being here during his Adorations and in general just praying more. Fr. Slavko, as we all know, lived everything he spoke about the messages of Our Lady. He lived fasting, prayer, conversion; he was a living example of how to live the messages of our Lady. Through that, I felt myself getting to know God and Our Lady and the beautiful traditions of the Catholic faith (p. 76).
Well, to be able to live for eight beautiful years in Medjugorje is indeed a great blessing from God. In Medjugorje, one can never get tired of the Medjugorje Evening Prayer Programme, the rosary, Podbrdo Hill, and Mount Krizevac. These were the things I used to look forward to every day when I was in Medjugorje. More than two years after my pilgrimage to Medjugorje, I am still following the Medjugorje Evening Prayer Programme online every night. I can now pray the Croatian Rosary very well and even sing Croatian songs. My favorite Medjugorje songs include Isuse Volim Te, Hvala Kriste, Isuse Vjerujem, Kumbaya My Lord, Dosli smo ti Majko Draga, Gospa Majka Moja, Gospodine pomozi nam and Zdravo Kraljice mira. I am also getting more spiritual because life in Medjugorje has taught me to look at the world from a different perspective. Too bad, I didn't get to meet Father Slavko because he has already passed away. If he were still alive, I would have learnt a lot from him. From what Rita Falsetto has said about him, I can see that he is the kind of priest who will always be loved, recpected, and fondly remembered by everyone.
Next, I was reading the interview with Stephen and Wende Paliakas from Chicago who spent 10 months in Medjugorje as volunteers in Mother's Village. In an interview with Father Svetozar Kraljevic before they left in May 2002, they talked about their Medjugorje experiences and their fruits of Medjugorje. In response to the question, "Did your friends and relatives in America ask you about your motives?", they said:
Next, I was reading the interview with Stephen and Wende Paliakas from Chicago who spent 10 months in Medjugorje as volunteers in Mother's Village. In an interview with Father Svetozar Kraljevic before they left in May 2002, they talked about their Medjugorje experiences and their fruits of Medjugorje. In response to the question, "Did your friends and relatives in America ask you about your motives?", they said:
Stephen: At first my family thought I was crazy, "Why don't you go and get a job and start to earn some money to pay the bills?" However, we were persistent, we felt called in our hearts to do this and when they understood eventually they became supportive of us, but initially they thought we were nuts!
Wende: The only time in America we heard about Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was during the war, so many people in their heads thought that the war was still raging. Many people thought we were coming to a dangerous place. Instead, we were coming to a place that was full of peace. When we go home we will make sure they understand this is a place of peace. We will try to get them to come as well (p.86).
According to Stephen and Wende, Medjugore is the safest place in the world because it is protected by Our Lady and I truly agree with them. When I was in Medjugorje, I used to go around alone and I could still come back to Malaysia safe and sound. No need to worry about snatch theft, rape, or being kidnapped. These ideas did not even cross my mind because I felt very safe and secure in Medjugorje. Even if you lose your wallet, you will be able to get it back. I remember when I was in St. James Church for the morning mass, I heard an announcement telling the person who has lost his wallet to claim it. In Medjugorje, everyone is so honest, kind, helpful, and friendly. Most of all, it is a very peaceful place where we can experience the peace of God. For those who yearn for a simple and peaceful life or are seeking inner peace, Medjugorje is the best place for them. In Medjugorje, I found my inner peace and learnt to feel content with my life and returned home with a blissful mind - wiser, more optimistic, and more resilient. Be it war or peace, there is always peace in Medjugorje (You may like to read A MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM MEDJUGORJE).
Then there is Melinda Dumitrescu, a violinist from Romania who decided to live permanently in Medjugorje at the service of the pilgrims. According to her:
Living in this way, abandoning oneself to God, is madness in the eyes of the world. I don't live like this because otherwise I wouldn't have anything else to do! This way of life involves swimming against the stream. Why? Because of whom? For what reason? I carry Jesus and Mary in my heart, and "the world" does not know them. I live this kind of life purely for Them. By renouncing a career in music, I renounced many comforts, including that of obtaining the passport of another country when the opportunity was available to me.
Living in Medjugorje on a permanent basis is not at all the same as coming here on a pilgrimage, which can lift some to the seventh heaven! Rather it is a laborious daily journey through the desert where we have to seek the source of life and the meaning of our existence. Every day is full of both of joy and tears, happiness and suffering. I know that God's reward is great (pp. 294-295).
Wow! To me, living in Medjugorje is really paradise especially if there is the chance to meet Father Slavko Barbaric and work with him. I really envy them very much especially Melinda Dumitrescu who decided to stay permanently in Medjugorje. I suppose they must have spent the most beautiful and memorable moments of their lives there. How lucky they are! Be it joy or tears, happiness or suffering, everything about Medjugorje is simply beautiful - it a place where Heaven touches the Earth. There is something about this place that makes me want to be there, and if possible, forever. When I came back from Medjugorje more than two years ago, I was so desperate to go there again to the extent that I even wrote to the University of Sarajevo to inquire about the Ph.D. programs of this university. At that time, I only wanted to be as close to Medjugorje as possible - I couldn't think of anything else. But circumstances just did not allow me to further my studies there.
Tonight I prayed to Our Lady that I may be given the chance to go to Medjugorje again as a volunteer this time and stay there for many, many years. Maybe I can teach English in Mother's Village like what Wende did. I can even teach French. This is my Christmas wish. It is indeed a beautiful dream and I entrust this dream in the hands of Our Lady.
On this beautiful Christmas Day, I would like to wish all my readers, fellow bloggers, friends and relatives a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And to those who are seeking the meaning of their existence, why not look for your answers in Medjugorje? I found mine there.
Wende: The only time in America we heard about Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina was during the war, so many people in their heads thought that the war was still raging. Many people thought we were coming to a dangerous place. Instead, we were coming to a place that was full of peace. When we go home we will make sure they understand this is a place of peace. We will try to get them to come as well (p.86).
According to Stephen and Wende, Medjugore is the safest place in the world because it is protected by Our Lady and I truly agree with them. When I was in Medjugorje, I used to go around alone and I could still come back to Malaysia safe and sound. No need to worry about snatch theft, rape, or being kidnapped. These ideas did not even cross my mind because I felt very safe and secure in Medjugorje. Even if you lose your wallet, you will be able to get it back. I remember when I was in St. James Church for the morning mass, I heard an announcement telling the person who has lost his wallet to claim it. In Medjugorje, everyone is so honest, kind, helpful, and friendly. Most of all, it is a very peaceful place where we can experience the peace of God. For those who yearn for a simple and peaceful life or are seeking inner peace, Medjugorje is the best place for them. In Medjugorje, I found my inner peace and learnt to feel content with my life and returned home with a blissful mind - wiser, more optimistic, and more resilient. Be it war or peace, there is always peace in Medjugorje (You may like to read A MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM MEDJUGORJE).
Then there is Melinda Dumitrescu, a violinist from Romania who decided to live permanently in Medjugorje at the service of the pilgrims. According to her:
Living in this way, abandoning oneself to God, is madness in the eyes of the world. I don't live like this because otherwise I wouldn't have anything else to do! This way of life involves swimming against the stream. Why? Because of whom? For what reason? I carry Jesus and Mary in my heart, and "the world" does not know them. I live this kind of life purely for Them. By renouncing a career in music, I renounced many comforts, including that of obtaining the passport of another country when the opportunity was available to me.
Living in Medjugorje on a permanent basis is not at all the same as coming here on a pilgrimage, which can lift some to the seventh heaven! Rather it is a laborious daily journey through the desert where we have to seek the source of life and the meaning of our existence. Every day is full of both of joy and tears, happiness and suffering. I know that God's reward is great (pp. 294-295).
Wow! To me, living in Medjugorje is really paradise especially if there is the chance to meet Father Slavko Barbaric and work with him. I really envy them very much especially Melinda Dumitrescu who decided to stay permanently in Medjugorje. I suppose they must have spent the most beautiful and memorable moments of their lives there. How lucky they are! Be it joy or tears, happiness or suffering, everything about Medjugorje is simply beautiful - it a place where Heaven touches the Earth. There is something about this place that makes me want to be there, and if possible, forever. When I came back from Medjugorje more than two years ago, I was so desperate to go there again to the extent that I even wrote to the University of Sarajevo to inquire about the Ph.D. programs of this university. At that time, I only wanted to be as close to Medjugorje as possible - I couldn't think of anything else. But circumstances just did not allow me to further my studies there.
Tonight I prayed to Our Lady that I may be given the chance to go to Medjugorje again as a volunteer this time and stay there for many, many years. Maybe I can teach English in Mother's Village like what Wende did. I can even teach French. This is my Christmas wish. It is indeed a beautiful dream and I entrust this dream in the hands of Our Lady.
On this beautiful Christmas Day, I would like to wish all my readers, fellow bloggers, friends and relatives a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. And to those who are seeking the meaning of their existence, why not look for your answers in Medjugorje? I found mine there.
Thanks for reading. You may also like to read ARE THE MEDJUGORJE APPARITIONS AUTHENTIC?, SUPERNATURAL EVENTS IN MEDJUGORJE and IS MEDJUGORJE A HOAX AND A MONEY MAKING SCAM? To view the content page of this blog, please click here.
Reference:
MEDJUGORJE? WHAT THEY THINK! Testimonies from around the world. Informativni Centar "Mir" Medjugorje.
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