- Excerpts from Julia's testimony during the vigil -   

(March 2nd,2013)

 Essential happiness comes to us when we practice unconditional love

 Praise Our Lord, Praise be The Blessed Mother!

All of you have come to this place responding to the call from The Blessed Mother who wants you to pray with Her on this First Saturday during the transition from the death of Jesus Christ to His Resurrection.

We should repent and regret our faults so that Jesus Christ Himself will come and dwell within us during this season of Lent.And also, let us ask for forgiveness for our faults that might have be caused your neighbors to commit a sin because of you acted around them.So, let us completely submit ourselves in order for us to be resurrected when the time of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ occurs.

I was born into a wealthy family but, because of the Korean War (6.25) we lost not only all of our property but also family members and I was forced to lead a hard life only with my mother.

As a matter of fact, during my younger years up to now, I received all kinds of envy and jealousy.  Sometimes my whole body was covered with blood, from being attacked by others.  I also experienced all kinds of slanders and insults, even confronted with death, however I never hated others, on the other hand I just forgave them all and instead, I offered all of the attackers up graciously as if they were "saviors in my life ".

                   Jesus also felt the pain of piercing

In fact, I am now feeling pains.  Jesus Christ is God, but born as a human, so He was able to feel pain when his body was pierced, and he was in so much pain while dying on the Cross.

The reason I am telling you this, is because you must remain awake and  always pray in order for our happiness not to be taken from us by the devils of division who have filled the earth and sky and are always on the alert for an opportunity even though I am trying to live in happiness by offering up every situation graciously.

Since I was just 6 years old, I've lived in my mother's house. I began cooking and doing miscellaneous house work that I should have done, but I never thought  " It is very hard for me to bear " " I can't do it".

We built a tiny house deep in the mountains when I was in 4th grade, and I cooked rice for beggars.  As you know, beggars don't eat very well every day, and when they do eat they tend to eat a lot.  Some of them ate three portions.  Some families who begged ate so much that I didn't get my daily food for many days.  In cases like this, but  Our Lord kept me as healthy as others, praise the Lord.

This is how my life continued on even until the time of The Blessed Mother's shedding of tears.  My hair-parlor, at the time, was doing well and I made enough money to spend but, I saved money as I practiced charity to the poor, and by not eating excessively, and not spending as much for me as I spent for others.  I did this by taking a bus instead of a taxi, or walking instead of taking a bus, and also saving money in the collection box for the poor.  I can tell you that I gave alms and shared love with them as if I had eaten enough, wore good clothes, in order for me to save the money.  My life completely changed into the spirit of self-denial for others (Semchigo in Korean) since I graduated from elementary school, that was my life, destined by the Lord.

"The Five Naju Spiritual Discourses" which were given to us from The Blessed Mother of Naju have helped me to devote my life to Our Lord are as follows:

" Self-denial for others" -  the Korean term is (Semchigo), "A life of offering"  - 

meaning  dedicating myself to Our Lord . "It is my fault" - blaming myself instead of blaming others, "Amen"- answering YES to Our Lord ,

"Turing our daily lives into a prayer" - pray all day moment to moment.

The faith of Abram, who was willing to offer Isaac, his only son to God is a perfect example of offering up with self-denial for the sake of others.

Because of Abram's willingness to offer his loving son, who was more precious to him than his own life, God then gave to Abram all kinds of   blessings.

Let us offer up beautiful little flowers woven with self-denial for others to the throne of Jesus Christ through The Blessed Mother.

Then, Jesus Christ & The Blessed Mother will give back to us thousands upon thousands of compensations.

                    When we cause others to sin

I really want to live my life without faults, defects or anxieties, so I go to confession immediately if someone commits a sin by judging me because I feel that it was my fault to cause them to make that judgement.

In the book of Mark Chapter 9 verse 42 it says:

"Whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."

And also "If your eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye."

In fact, I ask you how many people have committed sins by slandering The Blessed Mother of Naju up to now?

In addition, the clergy produced vicious and groundless rumors and joined forces with Sisters causing many parishioners to fall into the sin of judgement.  People easily trust the words of Priests' and Sisters' who they believe are not supposed to tell lies.  One Priest produced a vicious and groundless rumor that "Julia had surgery to place something into her chest that would give off the scent of perfume" and spread them through the people.

So, during the vigil, Julia asked "Is anyone here willing to put their hand over my heart?"

Some sister who had heart disease came up to me and touched my heart. Her condition was such that no one was able to touch her heart, not even  anyone in her family because of the pain she felt at the slightest touch.

But, she was healed of her heart disease the very moment she touched my heart.

Then, Julia said again, "whoever wants to check for the scar from the operation I supposedly had on my chest for the perfume, come and touch it now and hopefully be healed".

Here in Naju, many pilgrims who were barren have conceived through the grace of The Blessed Mother of Naju.  Among the pilgrims was a sister, whose fallopian tubes were clogged and she also had two cyst's in her uterus and wasn't able to conceive due to her condition.

 One day, a certain false prophet told this sister "I will give you a baby today."   She was very happy and believed him.  But, I (Julia) instructed her, after hearing her say that she was suffering from morning sickness now, to hurriedly go and see a doctor because I think, you have not yet conceived.

I (Julia) just spoke before I knew it "If your family knows the truth, they will surely be disappointed, but a greater disappointment for your family is to know about it later than now."  This sister was just smiling meaninglessly while listening to me.  She just ignored my words because a  false prophet told her that "A temptation will come from one of your closest friends, do not fall victim to their temptations"

Six months later, I asked her "Did you go to the hospital?"  No, she replied, my baby is now playing in my womb.  Then she said "Touch and feel my baby."  I was astonished when I touched her abdominal area.  I could feel a baby playing in her womb.  I was seized by a sense of disappointment, because everything I had said so far, came true, according to the will of Our Lord.  So, from then on I thought, Our Lord and The Blessed Mother are no longer within me!  At that very moment, I heard the gentle voice of Jesus say "Do not worry about it."

                      I will grant you a baby after 3 years

Later on, she came to me and tried to explain that her baby disappeared.   I don't know where my baby went to, pseudocyesis (false pregnancy) she said.  Then added "I am so sorry and I'm being punished for judging and  hating you and I've been crying a lot."  I (Julia) just consoled and prayed for her and said to her before I knew what I was saying "I will give you a baby after 3 years if you come back to me with your heart opened wide."  These were the words of The Blessed Mother spoken through my mouth.  Exactly  3 years later, she conceived and had a son.  Likewise on this story, every one of our intentions will be granted if we rely completely on Our Lord and The Blessed Mother.

While I was suffering extreme pains, during Lent in 1990, she urgently ran to me and said "Sister!, someone covered with blood fell down in front of the Su Gang apartments, you will be happy to take care of such a person" that's what I've come here to tell you at once.

Together with volunteer Rupino Park we brought him to my house, later  we realized that he was Jesus Christ.  This sister informed me of him because she knew that I was a person who would happily take care of poor people, so she quickly came and notified me the situation.

I spoke to her saying "You did a very good job, please help me to carry him there by holding me."  I suddenly found myself running, already on our way to that place.  All the while under severe sufferings and being helped by her holding my arms when we started.  I believe Our Lord gave me the strength of love.

Upon looking at him, he was drunk and he had hit his head on the gate post of the apartments.  The post was covered in blood, thus the front and back side of his head were cracked and he had fallen to the ground  unconscious and looked as if he were dead.

In Korea it is 119 instead of 911 as in America, but at that time there wasn't any such number (Fire & Disaster).  So we tried to get a taxi but he rejected us at the time.  So then I called my husband and Rubino and one volunteer to drive us and we went to see Dr. Kim, Kyung Wung at a medical clinic, and a doctor there put 37 stitches in his head and instructed us to take him to a larger  hospital right away.

So, we went to Naju General Hospital, but they said, because of too much blood loss and the damage to his head being so severe, they also refused to accept him at the hospitalized in the beginning.

                     God already gave him His helping hand

When we took him to the emergency room at the hospital, everyone there had such a long face because of the smell of this poor soul.  He not only smelled of stinky old blood but also of urine and excrements.  So, I took him to the toilet with my husband Julio and we washed him and kept praying for him and his condition improved and was much better than before when he was discharged from there around 11 later that night.

Later we realized, we all forgot that we had skipped lunch without feeling any hunger.  I was confident that he was healed, so I wanted to feed him, but no restaurants were open at the time, so I went to Hampyung-gun county (one hour from Naju) to find the transport cafe (Gisa Sik Dang-Restaurant for the drivers in Korean)-they are usually open for 24 hours.

There were five of us altogether and I ordered seven servings, and all of the others were surprised by my order and asked "why seven servings?"  They even said that he will die if he tries to eat something under these conditions.

With complete trust in Him I said "Don't worry.  God has already given him His helping hand."  He, then ate three servings and then continued to eat four more servings of stir-fried pork. I was very happy just to watch him continue to eat.

After eating, we came back home and I looked at His stitches that were so sparsely put in so I simply put a plaster patch on His head.  In order for me to take care of him I slept in the room next to His.  In the morning, I said "Good morning and how are you feeling today? "Aren't you sore?"  I'm not in any pain at all he replied.  Ah-jim (Mrs.-local dialect in this region) Why I am here?  Is this heaven?  So I looked at the stitches in His head, but his wound was completely healed over night and he became healthy once again.

The whole story goes like this , his job was a plasterer, he kept his tools in the warehouse of the Sugang apartments.  One morning, the warehouse suddenly disappeared because it had been knocked down by a bulldozer.  He saw that, and then went on his way to the Maeil local market.  Then came back to request the return of his  tools and equipments.

All of a sudden, he was struck by a stone thrown by someone and lost consciousness.  He fell down right away and started bleeding, but woke up again and went back to the place to protest again, but it was in vain.

So, very disappointed due to his protesting being in vain, he thought he would be better off dead, so he started to hit his head against the post of the main gate of the apartment.  He soon lost consciousness and fell down on the ground, a patrol car was there around that time, but just passed by, so he was left there alone, bleeding copiously and on the verge of dying without knowing anyone for a long time.

                       I only did what I supposed to do

He was in that sort of condition at the time. When I went into his room in the morning, he was completely healed and I couldn't see any of the plaster placed on his head the night before.  So I asked him, "Did you remove the plaster?"  No, he said,  Then he asked   "Ah-jim, am I now in heaven after dying because I deserved to die but I find myself alive and laying down wearing good clothes in this nice room?" So now I am pinching myself to confirm whether I'm in heaven or still here on earth.

I saw you before and I knew how you treated Bong Seonsaeng ( Bong grand father), even his real son couldn't take care of him like you did.  That's not all you even made his eyes open.  Ahjim, you are no better than Shim Cheong, he said. So I answered back to him, no I only did what I supposed to do at the time.

* Shim Chong  : " Based on the folk tale of Shim Cheong, a young girl who lives with her blind father. To provide for her father, she sells herself for 300 bags of rice to a Chinese merchant but she regrets her action and attempts suicide by jumping into the sea. She is rescued by the sea king who falls in love with her and enables Shim Cheong to restore her father's vision by sea king's help." More details see on the bottom." - in details.

I was so astounded hearing an angel-like "Ah-Jim" with his eyes barely open in the hospital where I took him, after finding him alone in the street unconscious.

Dear me, he knows me, and I looked at him from a short distance and I was able to recognize him as the one I saw from time to time whenever I visited Bong grandfather's house.

I always visited *Bong grandfather's house at night in order not to let others know I was helping him.  I remembered Bong grandfather slept in his room and some stranger slept on the wooden floor outside of his room.  Now I realized he was the one whom I took him to the hospital.  We met through him and he recognized me and called me Ah-jim.

*Bong grandfather

It was not by coincidence, anyway, I was busy finding a house for him to live at and I bought tools for him to work with as a plasterer again after being raised from the dead.  But no one wanted to give him a room.  I was pretending to look for a house for me in the beginning.  Then the house owner gave me a room but, when I brought him and showed him who will be living in the house, they rejected him.  No one would give him a room so they returned the key money back to me because all of them knew that he lived like a dog.

I thought it wasn't possible to rent any rooms in town, so I went to the country side and went to Hampyung-gun county.  I was thought that nobody knows this man in this far off place but it was the same there too.  Eventually, I decided to let him to stay in the pilgrim's room at The Blessed Mother's House thinking that it should be the will of the Lord.

While he stayed with us, he worked hard and stopped drinking and prayed together with me at The Blessed Mother's House.  One day, my husband Julio, informed me to come to the House, Julio introduced me to some well dressed men and said "Dear, these are the brothers of the plasterer" I was so surprised and said, really.  Then, they said to me "we are very sorry, and thank you so much for taking care of our older brother."  I learned that he has a wife and children but because of his drinking and his bad habits, he had been abandoned by his family and he became homeless despite their living in the same town near The Blessed Mother's House.  Now, he has stopped drinking and became like an innocent lamb, so his wife and children were ashamed to bring him home, so his wife just sent his younger brothers instead of herself.

They kept saying "Thank you so much...." and then just took him home. Since then I never heard about him again and never ran into him on the street even though we lived in the same Gyo-Dong district. (Meant that he came to Julia Kim as Jesus to show us His immense love for a while)

This story teaches us that even an alcoholic is able to be reformed by unending care with love.

If I did good for him, it was all done by Our Lord and The Blessed Mother, but, if something went wrong, it is all because of Julia.

                      Let us all go to heaven through the Gate of Mercy

Dear pilgrims!

Why don't you practice love in this time of Lent?  I think that your closest  neighbors are your husband and wife, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and also your parents and children etc. in your families.  There would not be satisfaction in this world.  We have to feel and find happiness. The happiness will be ours if we arm ourselves with Five Spiritualities of Naju while practicing the messages of love given to us by Our Lord and The Blessed Mother Who came and are present here with us in Naju.

 Let us revive the first love that we've lost and seek true happiness in our life.  Our Lord is not God of confinement but God of Mercy.  Most people want to go through the gate of Justice, but there is no one who is able to go to heaven through the gate of Justice only.

I want you to go to heaven through the Gate of Mercy.  Let us all walk that way.  The way is not broad and comfortable but it is very narrow.   However, if we amend our lives with sacrifices and humility, we will be led with a high spirituality and go forward to the way of perfection escorted by angles and will be lifted up to heaven.

The remainder of our lives may be long or short, so let us entrust our whole lives completely to Our Lord and The Blessed Mother, and confess ourselves as poor sinners and give our whole heart and love to the Lord as like Mary Magdalene who wet the feet of Jesus Christ, and washed them with her hair and anointed them with fragrant oils.  That kind of love is the best way for us to repent.  Let us become children who will receive the love of Our Lord.  Amen!

Thank you very much!

See you next month, I love you so much!