January 6th, 2001, reported by, David Leatherby Jr.
To my friends and family :
As you may remember, last August during the Marian Conference in Sacramento, CA, my family hosted a dinner in our home for all the volunteer organizers of the Conference. To our surprise and great delight, Marija, one of the visionaries from Medjugorje who had spoken at the Conference, also came to the dinner accompanied by her husband and children. And even more astounding and wonderful, Marija received her daily apparition from Our Blessed Mother kneeling on the floor of our family room in the presence of everyone!! Later that evening, I informed Marija that my family would be in Medjugorje over the New Year holy days. Marija, gracious as ever, invited all of us to visit her at her home during our pilgrimage. And this is why I am writing to you today, to share with you one of our beautiful experiences while in Medjugorje this past week.
On the evening of January 1, Feast of Mary the Mother of God, word quickly spread through the village of Medjugorje that Our Blessed Mother, during Marija's daily apparition at 5:40 PM, had invited the pilgrims to be present on Apparition Hill that same evening at 10:30 PM, where she would appear to Marija. We were told that this was something very unusual, as for the last five or six years, Marija had not replaced Ivan for the prayer meetings on the Hill. As you might imagine, everyone in the village was very excited, and as the hour approached, thousands of pilgrims could be seen ascending the hill in a river of flashing light from candles and flashlights. I was surprised by the number of pilgrims from the East, the Orient. Very soon, someone began leading the Rosary, and the many thousands of people from countries all over the world responded in their own native tongues. It was something beautiful to behold, under the clearest starlit skies, the night air crisp and still; it was like a piece of Heaven here on earth.
Soon a complete silence descended as Marija knelt to receive the apparition of Our Blessed Mother. After some time, the following message was given to the pilgrims by Marija, repeated in various languages:
January 1st, 2001 Apparition to Marija on Apparition Hill (Podbrdo)
Tonight when Our Lady came, I recommended all of us, our intentions, and all the sick people present here. Our Lady prayed over us and she blessed us. Our Lady was joyful and she came with five angels. She gave a message: "Tonight in a special way I desired you to be here. In a special way now when Satan is free from chains, I invite you to consecrate yourselves to my Heart and to the Heart of my Son. In a special way now, my dear children, I invite you to be close to me through your prayers. I bless you all with my motherly blessing." And Our Lady blessed us all with the sign of the Cross and she said, "Go in peace my dear children."
The following day I decided to take Marija up on the offer she made in California last August, hoping that she would remember us from the thousands of people she surely meets each year. My family went to her home to pay a visit. To our joy, Marija not only remembered us, but even expressed disappointment that we hadn't come over for the New Years' evening celebration in her home as she had been expecting !
During our visit, Marija told us that she was very surprised Our Lady had asked her up on Apparition Hill the evening before, as this was something under Ivan's care in recent years. Marija explained that she had expressed her sorrow to Our Lady, during her 5:40 PM apparition on January 1, that so many pilgrims, especially the many from the East, could not be present for the apparition due to the small size of her home prayer room. Right away, according to Marija, Our Lady responded that she would appear that evening on the Hill, if Marija was willing! I was overcome with emotion as I thought how much Our Lady cares for each of us, and also that she responded so quickly to Marija's concern for the many pilgrims who had traveled so far, many with difficulty and at great cost. Again, Our Lady shows us that she is always Our Loving Mother who loves to gather her children around her. It was the Feast of the Mother of God. How appropriate!
During our visit, we asked Marija about the meaning of Our Lady's words in the message, which said : "...Satan is free from chains..." We told Marija that there might be several ways to interpret these words. Marija, without hesitation, explained basically that these words of Our Lady were simply reminding us as she has done previously of the fact that in these times, Satan continues to be very active in the world and that we should be always on our guard. When we asked her if there was anything new about him, she said no. It is not new that he is without his chains.
I pass on these experiences to share our joy and to encourage everyone to make a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, where great graces of faith, conversion and healing are being poured out abundantly by Our Loving God, through His Blessed Mother, unlike anywhere else on earth! May God bless you, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary!
David Leatherby Jr.
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