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Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
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February 25, 2014
"Dear children! You see, hear and feel that in the hearts of many people there is no God. They do not want Him, because they are far from prayer and do not have peace. You, little children, pray - live God's commandments. You be prayer, you who from the very beginning said 'yes' to my call. Witness God and my presence and do not forget, little children: I am with you and I love you. From day to day I present you all to my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! You see, hear and feel that in the hearts of many people there is no God. They do not want Him, because they are far from prayer and do not have peace.
Although God is invisible, we can often tell whether He dwells in someone's heart by their words, actions, and even the look in their eyes. When a person lacks God in their heart, everything they say and do is worldly, and their aura reflects this as well. Their heart is full of secular, material things, leaving no room for God. For such a person, prayer is unfamiliar, and their life is far from prayer. As a result, they cannot experience true peace and do not desire God.
The Blessed Mother tells us that many people are in this condition, and we have all likely encountered them. However, she does not judge or condemn them for this. Instead, she naturally presents the solution in the next part of her message.
You, little children, pray - live God's commandments.
After explaining the situation of those who are far from prayer and do not seek God, the Blessed Mother calls us to pray and keep God's commandments. Through this, she hopes that we can be spiritual examples or alternatives for those people. While we can tell those who don't pray that prayer is necessary, showing them the example of a prayerful life is far more powerful. Demonstrating a life of keeping God's commandments and living peacefully with Him in our hearts is more convincing than merely talking about God to those who don’t seek Him.
You be prayer, you who from the very beginning said 'yes' to my call.
The phrase "from the very beginning" refers back to June 24, 1981, when the Blessed Mother first appeared in Medjugorje. However, it can also be understood as the moment when each of us first heard about the Blessed Mother and her messages. The central theme of her call has always been prayer, and at that time, we said 'yes' and resolved to pray. Though there may have been ups and downs along the way, we have continued to strive to live in response to her call. Now, the Blessed Mother asks us not to stop at praying, but to become prayer itself.
How much prayer is necessary to become prayer? It will not be enough to pray minimally or for a short time. We must pray as much as we possibly can. Even outside of our designated prayer times, we must integrate prayer into our daily activities—while working, driving, walking, or taking a break, we can pray the Rosary or repeat short prayers. By converting time spent on idle chatter, browsing newspapers or magazines, playing computer games, or surfing the internet into prayer time, we can increase our time spent in prayer and move closer to becoming prayer itself. We must remember that without time and effort, we cannot become prayer.
Witness God and my presence.
Jesus spent three years with His 12 apostles, teaching them the Gospel and showing them how to preach it. Although He sent them out to proclaim the Gospel during His public ministry, it was more like an internship. Jesus was the primary teacher, and He wanted the apostles to observe and learn from His example, knowing that after His departure, they would continue His mission. When the time came, and Jesus ascended into heaven, He said, "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:19-20). Although they were still humanly imperfect, the apostles had been formed by Jesus, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, they became powerful witnesses to the Gospel.
Just as the apostles spent three years learning how to proclaim the Gospel and knowing Jesus more intimately, we too must spend time with God and learn how to live in the presence of the Blessed Mother if we want to bear witness to God and her presence. How can we be witnesses if we do not know God or live with the Blessed Mother? The Blessed Mother’s message to bear witness to God's presence reminds us of Jesus’ words, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14). Just as we cannot shine light on others if we do not have light within us, we cannot bear witness to God and the Blessed Mother if we are not living with them in our hearts.
Let us examine our hearts and lives to ensure that we are living with God and the Blessed Mother so that we can be true witnesses to their presence.
And do not forget, little children, I am with you and I love you.
We breathe every moment without thinking about it, taking in oxygen from the air to keep us alive. Yet we often don't consciously think about the air or oxygen around us. It’s invisible, and the act of breathing is so natural and constant that we don’t need to reflect on it. However, just because we don’t see or think about the air doesn’t mean it isn’t there. We breathe it in, and it sustains our life.
Similarly, the Blessed Mother has told us many times that she is with us and loves us. While we may accept this when we hear it, once the thought leaves our mind, we often forget about her presence and love. But just because we don't always feel or acknowledge her presence doesn’t mean she’s not there. We simply fail to recognize it. In this month’s message, she reminds us again, "And do not forget, little children, I am with you and that I love you."
I am offering all of you to my Son Jesus every day. Thank you for responding to my call.
When we offer something or someone to God, ownership is transferred to God. For example, when a religious person offers their life to Jesus and the Church, their life no longer belongs to them but to Jesus and the Church. That is why offering is such an important act.
The Blessed Mother tells us that she offers us to her Son Jesus every day. Through this offering, whether we are aware of it or not, we become people dedicated to Jesus, belonging to Him. Through this message, the Blessed Mother's deep desire is clear—she wants us to belong entirely to Jesus. She doesn’t want us to give ourselves over to Satan, the world, material things, or anything else. She longs for us to offer ourselves solely to Jesus and to belong only to Him. Therefore, like the Blessed Mother, we should offer ourselves to Jesus every day. We can use existing prayers of consecration in the Church or simply say a short prayer like, "Jesus, today I offer myself and all that I am to You. I want to belong only to You."
2014년 1월 25일
"Dear children! Pray, pray, pray for the radiance of your prayer to have an influence on those whom you meet. Put the Sacred scripture in a visible place in your families and read it, so that the words of peace may begin to flow in your hearts. I am praying with you and for you, little children, that from day to day you may become still more open to God's will. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! Pray, pray, pray for the radiance of your prayer to have an influence on those whom you meet.
In the Old Testament, in Exodus chapter 34, there is an interesting story about Moses going up Mount Sinai, where he fasted for forty days and received the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments from the Lord. A particularly striking passage describes what happened when Moses came down from the mountain: "As Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant in his hands, he did not know that the skin of his face had become radiant* while he spoke with the Lord. When Aaron, then, and the other Israelites saw Moses and noticed how radiant the skin of his face had become, they were afraid to come near him." (Ex 34:29-30) The expression "talking with the Lord" refers to prayer. In his prayer, Moses' face was transformed, radiating light, and those who saw him were struck by its brilliance.
When we pray, our faces change. Prayer invites the Holy Spirit into our body, heart, and soul, filling us with goodness and light. This goodness and light are reflected in our physical appearance, especially our faces, and those we meet will sense this radiance without the need for words. The impact of this radiance goes beyond mere feelings, as it leaves a lasting impression on the souls of those who perceive it. Just as a smile is contagious, so too is the radiance of prayer.
In Genesis 4, after Cain killed his brother Abel, God asked him, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain responded, "I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?" Not only was Cain wrong to kill his brother, but he also neglected his duty to protect Abel’s life. God is the Father of us all, and we are all connected as brothers and sisters before Him. Even though we may live in different families and have different relationships in human terms, we are one family in the eyes of God. Therefore, we have a duty to one another—a duty to respect, protect, and love each other. No one can stand before God and say, "I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?"
So, how do we fulfill this duty to love, protect, and help one another, especially our brothers and sisters? While material and emotional support are necessary, the Blessed Mother asks us to go further, calling us to spiritual love and care for everyone. To do this, we must first become spiritual people, people of prayer. When we are fully equipped and enriched by prayer, our very presence can have a spiritual impact on everyone we meet. This cannot be achieved through minimal prayer, which is why the Blessed Mother emphasizes, "Dear children! Pray, pray, pray for the radiance of your prayer to have an influence on those whom you meet." She repeats the call to prayer three times to highlight its importance.
Put Sacred scripture in a visible place in your families and read it, so that the words of peace may begin to flow in your hearts.
There is a Korean old saying, 견물생심 (見物生心, geonmulsaengsim), which means "Seeing something stirs desire." This is natural—when we see something beautiful or valuable, we naturally want it. However, we must always be cautious not to let this desire for what belongs to others lead us to greed.
Although this saying is often used in a negative context, we can apply it positively to the Blessed Mother’s message this month. The Bible, containing the Word of God, must always be visible to us—seen. That way, we will first recognize that the Word of God is present among us. But to truly "see" the Word of God, we must take the time to open the Bible, read it, meditate on it, and pray with it. Only then can we truly see the Word. This process will move our hearts, which is why the Blessed Mother tells us, "Put the Sacred scripture in a visible place in your families and read it.”
We are constantly bombarded with countless words, information, and news every day through mass media, including television, newspapers, and the internet. While some content enriches us, much of it does not. Think about the evening news you watch daily—it is often filled with stories of tragedy, disaster, and fear. Only at the end of the broadcast might we hear a heartwarming story or two. This daily exposure to negative news is so ingrained in our lives that we have become desensitized, which, as the Blessed Mother sees it, is a problem.
We need to dedicate more time to listening to God's Word and the Good News He gives us—the Gospel. We must become familiar with it, just as we are with the human news of the world. Only then, as the Blessed Mother says, will the words of peace begin to overflow in our hearts. True good news, the Gospel, comes only from God's Word and the Bible. We must never forget this.
I am praying with you and for you, little children, that from day to day you may become still more open to God's will. Thank you for having responded to my call.
When the angel Gabriel came to announce the conception of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary responded, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." (Lk 1:38) While this response happened in that moment, it was not spontaneous. Mary had prepared for this for a long time through prayer, training herself to be open only to God's will. That is why, when the time came to respond, she did so without hesitation, accepting God’s will.
The Blessed Mother tells us, "I am praying with you and for you, little children, that from day to day you may become still more open to God's will." Though we may feel that our strength alone is not enough, the Blessed Mother is praying with us and for us, giving us the strength to open ourselves more fully to God’s will. When we struggle to follow God’s will, let us remember that our Mother Mary is always praying for us, guiding us to greater openness.
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