Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 5, 2011

Posted on December 20, 2011 by admin

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 5, 2011

Dear Friends,

On Monday, December 5, 2011, at our hotel in Jerusalem, we woke up at 5:30 a.m. After breakfast we got on the bus and went to the Church which is built on the spot were Jesus wept over Jerusalem. We know that most Jewish people, especially those in power in Jerusalem, refused to welcome Him and instead they killed Him by nailing Him to the cross. Because of this Jerusalem was to be destroyed completely and many of the inhabitants would be killed. This happened in the year 70 AD when the Romans came and invaded Jerusalem, killed many people and destroyed the whole city including the big Temple. The Temple was never rebuilt up to today.

After Mass in this Church, we went to visit the Church of all Nations, a beautiful Catholic Church built in the Garden of Gethsemane. We saw the old olive trees in the garden and the rock on which Jesus suffered the agony. From there we went up the Mount of Olives to the Church of the Our Father where the prayer of the Our Father is written on long walls in over 100 languages. We had lunch at a nice restaurant and then we went to visit the place where Jesus was imprisoned in a dungeon. We also visited the Upper Room where Jesus ate the Last Supper with His Apostles and at that time He instituted the Holy Eucharist. This room is also the place of Pentecost when the Apostles were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

At the end of the day we went to Bethany on the other side of the Mount of Olives to the Church built over the home where Lazarus, Marta and Mary Magdalene lived; Jesus loved to go to their home to eat and sleep. After this visit we left for our hotel where we had a lovely supper before we retired to our rooms.

Message of Our Lord Jesus given on December 5, 2011

“I bless you, Melvin My brother, and all My brothers and sisters who are accompanying you on this pilgrimage and I also bless all My dear friends who live all over the world.

Melvin, you are now in the Most Holy City, Jerusalem, where the great Temple was built. It is also the place where I performed many miracles. It was in this city that I was condemned to die and where I carried My cross to Golgotha where I was crucified and died. After three days I rose from the dead and I appeared to the Apostles for 40 days in order to strengthen their faith in Me.

I am the One who called you, who are on pilgrimage, to come to the Holy Land so that your faith may grow strong. You have spent much time in prayer every day in all these holy places where great events took place. Come, My brothers and sisters, and offer yourselves totally to Me. It is this offering that I want from you. It is a similar offering to Mine when I offered Myself totally to the Father to do His will at every moment. I want your permission to do with you what I know to be the best for you. Take My hand, My friends, and let us walk together every day. In this way you will grow in holiness all the time. I bless you all.”

Father Melvin

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Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 4, 2011

Posted on December 19, 2011 by admin

Monday, December 19, 2011

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 4, 2011

Dear Friends,

On Sunday, December 4, 2011, we got up at 5:00 a.m., washed and had our breakfast, and then we brought our entire luggage to the bus and the driver piled them in the luggage department and at 7:00 a.m. we left for Mount Tabor, the mountain of the Transfiguration. This is a tall mountain and the bus driver drove us only a short distance up the mountain and then we had to take a van to reach the top. Once arrived I went immediately to the sacristy to prepare for Holy Mass. At 8:00 a.m. I started the celebration of Holy Mass at the main altar of this Basilica. I preached about the transfiguration of the Lord before three of His Apostles, Peter, James and John. After Mass we visited the beautiful Church. Then we left for the Jordan River to the place where many people are baptized. At this spot I blessed all the members of our group and they renewed their baptismal vows. From there we left for Jericho in the desert. As we entered Jericho we stopped at the Temptation Restaurant for lunch. Before entering the restaurant we stopped at the foot of the mountain where Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights without eating in the desert.

In Jericho we went to see the Sycamore tree which Zacchaeus climbed to be able to see Jesus who was passing by. Jesus had stopped at the tree and told Zacchaeus to come down and that He wanted to stay at his house that night. From there we went to Qumran, an abandoned Jewish Community in the mountains where people found the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. From this place we traveled to the Dead Sea where a good number of our group when to swim in the Dead Sea. At 4:30 p.m. we left for Jerusalem to our hotel where we slept for two nights. When we arrived at the hotel we went directly to the dining room for a good supper and soon after we went to our rooms for the night.

Message of Our Lord and Savior on December 4, 2011

“Melvin My brother, I bless you and all My sons and daughters who will read this message. The pilgrims are continuing their pilgrimage through the Holy Land and you are following in My footsteps by visiting many of the places where major events of My life took place. The most important place you visited today, Sunday, is Mount Tabor where My Transfiguration took place. It is there that I appeared in glory to three of My disciples showing them that I am the Messiah (Savior) that they were waiting for over many centuries. Two important personages appeared there on the mountain with Me. They are the Prophet Elijah and the great leader of the Jews, Moses. These two represented the Old Testament, which pointed always to the future to the Savior who was to come into the world. Both were pleased to have seen Me as the Messiah.

Indeed I am the Savior of the world and to accomplish My task I willingly offered Myself to My Heavenly Father in sacrifice for the salvation of all the people of the world. This was the price I had to pay to atone for your sins. I willingly went through My Passion and Death so that your sins may be taken away and heaven could be opened to you.

Come, My brothers and sisters, close to Me and accept Me as the Lord who loves you. Open your heart to accept all the gifts and graces I have for you. I wish to fill you with My love, My peace and My joy. Become part of My family, which is the Church I founded and you will never regret it. I wish to live in your hearts all of you. I bless you.”

Father Melvin

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Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 3, 2011

Posted on December 18, 2011 by admin

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Dec. 3, 2011

Dear Friends,

At Nazareth we got up at 5:30 a.m., washed and ate breakfast, and at 7:30 a.m. we were on the bus for the Sea of Galilee. We arrived there at 8:30 a.m. and boarded a good size boat and left the harbour for the middle of the lake (the Sea of Galilee is a fresh water lake). We spent about one hour on the boat reading all the biblical stories of Jesus that took place on the Sea of Galilee. We read the story of Jesus walking on the water and what happened to St. Peter who asked Jesus if he could walk on the water to meet Him. Jesus told him to come towards Him. St. Peter walked on the water for a moment but when the wind hit him, he got afraid and began to sink. Jesus caught him and brought him back to the boat. We also read about the incident of the high winds and the fear of the Apostles who thought they might all drown. They woke up Jesus and He calmed the wind with a word. There is also the story of the miraculous catch of fish.

After going around the Sea of Galilee by boat, we came back to the wharf and disembarked. We then traveled to the place where Jesus appointed Peer the head of the Church. We went to the Mount of Beatitudes and there I celebrated Holy Mass with the group. The Gospel reading was about the Beatitudes that Jesus gave us.

From there we went to a restaurant for a great meal. We ate St. Peter’s fish… The last place we visited was Capernaum, the village where St. Peter lived and where Jesus went to stay when He left Nazareth. We visited the remains of the Jewish Synagogue and saw what is left of Peter’s house and the other houses of this little town. The whole town was abandoned years after the resurrection of Jesus. From there we left for our hotel in Nazareth and arrived there close to 6:00 p.m. We had supper at 6:30 p.m.

The Message of Our Blessed Mother given on December 3, 2011

“Melvin My son, you spent another day in the Holy Land, where My Son, Jesus, traveled when He was on earth. You have been to places where Jesus performed many miracles like the Sea of Galilee and you also went to the place where He multiplied the bread and fish and where He cured many people of various sicknesses. He also drove out many evil spirits from those who were possessed. All these miracles show that My Son, Jesus, has great power, which no one on earth has. This great power shows that He is God, the Messiah (Savior) that God the Father had foretold long ago that He would be born on earth. He is the greatest gift of the Father to you, the people living on earth.

I call on the Jews to recognize that truly Jesus, My Son, is the Messiah they have been waiting for over the centuries. It is time that they finally acknowledge that they did wrong to reject Him. Let them acknowledge their fault and accept Him as their Savior as a good number have done already.

I also call the Muslims to listen to Me. They honor Me as the greatest women even to live on earth — for I am the Virgin Mary, holy from birth, who gave birth to their Lord and Savior. I ask them all to accept My Son, Jesus, as the Son of God and their only Savior. May they come and join the Church He found and they will be blessed.

I also call on those who do not belong to My Son’s Church which He founded on St. Peter. You, non-Catholics, are a scandal to the world. You reject some of His teachings. Read Chapter 6 of St. John’s Gospel and see that My Son is truly present in the Eucharist and come all of you and be members of the Holy Catholic Church, the only Church founded by Your Savior. May all the Catholics give good example to all of their faith and love for My Son, Jesus, the Son of God, who loves them all. I love you all and I pray for you.”

Father Melvin

P.S. I thank you all for your prayers for my brother Hector. The funeral was on Friday morning. May the Lord bless you all.

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