Medugorje, “Oasis of Peace”

It’s not hard to find God in the hills and valleys of Herzegovina – every vista inspires awe and wonder at creation and God’s handiwork. In 1981, six shepherds, Ivan, Jakov, Marija, Mirjana, Vicka, and Ivanka, aged 10-17, witnessed an apparition of the Virgin Mary, who told them that she would provide them with 10 secrets, that affected the whole world. She would appear to each of them every day until all 10 messages, unique to each, had been received by each; and then only appear once a year to each after that. Three of the visionaries have heard all 10; three have one left to go.

According to www.medugorje.org:

…the message of the Blessed Virgin is simple and direct: She is appearing to the seers to tell the world of the urgency to return to the ways of God, to convert their lives to peace with God and with their fellow man. She is to give each seer 10 messages, or “secrets” of happenings that will occur in the near future. These messages will be visible signs to mankind that the apparitions at Medjugorje are real and that the conversion back to God must be started now. When she has stopped appearing to the youths-a time known only by them-a permanent sign will be left at Medjugorje. it will lead to many healings and conversions in the short time left before the messages become reality.

Apparently, Our Lady has provided the six with hints, or rather “weapons” or “stones” with which to address the problems of the world and the power and influence of evil and sin in our lives, which together constitute the “Message of Medjugorje” – prayer, fasting, confession, the Bible, and the Eucharist.

I mean no disrespect by the following comment; but as a lapsed Catholic, all of this works for me. Fasting is recommended by the Mother of God on Wednesdays and Fridays, bread and water only, for 24 hours. Given the overall excellence and variety of breads in the BiH, that’s no sacrifice, but rather, a pleasure; and although it might run contrary to the advice of my California-based nutritionist, I think I might just try it.

Literally millions of people, pilgrims, priests, and non-Catholics, have come to Medugorje since the apparitions. Several of the Muslims I spoke with mentioned how impressive and thought-provoking the site is; the devotion and power of faith echoes powerfully off the hills and valley. Bronze plaques commemorating the Stations of the Cross (I believe), a gift from Italians, line the path up and down; and at each station, groups are stopped in prayer, reciting the Rosary, the Hail Mary, or other Catholic standards in every language under the sun. Many climb the rocky hillside barefoot; many are carried, assisted by companions, or limp, painfully, carefully, and proudly, to the spot.  All are respectful, and pray and meditate.

The Vatican has yet to recognize what happened at Medugorje; nonetheless, it’s reportedly the 2nd biggest Catholic destination after Lourdes. Tour buses stream in, and there are rows of kitschy Virgin Lady stores lining the base of the hillside walk, and lots of pensions and lodging available, for those wishing to stay and pray for a while. According to the website, the Vatican’s as-yet lack of confirmation of the veracity of the apparitions is not a concern; the wheels of Roman Catholicism grind slow. Here’s a gem from Pope Urban VII (1623-44), and that detailed website mentioned above, to clarify the position:

“In cases which concern private revelations, it is better to believe than not to believe, for, if you believe, and it is proven true, you will be happy that you have believed, because our Holy Mother asked it. If you believe, and it should be proven false, you will receive all blessings as if it had been true, because you believed it to be true.”(Pope Urban VIII, 1623-44)

You can tell that Urban VII was probably a natural at risk management, and a master at public relations and diplomacy, besides.  

Some Bosnians I’d spoken with during my time in the BiH, Christian and Muslim like, spoke of the disappointment of knowing that throughout the war when Mostar was being destroyed, barely 20 minutes away, pilgrims streamed to Medugorje; and nary a one, supposedly, stopped and asked if they could help save the dying, and stop the shelling, support with needed supplies, other than to “pray” for peace. The sentiment came from more Muslims than Christians, and of course, might have something to do with the fact that the Croats, the Catholics in the region, had an anti-aircraft gun mounted on one of the hills overlooking Mostar that they used to fire on civilians (predominantly Muslims, their former allies against the Serbs until mid-1993, on the East side of the river) since there were no planes to fire at, given NATO’s enforcement of a no-fly zone over the town after the bridges were destroyed.  But the pilgrims still came, and to this day come, in charter flights from Dublin, Austria and the UK into Mostar’s tiny airport, and streaming in on big buses.  Supposedly, in Mostar, there were three types of outsiders present during the war; international observers and diplomats, spies, and pilgrims.  Sounds like the basis for a heckuva good movie (notice – I didn’t say an H-E-double-hockey-sticks of a movie!!)

In terms of all that religious conflict business, the Virgin Mary has had good words of advice there, too. In October 1981, one of the visionaries asked whether all religions were the same. Our Lady answered: “Members of all faiths are equal before God. God rules over each faith just like a sovereign over his kingdom. In the world, all religions are not the same because all people have not complied with the commandments of God. They reject and disparage them.”   I’m guessing this means that there are lots of people who don’t do what they ought to in the world, or live by the rules they’ve set for themselves and others, regardless of the faith they profess.  And so they’re all in the same boat, irrespective of the specific mores of their chosen religion.  At least, that’s my take.

The folks at Medugorje.org have a slightly different spin, and say that it’s about not judging others.  They quote Vatican II:  ”Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God, and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.”

I figure that’s good news for all of us pilgrims, Christian or not.   I wasn’t the vehicle for any other-worldly energy, or a “special” force, at the site of the original apparition, like the Hungarian woman felt at the Bosnian pyramids. It was a beautiful day on the top of the hillside; miraculous, even, though I drank my bottle of water quickly in the heat.  Most of those coming up the hill stopped for just a few moments at the top, prayed and watched others praying,  and turned around back down the hillside.   Some were young, some old; many races, many languages. Most prayed for peace, I imagine, and some for their loved ones, more than few for themselves; all searched for answers and divine understanding.  And although I wasn’t healed, at least so far as I know, nor converted (technically I am still Catholic, if far from devout); I did experience both a vision and a miracle – a vision of the faithful and the miracle of hope and the power of prayer, for a better world.  

 

 

 

 

~ by mimi on June 26, 2008.