Five Stones Speaking

Five Stones Speaking

“I must be out of my mind,” I said to myself, as I climbed the steep and rocky hill. Me, who thought lifting a CD Rom was all the exercise I needed. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, a stranger in a strange land, not knowing a word of their language---all for the sake of a spiritual experience which may or may not happen—to me, at any rate.

All because, little more than twenty-five years ago, six kids claimed to see the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Apparitions, as they are called, are nothing new to Christianity. People have been having mysterious sightings of Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, all throughout the past two millennium.

Pilgrimages to places of special grace such as Jerusalem, Rome, and Santiago de Compostella in northern Spain have been popular from the Middle Ages (see Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and his comic Wife of Bath) up to today. In our own age the Shrines of Fatima (Portugal) and Lourdes (France) attract thousands of pilgrims each year.

So too, now, with Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina---the former country of Yugoslavia. Once part of the Communist empire, it is located close to the Adriatic Sea. Their language is Croatian.

It is a picturesque, bucolic farming and sheep hearding area, which grows grapes and tobacco. Historically very religious, the people have remained staunchly Catholic, even in the face of negative pressure from the former government authorities.


I was getting closer to the top of Mount Krizevac, and the large white cross erected there in 1933 to commemorate the 1,900 years since Jesus’ crucifixion.

I saw no one else on my arduous journey. I wanted to stop and rest, but decided to press on. I wondered idly, with a writers’ imagination, what I would ask the Lady if I ever got a chance. Even through the visionaries, or in my own thoughts. The summer night was warm, and the sky full of sparkling stars was reassuring. Idly, I picked up a stone, and meditated as I walked.

The priest had preached eloquently on the “Five Stones,” the core of Our Lady’s messages: “Peace, conversion, prayer, penance, and fasting.”

Above me, the luminous, glorious full moon (a symbol associated with the Madonna from the earliest days) came out from behind a thick gray cloud that hadn’t been there before, and I could see the stone I had been holding was marked with a tiny cross on its’ smooth, flat surface.

I tried not to envy the visionaries (four girls and two boys, ages 10 to 17) who saw a beautiful lady appear in the midst of a brilliant light on this very hill in June of 1981. Most spoke with Her daily ever since, at the same time of day, in various places (including their own bedroom)---for almost thirty years! They each were the recipients of ten secrets for the world, to be made public at the right time. These secrets will warn the world scant days before of “chastisements” from God, terrible events that will happen. The Madonna, called “Gospa” in their language, wants the world to turn back to God.

There’s precedent in the Bible for God sparing those who fasted and prayed, like the city of Nineveh. And one prophet is seen begging God to spare the people if ten…or five..or less people repented.

The concept of “secrets” is part of the apparition of Fatima (1913) also, and the prophecies came true.

I meditated on conversion. Many are baptized and attend church; a lot less people do these days. For those who believe themselves “saved” or are nominal, luke-warm Christians---they can always get closer to God and enjoy the benefits there from. It is said that conversion is a life-long experience.

I picked up another stone. Prayer. God hears both formal prayer, those words we memorized as children, and informal, conversational prayer. Just a few simple words, it doesn’t take long, as long as it is from the heart.

I walked a few more yards and picked up another stone. Penance. Isn’t everybody sorry for their sins? Catholics are lucky. They confess their sins to a priest, say a few prayers, and are forgiven. It has profound spiritual significance, besides relieving a guilty conscience. I thought of a needless argument with my husband, and said three Hail Marys.

I was getting tired by now. I wanted to stop and rest, but the top of the hill was so close. I picked up another stone---and drew a blank. Suddenly my stomach rumbled and my throat felt as parched as a desert.

I sat on a large rock. I hoped I still had one of my American candy bars and a soft drink in my backpack. No such luck. Along with my notebook, I did find a dinner roll I’d saved for some reason, and a small bottled water. The food here was pretty basic.

A small sparrow came up to join me with a loud chirp. Funny, I didn’t know birds came out at night. I broke off half the roll and gave it to him. The tepid mineral water refreshed me, and I put the rest back in my pack. I found a pack of crackers in the side pocket---which would really hit the spot when I reached the top!

The fourth stone represented fasting.

Almost there. There was still no path, and the terrain seemed to be getting worse. I forgot about stones for the moment and concentrated on keeping my footing, me in my pricey athletic shoes. We Americans have it so easy, I thought. Our idea of hardship is a broken icemaker!

I spotted a yellow daisy among the rocks; it seemed to glow in the moonlight. Next to it was a coin-sized rock; white and almost translucent—like the moon. This rock represented Peace, and made the set complete.

The large stone cross was just ahead. It was bathed in moonlight. I could see now that I wasn’t alone. Surrounding it were the visionaries and a group of about two dozen children I instinctively knew were their family. Ivan (or was it Jakov?) beckoned me closer. I entered their circle and stood near the women: Vicka, Mirjana, Marija, and Ivanka. I heard some celestial music, as if the stars and stones were singing a duet. I smelled incense, as if in church on high holidays.

I felt a sense of peace and joy come into me; such as I’d never known.

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