If you would like a copy of the beginner's guide in pdf form so you can make copies for distribution, send a request to jklins1981@verizon.net. Please put "pdf" in the subject line of the note.
Suppose you were told that you could have a glimpse of Heaven without having a near-death experience?
In the early 1980's, 17 year old Vicka Ivankovic-Mijatovic and 10 year old Jakov Colo, visionaries from the village of Medjugorje in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina, had such an opportunity. Vicka claimed,
" Our bodies disappeared from Jakov's house. Everyone looked for us. It lasted 20 minutes in all." Vicka described the experience:
traveling. But Our Lady just took Jakov's left hand and my right hand and we went up. We could see the walls just moving aside, giving us enough space to go through. It took us just a moment, and we found ourselves in Heaven.
Heaven is one, huge endless space. There is a special kind of light that does not exist on earth at all. We saw people dressed in gray, yellow, and pink gowns. They were walking, praying and singing together. We were able to see small angels circling around. There is a special kind of joy in Heaven. I have never experienced anything like that at any other time. Our Lady told us to see how overjoyed were all the people who were in Heaven.
"Purgatory is also one huge space, but we were not able to see people. We could only see darkness -- an ashy color. We were able to feel the physical suffering of the people. They were shivering, and struggling. Our Lady said we need to pray for those people so that they can get out of Purgatory.
"As for hell, there
is one huge fire in the middle. First, we were shown people
in normal condition before they were caught by that fire.
Then as they are being caught by that fire, they become the
shape of animals, like they have never been humans before.
As they are falling deeper into the fire, they yell against
God even more. Our Lady says that, for all those who are in
hell it was their choice, their decision to get there. Our
Lady says for all those who are living here on earth who are
living against God's commands, even here they are living in
a kind of hell so when they are there, they are continuing
just the same life as before. Our Lady says that there are
so many who live here on the earth who believe that when
this life is finished, everything is finished, but Our Lady
says, if you think so, you are very wrong, because we are
just passers by on the earth. "
So how do we get in
the door to Heaven? Jesus told us 2000 years ago, but for
those who did not listen to Him, He sent His Mother, as the
Queen of Peace to remind us and remind us and remind us…..
Since 1981 She has
been coming to earth every single day to tell us how to live
so that we can enjoy eternal happiness and avoid eternal
damnation. When will we begin to listen?
We pray that this
guide will kindle a fire in your heart to learn more about
Our Lady's messages, so you can live a life of peace, love
and joy, both now and in eternity.
In the Beginning
Going back in history – on the 24th of June,
1981, my life changed forever. I never thought that
something like this would happen, that the Mother of Christ
could appear to me, and I never heard about Fatima or
Lourdes at that time.
My family and I at that time were living in Mostar, and
we came home to Medjugorje on summer vacation. And visionary
Mirjana was visiting from Sarajevo. So on the 24th
of June, Mirjana and I and some other friends of ours, after
Mass, decided to go outside the church and talk about our
summer vacation. I don’t remember how long we were there
walking around and we couldn’t wait any more for the rest of
the girls to come, so we decided to go back to the village.
On the way back something was pulling my eyes to the
hillside. When I looked on the hillside, I told Mirjana,
“Mirjana, look up there! There is Our Lady!” She did not
want to even look up there and she said, “Don’t talk
nonsense. It could not be.” Mirjana was just remaining quiet
and we continued to walk. When we came to the village,
Marija’s sister, Milka said she was looking for her sheep.
As soon as she saw me she said, “What happened to you? You
look different.” I told her, “I just saw Our Lady.” Then
all three of us walked back to the same place and we all saw
Our Lady at that time. Our Lady was on the hillside,
standing about 600 meters up on the hill and She was
motioning Her hand for us to come closer. But we were just
standing still. We were afraid to go up there.
In the meantime, Vicka came to join us, and she said,
“What is happening to you?” We said,” Hurry up! We see Our
Lady!” When she heard that she simply took her shoes off and
started running back to the village, and on the way to the
village she met two Ivans - Ivan who is the visionary, and
his friend also called Ivan. She told them what was
happening and then all three of them came to join us. Even
though there were more of us now, we were still afraid to go
up the hillside, We were still very excited and very
confused at what was happening. Some of us went to the
closest home and we went inside and told the people in the
household what we saw. We just told them, “We saw Our Lady,”
but the people said, “Don’t play and don’t tell that to
anyone.” Then they chased us out of the yard.
When I came to my home, my grandmother was there and I
told her what I saw, and she told me, “It’s probably someone
tending their sheep.” I was only 15 years old at that time,
and that night was never longer in my lifetime as
that. Whenever we told any of the other people what we saw,
they did not interfere. But the next morning, even though
Medjugorje had only one phone in the whole village, the news
went around to other villages what was happening in
Medjugorje. So the next day more people gathered. My
grandmother then raised her hand and said, “Whatever is
happening, no matter who is up on the hillside, you are not
leaving my sight.”
When we reached the place where we were standing before,
we saw flashes of light on the hillside, three times, and
something was pulling us forward to come closer. So six of
us were pulled so quickly other people could not keep up
with us. When we came close to Our Lady we saw the beauty
that no words can describe. My eyes never saw anything more
beautiful than that. Our Lady has a gray gown, white veil, a
crown around Her head with stars. She has blue eyes and dark
hair, and She’s standing on a cloud. At that very moment, we
all knelt in front of Our Lady.
Two months before that began, my mother had died; she
passed away because she was very ill. That day when we knelt
in front of Our Lady, I asked Our Lady, “Where is my
mother?” Our Lady just smiled and said, “Your mother is
with me,” and Our Lady said, “Do not be afraid of anything.
I will always be with you. I will come tomorrow.”
In the meantime, some other people who started to walk
with us reached the base of the hillside and they saw
something unusual happening to us, and they suggested that
the next day when we come, we should bring holy water and
sprinkle the apparition. So when Our Lady appeared on the
third day, Vicka took holy water and she said, “If you are
of God, stay with us; if you are not, go away.” Then She
smiled and She said, “I am the Queen of Peace,” and the
first message of Our Lady was peace. Later on, She
added conversion, prayer, fasting and
penance. So those are the main ones, the most
important messages from the first days.
From 1981 to 1985 I had daily apparitions. Through all
those years Our Lady was talking to me at each meeting about
the future of the world, and the future of the Church and
also Our Lady’s life story. I know everything in those
notebooks, and so when Our Lady tells me that it is closer,
She will tell me the time and I will give the notebooks.
The 7th of May, 1985, was my last daily
apparition, and Our Lady stayed with me a whole hour, and
She gave me the tenth secret. Our Lady told me that She was
not going to meet with me every day, only once a year, on
the 25th of June.
So from 1985 until now I have only one apparition a year. On
the day when I was talking to Our Lady, She gave me a
beautiful gift that I’ll never forget. Every person is
asking himself whether there is life after this. I am a
living witness that there is life after this because Our
Lady showed me my mother. My mother talked to me and she
said, “My daughter, I am so proud of you.”
It’s already been 27 years that Our Lady has come to
visit us, giving us the words of wisdom in every message,
showing us how to live our life. It is only up to us to
accept these words.
Each one of us visionaries has our own mission. Some of
us have the mission to pray for sick people or for the
priests or the Church. I was chosen to pray for families.
Our Lady is inviting us to pray for families, together to
renew the family there in our homes. In the beginning Our
Lady requested that we pray seven Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s,
and Glory Be’s a day, then later the whole Rosary. Our Lady
wants us to display the Bible, Holy Scriptures, in our homes
and to read it often, every day if possible, and then the
Bible can be our life; and to go to Holy Mass often,
especially on Sunday; and to go to Confession once a month.
I pray for families every single day, for all families,
not only in my village, but around the world. I’m asking all
of you to pray for my family and the families of the
visionaries. Thank you.
Editor’s note: On the second day when Ivanka, Mirjana,
Vicka and Ivan returned to the hill, Milka’s sister Marija
and 10 year old Jakov Colo joined them. These are the 6
visionaries. Ivanka, Mirjana and Jakov have all been given
10 secrets. As of this writing(12/8/08), Ivan, Marija and
Vicka have 9 secrets and continue to receive daily
apparitions.
The “Secrets”
The following excerpt is from an article written by Fr.
Petar Ljubicic, who is the priest chosen by visionary
Mirjana to reveal the secrets to the world:
Concerning the secrets, Mirjana herself states that
she thinks the day of their fulfillment is nearing. And
lately, Our Lady calls her to a specific program of how
she should pray and live. At the same time, through
Mirjana, She calls all people of good will to join with
her in prayer.
God has announced to us that He will send signs of
preliminary warning. He wishes to show clearly that He
is forever “Master of the world.” God will send us some
early signs and then He will give us a permanent sign.
Mirjana says that when the signs appear, many people
will be converted, many who doubted until now and who
deliberated about whether the event in Medjugorje came
from God or from some other source. It will be clear to
everyone who is open to the Spirit of God that God is
indeed here and dwells among us.
Concerning us, specifically, of course we’d like to
know when all of this will take place. I believe that
curiosity can best be satisfied by fasting and prayer,
and people who do so don’t need to be afraid. Everything
will turn out right. I don’t know what misfortunes and
catastrophes will come; and naturally, I don’t know what
will happen to us. I know only this: Without God’s
wisdom, nothing will happen to us. Everyone can receive
what he needs to fulfill God’s plan in his life. I
believe that from this, we can conclude that God loves
us today, too. I see positive proof of this in the fact
that God is sending His Mother to us, and that He has
already given us many signs. There are many witnesses
who have meditated about this and have been converted.
They are the people who began to fast and pray. I
believe these are signs and that they are more
significant than physical signs. Material signs can be
momentarily impressive, but the joy and happiness which
one experiences in the soul remains and is not easily
forgotten. That’s the treasure we carry in our hearts.
Shortly after Mirjana’s visions ceased, I was
informed by the other visionaries that she had chosen me
as the priest of her confidence. At that time I thought
I was too far away from Medjugorje. I was a priest in
another community and there was no indication that I
would be moved to Medjugorje. Mirjana, who moved in the
meantime, to Sarajevo to continue her studies, told me
that God will put everything in its place. Mirjana asked
Our Lady whether she had acted correctly, and Our Lady
told her that everything would happen at the proper
time. And indeed, since the fall of 1985, I’ve been in
Medjugorje for more than a year.
Mirjana told me that Our Lady comes more often lately
and that she hears Her voice at a predetermined time.
She said Our Lady is preparing her for the fulfillment
of the secrets. Our Lady wants everything to develop in
order. She gave Mirjana something similar to paper,
which contains information about the individual secrets.
Ten days before, she’ll know what will happen. Three
days before a secret is revealed, it will be announced
to the people so they’ll know exactly what, where, how,
what time, and for how long it will take place.
The first two secrets will come as advance warnings
and as proof that Our Lady was here in Medjugorje. The
third secret will be a visible sign. This secret is the
same for all the visionaries. No one knows how many
secrets are the same for all of them. As far as the
visible sign is concerned, the exact information will be
received three days in advance. All of us have to
prepare for this with prayer and fasting.
The Visionaries
Vicka
Ivankovic-Mijatovic - Vicka is the oldest of the
visionaries. She was born September 3, 1964, in Bijakovici,
and comes from a family of 8 children. Her prayer mission
given by Our Lady is to pray for the sick. Vicka, her
husband Mario, and young daughter & son live in the small
village of Gruda, a few kilometers north of Medjugorje. In January
of 1983, Our Lady began to tell Vicka Her life story. The
information Our Lady dictated to Vicka over these
two years is contained in two hand written notebooks and
will be published when Our Lady tells Vicka it is
time. Vicka: “The only way to peace and love is prayer and
fasting.”
Mirjana
Dragicevic-Soldo - Mirjana was born March 18th,
1965 in Sarajevo. Her prayer mission from Our Lady is to pray
for all unbelievers. Mirjana graduated from the University
of Sarajevo where her family lived. Mirjana, her
husband Marco, and their two daughters live in Medjugorje.
On August 2, 1987, Our Lady started appearing to
Mirjana on the 2nd day of each month to pray with Mirjana
for all unbelievers. Mirjana tells us that Our Lady
defines “unbelievers” as those who have not yet felt God’s
love. She tells us that if we only once saw the
tears in Our Lady’s eyes for all unbelievers, that we would
all begin praying intensely for this intention. Mirjana:
“The Mass, the Rosary, and fasting, especially on bread and
water only, can stop war, can change the natural
law, particularly if they are done with great faith and
great trust and great love.”
Marija
Pavlovic-Lunetti – Marija was born on April 1,
1965, in Bijakovici. Her prayer mission given by Our Lady is to pray
for all the souls in purgatory. She has three brothers and
two sisters. When the apparitions started, she was
studying in Mostar, about eighteen miles away. She is the
visionary to whom Our Lady gives the public message to
the world on the 25th of each month. Marija, her husband
Paulo and their four children live in Italy. She
visits Medjugorje a number of times each year. Marija: “Fear
comes from Satan. Those who trust the Lord do not
experience fear.”
Ivanka
Ivankovic-Elez - Ivanka was born on July 21, 1966,
in Bijakovici. Ivanka’s prayer mission from Our Lady is to pray
for families. Ivanka has one brother and one sister. Her
Mother Jagoda, died in May 1981. When the apparitions
first began, Ivanka asked the Blessed Mother about her
mother. God has allowed Ivanka to see and speak to
her mother, who is in Heaven, five times over the years.
Ivanka and her husband Raico and their three children
live in Medjugorje. Ivanka: “People know whether they are
living in God’s will or not by how much peace they
have. If they don’t feel peace in their hearts, they know
they are not doing the right thing. Those who are doing
God’s will have peace.”
Ivan
Dragicevic - Ivan was born on May 25th, 1965 in
Bijakovici. His prayer mission given by Our Lady is to pray for priests and
the youth of the world. There are three younger children in
his family and although Ivan and Mirjana share the
same last name, they are not related. Ivan, his wife Laureen
and their four children reside half the year
in Medjugorje, and half the year in Boston, MA. Ivan: ”All
prayer is pleasing to God. It is Satan who always tells
us our prayer is not good enough, that we are not good
enough. The least prayer is very much.”
Jakov
Colo- Jakov is the youngest of the seers. He was
born on March 6, 1971 in Sarajevo, and was only 10 years old
when the apparitions started. His prayer mission given by
Our Lady is to pray for the sick. Jakov, his wife Annalisa and three
children live in Medjugorje. In the early years, the
presence of the young fidgety boy among the group of seers is
significant in terms of the authenticity of the apparitions.
It was highly improbable that he would come to church
for two to three hours of prayer every single day, in winter
as well as in summer, year after year, simply to
make believe that he is seeing the Blessed Virgin. Jakov:
“We need to learn how to thank God because He gave us
too much, and we do not understand that. W e are constantly
asking for more.”
The Official
Position of the Church Regarding Medjugorje
The following is excerpted from a talk given by Dr. Mark
Miravalle at the Medjugorje Conference at Notre Dame
University in May, 2008
What is the official position of the Church regarding
Medjugorje? Would it be an act of disobedience to pilgrimage
to Medjugorje before the Church has given the apparitions
final and definitive approval?
Let’s go to the facts. On April 10, 1991, the Yugoslavian
Episcopal Conference made a declaration regarding
Medjugorje. It is known as the “Declaration of the
ex-Yugoslavian Bishops’ Conference,” in Zadar. In the
statement of 1991, the bishops say the following: They do
not approve Medjugorje as supernaturally authentic; they do
not prohibit Medjugorje as a fraudulent apparition. They
rather conclude, without saying a positive statement of
Medjugorje, that the pilgrims can come, and they are to be
pastorally tended to. Now, theologically this is what we
call the middle category of
“non constat supernaturalitate.” Now once again, bear with
me on these distinctions because they’re important for
clarity and understanding what is the official position of
the Church on Medjugorje. An approved apparition receives
what is called “constat de supernaturalitate.” which means
it consists of a supernatural origin. The third category is
the prohibition category, that is, “constat de non-
supernaturalitate.” That is where the local bishop says
officially these are not approved, and you cannot come, and
there can be no sacraments celebrated at this site. Well,
there’s a middle position, and it’s “non constat
supernaturalitate,” which means the Church, and here the
Zadar statement, does not approve the apparitions, it does
not discredit the apparitions, and people are, indeed, free
to go.
So the 1991 Zadar statement makes clear that personal
pilgrimages to Medjugorje are done, can be satisfied within
proper biddings to the Church. Now, on May 26, 1998, the
Vatican Congregation to the Doctrine of the Faith made a
statement on Medjugorje in response to a letter from a
French bishop, Bishop Aubrey, and at that time the secretary
to Cardinal Ratzinger, Archbishop Bertone, who is now the
Secretary of State, Cardinal Bertone made a very important
confirmation from the Vatican of the 1991 Zadar statement.
Archbsihop Bertone, in this statement in 1998, said the
following: Number one – that the Zadar statement, without
approving and without condemning – is the position of the
Church on Medjugorje at the present position. Number two –
the statement of Archbishop Bertone stated that the personal
opposition of the local bishop is his own personal position.
It is not the official position of the Catholic Church, and
I quote from the letter, “that the position of Msgr. Peric
is and remains his personal opinion.” Thirdly, the
statement of 1998 states once again that pilgrims can
pilgrimage to Medjugorje on a private, personal, that means
non-diocesan organized basis.
My friends, this is extremely important if we’re after
the facts. >This is Rome; this is the Holy See, this is
the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
saying that the position of the local bishop, which is a
negative position, is not the official Catholic position at
this time. And we know from our Catechism and we know
from our teaching that you always go with Rome. You go with
the Holy See. You go with the voice of the Congregation of
the Doctrine of the Faith. So, in answer to question one, is
it an act of disobedience to pilgrimage to Medjugorje, it
absolutely is not an act of disobedience. It is permitted in
the 1991 Zadar statement, from the bishops of ex-Yugoslavia.
It is confirmed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith in the letter of Archbishop Bertone, May 26, 1998.
The Locutionists
Besides the 6 visionaries in Medjugorje, there are two
locutionists (people to whom God speaks“with the heart,” an
experience which is known in the history of the Church as
“locutio cordis” or inner locution). In December,
1982, Jelena Vasilj, 9 years old, began to hear Our Lady speak
to her. In March of 1983, Marijana Vasilj ( no
relation), age 11, began to also have inner locutions of Our
Lady. The messages to these girls were similar
to the visionaries. In March of 1983, Our Lady established and
led a prayer group through Jelena. Our Lady
dictated to Jelena consecration prayers and a prayer for the
sick and recommended the reading of Matthew
6:24-34 every Thursday.
St.
James in Medjugorje
In June of 1986, Pope John
Paul II said, in response to a group of twelve Italian bishops
seeking pastoral advice on people making pilgrimages to Medjugorje,
“LET THE PEOPLE GO TO MEDJUGORJE IF THEY CONVERT, PRAY, CONFESS, DO
PENANCE AND FAST.”
Little Known Fact about Medjugorje
In 1986 the U.S. State
Department became very interested in what they were hearing
about Medjugorje. The U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia at that
time, David Anderson, was told to send political officers to
investigate the rumors of apparitions. Reporting back to
Anderson the two political officers stated, “You’re not going to
believe this, but there is something going on there.” (The State
Dept. information are excerpts "Medjugorje
Investigated," a book by Michael Kenneth Jones. For more information visit Michael’s website,
www.medjugorjeusa.org
Fr. Jozo
talking about one of the "stones"
The Five Stones
Father Jozo Zovko, who
was the pastor of St. James when the apparitions began, speaks
often about what he calls “the weapons” or the “the five stones”
against Goliath. They are: prayer with the heart, especially the
Rosary; Eucharist; Holy Bible; monthly Confession; and fasting.
It is important to
approach each of these slowly, so not to get discouraged. When
Our Lady first appeared to the children, She asked them
to pray the “Peace Rosary, ” which is the Creed and 7 Our
Father’s, 7 Hail Mary’s, and 7 Glory Be’s. Later She had them
pray the 5- decade Rosary, and then worked up to the 15 -decade
Rosary.
Our Lady asks for
frequent attendance at Holy Mass. It might be good to first
start by going a day or two during the week, then work up to
every day if possible. Our Lady always says that when given the
choice of going to Mass or to one of Her apparitions, one should
always choose Holy Mass.
To read the Bible, one
need not read a whole book or even a whole chapter daily. Even a
sentence or two in the morning and in the evening
is beneficial. We need to be constantly fed with the Word of God
to fight the good fight.
As for monthly
Confession, Our Lady told the visionaries that there is not a
person on earth who does not need to confess monthly.
Fasting is the most
difficult of the five. Fasting means that we give up something
that we like and offer that sacrifice to God. Our Lady asks that
we fast weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays. One can give up
sweets, coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, television, etc. But, Our
Lady stresses that the best and most powerful fast is on bread
and water. Great graces come from fasting and it can help with
situations in your life that seem hopeless. Because it is so
hard to fast, one should always pray for the grace to be able to
do it. Again, one should work up to it, starting perhaps by
giving up eating between meals, then one day of bread and water,
and finally two days of bread and water.
Fr. Ed
Murphy celebrating Mass in Medjugorje
The Fruits of Medjugorje
“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered
from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every
good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad
fruit.” (Matthew 7:16-17)
There have been many physical healings through Our Lady
of Medjugorje since 1981. The parish office reports that as
of 2001, there were 445 documented reports about miraculous
physical healings. David Parkes, Rita Klaus, Char Vance,
Artie Boyle, and Tom Rutkoski are just a few of the people
who have received a physical healing that defied medical
science. Each of these people, in recorded testimony, also
had spiritual healings as well, and do not hesitate to
emphasize that, given the choice of a physical healing or a
spiritual healing, they would take the spiritual healing.
It would take hundreds of books to contain the
testimonies of the spiritual healings and conversions that
have taken place through Our Lady of Medjugorje in the last
24 years. More than a few members of the clergy have also
had healings as well, including a priest who had left the
priesthood and returned 17 years later through Our Lady of
Medjugorje. (His story is in our June, 2003 issue)
Organizations which reach out to the homeless, poor
and orphans have been created by people upon returning from
Medjugorje. Gospa Missions in Evans City, PA,
Mission of Mercy in Buffalo, NY, St. David’s Relief
in Mesquite, TX, His Work in Progress in Yardley,
PA, Mother’s Hope Foundation in Pittsburgh, PA, and
Gospa Florida in Palm Coast, FL are just a few of the
many fruits of Medjugorje.
Many priestly and religious vocations have been fostered
through Medjugorje. Fr. Donald Calloway (whose story is in
our April, 2004 issue), Fr. Ed Murphy ( April, 2005 issue),
Frs. Ljubo Kurtovic and Miro Sego ( September, 2004 issue),
are just a few of the many religious vocations which have
been fostered through Medjugorje. “A good tree cannot
produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”
(Mt 7:18)
By June Klins
Before June of 1998, Medjugorje was never in my travel plans.
I was afraid that it was dangerous, that I would not like the
food or the experience of staying in someone’s home, and that I would be bored. Nothing could be farther from the truth
in every case. I will be eternally grateful to the travel agent
who booked me on the plane to Medjugorje without my having
agreed to it! I never experienced such peace in my life, the
food was wonderful, the people were so hospitable and joyful
that I did not want to leave, and I was never bored for even a second. There is much to do, including climbing two mountains -
Apparition Hill and also Cross Mountain, where a large cross was
built in 1933. Ana Shawl who takes pilgrims to Medjugorje
testifies: “No matter how many times people come to Medjugorje,
it’s the same as when you go to visit your mother. There’s
always something more, there’s always more conversations with her, and no two conversations with our
mothers are the same. That’s the way I feel about being there. I
know we have our Mother in Heaven wherever we are and She is
always close to us, but I think there is something so special
about coming to Her little Medjugorje -two mountains, rocks,
vineyards and a church. To make the trip is difficult, but once
there, most everyone has difficulty coming home. Like during the
Transfiguration with the apostles.
They wanted to pitch tents to stay there, they never wanted that
vision to end.”
Stone
from Apparition Hill with Madonna and Child
Signs
and Wonders
By
June Klins
On my first trip to Medjugorje I was very excited because
it was anniversary time and I expected to see a lot of miracles. I had heard that the sun spins like it did in
Fatima and that some people see “gold dust” or the cross on
Mt. Krizevac light up or disappears mysteriously. Well,
after four trips there, I have never seen any phenomena like
this, even while people standing right beside me were
witnessing these things. Many people have miracle photos
they took in Medjugorje. These signs and wonders are gifts
that are given to certain people for a reason only God
knows. On my first pilgrimage, I randomly picked up five
stones on Apparition Hill. I later discovered that four of
the stones had images on them. One has the face of Jesus
with a fetus above His head, and the other three have Our
Lady with Baby Jesus. I wondered why I got these stones. I
certainly did not need them to believe. I carry these
stones, which seem to have a pro-life message, in my purse
and show them to people at any opportunity. The scriptures
tell us that the gifts we receive should be shared with
others.
What is the purpose of these signs and wonders? To get
our attention! Jesus performed miracles from the
very beginning of His ministry on earth. The miracles were a
means to an end. Once Jesus got their attention, He could work the real miracles of changing hearts. The same is
true in Medjugorje. The “miracle of the sun” is to show that
God exists and then to point us to the real “miracle of the
Son,” Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Those who go to
Medjugorje must be on guard not to focus too much attention
on the signs and wonders, at the risk of ignoring the
abundant graces available in Medjugorje through a conversion
of heart, the real sign and wonder at Medjugorje.
To be “fed” monthly by Our Lady’s messages to
the world, you can subscribe to the monthly
newsletter “The Spirit of Medjugorje” by sending
a free will offering along with your name and
address to P.O. Box 6614, Erie, PA 16512.
Hopefully this publication has given you an
introduction to Our Lady of Medjugorje and Her
messages. For further information, we suggest
you consult the hundreds of books and websites
on Medjugorje. Two books we particularly
recommend are Volume I and Volume II of The
Best of “The Spirit of Medjugorje.” It is an
extension of what you have just read here.
Catholic author Elizabeth Ficocelli calls Volume
I, “...a compelling presentation of articles
that help the reader to understand what
Medjugorje is all about —the messages, the
visionaries, the testimonies of changed hearts
and lives. It is both an excellent introduction
to and an important recap of the most important
apparitions of our times. Focused on the early
years of the apparitions, it leaves the reader
yearning for the next edition.”
We present to you here other books deemed as
favorites by an informal survey taken several
years ago with the members of the International
Internet Medjugorje Prayer Group, which has ties
to Ivan’s prayer group in Medjugorje. The
members determined the following to be their
favorite books on Medjugorje in this order:
1. Visions of the Children - Janice Connell
2. Medjugorje the Message - Wayne Weible
3. Final Harvest - Wayne Weible
4. Medjugorje the Mission - Wayne Weible
5. Queen of the Cosmos - Janice Connell
6. Pilgrimage - Fr. Svetozar Kraljevic
7. Pray with the Heart - Fr. Slavko Barbaric
8. Medjugorje in the 90’s - Sr. Emmanuel
9. Letters from Medjugorje - Wayne Weible
10. Medjugorje Day by Day - Fr. Richard Beyer
Suggested Medjugorje websites:
http://www.medjugorje.hr (The official
Medjugorje website)
http://www.medjugorje.org (One of the most
popular Medjugorje websites, has links to other
sites too)
http://www.medjugorjeusa.org (This site was
designed with the “doubting Thomas” in mind.)
http://www.childrenofmedjugorje.com (Has
excellent audio tapes and books by Sr. Emmanuel)
http://crownofstars.blogspot.com (Awesome photos
and inspirational testimonies)
http://www.iipg-queenofpeace.org (International
Internet Prayer Group, Queen of Peace)
Caution should be used in purchasing credible
resources since there are some books and videos
on the market that are “New Age” material. When
in doubt seek advice from proper sources at the
above websites.
“I am grateful to Our Lady of Medjugorje. I know
that many people go there
and are converted. I thank God for leading us during
these times this way.”
Mother Teresa
Our Lady in front of St. James
Mary
is Calling You!
“Dear
children, I want you to comprehend that God has
chosen each one of you, in
order to use you in His great plan for the salvation
of mankind. You are not
able to comprehend how great your role is in God’s
design. Therefore,
dear children, pray so that in prayer you may be
able to comprehend
what God’s plan is in your regard. I am with you in
order that you may
be able to bring it about in all its fullness.
“(1/25/87)
“Dear
children! Today I invite you to become missionaries
of my messages, which I am
giving here through this place that is dear to me.
God has allowed me to
stay this long with you and therefore, little
children, I invite you to live
with love the messages I give and to transmit them
to the whole world,
so that a river of love flows to people who are full
of hatred and without
peace. I invite you, little children, to become
peace where there is no
peace and light where there is darkness, so that
each heart accepts the
light and the way of salvation.” (2/25/95)
"Dear
children! Today I call you to be my extended hands
in this world that puts God
in the last place. You, little children, put God in
the first place in your
life. God will bless you and give you strength to
witness Him, the God
of love and peace. I am with you and intercede for
all of you. Little
children, do not forget that I love you with a
tender love.”(2/25/05)
“Comprehend,
little children, that you are today the salt of the
earth and the light of
the world.” (10/25/96)
“Dear
children, you know that for your sake I have
remained a long time so I might
teach you how to make progress on the way of
holiness. Therefore,
dear children, pray without ceasing and live the
messages which I am giving
you for I am doing it with great love toward God and
toward you. Thank you
for having responded to my call.” (1/1/87)
The Blue Cross in Medjugorje
Permission is
given to spread the text of any original works and may be
used with the following conditions:
1)
No words are changed;
2) “Spirit of Medjugorje” is cited. For
articles by other sources, permission must be obtained from the
original source.
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SPIRIT OF MEDJUGORJE Information Center
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MAY GOD BLESS YOU.