“Evaluating the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive, does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic.”
-This has been my view of Medjugorje since I learned about it years ago.
I am in firm belief that either:
1) The seer's are complete frauds who have been taking the faithful for su…
“Evaluating the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive, does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic.”
-This has been my view of Medjugorje since I learned about it years ago.
I am in firm belief that either:
1) The seer's are complete frauds who have been taking the faithful for suckers to enrich themselves
2) The first few visions are authentic and the seer's have subsequently spit in our Lady's face by using that gift to enrich themselves
Either one of those being true, it still leaves the wonderful things that happen at Medjugorje intact. It is biblical and firmly within tradition that where the faithful gather in love, worship, and supplication you will find Christ. The intercession of his mother, and our mother, is very present in the increase in devotion, love, miracles, and conversions at Medjugorje. This is a wonderful thing.
The hang up I am left with is the acrimonious attitude from some of the pilgrims whenever the authenticity of the seer's is brought up. We are told over and over again that God can bring great, beautiful, and good things from the evil and wrongdoing conducted by our fellow humans. But some (yes some, not all by any stretch) pilgrims take any objection to the seer's as an affront to the good they experienced there, as if the grifting of the seer's being exposed will discount their experience and leave their spiritual life in waste. The metaphorical rocks and arrows slung at me is astonishing, because I believe that the fruits and the latter day "messages" can be divorced from each other, when there are so many instances in our history of good being found where evil sought to leave it's putrid stain.
Not that I'm a Medjugorje believer, but if the holiness (or lack thereof) of the seers is no indication of the veracity of the visions, than I very much doubt that a charitable or acrimonious attitude of the pilgrims is either. We like to think that an encounter with God will change us. Typically, an encounter with God is an opportunity for us to start cooperating with grace so that we will eventually be changed. We're still free not to, and even when we do, it typically takes time.
That said, I think I'm in the same boat as you regarding the visions/seers.
“Evaluating the abundant and widespread fruits, which are so beautiful and positive, does not imply that the alleged supernatural events are declared authentic.”
-This has been my view of Medjugorje since I learned about it years ago.
I am in firm belief that either:
1) The seer's are complete frauds who have been taking the faithful for suckers to enrich themselves
2) The first few visions are authentic and the seer's have subsequently spit in our Lady's face by using that gift to enrich themselves
Either one of those being true, it still leaves the wonderful things that happen at Medjugorje intact. It is biblical and firmly within tradition that where the faithful gather in love, worship, and supplication you will find Christ. The intercession of his mother, and our mother, is very present in the increase in devotion, love, miracles, and conversions at Medjugorje. This is a wonderful thing.
The hang up I am left with is the acrimonious attitude from some of the pilgrims whenever the authenticity of the seer's is brought up. We are told over and over again that God can bring great, beautiful, and good things from the evil and wrongdoing conducted by our fellow humans. But some (yes some, not all by any stretch) pilgrims take any objection to the seer's as an affront to the good they experienced there, as if the grifting of the seer's being exposed will discount their experience and leave their spiritual life in waste. The metaphorical rocks and arrows slung at me is astonishing, because I believe that the fruits and the latter day "messages" can be divorced from each other, when there are so many instances in our history of good being found where evil sought to leave it's putrid stain.
Addendum because Bridget asked in the 9/17 Starting Seven:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCqDdsZY7RA
Not that I'm a Medjugorje believer, but if the holiness (or lack thereof) of the seers is no indication of the veracity of the visions, than I very much doubt that a charitable or acrimonious attitude of the pilgrims is either. We like to think that an encounter with God will change us. Typically, an encounter with God is an opportunity for us to start cooperating with grace so that we will eventually be changed. We're still free not to, and even when we do, it typically takes time.
That said, I think I'm in the same boat as you regarding the visions/seers.