Monthly Message from the Queen of Peace of Medjugorje: August 25, 2023

Message given to Marija on August 25th, 2023:

  “Dear Children!  In this time of grace, I am calling you to prayer with the heart.  May your hearts, little children, be raised in prayer towards Heaven, so that your heart may feel the God of love who heals you, and loves you with immeasurable love.  That is why I am with you - to lead you on the way of conversion of heart.  Thank you for having responded to my call.”

About that fire on Maui...

This ministry is requesting the prayers of readers for my dear brethren on the island of Maui.  The recent wildfires that blazed through Lahaina - the Waikiki of Maui - two nights ago, has taken a terrible toll, not just on Lahaina residents, but also on all our people of Hawaii.  We are a close-knit community, despite living on the different islands that make up our state.

Some still photos of the massive fire on

Maui that are circulating in the internet.

This author has a few close friends living on Maui (thankfully, in areas away from the fire), and I've visited there on three occasions.  The people are always warm and welcoming, and I am personally grieved by this tragic event.

As of this writing, the death toll is at 67 (the number is expected to rise), and the impact from this disaster - emotionally, physically, economically... and even spiritually - will certainly leave an indelible impact.

These pics found on the web show

what's left of Lahaina Town.

Perhaps, as I sign of HOPE, our Lord has seen fit to spare a church in the midst of it all - the historic Maria Lanakila Catholic Church (Our Lady of Victory) and its surrounding grounds have been spared from destruction, with the grass remaining green in the midst of some smoldering debris in the surrounding community.  Some are calling it a miracle - see the clip below from a TikTok upload...

May our merciful Jesus, who is truly present in the Tabernacle of that church, be a beacon of Faith, Hope, and Strength, to all the survivors in Lahaina, as they strive to recover ... and may the souls of the deceased victims rest in God's peace.  Amen.

Thank you in advance for your kind prayers!

Another round of "Faces of Holiness"

I recently came across a new batch of facinating facial reconstructions of Saints, created by experts using relics of their skulls.  Without further ado, here they are...

ST. LUDMILA OF BOHEMIA (d. 921)

   

The reconstructed face vs. an early image

of the Saint, which looks fairly close.

A Slavic princess by birth, this Saint converted to Christianity with her husband, Duke Borivoj in 871.  She became a champion of Christianity, living its teachings with exemplary piety; zealously promoting the Faith amongst her people; and building churches in her country.  She exerted a strong positive influence on her grandson who she helped to raise - St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia (a.k.a. "Good King Wenceslaus") - which elicited jealousy and hatred in the king's mother, Drahomira, who openly resented Christianity.

Ludmila earned the Martyr's Crown after she was strangled to death by two henchmen upon the evil bidding of Drahomira.  She was later Canonized and proclaimed one of the Patron Saints of Bohemia.

ST. ISIDORE THE LABORER (d. 1130)

   

The reconstructed face vs. a traditional

representation of the Saint, which clearly

differ.  His actual features reveal Isidore

was likely part African in ancestry.

Considered the Patron of Madrid, Spain, this Saint was a poor and humble farm laborer.  His frequent attendance at Mass, and his generosity towards those less fortunate than himself, were often rewarded by miraculous favors from God.  These signal graces included the Saint being helped with his tasks by his guardian angel, while he was away at Mass, and the multiplication of food.  After his death, his body did not decompose and it remains admirably preserved up to this present day.  St. Isidore was declared a Saint in 1622.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL (d. 1660)

   

The reconstructed face vs. an early

painting of St. Vincent.  The resemblance

between the two is spot on!

The name of this illustrious Saint is synonymous with serving the poor.  A highly devout French priest, he dedicated his life to advancing the Faith and in charitable giving to the needy, which prompted him to co-found the Congregation of the Mission (the "Vincentians") and the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.  Thus, his charism and legacy continue to live on through his spiritual children.  He was Canonized in 1737.

O Holy Saints, God's road signs directing us on the road to Heaven, pray for us!