It was a beautiful evening in Medjugorje. Many pilgrims began gathering before 7:00 p.m. and a steady stream continued right up until the apparition. Those who arrived early, experienced the peacefulness of the evening and witnessed a beautiful sunset. As apparition time approached, the sky slowly began to fill up with stars. The singing began around 8:45 p.m. and after the singing a Rosary was prayed in preparation for Our Lady’s apparition. By the time Our Lady appeared to Ivan at around 10:00 p.m., there were thousands of pilgrims on the mountain, quietly praying and waiting for Our Lady. Our Lady appeared around 10:00 p.m. and the apparition lasted several minutes. The following is Ivan’s description of the apparition.
Today, as always, after every meeting with Our Lady, I desire to also describe to you what is the most important from tonight’s meeting. Our Lady came very joyful and happy and at the beginning, as always, She greeted us all with Her Motherly greeting, “Praised be Jesus, my dear children.” Our Lady then for a while, with Her arms extended, prayed over all of us here. She prayed over the sick present. Our Lady then said:
“Dear children, also today the Mother calls you with love: decide for my Son, set out together with Him, follow my messages. Especially through these upcoming days, renew my messages in your families. Pray, dear children, for my Son to be born in your hearts and in your families. Know, dear children, that the Mother prays for you and loves you with a Motherly love. Therefore, persevere. Thank you, also today, dear children, for having responded to my call.”
Then Our Lady blessed us all with Her Motherly blessing and blessed the religious articles brought for blessing. I recommended all of you, your needs, your intentions, your families and especially all the sick present. Then a private conversation followed between us, which remains between us only. Our Lady then especially prayed for peace, for peace in our hearts and for peace in the families. She then left in that prayer, in an illuminated Sign of the Cross with a greeting, “Go in peace, my dear children.”
The sky turns to fire in a beautiful sunset while pilgrims waited for Our Lady to come to Her mountain tonight, June 17, 2011, during Ivan’s prayer group apparition. The flow of pilgrims coming to and going from Medjugorje follow a certain pattern. Many have just left, while it is still a few days early for those who will be attending the 30th anniversary of Our Lady’s apparitions. So, at this moment the village is not so crowded with pilgrims. However, every day from here, the buses will be coming in nonstop. There is no open hotel room in the village, nor in the surrounding area. It will be a very beautiful celebration with Our Lady who always is so happy to have such large numbers coming to Medjugorje. Every year many of the villagers, including the visionaries, begin a novena to Our Lady, in which they climb Apparition Hill sometime during the day, early morning, or late evening. It begins on June 15th and ends on June 23rd, the eve of the Feast of St. John the Baptist. Apparition Mountain is almost never empty during these special anniversary days. There seems to be always someone on the mountain at all hours of the day and night in an unbroken chain of prayer. Let us go there ourselves, in spirit, to be with Our Lady on Her mountain as we welcome these days of Her anniversary.
Slowly, as night falls, Our Lady’s image grows brighter on Apparition Mountain as pilgrims await Her coming.
Just below Our Lady’s statue, Ivan’s prayer group is gathered, with Ivan barely seen in a black t-shirt. When Our Lady comes, She raises Her hands over everyone gathered and prays over them. She has intentions for each person present that She is praying for. When Our Lady appeared to Marija in Birmingham in 1988-1989, She often requested in Her messages that we pray for Her intentions. She said:
November 26, 1988
"I ask you once again to pray. Especially pray for my intentions. If you pray for my intentions, I will be glorified through you. All your prayers are going to help you through my hands."
What a beautiful gift that we can prayer for ourselves and our loved ones simply by praying for Our Lady’s intentions to be fulfilled in our lives. Those on the mountain tonight can, for the rest of their lives, place themselves back in this spot under Our Lady’s mantle and say to Our Lady in prayer, “Mother, whatever Your intentions were that You prayed for me the night of June 17, 2011, when I was on Your mountain with You, I pray now that they will be fulfilled in my life.” A week from now, a month from now, ten years from now, at the hour of your death...this can be your prayer. If you’ve been under the hands of Our Lady in an apparition in these past 30 years, we invite you to remember that day, that moment, and say this prayer to Our Lady. But, Our Lady has intentions for all of us, not only those who have had the blessing to be with Her in an apparition. We are all blessed to be living in Our Lady’s time.
My comment:
What a beautiful and heart-stirring message from Our Lady! She wants us to be in step with Jesus, her Divine Son. How? By trying to live holy lives and to be an instrument for the salvation of our families and the whole world! This message gives meaning to our lives, whether we are young or old (like me), we can be united with Mother Mary in her quest for Peace and an explosion of Faith throughout the world. Live these messages to the fullest because we do not know what is coming upon us in these treacherous times. Stay close to Jesus and Mary in prayer and penance. Be good! Be very good!!!
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