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> Messages >
Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
Fr. Stephen Shin’s Reflections on the Messages
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January 25, 2022
"Dear children! Today I am calling you to return to personal prayer. Little children, do not forget that Satan is strong and that he wants to attract all the more souls to himself. That is why, you be vigilant in prayer and resolute in the good. I am with you and am blessing all of you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Dear children! Today I am calling you to return to personal prayer.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. While the Catholic Church does not commemorate the conversion of any other saint with a feast day, St. Paul's conversion is an exception. Why? Because his conversion had an immense impact on Christianity. He was the apostle who, more than anyone else, spread the Gospel to the Gentiles and established the foundations of Christian faith and theology, greatly solidifying the structure of Christianity.
Now, let us revisit his conversion story. Paul, originally named Saul, was a fervent Jew, educated under the great rabbi Gamaliel, and was destined to become a prominent Jewish religious leader. He led the persecution of Christians with zeal, even setting out for Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them to Jerusalem. But on the way, something extraordinary happened. As he neared Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" Saul asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The voice replied, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."
Saul got up but was blind, so his companions led him into Damascus. For three days, he was blind and did not eat or drink. During this time, he prayed in solitude. Meanwhile, the Lord appeared in a vision to a disciple named Ananias, instructing him to go to Saul and lay hands on him so he could regain his sight. Ananias initially hesitated, knowing Saul's reputation for persecuting Christians, but the Lord reassured him, saying, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel."
Ananias obeyed, went to Saul, laid hands on him, and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road—has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He was baptized, ate, and regained his strength (cf. Acts 9:1-18).
St. Paul's dramatic conversion teaches many lessons, but in connection with this month's message from the Virgin Mary—calling us to return to personal prayer—it is important to reflect on the role of personal prayer in his conversion. After encountering the risen Jesus, Paul was blinded and utterly dependent on others for help. For three days, in his blindness, he dedicated himself to personal prayer. He fasted and spent those days in deep prayer, communing directly with Jesus. Though we do not know the content of his prayer, we can be certain that it came from the depths of his heart. He prayed earnestly, and only Jesus was before him. During this time, he had a vision of Ananias coming to lay hands on him, and it happened exactly as he saw.
Those three days of personal prayer marked Paul's first true encounter with Jesus. In that time, he likely reflected deeply on his past and present, repented for his sins, and entrusted his future to Jesus. He must have expressed immense gratitude for the mercy Jesus showed him, knowing that Jesus was fully aware of his past persecutions but still extended forgiveness.
The Virgin Mary, in this month’s message, calls us to return to personal prayer, which means nurturing a deeply personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. If we do not have such a relationship, like Paul, we need to spend time alone with Jesus, listening to His words, and laying bare all that is in our hearts in prayer.
Whether before the Blessed Sacrament or the crucifix, we should kneel, gaze upon Jesus, and call upon His name, saying, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening" (1 Sm 3:9). Even if we are not in a place or time where this is possible, we can still close our eyes, quietly recognize the presence of the Lord, open our hearts to Him, and engage in a conversation of love in the silence of our hearts.
Little children, do not forget that Satan is strong and that he wants to attract all the more souls to himself. That is why, you be vigilant in prayer and resolute in the good. I am with you and am blessing all of you with my motherly blessing. Thank you for having responded to my call.
The Virgin Mary frequently speaks of Satan in her messages, and this month is no exception. She reminds us, “Little children, do not forget that Satan is strong and that he wants to attract all the more souls to himself.” Even after 40 years of apparitions in Medjugorje, the Virgin Mary continues to warn us of Satan's presence and supernatural power. As she says, Satan is real and stronger than we often imagine. Since his time is running out, he is working more intensely than ever, seeking to draw souls away from God and into sin, leading them to destruction.
But the Virgin Mary doesn’t just warn us; she also offers the solution to protect ourselves from Satan’s attacks: prayer. Prayer heightens our spiritual sensitivity, enabling us to discern between good and evil, and it keeps us close to God, helping us to pursue goodness and avoid evil. Those who remain vigilant in prayer are attuned to Satan's attacks and can resist them with God's strength. Like Jesus, they can say, "Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’" (Mt 4:10).
Even though Satan is strong, if we stand firm in prayer and say "No" to his temptations with kindness and determination, he cannot harm us. Moreover, with the Virgin Mary by our side, offering us her motherly blessing, Satan cannot claim victory over us. Just as a child feels safe in the presence of their mother, we should entrust ourselves completely to the Virgin Mary and, with her blessing, confidently face and resist Satan’s attacks.
December 25, 2021
“Dear children! Today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for Him to give you His peace. Little children, without peace you do not have a future or blessing; therefore return to prayer, because the fruit of prayer is joy and faith, without which you cannot live. Today's blessing which we give you, carry to your families and enrich all those whom you meet, that they may feel the grace which you are receiving. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Dear children! Today I am carrying my Son Jesus to you, for Him to give you His peace. Little children, without peace you do not have a future or blessing.
When we love someone, we give them the best we have and are willing to sacrifice for them. The Virgin Mary, who loves us as her children, desires to give us the most precious gift: Jesus. There is nothing more valuable or essential for us than Jesus. He is both true God and true man, and those who have God possess everything. If we have Jesus, we lack nothing. Therefore, we should open our hearts and arms wide to receive Him, thanking the Virgin Mary for bringing Him to us.
We should also reflect deeply on the sacrifice the Virgin Mary made to bring us Jesus. She conceived Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit, but according to the law of the time, an unmarried woman found pregnant could be stoned to death. Despite knowing this, the Virgin Mary accepted the risk of death to fulfill God's will and bring salvation to humanity. She loved us so much that she was willing to sacrifice her life for our salvation.
Now, the Virgin Mary, who is in heaven with Jesus, continues to visit the earth through her apparitions in Medjugorje. Why? Because of her deep love for her children and her desire for the salvation of all humanity. As the Mother of all, she sees that her children are on the path of destruction, and for over 40 years, she has been appearing in Medjugorje, giving countless messages to awaken and guide the world back to God and to Jesus for peace and salvation. These apparitions are a profound expression of her love for us, and this love is always active, which is why she calls us her beloved children.
This Christmas, the Virgin Mary brings us the greatest gift of love: Jesus. Only He can give us peace. Jesus is the one who reconciled us with God and brought peace between people. When we welcome Jesus into our hearts and lives, we experience true peace, unlike anything the world can offer. Jesus is the King of Peace, and He is peace itself. By placing Him at the center of our lives, we live in true peace. Without Jesus, there is no peace, no future, and no blessing for us, because He is the one who opens the way to our future and blesses us.
Therefore return to prayer, because the fruit of prayer is joy and faith, without which you cannot live.
The Virgin Mary clearly tells us what we must do to welcome Jesus, the source of peace and blessing: prayer. She says, "Therefore, return to prayer." If there were another way, she would have told us. But by urging us to return to prayer, she reveals that prayer is the only path. She also reminds us that "the fruit of prayer is joy and faith, without which you cannot live," emphasizing that without prayer, we cannot truly live.
Yet, how often do we prioritize prayer in our lives? Many people spend countless hours and effort on everything but prayer. We dedicate time to many things, but when it comes to prayer, we are often reluctant. And yet, prayer is the most essential and fundamental aspect of our lives, our salvation, and our well-being. Now is the time to take prayer seriously. Our lives are short, like flowers that bloom in the morning and wither by evening. We must wake up and begin to pray. Those who already pray should intensify their efforts. Those who pray only for themselves and their families should begin to pray for the conversion of sinners, for peace in the world, and for the salvation of all humanity.
Today's blessing which we give you, carry to your families and enrich all those whom you meet, that they may feel the grace which you are receiving. Thank you for having responded to my call.
Through the words "today's blessing which we give you," the Virgin Mary reveals that both she and Jesus are blessing us together—an abundant, double blessing. She desires to give us as much blessing as possible, and she encourages us to share this blessing with our families and everyone we encounter.
We cannot bless others without love in our hearts. Jesus and the Virgin Mary bless us because they love us, and they want us to carry this love in our hearts as we bless our families and everyone we meet. In the morning, we can pray for each member of our family, whether they are near or far, blessing them individually. As we leave our homes, we can offer silent prayers of blessing for everyone we meet, even strangers. By doing this, our hearts will overflow with love and peace.
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