5 Reasons to read Medjugorje: What's Happening? by James Mulligan

Well, it's been a long hiatus in writing a review of a Medjugorje-themed book. It's great to be back and spreading the Gospel, through recommendations of resources about the reported apparitions of Our Lady of Medjugorje.

I hope, in the meantime, you've been taking to heart Our Lady of Medjugorje's monthly messages. If you would like to receive the messages in a vivid email format, you can join my mailing list, in the right column of this blog.

Today's post is about a book I just finished reading this week: Medjugorje: What's Happening?, by Fr. James Mulligan. Below are 5 reasons I think you'll enjoy this book.





1. Offers the most complete history of Medjugorje I've found. If you're someone who knows generally about Medjugorje, but has questions about it, such as "Where does the Vatican stand? What did Pope John Paul II and what does Pope Benedict XVI think about these supposed apparitions? Why did God choose this little village to appear? What does Mary look like, when she appears to the visionaries?", all of these questions and many more are answered in this book. The book actually starts with a thorough and early history of the region around Medjugorje - putting into perspective how the region came to have a strong Christian faith - and going right up into 2011, with the latest occurrences. I have not seen such a complete encapsulation of everything Medjugorje in any other resource.

2. Addresses the good, the bad, and the ugly. Medjugorje is not without its share of controversy, including the fact that its local bishop does not approve of the apparitions and there have been many outspoken against them. This book thoroughly addresses the main opponents of Medjugorje and lends their perspective. I think this is important, because it's healthy to be skeptical about reported apparitions and most accounts of Medjugorje avoid the questions of why should we believe and perhaps push too hard to get the reader to believe without asking questions. Fr. Mulligan doesn't shy away from those questions, or at least why others are asking them.

3. Put in perspective of other Marian apparitions. You might believe in Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, and other Marian apparitions. Fr. Mulligan takes us through the main components of those previously-approved apparitions and how Medjugorje compares.

4. Good interviews with the visionaries. I think, like anyone interested in the reported Medjugorje apparitions, you have questions you would love to ask the visionaries. Fr. Mulligan interviewed each of them individually but presents different sets of questions for each visionary (instead of presenting the same questions asked to each). I found this a really nice way to learn a lot about Our Lady of Medjugorje and why she is reportedly giving messages from Heaven.

5. The best pictures I've seen in any Medjugorje book. Having one of the most-recent Medjugorje publications means Fr. Mulligan has the advantage of the latest photographic and printing technology, and he packed this book chock-full of great photos (you'll see old, grainy photos, from when the apparitions reportedly began, in the '80s, too, but also plenty of new ones). I've visisted Medjugorje and the photos really took me back there, in spirit. For those who haven't visited, you'll see everything from the apparition sites to the main Medjugorje "players" to all of the beautiful Medjugorje artwork, villagers, and so much more. This book is as much a photographic journal as it is a written one. You can actually see some of these photos and read a few pages at Amazon.com (click here and then click the book cover, when you arrive at Amazon).


Happy reading and mir ("peace", in Croatian)

Image credit: http://bit.ly/XMzDtz

Our Lady of Medjugorje's Latest Message - December 2nd, 2012

"Dear children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to live according to my Son, to spread His peace and His love, so that, as my apostles, you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve my Son, and show His love to others with your life. According to the love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my strayed children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in His name. Thank you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The preceding is a message reportedly given by Our Lady of Medjugorje to Medjugorje visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo. 

Mirjana allegedly receives messages from Mary, the mother of Jesus, on the 2nd of each month, as well as during special occasions, including her birthday. She says she has been asked by Mary to pray for "unbelievers", whom she says are those who have not yet come to know God's love.

Mirjana has shared she has received 10 secrets from Our Lady, and that she will play a role in their unfolding.  Learn more about Mirjana.

Image credit: http://bit.ly/TMYSK8

Our Lady of Medjugorje's November 25th, 2012 Message

"Dear children! In this time of grace, I call all of you to renew prayer. Open yourselves to Holy Confession so that each of you may accept my call with the whole heart. I am with you and I protect you from the ruin of sin, but you must open yourselves to the way of conversion and holiness, that your heart may burn out of love for God. Give Him time and He will give Himself to you and thus, in the will of God you will discover the love and the joy of living. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's November 2nd, 2012 Message

"Dear children, as a mother I implore you to persevere as my apostles. I am praying to my Son to give you Divine wisdom and strength. I am praying that you may discern everything around you according to God’s truth and to strongly resist everything that wants to distance you from my Son. I am praying that you may witness the love of the Heavenly Father according to my Son. My children, great grace has been given to you to be witnesses of God’s love. Do not take the given responsibility lightly. Do not sadden my motherly heart. As a mother I desire to rely on my children, on my apostles. Through fasting and prayer you are opening the way for me to pray to my Son for Him to be beside you and for His name to be holy through you. Pray for the shepherds because none of this would be possible without them. Thank you."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's Message - September 25th, 2012

“Dear children! 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’. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Our Lady of Medjugorje's August 25th, 2012 Message

"Dear children! Also today, with hope in the heart, I am praying for you and am thanking the Most High for every one of you who lives my messages with the heart. Give thanks to God's love that I can love and lead each of you through my Immaculate Heart also toward conversion. Open your hearts and decide for holiness, and hope will give birth to joy in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Book Review - She Called My Name by Don and Judy Bailey

This review is going to be short because, in all honesty, I'm just not sure what to think about this book.

I was attracted to it because the story (about Protestants coming to learn about and heed the messages of Our Lady of Medjugorje) sounded a lot like a story I love (Medjugorje: The Message, by Wayne Weible). 
In Weible's account, he lays out both subtle and extraordinary life occurrences which lead to his conversion of heart. Though amazing, Weible's storytelling and humility are, well ... believable.

In She Called My Name, the stories are so far out of this world that, after reading it, I'm left with this feeling that I don't know whether or not I should trust what I just read. The book even begins with a foreword from their family therapist (Don and Judy had some marital issues) which is basically telling us we should believe what we are about to read because he's known them for many years. But, ironically, it left a weird taste in my mouth to have the book preempted by such a statement. I believe in trusting my gut instinct and my gut instinct on this one is that some of this material might have been sensationalized or fabricated. 

But I will say this: I hope I'm wrong.

The stories Don and Judy laid out in this book are unlike anything I've heard about in any Medjugorje conversion story. The stuff Don sees in the sky, the voices he hears in his truck, the conversation with Jesus he apparently has while in Medjugorje ... They're all things I want  to be real, but so mind-blowing that I don't know what to think.

I sat on writing this review for a couple of months, too. I wanted time to digest the story and to see if I felt any better about it. I decided I would tell you about the book and my impressions of it.

Just remember that the truth is that I don't know. Only Don and Judy know. If their story is real, may God bless them as they continue to spread the word about it (and I truly mean that). We do know that all things are possible through God. And I do believe the stories of Medjugorje sun miracles, disappearing crosses, and apparitions of the Virgin Mary. So why couldn't this be real, as well?

But proceed with caution. If you're intrigued and would like to learn more about this book, click here to visit the book's Amazon page, where you can read the front and back covers and a few pages.

You be the judge!

But don't be judgmental. That just isn't right. :)

Our Lady of Medjugorje's July 25th Message for You

"Dear children! Today I call you to the 'good'. Be carriers of peace and goodness in this world. Pray that God may give you the strength so that hope and pride may always reign in your heart and life because you are God's children and carriers of His hope to this world that is without joy in the heart, and is without a future, because it does not have its heart open to God who is your salvation. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's July 2nd, 2012 Message

"My children; Again, in a motherly way, I implore you to stop for a moment and to reflect on yourselves and on the transience of this your earthly life. Then reflect on eternity and the eternal beatitude. What do you want? Which way do you want to set out on? The Father`s love sends me to be a mediatrix for you, to show you with motherly love the way which leads to the purity of soul; a soul unburdened by sin; a soul that will come to know eternity. I am praying that the light of the love of my Son may illuminate you, so that you may triumph over weaknesses and come out of misery. You are my children and I desire for all of you to be on the way of salvation. Therefore, my children, gather around me that I may have you come to know the love of my Son and thus open the door of eternal beatitude. Pray as I do for your shepherds. Again I caution you: do not judge them, because my Son chose them. Thank you."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's June 25th, 2012 (31st Anniversary) Message for Us

"Dear children! With great hope in the heart, also today I call you to prayer. If you pray, little children, you are with me and you are seeking the will of my Son and are living it. Be open and live prayer and, at every moment, may it be for you the savor and joy of your soul. I am with you and I intercede for all of you before my Son Jesus. Thank you for having responded to my call."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's June 2nd, 2012 Message

"Dear children, I am continuously among you because, with my endless love, I desire to show you the door of Heaven. I desire to tell you how it is opened: through goodness, mercy, love and peace - through my Son. Therefore, my children, do not waste time on vanities. Only knowledge of the love of my Son can save you. Through that salvific love and the Holy Spirit He chose me and I, together with Him, am choosing you to be apostles of His love and will. My children, great is the responsibility upon you. I desire that by your example you help sinners regain their sight, enrich their poor souls and bring them back into my embrace. Therefore, pray, pray, fast and confess regularly. If receiving my Son in the Eucharist is the center of your life then do not be afraid, you can do everything. I am with you. Every day I pray for the shepherds and I expect the same of you. Because, my children, without their guidance and strengthening through their blessing, you cannot do it. Thank you."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's May 2nd, 2012 Message

"Dear children! With motherly love I implore you to give me your hands, permit me to lead you. I, as a mother, desire to save you from restlessness, despair and eternal exile. My Son, by His death on the Cross, showed how much He loves you; He sacrificed Himself for your sake and the sake of your sins. Do not keep rejecting His sacrifice and do not keep renewing His sufferings with your sins. Do not keep shutting the doors of Heaven to yourselves. My children, do not waste time. Nothing is more important than unity in my Son. I will help you because the Heavenly Father is sending me so that, together, we can show the way of grace and salvation to all those who do not know Him. Do not be hard hearted. Have confidence in me and adore my Son. My children, you cannot be without the shepherds. May they be in your prayers every day. Thank you."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's April 2nd Message

"Dear children, As the Queen of Peace, I desire to give peace to you, my children, true peace which comes through the heart of my Divine Son. As a mother I pray that wisdom, humility and goodness may come to reign in your hearts – that peace may reign – that my Son may reign.  When my Son will be the ruler in your hearts, you will be able to help others to come to know Him.  When heavenly peace comes to rule over you, those who are seeking it in the wrong places, thus causing pain to my motherly heart, will recognize it. My children, great will be my joy when I see that you are accepting my words and that you desire to follow me. Do not be afraid, you are not alone. Give me your hands and I will lead you. Do not forget your shepherds. Pray that in their thoughts they may always be with my Son who called them to witness Him. Thank you."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's March 25th, 2012 Message

“Dear children! Also today, with joy, I desire to give you my motherly blessing and to call you to prayer. May prayer become a need for you to grow more in holiness every day. Work more on your conversion because you are far away, little children. Thank you for having responded to my call.”

Mary's March 18th Annual Message Through Mirjana

The visionary Mirjana Dragicevic-Soldo had daily apparitions from June 24th 1981 to December 25th 1982. During the last daily apparition, Our Lady gave her the 10th secret, and told her that she would appear to her once a year, on the 18th of March.  It has been this way through the years. Several thousand pilgrims gathered in prayer of the Rosary at the 'Blue Cross'. The apparition lasted from  14:00 to 14:05.

"Dear children! I am coming among you because I desire to be your mother - your intercessor. I desire to be the bond between you and the Heavenly Father - your mediatrix. I desire to take you by the hand and to walk with you in the battle against the impure spirit. My children, consecrate yourselves to me completely. I will take your lives into my motherly hands and I will teach them peace and love, and then I will give them over to my Son. I am asking of you to pray and fast because only in this way will you know how to witness my Son in the right way through my motherly heart. Pray for your shepherds that, united in my Son, they can always joyfully proclaim the Word of God.  Thank you." 

Book Review - Medjugorje and The Family

Medjugorje and the Family: Helping Families to 
Live the Message by Dr. Mark Miraville, S.T.D.

Good resource if you:

• Have children or are considering starting a family
• Face challenges in praying with your family
• Feel time-constrained

Summary:

The author, Dr. Miraville, is a Mariologist who teaches at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is a father of eight children. He wrote this book as a guide for families seeking help in living Our Lady of Medjugorje's messages.

He does this by taking some of the main themes of Mary's messages and explaining what has worked for him, in incorporating them into an often busy family life. Topics include: praying the Rosary together, fasting as a family, keeping peace, and spiritual conversion of family members.

Why I'm Recommending this Book:

It has paid instant dividends in my own life, on two fronts. One of those is prayer with my wife.

Our greatest takeaway from our recent pilgrimage to Medjugorje was that it is imperative to pray together. This has been no easy task for us. 

The bottom line is that we have different styles of praying, with one of us feeling more meditative when praying swiftly and the other feeling more in the Spirit when praying slowly. It actually led to us reasoning it's better if we pray separately, and we've known this is in direct contradiction to what Our Lady of Medjugorje asks. This book has addressed that issue.

Miraville highlights that everyone, dependent upon how they connect with God and their level of spiritual development, prays differently, and that it's necessary to embrace those differences and not use them as a source of division, especially when you have several family members praying at once. He goes on to give clear instruction on how to embrace the differences and keep everyone developing their spirituality together.

The second front where this book has paid instant dividends is in alleviating my concerns about    how Our Lady of Medjugorje's messages might fit into an increasingly time-starved environment in our home.

My wife and I already have little free time during the week, based on our work schedules, and find it challenging enough to do all Mary asks of us through her messages to the world. We've wondered how possibly starting a family together would impact our time even further. 

I am confident this book will be an oft-read manual to family prayer, if we start that family, as really every chapter is relevant and gives great, realistic and practical advice for all types of possible situations which might arise.

You can purchase a new or used copy of this book here.

Have you read this book? Has it impacted your life, if so? Share with others your experience, using the "comments" link below.

Our Lady of Medjugorje's February 2nd, 2012 Message

"Dear children;  I am with you for so much time and already for so long I have been pointing you to God’s presence and His infinite love, which I desire for all of you to come to know.  And you, my children?  You continue to be deaf and blind as you look at the world around you and do not want to see where it is going without my Son.  You are renouncing Him - and He is the source of all graces.  You listen to me while I am speaking to you, but your hearts are closed and you are not hearing me.  You are not praying to the Holy Spirit to illuminate you.  My children, pride has come to rule.  I am pointing out humility to you.  My children, remember that only a humble soul shines with purity and beauty because it has come to know the love of God.  Only a humble soul becomes heaven, because my Son is in it.  Thank you.  Again I implore you to pray for those whom my Son has chosen - those are your shepherds."

Our Lady of Medjugorje's January 25th Message for Us

“Dear children! With joy, also today I call you to open your hearts and to listen to my call. Anew, I desire to draw you closer to my Immaculate Heart, where you will find refuge and peace. Open yourselves to prayer, until it becomes a joy for you. Through prayer, the Most High will give you an abundance of grace and you will become my extended hands in this restless world which longs for peace. Little children, with your lives witness faith and pray that faith may grow day by day in your hearts. I am with you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”