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      From the height of the cross, Christ entrusted His Mother to the beloved disciple to care for her in His stead. John is a symbol of the human race, and thus Mary becomes the Mother of all so that Divine grace would be bestowed more abundantly on us who have believed and experienced the inexhaustible riches of her heart.

      Dear children! Today again I call all of you to prayer. Only with prayer, dear children, will your heart change, become better, and be more sensitive to the Word of God. Little children, do not permit satan to pull you apart and to do with you what he wants. I call you to be responsible and determined and to consecrate each day to God in prayer. May Holy Mass, little children, not be a habit for you, but life. By living Holy Mass each day, you will feel the need for holiness and you will grow in holiness. I am close to you and intercede before God for each of you, so that He may give you strength to change your heart. Thank you for having responded to my call! For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE

According to the testimony of the visionaries in Medjugorje, Our Lady introduced herself: "I am the Queen of Peace" Mary is calling all of humanity to PEACE, PEACE, PEACE - for it is necessary to save all humanity. We have to begin by first creating peace within our hearts, then in our families and then in this war-threatened world. This can be done in the following manner:

COMMITMENT TO GOD

Turn to Him and communicate with Him. He is our Eternal Father. Let Him rule your life. Begin by turning away from sin.

FAITH

Through our trust in the Lord and our total belief that Mary is the Mother of all God's children on earth. Faith is our lifeline to God. So live it.

PRAYER

Our Lady specifically calls for daily prayer consisting of the Apostles' Creed, 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's, and 7 Glory Be's which incorporate the "Peace Rosary"; then the whole Rosary and, if possible, all 15 Decades meditating on the Mysteries; daily reading of the Word of God in Sacred Scripture; and personal communication with God throughout our active daily duties and during quiet time with your own special prayers between you and God.

FASTING

Mary asks us to fast on Wednesdays and Fridays and, if possible, on only bread and water. If this is unfeasible, then restraining from various activities is encouraged so that we may begin to abandon our worthless worldly values, denying the flesh, the world, and the devil. These sacrifices will help assure eternal bliss for ourselves and others.

SACRAMENTS

Our Blessed Mother asks us to receive the Holy Sacraments as often as possible. She requests monthly Confession or even more frequently for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and asks that we worthily and reverently receive her Divine Son in the Holy Eucharist as often as possible at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

HEADLINES:

Our Lady of Fatima is weeping tears of blood over her beloved Portugal's decision to embrace the culture of death!

      The vote by the Portugal parliament on Wednesday was indeed a dark day in Portugal history. Eighty-plus years after the Mother of God gave her blessings to Portugal by appearing at Fatima, her warnings have not been heeded and the culture of death has struck this strong Catholic country with the announcement that the Portuguese government will begin allowing abortions in public hospitals, opening up Pandora's Box for more hideous murders of the unborn on a widescale basis. Click on Portugal horrors to read more.

      LISBON (CWN) - Portugal's parliament on Wednesday stripped unborn children of their legal protection and voted to legalize abortion virtually on demand within the first few weeks of pregnancy.

      The controversial proposal was pushed through the Chamber of Deputies by the ruling Socialist Party joined by the small Communist Party. The law will allow abortions to be carried out in public hospitals during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy after the mother attends a session at a national counseling center. Portugese law previously permitted abortion only when the mother's physical or psychological health were at serious risk or in cases of rape, and then only in the first three months. In subsequent months, an abortion could only be performed when the mother's life is in danger.

      The bill, which passed by 116 votes to 107, now goes to the committee stage where it will be voted on clause by clause, but only minor changes can be adopted. Prior to the new law, there were only 280 abortions in the country, although pro-abortion supporters claim that thousands of illegal abortions were being performed.

Bishops bugged by Bug spots that satirize Last Supper in TV ads

      The French Conference of Bishops may be divided when it comes to following Rome and being obedient, but they're united when it comes to making money through suing at the expense of a commercial that is actually less offensive than some of the things being preached by them and their priests in France. Yet they jumped on an ad agency over an ad that promoted selling the Volkswagen automobile with the theme of the Last Supper. It is a humorous spot that is far less obtrusive than many, many other commercials being aired in Europe or the U.S. Nevertheless, the bishops want their money and so they are suing for 3.3 million francs. Click on Bishops bugged to read more.

     PARIS (CWN) - France's bishops' conference said on Wednesday it would file suit against Volkswagen and an advertising agency over billboards selling the new Golf depicting the Last Supper.

      "An ad like the one sending up Christ's Last Supper might seem like an inoffensive jibe at the Christian faith, but it reduces it to the level of an advertising gimmick and degrades it," the French Bishops Conference said in a letter to Volkswagen France. The conference said it was taking legal action "to obtain reparations for the damage suffered by Christians."

      The bishops' conference is seeking 3.3 million francs in damages, the newspaper Le Monde reported. It said Volkswagen was ready to pull the ads but the conference was going ahead with their lawsuit. Sources at the DDB-Needham ad agency confirmed that the association Croyances et Libertes, representing the French Bishops' Conference, had taken legal action.

Vatican answers European dissenters with clarification of instructions on the Laity

      The growing dissidence among the bishops, priests and laity of Austria, Germany and Switzerland have prompted the Holy See to issue even clearer clarifications that assert, in no uncertain terms, what can and cannot be accepted. These clarifications are being printed in the Vatican weekly paper L'Osservatore Romano. Click on Fish or cut bait to read more.

     VATICAN (CWN) -- The official Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, has begun publication of a series of articles on the recent Vatican document concerning the distinction between lay responsibility and priestly ministry. The articles are evidently aimed to clarify that Vatican instruction, in the face of criticism coming especially from Germany and Switzerland.

      The November publication of the Instruction on collaboration by the laity in the priestly ministry calls into question certain practices which are widespread in Germany, such as the government of parishes by pastoral councils in which lay people exercise control over the parish priests. Such a system is "incorrect," according to a paper published in L'Osservatore Romano yesterday, and they pose a "difficult pastoral problem."

      The first in a projected series of articles was written by Winfried Aymans, rector of an Institute for Canon Law in Munich. He pointed out that the Instruction was approved by Pope John Paul "in forma specifica"-- an indication that any practices which run contrary to the Instruction should be discontinued.

      Acknowledging that in many cases the involvement of lay people in Church ministry has been experimental, or has been undertaken in response to emergencies, the author said that the Instruction was a warning that "abuses begin when exceptional solutions become alternatives, transforming extraordinary competencies into ordinary ones, or when the limitations set forth for collaboration are not properly understood."

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PROVERB OF THE DAY

"Hear, O children, a Father's instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding!"

Proverbs 4: 1

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For all other standard features, articles and columns, click on Archives

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February 6-8, 1998 volume 9, no. 27          DAILY CATHOLIC