We believe that many of you will be coming to Medjugorje in the next few days, so we would like to give you some suggestions so that you can get the most out of your pilgrimage.
It is very easy to miss the grace! The many years I’ve been here have taught me important things that can be summed up in two points: open your heart and expect the unexpected. In this way you will be able to pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be ready to live the messages fully. Of course, this can be applied to any pilgrimage, not only to Medjugorje! Jesus, Mary and Joseph went on pilgrimage three times a year to glorify the living God.
It was an important event for the Jewish people and a mitzvah (commandment). They had to walk about 170 km from Nazareth to Jerusalem. They had to give up their habits, their rhythm of prayer, their work, their acquaintances, and accept being away from home for a few days.
They never knew in advance what awaited them on the way, but they faced the lack of comfort and fatigue with joy. They were motivated by a lofty goal: to go and pray in the Temple, to be “seen” by God and to respond to His call! Each pilgrimage enabled them to reach a new level in their spiritual life.
What should be done before going on a pilgrimage?
1) Tell Our Lady how grateful you are for her call and thank her in advance for all the gifts that await you. Since you are her guest, the gifts are abundant!
2) Start reading messages and testimonies to prepare your spirit. Get acquainted with the main facts about the sanctuary.
3) Firmly resolve that you will be content with everything, that you will not complain, and that you will have a positive attitude toward everything that happens. In this way you will attract great graces for yourself and for all those you carry in your heart! Your bed is not as comfortable as the one at home? Remember that in 1981 the locals didn’t even think of having a bed!
Is the food different? At that time the locals did not have enough food and the male family members went to work in Germany to feed their families! Is there no air conditioning in the guesthouse? Remember that even Jesus did not have it during those hot summers in Israel. Is your tour guide like this or like this? Is the person in the room with you like this or like that? Perfectly! Try to learn to love this person in God’s way and to manage your emotions! Ask them about their childhood and welcome the child in them! A pilgrimage allows us to get away from our usual habits and also gives us so many reasons to thank God when we are tempted to complain. And if we do not complain, a real shower of grace falls on us. Our Lady collects these sacrifices and obtains countless graces for us!
4) Always keep in mind the true goal of your pilgrimage and what Our Lady wants: to change your heart and direct your life. She loves you so much and wants your total conversion! Prepare yourself to make a good confession: it is the most important step of your stay in Medjugorje, because confession purifies everything that prevents you from being open to God.
5) Pack your suitcase moderately. Some pilgrims come to Medjugorje so overloaded with material things that their hearts are heavy. The pilgrimage is an opportunity to get rid of attachments and to accept a little poverty, which is so good for the soul! Detachment helps the soul to be completely open to God’s grace. Think of the Holy Family walking to Jerusalem! They were happy with the little ones and thus enjoyed great inner freedom.
6) “Open your hearts” is the message Mary always gives to pilgrims. Be generous to God! Allow Him to change what He has to change in you without limitation, because the pilgrimage is a privileged time, an opportunity to allow the Lord to work in your soul. But He will do it according to the openness you offer Him in your freedom.
7) Absolutely avoid seeking miracles. Those who follow them go the wrong way. You risk being disappointed, because in Medjugorje miracles happen in the hearts of people! Those who look for external signs run the risk of missing the graces that Our Lady has prepared for them and then leave with empty hearts.
8) Enjoy making new friends in your group, new brothers and sisters in the Lord! These new relationships that God creates during the pilgrimage often become important in the future. When you return home, your new friends will help you live the messages and you will have new spiritual support! Many small prayer groups and charitable organizations have sprung up as a result of the pilgrimage. Just like some marriages!
9) Avoid shopping. Allow yourself only one day for shopping so that it does not bother you because it would cause your prayer life to suffer. Our Lady tells us that Satan wants to distract the pilgrims. And there are more and more such traps and they are more and more numerous in the shrines. Don’t concentrate too much on taking pictures and don’t take them during Mass or adoration, so that you don’t lose “the graces that Jesus and I want to give you,” Our Lady also tells us.
And that’s all. By practicing these simple suggestions during your pilgrimage, you will show God your sincere good will, and then He will fill your hearts beyond your expectations!
Source: https://www.medjugorje-info.com/kolumne-medjugorje/kako-se-dobro-pripremiti-za-hodocasce-u-medugorje