THE WEEPING CHRIST at Medjugorje

Reprinted from the Asian Journal
November 2, 2007
By Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa

Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina -- In years past, it was, as in Fatima, the miracle of the “dancing sun”. Pilgrims from all over the world flocked to the tiny, quiet village of Medjugorje (formerly part of Tito’s Communist Yugoslavia but since 1993 of independent Bosnia-Hercegovina) to gaze at the spinning sun and to marvel at ordinary rosaries turning to gold. Multicolored lights burst forth like impromptu fireworks around the cross at the peak of Mt. Krizevac. And in the early days of the now famous Marian apparitions, the word “MIR” (meaning peace in Croatian) was prominently scrawled across the early evening sky.

Nowadays, it is the phenomenon of the weeping Christ.

Recently I stood in line awaiting my turn to witness this latest Medjugorje happening. Before the start of the 10 o’clock English Mass (in addition to the 6 PM Croatian Mass, liturgy is celebrated daily for Italian, French, Spanish and many other pilgrim groups), I walked to the miraculous site, which is located about a hundred yards behind St. James Church, towards the direction of Mt. Krizevac.

Already, clusters of devoted pilgrims – Croatians, Hungarians, Poles, Nigerians, Irish, Germans, and Americans – were lining up to see the weeping Christ at close range. Many were there to touch the bronze statue, to wipe (like St. Veronica) the miraculous tears, even to collect them in tiny vials.

My turn finally came and I stood in awe looking up at the approximately 30-foot bronze modernistic sculpture of the risen Christ. The statue was verdigris green except for the large shiny golden patch on the right leg. The distal thigh and the lateral side of the knee were remarkably smooth and shiny from pilgrims touching and wiping that accessible part of the statue for over a year. It reminded me of St. Peter’s “gold clubfoot” in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, reverently touched by pilgrims for hundreds of years.

Clearly I could see a droplet of fluid slowly forming, then oozing from the thigh and trickling down the knee and lower leg every second or two. Pilgrims would promptly catch the fluid before it reached the foot. Many would place their rosaries, medals, or other religious objects against the wet statue; others would blot the leg with tissue paper or wipe it with a handkerchief. Still others collected the trickling fluid in small containers.

Some pilgrims have claimed that the “tears” tasted salty while others are not too sure. Some say that at certain days the clear watery fluid feels thick and oily. In any event, the weeping Christ is today drawing even more crowds to Medjugorje.

I have heard and read of “crying statues”, of holy pictures or sacred images oozing oil, tears, even blood – but this was the very first time I had witnessed firsthand such an incredible phenomenon. Standing before what appeared to be miraculous, or at the very least unexplainable, I could not help but dab the statue with a handkerchief that was promptly soaked.

This bronze statue of the risen Christ, now the focus of so much attention, is a new addition to the religious attractions in Medjugorje, which traditionally include Podbrdo (or the Hill of Apparitions where the Blessed Virgin Mary first appeared to the children on June 24, 1981), Mt. Krizevac (or the mountain where the 1933 cross was erected and where the popular Stations of the Cross are located), and St. James Church (where the visionaries hid when pursued by Communist authorities and where pilgrims now gather daily for liturgy).

The statue is a replica of a 277 cm. silver image of “The Resurrection”, sculpted by Andrej Ajdic and presented to Pope John Paul II on the occasion of his Papal Visit to Slovenia in 1996. The mystery of Christ’s resurrection is expressed by the image of an elongated, slender Christ, arms outstretched as if still nailed to the cross but at the same time globally embracing redeemed mankind, while triumphantly rising from a cross which is laid flat on the ground, overcast by the silhouette of Christ or God’s presence on earth. Another unique feature of the sculpture is that Christ is not wrapped by a loincloth but by a newspaper, signifying the ephemeral event of the crucifixion, in contrast to Christ’s everlasting and infinite nature.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the apparition of “Gospa, Kraljice Mira” (“Blessed Mother, Queen of Peace” in the native Croatian language), a 30-foot bronze replica of Ajdic’s “The Resurrection” was erected behind St. James Church. A day or two after the anniversary, around June 25-26, 2001, pilgrims started noticing that the statue was visibly oozing clear fluid.

The Franciscan community, guardians of St. James Church and Medjugorje, has not officially acknowledged the phenomenon of the “weeping Christ”. While not discouraging pilgrims from congregating and praying around the statue, the friars refrain from actively fostering devotion to it, in contrast to their efforts to promote the daily Rosary and Mass, and the weekly Stations of the Cross and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Our Blessed Mother has time and time again requested the latter devotions.

In her daily apparitions to the visionaries, spanning over the last 21 years, She has tirelessly requested -- kindly, gently, and lovingly, as the visionaries report, and never in a strict or authoritarian manner -- that the traditional Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be are recited seven times daily as well as the Apostles’ Creed for the cause of peace; that families gather together to pray the rosary, to “pray with the heart”, to pray for “unbelievers”, to read Scripture; that we all attend Mass, receive the Holy Eucharist, and go to monthly confession. She has also asked for fasting on bread and water, if possible, on Wednesdays and Fridays. And at the end of every apparition, which usually lasts from 2-8 minutes, She never fails to thank the visionaries. “If you knew how much I love you,” she has said, “ you would cry for joy!”

When pilgrims ask the visionaries how the Blessed Virgin Mary appears to them, they say: “She is the most beautiful person…we see her like we see you or any other person. She always appears with a cloud around and covering her feet, which never touches the ground. Sometimes, She is accompanied by angels…She wears a gray gown with a white veil; on Christmas and special feast days, She comes dressed in a golden gown. She has blue eyes, rosy cheeks, and long dark hair. She is incredibly beautiful beyond words and She has the loveliest smile”.

Many pilgrims, who would visit Fatima or Lourdes or Guadalupe, established and ecclesiastically approved Marian sites, do not include Medjugorje in their itinerary because the Church has not yet officially approved it. But they forget or probably are unaware that the Catholic Church does not review, much less, approve of on going apparitions. The Church will officially review the authenticity of an apparition only after such has ceased.

Thus, at Lourdes where St. Bernadette encountered 18 apparitions from February 11th – July 16th, 1858, the event was not officially recognized by the Church, until four years later, on January 18, 1862, when Bishop Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes, officially declared the apparitions to be authentic and submitted his recommendation to the Holy Father.



In the case of Fatima, where the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared six times to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, between May 13th - October 13th, 1917, official ecclesiastical recognition that the Fatima message was “worthy of belief” did not happen until 1930.



Since at Medjugorje, the daily apparitions continue for three of the original six visionaries -- “Gospa” appears to Vicka, Marija, and Ivan daily but only on special occasions now to Ivanka, Mirjana, and Jacov -- official church recognition is not anticipated for some time to come. However, Medjugorje presents a special opportunity for many to visit a Marian apparition that is occurring to the present day.



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Dr. Edgar A. Gamboa (pseudonym John Paul Noel) is the author of “From Mt. Krizevac to Mt. Carmel: A Medjugorje Pilgrim’s Conversion”, ISBN 0-9639536-0-5, Mir Communications, 1995, available at Pauline Books & Media & Amazon.com.


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