Mirjana’s vocation discernment

After the apparitions began, more than a few people asked me if I planned to enter the religious life like other visionaries had. I was told that Lucia of Fátima, for example, became a Carmelite nun, and Bernadette, the visionary of Lourdes, joined the Sisters of Charity after learning to read and write at the hospice school run by the sisters. This knowledge consoled me as much as it concerned me. Was I now required to enter the religious life because I had seen Our Lady? And would people be disappointed if I chose a different path? I was not the only one wondering about it. Not long after the apparitions began, the six of us visionaries were together in Međugorje and we asked Our Lady what she desired from us later in our lives. “Follow your hearts,” she said. “It is up to you to decide. If you enter the religious life, then I wish for it to be visible that I was with you. And if you decide to have families, then I wish for your family to be an example to other families.” This was one of the rare moments when Our Lady gave us advice of a personal nature, but it’s clear in her words that she was careful to respect our free will, which is one of God’s most wonderful gifts. Our Lady reminds us that prayer and fasting can help us make the best decisions. 166-7