(c)Mary TV 2012
Fr. Svet!
J.M.J.
January 10, 2013
Dear Family of Mary!
"Dear children; Today, through me, the good Father calls you to, with your soul filled with love, set out on a spiritual visitation. Dear children, be filled with grace, sincerely repent for your sins and yearn for the good. Yearn also in the name of those who have not come to know the perfection of the good. You will be more pleasing to God. Thank you." (May 2, 2010)
Our Lady never uses the word pilgrim as far as I can tell in her messages. But she did give this message in 2010, in which she spoke of a "spiritual visitation". This could mean many things, but I think it refers to setting out on pilgrimage, the seeking of an encounter with God. Pilgrimage is a mysterious thing. Why, when God is everywhere, do we need to travel to a place, usually remote and difficult to reach? What do we expect to find at the end of the road?
Father Svetozar Kraljevich gave a moving talk to pilgrims at St. James in December, which he kindly allowed us to film and air on Mary TV. Olga, our friend from Russia, was so moved by his talk that she transcribed it. She sent me a copy in case I would like to share it with all of you! And so, I would like to share Fr. Svet's talk, little by little. His topic is "pilgrimage". And he speaks about pilgrimage in a way that I have never heard it explained before. (Fr. Svet is the poet of Medjugorje!):
Greetings to you all and welcome.
I certainly hope that you are having a good and meaningful pilgrimage. You have a special taste. You are in this time which is closer to Christmas time, it is a very authentic pilgrimage, when the pilgrimage itself has a little touch of sacrifice as you travel, as you arrive to places, as you try to organize your days, you feel this touch of cold and discomfort, it truly brings you closer to the kind of environment and the situation of Our Lady and Joseph as they were on their own pilgrimage. So this is the most authentic time of Advent, preparing for Christmas. And your Advent is a real event that is happening not to someone else, but a real event in your own life and you touch it, you feel it, it's there, it's in your mind and it's in your body as well. So I urge you and I ask you in this pilgrimage, you really don't need to wonder 'Is this real? Is this authentic? Or who will say what to me? Am I going to have the right information and right guidance? It's there all in you. As you experience in yourself the events and things in pilgrimage, you are already there.
And I believe that brings me really to reflect on something that is important, that I find is very important in our time to remember. We're talking about crisis. Crisis in about everything that there is about our life. Everything is touched with this thing called crisis. Crisis... one of the words in English for this Greek word "crisis" is "truth". So in crisis we are closer to the reality and to the truth, then otherwise without it. So in crisis we are experiencing something that is really human, a real touch of reality that we really need to be aware of. We really don't need to be far from truth. It's good to be in touch with truth. And crisis has to do with spiritual life, environment. And most of all... we are talking about economical crisis, political crisis, cultural crisis, they are all there. That makes us all a little bit worried. We are a little bit worried, worry that even comes to fear. We're afraid a little bit for ourselves but even more we are afraid for our children. What will be a future like for them? So in this pilgrimage I think it's proper to reflect on that...." (Fr Svetozar Kraljevich talks to American pilgrims in Medjugorje, December 2012
http://www.marytv.tv/MaryTV/fruit-of-medjugorje-archive/409-fm043-12-13-12 )
This is just the beginning of Fr. Svet's talk, but he dives right in to the deep realities of life from the start! Fr. Svet is a realist. He insists that we stay grounded in our experience, letting that experience speak to us of God. So on pilgrimage to Medjugorje, in winter, one gets cold, one is uncomfortable. And in that reality, God is present. And in that reality, God speaks not only through our mind and heart, but even through our body. Pilgrimage provides a way to not be led by our physical needs or mental needs, but to be led by necessity and by the circumstances we find ourselves in, that let God be in those circumstances. It is an act of trust. Instead of covering our bases, we let God cover them, His way!
And crisis...well crisis is indeed the truth. When we are hungry or tired, lost or uncomfortable, we are getting close to the truth, which is that our entire life depends on God's providential care. The truth is that we need God, every moment of every day. Pilgrimage can teach us that, and free us from the fear that worry brings to us.
So in these two basic realities of pilgrimage, we see how much closer to the truth and to God we can become! Just by starting out! And like Joseph and Mary, we may find that at the end our uncomfortable pilgrimage, Jesus will be there!
More to follow!
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2013
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