712. "I Only Did What I Ought to Do—Please Share the Love You Could not Give Your Daughter-In-Law."

712. "I Only Did What I Ought to Do—Please Share the Love You Could not Give Your Daughter-In-Law."

Several days after returning from the canonization ceremony of the 103 saints, I ran into the old lady from Geumcheon whom I had carried on my back in Yeouido at the church one Sunday. She was overjoyed when she saw me and exclaimed: "Oh! Dearie! Dearie! Ah, what a blessing to run into you! My son said that if it were not for you, something terrible could have happened, and he wanted to thank you by bringing you a sack of rice. So please let me know where you live.”

Startled, I told her I could not give her my address.

"I only did what I ought to do. If you give me even something small—let alone the rice—I will never see you again, alright?" "Oh, but I just feel so sorry for how you helped me."

"Please give all your thanks and gratitude to the Lord alone. I only did it as Jesus’ messenger, as an instrument briefly used by Him, so please give thanks to God."

"Of course I thank God, but you are the one who carried heavy me on your back!" "Grandma, instead of giving me rice, please pray earnestly to the Lord and deeply love your family, especially your daughter-in-law." She replied, "Alright, alright. Thinking of you, my good-hearted one, I will share the love I could not give until now." I cried out, giving glory to the Lord, "O my beloved, my Lord! Let it be done to her as she has said, and have mercy on her."

And the Lord responded: "Oh, my beloved, my adorable Little Soul! Your fervent love for your neighbors will be fulfilled just as it is, because it is filled with your love for Me. This is what I desire for all of humanity. So always carry it out just as it is, with unwavering love, without ceasing. Then you will be immersed in My Heart and, in spiritual peace, will spread the burning love of My Sacred Heart and that of My Mother’ Immaculate Heart to the whole world. When you strive toward the virtue of perfection with even greater love, many souls will repent, so I ask you to stay all the more awake."

On May 12, 1986, after delivering a message to countless pilgrims from all over the country, someone took hold of me. I turned around to see the old lady from Geumcheon, whom I had carried on my back in Yeouido. Her eyes filled with tears as she said: "Oh! I did not realize it was you... but my goodness... Of course the Blessed Mother would appear to someone as good-hearted as you—yes, of course." At that moment, sister Apollonia, who had come on pilgrimage from Seoul the day before, asked, "What happened?"

"Well, when the Pope visited, this young lady carried fat me like this all around the square in Yeouido." "What? You mean she carried you just for a short while?" "No, no. I could not walk well, and she carried me the entire day." "Really?" "Really. Why would I lie?" "Wow, that is amazing. I was at Yeouido, too, and even walking alone was hard. But to carry someone with such a fragile body? That is incredible," she said in amazement.

I quickly added, "I did not do anything at all. It was only thanks to the Lord, who was with me and made it possible." "Thank you so much." "No, not at all. All thanks must go to the Lord." The old lady continued, “After I came back, I told my son what had happened in Yeouido, and he said you were such a kind person that he wanted to bring you a sack of rice. But you would not even tell me your address—instead, you told me to live in love with my daughter-in-law. So ever since then, I have kept that in mind and have gotten along with my daughter-in-law."

Then, sister Apollonia said, "Oh dear, I feel ashamed. There were many times when I thought even small things were difficult, but sister Julia joyfully sacrifices for others all of herself, practicing neighborly love without expecting anything in return. Through this, she bears fruit that changes the lives of other souls. Is this not exactly what the Lord truly delights in? Today, I have learned such a valuable lesson.” She then vowed to live her life from now on by putting charity into practice.

I offered glory, thanks, and praise to the Lord and the Blessed Mother, who perform miracles of love through me—though unworthy—as I entrusted myself completely to the Lord and did my best with the mindset of “I can do it!” But after that, I never saw the old lady from Geumcheon again.

Until the early 2000s, before the priest who severely persecuted the Blessed Mother of Naju was assigned to the parish, I had been attending Mass regularly and even went to the secondary station in Geumcheon, so how could I have never seen her even once? The Lord disciplines and tests us in various ways to shape us into His instruments. We never know when or how we might encounter Jesus and the Blessed Mother in the form of our neighbors. When we treat every neighbor with a loving heart, as if serving Jesus and the Blessed Mother themselves, the Lord and the Blessed Mother will be infinitely comforted.

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

Link 👇🏻

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMn-IyINZ8oGN8Jv4M0-pozcdF67tEqzlPkk4s0EZKdnOdEw/viewform?usp=sf_link