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Note: Although Pope Francis stated a decision on Medjugorje is coming soon, we need to realize that in ordinary time, "Soon," has different meanings. What one may consider "Soon" such as in the coming days, another may view "Soon" as weeks, months or more.

June 7, 2015

Bringing a message of peace and reconciliation, Pope Francis’s visited Sarajevo, the capitol city of Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 6. Bosnia and Herzegovina are part of the former Yugoslavia which was destroyed by civil war back in the 1990’s. The message Francis brought to Sarajevo is not only a plea for a continued recovery since the civil wars but also for peace of religious tensions among Catholic’s, Orthodox Christians and a large Muslim population.

The region of Bosnia and Herzegovina may be best known for the village of Medjugorje, where 6 children claim the Virgin Mary has been appearing to them since June of 1981. Now grown with children of their own, the seers still claim they are receiving apparitions from Mary, aka “The Queen of Peace.”

The Catholic Church has long since been divided over these Marian apparitions in the former Yugoslavia. For the first time in history, the standard procedure for investigating claimed apparitions failed, not once or twice but three times. A forth Medjugorje Commission was established in March 2010 announcing on January 17, 2014 that the Commission had completed their research. The results of the forth Commission’s findings was presented to the Vatican’s, “Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith,” where the Commission’s study has remained without public comments.

While flying back to Rome from his visit to Sarajevo on June 6, 2015, Pope Francis was asked about the status of the Vatican’s investigation into the alleged Medjugorje apparitions. Francis replied, "We are about to make decisions and then they will be communicated," he added that he recently received a long study by a Vatican Commission and that the case was now before the Holy See's doctrinal department, aka “The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.”

Despite years of documented unusual phenomena, healings and a strong growing Catholic base, Medjugorje remain deeply divided between believers and non-believers. To date this ongoing division has caused some 34 years of controversy that continues. 

In recent years, one Medjugorje seers has been prevented from speaking in parishes about the apparitions. Even more recently, other Medjugorje seers were also stopped from appearing at speaking engagements. These indications may suggest an unfavorable response from the forth Medjugorje Commission is on its way.

Even so, here are just a few known but obscure facts of interest from, the other side of the coin.

Just as the Medjugorje apparitions themselves are considered suspect, the first three Medjugorje Commissions were not without considerable controversy themselves. U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia (“David Anderson” now deceased) discovered and documented the Commission’s were tainted with unbelievers seeking to insure a negative result. (Source, U.S. declassified State Department Documents known as, “AirGrams”)

The question remaining is if the forth Medjugorje Commission was in fact unbiased, unlike the other three Commissions.

It seems the findings of the forth Medjugorje Commission (handed down to the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith,) at worse can only announce that the evidence lacks proof that the apparitions in Medjugorje are supernatural in nature. This is not an alarming or surprising declaration. Throughout the Church’s history, such presentation of claimed apparitions are common place. Long ago the Church adopted a wait and see approach toward apparitions, in general. It is Church policy that it is better to wait and see than to commit a final comment which the Church could later regret.

The prime duty of the Church is to protect the faithful. If the Church agrees a certain apparition is supernatural and later it was discovered that a certain apparition was not supernatural, the faithful would loose hope and trust in the leadership foundation of the Church. To prevent this, the Church waits, offering only that there is not enough evidence to claim a said apparition is supernatural. This approach allows for the passage of time without Church commitment, leaving things in the neutral state of the wait and see policy.   

Although the above would be the usual approach of the Church in regard to apparitions, we can’t deny three previous failed Medjugorje Commissions. Speculation surrounding reasons for these tainted Commissions are many but there are not enough facts to define exact cause. This again suggests that a wait and see response could be forthcoming, if or when the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith announces their conclusions of the forth Medjugorje Commission.

Speculating, I have to wonder what would lead the Vatican to announce a negative decision against Medjugorje, if such a decision was announced by the Congregation of the doctrine of Faith. The best answer may lay in the direction of where Medjugorje has gone and continues to go. It seems to me, the focus of Medjugorje has been misguided away from the messages we all have been asked to live. The messages are the main course of the spiritual meal given us, yet so many are refusing to eat, drink and live the messages. The main path of the messages has always been (what is called) "The 5 Stones," The five main messages or stones are; Prayer from the heart, Eucharist, Holy Bible, Fasting and Monthly Confession. It is also noteworthy here that in hundreds if not thousands of messages, Our Lady, "The Queen of Peace," continues to ask us to focus ourselves on a strong path toward Jesus.

Without any judgment on anyone, it seems to me that many have lost interest in the messages and fallen away from the path of Jesus to which Our Lady has always tried to lead us in Her messages. Instead of living the messages and the 5 Stones recommended to us, many have chosen to follow the happenings of the Medjugorje visionaries. Many have far greater interest in where the visionaries are, what they are doing and what needs to be done to see the visionaries in person or in seeking the gossip of what is happening with the seers. Many want to have the visionaries pray over them, in hopes to be healed of afflictions. We forget, it is Jesus who heals the body, mind and spirit. It is Jesus whom we should seek, follow and be like.

Today Medjugorje websites that try to spread and live the messages of The Queen of Peace, with a path toward Jesus, practicing the 5 stones, have few internet visitors, while gossip websites about visionaries are overwhelmed with a multitude of visitors. Therefore, if there is any reason a Vatican formed Commission would state Medjugorje is not supernatural in nature, it could likely be because the true path to God is Jesus and not in following seers who bring heavenly messages of private or public revelation. Sadly it seems to me, when it comes to Medjugorje, the many have chosen gossip over the way, truth and light. In short, upon reading the messages of Medjugorje, we the faithful need follow the path the messages teach which lead to Jesus and salvation. We should not ignore the messages and substitute the Medjugorje seers in place of the messages.

The message of Medjugorje is simple for those seeking to return to the true path. Seek Jesus,  read your scriptures, pray deeply from the heart, go to Mass and take of the body of Christ, (Eucharist.) Within the guidelines of the Church, fast and confess your sins. These things are food for the spirit and for those who nurture these things they will grow in the spirit of all things good.

If you would like to read and study the messages of Medjugorje, click here to read all monthly messages dating back to 1984>>>>>>  http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/messages.htm

Personal comment; many know I believe in the Medjugorje apparitions. I can’t help but to believe because of the string of events that happened to me, untouched by human hands. If you would like to read my Medjugorje testimony please clicks here>>> http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/visit.htm

If you would like to view all our articles on the Medjugorje Commissions click here>>> http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/commissionsorganized.htm

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