In the past year, Our Lady revealed that Her real birthday is August 5th and that in 1984 it was Her 2,000th birthday. This year, Our Lady appeared dressed in indescribable golden splendor. She gave the Special Blessing for the first time in this apparition. From this point forward, Our Lady would give the Special Blessing only on feast days or other special occasions. Although, when Our Lady appeared in Birmingham, Alabama in 1988-1989, She gave the blessing on two days that were not “special†days of the Church. This blessing wasn’t completely understood until August 15, 1988, when Marija spoke of it to a Caritas pilgrimage group in Medjugorje. The Special Blessing, according to visionary Marija, is a blessing of conversion that once received, will help to lead that soul to deeper union with God for the rest of their life. Some visionaries deny the existence of the Special Blessing. But it must be remembered that Our Lady did not reveal all things to every visionary. To Mirjana and Vicka, Our Lady revealed special prayers for the conversion of nonbelievers that the other visionaries did not receive. Our Lady dictated Her life story to Vicka; other visionaries only received pieces of Our Lady’s life, but it was given to Vicka to release Her story in its entirety. Ivanka recieved the grace of seeing her deceased mother on several occasions in her apparitions, but this grace was not given to the other visionaries for their dead relatives. Vicka and Jakov were bodily brought to Heaven, hell and purgatory whereas the other visionaries only saw these places in a vision, like watching a movie. Mirjana, Ivanka and Jakov have had knowledge of the 10th secret for many years, while Ivan, Vicka and Marija are still waiting to receive the 10th secret. Marija was given understanding of the Special Blessing that the other visionaries did not receive from Our Lady. A Friend of Medjugorje extensively discussed the Special Blessing with Marija in December 1988 and in more recent years. There is a wealth of information that Marija knows pertaining to the Special Blessing that Our Lady shared only with Marija in which she alone can testify.
