DISCLAIMER - The Church does NOT require that we believe private revelations such as what I describe below.
One of the Medjugorje visionaries is in the US right now, at a community called Caritas, just outside of Birmingham AL. She has apparitions every day and is continuing to have them while in the states.
I was drawn to go, as was one of my CRHP brothers. So we left at about 10 pm Tuesday night, drove to Birmingham, and made it to the local church for 630 am mass. We spent the day at Caritas and left after the apparition Wednesday evening. Back in St. Louis at 3 am yesterday.
While there it became very clear to me exactly why I was called to go. I needed to take a step in my spiritual development, and I was called to Birmingham Alabama of all places to take that step. The story is involved and the words fail me to describe it fully. The bottom line is that I left Birmingham with a devotion to the Blessed Virgin. I've shared with some of you before that I was "almost" Protestant as recent as a year ago, and some residual thoughts from that time were preventing me from being open to having a relationship with the Blessed Virgin. The last of that was washed away in Alabama.
So for today, I'll give you the Magnificat, from Luke's gospel.
MAGNIFICAT
My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior;
Because He has regarded the lowliness of His handmaid;
for behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed;
Because He who is mighty has done great things for me,and Holy is His Name;
And His mercy is from generation to generation on those who fear Him.
He has shown might with His arm,He has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,and has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has given help to Israel, His servant, mindful of His mercy Even as He spoke to our fathers -to Abraham and to his posterity forever.
