Signs and Wonders in Medjugorje

By: Ana Yeseta

In the first months of the apparitions in Medjugorje, signs, or supernatural events were particularly numerous. These signs were witnessed by many people, especially those of the hamlet of Bijakovici, in which all the visionaries were born. These signs were an important factor in drawing the local people to the place of the apparitions, and undoubtedly account for the enormous crowds that gathered there in a matter of days after they began. Below are just a few of the many signs and events which still take place today in Medjugorje.

One of the first signs was given on the second day of the apparitions on June 25, 1981. On that day, the visionaries were seen running up the steep slopes of Mount Podbrdo with amazing speed and ease. This is quite an oddity considering the steep slopes of the mountain side is covered with sharp-edged stones and thorny thickets. Vicka, who was barefooted, commented: "and yet no thorn pricked me", and she added: "When we came to about six feet of Our Lady, we felt as though we were being seized and pushed to our knees. Jakov knelt in a thorn bush. I thought he would get hurt, but he didn't even have a scratch on him.". There are many people who witnessed this event who say they were amazed at the speed the children traveled, and how they seemed not to touch the ground as they ran. It was like they were being pulled up the mountain at great speed.

Manifestations of light that assume many forms are some of the most frequent signs witnessed at Medjugorje. The first of these was seen on June 27, 1981. On that day, Our Lady's coming was preceded by a brilliant light that illumined not only the village, but the entire area, and was seen by everyone. On June 28, 1981, the people gathered on Mount Podbrdo saw the light which immediately preceded Our Lady's coming to the five visionaries who were present.

On June 30, the seers were tricked into taking a ride with two assistant social workers from a village called Citluk. The authorities planned the ride to keep the children away from the mountain during the time of the apparition. When they stopped the car at Cerno, at the usual time of the apparition, the young people saw a light that illuminated the mountain side of Podbrdo and then moved toward them. The two assistant social workers said that they too saw the light, and resigned from their positions with the government upon returning.

The sign observed on August 2, 1981 was like the dancing of the sun in Fatima on October 13, 1917, which was the miracle Our Lady had promised the three little shepherd children, so that people would believe. The dance of the sun witnessed on August 2 had considerably more facets than the October 13, 1917, phenomenon at Fatima. There seem to be some common elements that were witnessed by all of the approximately 150 people who were present on the mountain side that afternoon. The common elements are:

It took place late in the afternoon when the sun was about to set.
The sun was seen spinning around its own axis.
The people could look directly at the sun without hurting their eyes.
It seemed to come toward those who were watching it and then to recede from them. As it came closer, great darkness appeared behind it.

The reaction of the people was varied. Some prayed, some cried, some were afraid, and some ran away. At the end of the event, a white cloud was seen coming down over the mountain side of the apparitions. It moved toward the sun, which continued to spin briefly, and then return to its normal state. The entire phenomenon lasted about fifteen minutes. In addition to the common elements seen by everyone, a large number of people saw other signs. Some saw a great number of angels with trumpets coming out of the sun. It is to be noted that August 2 is the Feast of Our Lady, Queen of Angels. Some people saw a large heart with 6 small hearts beneath it. They felt it represented Our Lady and the six visionaries.

One of the most important signs that has been observed is the word MIR (peace in Croatian) which was written one evening in large bright burning letters in the sky above the Cross on Mount Krizevac. This particular sign has been observed numerous times and was seen by the pastor and the people from the village. Peace is the very heart of the message Our Lady brings to the world at Medjugorje.