MEĐUGORJE (MEDJUGORJE)

The Best of "The Spirit of Medjugorje" Volume II

The Mercy / Blessing Prayer

By June Klins

“Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me.”  Who in the world ever made that one up?  Have you ever been hurt by something someone said about you?  If not, what planet are you from?   

Not too long ago someone I care about hurt me deeply by saying some unkind things about me.  After I heard this I could hardly look this person in the face again.  It was eating me alive because it was impossible to avoid this person.  I confided in my friend Pat about this, and she gave me some good advice.

Politicizing the Virgin Mary: The Instance of the Madonna of Medjugorje

Source: Raymond A. Eve , Skeptical Inquirer Magazine Volume 26.6, November / December 2002

Apparently individual experiences of the paranormal can, on some occasions, be shown to arise largely out of the broadest social forces, including even those that result in cross-national warfare.

We live in days of all too obvious tension and occasional outright slaughter between specific Christian nations and certain Muslim ones. With this in mind, we can point to an instructive example of how a similar conflict that has occurred on a somewhat smaller geographical scale can be used to demonstrate that paranormal beliefs sometimes arise from a symbolic conflict between differing religious and ethnic groups. We can further demonstrate how such paranormal beliefs frequently both derive from and add to tensions associated with outright warfare and attempts at ethnic cleansings. To substantiate these claims I examine the case of the widely claimed apparitional appearances of the Virgin Mary in the former Yugoslavia.

FIRST SESSION OF COMMISSION ON MEDJUGORJE

date: 14.04.2010.

Rome (IKA) – The Holy See Press Office published on April 13, 2010 report from the first session of International Investigative Commission on Medjugorje, held on March 26th,2010. International Investigative Commission on Medjugorje is being presided over by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who used to be Vicar of Rome Diocese and includes several cardinals and archbishops, many of whom serve on Vatican congregations or Pontifical Councils. These members include, Cardinal Jozef Tomko, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Cardinal Vinko Puljic, Archbishop of Vrhbosna, and president of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia-Herzegovina; Cardinal Josip Bozanic, Archbishop of Zagreb and vice-president of the Council of European Bishops' Conference; Cardinal Julian Herranz, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts and Archbishop Angelo Amato,  prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints.

Interview: Felicia of Abensperg and Traun

Felicia, Countess of Abensperg and Traun, has been repeatedly coming to Medjugorje for about 20 years now. As a Christian and a mother of a large family, as well as a citizen of the world, she is involved in many religious and humanitarian activities.

MEDJUGORJE, THE NEW EMMAUS

INTERVIEW WITH FR. TOMISLAV PERVAN

by Miro Brcic

With the beginnings of Medjugorje, we encounter something which we can call world phenomena, a miracle in the making which is surviving and continuing. Many try to dispute its authenticity saying that's just a cheap way of comforting the deprived, the cheated and those who have lost their way in life.

Over the past fifteen years, it has been subjected to criticism, opposition and negation and even to the most advanced computerised medical analysis, but it continues to be adhered to by 22 million pilgrims from all parts of the globe. Despite all this, it represents a fount of mercy, and an inspiration towards peace and love between peoples in our contemporary world. In the following interview, we speak to Franciscan friar, Dr. Tomislav Pervan, provincial of the Hercegovinian Franciscan Province.

TESTIMONIES FROM AND ABOUT MEDJUGORJE

In the last number of our paper on p. 24 we wrote a special message to our readers that we would like to repeat here word for word: "Dear readers! In this issue you probably expected a special article on the unordinary manifestations in the Hercegovina parish of Medjugorje. But we shall rather leave it to time, patience and God's providence!"

MEDJUGORJE - A QUIET PLACE OF PRAYER

-And why wouldn=t you also make a short visit to the parish of Medjugorje, and Aright from the place@ pass on to the readers your impressions about what you see, learn and experience there?

Very serious and convinced believers have already for weeks and months been flooding us with these kind of questions and encouragements. So finally we decided to go. One bright afternoon we took off in the direction of gentle Brotnjo. We arrived at Medjugorje on a mild and warm October evening. It was already six o=clock. The time of the daily evening mass in the parish church. A mysterious peace reigned over the village and the harmonious prayer droned in the church. We start to walk faster and there we are under the vaults of the magnificent Medjugorje church.

MEÐUGORJE MARKED BY WHITENESS AND LIGHT

Urged by numerous Meðugorje pilgrims, which convincingly claim that they were recently witnesses of unusual and vividly seen phenomena, we paid a short visit to the Meðugorje Parish again. That was one cold evening in the month of December, but coldness did not prevent the worshippers of the Lady to dedicate the evening hours to prayer in the Meðugorje parish church. After the completion of the evening ceremonies, we were met and stopped by known and unknown persons. From Meðugorje, from Ljubuški, from Mostar, from Posušje and some from considerably higher distances.

CARNATIONS FROM LJUBLJANA IN MEDJUGORJE

The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the parish of Medjugorje was permeated with a unique and exceptional spiritual atmosphere. The multitude of faithful prepared itself for that feast day with a strict nine-day fast and long recollected prayer. The main idea of the highly attended devotional novena was to draw closer to the Immaculate Virgin with a heart as pure as possible.

AGAIN I WAS IN MEDJUGORJE

Here I am again for a while in my rocky Hercegovina. I arrived from Zagreb early on a wintry afternoon. I was tried and hungry. But I forgot all of that at the door as soon as I noticed mother’s smile and her warm “Forever Jesus and Mary.”