Medjugorje and Virgin Marys Connection With our World

Alex Dudash

Ms. Schmidt

Honors English 9

May 1, 2017
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Medjugorje is a small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina where people have made

pilgrimages ever since apparitions of the Virgin Mary were reported there. It started with a little

publicity at first, but after some time, attention to it grew and today nearly forty million people of

all faiths have visited Medjugorje. The apparitions first occurred on June 24, 1981. Six people,

now called visionaries, have experienced the apparitions. It is believed that Marys mission is to

bring everyone closer to God and instill peace. The visionaries act as Marys communicators, by

sharing her messages with the rest of the world. For each of the visionaries, Mary has ten secrets

about the future. Half of the visionaries have received all ten secrets and the other half have

received only nine. Those knowing all ten secrets get apparitions from Mary yearly, while those

with nine secrets receive an apparition every day. In addition, Mary has a special purpose for one

of the visionaries, Mirjana. Along with her yearly apparition, Mirjana receives a vision every

month, with prayers for non-believers. Mary also entrusted Mirjana with information of what

will happen when she leaves. Mary told her there will be three warnings, in short succession, all

occurring in Mirjanas lifetime. The warnings purpose will be to influence non-believers to

convert, and help the already faithful to find a deeper relationship with God. Mirjana was given

instruction to tell a priest of what the warning is ten days prior to its occurrence. Mirjana chose

Father Petar Ljubicic for this task. After telling him, she and Fr. Petar will fast and pray for seven

days. Afterward, Fr. Petar will announce what is to come to the world before the final three days.

Along with the warnings, Mary is to leave a supernatural, indestructible, and visible sign on the

mountain where she first appeared, after which there will be little time for conversion. It has

been shared that the ninth and tenth secrets deal with punishment. This, among other things, calls

people to urgent, fervent prayer. Through prayer, the punishment can be lessened although not

destroyed. Mirjana says that one of the evils that threatened the world, the one contained in the
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seventh secret, has been averted, thanks to prayer and fasting(Overview). All in all, the message

of Medjugorje is one of hope and peace. It includes repercussion for our sins, but is not a

condemnation. Instead it is strategy to convert and save non-believers.

Medjugorje isnt the only region that has received appearances of the Virgin Mary.

Another place was Lourdes, France, where Mary presented herself to Bernadette Soubirous.

Bernadette was born on January 7, 1844, with a strong family foundation and relatively good

life. However, starting in 1854, she and her family faced struggles that made their lives

increasingly tough. False accusations threw Bernadettes father in prison for many days, there

was a two-year drought, steam mills put her fathers mills out of business, and Bernadette got

cholera. These problems caused Bernadette to suffer both physically and emotionally. She was

unable to attend school and only knew the dialect of Lourdes, which wasnt French. This further

hindered her religious education because the catechism was only taught in French. Life seemed

dire for Bernadette, and then the apparitions came. It started February 11, 1858, when she, her

sister, and a friend went out to get wood for Bernadettes mother. To reach the wood the girls had

to cross the river Gave, which Bernadette couldnt do because of her health. The other girls

continued and once they had left her sight, Bernadette heard a great noise like the sound of a

storm, but nothing was moving (Cembellin). She turned to the nearby Grotto of Massabieille

and to her astonishment saw the Virgin Mary appear at the entrance, standing above a single

rosebush. Bernadette continued to visit the grotto, for a total of eighteen times, even though

many onlookers had doubt and tried to stop her. She took friends and family, and eventually

attracted crowds of over two thousand people. In the eighteen visits Mary provided Bernadette

with many things. She received a prayer from Mary on her fifth visit, and on her seventh, three

secrets. She never shared either the prayer or the secrets. Also, during Marys fifth apparition,
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Bernadette was told to always bring candles to the grotto. In honor of this request candles still

perpetually burn in the grotto today. Mary also presented multiple divine signs for Bernadette.

On her ninth apparition, Mary instructed Bernadette to drink from the fountain at the grotto.

There was no actual fountain in the grotto, however miraculously water began flowing out of the

previously dry ground. Then on Bernadettes seventeenth visit, she unconsciously put her hand

on the candle she brought, but wasnt burned. Bernadette died at the age of 34 on April 16, 1879,

and is now considered a saint.

In Immaculee Ilibagizas Left to Tell, she has a relationship with Mary that is similar to

those from Medjugorje and Lourdes, although it isnt as pronounced. Ilibagiza faced the task of

having to forgive the perpetrators of the Rwandan genocide and is only able to through her

relationships with both God and Mary. Mary had to forgive the people who brutally killed her

only son, which showed immense strength. Ilibagiza needed to view Marys divine love and

forgiveness for her to form her own. This relates to the apparitions because they are about

reuniting sinners and non-believers with God. Mary expresses that our mistakes arent fatal

unless we dont move past them. She shows a desire for all to have an opportunity to do the right

thing. After all, forgiveness is, in essence, giving others a chance to do better.
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Works Cited

Cembellin, Victor. "Story of Our Lady of Lourdes, France and Saint Bernadette." Medjugorje

USA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

"Overview." Overview of Medjugorje. Medjugorje.org, 22 Jan. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.