Do you believe Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorje? Why or why not?

-- Anonymous, July 06, 1998

Answers

I do not have adefinitive answer for that and neither does the Church, but I can say that when St. Bernadette had her visions, she was told she had to go into a convent because Our Lady would request that of her, just like Sister Lucia did after Fatima. Whereas the children, now adults, from Medj. have not gone into the religious life. In fact one of the boys has married Miss America. I don't know???

-- Anonymous, July 07, 1998

Yes, I believe the Blessed Mother is appearing in Medjugorje. Conversely, if the Magisterium is to reject the apparitions in the future, I will accept and believe the teaching of the Magisterium.

In Medjugorje, Our Lady is asking us to PRAY, FAST and CONVERT. In the reading that I've done on the subject, I can find no alleged "message" which is unworthy of faith. The alleged apparitions at Medjugorje have been consistent in their messages and have occurred daily for 17 years. Much study has already been done and the apparitions are 'believed' by thousands of people and hundreds of priests who've travelled to Medjugorje.

Although none of these items are 'proof' of the presence of Mary, I believe they are true. For me, the most convincing evidence is the volume of conversions which have occurred bringing more and more souls to God.

-- Anonymous, July 07, 1998

Response to Do you believe Our Lady is appearing in Medjugorje

I don't know. I know a few people who have gone there, and they are convinced, but people can convince themselves of anything. One friend did have her rosary turn gold, but I've never been sure what that is supposed to mean - on the other hand...I know a young priest who received a phone call from a woman in Miami who was putting together a trip. The woman had recently visited this priest's parish on vacation and had taken a bulletin home. The Miami priest who was to accompany the group to Medjuorje took ill and this woman was praying about which priest to seek out, when she spied the bulletin, with this young priest's name. She called him and said "Mary wants you to go to Medjugorje" he said, no way, I have stuff to do here, and besides, everyone comes back from there all strange. She wouldn't get off the phone and told him to go ask his pastor for permission...he did and the pastor said, "well, of course you must go"...dazed, he went back, told the woman it looked like he was going, and he came back from Medjugorje very quiet. He didn't talk much about his trip to anyone, except to say "something is happening there"....I am not bothered by the lack of religious vocations of the "visionaries" though. None of the visionaries of Garabandal have become religious either. One of those visionaries is living here in New York and is supposed to alert the world 8 days before some supernatural event that Our Lady promised. With regards to Medjugorje, though, I guess I am troubled by the fact that these apparitions are continuing for years - Mary generally has said what she needed to say over a period of weeks or months, but not all these years...then again...who knows the mind of God? Who am I to say it's not conforming to "established Marian patterns?"

-- Anonymous, July 08, 1998

I think it's part of our duty of obedience not to put our trust in an apparition until it has Church approval. Furthermore, even if the Church approves an apparition, we are still free to disbelieve it. So, for the time being, I am not buying it.

-- Anonymous, July 10, 1998