To a world that has forgotten God and is headed to self-destruction, Mary has been appearing with a greater frequency and urgency, trying to lead us back to God. She appeared in 1531 in Mexico City, leaving a supernatural, almost indestructible sign for all to see – the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In 1830, Mary appeared in Paris to St. Catherine Laboure, revealing the Miraculous Medal. Then she appeared in 1858 in Lourdes; 1871 in Pontmain, France; 1917 in Fatima, Portugal; 1968 in Zeitoun, Egypt where over one million people saw her at the same time; and 1983 in San Nicolás, Argentina – just to name a few.
Now we arrive at Medjugorje. From 1981 to the present moment, Mary is reported to be appearing in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina. Archbishop Henryk Hoser, head of the Ruini Commission, established by Pope Benedict XVI, stated: “The commission established by Pope Benedict XVI to study the alleged apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, voted overwhelmingly to recognize as real and supernatural the first seven apparitions…”
However, the Church cannot render a final decision because the apparitions and messages continue. Saint John Paul II commented to the Archbishop of Slovakia, Pavel Hnilca: “Medjugorje is the continuation of Fatima, it is the completion of Fatima.” (Slovimir Oder, Why He is a Saint p. 169)
On May 12, 2019, the Vatican officially authorized pilgrimage to Medjugorje and designated the parish church of St. James in Medjugorje a pontifical shrine under the oversight of the Vatican.
The Essence Of The Message Of Medjugorje Is Conversio
With this all in mind – what is the message? The essence of the message of Medjugorje is conversion:
“It will be too late when the sign comes. Beforehand, several warnings will be given to the world. Have people hurry to be converted. I need your prayers and your penance…The only thing that I would want to tell you is be converted. Make that known to all my children as quickly as possible. No pain, no suffering is too great to me to save you…You cannot imagine what is going to happen nor what the Eternal Father will send to earth. That is why you must be converted.”
On January 2, 2005, Mary said, “Dear children, my motherly heart begs you to accept prayer, because it is your salvation! Pray, pray, pray, my children.”
And on March 2, 2012: “Pray that you can be apostles of the divine light in this time of darkness and hopelessness. This is a time of your trial. With a rosary in hand and love in the heart set out with me.”
At Medjugorje, Our Lady is asking for a greater quality and quantity of prayer – what she calls prayer of the heart. Prayer is essential to the message here because prayer is friendship with God.
Our Lady has started a great movement through this apparition and her other appearances: Many people throughout the world have answered her call by establishing prayer groups, spreading the messages, and living as examples of those who know God’s love. Our Lady cannot triumph without us, and we cannot triumph without her. “Help me,” she says. “Set out with me.” And on January 2, 2014, she said, “Dear children, for you to be able to be my apostles and to be able to help all those who are in darkness to come to know the light of the love of my Son, you must have pure and humble hearts.”
She has confidence in us and repeatedly asks us to join her. “I am calling you to be my apostles of light who will spread love and mercy through the world,” she said.
Through prayer and fasting, she says, we can be her “river of love” flowing out into the world, and she urges us to comprehend that we don’t have to be perfect to work for Heaven, saying, “Do not waste time thinking about whether you are worthy to be my apostles.”
Do you understand that she’s talking to you? Whatever you do during your short “blink” on Earth will affect you for all eternity. If you had to spend a relatively short amount of time doing something difficult to guarantee yourself everlasting joy, wouldn’t you do it? But Our Lady wants us to strive for more than that. She calls us to join the fight here on Earth by helping our brothers and sisters to come to know God’s love. Let’s answer her call.
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