“IT IS THE FRAGRANCE OF THE BLESSED MOTHER OF NAJU!”

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 of October 31, 1995, in Vatican City witnessed by the Holy Father.    

After our arrival in Rome, we visited Vatican City for an audience with the Holy Father.  We were all dressed up in beautiful 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 was over, 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 Mary!”  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 devoutly prayed.  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.

Elizabeth Jung-Sook Kim
11-68 Yangjae-dong, Seocho-ku
Seoul
January 6, 2002