A Pilgrimage Deepens Faith and Prayer
by Judy Christine Copp

Walking slowly down the dark, stony path amid the silence of several hundred pilgrims, flashlights serving as guiding lights along the way, I suddenly became overwhelmed by what had just happened. Tears started to wet my eyes, and I wanted to be alone with this profound gratitude and humility welling up inside me. What started as a whimper soon grew to sobs, and I went to the side of the narrow path to let the other pilgrims pass me. I crouched low in surrender to this gift and attempted to muffle my crying.

In the midst of this awesome grace I wondered if I was the only one crying at full lung capacity in response to the event that just occurred. The Blessed Virgin Mary had just come to this hill to visit Ivan, one of the visionaries who see her in daily apparitions in this little village, Medjugorje. Although I saw or heard nothing during tonight's apparition, Mary obviously left a blessing for these pilgrims on the hill. Mine came as a profound feeling of divine grace. It was as if, way up-- way, way, up--part of me (my soul?) opened and a profound waterfall of grace, love, bliss, divinity...flowed into my whole being--physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. I had just been showered upon with the greatest undefinable energies and feelings of utter magnificence. There was nothing I could do but scream out my tears of utter astonishment, gratitude, bliss and wonder.

The miracles of Medjugorje are not new, but span many years from the time six children first saw an apparition of the Blessed Mother on a rocky hillside in what was then communist Yugoslavia. Many books and videos on Medjugorje exist today, detailing miraculous events and personal testimonies. But when you make the trip yourself you become part of the persistent, prayerful devotion that emanates from this village.

Pilgrims overflow St. James Church, spilling to the bleachers outside. At the statues of the Blessed Virgin, the faithful kneel and openly pray the Rosary. Young and old alike trek the rocky, narrow path on Mt. Podbrdo, also known as Apparition Hill. Candles lit with urgency and hope burn constantly at a simple wooden cross overlooking the valley.

I felt strongly called to go to Medjugorje for reasons that are still becoming clear to me. In the Protestant faith in which I was raised, the church pretty much ignores Mary. But a few years ago I became curious about Mary, and wanted a deeper understanding of this woman called Mother of God. After reading some books on Mary and practicing the Rosary, my connection with her grew over time.

Marion apparitions have occurred throughout the world in places like Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France; Guadeloupe, Mexico and others. Medjugorje, however, has the longest running, with thousands of apparitions occurring over numerous years and still occur today.

The apparitions happen every day, but Mary also dictates a "message for the world" each month through the visionary Marija, who now lives in Italy. The message is always brief, simple and consistent. The Blessed Mother asks that we pray for peace in our hearts, in our families, in our communities and in the world. A bit ironic, perhaps, given that Medjugorje is located in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where at one point there was great unrest on the heels of a horrific five-year war. But it's now apparent that the timing of Mary's call for peace at that location was no coincidence.

During the third apparition on Mt. Podbrdo, Mary spoke to the visionaries, who were children then, saying, "I am the Blessed Virgin Mary and I have come to ask you to pray to God for peace." Exactly ten years later, to the day, the first bomb dropped in Sarajevo, a short distance from Medjugorje. Mary's simple message to pray for peace and return to God is consistent and repetitive for good reason. This world does not have peace. And yes, like the songs and the bumper stickers say, peace begins in our own hearts.

In her monthly messages, the Blessed Virgin says she needs our prayers, that our prayers can help stop wars. One could wonder, why would a divine being of such magnitude need anything from us in order to start or stop anything? She is, after all, the Queen of Peace. Well, we have free will. If we want to stop wars, we need to create that intention, and take action. Through our prayers, we build a creative force which Mary uses for peace. Medjugorje, like a spiritual oasis, remained untouched throughout the war. Did the prayers from this village lessen the war's impact? I think so. There are stories of bombs going off in mid-air, others that reached Medjugorje's soil but did not explode.

But it was not thoughts of world peace that brought me to Medjugorje. I set out on this pilgrimage to deepen my connection to God, Christ and Mary, and (I confess) to witness a miracle or two.

The "miracle of the sun" is perhaps the most well- known of the many miracles that happen in Medjugorje. Pilgrims are able to look directly at the sun without harm to their eyes. The sun dances or pulsates or spins and spurts forth bright colors. The last night of my 12-day journey in Medjugorje, just when I came to accept I would not see this miracle, the sun offered its gift.

Following dinner, I went outside and looked up at the sun. In a couple of seconds an opaque disk nearly covered the sun, making it possible to look right at it. The part of the sun showing behind the disk appeared spinning. Then the yellow glow of the sun transformed into dozens of three-dimensional rays, full of colors — pink, orange, green, red, yellow, purple — spreading from the sun all the way to Earth's horizon. I stood in awe of this divine radiance while also a huge, red aura spilled like slow-motion watercolors under the sun, all the way to the earth. Like the night on Apparition Hill when grace overcame me, I wept. The same feelings flooded my entire being — profound humility, gratitude, love, and bliss. In the ecstasy of those moments I knew I had received a very special honor as witness to this miracle. There was no other response I could give, except the extreme crying I couldn't stop. Then others from the dining hall came out to see what was going on. They saw it.

With honor comes responsibility, so I make it an ongoing practice now to pray for peace in my heart, in my family, my community, my workplace and in the world. I send my prayers to the Queen of Peace, knowing somehow, she will use them. Here at home I look at the sun sometimes around sunset and with quiet reverence I watch the disk and red glow appear. I don't know how the miracle of the sun happens. I don't know how the miracle follows pilgrims home. But I have deeper respect for the Mystery, and more commitment to pray that love and goodness spread from the hearts of all people throughout the world. Peace, peace, peace. Let it be so. Amen.

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This article was originally published years ago in Spirit of Change Magazine. Today, I believe the message is more important than ever. People still go to Medjugorje. The visionaries still witness the apparitions of Mother Mary. And peace still needs to be anchored to this planet. (Please do NOT gaze at the sun; it can harm your eyes). Please DO pray for peace, peace, peace for all beings, creatures, the atmosphere, the waters, the forests. May all beings be happy. And may we receive help to do our part. Amen.