Reading about Medjugorje


Kate Rines

I first heard about Medjugorje through a Eucharistic Minister friend. He called to find out if I could serve a mass for him while he was away at "Medjugorje." After he said this, he paused as if waiting for me to say something. I was thinking "Hmm, that rings a bell but I don't remember it", so I didn't say a word.

About a year and one half later I went to a new bookstore to pick up some relaxation reading. This quaint new little bookstore was closed so I went to a tag sale that is perpetually held at the old Fire Station instead. There books are on sale for a whooping $2.00 a piece. I was in the back rummaging through boxes and crates when a blue covered book caught my eye. Lo and behold it was a book on Medjugore. I decided for $2.00 I would buy it telling myself I'd read it when I was in the right frame of mind.

I put the book on the shelf and proceeded to read one of the other books I purchased, some romance novel or other. When I finished that book one of the secretaries at school gave me another book "The Island of the Three Sisters" which I highly enjoyed. The Medjugore book remained on the shelf and I would look over and say "Yes, yes, when I'm in the right frame of mind." But since I'm rarely not exhausted from a full week of work and volunteering I just wasn't getting around to it.

Then one Sunday morning I was working at the Religious Education office during class time and I reached into my purse to retrieve a receipt and I felt something odd in the bottom of my purse. I reached in and pulled it out … guess what? It was a medal of our Lady of Medjugorge. Now I must tell you I am not a big medal person. Nor do I have any idea how that medal made it into my purse. I had been nowhere that there were medals. I sat for a short minute and said to Nancy the secretary " Hey look what I found. Isn't that odd!" She agreed and we went back to work.

Now I may be thick but I know when I am being nagged. I went home and started reading the book on Medjugorge. How can I describe what it was like? I virtually ate it up. The book was written by Wayne Weible who is a protestant and from what I gather this is very impressive. I guess Protestants aren't big on Mary … something to do with it getting in the way of worshipping Jesus. He explains that he gets to Jesus through Mary. That she leads directly to Him. He even prays the rosary, which I know, is not a Protestant thing to do.

Reading about Medjugorje was a spiritually explosive experience for me. Each time I picked up the book I also took along a box of tissue. I had to be careful not to read it before school or my make up would be ruined. The healings, the message, the faith were so profound that it shook me right down to my soul. I have begun to pray the rosary everyday. Of course I started doing this just as the pope declared the Mysteries of the Rosary. Some might see this as coincidence but I'm telling you I know when I'm being nagged. Not only do I pray the Rosary but, it is also another tissue box experience. I feel each and every Mystery. There are so many blessings and naggings that have taken place for me on my way to this awakening.

When I refer to nagging please don't think of it in a negative way. I have a very stubborn personality and God has to really PROD me to make me get it. He spent two years making me realize that I should give up teaching Religious Ed. and start working on Liturgy. I was alone walking one day and this idea came to me. I had thought of it before but who wants to leave the comfort of something you've done for 12 years to move on to the unknown. Then God said, "Just do it!" He has to be very literal with me because I am stubborn. The word Obey is not big in my vocabulary.

Well I took the plunge and e-mailed the director of Religious Education and made my proposal. Guess what? No response. I waited, and waited and waited. I thought did I write something bad that I insulted her? Did it sound like I wanted to take her job? I was truly afraid to see her now, thinking I had done something horrible. This was a test of my faith. Was she insulted? No. Her computer was broken and she could not respond. She called me at a later date and was thrilled that I was going to do this. She told me that both of the priests were very excited and we were going to have a great year. Which I must tell you is coming true.

Another gift God just gave me or our program was a young man Mark Bouniguide. Sister Helen who is a member of the Liturgy Committee (of which I am chairperson) called me to tell me that Father had given her the name of a young man who wanted to help with Liturgy. She asked if I would call him. I dialed him up as soon as I hung up with her. (Our Liturgy Committee had been sadly dwindling after the death of one of our members last year we were down to a committee of three.) He sounded very enthusiastic and agreed to meet me on Sunday morning during Religious Education. He came in and I went over the notes from our previous meeting (sort of the year in review because I personally HATE meetings this has to do with a previous job). He listened and then I asked what he saw himself doing and he said that he had previously taught and he would like to do that. Enter Peggy Director of the Program. What grade and with would he teach? How about third? He could team teach with another young woman who has been working with us. The other benefit is that he had been an Altar Server and third grade was to be trained as Altar Servers. Thank you God! (I feel that I can't say it often enough.)

Back to Medjugorje … I wanted more information so I went to a web site and there was a place to leave an intention or a question. So, I asked what should I do now? I'm having a bit of a mid-life crisis so I thought I'd get a giant answer like go and finish your Masters degree or something like that. What answer did I get? You're reading it! I may be stubborn but because I've been praying to Mary she lets me hear what I'm supposed to do now … you know how mothers are; sometimes they can get things through to you when the father can't. How's the book going well I haven't finished it. There's very little left but I don't want to. Did you ever do that? Not want to finish a great book so you dawdle over it so it might never be done. Will I ever go to Medjugorje? I don't know. Will I finish a Masters degree? I don't know. What I do know is that I will finish this article and the Blessed Virgin will make sure that I don't have to be prodded as hard to do what I'm supposed to do. JUST DO IT!

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