TESTIMONIES FROM AND ABOUT MEDJUGORJE

In the last number of our paper on p. 24 we wrote a special message to our readers that we would like to repeat here word for word: “Dear readers! In this issue you probably expected a special article on the unordinary manifestations in the Hercegovina parish of Medjugorje. But we shall rather leave it to time, patience and God’s providence!”

It has now been three months since the first unordinary manifestations in the parish of Medjugorje. It has been almost that long since the last issue of our paper (three issues in one). It is also a long enough time for us now to be able to say something about the unordinary events of Medjugorje. Especially because these manifestations have been systematically recurring day by day, month by month, and attracting not only hundreds of thousands of the faithful but also the curious passing by Medjugorje. Namely, six Medjugorje children have been continuing to give firm witness about the daily apparitions of Our Lady. The multitude of the faithful, from nearly all areas of our country (also from abroad) has been all the more firmly accepting these testimonies. Besides this, individual witnesses with claims of miraculous healings have appeared. These attribute the healings to the intercession of the Mother of God – after they have fervently prayed to her and believed in her.

But in spite of all that, we are still not going to speak here about the miraculous apparitions or healings. We will also leave that to further “time, patience, and God’s providence.” Instead, we will just say something here about certain manifestations and testimonies that are evident and obvious to anyone.

First of all, from the very beginning of the unordinary manifestations in Medjugorje till today, the multitude of the faithful prays with profound devotion. This profound devotion which is rarely encountered, is evident during divine services to everyone who comes on a visit to the parish church of Medjugorje. It is also obvious that men and women, old and young, even the youngest, remain deep in prayer for unusually long periods of time. In addition to that, they are going to confession in great numbers. Among the penitents it is not rare to find those who openly admit that they have not been to confession for several decades. They say that something has drawn them to make their confession in Medjugorje and that they feel spiritually regenerated after it.

It is also evident that devout pilgrimages are almost endlessly pouring into Medjugorje. Not only from areas nearby but also from the most distant parts of the country. And not only Catholics, but also the believers of other religions. Among the countless pilgrimage groups, there is also not a small number of pilgrims who come by foot, sometimes needing several days to walk to Medjugorje. Often among them also there are those who walk bare footed. There are pilgrims coming every day and every night just to be at the evening mass, celebrated daily (on both weekdays and Sundays) at 6 PM. The spacious church of Medjugorje (one of the most spacious in Herceg-Bosna) is almost always too small to contain the assembled multitude of the faithful.

Also evident is the fasting which has been accepted by numerous faithful of all ages. People fast most regularly on Fridays but also on other days. And people are fasting like has not been done for a long time: just on bread and water. In addition to all this, many reconciliations of quarreling neighbors, quarreling families and individuals, have been witnessed.

Finally, the messages that the children-visionaries claim to be Our Lady’s messages, as so far known, do not depart from gospel belief nor are they contrary to its contents. Namely, the children-visionaries consistently emphasize that through them Our Lady is inspiring the faithful to more fervent prayer, to a more efficacious faith, to peace, reconciliation, conversion, forgiveness and the praising of God. The children claim that Our Lady is also inspiring church officials to all this.

Finally, one should also not deny the testimony regarding the exceptional kindness and hospitality of the Medjugorje faithful and their priests. Those who have come to Medjugorje from distant areas talk about that with special enthusiasm. Coming from afar, in Medjugorje they have found refreshment, a warm word, and a hospitable home. Both Catholics and non-Catholics bear witness to that.

Naša Ognište, November 8, 1981. Duvno-Tomislavgrad, p. 3.

MEDJUGORJE – A QUIET PLACE OF PRAYER

–And why wouldn=t you also make a short visit to the parish of Medjugorje, and Aright from the place@ pass on to the readers your impressions about what you see, learn and experience there?

Very serious and convinced believers have already for weeks and months been flooding us with these kind of questions and encouragements. So finally we decided to go. One bright afternoon we took off in the direction of gentle Brotnjo. We arrived at Medjugorje on a mild and warm October evening. It was already six o=clock. The time of the daily evening mass in the parish church. A mysterious peace reigned over the village and the harmonious prayer droned in the church. We start to walk faster and there we are under the vaults of the magnificent Medjugorje church. The divine service is already near the end and the faithful are all on their knees. Some in the pews and some on the bare floor. Our curious eyes survey the entire church and among those present we notice a fairly large number of youthful believers and again a pretty good number of young men among them. Stalwart as mountains and youthful as a fresh drop of dew.

The divine service ends, but no one leaves the church. On the contrary, everyone stays on their knees. Then soon a special prayer of seven Our Fathers and the rosary begins. All these prayers are led by the children – the visionaries. This time there were just two of them. Vicka, the oldest and Jakov, the youngest. The others are at school outside Medjugorje. But on Saturdays and Sundays they almost always join Vicka and Jakov. The prayer is clear and distinct. For a moment it sounds like the burbling of a fresh mountain stream. We join in the prayer still looking around at everything in the church. And all of a sudden we notice a rather large group of boys and girls with school bags in their hands flooding into the church. As they come in they kneel down and join in the community prayer. Later on they told us that this is an unavoidable stop of theirs every evening. From school straight to church and only then home. They do it gladly without anyone encouraging them.

Praying the rosary lasts fairly long but nobody in the church blinks an eye. We were especially fascinated at the devotion of the young Christian men. Probably also because we have never ever come across such recollected and contrite young men in our churches!

After the rosary part of the faithful leave the church and a smaller group of them remain for the final prayer for the seriously sick. In the church yard the first ones we meet are the young men who fascinated us in the church with their natural devotion. Without us asking any question they immediately began opening their hearts, overflowing with love for Mary, Mother of us all. They come from different parts of Hercegovina. We speak particularly with those coming from Mostar and the nearby vicinity. They say they are often in Medjugorje. They are drawn there by the unique atmosphere of prayer. On their way back they are accompanied by an indescribable peace of mind which they live in for days. They tell us that just like many of their young acquaintances, they keep a strict fast almost every Friday. Gladly and enthusiastically.

As we say good-bye to the young men, immediately a group of young girls and young ladies come our way. Some of them are from Medjugorje, some from nearby Citluk, and some from more distant places. We do not have time to ask them any questions because they also get ahead of us with their outpouring of enthusiastic faith.. Like the young men, the ladies also speak of prayer that sustains and inspires them, about spiritual tranquility and inner joy. One girl who recently returned from Germany testifies with enthusiasm that since not long ago she can pray even for hours in complete presence of mind and that she acquired a real spiritual taste for prayer.

And still a few more similar meetings in front of the church – at the end of dusk. With almost the same reports and identical enthusiasm.

In all of this one thing is particularly interesting: the faithful talk far less about the children=s visions and the healings of the sick, (although they firmly believe all that) than one would expect. On the contrary, they talk more about their inner transformation, about reconciliation and forgiveness and about all that we mentioned before. And so, little by little, the faithful returned to their homes, singing Marian songs of praise, among which the most often heard are, AMarijo, o Marijo@ and AO mila Majko nebeska.@

With that we moved to the parish house – to talk a little with the visionary children. Vicka and little Jakov gladly accepted. Already at the beginning of the conversation we get the impression that these children are very bright, very open and, above all, very natural. Vicka speaks in unusually lively and sure way but not in anyway imposing. And she always makes a very clear distinction between what she is completely convinced of and what may only be indirectly concluded or just guessed at. She answers questions quickly, cleverly and succinctly (sometimes also picturesquely!). And when she has no answer, she simply and bluntly says: AI don=t know!@ She is neither vain about having become the center of attention in a certain way nor about daily receiving a handful of letters from the faithful at home and abroad. What is more, she will not say about herself that she is particularly good, much less perfect. She just says that she sincerely tries to be better and more honest: both as a human being and as a believer.

Little Jakov acts his age. While we are speaking with Vicka, like a little boy he playfully Apokes through@ the parish books, plays with a bunch of pencils, taps on a typewriter, scurries to and fro, sits down one minute and then continues again with his playing. But surprisingly, we ask him some serious question, he at once gets serious, leaves the toys and very seriously answers the question that was asked.

Our conversation with the children is friendly, direct, and in good spirits, and sometimes we even joke a little between ourselves. At one moment we somewhat provocatively called Vicka=s attention to the fact that they are many people who are not taking the children=s apparitions seriously, although they are serious believers and some also even outright church officials. But Vicka does not at all get upset with that. Rather she calmly answers that nobody has to believe their visions if they cannot or if they think differently. Then she starts telling us how even she herself was not completely convinced after the first apparition. And that she did not want to say or admit anything to anybody until she was Aa hundred percent convinced herself that she is seeing and speaking with Our Lady.@ And Vicka speaks about her Aconversations with Our Lady@ in such a natural way, it is as if she were talking about a conversation that she just had with her own mother a little while ago. From these Aconversations with Our Lady@ she mostly emphasizes the messages that refer to prayer and penance, faith and fidelity to God, peace and reconciliation among those who are at odds with each other, honesty and humanity, love and goodness. So, it is something like what the believers mentioned to us earlier in front of the church, and then again it is completely in tune with what constitutes the heart and framework of the true believer. After the conversation with the children, we spoke a little with the local Franciscans – the pastoral ministers. Immediately, among their first and strongest impressions about Medjugorje believers and Medjugorje pilgrims, they unanimously emphasized much of what we already heard in front of the church: a deepened devotion and prayer, the frequent and contrite reception of the sacraments, are indubitable facts in Medjugorje. On the other hand, the inner joy and calm are the indubitable testimonies that the faithful very often show and communicate in various ways. Fr. Tomislav give us two of the most recent such examples. The first refers to some orthodox believer who came on pilgrimage to Medjugorje sometime toward the end of this summer. Just a few days before we arrived in Medjugorje, he telephoned the Medjugorje parish office. First he mentioned that his sight (he was almost completely blind) has not improved even after his pilgrimage to Medjugorje, but he immediately added enthusiastically that now he feels such peace and joy in his heart that it is far more precious to him than sight in his eyes. A similar testimony was reported by a Catholic lady from our country who works in Sweden. After her pilgrimage to Medjugorje, she was completely freed from her unbearable spiritual anxieties and is now immeasurably happy and profoundly grateful to God and the Mother of God.

In addition we find out that there is a pretty large number of Orthodox and Moslem faithful who have come on pilgrimage to Medjugorje during the past several months and that according to their own written and spoken admissions, took away unforgettable memories. Thus some Orthodox believers were moved to tears when a Medjugorje priest spoke to them with a warm welcome about our common Father in Heaven and our common Mother Mary, who love us all alike regardless of a certain difference in confession of faith. Others again were touched by the care and hospitality of the local believers who received them in their family homes as their own brothers and sisters. And then in turn the local believers and the priests in turn were touched by the profound faith and love for God of those who belong to another confession of faith. They were particularly fascinated by the faith and penitential disposition of a group of Orthodox Roma people, who from some distance [the bridge by the post office over the Lukoƒ Creek op. trad.] came on their knees all the way to the entrance of the Medjugorje church. Fr. Tomislav told us that he never ever saw such a dignified approach to the cross as was shown by these Roma people on one occasion when they approached the cross and kissed it according to their ages. Orthodox believers have been coming to Medjugorje from very distant regions. For example, from Leskovac, Zaje…ar, Šabac, Smederevo, Belgrade, [towns in central Serbia, op. trad.] and Subotica. And there have also been Moslem pilgrims from very distant places. For example, one group came all the way from Zagreb.

Each of these two groups remained in prolonged prayer and followed the divine liturgy with exemplary behavior. Catholic pilgrims have been coming from almost every territory of our country even from out of the country. We tried to get some figures, but the local Franciscans do not want to give out any unverified data. From June to October [1981] in Medjugorje have there been 150,000 confessions, 200,000 communions, a million pilgrims, a little more or less – it is impossible to be sure of. Certainly it must have been a great multitude. The most important thing is that the great majority of that multitude made haste to Medjugorje on the wings of faith and sincere devotion. That would be the whole answer to our questions about figures.

Then again we moved on to what is really more important and more salvific than ordinary dry statistics. Particularly significant and meaningful, the pastoral ministers of the place emphasize, is that the local believers and pilgrims are beginning to look into their own interior, their own soul, – in order to see in their soul what is so plain to see in the Bible. It is from this that the ever more frequent demand for deeper confessions, the demand for spiritual conversation and counsel come – leading up to a complete enlivening of faith and life. It is probably also from this that incentives for mutual reconciliation come, including Fr. Tomislav=s fresh piece of information that recently on one Saturday he gave communion for a fairly long time just to adult men between ages 20 and 25. And by the way, evening masses on Saturday and Sunday are significantly more attended than the evening masses on week days – which is understandable. Thus one October Sunday evening, according to estimates of careful observers, next to the overflowing church, there were twice as many believers in the yard around the church!

Finally, summarizing all the facts and impressions, one young priest from a nearby neighborhood makes the statement that over the past several months Medjugorje has been transformed into a quiet place of prayer, where God is glorified in a penitential way and not in the sense of festivity. And Fr. Tomislav adds that amid the whole atmosphere old and somewhat forgotten spiritual values are also coming to life, such as strict fasting and prolonged, undistracted prayer. (Some believer admitted to him that he had only heard of strict fasting or Adrying out@ from his deceased grandmother a long time ago and that now he is a witness of many young people who have voluntarily taken up such a way of fasting.

Indeed, in Medjugorje we heard and felt a lot of things, beautiful, inspiring, and educational. And all of these lessons, messages, and testimonies could be summed up in one desire and expectation: let humanity increase in every man, and faith increase in every man – believer. In any case that is something good. Because with man being more human and the believer more faithful, the totality of human life will be more meaningful and joyful. That is something we certainly all desire, regardless of religion and personal conviction. And something like that is glimmering in Medjugorje. With hope and prayer that it be so, we left the Medjugorje parish house. Stars were twinkling in the sky. And peace reigned over Medjugorje.

B. L.
Naša ognjišta, XI, 9 (77), Duvno, November 1981, pp. 10-11.
[Our Hearths, a Catholic monthly published by the Hercegovina Franciscans in Tomislavgrad (formerly Duvno) op. trad.]

MEÐUGORJE MARKED BY WHITENESS AND LIGHT

Urged by numerous Meðugorje pilgrims, which convincingly claim that they were recently witnesses of unusual and vividly seen phenomena, we paid a short visit to the Meðugorje Parish again. That was one cold evening in the month of December, but coldness did not prevent the worshippers of the Lady to dedicate the evening hours to prayer in the Meðugorje parish church. After the completion of the evening ceremonies, we were met and stopped by known and unknown persons. From Meðugorje, from Ljubuški, from Mostar, from Posušje and some from considerably higher distances. It is not hard to start a conversation when “hearts are filled and open”. So we started it. But we immediately expressed the mysterious restraint towards unusual phenomena about which there has been so much talk recently. However, the witnesses of those phenomena kept their poise and did not lose their faith. There are many of them. We talked with groups and individuals. In groups and separately. And all claimed essentially the same. The difference is only that they don’t all use the same words and expressions. But that was a matter of personality and the level of education.

Testimonies about unusual phenomena

What kind of phenomena are in question is told by witnesses. Of all ages and various vocations. We listened to them attentively and noted their statements. Here are some:

“One October evening, instead of the big cross, I saw on the Križevac hill beautiful whiteness and in the middle of that whiteness something like a figure of the Lady in form of a statue”, a young man from a larger group of young men and girls, from Bijakoviæi, told us. When we remarked that it could have been the shining of the sun, they replied almost unanimously that it was impossible since there was no sun at all then. They also told us that such a phenomenon was repeated several times one day. Then a girl asked to speak and described the phenomenon in her words: “First you see the cross as usually. Then the cross disappears to the eye, and in the whiteness, a figure of a woman appears”. While the girl described that, other supplement it by descriptions of some fine details. “One morning, there were thirty of us observing that phenomenon”, the girl continued her description. “There was a man from Zagreb with his wife and child with us. When they saw that phenomenon, they went towards the cross up the Križevac hill. We were in front of the house and watched them through binoculars until they went out of our sight. And when the whiteness appeared again, we saw them clearly again walking towards the cross, as we see you now. And when they were returning, it was like that again. They were appearing and getting out of our sight, depending on appearing of the whiteness.”

The young claim that among those thirty witnesses, all ages were present, and they invited us to stay and see for ourselves, because that phenomenon is repeated from time to time.

“I saw that too”, a middle-aged woman from the Èerin parish interrupted our conversation. “I saw a figure of a woman like this on this side of the cross. I was watching it for 15 minutes, and many which came before say that it lasted for half an hour. I started to watch that phenomenon five minutes before five o’clock in the afternoon.” The woman also claimed that the sight was seen by some fifty persons, and she added: “It was raining and it was as if no rain fell on us. We were praying, rejoicing and crying with gladness. That was something biggest and most beautiful that I had seen in my life. I shall never forget it and I don’t want to die now.”

Thus said the woman from Èerin. And an older man immediately continued her statement and claimed that there is no one in Bijakoviæi who has not seen that phenomenon.

A group of students joined our conversation. They said how they stopped the religious education class on the occasion of one such phenomenon, went out to the church yard and all saw the unusual sight in the same way.

Those who describe those common seeings of theirs in greater detail point out that the mentioned whiteness was shining as the brightest light they had ever seen, and some even claim that that light had nothing in common with normal lighting. Among our interlocutors, there were those who testified that they saw exactly the same phenomenon on the cross of the church bell tower, and a sharp-witted old man described to us in detail such a phenomenon on Podbrdo above Bijakoviæi.

People also witnessed about phenomena in form of a huge flame, so that there was fear from that too. But it could soon be found that no fire was in question.

Among witnesses of those repetitive phenomena in Meðugorje, we met several priests as well. Older ones and young ones. And their testimonies actually correspond to testimonies by other followers. Here is what a sixty year old priest told us, whose special characteristic is the depth of thought and reasonable evaluation of those phenomena:

“It was about 5 p.m. on Thursday. I was with my colleague and a group of another seventy believers. I went out of the sacristy and looked up towards Križevac: No cross! But, what?! I was surprised. And while my surprise was not calmed yet, a white pillar appeared. Thus excited, I returned to the sacristy and called a reverend sister to come out and see if she saw the same phenomenon. And she immediately said that she saw a figure of a woman similar to the Lady. Then I hurried to the parish office to call other priests, but they were already out and were attentively watching the scene on the Križevac hill. Some were using binoculars too. Then I grabbed binoculars from somebody and turned them towards the hill. And soon I noticed a figure of a woman made of light. And it was so white and so pleasant light as I had near seen in my life. Then I went to church to call other believers, but they were already out and they were kneeling down on the rainy meadow, plunged in fervent prayer. After the prayer, the believers sang several songs of the Lady, and then general joy and loud cheering followed. In that overjoyed group of believers, I noticed a woman from Hamziæi that I knew. She was speaking aloud: ²Oh, thank you, Lady! I came here for the fifteenth time. May it happen to me whatever you wish, I thank you for having seen you tonight!² From my side, I must point out again that I only saw a white pillar without binoculars, but through the binoculars, I saw a figure of a woman.”

Another phenomenon happened, it seems to me, on Tuesday, on 27th October. The weather was better than the first time, so that there were a lot of people outside. And the thing was the same again: the cross disappeared. And then the cross appeared again, but how? With its upright and transverse piece and a white female figure appeared in front of the cross. The spectacle lasted about 15 minutes.

The third phenomenon with a special sign happened on 4th November at 5:15 in the afternoon. It was watched by 300 person at least. But that phenomenon appeared in another place. Maybe about 200 meters southeast of Križevci. It had the form of a flame which was resting in some kind of a frame. Something like a door, which were sometimes getting a little smaller, and then bigger again.

Thus, those are the three phenomena which were witnessed by us five priests.” These are only some of the testimonies about unusual light-white phenomena at Meðugorje. We heard many more. We must say here that all the persons which evidenced those phenomena introduced themselves to us by name and that certain descriptions of the sights seen were considerably more extensive than we have recorded them here.

Testimonies about spiritual transformation

Thus, we presented the statements of eyewitnesses. And we leave the judgment of that to God’s providence, the church teaching, and also to those which feel called to explain and clarify such phenomena and such statements. As believers, we are aware that faith does not live from such phenomena, nor does it die without them. The basis and the strength of our faith are primarily the Gospel and the evidenced evangelic life, although certain signs which God sends in a special way can wake up the dormant faith.

However, immediately next to those phenomena about which individuals and groups testified, there is something much more convincing, more palpable, and even more wonderful than the phenomena themselves which we consider wonderful. Those are spiritual transformations which happen in human souls. Those transformations were testified by the same believers which gave their testimonies about light-white signs in the Meðugorje parish. They testified by words and by examples, so that we could convince ourselves in all as well.

They said that church rites were once too long for them even if they lasted only for half an hour, and that even four hours were not too long for them now. Moreover, it happened lately that the priest urged the believers to go home in the evening, but that many still remained praying. They did not have to prove that to us, because we saw for ourselves that it really was so.

They further told us that no swearing had been heard in their place for months already, and we heard none too – although we went to places where nobody knew us.

They stated names and examples of reconciliation of those which had started court proceedings a long time ago, so that there is no reason not to trust that too.

The young and the old pointed their finger to their yesterday’s sinful life, which they then changed radically. And on their faces one could see that they are not feigning.

Some stated a particularly touchy example evidencing a deep believer’s transformation. Namely, on last Christmas, one of their citizens was crying bitterly because his sons became so religiously indifferent that they did not even wish to attend the Christmas mass. And now those same sons are by the very altar in devoted prayer and sincere piety each Sunday and each evening.

Let’s point out also that such factual testimonies about inner spiritual transformations don’t refer only to Meðugorje believers, but to many Meðugorje pilgrims from parts close by and far away.

And those spiritual transformations, that inner whiteness and light, are evangelic values and ideals towards which each Christian believer should continuously strive. Why, Christ himself, who came to redeem and save the world, was called “the Light of the World” himself.

Naša ognjišta, XI., 10 (78), Duvno, December 1981, pp. 13-14