Medjugorje, a wonderful experience. witness

Medjugorje, a wonderful experience
by Pasquale Elia

First of all, I want to clarify that I am a Catholic, but not a bigot, let alone an assiduous practitioner, I consider myself only a believer like many others in circulation. All that I am going to report below is what I personally experienced: a wonderful experience lasting about 90 minutes.

The last time I was in Ceglie, last December on the occasion of the Christmas holidays, a relative of mine had told me that a girl (of the six), who had received in Medjugorje (ex Yugoslavia), the apparition of the Madonna, lived right in my city of residence, Monza.

After the end of the year holidays and returned to Monza at the usual daily routine, driven by morbid curiosity rather than actual interest, I tried to get in touch with that lady.

At first I encountered many difficulties, but then, thanks to the good offices interposed by the Mother Superior of a local cloistered monastery (Sacramentine), I managed to have an appointment with Màrija (this is her name), for a meeting (of prayer) , at his home.

On the day and at the appointed time, after passing the check (so to speak) by the porter of the building I reached the apartment located on the fourth floor of an elegant residential building.

I was greeted at the door by a very young pretty lady, who was holding a lovely two-month-old baby boy (her fourth child) in her arms. As a first impact, the impression that that person aroused in me was to find myself in front of a kind, fine and very caring woman who conquered the interlocutor with her sweetness. I was then able to see that she is truly a very sweet, generous and selfless woman.

Not being able to do it in person because she was busy with the puppet, she guided me where to store the coat, at the same time she inquired about the reasons for my visit. We talked for a few minutes like two old friends (but it was the first time we met), then apologizing because he had to bring the honors of the house to the other guests, he escorted me to the living-dining room where some people were already gathered (four) sit on a sofa. He showed me where I could take a seat and so did I. Before leaving me, however, he invited me to continue our conversation later in the evening. And so it was.

It was a room with a large glass window, very tastefully furnished, a Fratino style table, some chairs of the same style as the table around the walls, under the table and in front of the sofa, two rugs of decidedly oriental manufacture. Just in front of my position, leaning almost against the wall, a statue of the Immaculate Madonna, about a meter and a half tall, very similar to the Immaculate one kept in our Church of San Rocco. The only difference is that ours has a more intense blue coat, while that of the statue in question is a very pale blue. At the foot of the effigy is a vase of cyclamen of a pale pink color and a basket full of rosary crowns, all decidedly of a phosphorescent white color.

After a few more minutes, an archbishop of Russian nationality named John joined our party accompanied by three priests (?). They all wore elegant and precious vestments as if they were to celebrate a religious service. Meanwhile, the bystanders had reached fifteen.

At this point Màri, as she was called by friends and relatives (husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and others), after having distributed the chaplet to each of those present, began the recitation of the Holy Rosary.

An indescribable serenity hung in the room, not a noise leaked from the street below despite the fact that the window was wide open. Even the two-month-old baby was very calm in his grandmother's lap.

When the recitation of the Rosary was completed, Mary invited a Catholic priest present to continue with another Rosary with the so-called Mystery "of Light", while in the first the "Gaudioso" Mystery had been contemplated. At the end of the second Rosary, Mary knelt in front of and about two meters from the statue of the Madonna followed by everyone present, including the Russians, continuing to recite the Our Father, the Ave Maria and the Gloria, all of us in Italian, she in his native language and Archbishop Giovanni with his collaborators in Russian. To the third Our Father, after saying ……. That you are in Heaven…. He is blocked, he has not spoken anymore, his gaze fixed on the wall in front of him, it even seemed to me that he was not breathing, a piece of wood appeared more that a person lives. At that precise moment Maryja received the apparition of the Mother of Jesus. Later I learned that the manifestation in that house occurs every day.

None of those present saw or heard anything that could be compared to something supernatural, but we were all captivated by such an emotion that without realizing it we broke into an irrepressible cry. It must certainly have been a liberating cry, because in the end we were all more peaceful, more peaceful, I would say almost better. A frequent visitor to that house, while watching, took two photos in the direction of Màrija, but the flash light did not have any effect on the woman's eyes. This I can say with certainty because I looked in that direction on purpose.

I don't know how long the apparition lasted, ten or maybe fifteen minutes, I really don't feel like pointing it out. I too was emotionally involved in that wonderful experience.

At this point Marija gets up followed by all the bystanders and reports verbatim: “I have offered to the Madonna your pains and your sufferings and all that you have represented to me. Our Lady blesses us all. Now there will be the celebration of the Holy Mass. Those who have no time are free to go. " I stayed.

The Russian archbishop Giovanni and his three collaborators left after leaving to say goodbye.

I must confess that it was more than half a century that I no longer recited the Holy Rosary, ever since I was a boy as an altar boy with Don Oronzo Elia in the church of San Rocco.

After the celebration of the Holy Mass, after a short chat with Mrs. Marija and her husband Dr. Paolo, we said goodbye with the hope to meet again soon, very soon.

Monza, February 2003

Mrs. Marija Pavlovich, visionary of Medjugorje, and her husband Paolo wanted to invite me, together with my partner, to participate in a prayer meeting for peace, this time. I then learned that these meetings take place on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.

The meeting took place at 21.00 pm on Monday 3 March at the church of the Sacramentine Sisters (Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament). A cloistered monastic order founded on October 5, 1857 by Sister Maria Serafina della Croce, aka Ancilla Ghezzi, born on October 24, 1808 and three other sisters. Concession of Pope Pius IX. That evening, very early (20.30), together with a mutual friend of ours who, among other things, sang in the choir some time ago with Pavlovich, we went to that church. A factory located in the central and elegant via Italia of this city. Upon our arrival there was already a small crowd waiting behind the still closed door. Shortly afterwards, the large and only door opened and people poured into the small temple and within a few minutes there were no more places to stand. In the end I believe that one hundred and fifty-two hundred units were crammed into that single incense-scented nave. At 21.00 pm the recitation of the Holy Rosary begins, interspersed with a liturgical song with Gregorian music, followed by the singing of the Litanies in Latin and finally the chaplain of that church began the function for the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The majestic golden monstrance dominated from the only altar of that church and reflected the lights giving the illusion that another lamp was on that place. Now, all on their knees, the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament begins, the priest suggests some reflections and meditations, while everything is silent, but from the other row of benches you can hear the ringing of a mobile phone, a small shouting follows, then silence and more silence, another mobile phone rings, another shouting, my knees hurt, I have a pain in the back that I try to resist, to bear with seraphic resignation, but I can't, I am forced to sit down and like me others gradually follow. My partner, on the other hand, despite her spinal and knee problems, resisted genuflected throughout the ceremony. She herself declared that she could not give any explanation how she could handle it, she never had any pain whatsoever. After about three quarters of an hour the priest gives the blessing and thus ends the religious service. Now some boys pass among the people and distribute a flyer with the message that Our Lady of Medjugorje left to Marija Pavlovich on the 25th of last month of February. Outside on the road, it was 23.00pm, a cold and pungent air (roughly 4th) accompanied us to the parking lot where we had the car. I believe I will return on the 3rd Monday of March. Monza, March 2003

Source: http://www.ideanews.it/antologia/elia/medjugorje.htm