15 pilgrims were
given a special grace during the Virgin Mary’s apparition to Medjugor
(c)
Spirit Daily
MEDJUGORJE
– Much to the surprise of everyone present The Virgin Mary grabbed deeply in
her bag of special graces during Tuesday’s apparition to Medjugorje visionary
Marija Pavlović-Lunetti. While already feeling privileged to attend the
apparition in the chapel of Saint Joseph’s retreat house 15 pilgrims were
called forward and told that they could ask the Queen of Heaven any question
they had on their mind.
“We were sitting way down in the back of the aisle when Marija pointed us out
at the end of her talk before the apparition. She told us to come up in front,
to kneel down and pray deeply. Then the Blessed Virgin would allow us to ask her
whatever we liked,” says Jack Gutierrez of Santa Barbara, California.
“I asked her if she would hold my hand and teach me how to pray with the
heart. And then I heard her answer – in my heart: ‘I will’, she just
said,” says Gutierrez who describes the clear voice in his heart as very much
feminine as well as American.
“I did not sense that myself, but I was told that tears were flowing down my
cheeks. And I had so much energy when I left from there,” says Jack Gutierrez
whose 5-year-old old son Michael Jacob was at least as privileged: He relates
that he saw the Virgin Mary during the entire apparition.
“She was dressed in white and blue, and several times she smiled at me,” he
says.
For several weeks Michael Jacob Gutierrez has charmed his way into the hearts of
quite a number of English speaking pilgrims. He prays with great devotion and he
hears the Mass with an attention and interest that has impressed many pilgrims
in the village. Michael is calm and down-to-earth and has a love for Christ and
His Mother that makes it very much unlikely that he would ever tell a lie about
the Virgin. Also it has happened before that children of Medjugorje pilgrims
have got the grace of seeing Virgin Mary.
The
behavior and testimony of the 5-year-old likewise serves to clarify that no
child is too young for Medjugorje. In the course of his very young life Michael
has been to the village five times, he clearly understands what goes on, and
displays a lovely childish saintliness that speaks volumes of how much he has
profited. He also confirms the importance of teaching children to pray and
taking them to Mass from early on in their lives, a topic raised by visionaries
Jakov Čolo and Ivanka Elez and covered earlier this month by Spirit
Daily.
Also during the question session on Tuesday a European pilgrim was given
guidance on her prayer life, a Mexican woman asked nothing but burst in tears
from sensing the Virgin Mary’s unusual closeness – and a young man from
America was told that he would soon be in Heaven. His name is withheld since his
family does not know of this yet, but the young man seems unaffected and nothing
but happy with the news.
Among the English speaking pilgrims much discussion, meditation and attention is
these days being given to the Virgin Mary’s latest
monthly message from March 25th. To many it has served as a
wake-up call – and also as a chance to consider how time is being spent, and
which priorities are at the forefront in life. It is generally agreed that the
ambitious message speaks volumes of a world which is losing itself in useless
materialism, but also many pilgrims have been encouraged to make still better
use of the current time of grace: “Dear children, also today I call you to
open yourselves to prayer. Little children, you live in a time in which God
gives great graces but you do not know how to make good use of them. You are
concerned about everything else, but the least about the soul and spiritual
life. Awaken from the tired sleep of your soul and say yes to God with all your
strength. Decide for conversion and holiness. I am with you, little children,
and I call you to perfection of your soul and of everything you do. Thank you
for having responded to my call,” the Virgin Mary said in her last message.