December 18, 2011 A.D.
What Happened on December 13, 2001
The following is Marija’s explanation of what took place during her apparition on December 13, 2001 during the Christmas in the Field celebration:
At the moment of apparition, when Our Lady appeared, I recommended each and every one of us and all of our intentions. And Our Lady extended Her hands over us, and She prayed over us for a long time. Then I asked Our Lady to bless us and all the objects that we brought with us. Our Lady blessed us and blessed the objects. And then Our Lady remained a little time with us, and I asked Her if She had something to say to us. And after I asked Her this question, Our Lady smiled and She said:
Then Our Lady made the Sign of the Cross and left.
It happens, not very often, that Our Lady will linger in an apparition, rather than following Her normal routine of receiving Marija’s petitions and giving Her blessing and then leaving. On this evening of December 13, 2001, after Our Lady had finished with Her normal affairs, She stayed prompting Marija to eventually ask Our Lady if She had something She wanted to say. So sweetly, Our Lady smiled and gave the above message. What was in the heart of Our Lady as She came to the earth and saw this beautiful recreation of the birth of Her Son? She could not have been unmoved—She who had the actual memory of the cold stable, the smoky fire, the prickly hay, and the first time Her eyes met His. Perhaps our little “Christmas in the Field” delighted Our Lady enough to want to linger and remember.
The door to the right of the lighted Christmas tree leads to the Bedroom of Apparitions where most of the apparitions at Caritas have taken place. On occasion, there have also been significant apparitions in other areas of the house, including the loft that can be seen just above the Christmas tree. It was here on the evening of Christmas, December 25, 1988 at 6:00 p.m. that Our Lady appeared with newborn Baby Jesus in Her arms. The Medjugorje visionaries have all been blessed to see the infant Jesus every Christmas as long as their daily apparitions lasted. Though the youngest visionary, Jakov, stopped having his daily apparitions in 1997, Our Lady promised to appear to him on Christmas day for the rest of his life, and with Our Lady he also sees Baby Jesus.
It is difficult to ponder the grace given in having Our Lady appear in the loft of our founder and his family, with Baby Jesus on Christmas Day. It is not able to be grasped even in a small way. In this apparition Our Lady also gave Her monthly message to the world:
December 25, 1988
“Dear children, I call you to peace. Live it in your heart and all around you so that all will know peace – peace which does not come from you but from God. Little children, today is a great day! Rejoice with me! Glorify the Nativity of Jesus through the peace that I give. It is for this peace that I have come as your Mother, Queen of Peace. Today I give you my Special Blessing. Bring it to all creation, so that all creation will know peace. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
See More Dates from the December 2001 Apparitions at Caritas:
December 10, 2001 – December 11, 2001 – December 12, 2001 – December 13, 2001 – December 14, 2001 – December 15, 2001
