In February, 2010, James Caviezel made his sixth pilgrimage to Medjugorje, and afterwards traveled to Vienna where he gave an interview to Christian Stelzer for the magazine Oase des Friedens. The following is taken from the Croatian translation, published in the latest edition of the Medjugorje parish magazine, Glasnik mira.

• Jim, can you tell us, how did you hear about Medjugorje?

My wife came to Medjugorje while I was in Ireland, shooting the movie “Monte Cristo.” Things were not that great, although I worked seven days a week. One day she called me, and I could notice in her voice that there was a change. She started talking about Medjugorje, and how one of visionaries was about to come to Ireland. I interrupted her by saying: “Listen, I really have some serious stuff to do. I am not able now to go into anything with any of the visionaries.” Besides that, I thought that, as a Catholic, I didn’t have to necessarily accept Lourdes or Fatima or Medjugorje. That is how I thought. I remember that in the Catholic school I attended earlier in my life, when we heard about Medjugorje we were thrilled, but we soon found out that the local bishop was objecting and considered the apparitions to be false, and so we lost our interest immediately.

The visionary Ivan Dragicevic came to Ireland, and I knew straightaway that I would not have time for him, since I had to work all the time. One day my movie partner Jim Harris wasn’t feeling well, so I got the day off, and I was able to attend an apparition. I stood at the very back of the packed church, and I wasn’t quite sure about what was going on. But when the man next to me in his wheelchair fell down on his knees at the time of the apparition, I was deeply moved. I thought, This handicapped man, despite all of his pains, is kneeling down on the cold stone floor, and he is praying! Today I realize only God could have known me so well. He knew where exactly He needed to touch me to get my attention!

Although it might sound strange, on the following Sunday, I got another day off, and I was able to meet with Ivan, which was my wife’s special wish. During the time of apparition, I knelt close to him, and I said in my heart, “Okay, here I am. I am ready. Do with me what you want.” In the same moment, I felt as something was fulfilling me. It was very simple, and yet unique. When I got up, tears were running down my cheeks, and I started to cry with all of my heart.

Ivan told me, “Jim. Man always finds time for what he loves. If somebody who doesn’t have any time finds a girlfriend and falls in love with her, he will always find time for her. People don’t have time for God, because they do not love Him.” And he continued, “God is inviting you to pray with the heart.”

I asked him: “How am I supposed to do that?”

“By starting to pray,” he replied. In that moment the doors of my heart were opened. I couldn’t have even dreamed of that being possible. We went to a restaurant, and I must admit that the wine and food I had was never as tasteful as on that particular night.

Something started to change within me. My wife wanted to teach me on many occasions in the past how to pray the rosary, but I always refused to learn. Now I wanted to pray, but I did not know exactly how to do that. I just felt that my heart was opened. One morning, as I was driving to work, I said to the driver who was taking me for filming every day, “I don’t know how you feel about this, but I would want to start to pray the rosary.” To my amazement, he just replied, “Okay, let’s pray.”

In the warm light of love that I felt within me, I was able to realize where I really was, how many temptations I had, what my feelings were, how weak I was, and how strictly I judged other people.

• When did you come to Medjugorje for the first time?

After filming was completed, and that was in Malta, I decided to come to Medjugorje. When I was 20, an inner voice would say to me that I should become an actor. When I spoke about that with my father, he used to say, “If God wants something of you it is for you to become a priest. Why would He want you to become an actor?” I did not understand either at that time.

Again, I asked myself the same question, Does God want me to become an actor to make lots of money and to become rich? I was aware of the imbalance in the world between those who have a lot and those who barely have enough for survival, and I knew that was not what God wanted. And was I to make a choice to seek wealth, which does not provide permanent happiness, or to serve God, Who wants to guide my life?

At that time, Medjugorje reminded me of Bethlehem, and I thought, Just as Jesus was born in a small place, in the same way, the Mother of God is appearing in a poor village in between hills. Those four days I spent in Medjugorje, at that time, were my turning point. In the very beginning, I was still amazed at how much people prayed in Medjugorje. Everything reminded me of basketball camp. There you do not play just one match a day, but continually. The same as in school, where you do not read just once a day, but always, repeatedly. In those first days in Medjugorje, I felt inner unrest while I was praying, because I was not used to praying that much, and I was asking God to help me. After four days the only thing I wanted to do was to pray. Whenever I prayed, I felt connected with God. That was an experience I would wish for every Catholic! Maybe as a child, I felt something similar, and I forgot about it. Now it was given to me again.

The same experience continued back at home. In our family, we live the sacraments together. As we drive the kids to school, we pray the rosary together. Sometimes when I don’t start to pray, my son starts first.

When I came to Medjugorje for the second time, I expected to have those first, initial experiences again, but it was different. After lunch one day, some pilgrims invited me to go with them to visit Fr. Jozo Zovko in Siroki Brijeg. That was also my wife’s desire. I didn’t know Fr. Jozo personally, but I was very much impressed by all stories I heard about him. I met with him. He laid his hands on my shoulders. I laid mine on his shoulders. He laid his hands on my head. I laid mine on his head. In that moment, I felt the words within me: “I love you, my brother. This man loves God.” Fr. Jozo spontaneously turned towards his interpreter and asked her who I was and said that he wanted to talk to me. That was beginning of a lasting friendship.

That was the time immediately after we finished shooting the “Passion,” and around that time, I was able to experience all conflicting forces within me regarding that movie.

• Can you tell us why you felt that way, and what was the connection between that movie and Medjugorje?

You are probably familiar with expression “to cross the Rubicon.” That means it is not possible to go back. You reach the point of no return. The “Passion” was such a Rubicon for me. When shooting started, I was 33 years old, just like Jesus. I always wondered if I was even worthy to play Jesus. Ivan Dragicevic encouraged me and said that God does not always necessarily choose the best, which is something he sees in his own situation. If it wasn’t for Medjugorje, I wouldn’t have ever agreed to take that part, because it was in Medjugorje that my heart opened to prayer and to the sacraments. If I wanted to play Jesus, I knew I needed to be very close to Him. Every day I went to Confession, and I attended Eucharistic Adoration. Mel Gibson was coming to Holy Mass, as well, with the condition that Holy Mass was in Latin. That was good because in that way I learned Latin.

There were always new temptations from which I needed to defend myself, and in those inner battles, I used to feel great inner peace – for instance, in the scene where the Mother of God approaches me, and I say to her: “Look, I make everything anew.” We repeated that scene four times, and I felt every time that I was standing too much in the forefront. Then somebody hit the cross, and my left shoulder was dislocated. Due to that sudden and sharp, intense pain, I lost balance, and I fell under the weight of the cross. I hit the dusty ground with my face, and blood gushed forth suddenly from my nose and mouth. I repeated the words Jesus said to His mother: “Look, I make everything anew.” My shoulder was in incredible pain when I took the cross again and felt how precious it was. At that point, I stopped acting, and you could only see Jesus. He came forward as to the answer to my prayer: “I want people to see you, Jesus, not me!”

Thanks to continuous prayer of the rosary – I can’t begin to tell how many rosaries I said during the time of shooting – I was able to experience a special grace. I knew I wasn’t supposed to use bad language. I knew I couldn’t be rude if I wanted to say something to members of the crew. Most of them did not know about Medjugorje. They were all great actors, and we were lucky to get them. But how was I to bring Medjugorje to them, if not by my own life? Medjugorje, for me, means to live the sacraments and be in unity with the Church. Thanks to Medjugorje, I started to believe that Jesus was really present in the Eucharist and that He forgives my sins. Through Medjugorje, I experienced how the rosary is a powerful prayer and what a gift we have when we attend Holy Mass every day.

How could I help other people to increase their faith in Jesus? I realized that this can only happen if Jesus is present in me through the Eucharist, and so people would see Jesus through my life. When we were shooting the scene of the Last Supper, I had an inner pocket made in my clothes where I placed some relics of saints and a relic of Christ’s Cross. I had a strong desire for Jesus to be really present, and so I asked the priest to expose the Blessed Sacrament. At first, he did not want to do that, but I was persistent in asking, because I was positive that people would recognize Christ more, if I myself was looking at Him. The priest was standing with the Blessed Sacrament in his hands next to a cameraman, and together with him, he approached me. When people watch the movie and see a shimmer in my eyes, they are not aware that they really see Jesus, a reflection of the consecrated Host, in my eyes. The same was in the scene of the Crucifixion. The priest was there; he held the Blessed Sacrament in his hands, and I prayed all the time.

The biggest challenge in the movie was not, as I originally thought, to memorize all the texts in Latin, Aramaic, or Hebrew, but all the physical efforts I needed to overcome. During the last scene, my shoulder was sprained, and it became dislocated every time somebody hit the cross. While we filmed the scenes of the scourging, I was twice caught by those whips, and I had a 14 cm wound on my back. My lungs were full of fluid, and I had pneumonia. Chronic sleep deprivation should be added to that, since for months, I had to get up at 3:00 in the morning, because make-up would take almost eight hours.

Another special challenge was the cold weather, temperatures hardly above zero, which was especially difficult to endure in the Crucifixion scene. My whole costume was made of one single piece of light fabric. While we were shooting the last scene, the clouds were very low and lightning struck the cross to which I was tied. Suddenly everything was silent around me, and I felt my hair standing on edge. About 250 people who were around me saw my whole body being illuminated, and they all saw fire on the left and on the right side of me. Many were shocked at what they saw.

I know that the “Passion” is movie of love, maybe one of the greatest of such movies. Jesus today is subject of many controversies, more than ever before. There are so many factors that threaten this created world, but faith in Jesus is the source of joy. I think God is calling us in a special way in this time, and we need to answer that call with our whole heart and whole body.

Source of the interview Medjugorje Miracles

Vicka always attracted the most attention when the young Medjugorje visionaries were still having simultaneous group apparitions in the early 1980s. With her very extrovert and energetic reaction, gesticulating, smiling and shining, she stood out from the rest of the seers.

No different today, a video of Vicka’s apparition on November 13 in Corridonia, Italy, shows. Lasting more than 13 minutes, Vicka’s apparition was considerably longer than recent public apparitions to fellow visionaries Ivan Dragicevic and Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti. One report from Corridonia talks about a 15 minutes apparition, matching the beginning part to be missing in the video.

It is the first time for many years a recording of an almost complete apparition to Vicka appears, her daily apparitions taking place in private as a rule. The apparition in Corridonia was Vicka’s third public apparition this year, the first two having taken place in February in Dublin, Ireland.

Medjugorje TV

For eight months, 2 years old Joshua battled a last stage cancer with a transplantation, 80 chemotherapy cures, and 17 radiotherapy sessions. When nothing worked, his parents took their son to Medjugorje. Back home, tests showed 19 tumors and all bone metastases to be gone as the beginning of Joshua’s now complete recovery.

Before he turned three years old, Joshua de Nicolo had experienced more hardships, drama, and obvious grace than many people do in an entire life.

The boy from Putignano in southern Italy was born with an un-discovered neuroblastoma, the most common form of infancy cancer, in February 2007. It took 22 months for Joshua’s true condition to be found in January 2009 when the illness had progressed to its last stage, 4D, where long-term survival rates are poor despite aggressive multimodal therapy.

Elizabeth de Nicolo, Joshua’s mother said, “The doctor told us that Joshua “was miraculously healed.” And Dr. Xavier Ladogana, the director of the oncological department, went further: “What happened to your child is scientifically inexplicable. With the resources and knowledge we have at our disposal, we cannot give an accurate and incontestable medical explanation. We can only say that the child no longer has the same disease he had before the pilgrimage.”

For the full story, see www.medjugorjetoday.tv

Dates:  November 5 & 6, 2011 (Saturday and Sunday)

Location:  The White Performing Arts Center at Clearwater Central Catholic High School, Clearwater, FL

Keynote speaker is Father Tim Devine, CC.  Father Devine has been blind since birth, and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 2003.

Other speakers include Msgr. Michael Devine, co-author of the new book Great Characters; Christine Walkins, who recently appeared on ABC Nightline on a special about the Blessed Mother; Ken & Grace Hipp; Mary Sue Eck; Father Joseph Amalfitano, healing priest; Father Vincent Morton and hosts Mike and Sandy Tobin.

Get your tickets now by calling 352-564-2463.   Visit the conference page on this site.

Seeing you here, gathered in such great numbers from all parts of the world, fills my heart with joy. I think of the special love with which Jesus is looking upon you. Yes, the Lord loves you and calls you his friends (cf. Jn 15:15). He goes out to meet you and he wants to accompany you on your journey, to open the door to a life of fulfilment and to give you a share in his own closeness to the Father. For our part, we have come to know the immensity of his love and we want to respond generously to his love by sharing with others the joy we have received”

This is the life plan that Benedict XVI delivered this morning at the concluding Mass of World Youth Day (WYD) in Madrid’s Cuatro Vientos airport, turned into a vast expanse of flags, hats, multicoloured shirts.

In this space, the equivalent of 50 football pitches, two million young people spent the night in prayer, dancing, meditations, rest. Before the celebration, the pope greeted them, thanking them for their courage in defying the intemperate weather and difficulties during the night.

Lightening during the World Youth Day in Madrid.

The powerful storm the night before damaged 17 temporary chapels located in various areas of the camp, which were to have been places of perpetual adoration during the night. One of them collapsed, slightly injuring seven young Spaniards. The police cordoned off the area for safety. As a result, there were difficulties in meeting the needs of the 2 million people present. In addition, because of the enormous influx of young people, some of the emergency channels were filled by newcomers, making the crowd flow in some areas of Cuatro Ventos impossible. Because of this, the organizers warned and asked young people for the sacrifice of going without receiving Communion, which was only distributed to people on the stage and a few other sectors.

Taking the Mass Gospel (Mt 16.13 to 20) the pope spoke of ” two different ways of knowing Christ”. In the first “Christ is seen as yet another religious figure, like those who came before him”, iin the second ” is more than just empirical or historical facts; it is an ability to grasp the mystery of Christ’s person in all its depth”

“Faith – explained the pope – does not simply provide information about who Christ is; rather, it entails a personal relationship with Christ, a surrender of our whole person, with all our understanding, will and feelings, to God’s self-revelation. So Jesus’ question: “But who do you say that I am?”, is ultimately a challenge to the disciples to make a personal decision in his regard”.

“Dear young people, – he continued – today Christ is asking you the same question which he asked the Apostles: “Who do you say that I am?” Respond to him with generosity and courage, as befits young hearts like your own. Say to him: “Jesus, I know that you are the Son of God, who have given your life for me. I want to follow you faithfully and to be led by your word. You know me and you love me. I place my trust in you and I put my whole life into your hands. I want you to be the power that strengthens me and the joy which never leaves me”.

Since “Christ cannot be separated from the Church”, “following Jesus in faith means walking at his side in the communion of the Church. We cannot follow Jesus on our own. Anyone who would be tempted to do so “on his own”, or to approach the life of faith with kind of individualism so prevalent today, will risk never truly encountering Jesus, or will end up following a counterfeit Jesus”. “I ask you, dear friends,- he adds – to love the Church which brought you to birth in the faith, which helped you to grow in the knowledge of Christ and which led you to discover the beauty of his love”.

Pope Benedict XVI welcomes the youth at World Youth Day in Madrid

“Friendship with Jesus– concluded Benedict XVI – will also lead you to bear witness to the faith wherever you are, even when it meets with rejection or indifference. We cannot encounter Christ and not want to make him known to others. So do not keep Christ to yourselves! Share with others the joy of your faith. The world needs the witness of your faith, it surely needs God”.

The vigil yesterday focused on the need for mission in a world dominated by indifference and rejection of faith. Today the Pope went further, urging young people to universal mission: “I think that the presence here of so many young people, coming from all over the world, is a wonderful proof of the fruitfulness of Christ’s command to the Church: “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). You too have been given the extraordinary task of being disciples and missionaries of Christ in other lands and countries filled with young people who are looking for something greater and, because their heart tells them that more authentic values do exist, they do not let themselves be seduced by the empty promises of a lifestyle which has no room for God”.

The theme of the mission among peers was also the focal point of his final farewell to the young people of WYD 2011. Indeed, Cardinal. Stanislas Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, who presented the young people as “the youth of the Pope,” spoke of a “missionary mandate”. For this, five young people received from the hands of the pontiff a crucifix, while all the youth were wearing a small crucifix around their neck as a sign of witness, which the Pope has blessed.

World Youth Day in Madrid

And before the end of Mass, Benedict XVI told them: ” I invite you to give a bold witness of Christian living to them. In this way you will give birth to new Christians and will help the Church grow strongly in the hearts of many others. During these days, how often I have thought of the young people at home who are waiting for your return! Take my affectionate greetings to them, to those less fortunate, to your families and to the Christian communities that you come from”.

The pope then gave an appointment for the next World Youth Day in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro: ” I am pleased now to announce that the next World Youth Day will be held in 2013, in Rio de Janeiro. Even now, let us ask the Lord to assist all those who will organize it, and to ease the journey there of young people from all over the world, so that they will be able to join me in that beautiful city of Brazil”.

And then he added: ” before we say good-bye, and while the young people of Spain pass on the World Youth Day cross to the young people of Brazil, as Successor of Peter I entrust all of you present with this task: make the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ known to the whole world! He wants you to be the apostles of the twenty-first century and the messengers of his joy. Do not let him down! Thank you very much”.

And greeting Portuguese-speaking pilgrims, he told them: “I hope to meet you in two years time at the World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.”

The Mass ended with the Angelus prayer, in absolute silence. Immediately after the party begun, especially among young Brazilians.

Its origin is lost in those days when Jerusalem was restored as a sacred city, at the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (c. 285-337). By then it had been a pagan city for two centuries, ever since Emperor Hadrian (76-138) had leveled it around the year 135 and rebuilt it as in honor of Jupiter.

For 200 years, every memory of Jesus was obliterated from the city, and the sites made holy by His life, death and Resurrection became pagan temples.

After the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 336, the sacred sites began to be restored and memories of the life of Our Lord began to be celebrated by the people of Jerusalem. One of the memories about his mother centered around the “Tomb of Mary,” close to Mount Zion, where the early Christian community had lived.

On the hill itself was the “Place of Dormition,” the spot of Mary’s “falling asleep,” where she had died. The “Tomb of Mary” was where she was buried.

At this time, the “Memory of Mary” was being celebrated. Later it was to become our feast of the Assumption.

For a time, the “Memory of Mary” was marked only in Palestine, but then it was extended by the emperor to all the churches of the East. In the seventh century, it began to be celebrated in Rome under the title of the “Falling Asleep” (“Dormitio”) of the Mother of God.

Soon the name was changed to the “Assumption of Mary,” since there was more to the feast than her dying. It also proclaimed that she had been taken up, body and soul, into heaven.

That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.)

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that “Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven.”

In the eighth century, St. John Damascene was known for giving sermons at the holy places in Jerusalem. At the Tomb of Mary, he expressed the belief of the Church on the meaning of the feast: “Although the body was duly buried, it did not remain in the state of death, neither was it dissolved by decay. . . . You were transferred to your heavenly home, O Lady, Queen and Mother of God in truth.”

All the feast days of Mary mark the great mysteries of her life and her part in the work of redemption. The central mystery of her life and person is her divine motherhood, celebrated both at Christmas and a week later (Jan. 1) on the feast of the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. The Immaculate Conception (Dec. marks the preparation for that motherhood, so that she had the fullness of grace from the first moment of her existence, completely untouched by sin. Her whole being throbbed with divine life from the very beginning, readying her for the exalted role of mother of the Savior.

The Assumption completes God’s work in her since it was not fitting that the flesh that had given life to God himself should ever undergo corruption. The Assumption is God’s crowning of His work as Mary ends her earthly life and enters eternity. The feast turns our eyes in that direction, where we will follow when our earthly life is over.

The feast days of the Church are not just the commemoration of historical events; they do not look only to the past. They look to the present and to the future and give us an insight into our own relationship with God. The Assumption looks to eternity and gives us hope that we, too, will follow Our Lady when our life is ended.

The prayer for the feast reads: “All-powerful and ever-living God: You raised the sinless Virgin Mary, mother of your Son, body and soul, to the glory of heaven. May we see heaven as our final goal and come to share her glory.”

Today is the solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary!

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution , Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: “The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven.”

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

Read more: http://www.ewtn.com/saintsHoly/saints/A/assumptionoftheblessedvirginmary.asp#ixzz1V75HIrvE

Entertainer Bob Jackson performed at the party.  Bob Jackson is a pianist, entertainer, comedian who has been featured at Walt Disney World for more than twelve years.   He is extraordinarily talented!

Please visit his website at Yehaa Bob.

Sandy, Mike, and entertainer Bob Jackson

I recently returned from a whirlwind two-day trip to Medjugorje with Trinity Pilgrimages, where the ABC News “Nightline” co-anchor, Bill Weir, interviewed me at the base of Cross Mountain, for a show called “The Miracle Mysteries,” to air Wednesday, July 13th at 9pm in central and mountain time zones, and at 10pm in eastern and Pacific time zones. The hour-long program will explore the history, theology, and importance of the Blessed Virgin to Christians and even non-Christians throughout history.

At twilight, on June 9, while sitting amidst the jagged red rocks, which cover the mountainside, I shared my story of miraculous healing and conversion to Catholicism and my husband’s witness of a miracle at the top of Cross Mountain—all of which are covered at length in my book, Full of Grace. I then answered Bill Weir’s questions, such as, Why do we need Mary? Why did she come to Medjugorje? What do you think she looks like?

Once my interview was over, I happily entered into the grateful state of a pilgrim. That night, I chatted far too long about God with a delightful new friend and roommate, and early the next morning, climbed Apparition Hill with my large flock of pilgrims, including the show’s producer, Jenna Millman, cameraman, Rupert, and Nightline co-anchor, Bill Weir, who kindly assisted pilgrims up the jagged terrain.

At the site where Mary first appeared to the children, and where a beautiful white statue of her now stands, I prayed that Mary would intercede on behalf of all those who were praying for me and for the Nightline program about her. Mother Mary, please tend to their every need and deepest desires.

The next day, I visited a seminarian friend, who happened to be spending his summer, working at the “castle” in Medjugorje, a beautiful fantasy-like structure, built by the converts Patrick and Nancy Latta, who wanted to offer a refuge, a home away from home, for vowed religious and those seeking religious life in the Church. Resting my back against the cool stone walls of their chapel, I gratefully escaped the noon summer heat to listen to Patrick tell his dramatic story. His was a life shattered by the pursuit and acquisition of money, transformed into a life of joyful service to Mary of Medjugorje, as a result of reading just one sentence of one of Mary’s Medjugorje messages: “I am calling you to conversion for the last time.”

Moments later, back at the visionary Mirjana’s pension where we were staying, I listened to author Michael Brown, a major attraction of this pilgrimage, give a compelling talk to our group regarding Medjugorje, which referred to what we do and don’t know about the secrets, and what we are called to do to prepare ourselves spiritually for what lies ahead. We will revisit our own lives one day, he reminded us, and we will see through God’s eyes how our actions, even our thoughts, affected the world around us. Wouldn’t it be a joy to review a life well-spent and full of love? It is best to convert our hearts now, for we can always begin to live a new life today, a life we’d be proud to rewind and replay.

I recently learned that a couple days after I had to leave (due to my two small children awaiting me at home), almost the entire pilgrimage group saw the miracle of the sun, while atop Cross Mountain. Miracles abound in this special pilgrimage site on earth, but not one rosary turned gold, or one sun caught spinning in the sky, compares in value to the invisible miracles of healing rushing through human hearts.

What a gift is was for me to be back in Mary’s lap. I’d forgotten how incredible the peace can be in Medjugorje. But I was reminded, as my last day as a pilgrim came to a close. When I was at adoration, amidst a sea of people, outside on a warm summer night, behind St. James Church, with silent lightning flashing in the sky, what I felt inside was a mixture of peace with a quiet ecstasy and joy—it had a heavenly sweetness to it, which I’ve never felt anywhere else. It was hard to come home.

At the end of Patrick’s sharing, a fellow pilgrim sitting next to me announced to me and Patrick, with emboldened joy, that I should write another book with his story in it, and then it should be turned into a movie with Robin Williams as the star. Anyone have his number? This should be no problem.

Moments later, back at the visionary Mirjana’s pension where we were staying, I listened to author Michael Brown, a major attraction of this pilgrimage, give a compelling talk to our group regarding Medjugorje, which referred to what we do and don’t know about the secrets, and what we are called to do to prepare ourselves spiritually for what lies ahead. We will revisit our own lives one day, he reminded us, and we will see through God’s eyes how our actions, even our thoughts, affected the world around us. Wouldn’t it be a joy to review a life well-spent and full of love? It is best to convert our hearts now, for we can always begin to live a new life today, a life we’d be proud to rewind and replay.

I recently learned that a couple days after I had to leave (due to my two small children awaiting me at home), almost the entire pilgrimage group saw the miracle of the sun, while atop Cross Mountain. Miracles abound in this special pilgrimage site on earth, but not one rosary turned gold, or one sun caught spinning in the sky, compares in value to the invisible miracles of healing rushing through human hearts.

What a gift is was for me to be back in Mary’s lap. I’d forgotten how incredible the peace can be in Medjugorje. But I was reminded, as my last day as a pilgrim came to a close. When I was at adoration, amidst a sea of people, outside on a warm summer night, behind St. James Church, with silent lightning flashing in the sky, what I felt inside was a mixture of peace with a quiet ecstasy and joy—it had a heavenly sweetness to it, which I’ve never felt anywhere else. It was hard to come home.

Source Medjugorje Miracles

In Full of Grace, Watkins tells her own story of miraculous healing, along with the stories of five other people whose encounters with Mary of Medjugorje radically altered the course of their lives.

ABC Nightline on Medjugorje

“Sudac” follows the life of a Croatian priest, Zlatko Sudac. Perhaps known best by the bleeding cross on his forehead and the five wounds of Christ on his body, Father Sudac is one of only a handful of priests in the long history of the Catholic church to ever have what is know as the Stigmata, marks resembling those on the crucified body of Christ.

This story attempts to look and trace back reasons behind the wounds appearing on Father Sudac, his reactions to the wounds, living with them and the scrutiny surrounding them. Medical explanations as to why they appear and still remain, and how they’ve changed Father Sudac’s life. The film examines the reports of numerous healings occurring during Father Sudac’s seminars, and people’s testimonies attesting to such events occurring during them.

Please visit the website http://www.visionfilms.tv/sudac/