Gage

I heard about Medjugorje from my brother. He is a big reason why my sister and I are here right now. They talk about finding people who are good examples in life to live by, and he’s the ticket, he’s the one.

My family has always been religious. Growing up, we went to church every Sunday. I believed, but I didn’t really know a deeper meaning or connection behind our faith. 

When my brother and my mom came here in April 2021, I was excited for them. I didn’t know what to expect when they came back, what stories they would tell, but I remember the night they came home from the airport and it was like I could see the glow from them of how they were touched and transformed from this place. I was taken aback by the grace that they received from this place and the example that they became for the rest of us. 

I know people are like, “I need to see things to believe it,” but when you come here, you feel it. 

I’ve always believed, but now my faith has gotten stronger in a way that shows that we’re all on a mission right now. For us to be in Medjugorje and feel the presence of Our Mother telling us that we are loved and to take that love and spread it out throughout everybody in the world. That’s our mission, to spread love and spread the message of God.

I still have a hard time praying. I never think I’m doing it the right way. Mirjana said that there is no right or wrong way to pray, and don’t judge your prayer. 

We all have a different cross to bear with us through this life, but we’re all coming for one reason and that’s for the love of God and Our Mother and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and to receive the graces and blessings. 

We’re all human. We’re all curious, and we all have questions. Obviously not all questions can be answered, but that’s where your faith comes in. It fills in those gaps because you put your full trust in the Lord. 

For me, I always have self doubt like I’m not good enough or I’m not worthy. I hate when I fall into that category because I’m always thinking I’m not good enough for God’s love. An exorcist priest, Monsignor Esseff, said that two of the biggest sins of the youth in the current day are self-reliance and self-hatred. Not asking for help and thinking you can do things on your own. I do that all the time, and I hate that about myself. I think I’m bothering others when I ask for help, and I don’t like that about myself. 

I do struggle with my sexual identity. I came here with an open heart and mind and asked for signs to show me what would be the path to go on. When I went to confession, I talked to priests about it and they gave me awesome advice. We’ll see about taking that to heart and fully living it. That’s something that I’ll always have to live with. 

I have a lot of issues within myself. I was trying to find the root of the problem, and it always led back to my dad. I had so much hatred and resentment in me towards him, and I hated that I felt that way. Going to confession and talking to a priest about it helped heal those wounds and really showed me God’s grace of full forgiveness. You need to forgive and just love fully. That was so hard to do, but I am getting to that point of just letting God take care of that part of me and him and growing that relationship. 

The visionaries and Mirjana said that the final battle will be between families. I find that to be so true. Where modern day society is heading with family, the definition of family has changed. I think if we were able to get my dad here, it might be a full healing. 

I just know love is God, and I always have to keep that in mind. That is the root of everything. As long as I follow the path with that in mind, then I know I will be taken care of in the best way. I’m not alone, and I need to open up more. 

That’s what this journey is, finding yourself, but knowing that God is with you on the way. 

Being in Medjugorje has unlocked the secret of life and how to live. I know everyone talks about, “What are the secrets of Medjugorje?” But you’re missing the big point. The message and the takeaway from this is being the light and sharing God’s love with others throughout our time on earth. One thing that we all have in common is that we’re all going to die. There are so many questions, but when you have faith and you fully put yourself in God and love, you’re taken care of. Coming to Medjugorje and fully opening your heart, you’re able to let God in. 

Coming here, there are other young people that have strong faith, and it was so powerful to all be together in one place. Looking around, I was like, “God is not dead. God is fully alive.” And the heartbeat right now is Medjugorje. Slowly, it’s going to spread out to the whole world.