I remember that it was August 1, 1987 when I first visited the Blessed Mother’s statue in Naju at the suggestion of a Sister. At that time, the statue was in Julia’s apartment (Soogang Apartments in Naju). When I saw visitors praying peacefully and gracefully there, I got the impression that it was an ideal place to pray.

My second visit was on July 30, 1990, at the invitation of a layman whom I knew well. A new Chapel was under construction. The statue was temporarily in the dining room. Quite a few people were fervently praying the rosary. I joined them.

After Easter Sunday in April of 1991, I went on a trip to the United States. While staying with a Korean family in New York, I watched a video. The contents were about the Blessed Mother’s weeping tears and tears of blood in Naju. I felt very ashamed. People thousands of miles away were trying hard to practice the Blessed Mother’s messages, but what have I done, who live so close (to the Blessed Mother in Naju)? I could not describe how sorry and shameful I felt before the Blessed Mother. I thought that I would surely visit Naju after my return to Korea. Then, I forgot about it for a while. Only on May 23 of that year did I go back to Naju at the invitation of a layman whom I knew well. I knew later that it was the Blessed Mother who called me through him.

When I arrived in Naju on May 23, 1991, I began praying before the Blessed Mother’s statue. “Mother! My faith is weak. Open my hardened heart and guide me so that I may love and respect you more.” Then, I stepped closer to the Blessed Mother’s statue and looked at her. At that moment, I was very surprised, because I saw drops of tears forming in the Blessed Mother’s eyes. First I saw some whitish cover appearing over her eyes and then, drops of tears forming. To make sure that I was not dreaming, I touched the tears lightly with the cross on my rosary. Then, the tears flowed down. I began crying a lot, thinking how stupid I was and how little faith I had, without even knowing that I was living a sinful life. I realized that the Blessed Mother was weeping because of me. I remembered my life as a priest for the past twenty years or so like seeing a movie and realized my sins during that life. I could not control my tears. They were tears of repentance.

Then, Julia came out and began praying for me. Soon, she fell down on the floor and entered an ecstasy. Seeing that she was not waking up for more than thirty minutes, the volunteer workers said that she probably was receiving a message and suggested that Julia be carried into her house. While she was being carried, I was surprised again, because I saw clear marks of scratches on her arms and legs. Later I learned from her that she had been attacked by Satan. I have never seen anything like that and felt a little fearful and amazed. Julia said that Satan had attacked her, striking, hitting, and scratching her, to sever her from this priest who came. I could understand it, when I remembered what I read about Satan’s attacks on St. John Bosco, St. John Vianney, and other Saints.

Since then, I witnessed tears and fragrant oil flowing from the Blessed Mother’s statue several more times. I smelled the fragrance of roses from the Blessed Mother’s statue and around Julia and saw the change of the Sacred Host into visible Flesh and Blood in her mouth. These experiences prompted me to think more about my own past life.

Why is the Blessed Mother weeping not just tears but tears of blood and even blood from her nose? Why is she shedding tears for priests? Why is she bringing Eucharistic miracles? I think that the reasons are abortions, loss of faith, apostasy, sacrilegious Confessions, and sacrilegious Communions. Especially regarding priests, she gave us an explanation in her message on August 11, 1985:

Priests are now like a candlelight before wind. They are being subjected to temptations. The windows of rectories are left open. Through the open windows, three devils (of pride, materialism and lust) are peeking in. Close the windows of rectories.

I was very moved by these words. I had been living with the windows open, without even knowing it. The Blessed Mother helped me realize it. She was asking me to live a life totally consecrated to Jesus. Therefore, I offered up what I had been so attached to, one after another: smoking (two packs of cigarettes per day), drinking, cards, and television. I reduced drinking to a minimum and television to watching just the news. I think that more important than these external sacrifices are inner conversion, turning one’s whole life into prayers and walking the way of a little person with a childlike heart. In other words, it is a life according to the Words of Jesus: “The greatest in Heaven is the one who lowers himself and becomes like a child” (Matthew 18:4).

Ours is an age of no faith and no respect. People do not trust each other and do not trust God’s Words. It is becoming a world that rejects God’s Words. Furthermore, the mystery of the supernatural world is being ignored. The Holy Eucharist is performed out of habit and a tendency to despise its Mystery is spreading. People offer Mass with no preparation. Too many of the faithful receive Communion out of habit, without going to Confession. My life of offering prayers, the Divine Office, Mass and Communion with indifference began to change. I thank the Lord for the changes occurring in my life in response to the Blessed Mother’s call.

For the past several years, I have been carefully observing the events in the Blessed Mother’s House in Naju and the messages that Julia has been receiving, and believe that they have no conflict with the teachings of the Church. I do not see any problem in their authenticity.

Julia has been gladly offering up extreme pains of abortion, pains on her side, the pains of the Stigmata, and many more. It would have been impossible for her to endure these pains, if the Holy Spirit were not with her. Can we ourselves endure the pains that Julia has been experiencing? Can we suffer them, saying, “Lord, praise to You” or “Lord, Your Will be done!” like her?

I think that it has been because of the amazing graces from the Blessed Mother that numerous people who had abortions are repenting, people who left the Church are returning, broken families are becoming reunited, and people of other religions and different denominations are converting to the Catholic Faith.

Looking back at my past priestly life, I realize how wrong I was! I resolve that I will live a fervent life filled with joy and peace in the Lord instead of wandering outside. Herds of numerous sheep are walking toward hell even without knowing it. I will help them as a responsible priest to make good Confessions and receive the Lord with clean souls. I will do my best to draw them to the Lord.

Lord, Who comes to all of us with Love at every moment! Help us love You more. Let us realize that our life itself is a miracle and thank You always. Let us experience the Mystery of Your Life and Death and sing Your Pascha every day. Help us repent, pray and offer sacrifices and penance so that we may console the Blessed Mother who is weeping under the Cross. Amen.

‘What respect, love, and faith that these pilgrims had for priests!’

Fr. Roger B. Gaudet, St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, Fortville, Indiana (January 1998)

It appears to me that Magisterial Teaching requires absolute collegiality with their brother bishops along with the Pope. I do not have any idea what the Archbishop of Kwangju is talking about when he invokes the Magisterium in his Declaration on Naju (on January 1, 1998).

Another serious and disturbing question that I have is this idea inferred by Archbishop Youn that valid consecration of bread and wine is done only by a bishop or priest, hence what are these hosts falling down from the Crucifix or the Statue of Our Lady in Julia’s prayer house?

My spiritual director in seminary always emphasized that when it comes to private revelation and supernatural events that I always look carefully to the fruits of these phenomena. I traveled to Naju, Korea, for the celebration, prayer and songs on December 8, 1996, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I was not chosen by God, I believe, to see any miracles similar to the events of the past twelve years in Naju concerning Julia Kim. However, I experienced and witnessed something far more important than that; and that is, the gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out from many in attendance and the fruits of the Holy Spirit were evidenced in the hearts and minds of those present in what they said and what they did concerning Mary, our Mother, and Jesus, our Savior.

Many mystics through Church history have expressed in their writings how difficult it was to finally find a consecrated soul (a priest) who would or could accept what was happening spiritually to these holy people. They went through a terrible ordeal in their lives… Look at St. Joan of Arc who was burned at the stake. Look at St. Theresa of Avila who had spiritual directors as vastly different in thought and action and caused much sorrow and agony in her life!

Lastly, look at the statement Archbishop Youn makes regarding the authenticity of Julia Kim’s private revelation. The phenomena occurring over the past dozen years or so is so astounding that I for one cannot deny that it exists, yet, I have not been privileged to be a witness to these wonderful events, only to the wonderful fruits that have born forth.

Look at the messages of Fatima, Lourdes, and other apparition sites and study the text of all those visionaries and see the variances of human limitations. See how repetitious some of the messages say over and over again illustrating sound themes. And look at the Holy Bible and all its “inconsistencies”? Over and over in the Bible, the writers and prophets have shown forth their human limitations when it came to writing what they heard and saw given the trauma and traditions of their times!

There are hundreds and thousands of witnesses to the events in Naju since 1985… Can anyone tell me that trying to manipulate a statue crying tears of blood and fragrant oil can be faked? Can anyone tell me that the Sacred Host in Julia’s mouth turning into blood is a hoax? Do you know any of the world’s most clever people who could produce a fake host with Bishops, Archbishops, and priests looking on in amazement and some of these have been sworn affidavits as to what they saw and experienced?

This is a very sad day for Julia and Naju as well as Our Lady of Naju. This Archbishop appears to me to be frightened and frightened of what I do not know! It might not be a problem in Korea, however. Eucharistic miracles and visions of Mary have been happening all throughout the centuries until now and why not in Korea? Julia from the beginning of these miracles has completely turned her life and will over to Our Father in Heaven by relying wholly on the will of her spiritual director and others to direct her and has she not obeyed Archbishop Youn in all his demands to date?

There is one other possibility as I review this disturbing news in Naju and that is maybe the Naju Investigating Committee wrote the report and the Archbishop simply signed it. How come there is no mention of Archbishop Youn’s favorable remarks about the tears and messages in Naju and about positive reports by some very reputable prelates and priests throughout the world including his very own Apostolic delegate for Korea?

I am not a theologian but a simple priest of faith who has eyes and ears to witness the things of God and preach about them. I am reminded of the saying that to unbelievers, there could never be enough proof; however, to those who hunger for God’s touch in their lives, proof is not necessary. The sad fact is that all of these allegations by the Archbishop’s Investigating Committee just simply get in the way of what Our Blessed Lady and the Lord are trying to do for us. Eucharistic abuses are so blatant in this century that it simply escapes the eyes and ears of your average Catholic. The polls here in America are astounding when it comes to how many Catholics really do not believe in the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Catholics these days are truly confused with modernistic movements and those who act like they are the living end to revelation, i.e. — some Holy Ghost evangelicals who believe they have all the gifts of the Holy Spirit! And then you have some of these folks and other groups who make a mockery out of the Sacraments and yet still those Catholics that I have personally encountered on an every-day basis that bastardize the Holy Scriptures and how sad that is also!

The sacrileges are so numerous in your average Catholic parish that it sickens me to think of it. What initially interested me in Julia in Naju was the fact that all that she is about has to do with her faith not only with Mary, her Heavenly Mother, but, the fact that Jesus is truly and wholly present in the Eucharist. The fact is the bread and wine are no longer bread and wine, it is truly Jesus’ Body and Blood.

I spent two complete all night vigils with Julia and observed her with much scrutiny and fell in love with her goodness and humbleness. I watched her as I was side by side with her ministering to those present at these all night vigils and saw that she was all giving and all caring when it came to the sick and suffering. I heard the testimonies of those at these all night vigils in 1996 and oh how I was so impressed with the simple stories of healing and of love.

As a priest, I can’t tell you what respect, love, and faith that these pilgrims had for priests. I have never been so loved in all my life as a priest as I was loved in Naju as a priest. . . this one experience of the people of God in Naju at Julia’s prayer vigil services would carry me on indefinitely. What more can I say. I hope that this small testimony will have some effect to glorify Our Father and honor Our Most Blessed Mother, Queen of the Ark of Salvation.

‘A letter from a Carmelite Mother Superior in India’

Sr. Theresita, Superior, St. Joseph’s Carmel Ashram, Kumbakonam, India (February 10, 1998)

Dear Julia,

I am very glad to introduce myself to you as Sister Theresita of St. Joseph’s Carmel Ashram in Kumbakonam (Tamil Nadu), India. I want by this letter to bring to your knowledge a miracle that happened in my own family through the intercession of Our Lady of Naju. I am the eldest daughter of a mother of six children. My mother is sixty years old.

On the 7th of July 1997, my mother went to visit my youngest sister at Vakkampatti. There she had much pain in her legs. She had this pain often. Then, some of my relatives came to see her. My mother was smiling without saying anything. Then, they found out that my mother was not able to speak or walk. Immediately they rushed her to a hospital nearby. There the doctor gave her an injection and prescribed tablets for high blood pressure and advised that she must take complete rest and must not be left alone. The doctor also said that if something happens to her, she needs to be brought to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Dindigul. At about 11:00 p.m. that day, she had a stroke; she was paralyzed. She was admitted into St. Joseph’s Hospital in its intensive care unit. Our Parish priest came and administered to her the Sacrament of the Sick.

The doctor concluded that there was no hope for recovery and that my mother would pass away soon or a little later. She was in the state of complete paralysis, because blood clots were formed in her brain. At the Carmel, I was praying hard for my mother together with other Sisters. Suddenly I remembered the picture of Our Lady of Naju given to me together with the Messages of Love book and other leaflets brought by Mr. Rock Paul from France during his annual visit to India last January. He is of Indian origin and has two aunts and a cousin as Carmelites in our convent. He is like a brother to all of us. There are nineteen Carmelites here.

I sent at once the picture of Our Lady of Naju to my sister, asking her to apply the picture to the body of our mother and pray hard to Our Lady. While my mother was unable to move her hands and legs without anybody’s help, my aunt and my sister showed her the picture of Our Lady of Naju, praying for her speedy recovery. My mother tried many times to join her hands for prayer. Surprisingly, she became able to do it without any trouble and prayed to Our Lady with her eyes full of tears of joy. After this she improved fast. She started to speak and walk. The doctors were totally amazed and said that it was not by human power but by God’s.

This is my testimony about the miraculous cure of my mother. If you wish that it be read in meetings or published in papers or books, I agree willingly without any restrictions. I pray together with all the Carmelite Sisters here that the legitimate request by Our Lady of Naju that Masses be said and a tabernacle be installed in her Chapel be granted soon.

In constant union of prayers with you together with all my Sisters of the Carmel,

Your loving sister,

Sr. Theresita

‘The Last Supper for the Third Passover?’

A MESSAGE FROM THE BLESSED MOTHER
IN NAJU KEEPS ECHOING IN MY MIND

Justus Il-Kyu Park, Seoul, Korea

The Blessed Mother exuded fragrant oil through her statue from November 24, 1992, to October 23, 1994, a total of exactly 700 days.

What is the Last Supper? It is a banquet of love and sharing. In order to give the totality of my love, which is so high, deep and wide, to my beloved Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious and all my children in the world, together with my Son Jesus, I am squeezing all of myself and giving them fragrance and oil. The fragrance and oil that I give for the sake of all are gifts from God and are also my presence, love and friendship.

—The Blessed Mother’s message on April 8, 1993, Holy Thursday

It has been revealed in the Holy Scripture that there are three kinds of exoduses which are related to each other in the synthesis of God’s plans and providence for the salvation of the human race:

1. the exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land led by Moses;

2. the exodus from sufferings and death to the glorious resurrection accomplished by Christ; and

3. the exodus of the Church from the sinful world to a new heaven and a new earth.

The first two have been accomplished already. In fact, they are the signs and promises that precede the final exodus. It can be said that all Christians—the Apostles, the Saints, priests, religious and laity are marching toward this singular goal: the third exodus. Of course, this third exodus is totally dependent on the merits of Christ. It can be thought of as an unfolding application of the merits of Christ’s redemptive suffering to the deliverance of the world from evil.

It was June 12, 1994, when I first visited Naju. Mr. Bernard from Switzerland, working at a retreat house in Japan, introduced me to Fr. Raymond Spies. Then, Fr. Spies directed me to Naju. The Blessed Mother’s statue in Naju that I first saw was blue and white in color and was about fifty centimeters (about twenty inches) in height. It looked like an ordinary statue that one could easily find elsewhere.

This was the statue that was widely known for tears and tears of blood. But on the day of my visit, there were no traces of tears. I looked more closely and saw streams of oil from the left side of her head, flowing down on her forehead, both sides of her left eye, and her left cheek, reflecting light in the Chapel. I was not sure if it was from the oil, but the area around the statue and, actually, the whole Chapel was filled with quite a strong fragrance of roses, which one could easily smell even without paying attention. On June 14, two priests and about thirty other pilgrims from Japan arrived together with Fr. Spies. It was almost noon, when Julia also came out, and the atmosphere in the Chapel became quite animated. Some people were on their knees, praying the rosary, and others were taking photos in front of the Blessed Mother’s statue. Julia was talking mostly with priests. She looked like a usual mother in a rural town, who seemed to have worked at a barley mill. I also took photographs with others and exchanged greetings. I had a long talk with Fr. Luige de Rucoru, an elderly theologian, about the Blessed Mother until we parted with each other.

Several weeks later, I received some gifts from Fr. de Rucoru and Mr. Goga, an elderly layman in Japan, both of whom I had met in Naju. Fr. de Rucoru surprised me by sending 257 volumes of books, mostly on the Blessed Mother, and Mr. Goga sent me a small package containing several photographs taken on the day of their visit to Naju and a letter written politely with a brush. The three packages of books from Fr. de Rucoru were heavy and were sent by sea mail. They were very surprising and rare gifts. But let me move on to the other subject that may be even more surprising.

There were two identical photographs among others that Mr. Goga, an elderly layman in Japan, sent me. They were two identical prints of a photograph of the Blessed Mother’s statue which was exuding fragrant oil. I could not understand why Mr. Goga included these two same photos in the package. Anyhow, these two photos were nicely wrapped in transparent vinyl bags just like other photos. What was surprising was that only these two photos were wet with some clear oil. How is this possible? What happened? Oil flows from photographs, from dry paper, as if the paper was alive?… I observed this for several days, but it was a certain fact. My family and other people also confirmed this. Several days later, I went down to Naju and showed these photographs to Julia in her living room. As soon as she received the photos in her hands, the room became filled with a powerful fragrance of roses. The fragrance was spreading even to the outside of the room. Some of the volunteer workers were surprised and rushed into the room. They said that this oil was identical to the oil that was exuding from the Blessed Mother’s statue. When Mr. Goga heard about this, he carefully examined an identical photograph that he kept in his album but could not find anything unusual. Why is the Blessed Mother giving this gift of her fragrant oil and fragrance through these photos only to me? Is the Blessed Mother really giving her fragrant oil and fragrance as a special gift for me? What do this fragrance and fragrant oil mean? Anyhow, there has been no change to this fragrance and fragrant oil even now, three years after it began. Many people know about this.

At the beginning of this writing, I quoted the sentence from the messages in Naju: “What is the Last Supper?” “The Last Supper”—This term appears once in the Old Testament and once in the New Testament. In Exodus 12:11, “Thus you shall eat it: you shall gird your reins, and you shall have shoes on your feet, holding staves in your hands, and you shall eat in haste.” This meal refers to the last supper that the Israelites shared with each other before leaving Egypt. In the New Testament, the meal refers to the Last Supper that Our Lord shared with His disciples as the meal of the Passover before His arrest.

The Last Supper that was shared as the Passover meal! These are not the words of someone who is unfamiliar with the Bible. Rather, they are the words of someone who penetrates both the Old Testament and the New Testament. “What is the Last Supper?” Who can dare ask this question and give a clear answer? The Blessed Mother is giving us a teaching of profound significance and high intensity by means of her message through Julia in Naju on April 8, 1993, and through Fr. Stefano Gobbi on April 13, 1995, both of which were the Feast of the Priesthood in commemoration of the Lord’s establishment of the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders, on the profound meaning of the Last Supper that is to be shared as the Passover meal. In her message through Fr. Gobbi, the Blessed Mother quotes from the Bible, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer,” and also says, “The entire life of Jesus was destined toward this sublime and irreversible moment,” and “Jesus has been walking toward that pinnacle every day.” She repeatedly emphasizes, “Jesus has always desired to reach the point where His Passover is completed.” She again reminds us of the words in the Gospel: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer.” With these words of profound significance, she awakens us to the meaning of “the Last Supper” and says, “The hour that Jesus has desired so eagerly in this end time has begun. That is because, with His merciful Love, He is preparing the greatest victory.” In conclusion, she says, “Therefore, you too should desire eagerly to eat this Passover meal before suffering.”

What is then the third Passover meal of this age that the Blessed Mother is asking us to desire eagerly and share with each other? During the first Passover before leaving Egypt, the meal that the Israelites shared in haste, with reins on their waist, shoes on their feet, and staves in their hands, was lamb meat, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. During the second Passover, the meal that the Lord shared with His disciples as the Last Supper before His arrest was bread and wine turned into Christ’s Body and Blood. Then, what is the meal during the third Passover of this age, which the Blessed Mother asked us to eagerly desire in her words through Fr. Gobbi? I believe that a very clear and perfect answer to that question can be found in the words from the Blessed Mother’s message through Julia Hong-Sun Yoon Kim on April 8, 1993, which was quoted at the beginning of this writing. I have read the messages of Naju ten times so far, searching for the meaning of the fragrance and fragrant oil from the simple photographs of Our Lady’s statue that I received as gifts. I would like to point out, with a deep sense of caution and humility, to the Church and the faithful the meaning of these words in the messages that I have found, filled with profound gratitude and love.

What is the Last Supper? It is a banquet of love and sharing. In order to give the totality of my love, which is high, deep and wide, to my beloved Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, priests, religious and all my children in the world, together with my Son Jesus, I am squeezing all of myself and giving them fragrance and oil.

The Last Supper is a banquet of love and sharing, and she is squeezing all of herself to give the fragrance and the fragrant oil to all—from the Pope to the children in the world—so that they may share it with one another.

The Last Supper during the second Passover was the Lord’s Body and Blood. Then, the Passover meal that we are to share as the Last Supper during this third Passover is the fragrance and fragrant oil that the Blessed Mother personally gives us by squeezing herself. Then, it would not be difficult to infer that it is the Blessed Mother who is leading us in the third Passover. If one thinks that some logical jump, exaggeration or rash judgment is included in this reasoning, more debates will be necessary. Continuing the reasoning, God, Yahweh, led His people through Moses during the first Passover and Christ led the second Passover. Then, it becomes clear that the third Passover, which will transform this sinful world into a new heaven and a new earth which will be with the Lord, will be led by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is a created being but is elevated to the Divine Motherhood and is the Second Eve, as mentioned in the Proto-Gospel (Genesis 3:15). When one has an open mind, free from prejudice, it will be clear beyond doubt that the above-quoted message in Naju is a solemn declaration of the Last Supper and a marching order to her beloved Church and the human race during the third Passover. Therefore, I think that not only the Catholic Church in Korea but also the Holy Father and the whole Church need to humbly and attentively listen to what is summarily contained in these words.

When the Lord was being rejected in Nazareth, He said the following words which are terribly frightening to us:

During the time of Elijah when the heaven was closed and there was a severe drought for three-and-a-half years there were many widows in Israel. But Elijah was sent not to others but only to a widow living in Sarebda in Sidon. There were many lepers in Israel at the time of Prophet Elijah. But among them only a Syrian was cured.

How should we understand these words of the Lord? As God chose the Blessed Mother, the Blessed Mother can choose Naju and Julia. Shouldn’t we remind ourselves that it is God, the Lord, and the Blessed Mother Who choose according to Their Will? Shouldn’t all of us fear God, know how to humbly bend our own will, follow God’s Will, and truly serve Him? Shouldn’t we thus stand on a beautiful and good foundation that is unshakable? I think that we all must keep in mind the Lord’s Words, “We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do” (Luke 17:10), follow the Holy Father, become liberated from the sense of vested rights, and, thus, return to this very free and fragrant place for accepting God’s Words.

I look back at what the Lord did two thousand years ago. He first changed water into wine, then, finally shared the Last Supper with His disciples and, then, was arrested to complete His Sacrifice. He shed His Precious Blood on the Cross as the Victim for all, and, finally, overcame the Death, opened the gate of the tomb, and came out.

I also look back at what the Blessed Mother has done in Naju. First she showed her tears, then, tears of blood, then, fragrance and oil, and then, the Eucharistic signs. Unlike any other apparition sites in Church history, these signs were given in powerful ways, one after another, regardless of the world’s responses. Now, the Last Supper is nearing its end. Doesn’t this mean that there only remains the Passion and the Death, which will lead to the glorious Resurrection?

Let us listen again to the solemn declaration of the Last Supper that the Blessed Virgin Mary is making to the Holy Father and all the children in the world of this age:

There are several words in the above message that demand special attention: “together with my Son Jesus.” At the climax of the second Passover, namely, during the Crucifixion, the Blessed Mother stood as the Co-Redemptrix with the Apostle John at the side of the Lord hanging on the Cross. Likewise, this time, the Lord is standing at the side of the Blessed Mother, who is leading us in the third Passover, by giving us the fragrance and oil as the food by squeezing all of herself.

“The fragrance and oil that I give to all are gifts from God and are also my presence, love and friendship.” This means that God is giving to this world in this age the presence of the Blessed Mother as His gift of love. As He gave His Only Son as the gift during the second Passover, He is giving the Blessed Mother, who is a descendent of Eve and is strengthened at the foot of her Son’s Cross, as a gift to the Holy Father and all the people of this age. She will not fall into the serpent’s temptation; rather, she will crush his head. It means a majestic accomplishment of God’s Will to rescue the human race, which was lost because of the weak and immature Eve, through the Blessed Mother, who is a creature but is elevated to the Divine Motherhood. We can surmise that God wills to achieve a more precious and glorious victory through the Blessed Virgin Mary, a descendant of Eve whom He created with love as “the bone of his (Adam’s) bone and the flesh of his flesh,” instead of achieving the victory Himself. The Blessed Mother herself clarifies her mission:

Today focus your eyes on this Heavenly Mother, who is enwrapped with the extremely pure light of the Paschal joy and is again declaring in a quiet and motherly way His glorious return to you. (Her message through Fr. Gobbi on April 7, 1996)

We can clearly see from His life on earth that the Lord does not flatter or compromise with the world or with any other existing force that goes against His Will. As she chose little children and spoke through them in Lourdes and Fatima, I think that the Blessed Mother can choose a poor country woman to make a solemn pronouncement of the Last Supper of the third Passover that will conclude an era to the whole world.

As he drew near, he saw the city (Jerusalem) and wept over it, saying, “If this day you only knew what makes for peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days are coming upon you when your enemies will raise a palisade against you; they will encircle you and hem you in on all sides. They will smash you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:41-44)

How wonderful it would be, if everyone in this age can listen to these Words of the Lord as a warning!

I would like to end this writing by quoting the words of St. John suggesting to all that we listen to the loud voice from the throne in Heaven, as the revelations were approaching the end.

Behold, God’s tabernacle is among men. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them. (Revelation 21:3)

There are the Blessed Mother’s tears and her tears of blood. There are her fragrance and oil. There are her words that filled a book. As if she was trying to liberate the whole human race from the bondage of exile by the old serpent, seven times she has solemnly manifested her Son Jesus (in the Eucharist), Whom she carried in her womb, as we have always prayed for. Then, even if that place is a poor cottage in a small town, we must all know that it is God’s tabernacle among us on earth and a dwelling place of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was conceived immaculately.

According to her Son’s request while He was hanging on the Cross and shedding blood for our sake, the Blessed Mother is trying to gather all her children of this age who are like John the Apostle in her Immaculate Heart by squeezing herself and giving them fragrance and oil. I wish to ask everyone to open his eyes and recognize the Mother at the banquet of love and to participate in and walk at the head of the journey from this loveless, dry desert to the new heaven and new earth that will be opened with God’s Love, instead of falling behind.

‘My experience with Naju’

Hak Yoon, a lawyer in Seoul, Korea
(Reprinted from the Catholic Digest in Korea, February 1999 issue)

I first heard about Naju from a priest who was studying theology in Rome. At that time, I was a lukewarm Catholic, not even attending Mass regularly. This priest was spending his vacation in Korea. It was amazing that I even made a confession to him. I wept a lot while making the confession. The tears that I was shedding were coming from my deep-seated desire to amend my life.

After Mass, the priest rode with me in my car. I invited him to visit my house and bless it, as we had moved into it only a little while earlier. So he came and blessed the house. Then, he took out a small ball of cotton and asked me to smell it. It was a fresh, mysterious fragrance of roses permeating my whole body. I had never smelled this fragrance before.

The priest said that the cotton ball had absorbed fragrant oil from the Blessed Mother’s statue in Naju. Then, he told me about his mysterious experiences in Naju. He also explained the meaning of the tears and tears of blood that were flowing from the Blessed Mother’s statue. The priest’s voice was gentle and clear. This gentleness and clarity of his words sounded to me like an invitation to become interested in Naju.

I decided to find some time to visit Naju. If what I was hearing about Naju were true, it be an important event that could change my whole mindset toward everything in the world.

However, I also thought that there was a possibility of someone intentionally fabricating tears and tears of blood, throwing down the hosts, and spraying perfume. It was not possible for me to believe such significant events without personally checking them out.

I visited Naju with my mind filled with curiosity. I examined the ceiling from which it was said that the Eucharist had come down. I also examined the possibilities of artificially spraying the perfume of roses. I did the examination as a lawyer, but could not find any evidence of fabrication. Later during the same trip, I visited the “miraculous” spring on a mountain near Naju and smelled the fragrance of roses while praying there. I also smelled the same fragrance after I came back to Seoul and was working in my office. My doubts were weakening.

After these mysterious experiences, I began attending early morning Masses on weekdays. The experiences in Naju gave me new eyes with which to view the world.

Then, last year, I was greatly shocked by the Kwangju Archbishop’s Declaration on Naju. According to the Declaration, the changes in my life came from a foolishness with which I believed in fabrications and plagiarism.

For several days, I struggled in confusion. I read the Declaration again and again to get out of the confusion. However, the more I read the Declaration, the more strongly I felt that the Declaration contained many problems. When I read the Bible, I feel more and more convinced that it is the truth, the more I read it. However, when I was reading the Declaration, I had a depressing and stifling feeling that I feel when I read something that is not true.

The Declaration was announced in the name of the Church, but did not have the warm concern for the faithful or the fervor for the truth that we find in dignified documents. It was restricting people’s basic rights to read, write and see without sincerely and clearly explaining the reasons. Furthermore, the Declaration quoted from Church doctrines, distorting the sentences and presenting meanings that are totally different from the originally intended meanings.

After finding these several obvious errors in the Declaration, I could not help thinking that the Kwangju Archdiocese made a wrong judgment. I could not erase the thought in my mind that the Archdiocese, which should be leading the faithful in practicing love and respecting the truth, made a decision that contradicted the truth and treated the faithful carelessly. And it did it in the name of the teaching authority…

I continued examining more information about Naju and found the following amazing facts. When Archbishop Giovanni Bulaitis, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Korea, visited Naju, the Eucharist came down (November 24, 1994). The Apostolic Pro-Nuncio did not have any doubts but consumed a piece of the Sacred Host and gave Communion to people who were in the Chapel. With just one Sacred Host, he gave Communion to about seventy people. (Two little pieces of the Sacred Host have been preserved.) In 1990, Bishop Daniel Hak-Soon Chi of the Wonju Diocese in Korea saw the Blessed Mother shedding tears and tears of blood through her statue. He prayed, wept, and wrote down, “I clearly saw and firmly believe” (January 20, 1990). Bishop Paul Chang-Yeol Kim of the Cheju Diocese in Korea also came to Naju and witnessed the Eucharist that miraculously appeared before his eyes (June 12, 1997).

After learning these facts, I had the following thoughts. Why did the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio, other bishops and priests visit Naju? It must have been for the purpose of becoming more faithful to their priestly duty of being good leaders for the faithful. Also, their humble minds with which they could understand the Blessed Mother’s sufferings as God’s children must have led them to Naju.

However, the Kwangju Archbishop and the priests who became the leading members of the Naju Investigating Committee had ignored the events in Naju for more than ten years, even though these events were happening within their own diocese. Only after learning about the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio’s visit, they hurriedly formed the committee.

Many theologians and priests have been pointing out that the Kwangju Declaration contains errors. They have also been pointing out that what needed to be scientifically examined were rejected without any scientific tests. Even some of the Naju Investigating Committee members are admitting that there are problems in the Declaration. Some of them even say that they are ashamed. This is a fact.

Archbishop Victorinus Kong-Hee Youn of Kwangju must be well aware of all these. We hear that he gave a strict order to the priests in his diocese not to discuss Naju publicly. I cannot erase the thought that the Kwangju Archdiocese is still doing something wrong.

Where did they find such audacity to tell the numerous people who had clearly seen the descending Sacred Hosts and tears on the Blessed Mother’s statue to accept the bishop’s judgment without presenting any rational explanation? The old saying that one who has not been to the South Gate Market (in Seoul) pretends to know more about it than others may well fit the current situation.

The Kwangju Archdiocese has been completely silent about the numerous criticisms coming from both inside and outside Korea. Are they expecting blind obedience by the faithful?

The Kwangju Archdiocese has prohibited public celebrations in Naju. In obedience, Julia Kim has been refraining from all public activities. On the other hand, pilgrims continue to stream to Naju. The Declaration was translated into foreign languages and mailed to all corners of the world (by the Kwangju Archdiocese), but foreign priests and lay people continue visiting Naju.

It appears that the number of pilgrims to Naju will continue rising. Are the pilgrims making the mistake of being disobedient? Or is the Kwangju Archdiocese making a mistake by refusing to correct its errors?

On one First Saturday, people were quietly praying the rosary in the Chapel in Naju. When the rosary was over, one man stood up and suggested that they pray for Archbishop Youn.

He invited people to picture in their minds the Archbishop’s boyhood in Jinnampo, a city in northern Korea, when he was walking to and from school, with his school books wrapped and carried on his back and with his heart filled with humility, love, and desire to become a priest. He began singing a children’s song, A Winter Tree:

Standing alone in a shadow on the snow-covered ground;

In this winter when no visitors are coming, are you the only one whistling with the winds?

He began singing quietly, but soon was joined by everyone in the Chapel. There was a boy who came with his parents. There also was an old lady. There was a girl from afar. They came from many different places, but were of one mind, praying for the Archbishop.

They had no hatred or resentment in their hearts. Even the official measures were not an immediate concern to them. They were only praising God and trying to imitate the immaculately pure Heart of their Heavenly Mother.

As I was watched them sing, I was moved to pray that repression of the truth in the name of the truth may no longer occur at least in the Church.

‘Miracles in Lashio, Burma’

Lily Wu, Van Nuys, California, U.S.A. (March 11, 1999)

I went to Naju with a group of thirty-three pilgrims from Los Angeles on October 16, 1998, to celebrate the twelfth anniversary of Our Lady’s first weeping tears of blood in Naju.

After the weeklong pilgrimage to Naju I was going to continue my journey to Burma to visit my family. So I bought a replica statue of Our Lady of Naju for my brother, who is a Catholic priest. On the last night of the pilgrimage in the hotel at Kwangju, my friends, Sun and Edna from Los Angeles, helped me repack my luggage. As we opened the package that contained the statue, a strong fragrance of roses came out of the box.

On October 25, I arrived in Lashio, my hometown, which is the capital city of the Northern Shan State in Burma. I gave the replica statue to my brother, Father Norman Joseph Wu, who was on vacation and visiting the family. A couple of days later I visited my friend’s family and showed them all the miraculous photographs of Our Lady of Naju. I gave to my friend’s daughter, DiDi, a medal with the picture of Our Lady of Naju. The next day after my visit, DiDi related the story of Naju to her friend, rubbing the medal with her fingers without any intention. Just then they smelled the fragrance of roses around them and from her fingers with which she rubbed the medal.

A few days later, I was invited to the Catholic Parents’ Association to give a talk on Our Lady of Naju during one of their monthly retreats in the parish hall. I took the replica statue and the fifty photographs there on October 31. I displayed the miraculous photographs that I brought from Naju on four large cardboard sheets. I explained to them (about 50 people) about the pictures and shared some of the messages which the Blessed Mother gave to Julia Kim. Some people in the crowd, including some priests, were so touched that tears were rolling down their cheeks.

From then on, the news about Our Lady of Naju spread all over. Priests, nuns, lay Catholics, and non-Catholics kept coming to my house asking for more information, pictures, rosaries, medals and the water from the miraculous spring in Naju. I was very sad not to be able to provide all of them with what they asked for. All I could do was to order more copies of the photographs of the Blessed Mother. No matter how many copies I ordered, it was never enough. I was giving away about one thousand photos and this I gave to only those who asked. One picture per family only. It was overwhelming to see how much the people there trusted and loved Our Lady of Naju.

On a Sunday, the photographs from Naju were displayed outside the church for the first time. After the Mass, a schoolteacher named Caroline Ba Tin was praying in front of the photographs with her daughter, Pauline. Pauline was suffering pains from TB glands around her neck. The glands that she had for years were so obvious like big lumps all around her neck. Caroline kept touching the pictures of the Blessed Mother weeping tears of blood and the appearance of the Eucharist turned into those of flesh and blood and then touched her daughter’s neck while praying with tears for the cure of her daughter. The very next day the glands and the pains were gone. They had her doctor examine Pauline, and the doctor was amazed to see that Pauline was cured with no explanation.

People gathered in different houses day after day and invited me to talk about Our Lady of Naju. Sometimes they gathered in a church. Every time I took with me the replica statue and the photographs and I left them in the house overnight. One wonderful thing was, every house that kept the statue overnight would have the whole night vigil. During my three months stay in Lashio, I was out every evening with a prayer group sharing the messages of Our Lady of Naju.

On the night of November 15, 1998, the replica statue started to give a sweet fragrance up to date. Sometimes the fragrance was very strong and other times very mild. Some of the religious articles became fragrant just from touching the replica statue of Our Lady of Naju.

Almost every house that had the statue overnight experienced some supernatural encounters, like the flowers on the Buddhist altar were shaking with no reason; some houses would become filled with the fragrance of roses or lilies or incense; the altar shook vigorously at one house when the statue was placed on the altar; and a woman who was a Protestant saw the Blessed Mother coming out of the statue three times, and the pains on her knees which she had for years were gone. Some saw radiant light coming out of the statue; one woman and her granddaughter were woken up by a strong fragrance of roses and heard a soft feminine voice asking them to get up and pray the rosary at dawn; the same family smelled the fragrance of roses becoming stronger when they prayed for priests.

There were also conversions and healings. One man who did not believe at first admitted later that his heart was filled with love and tenderness like never before when the statue of the Blessed Mother bent her head and looked at him and gave a strong fragrance of roses at the same time.

One woman who was an alcoholic invited the prayer group with the replica statue to her house to pray the rosary for half an hour. That very evening she vomited when she took some alcohol and could not take it any more since.

A young Protestant girl, who was always attacking Catholics, was converted after hearing about the events in Naju. She is taking instructions to become a Catholic.

A young Protestant boy, who is studying catechism and aims to become a priest got the fragrance of roses every time he looked at the picture of Our Lady of Naju while praying the rosary.

A retired nurse who was also a Protestant had lost her sight due to diabetes. Her daughters brought her to my house and prayed to Our Lady. The next day I heard that she could see some figures moving around, and a few weeks later when she went for a medical checkup, to everybody’s surprise, no diabetes was found.

A five month-old baby, whose health was very poor since birth, could not control his bowels. Because he coughed and cried day and night, the mother and the grandmother had to take turns at night to take care of the baby. The mother took the baby to a clinic many times, but it did not make any difference. Even though they were Protestants, they went to the house where they had the all-night vigil and prayed to Our Lady of Naju. The next day, amazingly the baby boy was like a normal baby, no coughing, no cries, and no diarrhea. Now he is a cheerful little healthy baby thanks to the Blessed Mother.

One family donated a solid golden crown to the Blessed Mother. On January 16, 1999, I invited a priest, several nuns, and members of our prayer group to celebrate the coronation of Our Lady of Naju.

Rose Lee in Los Angeles gave me a rosary which she received from Julia in Naju. I gave the rosary to my brother, Fr. Norman, who loves the Blessed Mother very dearly. Fr. Norman returned to his diocese leaving the statue at my house with my family for a while, because he saw people were so devoted to Our Lady of Naju. But the fragrance of roses followed him. On the day Fr. Norman left our hometown by bus, the whole bus became filled with the fragrance of roses when he took out the rosary and began praying. One of the priests, Fr. Paul, told me that every house where Fr. Norman visited and prayed was soon filled with the fragrance of roses. And whatever religious articles that he touched with his rosary from Naju received the fragrance.

Our Lady has given us so many miracles that we ought to take heed of her messages and warning. Let’s spread the messages of the Blessed Mother hurriedly and courageously in whatever ways we can. Let’s offer our whole lives to the Blessed Mother and let her use us as she wishes to bring back mankind to the true God. Let’s console our Holy Mother who is weeping tears of blood for us by practicing her messages with love.

‘I was a proud rationalist’

Lucia Hak-Ja Kim, Chuncheon, Gwangwon Province, Korea (April 12, 1999)

I belong to the so-called new generation. In high school, I learned about the Renaissance, Enlightenment and rationalism in a positive context. Now, I am an engineering student specializing in communications technology. I have been a cradle Catholic, but, to me, religion was not much more than restrictions on my life. I think there were two main reasons for that. First, I considered the Bible a collection of fables written for educational purposes. Second, I was influenced by rationalism without realizing it. I am used to studying electric currents and data flow in computers, which are not visible to our eyes but can be confirmed through experiments. After learning about their existence and movement, equations can be formulated. With regard to faith, it was not possible to find proofs through experiments. For the past twenty some years, my faith was out of habit, going to Mass on Sundays and occasionally making Confessions in a hurried way.

It was only recently that I happened to open the Naju homepage on the Internet. I was shocked to see the photos of the Blessed Mother shedding tears and tears of blood through her statue and the Sacred Host turning into visible flesh and blood in Julia Kim’s mouth. It was an experience that began changing my entire faith life. The Blessed Mother was telling me, weeping tears of blood, that the Church doctrines concerning her were not human fictions but had a heavenly origin and that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist. I have not witnessed the Sacred Hosts miraculously coming down in the Chapel in Naju as Raphael Song and many others did, but the photographs of the miracles were sufficient for me to become shaken up. The Blessed Mother’s tears were signs that were melting my hardened heart and transforming my mind that had perceived faith only in intellectual terms. Only after seeing the signs from the Blessed Mother did my eyes become open to the words in the Bible. What was recorded in the Bible were not only historical events two thousand years ago but are also living words for my present reality. Jesus is truly God and truly man; He truly died on the Cross; and He truly resurrected from death.

On the last Palm Sunday, while listening to the Gospel reading, I wept like never before in my life. I realized that I had been crucifying Jesus for the past twenty years with my hardened heart filled with pride and selfishness. I could not control my tears. Because I tried so hard to control my weeping, my throat began to hurt. Since then, I am deeply moved whenever I read the Bible. Yesterday, April 11, 1999, was the Second Sunday after Easter. The Gospel reading was about the doubting Thomas. I felt that I had been like Thomas, saying, “I demand a proof,” and “Explain it in a rational way.” The priest told us a story during the homily:

There were loggers in a jungle, using an elephant to move cut trees. The elephant was working very effectively with its powerful trunk. During the lunch break, the loggers tied one of the elephant’s legs to a little stake with a weak rope. Then, the elephant did not move away, even though it could easily cut the rope with its strong leg. What was the reason? It was because the elephant had been tied to the stake since its infancy, and it had believed all along that it was not possible to get away once it was tied to a stake. Even though it had grown up and become more powerful, it did not change its way of thinking.

God has given us the power to feel His infinite love, if only we change our way of thinking a little bit. However, we remain tied to the little knowledge that we have, as if it were the ultimate truth and everything that is important in the world. Our Lord has given us free will so that we may become freed from our bondage, but we keep demanding visible proofs like the doubting Thomas. I can understand how Thomas must have felt when Jesus told him to touch the nail marks in His hands and the spear mark in His side. Without actually touching them, he must have prostrated himself before the Lord and professed his faith. Whenever I heard this story about Thomas, I used to laugh at him. But now I realize that I have been worse than he, because I believed only after seeing the signs from the Blessed Mother. The Germanic tribes who believed after seeing the sacred statues were more simple people than myself, because I was demanding not statues but proofs.

Some say that the story about Thomas is a fiction, made up to strengthen people’s faith. They say that there are many Bible scholars claiming this. However, I cannot understand them. To me, a big change has occurred since the moment I replaced my perception of the Bible as a collection of educational fables with a new realization that it was about true reality. I am worried that some people who are like me may be misled by such claims.

Every word that a priest says can have a powerful effect on the faithful. I am not worthy to say this, but I think that those who are smart, well-educated and well-armed with reasoning are causing a greater harm to the Church (than those who are not). Mysteries are being despised, because they cannot be explained in a rational way. The truths that have been preserved in the Catholic Church all the time are gradually losing light. In the new, revised prayer book (in Korea), the prayer to guardian angels is missing. Now, those who enter the Church can only think of guardian angels as pretty characters in children’s stories.

Now is the time when people invent their own God whom they can understand, accept and worship. I see such an example in the case of my father. He studied for several years at a Catholic seminary until he left for health reasons. He was trained in Latin, philosophy and theology. My mother, on the other hand, did not go to college, but converted from the Presbyterian denomination to the Catholic Faith at the time of marriage. Now, my father is a non-practicing Catholic, while my mother is a fervent Catholic. Sometimes they debate about religion, but my mother is no match for my father. It is only recently that I began doubting that the God my father has known is truly the real God. Before, I always thought that my father’s reasoning was correct. But now I am frightened at the thought that, if my father became a priest with the same thoughts that he has now, he would be leading so many people into errors, even though if he became a priest while praying harder, asking for wisdom, he could have overcome his errors through the grace from the Blessed Mother.

Peter, who was the rock upon which Jesus built His Church, was a fisherman with little education. Jesus had a special love for children. The Blessed Mother has usually appeared to children. It was not because children had more knowledge but because they were simpler and could recognize the Lord’s truth more readily. It may seem that rationalism, intellectualism, and many kinds of knowledge make us smarter. It is also possible that they become a trap that ties us up. If the ability that God has given us is not used for God but is used for distorting the truth and for making people proud, even making them feel higher than God, it will become a poison. If the intellect is used for spreading errors and enhancing one’s own honor, it will only lead one to destruction. I am not very smart, but have been proud of myself. Those who are truly smart may be facing an even greater danger. That is why I feel pressed to pray for them.

‘Blessed Mother of Naju, thank you so much!’

Simon Chun, Cheongju, Chungbuk Province, Korea (July 8, 1999)

My name is Simon Ki-Hwa Chun. I am a fifty-three year-old inmate in Chongju Prison. I committed a crime because of my lack of judgment at one moment and have served nine years in this prison. I still have three more years to go. When I first came here, I did not want to live and took more than a fatal dose of poison. But I was taken to the emergency room in a hospital and woke up three days later. I recovered and did not even have any aftereffects. As I continued my prison life, I realized that it was God who made me live by his miraculous power, which I did not understand. I tried to live a good life. I prayed many decades of the rosary, more than 100 decades per day.

About two months ago, I discovered that a friend of mine in the prison, also a Catholic, had the book, The River of Grace, and borrowed it from him. The book was a collection of testimonies about the graces received from the Blessed Mother of Naju. This occurred just a few days before Holy Thursday, a great feast day celebrating the establishment of the Sacrament of the Eucharist. I was freshly shocked by the contents of the book—especially the photographs of the Eucharistic miracles that had occurred to Mrs. Julia Youn, during which the Sacred Hosts had changed into visible Flesh and Blood of Our Lord. I was also impressed by the testimonies about miraculous healings that had occurred during Julia’s prayers.

Because I did not have any holy cards, I prayed the rosary in front of the Blessed Mother’s photograph on the front cover of the book, The River of Grace. In order to pray better, I prayed more slowly, reducing the number of decades from 100 to 50 per day. I prayed fervently for my health and also for an experience of the fragrance of roses. One day, when I was waking up, I smelled a strong fragrance of roses. I sniffed at the skin lotions used by the inmates, but the odor was different from the fragrance of roses. I offered a prayer of thanksgiving. A few days later, pains in my left hand disappeared.

The pains in my hand had been caused by a wound that I had received during the war in Vietnam in the 1970s. My left hand was hit by shrapnel from a hand grenade, which cut the nerves in my hand. I received surgery, but the wound did not heal. I was discharged from the army, but the sharp, intense pains continued. These twenty-five year-old pains disappeared!

So, I prayed to the Blessed Mother of Naju. “Thank you so much, Mother! You healed my hand. How about healing one more problem that I have?” I prayed that she would cure the wart under my right eye that had been there for many years. I had tried many things, but nothing worked. So, while praying the rosary, I touched the tear drop under the Blessed Mother’s chin in the photograph on the front cover of the book with my finger and, then, touched the wart with that finger. After a week of doing this, while I was praying the rosary, I felt itchy on the wart and scratched it. It came off easily. I was overwhelmed with joy and thanked the Blessed Mother. Without telling anyone about it, I asked the Blessed Mother for just one more cure. “Because it is too warm in here, it is difficult for me to read wearing these reading glasses. Please let me read without glasses.” Again, I touched the tear drop under the Blessed Mother’s chin in the photograph and pressed my eyes with the finger with which I touched the tear. I also lifted the book and pressed my both eyes with the Blessed Mother’s chin in the photograph, which had a tear drop under it, for several seconds at a time. A few days later, a miracle happened again. It has been ten days since then, but I have been reading the book and newspapers without glasses. I had been wearing the reading glasses for seven years.

I did not have any intention to test the Blessed Mother when I was asking for miracles. Before I found this book about two months ago, I was in depression, even thinking about abandoning the faith. Then, I found this book and fervently asked the Blessed Mother for help. I asked her to give salvation to my heart by revealing the presence of Jesus and the Blessed Mother.

I have not met Mrs. Julia Youn, but have been praying for her every day and will continue to pray for her. If possible, please send us more photographs, books and rosaries. There is no way we can get them here. Yesterday, after Mass, a nun asked me to speak about my experiences before an audience of more than two hundred brothers and twenty sisters in the prison. I knew that the Blessed Mother arranged this, and I gave testimony to the graces I received from the Blessed Mother of Naju. People were deeply touched and applauded. I sincerely thank Jesus and the Blessed Mother for the graces I have received. I give praise and honor to Them.

Please send us monthly newsletters, if available. Now I live with great joy every day, making the Blessed Mother of Naju known to every one I run into. I pray for Julia, Julio and every volunteer worker in Naju.

‘Letter from a Sister in Sri Lanka’

Dear Mary’s Touch By Mail,

I received the parcel that you sent me containing Julia’s video cassettes and the pictures of the Eucharist and pictures of Our Lady. Thank you very much for all that you sent us. There were also three books of Our Lady. I distributed all these items to our people, Sinhalese, Tamil and burgers. They all love these pictures. Please send some more pictures of Our Lady. Our people in Sri Lanka love these pictures of Our Lady. So please try and send them to us so that we can distribute them among the people and especially to the soldiers who are fighting the war and who deserve them more.

Yours truly,

Sister Mary Sudarma
Good Shepherd Convent
Bolawalana, Negombo
Sri Lanka

‘Letter from another Sister in Sri Lanka’

July 26, 1999

Dear Helpers who work to spread the devotion to Our Blessed Mother,

This is to thank you most sincerely for the parcel of religious goods so kindly sent to me. I share them by distributing to those who are interested and desire to have them. It is a pity that many are not able to read English. So when I give them the picture leaflets or papers I explain to them about the contents. I give to the priests who come here. I am reading the book, Messages of Love, and meditate and pray as Our Blessed Mother wants. I offer prayers for you that you may be able to continue your apostolic work for the glory of God. Please send us more videos and booklets. May God’s abundant blessings be with you all. May Our Blessed Mother keep you safe. Please keep me also in your prayers.

With lots of love and prayers, yours affectionately in Jesus and Mary,

Sister Mary Maximilla
St. Joseph’s Elders Home
Thammita, Negombo, Sri Lanka

‘Letter from a priest in Uganda’

July 28, 1999

Dear Mary’s Touch By Mail,

Greetings from the students and staff of St. Joseph’s Secondary School Naggalama. The school is Catholic founded. It is a mixed day and boarding girls and boys’ school. They are 950 from senior one to six.

The purpose of this letter is to request you to kindly send us literature on Mary like: “Why the Marian Signs?” replica statues, etc.

The Marian devotion has improved greatly among students. Our handicap is lack of enough Marian literature. When you meet this spiritual need you will have relieved us a lot.

With Jesus and Mary,

Fr. Wasswa Vincent
School Chaplain
St. Joseph’s Senior Secondary School
Naggalama, Uganda

‘A reflection on the current status of the Catholic Church in Korea’

Gregory Chu, a graduate student at Oxford University in England (August 6, 1999)

I think that a major problem in the Church in Korea is sacrilegious Communion. There seem to be so many people who have neither faith in nor respect for the Eucharist, and receive Communion in the state of sin. The reasons must be that people have not been clearly taught that the Eucharist is truly Jesus, and also that they are too proud to worship the Eucharist, which has the appearance of bread, as the Lord. They have not been properly educated in distinguishing between serious sins and venial sins, either. In many parishes, it is not easy to go to Confession. On the bulletin it says that Confession begins half an hour before Mass, but actually it may begin just a few minutes before Mass. Neglect of Confession undoubtedly has been related to the widespread indifference toward the Eucharist.

Another problem in the Church in Korea is abortion. Many Catholics also do it. I don’t know what is going to happen to this country. The fact that Korea remains divided between the North and the South and continues to experience many disasters may be related to the large number of abortions. (According to statistics, more than a half of pregnancies end in abortion in South Korea as well as in North Korea, Japan, China, and Russia.) The devil is using abortion as a most effective tool to drive this country to total disaster.

In Catholic churches, we seldom hear strong sermons against abortion. We only infrequently hear remarks against abortion as a matter of principle. Protestants say that they are against it, but seem to have no qualms about doing it. Buddhists don’t even care. I believe that one major reason why Korea has suffered so much from invasions in its history has been that its people have had a long tradition of abortions. Confucianism does not warn people against abortion. Some of the Buddhists refrain from eating meat out of their respect for life, but they are not against abortion. The Catholic Church has a powerful doctrine against abortion, but Catholics are a small minority in Korea. Besides, many Catholics seem more interested in new theologies than in opposing abortion. Many of the young Catholics in Korea are in favor of abortion. How serious the responsibility of the priests must be from God’s standpoint!

Nowadays, oriental religious practices such as meditation and “ki” (energy) are spreading like a plague. They are closely related to the renewal movement within the Catholic Church. They are also very closely related to the New Age movement. Recently, in a major Catholic seminary, a nun brought a mok-tak (a wooden block used to make rhythmic sounds during meditation in Buddhist temples) to her class and invited her students to begin a Buddhist-style meditation. People seem to be willing to sacrifice unity with God for the sake of unity with other religions. Under the guise of broad-mindedness that encourages giving up my ways and accepting others’ ways, people are neglecting the Heritage of Faith in the holy Catholic Church. It is obvious that, in their hearts, they are becoming apostates. Many seem to be thinking of religion as some kind of an accessory to wear. Then, a religion may be like a political party that can be easily assembled and disassembled. However, if we believe in God, we cannot pursue unity with others in that manner, deserting His doctrines and His ways.

I would rather have trust in God than in man.

‘Letter from Staten Island, New York’

August 11, 1999

Dear Mary’s Touch By Mail,

Thank you so much for the white box with all the pamphlets, literature and tapes on Our Lady of Naju and Julia Kim. I have the book: Messages of Love. This is the second time I am reading it and it is a great book full of spiritual jewels. Since reading the messages and learning about Naju, I feel my prayer life has deepened and my heart has truly been touched. It is so sad that a negative declaration was announced on Naju by the local bishop. I reviewed the declaration and feel it is wrong. We should pray for him and remind him that these Eucharistic miracles deepen one’s faith in Jesus in the Eucharist. The Sacred Eucharist was given to the three children in Fatima by St. Michael the Archangel. The Eucharist has also been given by angels to Maria Esperanza in Betania, Venezuela. I feel in my heart we need to take the bishop’s response to Naju as lovingly and patiently as possible. We need to pray, ask the Holy Spirit for guidance, and ask Our Lady to enlighten the bishop’s heart. Naju is no different from the others which have gone through immense objection by local church authorities. Bernadette of Lourdes and Lucia and other children of Fatima all went through the pains and sufferings of such a rare gift from God. We need to pray very much as Our Lady asks us to do. Please send me more photographs of Our Lady of Naju to show my friends and place in my room. God bless!

Sincerely,

Joseph Rizzi

Staten Island, New York

‘Who can understand my joy?’

Hae-Kyung Chung, Mokpo, Jeonnam Province, Korea (August 1999)

Praise and glory to the Lord and the Blessed Mother!

I had been a Protestant for almost ten years and even a deacon. I was quite happy and busy in a Protestant church.

In March of 1999, however, I had a serious doubt about the Protestant church and became a Catholic. Soon afterwards, my eldest daughter was wounded in a traffic accident. In early May, my second daughter also had an accident in a restaurant. A china bowl conta