You are completely forgiven Praetorian. The problem with believing or not believing in apparitions or locutions is; we do not really KNOW if they are genuine or not. We are influenced very much by what we read, or see in published articles or videos. And when we come across a man like Wayne Weible who changed from lukewarm Lutheran to die hard Catholic through Medjugorje; We have to sit up and take note. Saying this regarding those who have no time for Medjugorje. I am certain Wayne Weible was only too well aware of the naysayers; but he was never swayed from his conversion based on what he personally heard and saw. God bless and reward him for his testimony and commitment. God bless you Praetorian, I know you are a heart of gold, and love your posts.
A TRIBUTE TO WAYNE WEIBLE FREEDOM IN CHRIST ن Weblog of Bro. Daniel María Klimek "If you are convinced that who you are at the deepest level is one with God then all of the trials and tribulations of life will not bother you; they cannot touch you at the deepest level." – Meister Eckhart, medieval German theologian & mystic Search Thank You, Wayne, for Helping Change My Life: A Tribute to Wayne Weible Posted on April 25, 2018 4 Author, Wayne Weible (1923-2018) As many have already heard, Wayne Weible, author of numerous books on the Marian apparitions of Medjugorje, passed away last Saturday at the age of 80. Although I never met Wayne in person, his book Medjugorje: The Message, which I read as a college student, changed the course of my life. I owe so much to Wayne and his work—more precisely, I owe so much to God for how he has used Wayne’s work to transform my life. It was his book which led me to become a devout Catholic, bringing me to a powerful conversion experience in my life. It was his book which would lead me to study religion and spirituality in graduate school, becoming a Ph.D., and writing a dissertation on Medjugorje. It was his book that ignited the flame that would one day lead me to pursue a religious vocation, becoming a Franciscan friar and pursuing the priesthood. It was his book, most importantly, that would lead to a deep love of Our Lady, and through her maternal love, bring me closer to Jesus—to a living, intimate relationship with him. This year I received the good news that in the fall I will be teaching Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. This is such a privilege for me. It is a dream come true. And for me the beginning of that dream, the roots of it, started with Wayne’s book. His book gave my life meaning. It allowed me to understand that God is real. That Jesus is real. That Our Lady is real, a loving mother who is calling us to conversion and to the fullness of life. “THE BOOK OF CONVERSIONS” In his life Wayne wrote a number of books dedicated to Medjugorje. However, I firmly believe that there is something incredibly special about his first book, Medjugorje: The Message—that there is a special anointing on the book. It is a work touched by the Spirit of God. Once I was talking with the translator for Ivan, the Medjugorje visionary, and when I shared how much Wayne’s book has meant to me, she mentioned that this is “the book of conversions.” She emphasized that so many have come to God and experienced conversion because of that book. This profound fact is even revealed through a simple Amazon search, where so many reviews of Wayne’s book begin by testifying to the life-transforming fruits of reading the work. One reviewer writes, “This book has changed my life.” Another reviewer explains, “This book brought my husband and me to the Catholic Church. Inspirational read.” Yet another reviewer testifies, “I was a nominal Catholic at best in 1994 when I happened to read this book. … I can say that it completely changed my life then and up to the present. It had a major impact on other family members and many others I know.” Another reviewer testifies: “A powerful book. This book led me back to the church and possibly saved my soul.” That is the highest compliment that a Christian author can receive: that your book has helped bring souls to God, that souls have come back to the Church because of your book, and that your book has possibly saved souls for eternity. There is no greater reality than this. There is no greater compliment that a human being can receive: that because of your life and work, people have come to know God. I hope and pray that Wayne is in heaven now and that the Lord has shown him the countless people whose lives were transformed for the better, whose souls were taken from Satan’s grasp and turned to Jesus through Our Lady’s intercession, because of Wayne’s work on Medjugorje. And that is a reality, I have no doubt, that will continue to bear fruit, as the power of the written word is that it continues to live on even after its author has passed away, having the ability to influence lives throughout the centuries. HIS LIFE’S MISSION: HEARING OUR LADY’S VOICE AND RESPONDING The story of how Wayne came to write about Medjugorje, first through his columns and then his books, is remarkable. Wayne was a Lutheran when he was first given a video tape to watch on the apparitions in Medjugorje, and in the moments that he watched the tape he internally felt the Virgin Mary speaking to him—what, in mystical theology, is known as an inner locution, the mystical grace of hearing a sacred voice interiorly. “You are my son, and I am asking you to do my Son’s will,” the interior voice said. The message continued, “Write about the events of Medjugorje; this will become your life’s mission if you choose to accept it. You will no longer be in your present work.” His Yes to the mission that was placed before him—despite being such an “unlikely” candidate, as a Protestant being asked to write about a Marian apparition site surrounding Catholic visionaries—would, decades later, change my life, as it has changed thousands of lives: helping us to come to know the love of God. Before reading his work, I was an agnostic—growing up in a Catholic family, but not being sure whether God exists, whether Jesus or Our Lady are real, having so many doubts. I was a political science major, thinking about law school, but not sure what to do with my life. I received a copy of Medjugorje: The Message my senior year, and from the time that I began to read everything would change for me. I started writing about Medjugorje. I started speaking publically about Medjugorje. I started fasting on bread and water and praying the rosary, seeing miracles happen in my life and in the lives of those around me: seeing family members who have not spoken to each other in years be reconciled through the power of prayer and fasting, through the messages that Our Lady was teaching us to live. The act of reading Wayne’s book became a spiritual experience. While reading, I began to feel the presence of God and the immensity of love that He and the Blessed Mother had for me. I began to believe in God and to love God. I deeply desired to return that love to them: to give myself to Jesus and Mary, hoping to spend the rest of my life in their service. Thank you, Wayne, for saying Yes to the call of writing about Medjugorje. Thank you for saying Yes to a call that has given so many of us hope, meaning, and an opportunity to experience the grace of conversion and deeper intimacy with God because of your writings, testimony, and talks. We have never met in person. But know that I love you, and pray for your precious soul, which has done so much good on this earth. Rest in peace, dear brother, soldier of God, son of Mary. May your eternity be filled with unending bliss. http://www.danielklimek.com/
Watch Wayne's past Medjugorje Minutes on our YOUTUBE Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChoaLvsFSQmjefnbZNG4tww
Medjugorje NEWS: From Judith Weible: BREAKING NEWS FROM THE VATICAN ON MEDJUGORJE ! This is a glorious day for Vatican and Medjugorje! Pope Francis has named Archbishop Henryk Hoser as apostolic visitor to Medjugorje. He had initially sent him to the town as his personal envoy to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and of the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the site of the alleged Marian apparitions. The Vatican announcement said its task is to guarantee, "The mission of the apostolic visitor has the aim of assuring a stable and continuous accompaniment of the parish community of Medjugorje and of the faithful who go there in pilgrimage, whose needs require special attention,". Archbishop Hoser will reside in Medjugorje and his mission "is strictly pastoral and not doctrinal," says Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office. The Polish archbishop was appointed in February 2017 as the pope's special envoy to study the pastoral situation in Medjugorje. At a news conference following his first visit, Hoser said that although he has no authority or expertise to discuss the authenticity of the alleged apparitions, it was clear that "there is a special spiritual climate" in Medjugorje. "The biggest miracle of Medjugorje are the confessions" of hundreds of people each day, Hoser told reporters in April 2017.
MY RECENT VISIT TO MEDJUGORJE Last week, I visited Medjugorje to take some time to pray and reflect on Wayne's passing away and to prepare for his Memorial Service which will be held the first week of November. My mother joined me for the short four days I was there and I got to spend some time with our guide, Slavenka and several other friends. The village was quite with mostly Irish, Italians and French. There were no other Americans beyond myself. The temperatures were very hot and so most activities took place in the mornings and evenings. It was strange to think that Wayne would never visit Medjugorje again and that our November pilgrimage last year was his last. I know he is in Heaven but I believe he is still very much alive in Medjugorje, living on in the spirit of the people who live there and in the hearts of the many pilgrims who visit. Memories of Wayne came around every corner: in the church, on the mountains, in the house in which we stayed and most especially in the restaurants. We would spend a lot of time in Viktors and Columbos, eating all the wonderful Medjugorje food, drinking caffe lattes, meeting with pilgrims and checking our iPhones. All good memories I will hold in my heart forever. Thank you so much for all your support since Wayne died; for your mass cards, condolence cards, email and phone messages. I truly appreciate every one! For those of you wanting to join us on our November Memorial pilgrimage and come to the memorial service, visit our 206 Tours link for this pilgrimage, ClickHere! or email sandra@206tours.com God Bless and very best wishes! Judith Weible
