Monthly Messages from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: May 2019

Our Lady, Queen of Peace, 

pray for us...

Our Lady's Monthly Message to the World on May 25th:
   "Dear children! God permitted me, out of His mercy, to be with you, to instruct and lead you towards the way of conversion. Little children, you are all called to pray with all your heart for the plan of salvation to be realized for you and through you. Be aware, little children, that life is short and eternal life waits for you according to your merit. Therefore, pray, pray, pray to be worthy instruments in God's hands. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady's Special Message to Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo on May 2nd:

   "Dear children, with a motherly love I am calling you to respond to the great love of my Son, with pure and open hearts, with complete trust. I know the greatness of His love. I carried Him within me, the Host in the heart, the light and the love of the world. My children, also my addressing you is a sign of the love and tenderness of the Heavenly Father - a big smile filled with the love of my Son, a call to eternal life. Out of love, the Blood of my Son was shed for you. That Precious Blood is for your salvation, for eternal life. The Heavenly Father created man for eternal happiness. It is not possible for you who know the love of my Son and who follow Him to die. Life triumphed; my Son is alive. Therefore, my children, apostles of my love, may prayer show you the way and the means of spreading the love of my Son - prayer in the most exalted form. My children, also when you strive to live the words of my Son, you are praying. When you love the people whom you meet, you are spreading the love of my Son. It is love that opens the doors of Paradise. My children, from the beginning, I prayed for the Church. Therefore, I am also calling you, apostles of my love, to pray for the Church and her servants - for those whom my Son called.  Thank you." 

Saint of the Month - May 2019: Blessed Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi

Bl. Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi
Passion Flower of Florence

Memorial: May 28th

This month I'd like to introduce another little-known Beata - Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi - whose holy influence actually shaped the life of another worthy and privileged soul: St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi (read about her here).  Although, she hasn't reached the final stage of the Canonization Process yet, like her protege, in my personal opinion, she is no less saintly.  This is her story.

Maria Bagnesi was born in Florence, Italy, on August 15, 1514. Having descended from nobility, she grew up in a home where she never lacked for anything, while also enjoying the privileges afforded her status. According to biographies, her mother was somewhat worldly and carefree, and often left the child Maria in the custody of the local Dominican Monastery where one of her other daughters was a nun. This neglect proved providential because our Beata developed into a highly devout soul, herself.  In fact, she planned on following her older sisters into religious life once she came of age (apparently, at least two had become nuns). 

However, things took an unexpected turn when Maria's mother suddenly died, obligating Maria to assume the role of lady of the house to help her father - Carlo Bagnesi - manage the day-to-day running of their household, which she did with finesse. Her plan though was to do this temporarily until the opportune time came for her to leave for a monastery... but what she didn't know was that her father was already planning a different life for her. 

St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi had a
devotion to Bl. Maria Bartolomea.

Described as lovely and charming, many suitors from other noble houses approached Maria's father for the maiden's hand in marriage.  Carlo made his selection among them and when he broke the news to his daughter, she was so distraught she fell into a faint. Upon awakening, Maria found herself afflicted with a mysterious "illness" that left her with muscular weakness and tremors, and chronic pain; she quickly worsened until she was eventually immobile and bedridden.

Maria's father summoned the best doctors to his daughter's bedside but, when none were able to cure her, Carlo resorted to quack-healers who probably did more harm than good.   Maria, who was about 18 at the start of her misfortune, patiently endured every suffering that arose from her condition and those imposed on her by folk-healers; this trial lasted for the next 45 years of her remaining life.

The poor patient resigned herself to her lot by viewing her suffering as a way to deepen her spiritual union with Christ. Slowly, it became evident that Maria's condition was not natural, but rather the hand of God was upon her. Remarkably, her physical pain intensified on Fridays and seasonally, during Lent, which strongly suggests to me she was mystically crucified - stigmatized, I reasonably speculate - although there were no visible wounds reported on her limbs.  She had essentially become a victim-soul for sinners.

Furthermore, other charisms began escalating around Maria that included visits from heavenly personages, prophecy, and even frightening episodes of diabolic attack. On occasion, she was also witnessed levitating above her bed while in a state of ecstatic rapture.  When word of these wonders spread beyond the walls of her home, it set the neighbors' tongues wagging - some revered her as a living saint, while others accused her of being under the devil's influence... but Maria maintained peace and patience in the face of calumny; her humility, along with the strong vocal support of her confessor, finally convinced all of her sincerity and goodness. The Bagnesi home then became a spiritual center in Florence, drawing pilgrims to Maria's room for prayer and counsel.

Relics from the coif and veil worn by

Bl. Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi.

Sometime in 1544, Maria experienced a partial recovery from her sickness that allowed her to leave her bed for short periods of time.  She took advantage of the situation to apply with the Dominicans as a tertiary and was professed the following year.  She added the name "Bartolomea" to her own, in honor of St. Bartholomew, one of the original Twelve Apostles, to whom she was greatly devoted.

Although a Dominican by profession, the tertiary somehow developed a strong affinity with the Carmelite nuns in the Florentine convent of St. Mary of the Angels; a spiritual bond so strong Maria's body was allowed burial within their walls rather than in the common cemetery after her death on May 28, 1577.  It was in this convent the young St. Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi was cured from a serious illness in 1584, after invoking Maria Bartolomea's intercession and subsequently witnessing a vision of the future Beata in heavenly glory.

Bl. Maria Bartolomea Bagnesi was Beatified on July 11, 1804.  Her remains are incorrupt and continue to be venerated in the same Carmel in Florence just a few steps away from the shrine enclosing the body of St. Maria Maddalena, which is also incorrupt!

An A.I.-generated photo-like image of

the Beata, based on early portraits.  Is this

what she looked like in life? 

May these two pure, fragrant lilies of Florence - Dominican and Carmelite spirituality powerfully united - pray for our personal needs and the needs of the Universal Church.

"More than that, we rejoice in our

sufferings, knowing that suffering produces

endurance, and endurance produces

character, and character produces hope."

~ Romans 5:3-4

Our Lady, Reconciler of People with God

As I'm writing this post, I'm still in a bit of a spiritual daze... but I feel strongly that I need to share this experience.  There could be an important and/or timely message for a reader out there.  Please let me explain.

It all started at Noon today - I attended Mass at the Honolulu Cathedral and, after it was done, I started on my usual lunchtime walk to get some exercise.  I normally pray the Divine Mercy chaplet while walking, but this time around, I prayed the "Jesus Prayer" using my Chotki (a knotted chord chaplet).

As I walked along, praying and enjoying the warmth of the sun, I started reflecting on our Blessed Mother and a few of her apparitions allegedly taking place in different parts of the world.  In particular, the Medjugorje events kept popping into mind, which I personally believe in.**  It was then I heard a female "voice" say to me:

"I come to reconcile people with God."

The voice sounded not in my ear, but I "heard" it clearly within my very being, which is the best way I can explain it.  It was unexpected and so lucid, I paused midstep to look up at the sky to see if, by God's grace, I'd somehow catch a glimpse of something heavenly to affirm the message I just heard... but there was nothing unusual up in the blue sky and among the clouds so I dismissed the matter as a figment of my imagination and continued on.

Later, towards the evening, as I drove home from work, I started the Divine Mercy Chaplet, offering the prayer for the conversion of sinners. Towards the middle of the chaplet something bright caught my sight from the corner of my left eye - when I looked out the driver's side window I was amazed to see it was the figure of Our Lady of Fatima in her long trademark veil and standing on a wispy cloud.  The form was so distinct it seemed like a white paper cutout against the darkening sky and I could even make out faint details of her face and arms.

At first I tried to dismiss the unusual formation, but when it continued to hold its shape, I realized I wasn't looking at an ordinary cloud - it was much more... and I sensed it was connected to what I heard earlier in the day: "I come to reconcile people with God."  Mary was actually there - hovering above me - joining in on my prayer; interceding for souls to convert and reconcile with her Divine Son.

I finally grabbed my cellphone and managed to snap a few photos... and still, Our Lady remained!  She did so for about a minute more, before her image finally dissipated.  I was left excited and deeply humbled, and I think my heart might have been racing too.

The photos above are the remarkable images I captured of the Holy Virgin in the sky.  They do not do justice to what I saw in person.  In the images below, she was hovering over a tree...

   

I make no claims at being a visionary or a seer, or someone who is spiritually advanced... but I know I experienced something remarkable today and I'm still in awe about it.  It started with a voice and ended with a spectacular apparition in the sky; no coincidences.  Plus, aren't experiences such as these spoken of in the Bible?

"And I will show wonders in heaven above,
and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and
fire, and vapour of smoke ..."

- Acts 2:19

At this writing, I'm still trying to discern all that's happened, but my immediate take on all this is simple and straightforward - Our Lady truly comes down to us at certain hallowed places such as Medjugorje (incidentally, today - the 25th of the month - is the day she gives a monthly public message in that town)** and I am convinced the Madonna comes to help us make our peace with God, if we aren't good with Him.  She's a mediator and reconciler - hence, the title of this blog.

So if we only give the Blessed Mother a chance, she will help transform our lives for the better and guide us to the one person who can fulfill us with all the love and contentment we could ever desire: JESUS.  

As Our Lady so often repeats in her messages given at Medjugorje, we can begin the transformative healing process of conversion by simply making the decision to turn our lives over to God... confessing our sins... then we pray from the heart with trust in the Lord's infinite mercy.  It could all start here.

Our Lady, Reconciler of People

with God, pray for us.

* *  U P D A T E  * *

The apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in Medjugorje have been officially approved by the Vatican, as of September 2024.