June 24, 2011
The Birth of St. John the BaptistDear Family of Mary! We have arrived at the 30th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Our Lady, Queen of Peace, in Medjugorje! Today, 30 years ago, Our Lady appeared to the visionaries of Medjugorje for the first time. She came in the evening, around 6:40 pm. She was up high on a thicket covered hill, Podbrdo, in the sleepy village of Bijakovici, in Medjugorje. On this day, Ivan saw Our Lady for the first time, and he was so frightened that he ran home and hid in his bedroom the rest of the night! Today Denis and I were privileged to be at a talk given by Ivan about the 30th anniversary and he shared with us his thoughts. Here is how he began:"I have been expecting this day for some time now, this day that brought me a new life that started me in the school of Our Lady, the School of peace, the school of love, the school of prayer. I was 16 years old, I had never heard of apparitions, never read about Fatima, Lourdes. In fact I didn't like to read at all. "On this day, 30 years ago, at this time (10:00 am) my mother was waking me up to get ready for church at 11:00. Like most teenagers I didn't really want to get up! It was the Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist, a big day in Medjugorje. The rest you know.... [30 years of apparitions!] I call these years thirty years of graces. "These apparitions of Our Lady are a great crossroads for humanity, a new call, a new way, a new future for mankind. But how aware are we of the messages? Do they go to our heart? Do we live them? For thirty years we have had a message, you could say, each day from Our Lady. Can we live these messages in one life time? "For a few years we had a message every Thursday and then we had a message once a month. Why? Our Lady was giving us more time to understand each message. It is important to use our time well, to live the messages. "Many pilgrims, even priests, don't understand why Our Lady has been coming every day, what she could be saying to me every day and what I have to say to her every day. I have to tell you we talk a lot!! One day when things are revealed, you will understand, your eyes will be opened. When we see the physical changes that will happen in the world, we will understand why she came every day. (I am not talking about the secrets!!!) "The time before us is one of great responsibility. Each one is responsible. Each family is responsible. We must lead our families spiritually and base our lives on holy things of the Gospel. We must practice what the Gospel teaches. This is the message all these 30 years. It is nothing new; we know it from the Church. But we are not living it. Our Lady invites us to be responsible." (Ivan Dragicevic, comments on the 30th anniversary of the apparitions, June 24, 2011) I must say I could feel the seriousness of Ivan's words as he spoke. He is always peaceful, always joyful and kind, but he was very thoughtful as he reminisced with us. So much has transpired in these past 30 years. So much has changed. But Our Lady has stayed the same, always present, always urging us to prayer, to conversion, to penance, to peace, to the Sacraments, to love. She has been preparing us for something beautiful. But it will only come about if we all convert one heart at a time, and usher in her triumph. That is our responsibility. To usher in her triumph through our own conversion and our support of all the souls who do not yet know her love. Happy Anniversary, Ivan! Happy Anniversary, Gospa! We want to respond to your call even better than we have in the past.In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan
© Mary TV 2011
PS. Check at Rosary time, 10:00 am EDT, to see what is happening in Medjugorje! Tomorrow is the 30th Anniversary! Happy Anniversary Mother! Live Event English URL
http://marytv.tv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12&Itemid=35 Live Event Spanish URL
http://marytv.tv/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=290&Itemid=36 |
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