Our Lady of Medjugorje has appeared to six visionaries since 1981, telling us God exists, and that we need to return to a life of prayer. She has told them these will be her last apparitions on Earth.
This blog is here to help you live a the full, holy, and enriching life Our Lady says God wants us to live, by providing you with reviews of books related to the apparitions and messages.
“Dear children! May this time be for you a time of prayer and silence.
Rest your body and spirit, may they be in God’s love. Permit me, little
children, to lead you, open your hearts to the Holy Spirit so that all
the good that is in you may blossom and bear fruit one hundred fold.
Begin and end the day with prayer with the heart. Thank you for having
responded to my call.”
- Message of Our Lady, through Marija, July 25, 2011
The Virgin speaks of Satan to Ivan's prayer group:
Dear children, again today your Mother wants to warn you that Satan, by every means possible, wants to ruin everything in you, but your prayers prevent him from succeeding. When you fill up all the empty space in your soul with prayer, you prevent Satan from entering. Pray, dear children, and your Mother will pray with you to defeat Satan.
May this be a time when all of us convey peace to others. And so please spread peace within your homes, in your families, in the streets, and everywhere (VPG 3-21-88).
-----------------------------------------
In strong, clear language, Paul identifies and warns the Ephesians of Satan and the powers of evil:
Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wile of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm (Eph 6:11-13).
-----------------------------------------
Reflection: Both St. Paul and Our Lady wish us to recognize the reality and danger of Satan and the demonic, that we might be prepared and armed to defeat him. This is of such consequence to Mary that she has given over twenty-five messages on Lucifer.
Obviously Satan is not to be taken lightly. The trouble is that he usually works undercover, subtly plying us with temptations and eroding our faith. He can also be overt and dramatic, as in some of the exorcisms that have occurred in Medjugorje, but this is rare behavior for him, for he does not like to show his face.
Our defense? Our Lady gives us five weapons: Prayer, fasting, scripture reading, monthly confession, and the Mass. She asks that we wear blessed objects, make use of holy water, and "to let the rosary in your hands be a sign to Satan that you belong to me."
Application: In prayer today, call to mind those temptations that bother you the most. See these as your weakest links, and place them before God in prayer each morning, asking for his protection again the Evil One.
"Dear children; today I call you to a difficult and painful step for your unity with my Son. I call you to complete admission and confession of sins, to purification. An impure heart cannot be in my Son and with my Son. An impure heart cannot give the fruit of love and unity. An impure heart cannot do correct and just things; it is not an example of the beauty of God’s love to those who surround it and to those who have not come to know that love. You, my children, are gathering around me full of enthusiasm, desires and expectations, and I implore the Good Father to, through the Holy Spirit, put my Son – faith, into your purified hearts. My children, obey me, set out with me. As Our Lady was leaving, to her left she showed darkness and to her right a Cross in golden light."
- Message from Our Lady to us, through Mirjana, July 2nd, 2011 -
Anyone who has read a lot about Medjugorje knows Wayne Weible. For those not yet familiar with him, he is arguably the best author of information about the reported apparitions of the Blessed Virgin in Medjugorje. That includes his first book - which has sold close to one million copies worldwideand is the top-selling book about the apparitions - Medjugorje: The Message.
Weible, in a humble and often humorous fashion, tells the story of how he, a devout Protestant - and part of a religion which does not recognize Mary's importance - , came to learn about the reported apparitions while preparing a Christmas column for one of three newspapers he owned at the time, and how Our Lady's messages soon became of central importance in his life. If you feel what is happening in Medjugorje has become important to you, you will connect with Weible while reading this book.
That's because Weible does a masterful job of relaying his emotional journey, from skepticism to believing a little, to believing a lot, to feeling like he might be crazy, to feeling like what is happening in Medjugorje is so important he needs to do something about spreading the messages himself. I laughed often while reading this book, because the parallels between how I've felt at times and how he's felt at times are just uncanny.
Do you feel like what is happening in Medjugorje has taken hold of you, and started to shape your life? Do you feel you speak about it, whether it's to a friend or a family member, and sense they think you're a little off your rocker? Do you think Our Lady of Medjugorje is giving us important messages, which we all should listen to? You'll truly appreciate this book and feel in good company, if you have not already read it.
I don't think I would recommend this book if you are just beginning to learn about the apparitions, or if you hold an air of skepticism about what is happening there. Weible definitely makes a pretty big jump from someone who is skeptical to a believer. He cites a few times when he actually feels he can hear Our Lady speaking to him, as if through locution, and directing his path. It would probably seem a little too much to believe, if you're just getting acquainted with what is happening in Medjugorje.
But if you, like myself, have felt that inner calling ... whether it's to learn more about Medjugorje or to spread the messages .... you'll get it. You'll understand where Weible is coming from. And you'll end this book understanding why you have that calling, and clarifying your own role in all of it.
