The Spirit of Medjugorje
Medjugorje Message March 25, 2024
"Dear children! In this time of grace, pray with me for the good to win in you and around you. In a special way, little children, pray united with Jesus on His Way of the Cross. Into your prayers put this humanity which wanders without God and without His love. Be prayer, be light, and be witnesses to all those whom you meet, little children, so that the merciful God may have mercy toward you. Thank you for having responded to my call."
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Featured article from May's Spirit of Medjugorje
God's Language of Love
By Dianne Yochim
Recently someone gave me several audiotapes from
Medjugorje conferences held in the U.S. in the 1990s.
Even though I had attended a couple of the conferences, I
found it inspiring to listen once again to the stories of the
various speakers. Some knew nothing about Medjugorje
before they went, some didn't believe in the apparitions,
and some were leading lives far from God. Nevertheless,
through the intercession of Our Lady of Medjugorje, God
had miraculously changed their lives
forever. And now they were able to share
their stories with hundreds of people at
these conferences. Amazing!
One priest's experience particularly
touched me. He unabashedly admitted
he didn't want to go to Medjugorje. He
refused to watch videos people had given
him. He even burned a stack of Wayne
Weible's newsletters he was supposed to
hand out to his parishioners. But when
some of his teenagers came back from
Medjugorje, they wanted to go into the
church after school and pray the Rosary.
They also were sharing the message
of Medjugorje with other teens. This
disturbed him so much that he decided
he needed to learn about this "cult"
that was brainwashing his teenagers in
faraway Yugoslavia. So he went.
The first evening his group attended a
Croatian Mass. He went as a lay person,
not as a priest. And since he didn't know
Croatian, he sat outside the church on a bench, reading a
book by Thomas Merton. He could hear the readings for the
Mass as they were being piped outside on loudspeakers.
He could also hear the priest when he began his homily.
He found him to be so dynamic and sincere that he closed
his book and began to listen to the Croatian homily. As he
listened, he realized he was understanding every word of
the entire length of the homily. He kept saying to himself,
"This can't be happening." And then he realized this was
what happened at Pentecost. With the gift of tongues, Peter
spoke in Aramaic, and people from all different countries
understood what he was saying in their own languages.
Then it dawned on the priest what Medjugorje was about –
people from all over the world coming to understand God's
language of love.
This priest's story brought back memories of a similar
experience I had in 1984 in Fatima, Portugal. My husband
had surprised me with a trip there for our 10th anniversary.
We went with Fr. Luke Zimmer, who had given missions
at our parish church. We spent 12 days at the shrine in
Fatima where Our Lady had appeared in 1917 to three
small shepherd children: Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta. She
appeared on the 13th day of each month from May through
October [except in August when it was on the 19th] requesting
them to pray the Rosary and offer sacrifices to end the war
(World War I) and for the conversion of sinners. These small
children fulfilled Our Lady's requests to a heroic degree.
In fact, on March 23, 2017, Pope Francis approved the final
miracle needed to canonize Francisco and Jacinta.
Millions of pilgrims come each year to pray at the Fatima
shrine. On the 13th of each month, people from a different
region in Portugal come to thank Our Lady for appearing
in their country. But on May 13, people from the whole
country of Portugal come, to honor Our Lady. Some walk
100 miles or more with just the clothes on their backs and
carrying the food they will eat. As they
enter Fatima, some fall to their knees
and walk the rest of the way on their
knees. The Army sets up huge tents for
them, and some sleep in the open fields.
My husband and I witnessed this.
Basilica in Fatima
On May 13, 1984, a three-hour Mass
was celebrated outside the Basilica.
We found ourselves in the middle of a
million people packed into the square.
An elderly Portuguese couple standing
behind us offered us their folding stools
to sit on. Thinking of the many miles
they must have traveled, we declined,
but a friend who spoke Portuguese said
we would insult them if we didn't accept
their offer. It was an honor for them
to share their seats with Americans.
Humbly we thanked them and sat
down. I will always remember their
gracious smiles.
At Communion time, I wondered if
there would be enough Sacred Hosts
for that many people. There was! In later years, I came to
learn that all year the Portuguese bring sacks of grain to
the shrine that they have grown themselves to be made into
hosts just for this special Mass! After Communion, I joined
in the songs of thanksgiving. To my amazement, I realized
I was singing the tune and the words in Portuguese. How
could this be coming out of my mouth when I didn't know
the language or the songs? It seemed impossible, but it was
happening. I felt such a love and oneness with those people!
A million people and all were one in song and Spirit.
The next morning, I related all this to Fr. Luke. He told
me that's what it is to be one in the Mystical Body of Christ.
In God's eyes, we are all one in Christ – and not just with
those at Mass, but with all the saints, the angels, the souls
in Purgatory, the Church on earth, the entire body of
Christ and family of God. No wonder the Mass is the most
powerful prayer!
In 1990, my husband and I and our two children went on
a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. While there, I was impressed
again by the people coming together as one, to honor
Our Lady. They were from different countries, speaking
different languages. Nevertheless, they were one Body
in Christ as they came to pray together as the children of
the Mother of God and to be in Her holy presence. This
was evident at the Masses, during the Rosaries, and on
Mt. Podbrdo [Apparition Hill] and Mt. Krizevac [Cross
Mountain].
I personally experienced this oneness with a complete
stranger the day our pilgrim group climbed Mt. Krizevac.
The mountain was steep. The climb was slow and arduous.
The path was filled with large and small sharp rocks. One
had to be careful not to slip and fall. I was having a bad day.
I was not experiencing the peace and joy that everyone else
seemed to have. I was hot, tired from not sleeping the night
before, and frustrated. I couldn't seem to pray at all; I just
couldn't get past the words, "Hail Mary." And yet, I heard
several pilgrims saying, "I wish I could
pray this easily back home." When
we got to the top of the mountain, I
had had it. My husband asked me if
I wanted to say the family Rosary. I
snapped at him, "No!" My son said
he had already said several Rosaries
that day. Really??? And I couldn't even
say one Hail Mary! I finally sat down
on a rock alone and cried. Eventually
I decided to forget myself and talk to
God about it. What did He want? My
answer was "Penance." I felt He wanted
me to take off my shoes and socks and
walk down the mountain barefoot as a
penance. My husband thought it was too dangerous. But I
didn't think twice about it; I just knew I had to do it if it was
what God wanted.
Rocks on Mt. Krizevac
The group of pilgrims went ahead down the mountain.
I had to pick my way much more slowly because it seemed
even more treacherous going down than it had been going
up. I got about halfway down and I didn't think I could
go any farther. Out of nowhere, a young woman appeared
who was making her way slowly, wearing only socks on her
feet. She sat down on a rock opposite me. She didn't speak
English, but we communicated with each other by using our
hands and by facial expressions. She confirmed that it was
easier to go up the mountain in your bare feet or socks, but
to come down was much more difficult. I wondered how
often she had done it. I was ready to put my shoes on, but she
persuaded me not to. She took my hand and started helping
me descend once again. When I would
stop, she would encourage me to
continue on. We made it to the bottom
of the mountain together. We smiled
at one another and hugged. Then she
walked away. I never knew her name
or where she was from, but it didn't
matter. She spoke God's language of
love by her kindness to me. I knew I'd
never see her again, but in the time we
spent climbing down the mountain
we were one in heart and Spirit
Thinking back on these experiences,
I can only marvel at the power and
goodness of God in bringing together
people from all over the world to understand His language
of love. May we all continue to strive ever more earnestly
to be one in mind and heart and Spirit as we respond to
Our Lady's call. For we are one Body in Christ. Our Lady
of Fatima, pray for us. Our Lady of Medjugorje, pray for us.
Editor's note: Dianne lives in Erie, PA and is a faithful member
of our mailing crew.
