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I really wanted to go on a pilgrimage this year. I was excited to travel again after covid, but I was excited for it to be a pilgrimage specifically, for it to be centered around something like this and not just tourism. 

I remember hearing about Medjugorje over the years. I’m not sure specifically when. I knew some people at my church who had made pilgrimages. My spiritual director has actually been here before and talked about it.

Medjugorje is a very interesting place. It’s a crossroads of so many different people from around the world. It’s really inspiring to see so many different walks of life all living out their faith here and how so many people make really long treks to be here. It’s really exciting to be part of it. You can tell that there’s something very special here and that it’s a very holy place. 

I had seen one of the documentaries so I knew some about it, but I came really wanting to see it and not expect it to be one way or the other. 

I really liked the continual focus on prayer and daily prayer and prayer multiple times a day. Sometimes I feel like I want everything to line up perfectly to pray. A lot of times the conditions weren’t necessarily ideal, but we were just going to pray no matter what. 

I enjoyed the outdoor adoration last night. I thought that was really powerful. It was so quiet, but there were so many people. The presence of so many people silently praying was loud in a sense. 

Always praying in so many different languages is really cool to hear. We all know these same prayers despite none of us speaking the same language. I always think that’s fascinating. 

I’ve been to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City and I’ve been to Fatima. Each one is really it’s own flavor. The common thread is that people love Our Lady so much. People are so passionate about it. That’s so consistent across all of them. People love Her. They love their Mom. The intensity of the devotion is really similar. At Fatima and Guadalupe people will crawl on their knees all the way up to the shrine. Things like really open acts of devotion I think are so cool, but then each one has it’s own style and is specific to the area. Our Lady of Guadalupe, being in Mexico with the Hispanic community, a lot of the culture is infused with Her. 

Mirjana definitely has a presence. You can tell that there’s something about her. It’s kind of hard to put into words. She reiterates so many times how she’s normal and she’s not above anyone, and I believe that. I was really touched by her courage and her strength. What she had to live through would have been so scary. The way she’s able to speak about it so calmly now, what I would think would be quite traumatic, is such a testament to what Our Lady has done for her. I feel like she’s had healing and it’s not something that’s defining her. A lot of people who get in situations like that, it defines them. It was very cool to be in her presence and to listen to her talk and to hear it in her own words. 

It’s okay to come here and be skeptical or curious. I wouldn’t let that prevent you. I don’t think you have to have it figured out by the time you get here. I don’t think you have to have it figured out by the time you leave. I don’t really feel like I do. I’m going to have to go home and think about all of it. 

It’s okay for some things to be a mystery. We want to demystify everything and understand everything immediately and be able to explain it. I’m okay with not being able to explain all of this. I’m okay with the mystery and some of the unknown of this place. I wouldn’t let that stop you from coming.