Medjugorje - Evangelical Implications

By Father Leonard Orec. Source: http://www.medjugorje.org/orec.htm

The celebrating of the Sacred mysteries is undoubtedly the most impressive of all the experiences of the pilgrims here. It is the main element in their stay at the shrine. The pilgrims who have had these deeper encounters of the mysteries of faith, are conscious to a greater or lesser extent, of the importance of living these mysteries in the dullness of their everyday life.

The messages which they heard and the devotion and spirituality which they experienced, center on the preaching of eucharistic celebration.

In Medjugorje, preaching is carried out in a completely normal way. The Gospel is always in accordance with the liturgical calendar as it continues to illuminate the path to contemporary mankind. The emphasis is on conversion as the way to peace, on prayer, fasting, forgiveness and on acts of love. These and other messages of Our Lady remind us of what is written in the Gospel of St. John: "Do whatever He says"(John 2:5)

The messages are a mothers invitation. They respect our freedom while motivating us to do good. The objective is to move the individual to personal conversion, after which he/she can continue further.

The sermons, like the messages and the ideas coming from them, all maintain that same simplicity which is characteristic of religious experience in Medjugorje.

In fact it is probably its simplicity which has contributed to it's acceptance by such a large number of people throughout the world as a religious phenomenon. It has become a religious movement of very large proportions.

Pilgrims who visit Medjugorje don't remain passive on their return to their communities. Firstly they live the messages and the Gospel with their lives, and secondly, they participate in the life of the church back home more actively. In this way prayer communities are born who live in the spirit of the messages, and with Mary's option for the poor. Mary's call is directed to all, just as Abraham was directed to the unknown, in an unknown area of faith, led by Gods' call to freedom.

Its' difficult to evaluate Our Lady's apparitions in the world today. One thing is sure : what the pastors of the Church don't dare mention, the Holy Spirit recompenses through Mary's apparitions and her messages to the world. The simpler people of the world, the uncomplicated ones, accept and understand Mary's words. Biblical faith and biblical experience once again become alive and immediate. Through Mary, God is leading the world to a renewal of the Church and a renewal of the whole world.

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