The Spirit of Medjugorje

"Dear children, in this time of grace when you are called to conversion, I am encouraging you, little children: offer me your prayers, sufferings and tears for conversion of hearts that are far from the Heart of my Son Jesus. Pray with me, because, little children, without God you do not have a future or eternal life. I love you, but I cannot help you without you; therefore, say 'yes' to God. Thank you for having responded to my call. (With Ecclesiastical approval)"

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Prayer - the Real Miracle

By Sr. Emmanuel

     One evening on Krizevac... After the Balkan war, my Mexican friends came to Medjugorje with a group of 45 pilgrims, including 15 priests. One of the priests, having had to cancel his trip, was replaced by another pilgrim. But I will let Emilio, the leader of the group, tell the story of what he considers to be one of the most incredible events in his life:
     "From the beginning of the trip, our group was embarrassed to see this newcomer drinking a lot of alcohol and even harassing women. He was aggressive and disrespectful. And yet he was a priest, replacing the priest who had cancelled his trip! You couldn't tell from what he was wearing that he was a priest.
     "Once we arrived in Rome, our fi rst stop, he disappeared for 4 days, and no one knew where he was. He only showed up for the departure to Split, loudly expressing his anger at having to go to this small hamlet of Medjugorje. His att itude was becoming more and more unbearable, his arrogance was detestable.
     "On the first day of the pilgrimage, our group went to see the visionary, Vicka, who gave pilgrims the main messages of the Blessed Mother as well as her personal experience. My wife and another friend were near this priest, in order to be the last ones to come under the hands of Vicka who prayed for the pilgrims. The priest began to utt er sounds like animal cries, and began to vomit. As for Vicka, she kept calm and continued to pray in peace, trusting that Mary would take care of this strange pilgrim.

Vicka praying

     "At the end, Vicka raised her hand towards him while praying silently for him, when suddenly he utt ered a horrible cry and fl ed. Vicka continued to pray for the members of our group. She laid hands on us in silence.
     "On the last day, it was very cold and snowing a lot. Then only four of us insisted on climbing Mount Krizevac. We were enthusiastic, even though we were not wearing warm clothes or proper shoes.
     "As we were walking alongside the church in the direction of the mountain, we didn't see anyone outside because of the icy wind. However, we heard a voice shouting out to us in the distance. It was that priest! He asked us where we were going, and expressed his wish to go with us. We accepted, though reluctantly. He took a bag with him that contained what was needed to celebrate Mass.
     "The climb was very difficult, given the icy wind and snow. We were frozen in our ordinary street clothes! Once we got to the top, we sat in circles to att end Mass. Then, litt le by litt le, we started feeling as if we were enveloped in a very gentle and warm atmosphere that protected us from the wind, cold and snow. Our clothes dried quickly. A mysterious light illuminated us, while the day had already dimmed very quickly. Mass began.
     "At the moment of the off ertory, the priest kept silent for a few minutes, knelt down, and turned his face to heaven. Then, in an extremely loud voice, he asked our Heavenly Father to forgive him for every one of his sins. He spoke all his sins aloud, while weeping and begging God for mercy. We were completely dumbfounded! But we felt compelled to do as he did, and in turn, we each confessed our sins out loud.
     "We then had the most beautiful experience of our lives. At the end, we were filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, we couldn't stop singing. We went back down the mountain without any fear despite the dark night. A light illuminated each of our steps. We got to the pension at midnight. Then the priest told us how he had gradually lapsed. He was disappointed by a series of difficult obstacles in his pastoral ministry, and had become deeply discouraged. That was when he sank into alcoholism and some other deadly traps.
     "Eight months later, he shared with us his great joy at having been able to restore his parish upon his return from this pilgrimage, and how, with God's grace, he had adopted Our Lady's spiritual riches in his pastoral ministry: the Rosary, the Eucharist, Adoration and the main messages of Medjugorje... In short, this beautiful resurrection spread like wildfire!"
     As for us, what can we learn from all this? There is a missing piece in this story, which will remain the secret of the King. What happened in the heart of this priest between the prayer with Vicka and the moment when he wanted to climb the mountain with us, in this icy cold weather? Prayer... That is where the real miracle is! The fervent prayer of an entire group as well as Vicka's obtained a pathway to peace for this lost heart. Fervent prayer is what obtained this wonderful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Mount Krizevac! God alone knows the many fruits that have flowed down from there to the whole Church and to the world!
     Children of Medjugorje, www.sremmanuel.org, August 2023 report.