[The Five Spiritualities Testimony] 💎The Naju Shrine is the place that changed my life.✨

✨💎The Naju Shrine is the place that changed my life.💎✨ 

Simply by practicing the Five Spiritualities that Mama Julia constantly emphasizes, one truly experiences a life like winning the lottery. Not only I have received such grace—every brother, sister, and friend whom I have guided on pilgrimage has also “won the lottery” through Naju.

I made my first pilgrimage to Naju in October 1991. At that time, I had been away from the Church. When I read a booklet about the Blessed Mother of Naju shedding tears, I wondered, “Is God truly alive?” 

Then one day, someone told me that the Tears of Blood of the Blessed Mother in Naju were fake. I thought to myself, “No, nothing is impossible for God. The Blessed Mother’s Tears of Blood cannot be fake. I should go there myself, see it with my own eyes, and testify to it—then it will have credibility.” That is how I came to make my pilgrimage to Naju.

At that time, I was actively serving in the Charismatic community of our diocese, but there was no peace in my home. My husband lived his own life, and I lived mine. I experienced no real change. I thought that as long as I served Church diligently, it didn’t matter if I neglected my own household.

But one day, Mama Julia’s words pierced my heart so deeply: “Do not pull out the small weeds in other people’s homes while leaving the big weeds growing in your own.” So I asked myself, “What is the real problem in me?”

 Upon deep reflection, I realized that I had neglected caring for my own family, going out to care for others while telling myself I was working for God. I also recognized that I had been blaming my husband too much and constantly trying to correct him. 

At Mass, I would always strike my chest saying, “Through my fault, through my fault,” yet in my heart I was actually saying, “It’s your fault, it’s your fault.”

So I decided, “Let me truly live the spirituality of ‘It is My fault.’”

When I stopped blaming my husband and turned my daily lives into prayers, I began to feel sincere gratitude toward him. 

Just as Mama Julia always says, “When you change first, others will change,” I tried to keep a grateful heart, take responsibility by saying “It is My fault,” and focus on changing myself first.

 Then my husband began to change—and now he fervently joins pilgrimages to Naju. As I practiced the Five Spiritualities that Mama Julia teaches us, my family changed, and even my children were transformed.

One day, I asked a lady, “Would you like to visit Naju?” She began to make pilgrimages with great devotion, and while propagating Naju. Her husband also changed so beautifully—now he prays 20 decades of the Rosary every day, and the two of them are now making pilgrimages to Naju together in such a lovely way.

I am a sinner who once committed abortion, and I used to wonder, “How can I make reparation for this?” So from the time my children were young, I taught them about Mama Julia’s sufferings in reparation for abortion.

Abortion is the killing of life. Later, when my own children unexpectedly faced crisis pregnancies and were pressured toward abortion, I remembered Mama Julia’s teaching that “abortion is murder.” Despite the difficulties, they chose not to abort and gave birth to their babies. Now these grandchildren of mine are growing up wonderfully—and they are so precious beyond words.

During this past holiday, my daughter-in-law came to our home. Her family was calling her to come back early, but she didn’t want to leave. In my heart, I was thinking, “Why isn’t she going yet?”

but I said to her, “Please rest here comfortably as if you were in your own parents’ home. Your in-laws’ home is a place to rest, not a place to work.” I truly let her rest and treated her with love, and she didn’t even want to go to her parents’ home. She stayed in my house for so long because she felt so loved.

The next day, my son went to his in-laws’ home but came back again to ours, saying, “Mom, I’m craving your rice cake soup.” I was so exhausted and felt like I might collapse, but I thought, “Alright—let me practice love. I must live the Five Spiritualities. Amen!”

 So I cooked with love, and as my son watched how the children—though noisy—didn’t fight, treated each other preciously, and showed such peaceful behavior, he said, “Mom, a household that goes to Naju really is different.” 

My daughter-in-law just sat comfortably on the sofa and ate her rice cake soup. When I made myself a servant, peace came into our home—and it became so easy and joyful.💓

Many years ago, when my husband was 65, neither of us had a job. Our monthly living expense was just 300,000 won. Then we heard news that the Naju youth group were doing street evangelization in Seoul. As soon as the 300,000 won was deposited, I went straight to Seoul with that money and joined the street evangelization by helping them. 

The joy that filled my heart was indescribable—it felt like it would burst.

Then suddenly, I received a call from my husband saying, “Honey! I got a job.” I thought, “That makes no sense. How could he possibly find a job so quickly?” and I didn’t believe him. 

But this man, who used to sleep until 10 a.m., suddenly woke up at 5 a.m. and really went to work—and he continued working diligently until he was 71 years old.

Dear ones, if you want to spread Naju, the first and most important thing is: never give up. Whether it takes one year or two, I keep going until the end. Why? Because I received grace in Naju, and Mama Julia told us, “If you do not look sideways and do not turn back, I will take full responsibility for you and lead you to Heaven.” 

Through the sacrificial merits of Mama Julia, the faithful subject of God the Father, we are guaranteed Heaven, and I used to say, “I can’t do it,” but now I say, “Yes, I can!”

You can do it too. Let’s spread Naju despite difficultities and persecution! Thinking of Mama Julia, with the spirit of Joshua and Caleb, give it our best try!

Mama Julia cannot rest while offering up such extreme suffering. That is why, day and night, I keep thinking: if we make efforts to practice the Five Spiritualities and spread them, Mama Julia will be comforted and her life will be extended. 

Let us run forward with all our hearts. Giving all glory to the Lord and the Blessed Mother! I hope that this becomes a consolation to Mama Julia. Thank you!

February 1, 2025 – Maria Kim, South Korea