The beginning of the apparitions in Medjugorje
MEDJUGORJE, Yugoslavia 1981
In the early 1980 few people outside of the former Yugoslavia had heard about Medjugorje (pronounced med-ju-gory-ah): a small farming and remote communities nestled in the hills of Hercegovina, in the southwest of Yugoslavia. [In the summer of 1981, however, They happened the things that would transform this community an obscure and unknown time in a famous and important center of international pilgrimage. In fact, over a decade, gives 10 a 15 millions of people from five different continents have walked on the soil of Medjugorje. This is even more significant if one recognizes that Yugoslavia was a communist country.
What could attract so many people in this place? The surprising statements of six young Croats, in the last ten years, They communicated almost daily with an appearance that is identified as the Blessed Vergine Maria.
On Wednesday 24 June 1981, two teenagers – Ivanka Ivankovic (15 years) e Mirjana Dragicevic (16) – They were out on the hill behind their house to smoke cigarettes. As they walked to the rocky slopes of Piedicolle (Pod-bre-do), in the late afternoon, Ivanka looked up and saw the luminous figure of a young woman in a gray suit, raised from the ground. “Look, Mirjana”?? Ivanka said excitedly “and Our Lady”??. Mirjana, He is seeing that his friend was really surprised, He answered: “Do not be an idiot. Why on earth would Our Lady appear to people like us?” Both girls were in fear and ran down the hill to the village.
About an hour later, the two girls reluctantly agreed to go back up the hill to help a friend with a small flock of sheep that were grazing on Apparition Hill. When they reached the place where he had seen the apparition Ivanka, All three girls saw a figure of a woman holding a baby in her arms. Just then a fourth teenage girl, He joined them, Vicka Ivankovic, who had come to find her friends. Vicka was especially frightened by the woman and ran down the hill for help. The two teenagers were summoned and witnessed the apparition. The radiant figure beckoned to young people to go to her, but all six were shaken and ran down the hill towards their homes.
The next day, The four girls and two boys met the apparition again in the same place on the hill. This group was slightly different than those who had seen the apparition of the previous day. It included the first day Ivanka, Mirjana, Vicka e Ivan Dragicevic. The young people who joined the group on the second day were Marija Pavlovic and boy, Jacov Colo. These six young Croats would then become, Permanent group of visionaries or visionaries. They are the only people who can see the apparitions.
In this second day, Ivanka was again who first saw the figure. As previously, The woman made a bright nod to the children asking to approach her. Even with fear, but with a strange feeling of attraction towards “Lady”, children rushed towards the light, They knelt in front of it, and they began to pray. Still saddened by the recent death of his mother, Ivanka was the first to speak: “Where is my mother?” The Lady told the girl that her mother was fine, who she was with her, and not to worry. Ivanka asked if her mother had left a message for her children. The woman said: “Your mother said to obey your grandmother and being kind to her because she is old and can not work.” Mirjana, being interested in what others would have said, He complained: “Mrs. Cara, We will not believe when we return home, We will tell us we're crazy”. The Lady just smiled and did promise to return the next day. “Go in the peace of God”, It was his greeting and then disappeared from view. The appearance lasted about ten to fifteen minutes.
The news about the apparitions spread like wildfire throughout Medjugorje and surrounding areas. From the third day after the apparitions, two or three thousand people went together to the visionaries on the hill waiting apparition. A bright light flashed for three times the horizon and just before the apparition appeared. Young people were much more daring now to approach the mysterious Mrs.. Vicka, the purest, He produced some’ holy water mixed with salt (superstition?) and he sprinkled on the appearance and said,: “If you are really the Madonna, stay with us. If not, let us!” The Lady only smiled in response.
Then he followed the following dialogue:
Fortune tellers: “Who are you?”
Appearance: “I am the Blessed Vergine Maria”.
Fortune tellers: “Why did you come here? What do you want?”
Appearance: “I came because there are many true believers here. I want to be with you to convert and reconcile the whole world”.
Fortune tellers: “Why does it appear to us? We are not better than others.”
Appearance: “You do not necessarily have to choose the best.”
Fortune tellers: “Give us a sign that will prove to be in your presence.”
Appearance: “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”
After the dialogue, recited young lady with different traditional Catholic prayers, as the “Our father” seven times, the'”Ave Maria” and the “Glory”. At the insistence of the woman, also they recited the Apostles' Creed.
The apparitions took so much popular attention after the fourth and fifth that communist police, immediately repressed “new movement” dispersing the large crowd (15.000 present on the hill during the fourth day of the apparitions) and interrogating the visionaries. All six young men were subjected to rigorous medical and psychiatric exams. But when the test showed no sign of discomfort, They were allowed to return to their homes. Police also ordered the priests of the parish of St. James (Catholic church of Medjugorje) to ban the apparitions. Ten days later, He condemned the Yugoslav television appearance as “a nationalist Croat conspiracy.” The suspected communists that the apparitions were really a front, intended to cover a revolt politically motivated.
The local Franciscan priests were initially very skeptical about the apparitions. Padre Jozo Zovko, at first he thought those guys were using drugs. Zovko gradually began to accept as truthful visions of the seers, and he tried to protect them by police. In segioto he told how he witnessed an apparition in a silent night during Mass. Shortly after accepting the apparitions, Zovko was arrested for “inciting the crowd.” He ended up serving 18 months of a sentence of three years in prison.
The police did everything to stop the phenomenon, but in vain. As the visions continued, most of the villagers in and around Medjugorje cominicò to be more and more convinced of their authenticity . Since the communists did not allow religi services
dare outside the church, the visionaries asked the lady if she wanted to appear in their church. Shortly after their request, They began receiving visions in the church rectory parish church of San Giacomo. Except for a few appearances in the homes of the visionaries, They continued in the church.
