It is the fragrance
of the Blessed Mother
of Naju!
Elizabeth
Jung-Sook Kim, Seoul, Korea
(January 6, 2002)
Good
evening! I am Elizabeth Kim from the Yangjae-dong Parish in Seoul. Last year, on March 12, I was on an
airplane to Italy together
with several other parishioners to visit Vatican City
and other shrines in Rome.
In order to spread the information on Naju to people in Rome,
I took color photographs of the Blessed Mother weeping tears and tears of blood
and of the Eucharistic miracle in Vatican
City witnessed by the Holy Father on October 31,
1995.
After
our arrival in Rome, we visited Vatican City for an
audience with the Holy Father. We were all dressed up in colorful Korean
clothes and waited for the Holy Father, but suddenly I remembered that I forgot
to bring the photographs. I was heartened, however, when I learned that the
priest who was guiding us had a deep love for the Blessed Mother of Naju and
also met other pilgrims who were ardently praying for the Blessed Mother of
Naju. I said to the Blessed Mother in my heart, Blessed Mother! I am sorry.
Next time, I will not forget.Then, I thought how wonderful it would be if
I could hold the Holy Father's hands during the audience. The audience ended,
and we came back to the Franciscan monastery where we were staying. Then, the
abbot celebrated a special Mass with us. During the Mass, I found several
photographs of the Blessed Mother of Naju weeping tears of blood in my prayer
book and was wondering to whom I should give them. Because the Italian lady who
was sitting next to me during Mass looked very sick, I gave a photograph to her
after Mass, saying, Naju Mama Maria! She seemed very surprised and
said, Naju, Naju! Then, she said that she had seen a TV program on
Naju aired all over Italy.
She touched her sick, swollen belly with the photograph and prayed devoutly. I
was very moved.
A
week later, we were getting ready for another audience with the Holy Father. I
made sure to take the photographs and prayed that I could make the Blessed
Mother of Naju known to many people. The audience hall was again packed with
pilgrims including many priests. It was still two hours before the scheduled
audience. I showed the photographs to people around me, saying, I am from Korea.
Have you heard about the Blessed Mother of Naju? Because my English was
short, I explained the photographs making hand gestures. Everybody seemed to
have understood. They looked happy and said, “Oh! We know the Blessed Mother
of Naju! I felt very elated. Then, we had a Mass together. Pilgrims from
different countries sang hymns in their own languages. So, when it was our
turn, we sang Mary's Ark
of Salvation in Korean. At that moment, the audience hall was filled with
a powerful fragrance of roses. Many people were shouting with joy. We were
indescribably happy, because we were sure that the Blessed Mother was with us.
Eventually,
the Holy Father came into the hall. I asked the Blessed Mother to let me hold
the Holy Father's hands. Again, there was an intense fragrance of roses. A
person behind me said, It is a fragrance! Promptly I said, It is
the fragrance of the Blessed Mother of Naju!
As
the Holy Father came near us, we stood up and received his blessing. People
behind us pulled us and pinched us, asking us to sit down, but we remained
standing. When a woman stretched out her hand to touch the Holy Father, a
security guard stopped her by hitting her arm. When the Holy Father came close
to me, to my great surprise, the same security guard pulled my hand and let me
touch the Holy Father's hand. It was totally the Blessed Mother's work. With
much joy, I touched the Holy Father's hand and wanted to hold it tightly. But
when I held his hand, it was so thin, just skin over bones. I could not hold
his hand tightly. Instead, I let go of it and cried. I shed tears thinking that
I was able to hold the Holy Father's hand thanks to the grace from the Blessed
Mother, but she wanted me to pray much for the Holy Father who was so weak
physically.
Looking
back now, I feel so sorry that I did not take more photographs on the trip.
When you visit shrines abroad, be courageous and become the apostles of the
Blessed Mother of Naju, making her known to as many people as possible! The
Blessed Mother will help you in everything. Thank you.
A malignant tumor inmy large intestine disappeared completely JulianaYang-Nim Lee, Kwangju, Korea (January 6, 2002)
Good
evening! My name is Juliana Yang-Nim Lee, from the Bongsun-dong Parish in Kwangju. I have received
so many graces from the Blessed Mother of Naju, but, because of my shyness,
have not been able to give testimony so far. Even today I managed to stand here
only after some hesitation. I give this testimony to give glory to the Lord and
gratitude to the Blessed Mother.
In
the past, I lived a very worldly life. I did not mind spending large sums of money
on swimming, yoga, aerobic exercises, and more to lose weight and look better.
Without feeling any shame, I dyed my hair blonde, wore thick make-up, and wore
huge earrings. I had an unusual attachment to luxuries. Now I feel so ashamed
for having been so attached to the worldly things while being so miserly about
heavenly matters.
I
have been making pilgrimages to Naju for the past six years, but only accepting
the Blessed Mother's messages in superficial ways and still unable to sever
myself from the worldly things. Finally, the Blessed Mother lifted up a whip of
love.
One
day I suddenly felt a severe pain in my belly and went to a small hospital in
the neighborhood. To my surprise, the doctor said, “You have a tumor in your
body. Hurry up and go to a larger hospital.?So, for a more thorough test,
I went to the Chonnam National University hospital
(in Kwangju)
with my husband.
The
test result on August 18, 1998, was that I had a malignant tumor in my large
intestine. To be completely sure, I went to the Seoul National
University Medical
Center with my husband
and had another test. I was told that the test result would not be available
for more than twenty days. So, we returned home in Kwangju on the same day. I prepared for the
worst by making a Confession and receiving the Sacrament of the Sick. While
waiting for more than twenty days for the test result from the medical center,
my husband brought me to the Blessed Mother's Chapel in Naju every morning.
After I prayed in the Chapel all day, my husband came back in the evening to
take me home.
On
the fifteenth day, I was praying for the grace of conversion rather than
praying for life. Suddenly, I began seeing my past life clearly as if I were
watching a movie. It was a life of many failures—failure to turn my life into
prayers, failure to offer up reparations, failure to live a life of
consecration?I said, Mother, if I die now, I have nothing to give you.
What shall I do? What can I say when I stand before the Lord I prayed
earnestly, ceaselessly shedding tears of repentance.
While
I was crying, five nuns came in and began praying on their knees not far from
me. Suddenly, one of them said to me, looking very surprised, “Oh, my!
Sister, I am smelling an intense fragrance from you! At that moment, I
firmly believed that the Blessed Mother was curing me and said, “Amen! Immediately,
the pain in my chest, which had been so severe that I had even experienced
difficulty breathing, disappeared completely. After that, I began trusting the
Blessed Mother of Naju even more and continued praying, occasionally drinking
the water from her spring.
When
I visited the Seoul
National University
Medical Center
again, the doctor was very surprised and said that the malignant tumor in my
body had turned into a mere polyp. I had another examination a few weeks later,
and the result was that even the polyp had disappeared without leaving a trace.
The doctors were totally amazed.
After
regaining my health thanks to the Blessed Mother, I have been trying to lead a
life of offering up little flowers by giving up much of what I wish to do, what
I like to do, and what I wish to possess, despite my unworthiness. Many times
it is difficult, but I am trying hard.
Today
I brought the documentary records of my healing, hoping that these might be of
some help to the Blessed Mother. I understand that there are many more here
besides me who have been healed of cancer. If you bring your medical
examination papers, I believe that they will be of much help to the Blessed
Mother of Naju.
Glory
to the Lord and gratitude to the Blessed Mother!
During every Mass
now I worship and love the Eucharist more deeply
Regina Soo-Hee Cho, Mokpo,
Jeonnam Province (January 18, 2002)
Praise to Jesus and Mary!
My
name is Regina Soo-Hee Cho from the Daesung-dong Parish in Mokpo (a medium-sized coastal city an hour's
drive southwest of Naju).
Together
with other pilgrims from Mokpo,
I arrived at the Blessed Mother's mountain at about 3:30 p.m. We were told that blood
had come down and stained small rocks and the paved areas on the Way of the
Cross, from the Seventh Station to the Thirteenth Station at about 9:30 a.m. today. Much
amazed, we began the Stations of the Cross and saw blood stains on little rocks
and paved areas between the Seventh Station and the Thirteenth Station.
At
about 5:30 p.m.,
pilgrims suddenly rushed to the Twelfth Station after hearing Rufino Park
shout, “Ah! It is blood! I followed them. I saw a stain of freshly shed
blood on the paved area before a large rock. While looking, I saw another drop
of blood streaming down and falling on the paved area with a splash. At that
moment, without even thinking, I knelt and burst into tears from the bottom of
my heart.
t
that moment, large drops of water fell from above on different spots on the
paved area at the Twelfth Station. I thought that they probably were the
Blessed Mother's tears. There were more than twenty people who witnessed this.
It was an event that was a turning point in my faith life. The wounds in my
heart which had been large stumbling blocks to me and the hard feelings which
had always been in my heart were all melting away. I deeply realized how
precious all of my neighbors and myself were and that all of us have been
called to sanctity. Also during every Mass now I worship and love the Eucharist
more deeply. I am now leading a life of thanksgiving to the Lord regardless of
the circumstances, being deeply aware of the presence, extreme love and infinite
mercy of the Lord and the Blessed Mother. I really, really love you, Blessed
Mother of Naju!
Glory,
praise, thanksgiving, and worship to the Lord generation after generation, for
all eternity! Amen.
Praise to the
Lord's Sacred Blood now and forever
Maria
Soo-Jin Lim, Seoul, Korea (January 18, 2002)
Praise Jesus and Mary!
My
name is Maria Soo-Jin Lim from the Joongrim-dong Parish in Seoul. I arrived at the Blessed Mother's
mountain at about 2 p.m. today and prayed until about 5 p.m. Then, together
with other pilgrims, I carefully and with much amazement examined the blood
stains on little rocks and paved areas from the Seventh Station to the
Thirteenth Station on the Way of the Cross. Suddenly, Rufino Park,
who was standing at the Twelfth Station, screamed, “Ah! Its?blood! When I looked, there was a stain of blood on the paved area before a large
rock. While I was looking, I saw another drop of blood falling straight down
from the height of the large rock and splash-landing on the paved area. It
happened in a split second. When I looked more closely on the paved area, there
were a total of seven stains of freshly shed blood. More than ten people
witnessed this, and more people came later and saw it. It was truly amazing, as
nobody was wounded and nobody was bleeding. I personally saw, with my own eyes,
the blood streaming down from waist-high in the air. It was an amazing and
mysterious experience. It strengthened and deepened my belief and conviction
about many other amazing signs in Naju which I had only heard about.
Thank
you, Lord! Praise to the Lord's Sacred Blood now and forever. Amen.
If the doctor could
not see any hope, the Blessed Mother certainly would
Maria
Bok-Ja Kim, Seoul, Korea (February 3, 2002)
n
early 2000, my husband was showing severe symptoms of psoriasis on his legs and
asked me to apply some ointment to the affected areas. I was surprised to see
large areas on his legs turned reddish and scaly. I said, “Oh, my goodness!
For skin diseases, the water from the Blessed Mother's spring in Naju is the
best, and, instead of applying the ointment, poured some of the water from
Naju on his legs. Several days later, I asked him, “Honey, what happened to
your skin problem? When I looked, I saw that his legs were completely
healthy and clean. We were overjoyed and thanked the Blessed Mother of Naju.
Later
that year, on June 30, 2000, I went to Naju to participate in the overnight
prayer meeting commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of the Blessed Mother's
first weeping tears. There were many pilgrims not only from Korea but also many other
countries. After the overnight prayer meeting and several hours of rest,
pilgrims went to the Blessed Mother's mountain in the afternoon of July 1.
While we were prayed the rosary together, alternating between English and
Korean, I felt as if I were in Heaven already. From the Blessed Mother's spring
and all over the mountain, we smelled an unusually strong fragrance of roses.
All the pilgrims were overjoyed, some saying, “Oh, the fragrance of roses!
Oh, my! Smell this fragrance! Fr. Francis Su from Malaysia joined us at about 3
p.m.
We
also saw unusual sun phenomena. The sun became like the Eucharist and rotated,
radiating lights of different colors. Clouds also reflected those colors. The
whole sky over the mountain was beautifully decorated with different colors.
Then, a yellow, Eucharist-like image appeared on the Blessed Mother's statue on
the mountain. The whole mountain seemed to have been dyed in yellow.
Fr.
Su blessed the water from the Blessed Mother's spring, and pilgrims happily
drank it. Because the fragrance of roses from the water was so intense, I
thought that my son could be cured of the cancer in his thymus gland if he
drank this water. I became more and more convinced that he would be healed. But
I did not have any bottle to carry the water home with. Then, I saw a lady with
a small bottle, and asked her if she could give it to me for my son with
cancer. She gave it to me gladly. Thus, I was able to bring some water home for
my son.
My
son was diagnosed with cancer in his thymus gland when he was in the ninth
grade. He had surgery, but the cancer was found again seven years later. He was
operated on again in April 1999. However, the cancer reappeared again four
months later, and he had to be hospitalized once every month for anti-cancer
treatment for the next eighteen months. However, the cancer continued
progressing, becoming more malignant. The doctor eventually said that he could
not promise any improvement. He meant that there was no hope of healing. He
meant that he was giving up.
I
did not give up, however. I thought that, even if the doctor could not see any
hope, the Blessed Mother certainly would. When I opened the bottle containing
the water from the Blessed Mother's spring in Naju, we were overwhelmed by an
extremely intense fragrance of roses. I meditated, “The Lord said that the
hour had not yet come, but He turned water into wine at His Mother's request. I
firmly believe that the Lord will likewise heal my son with this water of
grace, which is giving off the fragrance of roses. I believed that my son
would be cured, and prayed like Julia, entrusting everything to the Lord, “Lord,
we are Yours, if we live; and we are Yours, if we die. Let Your Will be done. While
praying, I fed the water to my son a little at a time. Also, I consecrated my
son and myself to the Lord and the Blessed Mother, and experienced a deep
feeling of peace in my heart. I continued feeding him the water from Naju for
the next several days.
Then,
I took my son to the hospital. After examining him, the doctor was totally
amazed and puzzled, saying, I did not imagine that he could improve this
much. What happened? He expressed wonderment and joy.
My
son was in a totally desperate situation because of the recurring and worsening
cancer, but is now completely healed by the graces from the Blessed Mother of
Naju. He is completely healthy and is leading a normal life, giving thanks to
the Blessed Mother of Naju every day.
Lord
and Blessed Mother, thank You so much! Glory to You!
Fragrant oil
descends on the Blessed
Mother's mountain
Valentino
Hyun-Man Shin, Seoul, Korea (March 28, 2002)
Praise Jesus! Praise the Blessed Mother!
I
give profound gratitude to Jesus and the Blessed Mother. My name is Valentino
Hyun-Man Shin from Seoul.
I
became more anxious to see the Blessed Mother of Naju during Holy Week and
arrived in Naju on March 28, 2002, at about 5 p.m. After praying for a while in
the Chapel, I participated in the Holy Hour prayer meeting. In the middle of
the prayer meeting, Rufino
Park (the Chapel
administrator) came to me and said, It is raining. Our Lord's blood marks
(on the Blessed Mother's mountain) need to be protected. Can you come and
help??/i> I gladly agreed and went to the Blessed Mother's mountain together
with Rufino Park and Augustine Cho.
While
we were working at the Twelfth Station, we suddenly heard someone screaming. It
was Julia who had been praying at the Eleventh Station. She was lying on the
ground with her arms stretched out, as if she had been crucified. We stopped
working and rushed to Julia. We knelt and prayed in silence.
A
while later, Julia opened her eyes and said, “Fragrant oil is coming down…”
When I stretched my arms toward the sky, I realized that fragrant oil was
really coming down on my face and hands. Julia then said, “Jesus blessed me
making the Sign of the Cross on my forehead with fragrant oil. We brought
a lantern closer to her and saw a shiny mark of fragrant oil in the shape of a
cross in the middle of her forehead. We also smelled a strong and fresh
fragrance from the oil.
After
seeing the mark of fragrant oil on Julia's forehead, we helped her stand up. At
that moment, all of us were surprised and screamed almost simultaneously,
because we found a very large mark of fragrant oil on the paved area near the
Eleventh Station. After seeing the oil, I began shedding tears of repentance. “Our
Lord and the Blessed Mother love me so much that They are drawing me to
repentance with this fragrant oil through Julia…”
The
oil mark at the Eleventh Station extended to the Tenth Station. We could smell
a strong fragrance at the Tenth Station also. We protected the area from rain
with vinyl covers. While we were spreading the vinyl covers, we found an
additional oil mark about 70 centimeters (28 inches) long on the paved area
before the Eleventh Station.
After
witnessing these signs, I have realized that the Lord and the Blessed Mother
are always present with us and that this was confirmed to me, even though I was
unworthy. My faith became stronger.
Praise
and glory to God!
In my whole medical career, I have never seen anything like
this!
Catherine
Lee, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province,
Korea (May 4,
2002)
Praise
Jesus! I am Catherine Lee from Seongnam
City in Gyeonggi Province.
I am a newcomer to the Catholic Church, having been baptized only one year ago.
Our second child, Martina, was born in April last year. Only about one hundred
days after her birth, she was diagnosed with leukemia. I was in panic,
especially because it was soon after I became a Catholic. It was some
consolation to me that the chief physician at the hospital where my daughter
was examined was also a Catholic. He said, “Let's begin an anti-cancer
treatment and pray to God. Bone-marrow transplants are often quite effective.
Hearing the encouraging words from the doctor, my husband and I thanked God. We
became even more grateful when our four year-old son was found to have the same
bone marrow as our baby daughter's. The whole family was thankful, as the
bone-marrow transplant was performed.
However,
the joy was short-lived, as, only two and a half months later, the baby's
leukemia came back. My world fell into total darkness. I was even more shocked
when the doctor said, It appears that God loves the baby so much that He is
going to take her back. Give the baby many delicious foods. The baby also
had blood poisoning and was suffering so much pain. I even prayed, crying, that
God would soon take the baby to the place where there is no pain, as she was
suffering too much.
My
daughter received the Sacrament of the Sick and, then, the pains from her blood
poisoning eased somewhat. The doctor asked us to take her home while her
condition was somewhat better and give her many delicious foods at home. So we
brought her home.
Some
days passed, and my godmother brought us some publications on the Blessed
Mother of Naju. My husband examined the publications with some interest. Then,
he said, “Honey! Let's visit this place once. He insisted, but everyone
else in the family opposed, as the baby's condition was so bad that she was
even having difficulty breathing. Nevertheless, at my husband's insistence, we
made a pilgrimage to Naju with our baby girl, as if we were trying to grab a
straw while drowning in a river.
After
our first pilgrimage to Naju, we were on the way back home. When I fed milk to
the baby, she sucked so forcefully. Before, she had not had that much energy.
My husband and I were surprised and overjoyed. We were so grateful.
After
the pilgrimage, our baby girl continued to improve. Test results showed that
she was being healed of leukemia. Seeing that, I discontinued sterilizing the
toys and other things that the baby was using, which I had been required to do
before.
During
our third pilgrimage to Naju, I was reading the River of Grace
(a book of testimonies in Korean). I had heard that some people had smelled the
fragrance of roses while reading this book and others had received the grace of
conversion, but I did not have any such experience. I did not smell any
fragrance; nor did I shed the tears of repentance. I was wondering why I was
not able to repent. After the third pilgrimage, I began praying fifteen decades
of the rosary every day, asking for the grace of conversion.
Then,
we made our fourth pilgrimage to Naju to participate in the First Saturday
overnight prayer meeting on April 6, 2002. On April 5, when I was praying in
the Chapel, I began clearly remembering how often I had failed to take good
care of my sick baby, many times being impatient and even angry because of her
illness. I repented deeply, shedding tears.
Afterwards,
my daughter's condition continued to improve. Tests showed that most of her
cancer cells died and only seven percent remained. The doctor said, It is a
miracle that most of the cancer cells have died and only seven precent remain.
Now, let's kill the remaining seven percent ith the anti-cancer treatment and
do another bone marrow transplant. I answered, I know how painful it
is for the baby to have a bone marrow transplant. I do not want her to go
through it again, but would rather entrust this whole matter to the Lord and
the Blessed Mother. As the doctor was a Catholic also, he understood me.
My
daughter had another blood test on April 25. Amazingly, no cancer cells or any
other abnormal cells were found. The doctor said, It is a miracle that no
cancer cells were found in the blood. However, if blood samples are taken from
the bone marrow and examined, some cancer cells may be found.?We took the
baby to a larger hospital for a test of her bone marrow. The test result was
that there were no cancer cells at all in the baby's bone marrow. The doctor in
that hospital, who was an authority on leukemia, said, “When the patient had
blood poisoning, low blood pressure, and a recurrence of leukemia, that means a
dead end. In this baby's case, it must be a miracle. In my whole medical
career, I have never seen anything like this. We were overwhelmed with joy
and gratitude.
Thank
you, Lord and Blessed Mother!
(Translator's note:
Mrs. Catherine Lee later mailed medical records of her daughter, Martina,
including test results and doctors?statements, to the Chapel in Naju.)
The Blessed
Mother's messages in Naju are like a
spring that can quench our
spiritual thirst
Maria
Lee, Seoul, Korea (June 30, 2002)
My
name is Maria Lee, from Amsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, in Seoul. This is my first visit to Naju. I have
wanted to come to Naju for a long time, but have not been able to for various
reasons. I have prayed much to the Blessed Mother to help me overcome the
difficulties.
For
a long time, I have prayed earnestly that I may be able to overcome my
inability to forgive others, but to no avail. That is why I have prayed to the
Blessed Mother to help me come to Naju and receive the grace of being able to
forgive others. I came here also to pray for the grace of my conversion and
reforming my life. In addition to the grace of repentance and forgiveness, I
prayed that I could return home with my heart filled with humility and
meekness.
When
I was on the Blessed Mother's mountain today, a man shouted, “Does anyone
have a camera? Water is dripping down from the Lord's feet on the Cross!?/i>
Hearing that, I hurried toward the Crucifix on Mt. Calvary,
praying that the Blessed Mother would teach me how to behave, how to pray and
how to receive all the graces that she has prepared for me. When I got there, I
saw Julia, whom I had wished to see so anxiously but had not been able to see,
collect tears from Jesus on the Cross. Then, suddenly, Julia fell down and
began bleeding from her mouth. At that moment, I realized the true purpose for which
the Blessed Mother called me to this place.
I
have been attending a Holy Hour prayer meeting in my neighborhood every
Thursday evening, but, because we have not had any messages that can help us
correct our evil habits and guide us to reform our lives, I have not been
feeling much power in it. Today, however, I could see that the Blessed Mother's
messages in Naju are like a spring that can quench our spiritual thirst. Also,
what a wonderful harvest it is that I can now relay to my friends in the prayer
group what I personally saw, heard, and felt in Naju!
I
am sure that the Blessed Mother of Naju drove out of my heart today all the
hatred, pride, and inability to forgive others. When I return home, I am going
to clearly tell my friends in the prayer group that no one can stop the Blessed
Mother of Naju, as I believe that she is here by God's Will. I made up my mind
to make the Blessed Mother of Naju known with a firm conviction from now on.
Gratitude,
glory and praise to Jesus and the Blessed Mother! Amen.
Mother! Have you
already forgiven this sinner?
Francesca
Kim, Incheon, Korea (July 7, 2002)
My
name is Francesca Kim, from Incheon.
I have been making pilgrimages to Naju for the past ten years. Today I would
like to give testimony to the tremendous graces that my daughter has received.
Everyone
in my family is a Catholic. But my oldest daughter lost her son when he was a
sophomore in high school and, since then, stopped practicing the faith. Day
after day she was in grief and frustration. Recently, I gave her a replica
statue of Our Lady of Naju to be placed in her home.
One
day I was informed that she was in the emergency room at a hospital and
hurriedly went there. She was diagnosed with large gallstones in her side,
ovary, and gall bladder. The doctor said that the gallstone in her gall bladder
had to be removed by surgery. My daughter told the doctor that she would call
him later about the date for surgery. We came back to my daughter's house. I
began praying the rosary before the Blessed Mother's statue and told my
daughter, Now it is up to you. Pray hard before the Blessed Mother of Naju.
Whether you live or die depends on you! I gave her a prayer book and the
Bible and came home. She later told me what happened afterwards.
Because
she had not prayed for so long, she did not know how to pray. She did not even
have a rosary. So, she opened the prayer book and began reading the section
that explained how to offer a rosary Novena.
While
she was reading the book, she suddenly began smelling an intense fragrance.
Without knowing anything about the fragrance of roses from the Blessed Mother
of Naju, she thought that someone must have dropped and broken a very expensive
bottle of perfume. She began searching for the broken bottle all over the
house, but did not smell any fragrance in other rooms or outside the house.
When she came back to the room where the Blessed Mother's statue was, she again
smelled an extremely powerful fragrance. At that moment, she understood and
prostrated on the floor, saying, Mother! Have you already forgiven this
sinner? She cried for a long time.
While
she was still crying, her sister-in-law called, saying, “Why don’t you make
haste to set the date for surgery? You must not procrastinate like this!
My daughter answered, I know what I am doing. Don’t bother me. But her
sister-in-law insisted, calling her again and again, and finally persuaded my
daughter to call the hospital. They went to the hospital together. After
examination, the doctor asked my daughter, “Do you still have pains??She
answered, No, I do not have any pains. The doctor said, “You do not
have any gallstones. There is no need for surgery.
I
believe that she received the grace of conversion and the grace of healing when
she smelled the fragrance while reading the prayer book. She is now leading a
very happy life.
Thank
you, Blessed Mother of Naju!
I have become more
convinced that Jesus is alive and present with us
Agatha
Lee, Jincheon, Chungcheong Province,
Korea (July 7,
2002)
My
name is Agatha Lee, from Moonbaek in the Chungcheong Province.
I received lots of graces in Naju today. When I left home this morning, it
began raining. So, I prayed that it would not rain today so that I might make a
good pilgrimage. While I was in the train, I smelled a powerful fragrance for
quite a while. I was wondering from where such a strong fragrance was coming.
When
I arrived at the Blessed Mother's mountain in Naju, I smelled the same strong
fragrance covering the whole mountain. I was amazed and overjoyed. One never
gets tired of the Blessed Mother's fragrance, however long one might smell it.
In addition to the miracle of the fragrance, severe pains that I had in my
chest were all gone. I began feeling so comfortable.
When
I walked to the statue of Our Lord praying at Gethsemane
(on the Blessed Mother's mountain) and began praying, holding His hand, I was
surprised to feel a live pulse in the Lord's hand. I could clearly feel that it
was not my pulse but the Lord's, as the two were clearly different. I had
always known that Jesus was alive, but, because of this experience of His
pulse, I have become more convinced that Jesus is alive and present with us.
After
each pilgrimage to Naju, I become filled with joy. I am so happy, because I
have received lots of graces from the Blessed Mother of Naju.
Their lives were
like candlelights flickering before a
strong wind
Victorina
Oh, Naju, Jeonnam Province,
Korea (July 21, 2002)
“Victorina!
Your uncle and aunt had a fight and drank herbicide. I found them dying and
brought them to the emergency room at Bohun Veterans Hospital.
Come in a hurry!?It
was a phone call from my father-in-law. (By your uncle and aunt?my
father-in-law meant his wife's younger brother and his wife.) After I hung up,
my husband and I hurriedly went to Bohun Veterans
Hospital (in Kwangju). We brought with us a bottle of the
holy water from the Blessed Mother's spring. When we arrived at the hospital,
we saw that the herbicide had already spread to our aunt's whole body and her
body was hardening. She was unconscious and nearing death. Our uncle's condition
seemed a little less serious. My husband and I poured a little of the holy
water into our aunt's mouth. A few minutes later, she began to swallow it.
During the next hour, she drank about ten milliliters of water. When she drank
one whole cup, her symptoms of high blood pressure, acute pneumonia,
unconsciousness, and nausea began easing. It seemed that the worst crisis was
over. We listened to my father-in-law telling us what had happened.
My
father-in-law is seventy-six years old, and was healed of stomach cancer and
other long-term illnesses with the water from the Blessed Mother's spring in
Naju. He was also healed of his impatient temper. Now he does not take any
medicine, but only drinks the Naju water whenever he has even a little
discomfort. Today, he got a phone call from his brother-in-law. On the phone,
his brother-in-law said, catching his breath, Brother! I am sorry. I am
going first. My father-in-law said, “What are you talking about?
His brother-in-law said, “Take good care of my sister. He continued, “We
had a bad fight; we bought some herbicide, mixed it with soju (a Korean
liquor), and drank it to say good-bye to this world. We go first. I wish you
and my sister a good life. Immediately my father-in-law took a taxi and
rushed to my uncle's house. When he arrived there, he saw the whole house in
total mess and his brother-in-law and his wife, who had fought frequently
before, lying on the floor, drunk and poisoned. While he was taking both of
them to a hospital, their bodies already were hardening.
At
the hospital, a doctor examined them and said that my aunt would die in twenty
or thirty minutes and advised my father-in-law to arrange the funeral. He
refused to admit my aunt for any treatment. So, my father-in-law begged him
again and again and finally persuaded him to do more tests. However, the strong
herbicide had already spread to her lungs and other organs. There was nothing
that the doctor could do to revive her. She drank too much herbicide, far more
than the lethal amount. The doctor again said that there was no hope whatsoever
and suggested that my father-in-law arrange the funeral.
Nevertheless,
my uncle and aunt continued recovering after drinking the water from Naju. The
next day, their blood pressures became normal and all other signs also became
almost normal. The doctors at the hospital were totally amazed and said that
this was a miracle.
About
two weeks later, I called them to ask about their condition. They were not home
and only left a message that they were going on a trip to Busan as their second honeymoon after
completely regaining their health. What a precious gift to them! I was
overjoyed and shed tears. Since then, they have not only been enjoying their
good health but also have not been having even little quarrels. They have been
helping and loving each other, working hard on the farm together. They are
living joyfully like newlyweds. What an amazing blessing from God, love from
Jesus, and grace from the Blessed Mother! As I write this testimony on God's
amazing love and grace in order to share it with many brothers and sisters, I
cannot help shedding more tears. I thank the Lord and the Blessed Mother again
and again for all the graces upon my family and relatives.
Glory
to the Lord and praise to the Blessed Mother! Amen.
It was not an
optical illusion, but a sign of the Blessed Mother's presence
Anna
Oh, Seoul, Korea (August 4, 2002)
Praise
Jesus! I am Anna Oh from the Nokbun-dong Parish in Seoul.
On
the previous First Saturday (July 6, 2002), when I was on a pilgrimage to Naju,
I bought a replica statue of the Blessed Mother of Naju and brought her home.
Since then, my daughter has frequently smelled an intense fragrance of roses
from the statue, but I have only smelled a weak fragrance. So, I sometimes
pray, Blessed Mother! I can only smell a weak fragrance of roses. Could you
let me smell a stronger fragrance? I have also developed a habit of
telling her every evening about what happened during the day. For example, I
say, Blessed Mother! I had a really hard day today because of the children.
Did you have a hard day also?
On
one evening, one to two minutes after I told her about what happened during the
day, the area around her statue became mysteriously bright and the holy items
placed at her feet also became shiny. At first, I thought that I was seeing an
optical illusion, but soon realized that it was truly happening. I rubbed and
wiped my eyes and looked again and again, but it was real.
Previously,
when I made pilgrimage to Naju, I sometimes doubted the miraculous signs out of
my human thinking. But after I saw the light around the Blessed Mother's
statue, I decided to make future pilgrimages with a greater devotion and
conviction and not to hurry them because of my other concerns.
This
afternoon, I spent several hours on the Blessed Mother's mountain and was about
to take the bus back to the Chapel. Then, a close friend of mine said, I
need to go to the bathroom. How about walking to the Chapel (instead of taking
the bus) and offering it up as a sacrifice? I answered, “Ah! That is a
good idea. Let's do that. Before you go to the bathroom, let's drink more of
the Blessed Mother's water. We drew some water and sang, “With the
Precious Blood of Jesus, with the Precious Blood of Jesus, heal all our souls
and bodies. Amen. Then, as we were turning around, we noticed an amazing
phenomenon of the sun. The sun was about to set behind the mountains and
radiated light in different colors. The beams of light were dancing up and down
and growing longer and shorter. The whole mountain area seemed to be covered
with a huge curtain of multicolored light. This phenomenon started at about 6:40 p.m. and lasted
for about 15 minutes. Many people saw this and shouted with joy. They sang
together, praising the Lord. I have had a pain on one side of my brain since my
childhood. Since this evening, I do not feel any pain at all. Thank you, Lord
and Blessed Mother!
My husband, who was
threatening me with divorce, is now helping me make pilgrimages to
Naju
Maria
Won, Seoul, Korea (August 4, 2002)
My
name is Maria Won, from the Yangjae-dong Parish in Seoul. I have visited Naju many times in the
past ten years, because I have had many things to pray for. I came when my
husband was faced with a default on a loan that he made to someone; I also came
when a friend of my son's died while playing with my son. Also, my second
daughter was experiencing excessive pains every month. Once I had to call for
an ambulance and take her to the emergency room, but the doctor did not find
any serious problem. She also expressed disbelief and animosity toward the
Blessed Mother. Sometimes she said that the Blessed Mother's feet (on her
statue) were ugly and criticized the Blessed Mother in other ways. I realized
that darkness was at work through my daughter and decided to take her on my
pilgrimage to Naju. She soon realized her fault and prayed for forgiveness on
her knees before the Blessed Mother's statue. I became more elated and was
about to begin working on the rest of the family.
Then,
in early 1998, my husband found an article in the Peace Weekly
(one of the Catholic newspapers in Korea), which was reporting on the
Kwangju Archbishop's negative declaration on Naju. He said to me, “Come and
sit here for a minute. From now on, if you go to Naju one more time, we will
have a divorce. Do you understand??/i> That night, in my dream, I saw the
Blessed Mother walking by me, weeping. I woke up immediately and looked at the
clock. It was 3 a.m. I could not sleep any more. I went to work in our store,
but my mind was filled with the thoughts about the Blessed Mother of Naju. I
thought, “Every time I was in trouble, I asked the Blessed Mother for help
and she helped me. After receiving so many graces, can I now be a daughter who
betrays her instead of consoling her??/i> I looked at the clock; it was almost
the time the pilgrimage bus would leave for Naju. Without any preparation or
any other thoughts, I ran to the bus and left for Naju.
In
the mean time, my husband found out about my absence in the store and called
our daughters to see if I was at home. Filled with anger, he said to them, “Tell
your mother never to come home again! I called my husband, “Honey! I am
going to the Blessed Mother of Naju even if I have to sign the divorce papers.
Divorce or no divorce is your decision!
Despite
many difficulties, I continued making pilgrimages to Naju, because I wanted to
be a daughter of the Blessed Mother who consoles her with an unchanging love.
Gradually, the Blessed Mother poured many blessings on my family. My husband
was repaid the money that he thought was lost; our second daughter's faith
continued growing; and my first daughter, her husband, and their children have
also experienced many miracles. I was getting more allies. Eventually, my
husband, who was threatening me with divorce, changed greatly, even carrying
water bottles to the bus and saying kindly, “Have a good pilgrimage!
Whenever
I make the monthly pilgrimage to Naju, I become filled with joy. When I miss
one, thinking that the pilgrimage involves too much work and missing it once
would not make much difference, the whole month afterwards becomes a mess.
Everything seems to go wrong. So, I have decided never to miss the pilgrimage.
After each pilgrimage, I am overjoyed with the thought that I have won a
victory over the devil.
Now,
when I am in Naju, I pray, Blessed Mother, help me come back next month.?At
home in Seoul,
for three days before each pilgrimage, I light a candle before the Blessed
Mother's statue and pray. Because of the busy work in the store, I do not have
much time to pray at work or at home. So, while lighting the candle, I say, Mother,
even when I am not praying, my heart is always with you.?She has answered
all my prayers. I hope that all of you brothers and sisters will always unite
your hearts with the Blessed Mother's. Then, I believe that she will certainly
guide you in everything. Thank you.
Jesus, please melt
people's hearts and let them repent
Veronica
Young-Ae Koo, Seoul, Korea
(November 3, 2002)
I
am from Keumho-dong in Seoul.
Before marriage, I lived in Gumi in Gyeongbuk
Province, where my
parents still live. My mother-in-law lives in Goheung in Jeonnam Province,
which is only about a two hours?drive from Naju. I have been sending the
Blessed Mother's water from Naju to both my mother in Gumi and my mother-in-law
in Goheung by mail. In September of last year when we went down to Goheung to
celebrate Chusok (a Korean holiday similar to Thanksgiving in
America) with my mother-in-law, she said to me with much joy, The pains in
my legs are gone after drinking the water that you sent me.?I was very
glad, because she had not seemed to have much faith before. Her friends in the
neighborhood asked her to share the water with them, but she was reluctant,
saying, This water is medicine. You are not supposed to share medicine with
others.
Several
months later, in January 2002, we went down to Goheung again to celebrate New
Year's Day. My mother-in-law told me that she had given some of the water to a
neighbor with cancer and that that person had been cured. After experiencing
the healing of her legs and witnessing the healing of a neighbor of cancer, my
mother-in-law said to me, Next time you go to Naju, take me there with you.?
I intend to go with her to Naju next spring.
Also
in Gumi, my sister-in-law (my younger brother's wife) was suffering from
diabetes and liver cancer. After she had surgery, I went down to Gumi to see
her. Her face was yellow and her belly was very swollen. I asked her if she had
been drinking the Blessed Mother's water from Naju. She said, My belly is
already filled with water. Why do you insist that I keep drinking that water?
I said, Don’t complain. Just make sure that you continue drinking the water.?
Several months later, my sister-in-law called me, Thank you so much. My
belly is not swollen any longer. Nor am I losing any more hair. I don’t need to
get anti-cancer injections, either. Thank you so much.?My brother added, Each
time she got a nutrition shot, it cost us 110,000 won (about US$100), but now
she only wants the water from Naju. I was so grateful.
I
used to feel nervous and timid when handing out the Naju publications to
parishioners after Mass.
But now I am not inhibited any more and do not care about what others say or
worry about persecution. I feel so happy and relieved, because I spread what I
believe is true.
Some
time ago, I was walking to the church for Mass, praying the rosary. I asked the
Lord, Jesus, please melt people's hearts and let them repent. Then, I
saw a man, who was walking toward the church, suddenly fall down on the road. I
rushed to him and tried to help him stand up, but he was too heavy for me. He
probably weighed 100 kg (220 lbs.) He said, You cannot do it. You cannot do
it,?and looked at my rosary and my face several times. Then, he asked,Ma’am,
what are you praying for? I answered, I pray for my family.?He
said, Do you pray for anything else? I said, I also pray for my
country and the reunification of my country.?He kept asking, Anything
else?I pray that all the people in the world repent and become good.?
Then, he grabbed my arms and began crying wildly. I prayed in my heart, Jesus,
please convert him. Let him repent and said to the man, I will give
you this rosary. I could smell a strong odor of soju (a Korean
liquor) from him. He said, I have been away from the church for five years.
I thought that people just go to church out of habit, but you are different.
He kept on crying. Then, I said good-bye to him and hurriedly walked toward the
church. I asked a woman who was behind me if she saw a man with crutches. She
said that he looked a little crazy, singing, “Alleluia, and calling
Jesus loudly. I thanked Jesus, believing that the man was changing. Some days
later, I ran into him again and learned that he was back to church and
sincerely practicing the faith. I thanked the Lord and the Blessed Mother of
Naju.
Glory
to the Lord and praise to the Blessed Mother of Naju!
The Blessed Mother thanked my
son with a gift
Catherine
Jung-Ah Yoon, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province,
Korea (November
3, 2002)
After
hearing many people give testimonies about the Blessed Mother's water, I could not
remain silent. Today I smelled a powerful fragrance of roses while bathing at
the Blessed Mother's spring. I also smelled a strong odor of milk from the
water.
My
son, a third grader, has been coming with me to Naju since he was a baby. He
has quite naturally developed a deep love for the Blessed Mother of Naju. He
has a photograph of the Blessed Mother on the wall in his room and frequently
talks about her.
A few weeks ago, while a woman, a friend of
mine, was visiting me, my son, who was not familiar with using the Internet
yet, managed to enter the Blessed Mother of Naju site and printed two
photographs of the Blessed Mother. He gave one photograph to my friend and the
other to me as gifts. When my friend was about to leave, my son rushed out of his
room, shouting, Mommy! Mommy! He said, The water tastes different.
You taste it. When I tasted it, it was a little bitter and sour. I also
smelled an intense fragrance of roses covering the water. I asked my son what
happened. He said that he brought to his room a cup of the Blessed Mother's
water and began drinking it. But he put down the half-full cup on the desk in
order to hurriedly print two photographs of the Blessed Mother before my friend
left. After he gave us the two photographs, he went back to his room and was
about to drink the water remaining in the cup. At that moment, he noticed the
unusual taste of the water and the fragrance of roses. I felt that the Blessed
Mother was moved by my son's simple love for her and thanked him with a gift.
The
water from the Blessed Mother's spring may ordinarily taste the same as plain
water, but I would like to stress that this water is surely the Blessed
Mother's milk that heals our sick souls and bodies.
The Lord was
testing my faith and
perseverance
Helena
Hyun-Soo Shin, Seoul, Korea (November 3, 2002)
In
1998, I was pregnant, but, because of a complication, the doctor advised me to
give up the baby. I did not accept that advice and gave birth to a baby. The
baby, however, died after about a year, and my left breast began to bleed. I
went to a hospital, but was told that it was not a serious problem. Trusting
the doctor's repeated assurances, I did not do anything about my breast problem.
In August of this year, I could even feel a lump in my left breast, but my
doctor was still not concerned about it.
One
day, a woman invited me to go to Naju with her, saying that I could be healed
there. So, I began making pilgrimages to Naju once a month. I heard that some
had been cured after three months of pilgrimages, others after six months. I
was still sick after six months.
Then,
recently, the man who was leading the prayer meeting said that Julia was
suffering severe pains in her left breast. I immediately believed that she was
suffering for me and I would be healed.
However,
I continued to be sick and feel pains in my breast. When I visited the hospital
again, I was diagnosed to be in an advanced stage of breast cancer and needed
surgery as soon as possible. My surgery was scheduled for one week later
because my kidneys were also found damaged, requiring dialysis. I prayed that
the Lord cure both my breast and my kidneys. I was intensely worried during
that week.
When
the doctor examined me again before surgery, he only found a mastitis (a breast
infection) and told me that I did not need the surgery. At that moment, I
realized that the Lord was testing my faith and perseverance since the time
when Julia was suffering pains in her breast for me.
I
did not need any treatment for cancer and was discharged from the hospital.
Before leaving the hospital, I visited the room where only Catholic patients
were admitted. (In some hospitals in Korea, there are rooms exclusively
for Catholics, Protestants, or Buddhists, for the patients who wish to use such
rooms.) I saw a woman crying for her daughter who had an incurable case of
anemia. I gave her some of the water from the Blessed Mother's spring in Naju.
The girl drank this water and her condition improved so much that she was able
to leave the hospital one week later.
Gratitude,
praise and glory to God!
Testimony by Bishop
Dominic Su
Bishop
Dominic Su, Diocese of Sibu,
Malaysia
(August 15, 2002)
On
the 15th August, 2002, at about 9:30 a.m., my two brother
priests—Fr. Francis and Fr. Philip were concelebrating with me in the open air
on the hill of Naju where mysterious things have been happening in recent
years. On that day, there were pilgrims from Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan,
Malaysia, Singapore and Korea participating in the
Eucharistic celebration, which ended at about 10:40 a.m.
Upon
hearing that fresh blood was found under the table where Bishop Roman Danylak
from Canada
celebrated Mass in 1995, we went to have a look. Within a few minutes, more and
more stones were seen to be covered with blood. At about 11:20 a.m. Julia Kim arrived at the
scene. She had a vision of our Lord Jesus whose heart was torn apart because of
sins and ungratefulness of His people and was bleeding profusely. The blood
dropped on the stones. Julia asked my two brother priests and myself to taste
the blood. It tasted like blood indeed. Meanwhile we were led by Julia to sing:
Blood of Jesus Christ my Lord (2x). Heal my body. Heal my soul. For
you love me so. Amen (3x).
I
remembered that it was the same spot where I also celebrated Mass on 22nd August, 1995. At that
time the Eucharist in the mouth of Julia Kim turned into live flesh and blood
for a few minutes.
I
believe that Lord Jesus allowed this extraordinary phenomenon to occur in order
to let us realize that His sufferings, like shedding His precious blood was not
just a past history which took place 2,000 years ago. What happened then is
still and will be relevant and effective till the end of the world. Through
this phenomenon, Jesus also wants to affirm the teaching of our Church's
Magisterium that He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb
of Mary without any intervention of man. I understand that some scientists have
been trying to make a thorough analysis of this blood. We should not be
surprised if they find the blood to be identical with that of Mary.
What
surprised me was that Julia Kim and her supporters so blindly obeyed their parish priest who forbids them to attend Mass anywhere even on Sundays.
God
commands us to put aside one day a week to worship Him. Our Church's
Magisterium puts it as an obligation for all Catholics to attend Mass on
Sundays and holy days of obligation. This priest wants to show that he is
more authoritative than the Almighty God Himself and our Church's Magisterium.
This was how the Jewish religious leaders exercised their authority by bringing
about the condemnation of Jesus.
Let
us continue to carry out this urgent appeal of our Lord Jesus and our Blessed
Mother to pray for conversion of sinners and peace in the world.
Signed
by
Bishop
Dominic Su
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