gfs@uunet.uu.net (01/07/91)
Teachings from Medjugorje: The Role of Mary It is with the love of Christ I present the following information about Medjegorje. Personally, far from leading me away from Jesus, Medjegorje has more than anything else in my life led me to Jesus. I can truthfully testify that reading the messages from Medjegorje has led me to God's Holy Spirit. I have become more of a true Christian and have learned to love God and what loving God means, and how to pray with the heart, all through the grace of Medjegorje. Medjegorje is one of the best schools of the Holy Spirit available to us. I recently read a posting of a prayer card that someone was given regarding Mary appearing at Medjugorje. I am concerned since misinformation can spread as well as (and seemingly easier than) accurate information. The misinformation I will try to clear up here, is the subject of "Mary worship". From a historical perspective, there has been a many hundred year old (incorrect) tradition of "Mary worship". The proper role of Mary has been a controversial one. In reaction to the "Mary worship" trend of hundreds of years ago, there is a backlash that has led to the role of Mary being almost completely ignored in many churches and faiths today. It is best to let the record stand from the teachings from Medjugorje itself. I make the assertion that nothing from Medjugorje contradicts the Bible. I should be careful to say that nothing of the actual teachings and messages from Medjugorje contradicts the Bible. Certainly not everything anyone says about Medjugorje or Mary, or rumors are an accurate representation of the message there. I will outline the teachings given by using direct quotes, to the best of my ability here. Please see the end of the article for my reference books, which I highly recommend. A brief background: Mary has been appearing daily to 6 young people, by name Mirjana, Marija, Ivan, Ivanka, Vicka and Jacov, in Medjegorje, Yugoslavia since June 24, 1981. Their ages ranged from 10 to 17 years old. The apparitions last from a few minutes to a half hour. Mary talks to them, and they to her, in conversation. Mary teaches and instructs them to pray and helps the young people to grow in holiness and love of God. The visionaries ask questions for themselves and for visitors. The apparitions still continue to this day, but Mary has said they will not continue forever. The visits have a definite purpose to teach the world what we need to find the path back to Jesus, God. Mary calls us to pray, fast, convert our hearts, and accept God to live in our heart and to live this peace in our heart and love others with the love God gives us. She has said she is here to help us to do this. Apparitions and signs are given by God because so many in the world do not believe. Mankind is living in a time of great danger to itself, and the need for the whole world to convert is most pressing. The world needs to convert to be saved from destruction. This is God's great Plan, to bring about the conversion of the world to love. Love of God and love of each other. Your Father will create Love. A footnote: the original messages are given in Croation, a Russian-like dialect and have been translated into English. --------------------------------------------- Teachings from God through Mary at Medjegorje: Mary's role. Teaching: It is wrong to pray to Mary or worship Mary. Teaching: Mary has no divine power of herself. Message from Mary on December 26, 1983: To a Priest who asks if it is preferable to pray to Our Lady or to Jesus: "I beseech you, pray to Jesus! I am His Mother, and I intercede for you with Him. But all prayers go to Jesus. I will help, I will pray, but everything does not depend solely on me, but also on your strength, and the strength of those who pray." Message from Mary on December 26, 1983: "I cannot cure. God alone cures. Pray! I will pray with you. Believe firmly. Fast, do penance. I will help you as long as it is my power to do it. God comes to help everyone. I am not God. I need your sacrifices and your prayers to help me." August 29, 1982 Concerning reports that the apparitions have divided the priests in Hercegovina: "I have not desired your division. On the contrary, I desire that you be united. Do not ignore the fact that I am the Queen of Peace. If you desire practical advise: I am the Mother who has come from the people; I cannot do anything without the help of God. I, too, must pray like you. It is because of that, that I can only say to you: Pray, fast, do penance, and help the weak. I am sorry if my preceeding answer was not agreeable to you. Perhaps you do not want to understand it." August 31, 1982: "I do not dispose all graces. I receive from God what I obtain through prayer. God has placed His complete trust in me. I particularly protect those who have been consecrated to me. The great sign has been granted. It will appear independently of the conversion of the people." September 4, 1982: "Jesus prefers that you address yourselves directly to Him rather than through an intermediary. In the meantime, if you wish to give yourselves completely to God and if you wish that I be your protector, then confide to me all your intentions, your fasts, and your sacrifices so that I can dispose of them according to the will of God." Summary: Mary worship is wrong. Praying to Mary in the same sense that we would pray to God is a false teaching. Mary is a human being just like each one of us. She loves God and reached the destiny meant for each one of us, life in Heaven with God. Mary cares for each one of us very much, Jesus made her the spiritual mother of each and every human being from the cross. She loves each and every person on earth as a mother loves her children. She comes in God's name, doing God's will and bringing words from God to us. Medjegorje is the "John the Baptist" of the coming of Christ, the herald crying out "make straight the path of the Lord". Christ is coming into our world! Father Slavko (from the parish of St. James) says: "Jesus gave the Blessed Virgin Mary to us, through John at the foot of the Cross. And He gave us to her. She has always said yes to Him - even under the cross, where she became our mother. And now, in this critical time, God has sent her to the world. She is here with us at Medjugorje, every day. Her message - calling us to faith, peace, prayer, penance, reconciliation, fasting and conversion - is meant to bring all her children in the world back to her Son Jesus. Teaching: Mary's overall message from Medjegorje: Easter Monday March 27, 1989 "Dear children, your Mother calls you to completely surrender to God. Dear children, this is a time of grace. Pray as much as you can and renew yourself through prayer. Construct yourself spiritually. This construction lasts until the end of your life. Continue to pray as much as you can and with your prayers you will help me." May 5, 1989: "Dear children, tonight your mother invites you to pray as much as you can during this time. This is a time of grace. Abandon yourselves to the Holy Spirit for Him to renew you. May prayer renew your bodies, your souls, your hearts. Don't let your bodies be weak. You know that the Holy Spirit is always willing." Messages addressed to the whole world are given on the 25th of each month. An information network of volunteers has been set up to help spread information. To hear the most recent monthly message call one of the following phone numbers: (ALABAMA)(205)-MOM-MARY (CALIFORNIA)(415)-321-MARY (OHIO)(614)-283-6338 (NY)(516)-887-MARY The message of December 25, 1990: "Dear Children, today I invite you in a special way to pray for peace. Dear Children, without peace you cannot experience the birth of the little Jesus, neither today nor in your daily life. Therefore, pray the Lord of peace that He may protect you with His mantle, and that He may help you to comprehend the greatness and importance of peace in your heart. I am with you and I intercede for you before God. Pray because Satan want to destroy my plans of peace. Be reconciled with one another and by means of your life, help, that peace may reign on the whole earth. Thank you for having responded to my call." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- References: I highly recommend a book that contain the actual transcription of the messages: Above all about Medjegorje, it is by far better to read Mary's words, the messages themselves, than any other book about Medjegorje. After the Bible, I count this book the most important I have ever read. "Words from Heaven" c1990 Saint James Publishing, P.O. Box 380244 Birmingham Alabama 35238-0244 -------- The other book contains interviews with the visionaries themselves, Mirjana, Marija, Ivan, Ivanka, Vicka and Jacov. They describe, in their own words, how they best understand the meaning of the messages. A powerful book. "Queen of the Cosmos" c1990 Jan Connell, Paraclete Press, Orleans Massachusetts. ------- Another highly recommended book about Jesus, although not about Medjegorje: "The Poem of the Man-God", in 5 volumes. Transcribed visions from Jesus by Maria Valtorta. (I don't have the publisher's name handy.) This book, published in English only in the last few years, fills in the gaps of the Gospel of Jesus life on earth. It does not rewrite the Bible, but fills in more details. 5 volumes covers Anne and Joachim (Mary's parents) to Jesus' birth, ministry, passion, resurrection, and ascention. Volume 5 contains the stated purpose for the work by Jesus, that in this time when so many do not believe, a clearer revelation of the Word is given so that we may learn about God and love God, to battle the misinformation. Sincerely, In Christ Greg Shay