"Miracle at Medjugorje"
PART 2: CONVERSATIONS WITH MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS
Published Dec. 11, 1985
This is the second in this four-part series of columns I am doing for the Christmas season. The interest in the first part has been excellent and positive. Because of the nature of the subject, a supernatural religious event, I am going to restate several things from last week's column.
First, I personally feel something terribly important and meaningful to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, is happening in Medjugorje. Because of the length of time that it has been occurring, daily for almost five years now, and because of the age of the youths involved, I tend to view it as an authentic miracle of our time. That is my personal belief. It is up to the individual to determine based on the information available.
Here are selected bits of conversations reported by the seers, of conversations with The Blessed Virgin Mary:
On the fourth evening of the apparitions, which began June 21, 1981, Ivanka asked the lady her name. "I am the Blessed Virgin Mary." was the reply. Later, Vicka said, "If you are Our Lady, stay with us. If you are not be gone!" The lady smiled and remained.
Vicka asked: "Why have you come?" The reply: "I came because there are many good believers here. I want to be with you, to convert and reconcile everyone." Later on the same occasion, another seer Marija saw the lady on the way down from the hill where the apparitions first began. She stopped suddenly, ran to her left and dropped to her knees. There she says, "Our Lady was standing before a cross, with tears in her eyes. She repeated several times: "Peace, peace, peace, be reconciled with one another."
Many times during the apparitions, She has said, "Believe, as if you, too, see." On June 29th, the children asked specifically for the healing of a two-and-a-half year old boy, who was mute and unable to walk. The seers asked the Virgin Mary to heal him. Jakov reported her response: "Let his parents believe that he will be healed." Later in the evening as the family of the boy was on their way home, they stopped at a restaurant. The mute boy banged on the table and said, "I want a drink." Since then, he is now able to talk and walk. She has directed others to pray and fast and ask Jesus to be healed of their specific ailments or handicaps. Many have been healed according to the reports of the people there.
Again, concerning healing Mary has told the seers: "I cannot heal; only God can. I need your prayers and sacrifices to help me."
Continuing: (speaking urgently on the need for conversion) "The only word I wish to say is 'conversion!' To the whole world. I am saying this to you to tell everybody. I ask only for conversion. Be ready for everything and be converted. Give up everything that goes against conversion.
On prayer and faith: "Let them (those in Medjugorje and the visitors; also those who hear about Medjugorje) believe as if they see; believe firmly. There are many believers who do not pray; faith cannot be alive without prayer."
When the children asked at the request of a priest if people should pray to Jesus or to Mary, her answer was: "Please pray to Jesus. I am His Mother and I intercede for you with Him. But all prayer goes to Jesus. I will help. I will pray, but everything does not depend only on me. It depends also on your strength, the strength of those who pray."
On why she has chosen to appear in Medjugorje: "I have chosen this parish in a special way. I want to protect you and guide you in love. And therefore, I ask for a total conversion of the parish so that the pilgrims can find a fountain of conversion here." At the time of this message, she also recommended a special passage from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6, Verses 24-34.
During a special holy week in 1984, The Virgin Mary said to the parish through the young seer Jelena: "Raise your hands and open your hearts. Now, in the moment of the resurrection, Jesus wants to give you a particular gift. It is this: You will undergo trials with great ease. We will be nearby and will show you the way out if you will accept us. Don't say that the Holy Year is now over and there is no more need to pray. On the contrary, reinforce your prayers, because the Holy Year is just one step forward." After this, Jelena reported that she saw the risen Jesus. Brilliant light radiated from His wounds onto the people. Jesus said: "Receive my graces and tell the whole there will be happiness only through Me."
A final note on this part of the articles. Today, the entire parish of Medjugorje, with, of course, a very few exceptions, attends church services daily. These services usually last for more than three hours. The greatest miracle of Medjugorje that is proven fact, is the total conversion of the community that was already faithful by today's standards.
COLUMNS ARE ANOTHER "MIRACLE"
It was never intended that the columns published here would be distributed outside of the Myrtle Beach area. They were published as a collected work to make it easier to ship them, due t the overwhelming number of requests from people all over the country and many foreign countries.
Twenty-five hundred were originally printed and it was thought that they would last well over a year. That was in December, 1986. As of December, 1987, the total printed and shipped is over eight million copies. It now takes three printing plants located in different parts of the country to keep up with demand.
The "miracle" here is that none of this was planned; it just happened, like so many other events connected with the apparitions at Medjugorje. These columns are now the most widely circulated information on the apparitions of Medjugorje.
Those who send for them and distribute them to their churches, their prayer groups, their families, are doing the will of Our Lady of Medjugorje. May Jesus and His Blessed Mother Mary continue to bless you for your help. -w.w.
