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From the Associate&
Medjugorje
Last week I had the privilege of traveling to Medjugorje, a town in Bosnia-Herzogovina, where six people (now adults in their thirties) have claimed to be receiving apparitions of our Blessed Mother Mary for twenty years. I was the spiritual director on a pilgrimage, joined by forty-five adults, two teenagers, one nun, a deacon, and another newly ordained priest from Fargo. The pilgrimage was beyond my expectations. I went with an open heart and mind, and found authentic evidence (namely the fruition of holiness), of what I now believe to be a true private revelation. The Franciscan priests, Fr Jozo and Fr Svet spoke with deep and obvious spirituality, prayerfulness, and Godly wisdom. The visionaries spoke with charity and simplicity, and continue to make countless sacrifices for pilgrims and for Jesus. The townsfolk were not jaded by years of visitors, but just the opposite, were kind and generous in the most pleasant and loving manner.
I am told that more than ninety percent of the town, and nearby towns as well, go to church now. In fact, all the children in the village were out of school on November 1st, All Saints, because it was proclaimed to be a religious holiday! Boy that sure is a long way from our struggle to allow prayer in schools. The power of grace being poured out was further confirmed by the standing-room-only crowds at evening rosary and adoration, the long lines of penitents confessing their sins to priests in all different languages, and then tasting the awesome freedom of God's unbounded mercy and absolution. It is very moving to see teenagers and young adults from Germany, Ireland, Australia, Italy, Croatia, United States, etc., by the dozens, kneel in front of the pews and in the aisles, joining other adults for an hour of singing and adoration. I was moved to tears of joy.
Through Mary, God also gave me numerous gifts of love. I saw a miracle of the sun on Cross Mountain. I beheld Mirjana while she received an apparition of Our Lady, on November 2nd. I will never forget how her face was seemingly lifted by angelic powers, and for five minutes became radiant, her heart beaming with joy, and her eyes full of light. She also shed some tears during the apparition, and later said to a friend that the Blessed Mother was weeping because of the countless persons who do not know God and His love. I believe her. I was challenged by the call to fasting, as I have not been very good at that practice. I hope to begin making Fridays a day for fasting on bread and water. I also bring home with me the greatest message of Mary in Medjugorje, namely Peace. She is the Queen of Peace, and invites us to attain peace in our hearts first, through conversion, prayer, fasting, the sacraments, and obedience to the will of God, and then we will carry peace to the world. Fr. Jozo commented that just as David had a stone by which to defeat evil, present in Goliath, so do we have the stones of the Rosary to defeat evil in this world. I invite you to join me in praying the rosary daily for peace, a gift of Mary, the Queen of Peace.
Footnote: No one is asked by the Church to believe in
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