Truth is It will be some time before I fully understand my experience here in Medjugorje. This is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics from around the world. A place where Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is said to continue daily communication with two visionaries at precisely 6:40pm...and sometimes when it isn't expected.
Until June 24, 1981, (when the visions began) this was a tiny village inhabited by Croatian Christians in what was then Yugoslavia. Now it is a busy tourist destination in what is known as the Herzegopvina area of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The six of us came by mini van from Split a couple of days ago. The three hour bus ride took us past boulder ridden travertine hills
that seem too rocky for anyone to inhabit. Perhaps that's why mining and car repair seem to be the main occupations. As we got closer to the village we passed a bingo hall which prompted Shane to blurt out..."we're getting close to Catholic Country"!
My first impressions of the area were, unfortunately, not good. The main road has side by side souvenir stands selling everything to do with Mary....including your choice of the millions of rosary beads from neon to olive wood. Backpacks, chairs, water bottles, jewelry. rocks, rain gear and more all display her gentle image. It's great to be here with friends who understand we are all on our own journey. With that kind of friendship you can accept each other unconditionally and go your separate way...which we did.
After settling in to our pension and a brief visit to the church, Shane and I headed up out to climb Brdo Ukazanja (or the mount where the six
young people had their first vision). This is NOT an easy climb! We had only walking shoes expecting the 2km walk to be easy. You know those travertine boulders I told you about? The path was a rugged, jagged,weary,sweat drenched trudge to the top. The Catholics out there will understand what Penance is...that's what it was. However, at the top I pulled out my journal and sketch pad and spent a very peaceful time while Shane left to explore on his own.
There are a lot of long stories I won't go in to here but you should know that mini miracles happen. We ran in to friends from Kelowna less than a block (and less than 15 minutes) from the time we first left our Pension. We saw people, obviously in poor physical shape, walk quickly up the 'path' in bare feet while carrying a heavy cross.
It has been an interesting few days for sure.
We took on the longer hike to Krizevac hill. This is a climb past the stations of the cross to the top where a huge white cross overlooks the city. The story goes that in the 1930's the village was worried about problems with families and decided to dedicate their town to Jesus. The villagers, mostly women, hauled bags of concrete up that hill and, in the end, they made a cross over 40 feet high. That hike had a deep effect on me. Though I no longer go to church I was raised Catholic and I do believe that, as Ghandi said : "if Christians really lived their faith there would be no other faiths". So with that in mind I listened to various groups in prayer or singing hymns as I made the journey. People I care about came to mind as I took each painful sweat drenched step. In the end it was a kind of cleansing acceptance and peaceful understanding of where I am and why. Perhaps that is another mini miracle. We are all so busy in our lives. It is so good to reflect and to be peacefully alone amid the chaos.
Today we chose to hop on a local bus and visit the city of Mostar... The cultural capital of the area. Mostar was named after the people who took care of the bridge in medieval times. A rock bridge was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century and was badly damaged during the recent war. The town was under an 18 month siege during the war which turned Yugoslavia back in to many independent countries. It cost around 10 million dollars to restore this historic site.
Modern Mostar is a collection of bombed out buildings next to modern malls and take out food. Still unrest in the area which was evident from the graffiti. So much to learn and so little time. Thankfully we are going out on the sailboat tomorrow. I'll be able to think about all we have seen and listen to the experiences of our friends as we regroup.