“Today at this place 33 years ago, Heaven opened…”

  June 24, 2014 A.D.

The anticipation of Our Lady’s presence was felt on Apparition Mountain tonight, full of pilgrims from all over the world awaiting Our Lady on this special 33rd anniversary. Meanwhile, at Caritas in Alabama, the Community of Caritas along with pilgrims climbed to the Cross on Penitentiary Mountain, in anticipation of Our Lady’s apparition in Medjugorje. After praying the stations of the Cross, the Caritas Community and pilgrims reached the Cross, just before the Medjugorje apparition time.

Tonight in Medjugorje, the apparition was long, lasting over 8 minutes, though Our Lady spoke no message tonight. Ivan began the Rosary starting around 9:15 p.m. while singing the “Ave Maria” throughout until the time of apparition at 10:00 p.m. The following is Ivan’s description of the apparition:
 

“Today is a special day. Today at this place 33 years ago, Heaven opened and meetings together with Her began. Truly tonight’s meeting was so joyful and special. Our Lady came especially joyful and happy and She greeted all of us with Her Motherly greeting, ‘Praised be Jesus my dear children.’ After that truly with great joy and Her arms extended, She prayed over all of us here. She prayed especially over the sick present here and then She prayed specially for a longer while for peace in the world and for peace in the families. Then Our Lady blessed all of us with Her Motherly blessing, and She also blessed everything you brought to be blessed. After that, I recommended all of you, all of your needs, your intentions, and your families, and especially the sick. ‘Tonight I especially recommended this parish, which She chose in a special way, and all the parishioners. Our Lady then especially prayed for this parish and for the priests who serve and work with this parish. After that Our Lady continued to pray over all of us here with Her arms extended and left in that prayer, in an illuminated Sign of the Cross, with a greeting, ‘Go in peace my dear children.’ This is what would be the most important from tonight’s meeting with Our Lady. Again, I repeat that truly tonight’s meeting was exceptional and special. You all know that tomorrow is the 25th and Our Lady will give a message for the whole world. We will wait for tomorrow to see what Our Lady desires to tell us. Thank you.”

From A Friend of Medjugorje

Is Ivan important? Is what he testifies to significant?
 

On November 15, 1981, Our Lady told the visionaries:

“The world is on the point of receiving great favors from Me and My Son…”

What sort of wonder do we behold?! The visionaries are the closest source to Our Lady’s plans in Medjugorje. They are not to be discounted as unimportant, as some suggest. They have suffered in ways that many will never know. It is they who should be listened to in trying to understand Our Lady’s plans. The visionaries of Medjugorje carry with them an importance greater than the presidents or kings of the earth. Our Lady said:

December 31, 1985

“…You will not have peace through the presidents but through prayer.”

How important is peace to man? Peace is the ultimate in life. Everybody seeks it. The world today tries to find itthrough money, materialism, consumerism, pleasures, plastic surgery, and a host of other erred paths. The human heart yearns for peace. We must have peace to be able to love, and we must love to be able to forgive. Our Lady says:

January 25, 1996

“…The fruit of peace is love and the fruit of love is forgiveness…”

Who is teaching us about peace? Who delivers this knowledge about how it is obtained? Kings? Presidents? No, it is not these, but the visionaries! They hold for our particular time an extraordinary position. However, this position the six visionaries hold will be recognized not just for this particular time but for all ages. Presidents come and go. Their memory fades quickly and, after a generation, they are forgotten except to be recorded by a little ink on paper—not much of a tribute to those who were held in such esteem while they were alive. In man’s history, those who lived on after their death were those who were carried in the hearts of future generations. It is this “written text,” impressed upon the hearts they leave behind, that their good continues into each successive generation. They transcended time, from one generation to the next, impacting and altering society by changing each generation. These people lived their lives by high moral virtues or were saints of the Church. The Hitler’s or the Tito’s, who in their day had great power, lived in the hearts of their comrades, but theirs was an elusive power, without permanence, and it is gone. Ivanka was told by Our Lady:

May 7, 1985 

“…No one in the world has had the grace which you, your brothers, and sisters have received…” (referring to the six visionaries)

It is not our words, but Our Lady’s words, which place the visionaries in this position. Her stating that “no one in the world” (6.5 billion people) shows that the place they hold is graced to such a degree that it is unparalleled since the death of the last apostle. It is they who have walked with the Mother of Jesus, the Queen of Heaven, for twenty-eight* years daily. When one reflects upon this, it then becomes easy to understand their positions. No popes, no previous visionaries, etc. have had this degree of grace. The last to experience a grace of this magnitude were the apostles and even they were not gifted with seeing a resurrected, transfigured, glorified body on a daily basis. When Peter and the others saw Jesus transfigured, along with Moses and Elijah, only one time, he wanted to build three temples in commemoration of the one holy event! What importance should be placed on six visionaries who see daily what Peter saw on Mt. Tabor only once? Our Lady Herself makes the tie and strong point when, during an apparition on Cross Mountain, She said on June 24, 1986:
 

“You are on a Tabor…”

These thoughts pondered and reflected upon will show you a glimpse of the magnitude of what it is that not only the visionaries are graced with, but the whole world. Therefore, the visionaries are very important. What they tell us is not the “news of the day,” but rather the news of our age and “the way” for ages to come. And yet, so many neither recognize the visionaries, nor respect them for that which they have been chosen. Instead, many occupy or give their ear to useless news and chantments of the world.

Their mission carries more importance than the kings of the earth. The words they delivered, Our Lady has said, come directly from God.

December 31, 1981

“…I have been conveying the message of God to the world…”

Yes, what Ivan says and gives testimony to is very, very important.

From, Medjugorje, Mirjana, A Mystery is Revealed

Pictures from the June 24, 2014 Apparition in Medjugorje
and pictures from the prayer gathering in union, at Caritas in Alabama

Pilgrims in Medjugorje gathered several hours before Our Lady’s arrival with all of creation announcing the Glory that would be coming in their midst. Many came to pray with the Queen of Peace, presenting their hearts before She Who intercedes before God.

Our Lady of Medjugorje said on September 25, 2012:

“…When in nature you look at the richness of the colors which the Most High gives to you, open your heart and pray with gratitude for all the good that you have and say: ‘I am here created for eternity’ – and yearn for heavenly things because God loves you with immeasurable love. This is why He also gave me to you to tell you: ‘Only in God is your peace and hope, dear children’ 

Many groups of youth were on the mountain tonight for the prayer group, arriving early, sitting together, praying together, being in joy together, as they anticipated the arrival of the Mother. Many youth today seek peace in material things, rather than through prayer. Medjugorje, is a sign of hope, a road sign directing youth to the right way to find peace and joy in their lives. Our Lady comes to strengthen us with Her love as She said on August 14, 1989 (Special Blessing):

“My dear children, tonight your Mother is happy, happy, happy to be with you and to see you in such large numbers…I would like to see in the future parents in the families work and pray as much as they can with their children, so they can, from day to day, strengthen their spirit. Your Mother is here to help each one of you; open yourselves to your Mother; She is waiting for you…”
 

A great crowd of several thousand pilgrims from around the world blanketed the mountain in large numbers hours before the apparition. What must it been like in Jesus’ day, as great crowds followed Him to the mountains as well? Do we understand the time we live in now?

A Friend of Medjugorje wrote in 1993:

“In looking at Holy Scriptures, we began to see so many parallels between the events that took place 2,000 years ago when Jesus walked the earth and Medjugorje today. The Holy Scriptures indeed, help us to understand the profoundness of Medjugorje.”

From the writing, “How the Early Church Learned”

Medjugorje is a call straight to the heart, an experience that God is real for those who listen to Our Lady’s messages and put them into life. Medjugorje is a spiritual fountain, a source for those who hunger and thirst in the culture today, though many in the world would not consider themselves as “impoverished.”

In a book by Fr. Rene Laurentin, visionary Ivan was interviewed in 1997. Ivan was asked what people were seeking when coming to Medjugorje. Ivan said:

“People are thirsting for God. When they hear the messages from the Mother of God and what they are being invited to, they are satisfied by this spiritual nourishment, and renew their lives. They begin to pray, and once again peace and love have a place in their families…”

 

Pilgrims flow down the mountain and into the streets of Medjugorje after experiencing the sweet closeness of Our Lady. Those on the street show their love and gratitude to the Queen of Peace, reflecting what is in the hearts of many who have come to the village to celebrate 33 years of Our Lady walking and guiding us through the darkness of the present culture with the light of Her messages.

Our Lady said on June 5, 1986:

“Dear children, today I am calling on you to decide whether or not you wish to live the messages which I am giving you. I wish you to be active in living and spreading the messages. Especially, dear children, I wish that you all be the reflection of Jesus, which will enlighten this unfaithful world walking in darkness. I wish all of you to be the light for everyone and that you give witness in the light. Dear children, you are not called to the darkness, but you are called to the light. Therefore, live the light with your own life. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
 

Praying in Union at Caritas of Birmingham, Alabama

 

 

Medjugorje is 33 years old today, and with each passing year our gratitude to our Good Father, who sent Her to us to lead the world back to Him, knows no bounds. Hearts around the world, united to the heart of Our Lady of Medjugorje, are celebrating these anniversary days in prayer, sacrifice and special remembrances. The Community of Caritas in Alabama, after offering three days of prayers, fasting and sacrifices to Our Lady for Her intentions for this Anniversary, greeted the arrival of this day, June 24, 2014, with great joy in our hearts. With the announcement that Medjugorje visionary Ivan would be having an apparition on Apparition Mountain this night in Medjugorje, the Community made plans to climb Cross Mountain here, with pilgrims who joined us, that we could be on the mountain at the same time that Our Lady was appearing in Medjugorje—10:00 P.M. Medjugorje time; 3:00 P.M. Alabama time.

Arriving at the Cross at exactly 3:00 P.M., everyone knelt in silence while a cool breeze swept through. The wind is always a sign of Our Lady for us, as She herself, said:

February 15, 1984 

“The wind is my sign. I will come in the wind. When the wind blows, know that I am with you…”

There was a great peace on the mountain, a peace that came from Her presence, a gift from Our Lady, the Queen of Peace.

Approaching the 12th station as we climbed the mountain, we prayed to give Our Lady our hearts. How are we to comprehend, even a little, the great grace of 33 years of apparitions? It is not possible without Our Lady’s help. Perhaps it is enough to simply do as She instructs us—because She assures us that She will do the rest:

May 2, 2007

“Dear children! Today I come to you with a Motherly desire for you to give me your hearts. My children, do this with complete trust and without fear. In your hearts, I will put my Son and His mercy…”

 

 

At the foot of the Cross—where grace and suffering meet. The Cross represents 33 years of God, through the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus Christ, walking the Earth to be with man. Jesus shared in the experience of mankind; the joys and sufferings, the bounty and the deprivations, good and evil, faith and fear, love and betrayal. He shared man’s destiny in every way, including the experience of death. And now, through the apparitions of Medjugorje, Our Lady has walked with us, in our time, for 33 years. What does this mean? What will we see as a result of this parallel of time? We know the world is at a crossroads. What awaits us? What awaits our world? Our Lady tells us what our attitude should be in facing an unknown future:

August, 1984 

“The only attitude of the Christian toward the future is hope of salvation. Those who think only of wars, evils, punishment do not do well.

“If you think of evil, punishment, wars, you are on the road to meeting them. Your responsibility is to accept Divine peace, live it, and spread it.”

We learn to do this at the foot of the Cross. Death happened on the Cross. But that death led to the Resurrection of Jesus, our Savior, our hope of salvation. In this we find our peace.

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