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"Dear children! Also today I call you to pray from your whole heart and to love each other. Little children, you are chosen to witness peace and joy. If there is no peace, pray and you will receive it. Through you and your prayer, little children, peace will begin to flow through the world. That is why, little children, pray, pray, pray, because prayer works miracles in human hearts and in the world. I am with you and I thank God for each of you who has accepted and lives prayer with seriousness. Thank you for having responded to my call."
Our Lady’s Medjugorje Message of October 25, 2001
I’ve heard it said before that when a person suddenly finds themselves going on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, whether it be the very first time or the 20th time, that no matter how much one might think their pilgrimage is of human plan, truth be told, it is actually Our Lady calling us into her Heart… That She has chosen you to come to Medjugorje.. She is behind this plan, not us.. And it is in Her plans that we find ourselves going to Medjugorje, not ours. I know myself, it is purely miraculous that I ever made it to Medjugorje.. And not once but twice now I have made a pilgrimage to Our Lady’s Heart..
I do not say this to boast, but actually out of humility because what it tells me is that I am in need of learning.. I do not know it all when it comes to walking in faith. I have so much to learn.. And it is in needing to learn to walk just as an infant that I believe She has brought me to Medjugorje these past two times.. And if this be true, then may there be more times for I have not mastered this faith we call Christianity yet.. Indeed, I have so much to learn.
Our Lady’s plan is God’s plan. If Our Lady wills it, it is because God wills it and has allowed Our Lady to intercede in our lives.. All of this achieved according to God’s will.. Be it done unto me according to Your will. Well, the same understanding of divine assistance and guidance can certainly be applied to the Medjugorje locals in how they fit into Our Lady's gently woven plan. Just as God has a plan for each one of us He has a plan for each one of them just as well. The role the locals play in Our Lady’s plan may seem more evident in the lives of some then others, such as the guides who greet us pilgrims upon our arrival and tend to our needs the best they can..
Truth is, we all serve an intricate purpose in Our Lady’s plan. God has a plan for each and every one of us and in order to help us fulfill that plan He sends us His Blessed Mother to be with us and guide us along the way to conversion.. Conversion towards Christ. From the word Conversion comes the word converse.. To converse means to speak with.. When we speak with God we call this prayer, and thus, in this conversing with God we draw closer to Him. That is what conversion means. How blessed we all truly are that Our Holy Mother would come to us these past 28 years to converse with us and draw us closer in conversion to Her Son Jesus the Christ..
I would like to tell you about a special friend I made while in Medjugorje this past pilgrimage. Oliver is a peaceful and humble man, rarely seen without Rosary beads in his hands.. He is a prayerful man.. A local who, though being a bit younger than the visionaries, grew up in the same surroundings interacting in the same way and learning to converse with God along with the other locals..
I met Oliver the night of Ivan's Apparition during our recent pilgrimage.. Actually, I met Oliver just as the Apparition began that night. Being present during Ivan’s apparition and my encounter with Oliver came together at the very same moment. You see, Oliver is the owner of Holy Grounds Cafe, located right at the very foot of Apparition Hill just as you begin its climb. The patio of Holy Grounds cafe literally shares the entrance to Apparition Hill. When you begin to climb the Hill, if you maneuver a little to the left you go straight up the Hill, and if not paying attention you happen to maneuver just a little too far to the right you wind up on Oliver's patio. :) Literally.. lol.. Well, okay, I think you get the picture now... lol..
Anyways, have you ever had a first encounter with someone and you just know right from the very first moment that you are meeting a very special soul? They haven’t necessarily even exchanged a word with you yet, in other words conversed with you, but you just know it... You just feel it about this person? That there is something special about this soul.. Compassion.. There was a strong sense of compassion I recognized immediately in Oliver..
Well, the very first moment I met him it was as if Our Lady leaned over my shoulder and whispered in my ear, “This is my child Oliver who I have chosen to have his little café here at the foot of Apparition Hill.” That was the strong sense I got the moment I met Oliver.. That Our Lady had put him here Herself. I knew absolutely nothing about him but the feeling was very strong none the less. And before even exchanging a single word between us it was also placed on my heart that I was about to meet a friend for life… Something that was confirmed by Oliver’s own words just a few days later.
Now, the Apparition was to occur at10pm. My friend Barb and I arrived at the Hill shortly before ten. It was now dark and there were approximately 3000 people armed with Rosary beads in one hand and a flashlight in the other. 3000 who had already made their way up the hill to some point or another which 3000 flickering lights along the hillside just made for a very beautiful Medjugorje backdrop that evening. Still more were arriving by the minute. Making our way toward Apparition Hill we passed rows and rows of tour buses hugging the shoulders of both sides of the road, and hoards of pilgrims lining the streets all heading in one direction. From a distance looking towards the Hill we saw total darkness ahead with the exception of 1000’s of little flickering lights. It was simply gorgeous!
When Barb and I arrived at the foot of the Hill, Barb didn't want to climb any further because she was watching for Sarah and Fr. Rookey. Though unable to climb the Hill, Fr. Rookey wanted to be present for Ivan's Apparition. So Sarah was going to accompany Father just to the foot of the Hill and meet up with Barb and I... Shortly after Barb and I arrived, we spotted Sarah and Fr. Rookey making their way up the slanted cobblestone driveway leading to the entrance to the Hill. We agreed to take a seat in the cafe on our right.
The climb itself just up to the entrance of the Hill was enough for Father to need to sit down and rest. I'm 43 years old myself and found the climb a bit of a challenge. I'm simply awed by the strength and stamina this 93 year old priest seemed to have while in Medjugorje. Those who know him personally and are around him all the time say that he gains a tremendous amount of energy and stamina whenever he's in Medjugorje.
As we entered onto the patio of Holy Grounds, we were immediately greeted by a deeply humbled man who eagerly went out of his way to take good care of us. The reason I say deeply humbled was because Oliver knew of Fr. Rookey for some years and had wanted for years to have Fr. Rookey pray over him but had not yet had the opportunity to meet him. He was deeply touched that Fr. Rookey had suddenly found himself in his establishment to ask for a place to rest. Now while Oliver took Sara, Barb, and Fr. Rookey to sit at a table I slipped away to go up the Hill just a bit alone to pray. Well, not exactly alone considering I was literally surrounded by thousands of pilgrims.
Suddenly, I dropped to my knees... As if God had placed His Hand on my shoulder and applied a gentle pressure motioning for me to do so… The next thing I know overwhelmed with emotion I have tears running down the cheeks of my face and I’m not even sure why at first. However, in the moment I began to pour out my heart to Our Lady… I held up the bag in my hand that contained all the prayer petitions that had been entrusted to me prior to leaving for Medjugorje and I asked Our Lady to tend to each and every prayer request saying, “Mother, You know the hearts of your children.. Please hear our pleas… please intercede for us..”
A few minutes later I gathered myself together, stood up to my feet and returned back to Oliver’s café to join the group… By this time Joyce Lightner had joined Fr. Rookey and the group as well. As I approached the table our group was sitting at it became evident that we were praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary together right there in the Café. And there was Oliver his Rosary in hand praying right along with everyone. After the Rosary and a bit of chatting it was time to head back to Mirjana’s. We said our ‘goodbyes’ and thanked Oliver for his hospitality and began to make our descent down the cobblestone pathway to the main road that goes through Podbrdo.
