Jim O'Hara
"The Serbs and Croats were sworn enemies...But when I could see the forgiveness that was so evident among the people "
The Story
On a visit to Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jim had an experience that he would never forget. Having been sceptical about ideas of religious vision and apparition, Jim simply went along to satisfy curiosity. What Jim saw that day, however, led him to come to conclusions about his own life, and got him thinking about the futility of conflict in The Balkans and Northern Ireland.
The story continues...
Medjugorje is a small Catholic city situated in the Citluk region in south-east Bosnia-Herzegovina. It has become famous due to reports by several members of the local community of having seen apparitions of the Virgin Mary - 'Gospa' in the local language.
These people are referred to as 'the visionaries' and are named as Ivanka Ivankovic, Mirjana Dragicevic, Vicka Ivankovic, Ivan Dragicevic, Ivan Ivankovic and Marija Pavlovic.
The alleged apparition first appeared to the sextet in 1981. They were all in their mid teens at the time and some of them claim to have seen the Virgin Mary on a daily basis ever since. This group also claims to have been given messages by the Virgin Mary - instructions on faith and prayer. Now in their forties, they continue to guide pilgrims to the site, on top of the hill, which is named Crnica.
The group claims to have received instructions, which are based upon five key areas of the Catholic faith. These are; daily prayer (of the Rosary), fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, daily reading of the Bible, monthly Confession and Holy Communion.
The group also claims to have been given 'ten secrets' by the Marian, although three - Ivan, Marija and Vicka - have only received nine. The group refuses to disclose the exact secrets but does hint that they include chastisements for the world.
Other claims state that the Virgin Mary will leave a permanent supernatural sign on top of the hill to convert the Atheists to Christianity.
Of course, as with any story of this nature there has been some controversy and debate over the authenticity and 'proof' of the visions. Several scientific tests have been carried out on the group. The results showed that the members of the group did not have any internal pathological or neurological symptoms influencing their vision, concluding that what they saw came from an external and not an internal source. In plain English - they didn't imagine it.
To this day debate still persists within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church as to the nature of these visions. While some remain sceptical, others argue that it is a true miracle.
The issue of the visions is actually of secondary importance to another issue that Jim raises in his story. Jim talks about seeing the people in the town - Serbs and Croats as having forgiven each other, after all those years of conflict. The fact is that those visions in 1981 have given birth to a town with an atmosphere of peace and fraternity, in a region torn apart by long-term war and hatred. For many, this is the single most beautiful vision that Medjugorje has provided over the years.
Comments
Name: Stella
Date: 22/01/2008
Comment: Beautifully told Jim, I also see the Miracle of the sun often and have also seen other Miracles at Medjugorje where I know Our Blessed Lady is appearing every day.
I have seen the stars do crazy things and seen an unusual light, rectangular shaped with sparkly blue lights either side of it while my friend actually saw Our Lady one night last August, this lasted for a long time even though it was raining heavy we stayed and prayed.
I have smelt roses there many times and had four pairs of Rosary beads change to gold coloured links from silver.
God bless you
Stella
Use this form to send your comments on this story.
