Pilgrimage to Medjugorje – It was a fabulous experience we had recently on our pilgrimage to Medjugorje (pronounced Me-diu-go-ria, as the “J” is pronounced as an “I”). Although pilgrims next to me have shared that they have seen the sun spinning and the links between their rosary beads turn to gold in color, I have not witnessed anything “extraordinary” myself. Nonetheless, the “miracle” I’ve witnessed and experienced, was the prayerfulness of the place, the peace that is present and the countless lives transformed. The confession lines were long, and as I assisted with confessions, I can share that there were many deep conversions.
Although neither the local bishop nor the Vatican has approved Medjugorje as an official apparition site of our Blessed Mother, nonetheless, the testimonies of the visionaries are quite remarkable. In the late 1970s when John Paul II became Pope and felt overwhelmed by the burdens of his office, he asked the Lord to send His mother to help him. On June 24, 1981, the Blessed Mother is reported to have appeared to 6 children there. Although cynics might say that their story is fabricated for tourist dollars, however in the early years, Medjugorje was still a part of Yugoslavia and under Communist rule. The children and their families would certainly not benefit from making up a story like that. Even their skeptic pastor, who later became a believer and became the 7th person to see the Blessed Mother, was imprisoned for trying to protect these children. The Communist authorities tried all sorts of ways to disprove their sightings, but were unable to do so.
And the apparitions continue to this day. Medjugorje is different from Lourdes or Fatima in that the visionaries, in their 40s, are still alive and continue to share their experiences with pilgrims. We were fortunate to hear from 3 visionaries, from their early experiences to the continuing message that our Blessed Mother has for all her children. In essence, as the Queen of Peace, she calls us to work for Peace, beginning with ourselves. How can there be peace in our families and in our world, if there is no peace in our own hearts. She calls us to turn to her Son and to trust Him with our lives and with our burdens, for He is our Savior. She calls us also to pray for His Church, the bridge to help humanity reach God. And as a bridge, she is under severe assault by the enemy, so our Blessed Mother calls us to pray for our Pope, Bishops and priests. The blessing she gives, she explains, is a Mother’s blessings but the blessing by a priest is Her Son’s blessings.
Our Blessed Mother gave us 5 pebbles to help us battle our Goliaths. When our burdens seem overwhelming, she encourages us to:
pray the rosary daily
fast on Wednesday and Fridays on just bread and water
attend Mass every Sunday
read the Bible
and make use of the sacrament of reconciliation monthly.
She doesn’t expect us to be able to do all of them, especially if we’re still young in the faith, but we can do a little. Maybe we can’t fast Wednesdays and Fridays, but we can give up a meal, like breakfast on Fridays. And that’s what the visionaries shared, that their growth was also gradual. So I came away from the pilgrimage there feeling closer to our Blessed Mother, having experienced her maternal concern, more at peace and rejuvenated in faith. It was a wonderful experience and I hope you’ll be able to go and experience it for yourself, one day soon.
Congratulations, Fr. Mike – On Sunday, October 13 at 9:30am, Fr. Mike Quinn will be officially installed as Pastor of Star of the Sea in Sausalito by Archbishop Cordileone. He shared that after much hard work and settling in, he’s finally falling in love with the people there. Please keep him in your prayers, that he would be an effective priest and servant of our Lord there.
Peace,
Fr. Dan
