Friday, June 29, 2012

What is Happening at Medjugorje?


wolf
Crisis Magazine

Last week I received a mailing from Caritas of Birmingham, in Sterret, Alabama. It was an invitation to come to the four-storey Tabernacle of our Lady’s Messages at Caritas, where a visionary, Marija Pavlovic Lunetti, is slated to receive five messages and apparitions during the 2012 gathering from July 1 to July 5.
Caritas is a group devoted to the Medjugorje Marian apparitions in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is a continuation of international devotional interest in a phenomenon beginning on June 24, 1981, when six young people said they had received apparitions from the “Gospa” (Madonna). I’m not sure how we got on to their mailing list. Possibly a relative submitted our name and address.
The Caritas group, however, is considered schismatic by the visionaries and priests at the pilgrimage center, in a part of what used to be Yugoslavia. On the “official” Medjugorje website we are warned that Caritas of Birmingham is a cult, something like a religious business, not approved.
But one of the visionaries, Marija, still comes regularly to Caritas in Birmingham, contributing to a local, in-house schism of an international cult that bespeaks a larger and ongoing schism with orthodox Catholicism.
Numerous books have been written on Medjugorje, most of them favorable. But most of the pro-Medjugorje books ignore the early tapes made by Fr. Cuvalo and Fr. Zovko, on the days immediately following the apparitions, which began on June 24, 1981; they are based on interviews recorded over a year after the original visions, and incorporated in the 1985 book, A Thousand Encounters with the Blessed Virgin Mary in Medjugorje. And none of them take into account the first tape made by Fr. Cuvalo before Fr. Zovko took over the taping of interviews with the visionaries.
But Donal Foley’s book, Medjugorje Revisited: 30 years of Visions or Religious Fraud? does take into account early tapes as well as later sources, brings out some crucial differences in the early and later transcripts, and leads the reflective reader to serious doubts about what is really happening at this pilgrimage center.
Compared to approved apparitions of the Blessed Virgin, for example, at Lourdes and at Fatima, the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje contain numerous anomalous aspects:
In the initial appearances, the Gospa appears out of a cloud of light which gradually takes on the image of a young woman in her late teens. She has blue eyes and is wearing a gray dress. She looks like she is holding “something like a baby” in her arms, but none of the features of the baby can be seen. Her hands are shaking. She laughs. The visionaries are able to touch and kiss her, but her vestments are “steel to the touch.” When a lady doctor asked if she could touch her also, the Gospa agreed, but complained about “unbelieving Judases.”
Fr. René Laurentin, a supporter of Medjugorje, in his Chronological Corpus of the Messages, changed this obvious blooper to “doubting Thomases.”
In the first few years following the apparitions, around thirty different apparition places were chosen, with the Gospa appearing often as if “on cue.” Some of the messages, even in our open-minded era, would be categorized as not just heterodox, but heretical. We hear that all religions are equal (“Before God all the faiths are identical. God governs them like a king in his kingdom.”) All sufferings are equal in hell; and Mirjana quotes the Gospa as telling her that people begin feeling comfortable in hell. As regards the afterlife, those who go to heaven after death “are present with the soul and the body.” When the Madonna is asked about the title, “Mediatrix of all graces,” she replies, “I do not dispose of all graces.”
Although Medjugorje claims to be a continuation of Fatima and the “last appearance of Jesus or Mary on earth,” there is strangely no exhortation to the devotion of the Five First Saturdays, which Our Lady of Fatima asked for in reparation for the five kinds of offenses and blasphemies against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Unlike the approved apparitions, the visionaries at Medjugorje have been consistently disobedient to local bishops.
  • December 19, 1981, Vicka in her Notebook writes that their bishop, Pavao Zanic, was “the more guilty party” in conflict with the Franciscans, and the Gospa defended the Franciscans who were disobeying the bishop’s order to share their parish with secular clergy.
  • June 21, 1983, in a letter the visionary Ivan said that the Gospa demanded the Bishop’s “immediate conversion” and that he should stop emphasizing the “negative side”– otherwise she and her Son would punish him.
  • February 3, 1985 the Gospa told three visionaries that Fr. Barbaric, whose removal was requested by the bishop, should stay.
According to the German theologian, Manfred Hauke, the Gospa urged disobedience thirteen times to Bishop Zanic, who had originally been inclined favorably to the apparitions.
Pilgrims to Medjugorje occasionally report signs, such as the appearance of a gold tint on the chains of their rosaries, and the phenomenon of a “dance of the sun,” in which the sun, seen by the naked eye without causing harm, proceeds up and down in a yo-yo manner, emitting various colors. The latter is obviously construed as a reenactment of the famous “miracle of the sun” at Fatima, on October 13, 1917. “Healing” miracles have been reported, but none have been tested by experts and verified.
On June 29, 1981, the Gospa announced that a four-year-old boy would be healed, but this never happened. A sign from heaven predicted by the visionaries for August 17, 1981, never materialized. Ivan, in a signed statement, on May 9, 1982, said that a sign would appear in six months – a “huge shrine in Medjugorje” in memory of the Gospa’s apparitions. But this also never materialized. In 1983 the visionaries said a “visible sign” would be left at Medjugorje in perpetuity. But this has not happened.
In September, 1981, the prophecy that “Germany and the U.S. will be destroyed,…the Pope will be exiled to Turkey,” never took place. Nor did peace for Yugoslavia predicted by the Gospa during the 80s. Yugoslavia broke up during the Bosnian war, 1992-95, leading to the violent separation of Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina from Serbia.
The visionaries allege that they have received secrets from the Gospa. Jakov Colo, Ivan Dragicevic and Ivanka Ivankovic have each received nine, while the others have received all ten. Only one of the secrets has been revealed by the visionaries: Namely, the Gospa’s promise of a “visible sign,” mentioned above.
On June 30, 1981, the Gospa said that her appearances would end in three days, but they went on without interruption. As of 2004, over 33,000 messages had been delivered by the Gospa. The number now is around 40,000. Three of the visionaries, Ivan, Vicka and Marija, still have daily visions. We are dealing with a Madonna who, in contrast with the authorized apparitions, has become extremely talkative. If we weren’t referring to heavenly personages, the category of “personality change” would suggest itself.
Numerous attempts have been made to subject the visionaries to testing by experts. However, when experts came from various countries in 1984, 1987, 1988, 1992 and 1995, to test the visionaries, they either claimed to be sick, or that Our Lady had “paused” in her appearances, or they simply did not cooperate.
During the tests on October 6-7, 1984, of the visionaries during ecstasy, Dr. Philippot, an ophthalmologist, found that the pupil of the visionaries did react to light. Once, when the visionaries were being filmed during ecstasy, a skeptical pilgrim made movements with his two fingers towards the eyes of Vicka in ecstasy, and she reacted by moving her head back; later she explained that this was because she thought the Blessed Virgin was about to drop the baby Jesus, and she wanted to keep him from falling.
Both Pavao Zanic and Ratko Perić, the bishops who have had jurisdiction over Medjugorje since 1981, have concluded that the apparitions are not of supernatural origin. Nineteen out of 20 bishops in the Yugoslav Episcopal Conference in 1991 issued the Zadar declaration: “On the basis of investigation up till now, it cannot be established that one is dealing with supernatural apparitions and revelations.”
In 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a vision in which he listened to a dialogue taking place between God and Satan. Satan boasted that he could destroy the Church, if only God would remove some of the restraints on his power and give him a hundred years. God answered, “So be it,” causing the Pope, fearful for the coming trials of the Church, to compose the prayer for protection to St. Michael, recited at the end of Mass until 1964.
Is it conceivable that starting in 1981, the devil, looking over his victories and concerned that his time might be coming to an end, might look to subvert the Church with something like a pretend-Madonna? Jesus warned us (Mt. 24:24, Mk. 13:22) that in the final days prophets would arise with signs and wonders, and would be able to deceive even the elect.
For the Spirit of Evil, with no interest in goodness or holiness, it would have to be “out of character” to appear as the holy Woman whom he hates, and whose foot (Genesis 3:15) will finally crush his head. On the other hand, what a tremendous victory it would be to get the devotion of the faithful, drawing them in subtle ways to the devil’s own “religious reeducation” project.
Mistakes might be made, of course. For example, in 1982, one of Mirjana’s expected visions of the Gospa turned out to be the devil, until it changed into the Madonna, apologizing and telling her that this was just a trial. And on August 2, 1981, the Gospa allowed the people present to come and touch her, but turned black; Marija explained that this was because sinners were touching her, and they should go to confession.
Medjugorje is frequently touted as a continuation of Fatima. At Fatima, Our Lady promised that eventually, through the power of the rosary and fulfillment of her request of Mass attendance on five first Saturdays, her Immaculate Heart would eventually triumph and world peace would ensue. This might coincide with the end of the time given to the devil. From the devil’s viewpoint, might not a distraction be in order? Some traditional piety, with prayer and fasting, and a touch of “New Age” spirituality? If Medjugorje were approved officially by the Church, the devil’s feared triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart might be staved off indefinitely.
Jesus told us to judge trees by their “fruits.” In Medjugorje, numerous conversions have been reported, Catholics returning to the sacraments after many years, etc. But the main fruit, and the fruit closest to the heart of the devil, has been disobedience. Original sin came into the world not through lust or greed or murder, but through disobedience; and the redemption took place through the obedience of Jesus (Romans 5:19) and the fiat of his mother. In Medjugorje, we are confronted with the counterintuitive phenomenon of the Madonna encouraging disobedience to the successors of the Apostles, and disobedience of some Franciscans to Vatican directives.
Other “fruits” include the massacres and mutilations that took place from 1991 to 1992 when, because of the war, three groups involved in the pilgrimage trade, losing business, turned on each other, resulting in an estimated 80-140 deaths and 600 expulsions; and the revocation of faculties or laicization of Frs. Zovko and Vlasic, guides of the visionaries accused of sexual infractions. Nine Franciscans were also expelled from the order and a divinis. According to historian Michael Sells, religious nationalists in Medjugorje “cleansed” non-Catholics, destroying an Orthodox monastery and murdering priests and monks. Bishop Perić was kidnapped on April 2, 1994, in retaliation for his criticisms of unauthorized activities in Medjugorje, and released only when the Mayor of Mostar intervened with UN troops.
And so what are we to conclude? Bishop Perić’s statement in 1997 still seems to be the most relevant:
On the basis of the serious study of the case by 30 [academics], on my episcopal experience of five years in the Diocese, on the scandalous disobedience that surrounds the phenomenon, on the lies that are at times put into the mouth of the “Madonna,” on the unusual repetition of “messages” for over 16 years, on the strange way that the “spiritual directors”of the so-called “visionaries” accompany them throughout the world making propaganda of them, on the practice that the “Madonna” appears at the “fiat” (let her come!) of the “visionaries,” my conviction and position is not only non constat de supernaturalitate (“no evidence of the supernatural”) but also the other formula constat de non supernaturalitate (“evidence of the non-supernatural character”) of the apparitions or revelations of Medjugorje.

36 comments:

  1. Prof. Kainz,

    Peace be with you! I would like to thank you for writing a provocative piece on Medjugorje.

    I would like to make a finer observation.

    Pope Leo XIII did in fact have a vision. However, the historical record is not clear at this time as to the contents of that vision.

    Leo's personal secretary, Msgr. Rinaldo Angeli, relayed to Cardinal Nasalli (Bologna Archdiocese) that there was a vision and it was of demons congregating upon the Eternal City.

    The above is all we know of the vision's contents (with reasonable certitude). We also know the vision happened sometime between January 6, 1884 and March 31, 1886.

    The famous "conversation" legend appears to have been propagated by Fr. Domenico Pechenino (d. 1950), former Major Rector of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary in Italy. This is not to say the story originated with him, but he did propagate it. His version was never corrobrated.

    I hope the above helps.

    In Christ,
    -Kevin J. Symonds
    M.A.
    Author: "Private Revelation: What Does the Catholic Church Teach" (forthcoming).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for this informative article!

    And also thanks to the informative first commenter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Our Lady of Medjugorje asks us to do the following:
    •Daily Prayer (Of the Rosary)
    •Fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays
    •Daily Reading of the Bible
    •Monthly Confession
    •Holy Communion
    These things are true to our Catholic faith and it is doubtful that they are recommendations from God's enemy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Have you read any of the less hagiographical accounts of Medjugorje?

      Did you totally miss the fact that confusion, disorder, hatred, violence and heterodoxy have come out of this disobedience? Did you totally miss that the so-called "visionaries" have had hundreds of contradictions within their messages? And they not only contradict other visionaries, they contradict their own previous messages!

      Do you think the Blessed Mother could even POSSIBLY be so confused? Could she POSSIBLY urge disobedience to the local ordinary? Could she POSSIBLY counsel anything contrary to Her Son and His body, the church?

      You can't ignore the bad fruit of this phenomena just because you're attached to the good. Satan himself was one of the most beautiful angels in heaven and can still appear as an angel of light.

      How many vocations lost? How many faithful shaken away from their faith? How many potential converts see Medjugoje as part of Catholicism, and so decide that there's no need to investigate Christ's own church any further?

      There's no way of knowing what has been lost because we're too busy looking at the "beautiful poison" that's been placed on display for us.

      If the greater result of these messages is that people disobey their bishop, divide the church, insist on their own interpretation of the phenomena, etc, then it is not at all doubtful that the enemy would easily recommend all of those things.

      Lies are harder to see when they're veiled in some truth. Poison is harder to detect when it is so sweet and beautiful to look at, like the fruit in Eden.

      Delete
    2. http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/12/sister-magdalena-of-cross-nun-who-made.html

      Please wake up! Medjugorge is a fraud as is this "fruit" from Medjugorge: http://www.marcocorvaglia.com/medjugorje-en/the-american-apparition-and-the-judicial-chronicles.html

      Delete
  4. Karen, obviously these things are good and holy, however, we simply cannot leave out the myriad of things listed in this article that are definitely not from God. Satan has always used 90% truth with 10% falsehood to trick the followers of God. Think of how he tempted Christ by using the Scriptures and how he tempted Adam and Eve, twisting the "truth". Let us not be fooled by this trick of the enemy!

    Howard - thanks for a very informative article.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you Mr. Kresta for a balanced article on the issues surrounding Medjugorie.

    I have personally survived the familial destruction that results when one loved family member stubbornly denies the authority of the local Bishop to rule in the matter of unapproved apparitions.

    By God's grace, I remain a believing Catholic despite much suffering from these types of unapproved apparitions. I have worked to emulate Our Blessed Mother and humbly submit to the authority of the Church in these matters.

    So, along with all other evidence, when a local Bishop, in good standing with the Church, pronounces:

    ”my conviction and position is not only non constat de supernaturalitate (“no evidence of the supernatural”) but also the other formula constat de non supernaturalitate (“evidence of the non-supernatural character”) of the apparitions or revelations of Medjugorje."

    There is no argument or question from me. All further fascination and involvement would simply be PRIDE and Our Lady was anything but prideful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Medjugoogoo! Megaforgery!

    ReplyDelete
  7. There are so many thing contained within these so called revelations that I have never been able to understand why so many good people have fallen for this obvious forgery contrived by the devil.
    Can it be that it is because our shepherds do not do their jobs and teach the true Catholic Faith anymore? These same people will be easy pickings for the Antichrist since, as Our Lord said, that if possible even the elect would be fooled?
    We need to stop chasing after questionable apparitions and wear the scapular and say the rosary, attend the traditional Mass and frequent the traditional sacraments!

    ReplyDelete
  8. You may find this account of my pilgrimage to Medjugorje helpful: http://dsdoconnor.com/thoughts-on-medjugorje-after-my-pilgrimage/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for an honest appraisal.

      Delete
  9. Very disturbing information about what EWTN, priests of Medjugorje parish and former members living for many years in the community and their closest relatives had to say regarding Caritas of Birmingham and Terry Colafrancesco are here:

    Caritas of Birmingham and "A Friend of Medjugorje" Terry Colafrancesco, Alabama

    Many think that Caritas of Birmingham is a cult and there are plenty of red flags to be convinced about it:

    Friend of Medjugorje (Terry Colafrancesco) and “Caritas of Birmingham” a cult?

    Caritas of Birmingham former members testimonies

    Caritas of Birmingham and money

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It´s SATAN who reigns in Caritas, Birmingham with Terry Colafrancesco !
      See what Fr. Gabriel Amorth has to say about Medjugorje :
      “Medjugorje is a fortress against Satan. Satan hates Medjugorje because it is a place of conversion, of prayer, of transformation of life…I always understood Medjugorje as a continuation of Fatima. According to Our Lady’s words in Fatima, if we had prayed and fasted, there would not have been World War II. We have not listened to her and therefore there was a war. Also here in Medjugorje, Our Lady often calls to prayer for peace. In her apparitions, Our Lady always presents herself under another name to show the goal of her apparitions. At Lourdes, she presented herself as the Immaculate Conception, in Fatima as the Queen of the Holy Rosary. Here in Medjugorje, Our Lady presented herself as the Queen of Peace. We all remember the (her) words “Mir, Mir, Mir” (peace, peace, peace) that were written in the sky at the very beginning of the apparitions. We see clearly that humanity is running the risk of war, and Our Lady insists on prayer and on prayer and on Christian life to attain peace.”

      Delete
  10. No previous apparition went unchallenged and so it will be with Medjugorje. And in fact, I suspect the devil will use every tactic possible to discredit this apparition, as it's so important and the precursor to his complete failure. Taking things out of context, relating only portions of facts, and attributing unrelated events to the visionaries is part of that effort. Although Bishop Peric condemns the apparitions (constat de non supernaturalitate), let's wait and see what the Vatican commission says later this year (2012). I expect the neutral decision (non constat de supernaturalitate) which detractors will continue to confuse and interpret as a condemnation. But this too is part of the plan. Sadly, something negative has to happen. Mary said that only after people begin to forget about Medjugorje will the prophesized events begin to happen. May God have mercy on us all.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Many thanks, Ken! Excellent points. Although, regarding your last point, are you sure it isn't Garabandal that you're thinking of? I knew of no part of Medjugorje where Mary said that the secrets would not occur until people forget about Medjugorje. I could be wrong though!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Daniel. Yes, I'm very sorry that I might have confused a Garabandal prophecy with something from Medjugorje. Now I can't find it in either place! Therein lies the danger of following more than one alleged apparition - and I try to follow ONLY Medjugorje for this very reason. However, I believe it was said about Medjugorje. In any event, we will all watch with great interest as the Vatican decides on Medjugorje later this year... and what results.

      Delete
  12. A good article on this is:
    http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/archives/2011/04/gemma-on-medjugorje.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maria HelenaOctober 16, 2012 10:58 AM
      Praised be Jesus and Mary: Take a look at these two very important and informative links :

      http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/a-friend-of-medjugorje-terry-colafrancesco-cult-leader-caritas-of-birmingham/


      http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/caritas-of-birmingham/

      October 16th 2012
      Feast of Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque

      Delete
  13. This is certainly thought provoking, but I don't see any references or much evidence that what is said here is true. I, on the contrary, have read that Gospa, for example, appears to the visionaries outside of the St. James Church since it was prohibitited by the Bishop and she told them that obedience was necessary and to pray for him (not that he would be punished, I never heard that before and have ready much on Medjugorje). And, this turned out to be good as it made the apparitions accessible to more people. I do not know if this is still the case, but this is just one objection to the list above. Also, I have read the alleged words of Blessed Mother when she spoke about all religions. She did not say that all were equal, this is not what she said. She had mentioned a woman in the village as an example of holiness, and the visionaries were surprised b/c this woman was Muslim. Then she commented (I don't have exact quote) to the effect that all those who practice religion with a sincere heart are acceptable to God, that it is us who promote such divisions, not Him. I never read that she said all religions are "identical". And this statement is not in line with all of the overall messages, to trust her Son, to adore Him, to receive Him in the Eucharist, to confess our sins, to pray for His chosen shepherds, etc. I am a faithful daughter of the Church, an orthodox Catholic, and also I am a Medjugorje convert (one of the fruits, therefore). If the Church rules that it is not authentic, so be it, my faith does not depend on it, but I can tell you that it was the Medjugorje apparitions and the spirituality that I've encountered there that moved my heart to God. I think what is written here is very unfair, extremely uninformed, not referenced, and to top it off--sarcastic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amenoooooo so true. It is amazing to me how he thinks the Church is the institution. Obviously very immature in the Spirit of TRUTH!

      Delete
  14. I know that the permanent sign, which you said has not appeared (implying that it should have), is not supposed to have appeard yet. It is one of the secrets, which is yet to be revealed (it is still a secret b/c we do not know what that sign will be). This tells me that the writer is rather uninformed as to the whole phenomenom of Medjugorje. The secrets will not be revealed until the apparitions cease. This sentence is also interesting, "If Medjugorje were approved officially by the Church, the devil’s feared triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart might be staved off indefinitely." So, you are saying that the Church may in error approve the apparitions? It is true that I have not heard of Gospa talking about the devotion of the five first Saturdays, though I believe that this devotion is encompassed within the Medjugorje devotions, which is much more demanding. I wonder why some people are so angry about Medjugorje? If you choose not to believe, then don't, but I don't think many will be harmed by what is being taught: prayer, fasting, Eucharistic adoration, daily Mass, Scripture reading, and regular confession. I have not heard of any New Age spirituality coming from Medjugorje, I guess it comes from those who mis-quote from Medjugorje.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Praised be Jesus and Mary: Take a look at these two very important and informative links :

    http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/a-friend-of-medjugorje-terry-colafrancesco-cult-leader-caritas-of-birmingham/


    http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/caritas-of-birmingham/

    October 16th 2012
    Feast of Sr. Margaret Mary Alacoque

    ReplyDelete
  16. If medjugorje is a continuation of fatima and in fatima our lady called for the conversion of russia...however in some of the messages the seers tell us conversion is not necessary since all faiths are similar..we need to keep our faith and others need to keep their own... This is a contradiction..God can do anything but anyone with a basic grasp of theology knows that God can't contradict himself...medjugorje and its a messages are a chastisement from God...he will use it as winnowing rod to separate those true lovers of God who will walk with him through thick and thin from those who love God simply for internal consolations and external riches..God help us all

    ReplyDelete
  17. I do not support Medjugorje Since it has not been approved by the local Bishops & Holy See. Personally it does sound over the top & fake it contradicts The Teaching Of Christ Church.I recently had an interesting dialogue concerning Blessed Pope John Paul II & Fatima this person a Traditional Catholic , Had posted a video clip of Fr.Gabriel Amorth he was talking about Fatima & Pope John Paul's consecration. He stated That Pope John Paul II was not allowed to say Russia. This person who posted the Video was insisting that the consecration was not valid. I presented the other side of the argument, interviews with Sr.Lucia, & Also a former employee of Fr.Gruner's who pretty much exposed Fr.Gruner as a fraud. Interesting that they were quite ignorant about Fatima, When I mentioned, for Instance William T Walsh's Book about Fatima They snapped who's Walsh. When i took direct quotes from Sister Lucia mentioning Pope Pius XII consecration they knew nada they only were interested in Fatima Network and sensationalism. Many Traditionalist do not support Medjugorje but support Bayside Prophecy?? I very much like Fr.Gabriel Amorth, I read some of his books, interesting to note this "so called" Traditionalist read none of them they only knew their sound bite from a youtube video. which they completely misinterpreted & twisted . I was also told about Mr.Salza an ex Mason, who has appeared on EWTN and states The Consecration was not valid. I was told but if he was on EWTN it must be true, I presented evidence of contrary opinion from EWTN Library, When I told them That Fr.Gabriel Amorth supported Medjugorje They said NO HE DOES NOT. He is the HEAD Exorcist. they had chanted this throughout our dialogue. I ignored this silly statement he is an exorcist for the diocese of Rome. I then presented them with Fr.Amorth's Interview in his own words how he supports Medjugorje. They were truly upset by all the evidence i presented that was factual They said I will delete this conversation since its to upsetting . They did not want their friends to see the truth & know Fr.Amorth supports Medjugorje.They also lied about deleting the information i posted. I realized something about this person that they were not interested in the truth & they were a liar working for the Prince of Lies. and are a sad pathetic caricature of the Catholic Church. . never ever would assume I know more then Pope John Paul II, I can assume that he prayed very very very hard over Fatima that is why he did the consecration again 1984. Can you imagine the sacrifices he offered. For the first time I thought about this, This was a very Holy Man very dedicated to Our Lady. I am sure he fulfilled Our Blessed Mother's wishes, Gods ways are not ours. We are fools and as a very great Priest who was devoted To Fatima stated, I love going on pilgrimages To Lourdes Fatima but I can see Jesus every day in the Blessed Sacrament. Sister Lucy before she died in an interview stated "he who is with the pope is with God, He who is not with The Pope is not with God. This is something many so called Traditionalist & others need to know. Our Lady's warning was about disobedience To The Holy Father. Penance Penance Penance, Pope.John Paul when confronted by these fanatics held up the Rosary.
    .All the faithful of Christ must believe "that the Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff hold
    primacy over the whole world, and that the Pontiff of Rome himself is the successor of the blessed Peter, the chief of the apostles, and is the true vicar of Christ and head of the whole Church and faith, and teacher of all Christians; and that to him was handed down in blessed Peter, by our Lord Jesus Christ, full power to feed, rule, and guide the universal Church, just as is also contained in the records of the ecumenical Councils and in the sacred canons. God Bless The Holy Father!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If pope John Paull II had consecrated Russia as Madonna requested in Fatima, there should have peace in this world. Now. Where is this peace? I see just the opposite.

      Delete
  18. I went to Medjugorje about ten years ago and stayed for a week. My expectations were low -- I am a skeptic -- but I was curious and was passing through Europe via the U.S. and a trip to Ethiopia. Upon arriving there with no place to stay I remember standing in this small town and instantly feeling God's presence. Like being in deep prayer, near esctasy. I did not conjure this up. The day I left I went to my last English Mass there, satiated with such a love of God and peace that was unbelievable. Standing in the pews prior to receiving communion God showed himself to me and I was in ecstasy for perhaps a minute. I know I did not conjure this up as I was thinking about a long trip home -- Washington state -- and my thoughts were inward. The tenticles of my experience there, the fruits, have been the difference between me being a believer in God to a no-doubter, a humbling transition. If the apparitions are fake then the fruits must be too. I speak for so many when I say that Medjugorje changed my life. And come on, could six below-average intelligence kids keep this up for so long? Marcel whatever his name is, was an evil genius.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our Lord looks at our hearts! God's fruits naturally flow from a heart filled with His love. Mary is pleading with us to receive and flow with His love!

      Delete
  19. Some people experience other types of 'apparitions'. And not everyone wants publicity from them. I too am a Catholic. I am now in my fifties. Jesus has spoken to me for as long as I can remember. Yet I have never told anyone and I doubt I ever will; except perhaps anonymously like this. Why would I? Dear God - people would think I am a nutter of some sort. When in fact I am a highly intelligent woman. When I started school at age five, I began to think I might be a bit 'odd', because nobody else seemed to hear Jesus and the Sisters never said anything about Jesus talking to us; making predictions.
    Because he not only talked to me, he told me about things that were going to happen in the future. And they always did happen. Always. The first time he made a prediction I was six years old; and when it did come to pass, just the way he said it would, I was astounded and also a little shocked. Quite frankly, I didn't want to know about the future and I didn't like feeling 'different' from my brothers and sisters or my friends. So many times I tried to ignore him; in fact I asked him to go and talk to someone else for a while. I just wanted to be normal. I can still hear the amusement in his voice as he told me that he couldn't do that because I was here for a special reason and that he was looking after me. I asked repeatedly what the reason was but he just replied that he would let me know when the 'time is right'.
    Well, the time wasn't 'right' apparently until my early forties; when I was a busy mother of three. As I said, I am now in my fifties. I still haven't done what he wants because 'obstacles' have been placed in my path preventing me from getting it done.
    He just right now laughed at me and said that they are only 'obstacles' because I have let them become 'obstacles'. And that though admittedly, I have had my fair share of grief and pain, that if I would only get on with 'the job', I might find that even those painful 'mountains' I face, are not quite as impossible to climb as I think they are.
    Anyway, the point of this ramble is that Jesus has always told me that if only people could follow just ONE simple message he taught; just ONE - and that is to 'treat other people as you would like to be treated'. He's always said to me, 'if only people could live by that one simple rule, and not even worry about the rest, I would be happy. It would make such a huge difference in the world, and I wish they could all try it even just for a day.'
    I wish we could all try it, too. And decide that after 2,000 years of 'not getting it', we could practice what he preached and make Jesus happy. Just for ONE day...
    Finally, yes he has said some things about our short-term future, but he has not asked me to repeat anything so I won't.
    All I will say is my Christian name is Jacinta and I live in the Southern Hemisphere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. 1. 3. Nevertheless, angels, good or bad, can exercise an indirect influence on human wills by stirring up images in the human imagination. And angels, good or bad, can, by their natural power, arouse sentient appetites and passions in the same way, that is, by producing images in the human imagination.

      4. Equally, an angel can work upon the human senses, ether outwardly, as, for example, by assuming some visible form, or inwardly, by disturbing the sense-functions themselves, as, for example, making a man see what is not really there

      Human intellectual knowledge is developed step by step; man advances from what he knows to what, at the start, is unknown. The process of human learning is exampled in the manner in which we prove a theorem in geometry. This way of thinking things out, step by step, is called discursive thinking or reasoning. Now, if, in the light of some master truth, we could see all that is implied in our thoughts, we should not need to work out knowledge by discursive thought. We should not, for example, need to work out the theorem in geometry, for we should instantly take in the whole demonstration and understand it thoroughly without effort. An angel actually has this type of knowledge. An angel does not require discursive thinking. In whatever area of its natural knowledge the angelic intellect is employed, it sees the whole picture; it beholds the thing thought about together with its implications and consequences, and therefore has no need to move from point to point to round out knowledge...so in this way an angel can have knowledge of future events..good as well as bad angels can know the implication sof an action and so foretell what the outcome of an action is however they cannot know the future as a result of chance ..because angels possess a deeper understanding of things their conjectural knowledge is more clear and so bad angels can trick humans into thinking they know the future.....this is according to thomas aquinas...

      Delete
    4. Dear Jacinta thank you so much for sharing with us. You are an encouragement to believers in Christ. As you know Our Lord has a distain for arrogance so please do not heed the lips of negativity. The battle belongs to Our Lord and every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He alone is Lord. We can pray for those who, as yet, are puffed up with their knowledge as if all good didn't originate from God Himself. To use knowledge in an unloving manner shows that such a person is currently being used by the unloving spirits. Displayed arrogance and disrespect can be used by you as a reinforcement to share your experiences as a testimony for those who have ears to hear. Our Lord tells us people are saved by our testimony! Our Lord has given Hinself to Bless us and also for us to share His presence with others. Please Jacinta don't allow others to dissuade you from sharing your intimate knowledge of The King of kings and Lord of lords! See you when His Kingdon comes.

      Delete
  20. I went to Caritas last July. Apart from a gift shop, filled with Catholic materials and books, no one asked for money. While there, I saw a miracle in the sun- the sun gave off several different colors and was easy to look at. I saw this in the sky over a very large empty field, there was nowhere and no way for it to have been faked. My friend, who had been there the previous year and seen the same thing, has just this past Easter joined the Catholic Church. While we were at Caritas, we prayed the rosary and went around the Stations of the Cross. If these are fruits of the devil, what is he gaining? Does Satan wish to bring people to faith?

    I didn't enter into this with eyes wide open, and I also have some questions about the books I've seen by Friend of Medjugorje, in that they do pick and choose the messages of Mary in ways that aren't entirely coherent. But if anyone wants to question it, whether religious or civil authorities, the big field is wide open and Terry C is there along with the others. It's about as hard to get to as- well- a big open field. There's supposed to be another apparition the week of July 4th this year. Come and see and question, if it's such a big deal.

    ReplyDelete
  21. For me this site has some rather convincing information, particularly in the technical sense concerning the sun's effects that convince so many.
    http://www.marcocorvaglia.com/medjugorje-en/home.html

    ReplyDelete
  22. I will give Mr. Colafrancesco credit, his bunch is no worse than the disobedient Franciscans and priests at Medjugorje and he has great patriotic books and pamphlets, so I, who don't follow ecclesially-struck-down apparitions, do read his patriotic stuff. The patriotic rosary is great and you don't get Medjugorje stuff in it. It seems most the experiences of the mystics associated with Medjugorje have been declared not-supernatural or not decided upon, but deemed not so by being too political or the mystics not living the lives of those of approved apparitions and even having special nicknamed of false humility. I think an exorcism-ish blessing by exorcise that appreciate the die authority of bishops in these matters should be said there and see what happens.

    ReplyDelete