We got into Medugorje in the small hours of the morning, myself and a busload of Irish pilgrims. There was myself and two members of my little rosary prayer group. I at once threw my bags in my room and rushed out to see Saint James chapel and my two friends accompanied me. We had not gone far from the hostel when a car load of violent imposing looking men stopped beside us and several of them got out. They talked, or rather shouted at us in a foreign language and appeared angry and insulting. I had the strong sense that they were armed and were in the service of Satan. We moved on quickly as I sensed great danger and prayed for protection. I was shown a vision of Medugorje and around it I saw thirteen ancient stone pillars and chained to them. By this I was shown that a great battle is taking place in heaven between Satan and Mary and that Satan is determined to destroy Medugorje but God has placed a block on the Satanic Princes charged with this task. Mary has chosen as centre of headquarters for her war, just as Satan has chosen San Francisco as a head quarters for his own mission.....that is why San Francisco is to be obliterated. I will continue this later, please God....
Medugorje is the holiest place I have ever visited and I have been to Jerusalem, the Holy Land and Rome. Why is it so holy?/ Well there could be several reasons. Our Lady comes there all the time and so the door to heaven is always open letting the light in, so to speak. but the most important reson is that Mary has made it her home on Earth for the current titanic struggle against Satan: Ephesians 6:12 >> For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Isaiah 29:3 >> I will camp against you encircling you, And I will set siegeworks against you, And I will raise up battle towers against you. So the place is just full of angels , bristling with them, the place is as close to heaven as you can get as Mary carries on the battle carried on from the time of Eve: Genesis 3:15 >> And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." From apparition hill I saw angels like little sparks being sent over all the world on missions for Mary, in answer to prayer. People forget that when we ask favours in prayer it is usually the angels are sent to carry out the job.
So true. Padraig, Thanks for the reminders of how wonderful a place Medjugorje is. My family made a pilgrimage there in 1987 before tha Bosnia War. I get the sense it is more commercialized now, and am fearful it has lost its sense of simplicity and serenity. You reassure me. Let the battle rage; we know the outcome!
Thanks Terry. I think for me one of the most wonderful things about Medugorje was the way people opened their hearts and became like children, childlike, It was as though folks drew really close to each other. Everyone had their own stories and were ready to tell them and I'd like to share a few I heard. For me this was really surprising. I suppose I am a typical Catholic of my generation. I have lived in the same parish for most of fifty years, but although I go to mass every day I don't talk to folks much either before or after mass, keeping myself and my faith very much to myself. I expected to do this in Medugorje praying privately , having a kind of personal retreat and pilgrimage and drawing closer to God and Our Blessed Lady but folks kinda jumped out at me over and over, I don't believe there was a single time I left my hostel when someone there did not touch my heart by relating or doing something. These touched me deeply. The first I'll mention was Joan. Joan was dying of cancer and was in a wheel chair. She was so ill her doctor had warned her she would quite likely die out there or shortly after she returned. Her only son had died about a year previously . A young priest who was a witness to his death told me Joan had suffered horribly at his passing . He said she held him in her arms and her tears reminded him of Michaelangelo's statue the Pieta. I didn't get talking to her until we got to Dubrovnoik on the way back. I had noticed this quality of intense sadness in her , of great pain and aloneness. She told me quite simply that she did not want to die and had gone to Medugorje seeking physical healing. It was a last ditch effort on her part and she knew with her physical state she would not get a second chance to travel. I was very concerned. People dying like Joan go through stages, denial anger, and finally acceptance. Joan did not have this and I feared for her entering this final journey without accepting God's will. I talked to her a little about this and how, at the end of theday it wasn't about what we wanted but about what Gd wanted. I heard later Joan had amazed the doctors by lasting a whole three months more when she returned to Ireland and had accepted her death and Gods will much more easily. Joan never did get her prayer answered in the way she wanted, But she did get a reply as God wanted....
Ha! Ha1 I am just down from my rosary group and I am laughing at myself for being such a hypocrite!! Today a friend called and asked me to deliver some Christmas presents because he doesn't have a car. I did so very grumpy. Then my father turned up and asked me to mind his dog, when i am already minding his cat. My cat hates his cat, my dog hates his dog, both dogs detest each other. I live in a small flat and I',m like the United Nations. Both dogs have just been fighting each other , I've got them apart and I'm wondering what to do now, but suddenly I'm laughing and not so grumpy anymore, I suppose I am seeing the funny side. My father was very depressed, its his second Christmas without my mum , they were married for fifty one years. I wish I had a magic glove to wipe peoples pain away, but I haven't, most times you can only sit there, be a good listener and pray, but its seems so very,very little. Like in Medugorje.....
Michelle had lost aher young daughter, in Medugorje she said she saw an angel playing with golden balls and knew her daughter was in heaven. Young Father Joe had lost his faith and his Bishop had relieved him of his duties, he won new faith in Medugorje. Father Kevin was a very holy man but very lonely, he cried in Medugorje realising Catholics could form a rich community. Georege and Roberta had great jobs, a house and a family but George was an alchoholic, he went dry after Medugorje And on and on and on, story after story, it was like being in a spiritual wonderland. But I must say this it wasn't all perfect. Folks got great graces sure, but they had to respond to them some didn't and when they got back home went back to their bad old ways. God gave us free will and the gift of choice, some folks made, very,very bad choices in their lives...sad.......
Fond memories. Padraig, The impact of Medjugorje on the life of my family has been profound. We had prayed as a family prior to our pilgrimage, but afterwards it was etched as a permanent feature of our daily life. As our children grew out of toddlerhood and began to interact with other families, they would come home confused when they encountered others who did not pray together. Is there any greater gift to bestow on children than the habit of prayer? The value of this great grace given to us through Our Lady far exceeds whatever consolations we experienced in Yugoslavia. I've learned that prayer should be as normal as eating and sleeping. One individual that stands so clearly in my mind is the taxi driver who dropped us off at our host family. Back in 1987, it was customary for the taxi drivers to take you anywhere in the valley as long as you placed a George Washington ($1) in their hand. We arrived on Tuesday eve, Dec. 8. Even then the pilgrims were numerous: St James seemed overflowing every evening. The English-speaking Masses were also well attended! And so it was the Wednesday following our arrival. Mobs of pilgrims were pouring from the Church, and weaving in and out was a taxi cab driver taking the time to find the absent-minded American who had left his gloves in the cab the night prior. My wife, Geralyn, merely :roll: ! Charity simply lived. Now, don't ask if others are still picking up after me or I'll plead the Fifth.
I hope Terry it can stay unspoiled like this Terry, it must be hard for them in many ways.. Thanks heavens a neighbour has taken in my fathers dog. Christmas is a funny time, the strangest thing s happen...
I have heard some amazing stories of personal experiences had by people I know who have recently visited Medujorje. A very spiritual priest who is quite elderly was given a host on apprition mountain by Our lady. He is to have it venerated and for blessing but not to be consumed. I havent seen it but he has given a witness about it recently. Mary
Was he an Irish priest Mary? Wonderful. I never heard if such a thing, God draws close, I recall the words of Jesus, 'You shall see even more extraordinary things than this'. The devil grows even more bold too!! Its all very interesting time we are living in. The host seems related to the Garabandal promise.
Padraig, I am reluctant to put his name on the internet but he is irish and connected to Clonfert. I had a friend on the same pilgrimage and she had the priviledge of being blessed by the host that this priest received.He is a priest that ha dedicated his life to devotion to Our lady. They also had in their company a lady from USA who has the stigmata. She is a pretty private person and does not issue any messages as such but she is a victim soul for the church. When they were on the way down the mountain after the priest had received the host this lady expressed the wish for grapes. The group came around a bend and there was a lady there with a full table of grapes and she told them take as many as they wished, Her table was covered in a white tablecloth. They gave the lady some euros and ate lots of grapes and I think took some away. They then moved on and they all saw Our Ladys outline clearly in front of the cross on krisevich. they looked back and the lady her table and all her grapes were gone. It was all very amazing. I think times are drawing very close now. Padraig I am trying to decide whether to go again to Medujorje or on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our lady of Good Success in Quito. The trip to Quito would be expensive and my husband is a bit reluctant as we have many commitments. Can you offer me any discernment on this? Mary
I understand, Mary that you do not want to print the priests name, but who ever he is, in the circumstances I would strongly suspect he is a saint. I notice in my travels at the inute so many good and saintly priests. I notice also you mention a lady from the USA who is a stigmatic; you maybe do not want to print her name either, but is she giving messages from Our Lady at the minute?/ Just curious. A friend from my prayer group travelled to England a few years back and met a married lady with a young family who has been living on the host alone for quite a few years and is also a stigmatic and a visionary. Really there seems to be no shortage of saints going about. If it was me I would choose Medugorje rather than Ecuador. The visions out there, while true date back to the 17th century whole in Bosnia they are contemporaneous and ongoing. Also you have the cultural differences, which can be off putting. But mostly it seems to me Medugorje is Marys army camp , her Head Quarters in the world. If I had to hit South America it would be Betania I would go.... You are so right Mary times draw so close, I admit I have quite a few butterflies in my stomache thinking about it. I find the devil getting more powerful, I had a very bad dream on Saturday night for instance. I dreamt again I was in bed in the empty derelict mansion and the devil came making scratching noises all round me, it took me quite a long time to get out of it, even with instructions on what to pray....But Darrel is admirable in his great confidence and trust, I admire his him for this.
Padraig, I dont believe this lady gives any public messages but she is a victim soul. I have attended mass where she was present on 2 occasions in the past 20 years and each time at the consecration the wounds of the crown of thorns become visible and bleed. She is married and is iI would guess in her 50's. She suffers the passion regularly and I have seen photos of her when she is undergoing this and her whole body is covered in the marks of the scourging and bleeding. My friend who knows her for all that time has witnessed it on several occasions when she has visited her house. She has all the wounds. Despite this she is a very attractive and joyous person. The first time I saw her, many years ago, she was in the local church close to my friends house. When I entered the church the smell of roses was overpowering and when I came home I could get the scent for hours afterwards. Actually I asked my friend also if I should go to Medujorgie or Quito and she said Medujorgie without hesitation so I will get organised in the new year. God bless mary
PAdraig, I dont believe this lady gives any public messages but she is a victim soul. I have attended mass where she was present on 2 occasions in the past 20 years and each time at the consecration the wounds of the crown of thorns become visible and bleed. She is married and is iI would guess in her 50's. She suffers the passion regularly and I have seen photos of her when she is undergoing this and her whole body is covered in the marks of the scourging and bleeding. My friend who knows her for all that time has witnessed it on several occasions when she has visited her house. She has all the wounds. Despite this she is a very attractive and joyous person. The first time I saw her, many years ago, she was in the local church close to my friends house. When I entered the church the smell of roses was overpowering and when I came home I could get the scent for hours afterwards. Actually I asked my friend also if I should go to Medujorgie or Quito and she said Medujorgie without hesitation so I will get organised in the new year. God bless mary
You're very, very privledged to know such a person, Mary, such a blessing. I can't off hand think of one like this up here, that I know of. There was a nun who used to visit the monastery had the stigmata. She died at three o clock on Good Friday believe it or not.. I know the stigmata are not the be all and end all, most saints never did have it and were still saints. But still when I hear of such things my ears prick up. I hear that father Solanus Casey's from Detroit's body's been dug up incorrupt!! This does not surprise me another great saint.
I too have nightmares Padraig which I know the evil one is just trying to get at me....Most nights I sleep with a blessed rosary....And bless yourself with Holy Water before you lay down to sleep..... Mary, I would say for you to choose Medjugorje .....You will not regret that choice made.....Like Padraig mentioned, it is ongoing to this very day...You can actually be in a place on earth where Our Lady visits daily....I was told by someone close to one of the visionaries(a cousin to Vicka)that when Our Lady appears to the remaining three visionaries daily at the specific time of apparition, she also goes to St James Church and will bless those in the church and around the church .... Bless, Sharon
Who is generous? maryrose, I am so pleased you are going! It is so fascinating: I am drawn like a magnet to this discussion. Medjugorje feels so close as if I could reach out and touch it. Our pilgrimage was taking place 20 years ago to this day. I have a marvelous testimony to share concerning our discernment to journey to Yugoslavia. In the spring of '87, I began to have a strong pull to take the family to Medjugorje. I had been a lover of Fatima for years (blame my Mom), but the thought of traversing to a site where Mary was presently visiting was captivating. I was hesitant at first because of the cost (then $3000), but one day while meditating on John 12, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my soul to be as generous toward Mary, as Lazarus' sister was toward Jesus when she anointed him with pure nard! I accepted the challenge and then patted myself on the back for my generosity. My precious wife, Geralyn, was all for it and so we made plans for the four of us (Ben was 3, Rachel was 1) to go. In early September, Geralyn returned home and informed me that God had told her that we would not have to pay for the trip. Still proud of my generous $3000 tucked away in our savings account, I assured her that we could handle it. A month later our only car died; lo and behold, my $3000 was suddenly needed for a new car and our pilgrimage was hanging in the balance. With no way of knowing about our predicament, a friend called the next morning to ask permission to give us $3000. While in prayer, God had told him to give us the money for our trip! My pride was smashed upon the table of humble pie! My friends, how could I be proud of my generosity?! God is never outdone! Luke 17:10 ...when you have done everything that was commanded you, say, "We are unprofitable servants..." In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Mario, I think it is so wonderful that you were able to travel to Mejdugorje with your whole family ...What a treasure.... And your story about your friend giving you the money and that your wife knew you would not have to pay for the trip...amazing ....That is how Our Lord and Our Lady provide for us.... Back in 1987, it was still pretty primitive living conditions in Medjugorje I suspect....No bathrooms to be had ...Now they have a huge bathroom facility right near the church..... My first time to Medjugorje was during the war time, 1993...and my family thought I was crazy ....It was either Medjugorje or work in the missions in Africa.....I choose Medjugorje and I am so grateful to this day that I did ..... Bless, Sharon
Nope! Few amenities. Littlered, There certainly were few support services or vendors for that matter! The family we stayed with were very loving, but even one of the panes on their bathroom window was broken. It was very chilly and rustic. BTW, I've heard that during the war years, while area villages as close as 10 km. were involved in fighting, Medjugorje was left unscathed. In fact, I've read that the valley became a sort of refuge for war-weary families. Can you confirm that? I recall the marvelous example of the young people of Medjugorje. After one of the exhortations given by a Franciscan in Croation, the youth spontaneously went up and prostrated themselves before the Blessed Sacrament. It was quite moving. The sense of peace and unity among pilgrims was awesome. One evening I was standing in line for confession, holding my daughter, Rachel. When my turn came to go in, I turned and simply handed my precious little one to the stranger behind me. Never for a moment would I have ever considered doing such a thing at a unfamiliar church in the States! Ave Maria!! It was truly an oasis of charity! In the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!
Mario, Yes, Medjugorje suffered no damage during the war....I can remember going up on Apparition Hill at night time and our guide warning us to be careful for snipers, but I always felt protected by Mother Mary .... Oh yes, there were lots of refugees flocking to Medjugorje...In fact, behind St James Church there were several huge green tents with many cots lined up in a row for the refugees to sleep on and all they had were the clothes on their backs...imagine that, only having the clothes on your back.... I traveled to Medjugorje three times during the war....One time there were several dentists from England providing free dental care to the refugees right there under the big, green tents.... Heard plenty of sad and terrible stories....Lots of unmentionable things that would make you shake your head because you just couldn`t believe someone could be so cruel.... I was just looking at some of my photos from that time....I will try to post some if able.....I am having trouble finding my one photo book which has alot of refugee pics.....I will see if I can find it..... There was a story going around in which a Serbian airfighter was on a mission to bomb Medjugorje....But everytime he flew over Medjugorje, his radar screen would go cloudy so he could not see a thing....I guess he converted after that...... Isn`t it amazing the depth of faith the youngsters have at Medjugorje...I am truly in awe....Oh, I also loved experiencing the peace and bonding among everyone who travels there....How I miss attending mass at St James Church ...... Mario, I really think it is neat how you were able to bring your whole family to Medjugorje ...I would love for my family to all go with me next time....I think I will put my order in now to Our Lady ..... Bless, Sharon
