United in Prayer

October 21, 2016 A.D.

It was a slippery, muddy climb to the Blue Cross on Apparition Mountain tonight after several days of rain, here in Medjugorje. Several hours before Our Lady’s apparition to Ivan tonight, a small handful of faithful pilgrims sat in the rain praying the Rosary, with sporadic moments of silence, holding vigil until the time of Our Lady’s apparition. The rain kept many pilgrims away until just before Ivan arrived at 8:00 P.M. and started the Rosary. From that moment on, streams of pilgrims began arriving and did not stop until the moment of Our Lady’s visitation. Shadowy forms could be seen climbing up to join the ever growing number of people to be close to Our Lady in the few minutes She would appear to Ivan. Many throughout the world were also praying the Patriotic Rosary at the same time that the prayer group was praying the Rosary in Medjugorje. It was truly a unified prayer. The apparition took place around 9:00 PM and lasted approximately 7 ½ minutes. The following is Ivan’s description of his apparition:
 

“Also today, as every time after the meeting with Our Lady, I would like to bring closer to you and describe what is the most important from tonight’s meeting. Also today Our Lady came to us joyful and happy and she greeted all of us at the beginning with her motherly greeting: ‘Praised be Jesus, my dear children.’ Then, for a while, Our Lady, with her arms extended, prayed over us here and especially over you who are sick present here. Then Our Lady said:

‘Dear children, also today I desire to call you to perseverance in prayer. Pray dear children for peace—for peace. May peace come to reign in people’s hearts, because from a peaceful heart, a peaceful world is born. Thank you, dear children, for also today having responded to my call.”

“Afterwards, Our Lady blessed all of us with her motherly blessing and blessed everything you brought for blessing. I recommended all of you – your needs, your intentions and in a special way the sick. Then, for awhile, Our Lady continued to pray over all of us present here and left in that prayer in an illuminated sign of the Cross with a greeting: ‘Go in peace, my dear children.’”

In light of so many people praying the Patriotic Rosary in union with the prayers being prayed in Medjugorje, Our Lady’s message tonight is a beautiful example that She listens to our prayers and answers us. We will be publishing more about the historic gathering at Independence Hall which took place on October 15, 2016 in the next coming days. Continue to keep checking for these important updates. In case you missed praying the Patriotic Rosary in union with others, you can listen here…

A pilgrim praying with the heart at the Blue Cross in Medjugorje, October 21, 2016.

 

Our Lady is calling us to peace, even with the world filled with a lack of peace. She said that we can birth peace in our world if we allow peace to reign in our own hearts first. A Friend of Medjugorje said in a Community retreat, right before Hurricane Katrina hit, in August 2005: 

“God says if you have my presence, I will be with you. If you do not have my presence, and if you do not give me an undivided heart, I will not be with you, and there will be no rest, and there will be no peace.

“Hear me, Asa…The Lord is with you when you are with him, and if you seek him he will be present to you; but if you abandon him, he will abandon you.” Chronicles 15:2

It’s not a time to relax. It’s a time to rely more on God. A time to become more holy. A time to sanctify. A time to bring peace into our family. If there is no prayer in the family, there is no peace….To institute peace in our families and homes, everything, every word, everything we do has to be toward peace—if it’s not, we will not have the fruit of peace on all sides and no rest.”

From A Friend Of Medjugorje’s writing, “Be Strong! Do Not Relax”

 

If we heed Our Lady’s words we should be vigilant in creating peace in our hearts. Then peace will flow into the world. These days, while there is much unpeace, especially surrounding the upcoming presidential elections, it is our response to pray, pray, pray with the heart for peace. The Patriotic Rosary is a powerful prayer for peace that should continue to be prayed everyday. You can listen to the live recording of the Patriotic Rosary as prayed during the historic gathering at Independence Hall here.

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