"Just this weekend, I was telling some friends of my experience with animals in Medjugorje," wrote another correspondent of that alleged and famous apparition site, which is under Vatican study. "I was praying the Stations as I ascended the mountain of the cement Cross. There was only one other person ascending ahead of me. The valley below was peaceful after several days of rain. I could hear the prayers being said in the church in preparation for the apparition (October, 1998). At the time of the apparition, I stepped over to the side to look down at the valley and at that very moment, every creature in the valley below came to life. The birds took flight, the dogs began to howl, the sheep and every animal lifted their voices in a loud cacophony. It was amazing! I knew then that what was happening in Medjugorje was of God because all of His creation was crying out in reverence to the very presence of the Queen of Heaven. I have never forgotten that special moment."
In the early years, a flock of swallows or sparrows always lit on the ledges of the church chirping and singing but halting at the very moment of apparition.
"I observed that the birds would sing around the clock," said Joe Kleczka to a newsletter. "I remember one evening walking back to our house, after the Adoration of the Cross at St. James Church, at about 10:00 p.m., the birds were singing. Early one morning, while in Medjugorje, I awoke at about 1:30 AM and went out on the balcony to get some fresh air and I heard the birds singing. Also, the birds used to all stop chirping in unison when Our Lady would appear to the visionaries and start chirping again in unison when she left. I remember saying to myself what kind of birds are these. I thought they may be a special breed of bird in Yugoslavia."
The opposite seems true of evil places. "I've been to Auschwitz twice and I have to say, it was very quiet. It was really eerie," said a blogger.
Noted another: "From the trees and bushes alongside the newly erected Crucifix beside St. James church, the sparrows swoop down into the fountains of waters circulating beneath the cross. Cleansed and refreshed, they hop onto a ledge and ruffle their feathers to dry themselves before flying back to a nearby lofty branch or bush. Similarly, on the opposite side of the church, pilgrims are restored and revived, their souls cleansed and absolved by the healing sacrament of reconciliation. How God works in mysterious and providential ways. Our Lady once spoke to the visionaries about God’s providence. She suggested that they read regularly, Matthew 6 : 25-34. (Trust in Providence: "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them...). The life of the sparrows at Medjugorje are a wonderful illustration of this promise."
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