Father Jozo Zovko
OFM on Trusting God
April 2006
“Dear children! Also today I call you to have more
trust in me and my Son. He has conquered by His death and
resurrection and, through me, calls you to be a part of His
joy. You do not see God, little children, but if you pray
you will feel His nearness. I am with you and intercede before
God for each of you. Thank you for having responded to my
call.” (April 25, 2006)
Trust is such an important dimension in our human and Christian
life. A child must have trust in his parents and those around
him. They speak the truth to him and he accepts everything
with trust. This has an essential influence on him and his
formation. A student must have trust in his teacher and his
knowledge. He leans on the teacher’s knowledge, accepting
it as his own. A believer must have trust in his priest and
Catechist, in his spiritual director, that they are telling
him the truth and are transmitting the faith to him from their
experience and the experience of their Church. A person who
is sick must have trust in his doctor and his diagnosis and
therapy. A guest in a restaurant must have trust in the kitchen
and in the food that he is served. Our entire life is permeated
with, and leans on, trust. When trust in someone or something
is lost, then the entire relationship with that person or
movement sinks.
Unfortunately, this happens very often. The sick lose trust
in the medicine and the doctors because they do not give them
the desired results. Everyone can break the trust which needs
to be built and invested in. For this reason every educator,
parent, priest and doctor must daily grow and invest maximally
in their education and knowledge.
Our Lady, the Queen of Peace, asks for more trust in Her
and in Her risen Son Jesus. Why? At this time, the enemy has
moved the hearts of many to write false articles, to confuse
the hearts of the faithful and sadden the souls of the uninformed.
Every day Satan finds a way and a means to sow his weeds.
While pilgrims come to Medjugorje with full trust in the Queen
of Peace, to meet Her and to enthusiastically accept and live
Her messages, the enemy speaks ill, attacks in print and at
various occasions and presentations. Our Lady desires for
us not to be shaken by any gossip or misinterpretation. Our
Lady desires for us to have trust in Her and in Her messages
so that the graces that flow through Her into millions of
hearts do not become blocked by a barrier of mistrust.
How much anguish and pain did Thomas the Apostle, cause
his community. He did not believe their experience. He rejected
their witness. Although Jesus continued to contact him, he
was as an unbeliever. For this reason, Jesus comes through
the closed door before everyone to console them. He calls
Thomas, who is present, to look at Him, to touch Him and to
place his hands into His wounds. All of this helped Thomas
but it also helped the Apostles. In fact, they were all healed.
Trust was born and renewed and Thomas confessed, “You
are my God and my Lord.” Jesus, however, did not praise
this declaration as a virtue. To the contrary, he taught his
followers for all times that “blessed are those who
do not see but believe” – who believe Jesus, their
community and the Church.
For 25 years certain individuals have rejected the experience
of the Church. They do not accept the fruit nor value it.
They have the courage to stand up against the messages which
are fundamental references of Christianity and faith: The
call to daily prayer together, the call to live the Eucharist
and to celebrate Sunday as the “Lord’s Day,”
the call to daily living of the Word of God and the call to
sacrifice, confession and penance as the way of conversion.
Where does the audacity come to devalue conversions that we
are witnesses of? These are wondrous changes of life at the
level experienced by the apostle Paul, before and in Damascus.
People have lost trust because of gossip and casting of
shadows on the visionaries by proclaiming them as manipulators.
We are all witnesses of these six visionaries and their difficult
and responsible journey before God, the Church and millions
of pilgrims. They are not deceivers who run away from the
place of events, from the battle-field with such powerful
godlessness of our time. Instead, with fasting, vigils, prayers,
sacrifices and their personal witness, they always show the
way to new pilgrims.
We are grateful for the perseverance of so many priests
who accompany their pilgrims and gather their precious experiences
of immeasurable graces and gifts which Our Lady gives to them.
We are grateful to, and in awe of, the priests in Medjugorje
who in humility serve the millions of needy hearts which desire
to remove ‘the old person’ in the Sacrament of
Confession. We are grateful to them for making the daily Mass
and Liturgy solemn – a real Feast.
The Queen of Peace desires to tell us not to give in to
gossip and lies and not to be disturbed by the propaganda
of the enemy. Instead, She desires for us to have a simple
trust in Her graces and plans, in Her messages and fruit that,
until now, She has given to Her people. Those who have converted
do not permit us to place the messages and the Queen of Peace
in discussion. All those who were healed from incurable illnesses
do not permit us to doubt in the apparitions and the Queen
of Peace. All of the graces that changed millions of hearts
do not permit us to debate about the writings of the unbelievers.
How are we to stop the spreading of mistrust? Only with
fasting and prayer. The enemy shakes before a Christian who
fasts and prays and the dust that he raises is blown away
by the wind. Fear not. All of that is a sign that we are on
the right way – Jesus’ way, Our Lady’s way.
My Dear chosen brothers and sisters, do not only have more
trust but a complete trust in the Mother and Jesus. As always,
let us enthusiastically respond to the call. Let us cling
to the messages that through the Mother, we may be a part
of His joy and peace. We pray and that is why we feel God.
We pray and that is why we meet our God who guarantees to
us “Wherever there are two or more of you gathered in
my name, there I will be.” Dear Jesus, each time we
have felt your Divine nearness and love. Thank you.
Return
to index of subjects on Medjugorje
|
