A MESSAGE OF PEACE FROM MEDJUGORJE

Statue of the Queen of Peace, Medjugorje

When Yugoslavia's communist dictator, Josip Broz Tito, died in 1980, there was fear and uncertainty in the country amid an economic depression. As a multi-ethnic federation of six republics, namely, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (including Vojvodina and Kosovo) and Slovenia, what was going to happen to Tito's united Yugoslavia following his death? Would the death of Tito also mean the death of Yugoslavia? These were the questions which many would like to have answers during those days of economic hardship and turbulence. However, the Mother of God was watching over Her children and it did not take very long before she made her first appearance in a remote village called Medjugorje, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

One year after Tito's death, on June 24, 1981, six Croatian village kids (2 boys and 4 girls) aged from 10 to 16, began to report visions of the Mother of God. From that moment, things would never be the same again for Medjugorje. The Mother of God had since continued to appear to them, almost every day, to convey the messages of the Gospel, calling for peace, prayer, penance and conversion. During the turbulent decade following Tito's death, at a time when peace was hard to come by, Our Lady of Medjugorje identified Herself to the visionaries as the "Queen of Peace". As what Jean Vanier says, "Peace is the fruit of love, a love that is also justice." Despite the war, Our Lady of Medjugorje attracted a growing number of pilgrims from all over the world to Medjugorje. Finding peace in war-torn Bosnia, none of those who made religious pilgrimages to Medjugorje was killed or injured. Many confessed and were reconciled with God and the Church. They returned to prayer and fasting thus renewing themselves in Christ. Faith brings peace and joy. Needless to say, the faithful who achieved true conversion have found genuine peace and joy in God's presence in this small village.

According to Father Slavko barbaric, peace can be attained through fasting as it helps us to gain self-control. In a way, fasting also makes us feel at peace. Peace can also be attained through prayer - it should be noted that prayer is not simply reciting the Our Fathers and Hail Marys as it goes much deeper than that. According to John Vianney, "Prayer is nothing else but union with God. In this intimate union, God and the soul are fused together like two bits of wax that no one can ever pull apart." Through our prayers, God's presence becomes a part of us just like the oxygen that fills our lungs and arteries.

Our Lady of Medjugorje does not bring new revelations or new truths of the Christian faith to the world. The messages of Medjugorje are pure and simple as they are fundamentally identical to the messages of Lourdes and Fatima - these Gospel messages are calling for peace, prayer, penance, and conversion. Through Her messages to the visionaries, the Mother of God reminds us of the eternal truths of the Gospel, invites us to intensify our faith, revive our hope and strengthen our love. Her messages thus enable the faithful to find the true meaning of the Gospel. 

Peace I leave with you and my peace I give you. Do not be distressed and do not be fearful (John 14:27). Uniting ourselves with God through prayer is a source of peace as the Lord will give you continued peace in every possible way (2 Thessalonians 3:16). Taking hold of the peace we have and being at peace with God in the midst of our struggles, worries, and fears, will make our burdens of life seem much easier to bear. For those who wish to experience the peace of God and are looking for a place to calm their minds and overcome their stress, anxieties, and problems, why not make a trip to Medjugorje? In this beautiful place of peace, you can present your requests to God and the peace of God will guard over your hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7). Cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

On 26 June 1981, the third day of the apparitions, Our Lady appeared to Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti while the seer was descending Podbrdo Hill. These were Her words to the visionary on that day:

Peace, peace, peace - and only peace.

Peace must rule between man and God

and also among the people! 

While Our Lady were saying these words, Marija could see a cross behind her, an obvious sign that this was a message from God. Now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through Our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). And let the peace of Christ reign in our hearts, since we were called to that peace as members of one body (Colossians 3:15).

On 6 August 1981, the word MIR (meaning peace in Croatian) could be seen on the sky over the Krizevac Cross and it was also on that day that Our Lady identified herself as the "Queen of Peace" during Her apparition to the visionaries. In today's chaotic world, peace is an essential factor in our lives. That is why Our Lady had specifically introduced herself as the Queen of Peace. For He will establish peace in the land that we may lie down to rest without fear (Leviticus 26:6).

The apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje are clear indications of her special role in the salvation of the world. They are signs of the Virgin Mary's presence in the Church and in the lives of the faithful. Apparitions have always been connected with the messages of God and renewed faith. That is why Medjugore is also known as a place for conversions and spiritual revival. 

You may also like to read THE MIRACLES OF MEDJUGORJE, SUPERNATURAL EVENTS IN MEDJUGORJE; THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY AT MEDJUGORJE; and IS MEDJUGORJE A SATANIC CULT? To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

Reference:

1.  Medjugorje. Information Center "MIR" Medjugorje.

2.  The New American Bible. New York: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

ST. JAMES CHURCH, MEDJUGORJE

The old St. James Church

The Construction of the Old St. James Church

On 15 May 1892, the dream of the parishioners became a reality. The parish of Medjugorje was founded on this day and they could start building the church that they yearned for. The construction of the church began in 1895 under the leadership of the parish priest, Father Nikola Simovic, and was completed in 1897. The construction of the church was funded by the Franciscan province as well as the many Croatian benefactors living in the country and abroad.

The newly built old St. James Church was the pride of the parishioners and Franciscan friars. Father Andeo Nuic was the parish priest of Medjugorje from 1907 to 1914. Fifteen years after the church and its bell-tower were built, the parishioners who emigrated to the United States donated a 375.5kg church bell to the church. In 1911, the church had a new baroque altar that was made in Tyrol, Austria. Three years later, the statue of St. Anthony was added to the church.

Thirty years later, the walls of the old St. James Church began to crack and its bell-tower leaned to the left as the building began to sink. Since nothing could be done to restore the church, it became dangerous to use the building and the bells were removed and placed on the beams in front of the church. During the summer, Mass was celebrated in front of the church. However, during the winter, Mass could only be celebrated in the basement of the parish house. The old church was demolished in 1979.

The Construction of the New St. James Church

The new St. James Church

In 1934, under the leadership of Father Bernardin Smoljan, the construction of the new parish church with two pointed towers, designed by Stjepan Podhorsky, a famous architect from Zagreb, was approved. The new parish church was to be built on the land donated by the parishioners, located just west of the parish house, near the site of the old church. However, numerous difficulties arose and the church construction project did not progress as planned. Digging the foundation for the church started on 21 June 1935. It took 8 months to lay a 42 meter by 21 meter foundation  and build a 4 meter high stone wall. The construction of the church stopped during World War II and it was not until 17 October 1966 that the parish priest, Father Radovan Petrovic, together with the parishioners, restarted the construction of the church which began more than three decades earlier.

The altar inside St. James Church

The statue of Our Lady of Lourdes inside St. James Church

Money for the church building project was donated by the parishioners, particularly those who worked in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland as well as numerous others who emigrated overseas. The construction of the church was completed in a short time and was blessed by Bishop Petar Cule on 19 January 1969 in the presence of the parishioners and Father Rufin Silic, a renowned Franciscan and superior of the Herzegovinian province. After the construction of the bell-towers was completed in May and June 1969, the bells on the four oak trees in front of the old parish church were placed in them. The church floor was tiled with stone in 1976 and, in 1980, wooden benches were put in place. An altar made of local stone was built prior to that. Stained glass windows made by Branimir Dorotic, a Croatian artist from Zagreb, were used to decorate the church not long after the apparitions began.

Stained glass windows in the parish church by Branimir Dorotic

Stained glass windows in the church

Stained glass windows in the church

Since 1981, millions of Catholic pilgrims from all over the world flock to Medjugorje every year and St. James Church could no longer accommodate all of them. The church and its surrounding areas have therefore been reorganized to meet the needs of the growing number of pilgrims. 

The marble statue of the Queen of Peace in front of St. James Church 

In 1987, the marble statue of the Queen of Peace was put up in the square in front of the church. Dino Felici, the Italian artist and sculptor, sculpted it in accordance with the descriptions given by the visionaries. 

The exterior altar of St. James Church

An exterior altar was constructed next to the church in 1991. With about 5000 seats, it is the place where thousands of pilgrims gather during the summer not only to pray the rosary and celebrate mass but also for the various Medjugorje festivals. 

The Second Station of the Cross

The Seventh Station of the Cross

The Thirteenth Station of the Cross

The 14 Stations of the Cross, beautifully depicted in a series of sculptures by the famous Italian sculptor, Peppino Sacchi, were placed in the church in 1996. Those who are unable to climb Mount Krizevac can pray and meditate on the Passion of Christ before the carvings of this famous Italian sculptor. 

Today, Medjugorje has become the confessional of the world. 20 confessionals had been built around the church in 1991 and today they have about 50 confessionals. Millions of pilgrims come to Medjugorje for confession every year and thousands can be seen queueing up before the confessionals every day during the summer months. Numerous pilgrims have responded to the call of the Queen of Peace to conversion and reconciliation since the early days of the apparitions. 

You many also like to read THE APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY AT MEDJUGORJE; ARE THE MEDJUGORJE APPARITIONS AUTHENTIC?; and THE TRUTH ABOUT MEDJUGORJE BY FATHER DR. LJUDEVIT RUPCIC. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.

Reference:

MEDJUGORJE. Information Center "MIR" Medjugorje.

GOING UP MOUNT KRIZEVAC - THE CALVARY OF MEDJUGORJE

The 4th. of June 2007 - that was the second time I climbed Mount Krizevac. Above is a photo of Mount Krizevac taken whilst I was walking towards the mountain.

Thus you can see how rocky the mountain is. It was indeed a tough climb. I wonder how Father Slavko Barbaric could do it every morning at sunrise. But then nothing could stop him from going there - not even the snow in winter.

Father Slavko's memorial - the place where he died on the way back from leading the Stations of the Cross on 24 November 2000. I talked to him for a very long time that day. What a great privilege to be with him alone on the mountain that day. It was the day I would never forget - the day I promised to consecrate my virginity to the Lord. To those who are not sure if they should enter religious life, why not ask Father Slavko?

The last station of the cross - the Resurrection. From there you can see the Krizevac Cross. After taking this photo, it started to rain. I didn't mind the rain. The most important thing to me was what happened to me that day on Mount Krizevac.

In the year 1933, the villagers of Medjugorje built an eight metre concrete cross in memory of the 1900th. anniversary of Jesus' death. Here you can see the stations of the cross. During the early years, simple wooden crosses marked the stations. In 1988, beside these crosses, bronze reliefs of the Stations of the Cross made by the Italian sculptor Carmello Puzzolo were mounted. Krizevac has become a privileged place of devotion to Christ's passion and has thus become the Calvary of Medjugorje. Medjugorje pilgrims follow the Way of the Cross on Krizevac on Fridays at 2.00 p.m. in the winter and at 4.oo p.m. in the summer. Everyone who is capable of climbing the arduous Mount Krizevac prays at the stations whilst pausing in front of the reliefs. Meditating on the passion of Jesus, the pilgrims unite themselves with Jesus.

The Building of the Cross

"Dear Children! The Cross was also in God's plan when you built it. These days, especially, go on the mountain and pray before the Cross. I need your prayers. Thank you for having responded to my call." (Our Lady's message dated 30 August 1984)

The parishioners and their parish priest Fr. Bernardin Smoljan had made a vow to build a Cross on Sipovac (now known as Krizevac) in 1933. The vow meant a great sacrifice not only because of hard work and the difficult climb but also because of the lack of material means due to the economic crisis in Europe and the world in 1933. This vow was fulfilled with the blessing of the Cross on 16 March 1934. The Cross of 8.65 metres contains relics from Rome. Holy Mass was celebrated at the foot of the Cross on Sipovac which became known as Krizevac on that day. (Please click here to view the contents page of this blog)

CROATIAN WORDS AND PHRASES

Croatian is a beautiful language. Below is a list of my first Croatian words and phrases. I hope that the Medjugorje pilgrims would find them useful.

1. da (yes)
2. ne (no)
3. molim (please)
4. hvala (thanks)
5. nema na cemu (not at all)
6. bok (hello)
7. dovidenja (goodbye)
8. dobro jutro (good morning)
9. dobar dan (good day)
10. dobar vecer (good evening)
11. laku noc (good night)
12. jedan (one)
13. dva (two)
14. tri (three)
15. cetiri (four)
16. pet (five)
17. sest (six)
18. sedam (seven)
19. osam (eight)
20. devet (nine)
21. deset (ten)
22. jedanaest (eleven)
23. dvanaest (twelve)
24. trinaest (thirteen)
25. cetrnaest (fourteen)
26. petnaest (fifteen)
27. sesnaest (sixteen)
28. sedamnaest (seventeen)
29. osamnaest (eighteen)
30. devetnaest (nineteen)
31. dvadeset (twenty)
32. sto (one hundred)
33. tisuca (one thousand)
34. ponedjeljak (Monday)
35. utorak (Tuesday)
36. srijeda (Wednesday)
37. cetvrtak (Thursday)
38. petak (Friday)
39. subota (Saturday)
40. nedjelja (Sunday)
41. sijecanj (January)
42. veljaca (February)
43. ozujak (March)
44. travanj (April)
45. svibanj (May)
46. lipanj (June)
47. srpanj (July)
48. kolovoz (August)
49. rujan (September)
50. listopad (October)
51. studeni (November)
52. prosinac (December)
53. proljece (spring)
54. ljeto (summer)
55. jesen (autumn)
56. zima (winter)
57. Kako ste? (How are you?)
58. dobro, hvala (fine, thanks)
59. oprostite (excuse me)
60. zao mi je (sorry)
61. u redu (okay)
62. zajutrak (breakfast)
63. rucak (lunch)
64. vecera (dinner)
65. danas (today)
66. veceras (tonight)
67. sutra (tomorrow)
68. jucer (yesterday)
69. kruh (bread)
70. maslac (butter)
71. marmelada (marmalade)
72. margarin (margarine)
73. kava (coffee)
74. vrhnje (cream)
75. secer (sugar)
76. jaja (eggs)
77. riba (fish)
78. pile (chicken)
79. mlijeko (milk)
80. jogurt (yoghurt)
81. salata (salad)
82. caj (tea)
83. bocu mineralne vode ( a bottle of mineral water)
84. limunada (lemonade)
85. bijelo vino (white wine)
86. crno vino (red wine)
87. samoposluga (supermarket)
88. knjiga (book)
89. selo (village)
90. suvenir (souvenir)
91. Sretan rodendan! (Happy Birthday!)
92. Sretan Bozic! (Merry Christmas!)
93. Sretnu Novu Godinu! (Happy New Year!)
94. Sretan Uskrs! (Happy Easter!)
95. koliko mnogo? (how many?)
96. koliko cesto? (how often?)
97. Kako ti je ime? (What is your name?)
98. Odakle si? (Where are you from?)
99. Drago mi je! (Pleased to meet you!)
100. Ja zelim taksi (I want a taxi)
101. Gdje mogu naci taksi? (Where can I get a taxi?)
102. Koliko to kosta? (How much is it?)
103. kreditna kartica (credit card)
104. Kljuc, molim (The key, please)
105. Jelovnik, molim (The menu, please)
106. Racun, molim (The bill, please)
107. Caj s mlijekom, molim (A tea with milk, please)
108. s ledom (with ice)
109. bez (without)
110. Sladoled, molim (An ice-cream, please)
111. Ja bih sladoled (I'd like an ice-cream)
112. Ne razumijem (I don't understand)
113. Da li razumijete? (Do you understand?)
114. Koliko je sati? (What time is it?)
115. Koji je danas datum? (What is today's date?)
116. Koji je danas dan? (What day is it today?)
117. Kad se banka otvara? (When does the bank open?)
118. Kad se banka zatvara? (When does the bank close?)

Please click here to view the contents page of this blog

MEDJUGORJE'S IMPACT ON MY LIFE

Our Lady of Medjugorje

The day before I left for Medjugorje, I went to Pasaraya Ocean to buy a torchlight. What would I do with the torchlight in Medjugorje? That was because I intended to climb Mount Krizevac early in the morning on my birthday. That was also my last day in Medjugorje. I knew that if I wanted to climb Mount Krizevac on my birthday, I had to do it in the wee hours of the morning because I had to leave for Sarajevo Airport latest at 8.00 am if I did not want to miss my flight. Sad to say, I did not manage to climb Mount Krizevac that day. It was too cold for me. Frankly speaking, I am very clumsy whenever it comes to doing outdoor activities and I knew that the rocks on the mountain (Mount Krizevac is very rocky) would be very slippery in the morning and I wouldn't be able to make it. Anyway, despite my clumsiness, I managed to climb Mount Krizevac twice during my stay in Medjugorje. Come to think of it, Father Slavko Barbaric used to climb Mount Krizevac every morning at sunrise because he loves Our Lady. Our Lady has said that She prays at the foot of the Krizevac Cross at 5.00 a.m. every morning and Father Slavko wanted to join Her in prayer every morning. Yet, there are people who say that he is a disobedient Franciscan. Surely, this isn't fair for him. Try climbing Mount Krizevac at sunrise and see how it is like!

Well, that was probably the saddest birthday I ever had because that was the day I left Medjugorje. Now, three years later, I still miss this place very much. Since the day I left Medjugorje, there isn't a single day in my life that I do not think of this place. In fact, I am trying to relive my Medjugorje experiences every day of my life.

So what did I do after I returned to Malaysia? Well, when I got off the plane at KLIA, I wasn't very happy at the idea that I was no longer in Medjugorje. The first thing I did when I got home was to decorate my room with the souvenirs that I brought home with me from Medjugorje. I wanted to create the Medjugorje atmosphere in my room so that each time I join the Medjugorje Evening Prayer Programme online, I could feel that I am still I am in Medjugorje.

For weeks, I felt homesick (as though Medjugorje was my home) and found it very difficult to adjust to my life back here in Malaysia. I immediately wrote to the University of Sarajevo to inquire about the PhD programs of this university. All that I ever wanted to do then was to be as near to Medjugorje as possible. But circumstances did not allow that. So, instead of proceeding with my PhD program, I spent all my time praying and reading the books that I brought home with me from Medjugorje. I just did not want to do anything else. Since I came back from Medjugorje, I have been saying the Croatian rosary. As though the few Croatian words that I learnt in Medjugorje wasn't enough, I started learning the Croatian language. I wanted to go beyond words like molim (please), hvala (thanks), dobro jutro (good morning), dobar dan (good afternoon), danas (today), laku noc (good night), and kako ste (how are you) because they were too simple. In Medjugorje, I have learnt lots of Croatian phrases like Majko Mira moli za nas; Hvala Ti moj Isuse; Uvijek hvaljen; Majko Bozja moli za nas; Bog vas blagoslovio; Hvala Ti Majko Nasa; Hvaljen Isus i Marija; Isuse, uzdam se u Te; Draga Majko moli za nas;  Majko Kristova moli za nas; Slava Bogu; and Isuse smiluj nam se. But that wasn't enough. So I bought Collins' Croatian phrasebook that came with a CD and did self-study. This provided me with the basics of the language. I then proceeded to learn more about the language on my own including Croatian grammar. Why did I choose to learn Croatian grammar as well? Learning a language without knowing its grammar can be very confusing. For instance, what is the difference between 'moj', 'moja' and 'moje' in these three sentences when these three words mean 'my' in English? 1. Moj hotel je tamo (My hotel is there). 2. Moja torba je ovdje (My bag is here). 3. Moje selo je malo (My village is small). Croatian nouns are divided into 3 genders - masculine, feminine and neuter gender. The usage of these words depends on the gender and number of the nouns they modify. To date, I have learnt quite a number of Croatian words, phrases and sentences. I am also quite familiar with Croatian grammar. To me, Croatian is a very beautiful language. However, learning Croatian isn't as easy as French due to the lack of reference books.

For six months, that was what I did. Then my priest friend suggested that I should go to Lourdes the following year. The year 2008 was the 150th anniversary of the apparitions in Lourdes. I immediately agreed. I thought that maybe I could go over to Medjugorje if I had the time. The next few months, I was busy preparing for my pilgrimage to Lourdes. On 15 March 2008, I consecrated my virginity to the Lord - a promise I made right in front of the Krizevac Cross. I was very excited because it was like I going for my honeymoon to Lourdes with the Lord in the following May. The year 2008 was indeed a beautiful year for me!

I spent two weeks of my school holidays in Lourdes. There were so many things to do there that I couldn't find the time to go over to Medjugorje. In my heart, I wished I could visit Medjugorje that year. because there were so many things that I wanted to buy in Medjugorje. I did ask myself the question - If I had not been to Medjugorje, would I go to Lourdes? Probably not. Why not? Well, in Medjugorje I learnt to live a religious life. I discovered my real vocation and my real self. Prayer life suddenly became very important to me. And of course the presence of the Lord and His Blessed Mother had since become very important to me. At that time, I couldn't help feeling that they wanted me to be with them in Lourdes and that was why I decided to go there to experience the holiness of this place. If I have never been to Medjugorje, I would probably never ask myself what the Lord and the Blessed Mother want me to do. 

After my visit to Lourdes, I spent the next eight months praying and learning French. I began to say my rosary prayers in French and Croatian. I went to Kinokuniya Bookstore and bought all the French books that I could get hold of. I actually spent more than RM2000 on the French books alone. As I was learning French, I began to fall in love with this beautiful language. Then, I realized that it was time to go back to reality. There are so many things left undone in my life. I have to proceed with my PhD program. I have to write my thesis proposal and I have to do a lot of reading before I can start writing the proposal. I actually do not like the idea of doing a PhD because I know that it will interfere with my prayer life and deprive me of my time with the Lord. Once I start wriitng my PhD thesis, I cannot give all my time to Him anymore. But then, Father Slavko Barbaric has a PhD. Pope Benedict XVI has a PhD. Never mind, this is the last thing I will do before I give all my time to Jesus. Let's look at it this way. Maybe I should equip myself with better knowledge so that I can serve Him better. To be the perfect bride of Christ, I must get a PhD. Since I came back from Medjugorje, I couldn't help feeling that my life does not belong to me anymore. But let me make myself a better person before I live the rest of my life for the Lord.

What is my greatest regret now? If only I had been to Medjugorje before the year 2000, I would get the chance to meet Father Slavko Barbaric and help him with his work. What would I really like to do now? Life would be perfect if only I could spend the rest of my life in Medjugorje and in Lourdes. That's why I have to learn Croatian and French. No one knows what may happen in the future. But one thing is for sure. I have to rewrite the story of my life because I went to Medjugorje. The way I perceive life is different now and because of that my plans for the future would be different too. 

Thanks for reading. You may also like to read ARE THE MEDJUGORJE APPARITIONS AUTHENTIC? and IN MEDJUGORJE I FOUND THE MEANING OF EXISTENCE. To view the content page of this blog, please click here. 

MEDJUGORJE: FAITH OR FRAUD?

Medjugorje: Faith or Fraud?

Throughout the years, there have been serious doubts about the authenticity of the apparitions in Medjugorje and articles about Medjugorje fraud, Medjugorje hoax, Medjugorje scam and Medjugorje deception are not uncommon as there are lots of them on the internet. However, whether Medjugorje is a fraud, hoax, scam or deception is not to be determned by these articles but by the personal experiences of those who have visited this holy place. Needless to say, it is a great injustice to Medjugorje if these articles were written by people who have never set foot on Medjugorje. The topic I am going to discuss tonight is Medjugorje: Faith or Fraud based on my beautiful experiences in Medjugorje.

Three years ago, when I made up my mind to go to Medjugorje, it wasn't because I wanted to ask Our Lady for a favor or to grant me my wishes. I don't need a healing. I am happy with my present state of health. Even if I were suffering from a terminal illness, it doesn't matter so much to me whether I can be healed or not. I am not the kind of person who clings on tightly to this material world. I don't need to ask Our Lady to make me rich. I am happy with my present situation. Contentment is the real happiness of life. I don't need to ask Our Lady to give me a husband. I only want to be the bride of Christ. I wasn't interested in the miracle of the sun either. And I didn't go there to ask the visionaries to prove to me that the Gospa is really appearing to them. So why did I go to Medjugorje? Because I could feel that Our Lady invited me to be with her in this place of grace. Because I wanted Our Lady to tell me what She wanted me to do with my life. Because I wanted the Lord to let me know how I could serve Him. And I found all my answers in Medjugorje right in front of the Krizevac Cross.

What is the purpose of our visit to Medjugorje? To look for miracles? To ask for favors for ourselves and our family members??? What if our requests remain unfulfilled? Are we to come home disappointed and then start blaming Medjugorje for deceiving us to go there? Where is our faith? To those who lack faith, Medjugorje is a losing lottery ticket. That was how the tales of the Medjugorje fraud began.

Let's consider the following prayer requests from a typical Malaysian aunty. Gospa, I pray that my husband will get a promotion soon. And of course I would like to have a promotion myself. I am tired of being just a store clerk. We really need the money badly to pay off the housing loan. Oh, I forgot to tell you that my mom is suffering from cancer. Can you please heal her? Ah yes, my son will be entering university soon. Can you please grant him a scholarship to study abroad? My daughter has a lot of pimples on her face and this may deprive her of the chance of becoming an air hostess. Can you please make those pimples disappear from her face? What if this aunty returns home from Medjugorje and finds that none of her prayers is answered? Is she supposed to go around telling everyone that Medjugorje is a fraud? If she lacks faith, this is exactly what she is going to do.

This kind of prayers may sound a bit funny but we cannot deny the fact that this is the way many of us would pray. My grandmother used to pray this way. My aunt is no exception. Well, this shouldn't be the way we pray. The majority of us live from day to day asking for this and for that for ourselves and our family members. Our requests are unending. But have we ever asked ourselves, "What is the purpose of life? How does the Lord want us to live this life? How can we serve Him?" Life is fleeting. Why ask for so many things? Instead of asking for favors why not ask ourselves what we are going to offer to the Lord? Many of us would remember Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. She never asked for a healing for herself even though she was sick all her life. She did not take the apparitions as a stepping stone to make herself rich. She died as poor as the Lord.

To me, Medjugorje is a place of deep prayer, a place of self-discovery, a place of reflection. But why Medjugorje and not elsewhere? Those of us who have been to Medjugorje would agree with me that the atmosphere there is different. When you are there, you become extremely religious even though you may not have attended Church for years. You will discover things that you have never discovered before. You will discover your real self. You will discover what you really want in this life. When you come back from Medjugorje, you will see life from a different perspective. This is because you have found the real meaning and purpose of existence. And the people there are different. They are so caring and loving quite unlike the situation in the churches in Malaysia. Here in Malaysia, we may go to the same church and sit in the same row with the same people every Sunday but we may end up not knowing each other. But in Medjugorje, everyone is our friend. In Medjugorje, everyone is helpful, kind and honest.

Although miracles do happen in Medjugorje, I feel that it shouldn't be a place for us to look for miracles and end up disappointed if we can't find any. Lourdes is well-known for its miracles but miracles don't happen there all the time. As of 2007, only 67 miraculous healings have been recognized by the Catholic Church. If we say that Medjugorje is deceiving us because our prayers remain unanswered, in a way we are also saying that we are disappointed with the Lord for not answering our prayers. Not every prayer will be answered. Sometimes we have to learn about life the hard way in order to become a better and stronger person. All shine no rain would only make a desert out of us. The Lord knows what is best for us. He has His ways that we do not know of. Let us have faith in Him. Your suffering is not the end of the world. The most beautiful smile in this world is the smile that shines through tears. Who knows, an unexpected miracle may come your way one day if only you believe.

You may also like to read IS MEDJUGORJE A SATANIC CULT?; THE MIRACLES OF MEDJUGORJE; and SUPERNATURAL EVENTS IN MEDJUGORJE. To view the content page of this blog, please click here.