The following was originally published on June 23, 2011. On occasion, Pope John Paul II expressed his wish to go to Medjugorje. Medjugorje visionary, Mirjana, actually was given a pair of his shoes to keep in Medjugorje, since he was not able to go himself. But, he did finally make it to Medjugorje on June 22, 2011.
Marija’s apparition yesterday, June 22, 2011, was a double joy. So much so that though Our Lady has been tranquil in every apparition this summer to Marija, in Wednesday’s apparition Our Lady was in a beautiful joy. Prayer for the apparition was double this time. Normally beginning at 6:00 p.m., the prayer instead began at 5:00 p.m. A large Caritas group of pilgrims and community members arrived early to begin the Rosaries, joined by others about an hour later. All this while another joy was taking place in Marija and her husband’s private chapel. A first class relic was brought to the chapel at 4:30 p.m. to be venerated. The reverence and the attention paid to the relic of Blessed John Paul II was inspiring. While some prayed inside the chapel, prayer in preparation for the apparition at 6:40 p.m. continued outside the chapel where an altar was erected in which Msgr. Jerek Cielecki of the parish of John Paul II in Poland processed out to to place the reliquary before a statue of Our Lady. Some of the youth of the Community of Caritas preceded Msgr. Cielecki with flowers and candles, along with several nuns and priests.
For those fortunate to pray inside the chapel, John Paul II’s relic afforded a detectable penetrating peace. It was a joy for all of us when the relic was placed with deep reverence upon the altar. When the time came for Our Lady to appear, the prayer, the sacrifice of those who had waited so long in the sun outside the chapel, all added to a great grace and joy for the heart. So after the apparition, when Marija described Our Lady not in Her normal tranquil disposition, but joyful, it was joy for all gathered who understood the significance of being a part of Our Lady’s joy. The reliquary remained in the chapel for veneration throughout the night, a blessed double joy opportunity to have John Paul II’s reliquary present when Our Lady came. Click visit here for information about Ivan’s apparition of John Paul II.
We are praying for you from the Holy Lands where Our Lady walks with us every day.
With Love,
A Friend of Medjugorje
