“The World of Marian Apparitions”
By Wincenty Laszewski.
Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, N.H., 400 pages, Grades 10 and above.
During times of distress, Our Lord frequently sends His Mother to give us spiritual messages and to reform our lives.
Throughout history, there are famous Marian apparitions such as Lourdes and Fatima. The Church is quite careful to examine the conditions surrounding apparitions to avoid leading the faithful astray. First, the local bishop must determine if any messages from the purported apparition are in accord with Church doctrine.
Second, he investigates whether the events were miraculous in nature. If the apparitions are approved by the local bishop, the investigations are then sent to Rome for further evaluation. Only 16 apparitions have been officially approved by Rome. At the same time, hundreds of apparitions have been reported to Church authorities (and many have been approved by local bishops).
Since apparitions are private revelations rather than doctrinal revelation, the faithful are not required to believe in the apparitions. The most famous contemporary case that has not been formally approved is that of Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here, the Blessed Mother is alleged to have appeared hundreds of times. This is quite out of character with most apparitions in which Our Lady appears at most, about 20 times and usually fewer than 10 times.
Having said that, popes have blessed pilgrims going to sites such as Medjugorje. As St. Augustine says in his book, “The Confessions,” “our hearts are made for Thee Oh Lord and we will not rest until we rest in Thee.” Countless pilgrims have reported an increase in their love of God from journeying to sites such as Medjugorje. Their pilgrimages have advanced them in a life of grace which helped them grow closer to Christ. Still, one must use caution.
Laszewski writes insightfully about the 48 reported Marian apparition sites of the 20th century. This is an astounding amount of reported worldwide apparitions. In each story, the author tells the background of each apparition and then describes the Church’s report. Many of the apparition sites meet the first standard of investigation, that of being in accord with Church doctrine, but very few meet the second standard, that of being supernatural in origin.
Our Lady’s messages are surprisingly similar in most approved and unapproved apparitions: mankind needs to stop sinning. We need to turn back to God and become reliant upon His graces. We should pray more, especially the rosary. We should invoke the Blessed Virgin to intercede for us and we should grow in our love for the Blessed Mother.
In other words, we should stop doing many of the things we like to do and start doing things that are harder but allow us to grow in grace. Our Lady is a great guide for us in this spiritual journey on earth. As Simeon tells Mary in St. Luke’s Gospel 2:33-35: “Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel… and a sword will pierce through your own soul so that the thoughts out of many hearts will be revealed.”
Why Mary? It is very simple. She has a unique role in salvation history, unlike anyone else. Mary can help us heal our hearts if we are willing. St. John completes Christ’s message about His mother when on the cross He says to St. John, Jn. 19: 25-26, “Woman behold your son, son behold your Mother.” Now Christ tells us that we are to turn to Mary as our Mother.
In “The World of Marian Apparitions” by Wincenty Laszewski, we see Our Lady fulfilling both of these roles. She brings us important messages about the need for repentance and for trusting in her maternal protection. One last note: always speak with your parish priest about whether you should go to an apparition site. He will give you the proper spiritual guidance. Highly recommended.
