The center of Medjugorje spirituality is the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary accompanies the faithful to this meeting
Mostar, 13 marzo 2022: chiesa di Medjugoje con mons. Aldo Cavalli – preghiera, devozione, Madonna, Crocefisso, case distrutte guerra – foto SIR/Marco Calvarese
The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, 78, is a native of Lecco in Lombardy, Italy. He was ordained a priest in 1971 in Bergamo, where he received episcopal consecration in 1996. He is a political scientist and sociologist by education, since 1975 he has specialized in theology and canon law, as well as diplomacy – since 1979 he has been an official of Vatican diplomacy.
Mons. Cavalli was Apostolic Nuncio to Chile, Colombia, Malta and Libya, and since March 21, 2015, Nuncio to the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
At the end of November 2021, he was appointed special apostolic visitor for the parish of Medjugorje, succeeding Polish Archbishop Henryk Hoser, who died earlier that year as a result of coronavirus infection, and was appointed the first visitor in 2017.
The spiritual phenomenon of Medjugorje has been going on for more than four decades and the universal Church has been following it with attention from the beginning. In May 2019, Pope Francis officially approved pilgrimages to Medjugorje, and earlier a special apostolic visitor was appointed for the parish of Medjugorje: what is the meaning and reason for these decisions?
Pope Francis, seeing the multitude of pilgrims coming to this holy place, in May 2019 advised bishops and priests to officially accompany the pilgrimages, in order to facilitate this process of prayer and conversion. Previously, the Holy Father considered it appropriate to designate an Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Medjugorje with a special role, with the mission of recognizing and implementing suitable pastoral initiatives.
The spiritual intensity of Medjugorje does not weaken: on the contrary, in terms of the number and composition of pilgrims, it seems to have strengthened and acquired global dimensions. How could Medjugorje be described today?
A return to faith with conviction, a true conversion of heart, fervent prayer, fasting and a constant call to peace: this is the reality of Medjugorje.
There are many conversions, there is a frequent return to sacramental practice (the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation), there are many spiritual vocations – the priestly vocation, the religious vocation and the vocation to marriage: these are the evangelical fruits of Medjugorje.
Along with confession, one of the most common spiritual messages that can be encountered in Medjugorje today is the call to prayer and conversion. What weight and significance does this vocation have for the universal Church as well as for the contemporary world?
The center of Medjugorje spirituality is the encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ. The Virgin Mary accompanies the faithful to this meeting. It is precisely in this way that the prayer that is prayed every evening by the Christian community gathered in Medjugorje takes place. It begins with the prayer of the Rosary, with Mary leading us to the encounter with Jesus; then the Eucharist is celebrated, the encounter with Jesus, the fundamental point of the Christian faith; then this encounter continues in Eucharistic adoration.
The faithful gladly participate in prayer, just as they gladly climb the Apparition Hill in communion with the Virgin Mary and the Cross Mountain contemplating the life of Jesus. After these intense hours of prayer and contemplation, as a normal consequence, the desire and will to renew one’s own life in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is born.
In this way, the faithful return to their homes, to the reality of everyday life, filled with grace and hope, and in their parishes they collaborate with the parish priest in various ministries, and ask to be able to pray the Rosary before Holy Mass, as well as sometimes to remain in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament after the Eucharist. This is how prayer groups are born, which are called “Medjugorje”.
What would be your message from Medjugorje to the readers of our magazine?
This is Medjugorje in today’s world: a return to faith, true conversion, prayer, fasting and a constant call to peace. This is how a Christian lives in the world.
Source: https://www.svjetlorijeci.ba/mons-aldo-cavalli-medugorje-je-mjesto-milosti-i-mira/
