Marian Helper • Winter 2024-25 • Marian.org 27 Could this be true, after so many years and so much controversy? The small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina has captivated the world’s attention since 1981, when six young people (“visionaries”) began receiving apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary. More than 50 million people over the past four decades have made the arduous pilgrimage to Medjugorje, including Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, who led a group of 200 in September. The Medjugorje approval from the Vatican was given under the new norms for discerning the authenticity of claimed apparitions, issued last May. Under those norms Medjugorje received the highest possible rating available to claimed apparitions: a “nihil obstat,” meaning “Nothing stands in the way.” Great joy The news was received with “great joy” in Medjugorje, where the local pastor, Fr. Zvonimir Pavlicic, concelebrated the Mass with 96 priests. “We are grateful to Pope Francis that he has this little place of great faith in his heart,” he told the congregation. “We are grateful to God because He calls us to His closeness again and again, and feeds us His words and the Body of Christ. We are grateful to the Mother of God, the Queen of Peace, who started all this and guides it all. We are grateful for those who came before us and bore the weight and grace of these events .... We are grateful for every pilgrim; for every testimony of faith, hope and love. Finally, we are grateful that God always, always shows us his mercy.” It must be said that pilgrims like myself whose lives were changed by the numerous journeys we made there are extremely grateful to God that His Church has, at last, after 43 years, given approval to the remarkable spiritual experience that is Medjugorje. Frankly, it has not been easy to profess faith in apparitions and the spiritual quality of Medjugorje without official Church approval. Rightly cautious Granted, there are some devotees who are disappointed there was no outright declaration from the Holy See that Mary has appeared in Medjugorje and is still appearing there, but that is exactly the problem: The alleged apparitions and messages are still ongoing. The Church, which is rightly cautious, cannot give approval to evidence yet unseen and unheard. What the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith (DDF) did do was carefully analyze the evidence that has been seen, and could not be denied: chief among them, the “abundant fruits” from the amazing spiritual benefits that have resulted for the millions of pilgrims who have traveled to this part of the world for more than 43 years. “The positive fruits are most evident in the promotion of a healthy practice of the faith in accordance to the traditions of the faith,” the DDF stated. “This applies to those who had been previously distant from the faith, as well as those who had practiced only superficially. The uniqueness of the place lies in the large number of such fruits.” Abundant fruits Among these are “abundant conversions;” a return to the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation; many vocations to the priesthood and religious life; deeper faith; deeper prayer life; marriages reconciled; renewal of marriage and family life; large numbers of young people present (50,000 at the annual Youth Festival); and increased activity of pastoral work in the parish, including retreats and seminars. Furthermore, Medjugorje has been a major pilgrimage destination for decades, even during wartime and a pandemic. The DDF also provided extensive analysis of the alleged messages of the Blessed Virgin Mary given on the 25th of each month, saying, “The messages overall possess great value and express the constant teachings of the Gospel in different words.” My own favorite message is the reason given for the apparitions: “I have come to tell the world God exists. He alone is the fullness of life. To enjoy this fullness and to ‘The positive fruits of Medjugorje are most evident in the promotion of a healthy practice of the faith in accordance to the traditions of the faith.’ Continued on page 28
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