This is a wonderful testimony from Medjugorje , of a blind woman who, as her companions testify, received her sight after Holy Communion.
However, it also contains something disturbing, an encounter with the voice of Satan who wanted to distract her and prevent her from receiving this grace from God.
The words he said to her are important because he says them every day to everyone who asks for God’s grace. This woman did not listen to him, but who knows how many there are who did!
On Saturday, October 16, 2010, forty-six people, mostly from the parish of St. Francis of Sales and St. Theresa, went on a private pilgrimage to Medjugorje from Italy. With them was a woman named Joelle.
“We spent two days on the bus praying and learning about the events that have taken place from 1981 to the present day.
On Monday, October 18, in rainy weather but with joy in our hearts, we managed to climb the slippery path to Apparition Hill. Everyone helped everyone.
Among the pilgrims were Joëlle , a completely blind fifty-year-old woman, her twelve-year-old daughter Vinciane, as well as their always modest and smiling friend Claudia , who accompanied Joëlle everywhere with love and attention.
Joëlle was happy, she seemed to float over the stone paths. In front of the statue of Our Lady, she said a wonderful prayer full of love and trust in the heavenly Mother. The whole group stayed on the hill for about twenty minutes in silence, then came down together, so that everyone would meet again at 5 pm in the church of St. Jakov at the evening prayer program.
Something strange happened, a feeling of suffocation and then a voice telling her…
Something strange happened to Joëlle there: she felt a hand choking her – and she had just received communion – She then heard a reproachful voice objecting to her: “You wanted to have a child – you got a daughter. You asked for a job – you got it. That’s enough now, will you finally shut up? When it’s cold you have a warm apartment, when you’re hungry you always have something on your plate, when it’s snowing you have warm clothes, will you finally shut up, it’s really enough now?!”
Joëlle was deeply disturbed. That same evening, she talked about it with Fr. Fabian, who told her that God himself is in the host, that He wants us to do well, and that it certainly does not come from Him. He told her to pray to God, and to ask Him to be able to do His will. That calmed her down.
Stations of the Cross for Joelle
The next day, October 19, we decided to pray the Way of the Cross, climbing all the way to the big cross on Križevac hill. The elderly and Joëlle prayed the Stations of the Cross with Fr. Olivier in the valley, while the group climbed Križevac under light rain, and on even more slippery and difficult terrain than the previous day. Before each station, we prayed for a long time for all our intentions. Luc suggested that we unite in prayer with the small group that could not go up the hill with us, and that we show the Stations of the Cross especially for Joëlle, that we ask for special graces for her – why not healing – since nothing is impossible for God. It was a very intense Way of the Cross, it was a deep prayer in which we considered all the sufferings of Christ that he showed for our sins. It lasted from 9 am to 3 pm. At 5 p.m., we all met again in the Medjugorje parish church for the evening program.
A miracle happened
A great miracle happened there. At the moment when Joëlle received the Holy Eucharist, she saw the priest and his white robe. Surprised, she looked up and noticed the lamps, the high ceiling of the church, the stained glass windows. It was as if she had been thrown out of her black envelope, and she felt bad. She said to Claudia, who was standing next to her: “Please take me out of here, I don’t feel well”. When they came out, Joëlle said to Claudia: “I see the light!” They went towards the sacristy, where Fr. Olivier. He asked them: “So what are you doing here?” Joëlle answered him: “I see!” Deeply moved, Fr. Olivier suggested that they return to the church where the third rosary was just ending. People left the church, and we surrounded Joëlle. The priest, like a true shepherd, suggested that she thank the Lord, so together they went towards the steps in front of the main altar,
The smell of roses
Several women from Italy, as well as some pilgrims from Plymouth, told us that they were behind Joëlle when she received communion, and that a strong scent of roses emanated from her. Joëlle later admitted to us that the smell of roses followed her for days and that it lasts. Vincianne, who was at Mass, had already returned to the boarding house in the meantime, so she did not know what grace her mother had received. It should be emphasized that Joëlle has never seen her daughter with her own eyes, since she has been blind for 42 years.
“Mom you see”
Rev. Olivier, overjoyed, ran to the boarding house and called everyone to come down to the lobby because he wanted to tell them some good news. When Joëlle arrived, all the pilgrims were already gathered. Joëlle entered, saw her daughter and said to her: “Did you wash your hair?” Vinciane, not noticing anything, answered: “Yes, I did”, and asked: “And why did we all have to come down here?” Joëlle replied: “Don’t you see no change in me?” Vinciane looked and said: “No”. “Look better,” said her mother, and Vinciane exclaimed: “You see!” How moving! Out of joy, they fell into each other’s arms and stayed like that for about five minutes. Vinciane later admitted to us: “I did not stop praying for my mother to regain her sight, and I told Maria that I will not leave Medjugorje until she regains her sight”.
“It is impossible for people, but everything is possible for God”
