Defying scientific
study, psychological analysis, attempts of
Communist suppression, full-scale war and on-going
Church scrutiny, the Virgin Mary continues to
visit daily with young people from the tiny
village of Medjugorje, in former Yugoslavia. What
could be so important that Heaven would send the
Mother of Jesus to earth every day for an
astonishing period of more than 20 years?
In the early 1990’s, the clash of politics and
religion disintegrated the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia into various warring factions. The
brutal struggle between Muslim, Serbian Orthodox
and Croatian Catholic caught the attention of the
world. People lamented over televised bloodshed
and destruction in Sarajevo, on the very same
grounds where the Olympics, the international
games of peace, were held just a decade earlier.
For millions around the globe, however, there was
a vested interest in this conflict that had
nothing to do with politics or media coverage.
This war-torn, forsaken land, for believers of
many nations, represented sacred ground. For in
this very region exists the obscure hamlet of
Medjugorje, an unlikely host to a supernatural
event that surpasses any other in history: the
daily visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mother for
over two decades.
What exactly is
Medjugorje?
The apparitions of Medjugorje began on June 24,
1981, when the Virgin Mary appeared to six
Croatian children on a rural hillside. As in the
apparitions of Fatima, Portugal, perhaps the most
popular of all Marian apparitions, the Virgin
comes with the self-proclaimed title, "Queen of
Peace." On occasion she appears escorted by
angels. At other times, she carries the infant
Jesus in her arms. Her signature sign, however, is
the crown of twelve stars she wears around her
head, much like the scriptural woman from the Book
of Revelation.
Today, the six visionaries are adults. They live
in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy and America, although
all of them spend some time in Medjugorje each
year. Interestingly, none of the visionaries have
entered the religious life, as expected. Instead,
all are married are raising children. Whether the
seers have elected to lead a quiet, private life,
or remain in the public eye, marriage and family
is central to their spirituality.
What makes Medjugorje
unique?
Marian apparitions are certainly not a new
phenomenon. For centuries, the Virgin Mary has
been reported to appear and speak to seers around
the world, often in the most remote places.
Reports of heavenly visitations in modern times,
in fact, are occurring at an unprecedented rate.
Yet, there is an importance to the Medjugorje
phenomenon that merits special attention.
First, unlike "traditional" apparitions which
typically occur for a very limited time, the
number of visitations of the Virgin in Medjugorje
have far exceeded any in history. The Mother of
Jesus has literally appeared every day since 1981,
entrusting her listeners with over 10,000
messages.
Second, the scope of the messages of Medjugorje is
also extraordinary. They are specific and
revealing, even incorporating a monthly message
for the entire world since 1987. The Virgin
affirmed her intentions in Medjugorje in the early
years of the phenomenon:
"I wish to keep on giving you messages as it has
never been in history, from the beginning of the
world." (4/4/85)
The messages of Medjugorje – a call to peace and
conversion -- seem to dovetail on previous
apparitions. There is speculation that Medjugorje
may be the fulfillment of earlier events. One
thing is for certain: these apparitions are the
only ones in history, which claim to be the last
on earth, a third distinctive characteristic.
"I have come to call the world to conversion for
the last time. Afterwards, I will not appear any
more on this earth." (5/2/82)
Why does the Virgin Mary
come?
The Virgin comes, the visionaries report, to teach
us how to achieve peace in our hearts, in our
homes and in the world. Perhaps there has never
been a more appropriate time than the present for
the world to receive this heavenly instruction.
She comes, they say, to remind the world that God
exists. She cautions that darkness reigns over the
whole world. This, the Virgin tells us, is because
we have turned away from God and have become
distracted by the lures of materialism. We have
become lukewarm in our faith and have forgotten
the Bible.
Therefore, the Mother returns to earth each day,
patiently, predictably, in the hopes of
reconciling the world back to her Son. Her words
of comfort and consolation, correction and
guidance and, at times, desperation, have
attracted the attention of many. Her words are
simple and repetitive, making them temptingly easy
to dismiss or underestimate. Few, she tells us,
can comprehend the full intent of her words, and
none can do so without prayer.
"You are not conscious of the messages which God
is sending to you through me. He is giving you
great graces, and you do not comprehend them. Pray
to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment. If you only
knew how great are the graces God is granting you,
you would be praying without ceasing." (11/8/84)
Spiritual Warfare
As a Mother who loves her children, the Blessed
Virgin comes to call her people to holiness, to an
abandonment of self for God. Equally important,
she comes to warn us of danger and tell us how we
can protect ourselves.
The urgency of Our Lady’s messages was clarified
in the first year of the apparitions. The
visionaries were told:
"A great struggle is about to unfold. A struggle
between my Son and satan. Human souls are at
stake." (8/2/81)
For the next several years, the Virgin hinted of
"a plan." She asked for prayers for this plan,
that it be carried out according to God’s will.
Finally, in early 1987, she revealed the nature of
this plan, in her first monthly message to the
world:
"Dear children, I want you to comprehend that God
has chosen each one of you, in order to use you in
a great plan for the salvation of mankind."
(1/25/87)
This plan, Our Lady told the seers, cannot be
carried out without the help of her children. To
defeat satan in our lives and in the world, the
Queen of Peace revealed five important spiritual
weapons.
Five Weapons with which
to Defeat satan
Our first defense, not surprisingly, is prayer.
Prayer, promises the Virgin, can change the world.
It is the only way to save the human race. "Pray!"
is the most frequent message of Our Lady. In
prayer, she says, the spirit is purified. Whether
it is the Rosary, formal prayers, silent
meditation or prayers of consecration, it is
important that prayer not become a mere recitation
of words. The Virgin calls us to pray with the
heart, to pray with love.
The second weapon against the attacks of satan is
the practice of fasting. The Bible, both Old and
New Testaments, are filled with examples of
abstaining from food for the purposes of penance
and purification. The Virgin informs us that the
importance, effectiveness and power of fasting
have been all but forgotten, particularly in the
past century.
"Fasting and prayer can stop wars and suspend the
laws of nature." (7/21/82)
While fasting can consist of giving up earthly
pleasures such as alcohol, cigarettes or
television, Our Lady tells us that the best fast
is one of bread and water. She invites all people,
except the sick, to fast on Wednesdays and
Fridays. Through fasting, the body is purified,
and the spirit is once again placed in control of
the flesh.
The third weapon in our arsenal against darkness
is daily scripture reading. The Virgin Mother
encourages her children to display the Bible in a
visible place in the home, to encourage us to read
it everyday and apply it to our lives.
Fourth, the Virgin calls us to penance, to atone
for our sins and those of the world. For
Catholics, this means monthly Confession, with a
focus on transforming ourselves to become closer
to God. Again, this is a practice that has lost
much of its significance in the world today.
Monthly confession, Our Lady goes as far as
saying, will be a remedy for the Church in the
West.
Finally, the Queen of Peace calls Catholics to
receive the Eucharist as often as possible. The
Mass, she tells the faithful, is the most
important and most holy moment in our lives. It
should be our life. Mass is the greatest prayer of
God, and we should prepare ourselves accordingly.
If the above five practices are our weapons
against evil, our armor, instructs the Queen, must
be love. Without love, she says, nothing is
possible.
The Queen of Peace Comes
to all People
Our Lady has made it clear that the apparitions
and messages of Medjugorje are not limited to
Catholics only. We are all her children, she tells
us. Particularly when pressed by the Croatian
visionaries about the oppression and persecution
of the Serbian Orthodox and Muslims in their own
country, Our Lady answered:
"It is you who are divided on earth. The Muslims
and the Orthodox, for the same reason as
Catholics, are equal before my Son and me. You are
all my children. Certainly, all religions are not
equal, but all men are equal before God, as St.
Paul says.
Salvation is available to everyone, without
exception. Only those who refuse God deliberately
are condemned. It is God alone, in His infinite
justice, who determines the degree of
responsibility and prognoses judgement." (1984)
Viewpoint of the Catholic
Church
The apparitions of Medjugorje are the source of
much discussion and controversy within the
Catholic Church. According to Church law, an
apparition falls under the category of "private
revelation." The faithful is not obliged to
believe in or follow any particular apparition.
Only the seer(s) may have obligation to heed the
messages.
However, since prayerful meditation on approved
apparitions has been shown to enhance one’s faith
and lead a person into deeper relationship with
God, the Church carefully scrutinizes reports of
supernatural occurrences to test their legitimacy.
This process involves an analysis of the
visionaries, the documentation of miraculous cures
and interventions, and an assessment of the
overall fruits of the event.
Since Medjugorje is an ongoing phenomenon, the
Church cannot make a formal decision at this time.
It is significant, however, that these apparitions
have lasted for 23 years and have not been
condemned by the Church. While under the watchful
eye of the Magisterium, the publicized messages
continue to be true to the Gospel and not
contradictory to the faith. The fruits appear
sound, particularly the numerous spiritual
conversions.
Our Lady has been questioned through the
visionaries by those who wish to respond to the
messages without being disobedient to the Church.
She answers:
"One must follow the authority of the Church with
certainty. Yet, before she expresses an opinion,
it is necessary to advance spiritually, because
she will not be able to express a judgement in a
vacuum, but in a confirmation which presupposes
growth of the child. First comes birth, followed
by Baptism, then Confirmation. The Church comes to
confirm him, who is born of God. We must walk and
advance in the spiritual life, affected by these
messages." (1986)
Signs and Warnings
Like Fatima, the phenomenon of Medjugorje comes
complete with prophesized signs and warnings.
However, signs and warnings are not the crux of
Medjugorje: conversion is. By the time these signs
and warnings occur, it may be too late for that.
By placing too much emphasis on signs and
warnings, the overall point of the apparitions can
get neglected. Consider the people of Jesus’ time
who grew impatient waiting for their Savior’s
"imminent" second coming. In a similar fashion,
many people who were "converted" through
Medjugorje due to messages of future chastisements
and supernatural phenomena have become lukewarm
believers over time, returning to old habits and
lifestyles. In short, conversion that is
fear-based instead of love-based, or one that is
motivated primarily by sensationalism, is at best
difficult to sustain.
However, as the story would be incomplete without
it, the following summarizes the prophesized
events as these apparitions draw to a close.
Our Lady promised to confide 10 secrets regarding
future events to each of the seers. As of this
writing, three of the visionaries have received
all ten secrets, and see the Virgin once a year.
The remaining three visionaries have been given
nine secrets each and continue to receive daily
visitations.
Some of the secrets have to do with Medjugorje
itself, while others seem to foretell of serious
chastisements for the world. None of the
visionaries are permitted to speak specifically
about any of them.
"This century is under the power of the devil, but
when the secrets confided to you come to pass, his
power will be destroyed. Even now he is beginning
to lose his power and has become aggressive. He is
destroying marriages, creating division among
priests and is responsible for obsessions and
murder. You must protect yourselves against these
things through fasting and prayers, especially
community prayer." (1982)
In addition to the ten secrets, there will also be
three public warnings to the world, a final call
to conversion and a definitive sign of the
authenticity of the messages. One of the
visionaries, Mirjana Dragicevic, was told by the
Virgin to select a priest in which to entrust
these warnings. Mirjana selected Father Petar
Ljubicic. At the appropriate time, Mirjana is to
give Father Petar a piece of parchment she
received from the Lady herself. The writing on
this parchment is not decipherable presently.
When Father Petar receives the parchment, he will
be able to read the first warning. He is to fast
for seven days, and then announce the warning to
the world. Three days later, it will occur as
prophesized. According to the schedule of Heaven,
the next two warnings will be delivered in much
the same way.
Following the warnings, the Virgin will leave a
permanent and beautiful sign on Apparition Hill,
at the place where she first appeared to the
children in Medjugorje. The sign will be
unchangeable and undeniable. However, at that
point, it seems conversion will be too late.
"Be converted! It will be too late when the sign
comes. Beforehand, several warnings will be given
to the world. Hurry to be converted. I need your
prayers and your penance." (5/25/83)
A Time of Grace
This is, as the Virgin says, a time of grace and
blessings, a gift from God. It is His words we are
hearing, spoken through His mother. The earth is
being renewed in holiness by these apparitions.
The time for conversion, for prayer and an
increase in holiness is now, not in the future. We
must hear the messages and transform them into
life today.
"Dear Children! God gives me this time as a gift
to you, so that I may instruct and lead you on the
path of salvation. You do not comprehend this
grace, but soon a time will come when you will
lament for these messages." (8/25/97)
The visionaries assure us: the Queen of Peace
wants each of us to be happy on earth and,
eventually, with her in Heaven. She offers her
wayward children the gentlest and most loving of
invitations, so we will not be driven away.
Painstakingly, she beckons, for an incredible
period of more than twenty years. Will the world
and respond to her divine plan for peace? Only
Heaven knows.
"Dear children, when God calls men, it is really a
great thing. Think about how it would be sad to
let pass those opportunities that God allows
without taking them. So do not wait for tomorrow,
or the day after tomorrow. Say ‘yes’ to Jesus now!
And may this ‘yes!’ be forever." (5/16/87)
Published in Catholic Planet eMagazine, Posted
January 2003
Elizabeth Ficocelli
is a Catholic author who writes for children and
adults.
For more information, visit
www.elizabethficocelli.com
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