Our Lady Says that When You Pray For Unbelievers, You Pray for Yourselves and Your Own Future

 

Saturday November 11
Reconsecration of the United States to Our Lady

 

During English Mass at St. James Church in Medjugorje on Saturday, Nov 11, 2006, the main celebrant read an announcement about the Reconsecration of the United States of America that was taking place that day in Washington D.C., (Saturday November 11th). Many pilgrims came to the Caritas Mission House to get a copy of the Patriotic Rosary. One pilgrim came in and wanted to get copies for everyone in her group. She was staying in the home of visionary Mirjana Soldo. The following was sent to us by one of the community members from the Mission House in Medjugorje.

This pilgrim stopped by the Caritas Mission House today (November 13th) excited to tell us what had happened Saturday evening. Her group was from Boston, Massachusetts, which included three priests. They all gathered in Mirjana’s dining room which was the room where Our Lady appeared to Mirjana on the second of every month until the apparitions moved to a different location where greater numbers could be accommodated. This group gathered at 5:00 p.m. to pray the Patriotic Rosary, so to consecrate the United States of America to Our Lady in union with the bishops back home, during the time of apparition here in Medjugorje. Most of these pilgrims were not familiar with the Patriotic Rosary and as they began praying it, realizing that for each of the Hail Mary beads present on the Rosary, each of the 50 States of our nation would be consecrated to Our Lady’s heart, they were deeply moved. Mirjana, who was upstairs from the dining room, heard the group praying this special Rosary, singing the patriotic prayer songs between each decade, and she came down and joined the pilgrims for the rest of the Rosary—they in their English language, she in Croatian. The prayer was very deep and reverent. At the end of the Rosary, Mirjana asked all those present to join her in praying the seven Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s for the consecration of the United States to Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart. Mirjana finished the prayer by saying, “God Bless America” and they then gathered around a computer in Mirjana’s home and listened live to the consecration that had just begun in Washington D.C. in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Mirjana told her American pilgrims that when she heard that this consecration was going to take place, she cried, because she knew how happy this was going to make Our Lady. She said she only hopes that many other countries, seeing this example, will do the same.

The Patriotic Rosary was being said in other parts of Medjugorje at the same time by other groups of pilgrims. What a grace to have so many American pilgrims here in Medjugorje at this time to intercede to Our Lady in this special village where She began 25 years ago, to call individuals, families and nations back to God.

 

Following is the consecration prayer that was recited on Saturday, November 11, 2006 by the Pro Nuncio, Archbishop Sambi, in union with the bishops across the United States. This was also the same prayer recited in 1959 when the first consecration was made:

 

PRAYER FOR RENEWAL OF CONSECRATION TO OUR PATRONESS
OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

 

Most Holy Trinity: Our Father in Heaven, who chose Mary as the fairest of your daughters; Holy Spirit, who chose Mary as your spouse; God the Son, who chose Mary as Your Mother; in union with Mary, we adore your majesty and acknowledge Your supreme, eternal dominion and authority.

Most Holy Trinity, we put the United States of America into the hands of Mary Immaculate in order that she may present the country to you. Through her we wish to thank you for the great resources of this land and for the freedom, which has been its heritage. Through the intercession of Mary, have mercy on the Catholic Church in America. Grant us peace. Have mercy on our president and on all the officers of our government. Grant us a fruitful economy born of justice and charity. Have mercy on capital and industry and labor. Protect the family life of the nation. Guard the precious gift of many religious vocations. Through the intercession of our Mother, have mercy on the sick, the poor, the tempted, sinners—on all who are in need.

 

Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Our Mother, Patroness of our land, we praise you and honor you and give our country and ourselves to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart. O’Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced by the sword of sorrow prophesized by Simeon save us from degeneration, disaster and war. Protect us from all harm. O’Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, you who bore the sufferings of your Son in the depths of your heart be our Advocate. Pray for us, that acting always according to your will and the Will of your Divine Son, we may live and die pleasing to God. Amen.

 

“Our Lady Says that
When You Pray For Unbelievers,
You Pray for Yourselves and Your Own Future”

 

Mirjana Soldo
Monday November 13, 2006

 

First, I will share with you about the apparitions, the way I used to have them and the way I have them now.

You all know that the apparitions began June 24, 1981. And until Christmas of 1982 I was having daily apparitions along with the other visionaries. On that Christmas of 1982, I received the 10th secret. And Our Lady said to me I wouldn’t have Her daily apparitions anymore. But that it was going to be only once a year, every March 18th, as long as I live. Besides that, Our Lady said to me that I was going to have Her extraordinary apparitions as well. And those apparitions started on August 2, 1987. They still have been lasting and I do not know how long I will have them. Those apparitions are like a prayer for unbelievers, with the difference that Our Lady never used that word “unbelievers.” She always says, “Those who have not come to know the love of God yet.” And Our Lady is asking our help. When Our Lady says “our” help, She doesn’t only mean us six visionaries. Our Lady is asking help from all those people who accept Her as Mother. Because Our Lady says we are capable of changing unbelievers. But only with our prayer and our own example. Our Lady asks that we put into our daily prayer, in the first place, our prayer for unbelievers, because Our Lady says that when you pray for them, you pray for yourselves and your own future. Besides our prayers, Our Lady is asking for our example. But Our Lady does not ask for us to preach. She would like from us to talk with our own lives so that unbelievers can see God and God’s love within ourselves. I would like you to accept this in a most serious way, because if you were able to see just once the tears on Our Lady’s face because of unbelievers, I’m sure you would pray from the bottom of your heart.

Our Lady says the time that we live in is the time of great decisions. She says we who call ourselves God’s children, we have great responsibility. When Our Lady is asking to pray for unbelievers, Our Lady desires that we do it in Her way, and that means first to feel love for them, to feel them as our brothers who were not lucky enough as we were to come to know the love of God. And only when we feel that love will we be able to pray for them. We should never judge or criticize them. We should simply love them, pray for them and give them our own example.

You see, with these apparitions, Our Lady gave every single one of us visionaries a mission to pray for. My mission is to pray for unbelievers. Vicka and Jakov pray for the sick, Ivan for the priests and for the youth, Marija for the souls in purgatory and Ivanka she prays for families. But the most important message that Our Lady has been repeating very often is the Holy Mass, and not only on Sundays. At the beginning of the apparitions Our Lady said to us visionaries, if you have to choose between attending the Holy Mass or seeing Me in the apparition, you should always choose to attend the Holy Mass because during the Holy Mass My Son is with you. In all these years of the apparitions, Our Lady never said “Pray and I will give you.” But She always says “Pray so that I can pray to My Son for you.” Jesus is always in the first place.

Many pilgrims who come to Medjugorje believe that we, visionaries, are important. It is just to say of us that we are privileged. But that way of thinking is wrong, because Our Lady, as Mother, has no privileged children. For Her we are all Her children that she has chosen for different missions. Six of us visionaries were chosen in order to say the messages. But She chose you to be the apostles of those messages. That’s what She said in Her message from November 2, when I believe She was directly addressing the pilgrims. She said “Dear Children, I invited you. Open your heart. Allow me to enter in order to be able to make you become my apostles.” So you see we all have the same equal importance for our Mother.

 

If there is anybody who would be privileged, if you look at Our Lady’s messages, then we are talking about priests, because Our Lady never said what they should do, but She only says what we should do for them. Our Lady says “Dear Children they don’t need you to judge and to criticize them. But they need your love and your prayers.” God will judge them the way they were as priests. But what God will judge you is the way you treated your priests.” If you lose respect for your priests, little by little you will lose respect for your Church and in the end for dear God, as well. And in Her latest messages on the second of the month, Our Lady has been emphasizing the importance of priests. When Our Lady gives us Her blessing during the apparition, She always says I’m giving you my Motherly Blessing, but the greatest blessing you can receive on earth is the blessing from priests. Then it is my Son’s blessing. Then She also says priests hands are blessed by my Son. And Her latest message She said:

 

November 2, 2006

“Do not forget to pray for your Shepherds.”

 

Our Lady is asking us to bring back the prayer of the Rosary in our families. Our Lady says that there is nothing in this world that can unite the family more than prayer together. And Our Lady says that parents have great responsibility before their children. For parents are those who are suppose to put the seeds of faith in their children. And that is possible only if they pray together and if they attend the Holy Mass together. Because children have to see from their parents that God is in the first place and then comes everything else.

Our Lady is asking of us fasting on Wednesday’s and Friday’s on bread and water. Our Lady doesn’t ask for fasting from those who are sick. But those who are sick will realize through their prayer what they can do instead of fasting on bread and water.

She’s asking for us to go to Holy Confession at least once a month because Our Lady said there is no man on earth who does not have the need for monthly confession. She’s asking for Bibles in our families. But you see when Our Lady gives me this message, Our Lady does not explain that message to me. Same as every one of you, I have to pray in order to understand what God wants, desires to tell me through that message, through all the messages. When Our Lady says to bring back the Bible into your families, the way I understood is to open it everyday. To read a few lines—it doesn’t matter how much. But that the Bible is really present in our homes. And not to have it as a souvenir that we never touch.

These would be the most important messages that I’ve tried to present in a short way, the messages that all of us should bring home in our hearts, because these are the messages that through Our Lady will lead us and take us to Jesus, will take us to peace. The only true peace will be given by Jesus Christ. And Our Lady desires for us that true peace. And She desires that we have Jesus. In one of Her messages She said, “Dear children, I desire to present you all as a most beautiful bouquet of flowers to My Son.” She will not be happy until the very moment when we all will be part of that bouquet. That’s why I’m asking from you when you go back to your homes, to your towns where you live, to show with the others with your own lives that you were in Our Lady’s school, to be Her real Apostles. Now if you desire to ask me anything that you may be interested in, just go on.

Question: Would you share your feelings at the first apparition? What did you feel?

Mirjana: There are so many words to say about it. We ran away (laughter), because you have to know that we grew up in a communist country. Our religious life was within our families. Every evening we were praying the Rosary. We were allowed to go to Mass on Sundays. Our faith was a faith without too many words because under communism people learned to keep quiet. So until that moment we didn’t know that Lourdes and Fatima existed. We didn’t know that it was possible that Our Lady could come on earth like that. The way we thought was like She’s in Heaven and we prayed to Her. And now you can imagine the way I felt when I saw Her.

Q.When the Mother comes to you, how long does She talk to you and what does She look like?

M.The apparitions are usually within 3-8 minutes. And it’s Our Lady who leads our conversation, not me. And I always feel within myself which questions I may and which questions I may not ask Our Lady. There’s no need for Our Lady to tell me “You may, you may not.” And the way Our Lady looks I’ll try to say. She’s a little taller than me. She’s always above the ground a foot and a half off the ground. She has a grey gown and white veil except on Christmas and Easter when Her dress gets kind of a golden color. She has dark hair and it’s long. You can see Her veil at the forehead and behind. She has blue eyes and She’s more than beautiful. The beauty that is shining out of Her face it’s simply impossible to describe. As children, at the beginning, we asked Our Lady a childish question. We said, “How come You are so beautiful?” She smiled and She replied, “Because I love. My dear children, if you want to be that beautiful, then simply love.” At that time when that apparition happened, Jakov was only 9 ½ years old. When Our Lady left, when that apparition was over, he said, “I think that She wasn’t saying the truth, really.” And we all said, “How do you dare say that Our Lady is not saying the truth?” He said, “But look at us visionaries. Some of us could love until the end of our lives but we will never be as beautiful as She says.” (laughter) At that time Jakov did not understand what kind of beauty Our Lady was talking about.

Q.Fr. Petar was chosen to reveal your secrets. Where is Fr. Petar now and how old is he?

M.To me Fr. Petar is very young because his spirit is very young. At the moment he is in the missions in Germany. A few days ago he called me. He said all over Germany people are talking about the secrets and that they are supposed to be revealed soon. So my nuns are asking me about that. So that’s why he called. I said, ‘Father, don’t you know that you are going to be the first one who knows it? (laughter)’ He said, ‘Yes, I know, because of that I said to my nuns—you just go on sinning the way you sinned before.’ (laughter)

I’m supposed to say to Fr. Petar ten days in advance what will happen and where. Seven days he is suppose to spend in fasting and prayer. Three days ahead of time he is suppose to reveal it to everybody. You see, he doesn’t have the right to choose whether or not to say it. He accepted that mission and he has to fulfill that according to God’s will. Our Lady always says do not talk about the secrets. You better pray. Because the one who accepts me as a Mother and God as a Father, that person has no fear of anything. Our Lady says only those who have not come to know the love of God yet, are those people who have fear. But we as human beings always talk about the future. But I always say, who among us present here can say for sure that we will be alive tomorrow? So that’s what Our Lady has been teaching us is to be ready every single moment to come before God. I can tell you just one thing…be not afraid. Our Lady does not want us to have our faith out of fear, but She desires that we have faith out of love towards God. Our Lady said, “What I started in Fatima I will accomplish in Medjugorje. My Heart will triumph.” And then, what will we have to fear from?

Q.Is it true that the first three secrets have been revealed? Rumor has it that they were revealed.

M.Does anyone here know what those secrets are? No? Everyone will know if they were revealed. (laughter)

Q.How many times did you see Baby Jesus with Mary?

M.Just once. The first day of the apparitions. But I cannot say that I really did see Jesus because I was at the foot of the hill and Our Lady was on the hill. I was just able to see that She was holding a baby in Her arms and covering Him and I can just suppose that it was Jesus.

Q.Are these secrets in your head or are they written down somewhere?

M.Secrets are secrets. Can you believe even women can keep secrets? (laughter) But I believe it is not possible to keep the secrets. I believe that it is dear God who keeps the secrets because we were even hypnotized and we were investigated under hypnosis but no one ever succeeded to get anything out of us about the secrets because that is God’s will. That’s why I’m really kindly asking you not to ask about the secrets anymore.

Q.I was just curious, when you are in conversation with the Blessed Mother, as you know as a mother, correction is sometimes needed for your children. Is your conversation entirely about the world in general or has She ever corrected you or directed you personally in your life?

M.When I am before Our Lady, I am same like every one of you. She never said to me “Dear Mirjana” or “Dear child,” but She always says “Dear children.” Within me She always sees every one of you. And She never said anything about my personal life or about me, but only what is suppose to be for everybody, which means take the Rosary and fast. (In the beginning days) we were going through many different problems and She never said to us, “Be not afraid, everything will be O.K.” I can give you just one example. I was the only one out of the six visionaries who did not live in Medjugorje. I lived with my parents in Sarajevo. And as soon as the apparitions started, the police forced me to go back to Sarajevo and everyday I was taken to the police station for investigation. I was just a child. It was really a terrible investigation. And then later on when they would bring me back to my home, I would have the apparition, same like those that were having them here in Medjugorje. And Our Lady would just tell me the same thing that She would say to the five of them here, but nothing ever about me or my own life. That was hard for me to accept. I was crying for a month. And then I understood. I’m the same, like everyone else is to Our Lady. And if I have problems, take the Rosary, pray to dear God and God will be with you. And don’t think you will get any benefit because you are a visionary because Our Lady as a Mother doesn’t have privileged children. What kind of Mother would I be if I would prefer or love one child more than another? Same with Our Lady.

Q.Why were you six children chosen?

M.Can’t you see? (laughter) We did ask Our Lady why the six of us. Because we were seen like every other child in the village. We were not any better in anything from anyone else. All Our Lady said was because “I need you the way you are.” And the six of us are all completely different. Let me just share with you what the late Fr. Slavko said, the priest who died on the Cross Mountain. He was visiting our homes everyday. And one day he was very upset. I asked, “What made you so angry Father?” He said, “How can you ask me something like that? For if I was Our Lady I would never have chosen the six of you. Only She could do that. And for me personally, that’s a sign that She’s really present here, for She chose the six of you.” (laughter–Fr. Slavko had been trying to get the six of the visionaries together to meet, but he was never successful).

Q.Was there ever a time during any apparition in all this time that some of you doubted of what was happening?

M.It’s impossible, because when you are with Our Lady, it’s like to be in Heaven. And how can I doubt this beautiful, marvelous feeling? Let me give you an example. I am a mother as well. So mothers will understand me. And as every mother, I would give my life for my children, but in the moment when I am with Our Lady, my children simply do not exist. The only thing that does exist is the great desire for Our Lady to take me with Her. Then how can I doubt in that?

Q.Are you looking forward to the time when the secrets would be revealed?

M.You see, I never think about the secrets because my secret could happen today. It may be today that I will come before God. My task should be to think about am I ready today to come before God. I always say to the pilgrims when you go back to your parishes, do not be boring. (laughter) Don’t talk and repeat to the others, Medjugorje, Medjugorje, Medjugorje. But let them recognize and see Medjugorje within you. Let them ask you why you have changed so much. Where have you been? What gave you such a peace and such a beauty? This is what Our Lady desires from us, our example and the prayer and not preaching.

Let me give you an example. There are officials from the Vatican coming incognito to Medjugorje all the time. As one of the priests here said, those from the “higher—archy” of the church. Not too long ago there was one priest here and he said to me why did She come to Medjugorje. Close to the Vatican in Rome there is a church and the last Saturday of every month he was able to see a few hundred Italians in this church for two or three hours. He just couldn’t understand why is that happening there that is keeping those Italians there so long in the church. On one occasion, finally he came and asked them. And they responded to him, “We are the fruits of Medjugorje.” And so you see, this priest said, I also desired to go to Medjugorje to see what was happening there. So this is what Our Lady desires from us.

Q.I understand the need for fasting especially on Fridays, but I have a question about why on Wednesdays?

M.I can say to you only what Our Lady says to me. And when things start being revealed and happening then you will understand why Our Lady added Wednesdays as days of fasting. If you have never prayed an entire Rosary everyday or have never fasted on Wednesday and Fridays on bread and water so far, I would like to recommend that you do the way Our Lady did with us here in Medjugorje. When She appeared in Medjugorje, the first thing She asked from us was to pray the Creed and the seven Our Fathers, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s on our knees. But after sometime, She asked for the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary everyday. And to fast on Fridays on bread and water. Then She asked of us the Sorrowful Mysteries. And then after sometime the Glorious Mysteries and at the end Wednesdays as a day of fasting on bread and water. We just hope that She will stop at this (laughter). This is just an example for you that you are called to go step by step. And it’s important that we do it all with the heart.

Q.I’ve never fasted before. Is there a time of day that you fast in particular?

M.People are always trying to find some benefit for themselves and make it easier. This is a cute question for me. (laughter) Because we all know exactly how long Wednesday and how long Friday is. (laughter) Some of my friends are always waiting for midnight to come with a table full of food. They are just looking for the moment when the clock strikes midnight. Well that’s all very interesting. You’re laughing but it’s very rare that I would have a group of Americans without asking one question: Can we have at least coffee in the morning? (more laughter) I always say, “Yes, why not, but early enough before Our Lady wakes up.” With fasting, it’s all your personal decision. You have to pray to God to help you, to give you the gift of fasting. First, to help you to understand why do you fast. And then everything will be easier. Is that lunch more important than the love of God? Is that too much to do for Him when He has given so much?

For example, I always say this. This little cross, if I can call it a cross at all, I will carry with love and if You, dear God, think that I can carry and even bigger cross, here I am. That’s the way we should start.

Q.To go back to the fasting, how do you fast? Maybe that would answer all the other questions.

M.That will not save you. To know the way I pray or the way I fast will not save you. Every one of us is a different individual before God. God will not ask you how did Mirjana fast. He will ask you the way you did. I’m following Our Lady’s messages.

Q.Has Our Lady mentioned the apparitions in Korea?

M.The only apparitions Our Lady ever mentioned here was Fatima. No other apparitions.

Q.I would just like to say I really feel your love and you are very beautiful.

M.Thank you for those beautiful words, because I really do love, and I’m trying to do it more and more, day by day. I wouldn’t be able to talk with the pilgrims if I didn’t feel love for the pilgrims. Not only love but also great respect, for you are those who left your homes, your countries who came here to your Mother. That’s why I respect you.

Q.Has Our Lady ever spoken about the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary?

M.That’s what the Holy Father said. We accepted them immediately because he always gave Our Lady the position She deserves. I can say that from firsthand because I was honored and had that really honor and privilege to be with him. I went to the Vatican with an Italian priest. The Holy Father was walking by and he was blessing people. When he blessed me he passed by and then this Italian priest said, “Holy Father, this is Mirjana from Medjugorje.” The Holy Father came back and blessed me again. And I said to this priest, “You see that he knew that I needed a double blessing.”(laughter) That afternoon we got an invitation to come to Castel Gondolfo close to Rome for a conversation with the Holy Father. I was so excited. I couldn’t sleep that whole night. When I came before him the next morning I was crying. And he wanted to make it easier for me so he was talking to me in the Polish language. He thought that it was very similar to Croatian (laughter). I couldn’t understand a word that he was saying. Then I said to him, “Can we try in Italian?” So we talked in Italian. And he said to me, “If I were not Pope I would have been in Medjugorje a long time ago.” He said to me, “I know everything. I have been following everything. Take good care of Medjugorje.” He said Medjugorje is a hope for him and to “ask the pilgrims to pray for my intentions.”

Therefore, if he gave the Luminous Mysteries to us to pray we should accept them with our entire heart because Our Lady places and puts every priest above Herself. She considers that they are all greater and bigger than She. So then how can we not accept what the Holy Father says? Our Lady says priests present Her Son, and Her Son is always in the first place.¹

Q.Was your family a religious family before the apparitions?

M.The whole village was very religious, not only our families. In this village every evening and in every family there was the prayer of the Rosary even before the apparitions and here everybody said yes to God because in communism you have to choose.Thanks to all of you because Our Lady put us altogether. She brought you here. What I really desire to happen is you bring Her with you back home because believe me, it’s not so important to see Our Lady with your eyes. It’s important to see Her with your heart because when you can see Her with your heart, you can understand and see everything. And I’m really asking this from you. I will pray for that.

Q.Has She mentioned anything about the Magisterium of the Church, accepting or rejecting the apparitions, because many priests and bishops in our country are not open to Medjugorje until they have the official approval from the Church?

M.You see, that is not my problem. I always say that I’m praying to Our Lady to be able to spread your messages to the people. Concerning the official Church, Our Lady that’s Her problem. She will do that. I’m just happy and very joyful that the Vatican is just so careful and attentive. That is my Church and that is the Church I belong to. It’s better to be careful about what they are doing.

Talking about the apparitions, if they are true and authentic apparitions there is nothing in this world that can stop them because no one is able to stop God. That’s why I only and always pray for this, our Church, for us, and everything else we will achieve with our own prayers for the Church to be able to decide for or against Medjugorje.

Let’s take an example. When the apparitions in Medjugorje started, imagine in a communist country six children claiming to see the Blessed Virgin Mary. They told us, even if there is God, God doesn’t exist in Yugoslavia. It was even forbidden to say the word “Medjugorje” aloud. You were not allowed to mention that village at all. There were no signs along the street to say Medjugorje. Even if you were from Medjugorje, you were not allowed to say that “I’m from Medjugorje.” Well, within a month, everyone knew and had heard about Medjugorje because when something comes from God you can’t stop it.

As we anticipate the release of the new book Look What Happened While You Were Sleeping, we ask for your prayers that it may be used as a tool of conversion for our country and the world.

1. Marija one of the six visionaries of Medjugorje confided to the founder of Caritas (A Friend of Medjugorje), that when the Luminous Mysteries were released, Our Lady immediately accepted them.