Medjugorje: “A Modern, Christian Phenomenon Unlike the World has Ever Seen”

(Excerpt from upcoming book “Medjugorje: Proof of Heaven” – by Stephen Ryan)
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As we explore the idea that Medjugorje is proof of Heaven,  it is important to consider the credibility of the Medjugorje visionaries. It is essential to the Medjugorje movement that the six visionaries are trustworthy. A courtroom hearing is structured to determine if the accused are telling the truth or not – a trial is conducted to “prove” guilt or innocence.

The visionaries have been accused by many, even the local bishop, that they are perpetuating a hoax and are lying about what they experience. After all, they are telling the world that they visit with the Mother of Jesus Christ regularly and so it stands to reason that there are many who are skeptical about their testimony.

For the record, not all  skeptics believe the visionaries are lying, other factors are at play. Nonetheless, it is natural for each of us to discern, for ourselves, the credibility of the Medjugorje witnesses and this brings us to one of the most unique aspects of Medjugorje. What is unique about Medjugorje is that, quite simply, we can watch the entire supernatural event on TV or see it streaming live over the internet. This often overlooked fact – that millions of people have been eyewitnesses to the apparitions – is a critical aspect of the special nature of Medjugorje. 

Television, Facebook,  Twitter, and countless other social media outlets have allowed a supernatural event of unparalleled scale and drama to be witnessed by the entire world thus making Medjugorje a modern, spiritual, and very Christian phenomenon unlike the world has ever seen.

Because of the internet, the world is invited to witness an intimate encounter between a visionary and the after-life. Because of the internet, we have a front row seat at the most important spiritual event of modern times; we can look into the eyes of the visionaries and make up our own minds. We can discern for ourselves.

Because Mirjana Soldo apparitions are frequently televised and broadcast around the world via the internet Mirjana, has, to some degree, become the face of Medjugorje. The visionary, Mirjana Soldo, was born on March 18, 1965 to Jozo and Milena Dragicevic. She married is to Marko Soldo and has two children. She lives with her family in Bijakovici, Medjugorje. She has been given the special ministry to pray for unbelievers, those who do not yet know the love of God. Mirjana was fifteen years old when she first saw the Virgin Mary in 1981. Mirjana still sees the Virgin Mary on her birthday and on the second day of the month.

Today, Mirjana’s apparitions in the past have often taken place at the foot of Cross Mountain and there is nothing quite like seeing Mirjana fall into spiritual ecstasy. The simple experience of watching Mirjana on a TV or computer screen has changed the lives of countless people. The videos usually begin with Mirjana making her way on foot, surrounded by hundreds of witnesses, to a spot by a blue cross. In public, she dresses comfortably – urbane, chic – a look that surprises many people.

She is nearly glamorous, with attractively styled blond hair and deep blue eyes. Before the Virgin Mary arrives, she often stands with her head lowered and her eyes closed; her hands are clasped in prayer and they are holding rosary beads. The crowd waits quietly, lost in their own private thoughts as they consider the magnitude of what they are about to witness. The crown waits patiently with Mirjana for the Virgin Mary to arrive – to arrive literally from Heaven. As the minutes tick by soon there is complete silence.

They all know the moment is near. Nearly holding their breath the crowd silently gasps as Mirjana’s eyes, mouth, her entire face, explode into ecstasy. The Virgin Mary,  has arrived with a crown of twelve stars and is now with Mirjana in Her full bodily presence. The visionary peers deeply into another dimension. She then begins talking, but no words are heard or understood. Mirjana is talking with someone, that is clear, but what is remarkable is to consider the truth – the visionary says she is in a conversation with a being from another world that she claims comes from the after-life.

For the next eight minutes the crowd watches in complete silence as the Mirjana encounters the Virgin Mary – the Mother of Christ. The crowd studies every minute facial expression – happiness one minute, then tears, then sadness, then agonizing sadness, then pure joy. As the apparition comes to its end, Mirjana, holding back tears, covers her face with her hands– the Blessed Mother has gone and taken with her the tantalizing glimpse of eternity. Mirjana says that what she sees and feels is beyond space and time.

Mirjana has been asked to use one word to describe how she feels when she is in the presence of the Mother of God. On October 3, 2009 at the Oasis of Peace conference she said about the one word..

“That is heaven. They ask me did I see heaven and I say I did not see heaven but to be with Our Lady is to be in heaven. You simply feel you don’t want it ever to stop. The greatest love on earth beside love for God is love for your children. Imagine when you do not even think about your children. You forget that they exist. Only Our Lady so she may look at you. I think that would be like in heaven.”

Elaborate descriptions of heaven, claims of encounters with the after-life, televised apparitions and meeting with ethereal beings from another realm, are to put mildly, a bit much to accept for your average day to day skeptic. For skeptics, the claims are easy to dismiss. The visionaries, say the skeptics, are simply lying and are involved in an elaborate fraud designed to enrich themselves and the community they come from.

It’s a fraud they shout, or a case of delusional mass hysteria. Private revelations of the past have been prejudicially dismissed by modern thinkers, almost universally as cases of hysteria, or fraud but now, with Medjugorje, we can actually apply science to determine the cause of alleged private revelations.

Daniel Klimek writes that with Medjugorje, skeptics must deal with concrete empirical evidence, instead of simply proposing preconceived reductionist theories about mystical experiences. The Medjugorje visionaries have been subjected to more medical and scientific investigation than any alleged supernatural event in the history of the human race including polygraphs, neurological examinations, psychiatric tests, electrocardiogram, blood pressure and heart rhythm examinations.

Additionally electroencephalogram tests measuring brain waves during ecstasies have supported the integrity of the apparitions. The tests have shown that the visionaries were not lying or hallucinating, nor were they in any epileptic or hypnotic state during their daily ecstasies but, indeed, experiencing something unexplainable, beyond the boundaries of scientific understanding.

Much to the disappointment of Medjugorje skeptics, the fact remains that after three decades of looking for clues of deceit, cynics have not uncovered any evidence that supports a conspiracy theory or that fraud is at the root of Medjugorje – zero, zip ,nada.

This is not an insignificant point. But for the believes of Medjugorje, it is not so much the scientific investigations of the visionaries that point to its authenticity, but rather, the proponents say, look first to the words found in scripture spoken by Jesus Christ to judge Medjugorje. In Matthew 7:16 Jesus Christ said “By their fruits you shall judge them” and it is precisely these words that have rocked the hollowed walls of the Vatican.

It is the fruits of Medugorje, as seen in the millions of the lasting conversion, that have been the true and epic miracle of Medjugorje; the fruits of Medjugorje are far and away the most significant aspect to the phenomenon.