Medjugorje: The Beginning of the Secrets Will Put Everything Back Into Question
The fundamental affirmation of the Ruini Commission, according to which the apparitions in Medjugorje perhaps only occurred in the first few days, undoubtedly has a weight on the judgment of the Ecclesiastical Authority regarding the veracity of the apparitions themselves which, as is known, continue to this day. It is a perspective that needs to be explored in depth for its future implications.
Medjugorje is currently presented as a place of grace, of conversions, of prayer cared for and well disciplined by the Parish, but no one speaks of apparitions. Some deny them, but the tendency is not to speak of them, leaving a question open. In Medjugorje there is an extraordinary effect (the conversions, the peace, the fervent prayer) that must have a proportionate cause. Pilgrims from all over the world go to Medjugorje because Our Lady is there. If the Church officially declared that there are no apparitions in Medjugorje, very few would go there.
It is clear that people think that Our Lady appears in Medjugorje and to perceive a reluctance to speak of apparitions leaves one perplexed and uneasy. The very vast testimony in favor of these apparitions by Popes, Cardinals, Bishops, many priests and countless faithful is undeniable. People go to Medjugorje because they believe that Our Lady is there and they do so also in the wake of common sense, the testimony of other people and obviously also that of the visionaries.
Having made these statements, the reasoning I want to make is another one.
Given that, for a Catholic, the necessary adherence to the Directives of the Ecclesiastical Authority is out of the question, what I would like to highlight is the situation in which the Church would find itself on the occasion of the first secret.
We know that the Madonna from the beginning entrusted the visionaries, who were then children, but are now adults with a certain life experience behind them, with secrets of great importance. The visionaries are men and women of faith, they have never contradicted themselves and have never denied the apparitions. The visionaries certainly have defects, they are human beings like all of us, but there is no doubt that they enjoy the reputation of being serious and credible people.
The visionaries know the dates of the Secrets, in particular they know when the event of the first Secret will take place. We know in part the event of the first Secret because it was revealed to the visionary Mirjana on October 25, 1985. Suddenly Our Lady appeared to her and showed her the first Secret. After this extraordinary experience, the visionary spoke about the first Secret with Father Petar Ljubicic, who is supposed to be the one who will reveal the Secrets to the world.
In that interview – which was recorded and can still be found online – Mirjana reveals part of the first Secret: it would be a natural disaster that will hit Medjugorje seriously, but not as seriously as the secrets from the fourth to the tenth. Let us suppose that the event of the first Secret is a tremendous earthquake that damages many homes. At the time, the visionary Vicka said that the first Secret concerns in particular the building of the Church of Medjugorje, which is leaning and risks collapsing.
Let us imagine that we are on the very day of the revelation of the first Secret; the person in charge (it could be Father Petar Ljubicic or someone else) announces that after three days, also indicating the hour and minute, a disastrous earthquake for Medjugorje will occur.
It is logical for me to ask this question: when the first Secret is revealed, what will the local Ecclesiastical Authority do and say? What instructions will it give to the people? Will it advise people to seek safety or to stay at home? What will they themselves do? Will they or will they not give credence to the revealed secret?
In any case, it is a risk. If the prophesied event does not happen, Medjugorje loses its credibility. If, on the other hand, the secret comes true three days after the revelation, what will those who have denied the apparitions or who have declared that they lasted only the first few days say? It will not be easy to find a justification.
We can say that, in a certain sense, Our Lady has put us with our backs to the wall. However, it will be She herself who will enlighten and guide the Church in making choices in accordance with the will of God.
After the first two Secrets there will be the sign on the mountain and it is there that the Church will be called to pronounce on the authenticity of the apparitions. From the fourth to the tenth Secret there is something in between that concerns the survival of all humanity and of the Church itself. We have before us enormous events that we cannot take lightly.
Already with the first Secret the world will look to the Church, whose vision of reality will have to be ante et retro oculata (with eyes in front and behind).
There is no doubt that the beginning of the Secrets will call into question many things and that, for those who believe, it will mark the beginning of a long-awaited new era.
(Father Livio)
