- Sun Jul 13, 2003 9:01 am
#71
Hi Everyone,
This is my first post so I thought that this would be the right place to begin.
How has Medjugorje effected my conversion?
I was raised Catholic, but I didn't go to Church (just at Christmas and Easter.) I had been to Confession once and wasn't confirmed. I believed in God, but didn't know much about Him personally.
Then in 1993 a program aired on TV called, "Ancient Secrets of the Bible" and it detailed how the miracles of the Bible actually occurred. I was fascinated with Moses and the Ark of the Covevant and started to read the Bible. It was a real search for God and I came face to face with the God of Israel. I was now a believer.
But I didn't care much for the Catholic Faith. I saw it as the sucessor of Jesus and the Apostles but so much of it like Lent and Penance and things like that seemed to be mere human invention.
Then I heard about Medjugorje. First I saw a segment about it on "Unsolved Mysteries". I believed in it instantly. Then, Divine Providence had me in the local library and someone had placed the book, "Spark from Heaven: The Mystery of the Madonna of Medjugorje" by Mary Craig on the display book case. I read the book and I fell in love with Medjugorje. HERE was what I needed: God's Supernatural Stamp of Approval on the Catholic faith.
I got in contact with a centre of peace and started getting the monthly messages. Our Lady's insistence on Monthly Confession lead me back to the confessional and turned me into a practicing Catholic. It is Our Lady's messages that lead me to love Jesus in the Eucharist, to Confess, to Pray the Rosary and to love the Pope. The LORD God used her to bring me to fulness of the Faith.
Medjugorje has been a constant since. Our Lady is close to me and I've had several miraculous occurances linked to Our Lady of Medjugorje. On the 20th of Febuary 1997 I was present for a private apparition of Our Lady to Ivan. Her presence could be felt. Seven months to the day, September 20, 1997, the Lord confirmed this apparition to me with a sign: a great fire ball, three times larger than the sun appeared in the sky across from my house and moved across the horizen before disappaering behind a cloud and lighting up the sky! It was only months later when I read my diary that I made the link between the two.
In October 2002 I travelled to Medjugorje and was present for Our Lady's apparition to Mirjana. There I entrusted myself to Our Lady completely. Worshipping Jesus in the Eucharist was also a major turning point for me. Then in Febuary 2003 I was present for Our Lady's apparition to Ivan who came to my part of the world (Australia). The joy of Our Lady could be felt and meeting Ivan after that you could see the joy in his eyes. I took a photo of him with my brother and when I got home discovered that the links in my rosary beads had changed to gold colour!
So, in conclusion, the apparitions of Medjugorje are absolutely 100% true and from God. They confirm to me that God exists, and that if we are to live completely as He wants us to, then we will be practicing members of the Catholic Faith. These apparitions have really changed my life and I will always be grateful for Our Lady of Medjugorje!
This is my first post so I thought that this would be the right place to begin.
How has Medjugorje effected my conversion?
I was raised Catholic, but I didn't go to Church (just at Christmas and Easter.) I had been to Confession once and wasn't confirmed. I believed in God, but didn't know much about Him personally.
Then in 1993 a program aired on TV called, "Ancient Secrets of the Bible" and it detailed how the miracles of the Bible actually occurred. I was fascinated with Moses and the Ark of the Covevant and started to read the Bible. It was a real search for God and I came face to face with the God of Israel. I was now a believer.
But I didn't care much for the Catholic Faith. I saw it as the sucessor of Jesus and the Apostles but so much of it like Lent and Penance and things like that seemed to be mere human invention.
Then I heard about Medjugorje. First I saw a segment about it on "Unsolved Mysteries". I believed in it instantly. Then, Divine Providence had me in the local library and someone had placed the book, "Spark from Heaven: The Mystery of the Madonna of Medjugorje" by Mary Craig on the display book case. I read the book and I fell in love with Medjugorje. HERE was what I needed: God's Supernatural Stamp of Approval on the Catholic faith.
I got in contact with a centre of peace and started getting the monthly messages. Our Lady's insistence on Monthly Confession lead me back to the confessional and turned me into a practicing Catholic. It is Our Lady's messages that lead me to love Jesus in the Eucharist, to Confess, to Pray the Rosary and to love the Pope. The LORD God used her to bring me to fulness of the Faith.
Medjugorje has been a constant since. Our Lady is close to me and I've had several miraculous occurances linked to Our Lady of Medjugorje. On the 20th of Febuary 1997 I was present for a private apparition of Our Lady to Ivan. Her presence could be felt. Seven months to the day, September 20, 1997, the Lord confirmed this apparition to me with a sign: a great fire ball, three times larger than the sun appeared in the sky across from my house and moved across the horizen before disappaering behind a cloud and lighting up the sky! It was only months later when I read my diary that I made the link between the two.
In October 2002 I travelled to Medjugorje and was present for Our Lady's apparition to Mirjana. There I entrusted myself to Our Lady completely. Worshipping Jesus in the Eucharist was also a major turning point for me. Then in Febuary 2003 I was present for Our Lady's apparition to Ivan who came to my part of the world (Australia). The joy of Our Lady could be felt and meeting Ivan after that you could see the joy in his eyes. I took a photo of him with my brother and when I got home discovered that the links in my rosary beads had changed to gold colour!
So, in conclusion, the apparitions of Medjugorje are absolutely 100% true and from God. They confirm to me that God exists, and that if we are to live completely as He wants us to, then we will be practicing members of the Catholic Faith. These apparitions have really changed my life and I will always be grateful for Our Lady of Medjugorje!
And welcome John and Mike!! I think we all love to hear about everyone's conversion stories...Pips