Apparitions of Mary

Mikey Koenig

Miss S.

English 9-2

May 1, 2017
 The apparitions in Medjugorje are similar to those of Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, in the

year 1531. These apparitions have been confirmed by the church and have been the cause for the

conversion to Christianity by countless believers, and have shaped a better understanding of the

Churches relationship with Mary. Mary appeared in the Small village of Medjegorje in Bosnia-

Herzegovina to seven young children in 1981. Since then she has appeared to provide insight,

share messages, and to warn the now-grown women of what the future holds for our world. In

1531, Mary appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico City on a hill. She told him to build a church on

the spot in which she appeared, with the permission of the Bishop, Juan de Zumrraga. At first,

the request was denied out of the perplexity of Juan Diegos demands. When the women

reported their encounter with Mary in 1981, they were overlooked and silenced due to the

communist government in control at the time. Both times, however, those who came across

Mary were relentless in pursuing the mission she had given them.

When Mary came across Juan Diego, she requested he build a church to honor the Lord

in Mexico City. She appeared a total of three times on Mount Tepeyac, but in Medjugorje, she

has appeared hundreds of times to talk to the women she chose. Another difference between the

two encounters is the way that the visions were treated by the authorities, and the proof given.

When Juan Diego went to the Bishop, he brought him rare flowers to prove that Mary had

contacted him, as well as a Tunic with a picture of the Virgin Mary. The Women at Medjugorje

had to stay silent for years until the communist government in power was overturned. After that

they were tested and questioned to determine if the stories and visions they told of were

legitimate. After years of the apparitions, it was determined that the women were Too

consistent in their claims of seeing Mary, and that they had to be telling the truth.
 Imaculee Ilibagiza was a firm believer in God, and had an extremely close relationship to

God. She often told about her hours spent in prayer, such as on page 85, where she wrote Even

a few minutes not spent in prayer or contemplation of God became an invitation for Satan to stab

me with his double-edged knife of doubt and self-pity. Prayer became my armor, and I wrapped

it tightly around my heart. Just like the women from Medjugorje, and Juan Diego, Imaculee

found Mary, except she never got to see her in person, only in her heart. The women at

Medjugorje were religious, but on the day when they first saw Mary, their lives changed forever.

When Imaculee turned to Mary while trapped in the bathroom, she found herself, and she

completely gave herself up to God, like the women in Medjogorje as they have spent most of

their lives learning more about their calling from God. On page 60, Imaculee shows her trust in

God by saying But I had to have faith that God would help us; otherwise, why would we endure

all the suffering, anguish, and betrayal? She has such a strong bond with God, which is

strengthened by her connection with Mary. The women who met Mary on the hill in Medjegorje

become closer to God and learn more about their religion through their connection with Mary.

The Virgin Mother has been known to come to those in need of guidance, and Mary appeared in

the heart of Imaculee, and came before the eyes of Juan Diego and the Medjegorje women to

help them, as well as the many other people who have learned about her since her apparitions.
 MLA Citations

Apparitions on Tepeyac Hill." Miujcie Si! N.p., 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 01 May 2017

Foley, Donal. "Apparitions of Mary." The Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

N.p., 5 June 2011. Web. 01 May 2017.

Ilibagiza, Immaculee, and Steve Erwin. Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan

Holocaust. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2014. Print.

Immaculee Ilibagiza Quotes." Immaculee Ilibagiza Quotes. QuotesGram. N.p., 13 Sept. 2007.

Web. 01 May 2017.

Left to Tell Quotes by Immacule Ilibagiza." By Immacule Ilibagiza. N.p., 11 Feb. 2014. Web.

01 May 2017.