Une Minute avec Marie
Faire connaître et aimer Marie
I wasn't particularly devoted to Mary, and rarely even spoke to her. Until, fortunately, I met a friend who took me with him to Medjugorje!
Once there, I didn't see anything spectacular: after all, Medjugorje is a simple village wedged between two rocky hills, as I'd been forewarned. On our first visit to the Cenacolo Community, which helps young people get off hard drugs simply by praying, Sister Elvira, the founder of this "Cenacolo", met my eyes and gave me two hearty pats on the back, which I took as an invitation to dare to trust God more!
The next day, it was the Virgin Mary who surprised me: only a few of us were lucky enough to learn that an apparition was to take place at the Oasis of Peace. I didn't see the Virgin on the spot, of course, and I can't say I felt anything either. So I prayed, with as much confidence as I could muster. But when the visionary, Marija, told us that the Virgin had blessed us all and took our prayer intentions with her, what joy I felt! Then my friend Ludovic handed me a little leaflet blessed by the Virgin! I began to realize that a very, very Great Lady was there, very close to us.
Skeptics will say, "That doesn't prove anything!" But I have no intention of proving anything. I understood there that faith cannot be argued, it's a mysterious gift... Mary nevertheless works in us gently, and in depth.
Without realizing it, I became certain that Mary was really there. I can't argue with it, I didn't "feel" it physically, and yet I can no longer doubt it! And I became aware of a seemingly simple fact: God really does exist!
Mary, Jesus and the Apostles - it's not just a beautiful story from a distant era! God can act in our lives today, all we have to do is ask! Praying is the most powerful thing we can do in this world, and Our Lady never ceases to encourage us to do it! "Pray, my children, pray! I have the feeling that before, I called myself a Christian, but lived as if God didn't really exist... I came back on fire!!!