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Medjugorje Red BookPray with Your HeartOther languages: English, Italiano
Date: November 7, 2006 Author: Dr. Fra Slavko Barbarić, OFM , Fra Tomislav Vlašić, OFM Category: Early Medjugorje Reflections Books , Books , Priests of Medjugorje Content of the article
This book is the third of the four volumes of sermons and discourses given by Fr. Slavko Barbaric and Fr. Tomislav Vlasic during 1984 - 1987 in Medjugorje, and contains discourses given from July to December 1985. Not all chapters of this book are yet included "Our Lady wants us to start living our vocation radically”The admonishments and these messages have a simple meaning, they tell us nothing new, but simply bring us back to the Gospels before Christmas, to Jesus’ words as to what is to happen signs in the sky, in the stars, in the sun, earthquakes .... Our Lady can say no more, but Her saying this should help our fear, our anguish, our new worries ... In what respect ? Many Christians live saying ‘I believe, I am a Christian, I go to church, I confess’, but their hearts and lives are only on earth. Many say, ‘I believe’, but rely on money, success, progress and material things alone and do not open themselves to the other things. A true faith, a deep faith has this apocalyptic element that is, I live my faith by my trust of the Lord: I know the Lord can call me any day. We are wrong in saying. I shall be converted tomorrow, I shall forgive tomorrow, I shall be reconciled tomorrow; confession is asked of me today, not tomorrow. So, the messages have this meaning to be awake in faith, to work, to pray, to believe to abandon oneself and be at the same time, open and ready every day to be called and meet the Lord in love. Where do we stand now you see that there are always many people coming here despite the winter. The message has been spread all over the world; I can honestly say Our Lady has found her agents everywhere. One thing seems vital to me next year has been declared ‘The Year of Peace’ by UNESCO. I do not know, but I think I can say that Medjugorje and all those who have started praying and fasting for peace, surely must have helped, if next year is to be declared the year of peace; and all those who have come the Medjugorje , all those who have read about Medjugorje, immediately will connect Medjugorje and the message of peace and many will be more open if there will be more talk of peace at all levels; it is probably a new chance for the whole world. And so we are all responsible for peace, most of all those who have accepted the message of the Queen of Peace. Praying for peace, fasting for peace and being reconciled with all those one lives with, that is how peace will come. Peace does not come from treaties, it does not come from paper, peace comes from the heart of the man who lives peace and spreads peace, not just with words. This kind of peace has justice, truth and love as its content. Where do wars come from ? Why? Because many commit injustices and others do not forgive them this is how conflicts in families, amongst people, in the Church and all over the world happen. In other words all those who start to live love for their neighbour and for God, all those who try and be righteous by also helping the poor, the needy, by so doing, pave the way for peace. Many ask what stand is the government taking all I can say is that we can work; you can come here and that is all. Something that seemed like a miracle to me was when, on 17 October, they showed a documentary film on Medjugorje on Belgrade Television; it was very good, it gave people a fresh impulse. This is most important. I can say only one thing in the Church, in the newspapers of the Church it is still forbidden to publish all that is happening here, but in this very serious situation you can see how God is behaving towards all of us. God leaves us free and if we reject Our Lady, He finds somebody else; He finds the others, those who do not believe in God, who do not believe in Our Lady, but come here. These are wonderful things that help the spreading of the messages. Here it seems to me, that the Word of the Lord has come true, when He said, “If you give praise to the Lord, the Lord can create a new descent from Abraham out of stones”. It is a sign that Our lady as She once said in a message is tireless. She will not leave us in peace until we will have found peace. A priest told me, ‘I have guided two busloads to Medjugorje, I have felt more stimulus to prayer and faith than from all the work I have put in’. And he now often brings his people here and the number he says grows wonderfully all the time. Another priest told me, ‘I asked my people to pray, but I did not pray myself. But when I started to pray and confess every month, my parishioners did so too’. Our Lady wants this that we start living our vocation radically. We are all, and must be, apostles; we must spread peace; we are all equally invited to love. I wish you to really feel, during these days, the Lord’s hand over you and also Our Lady’s love and, thus blessed, may you go into the new year abandoned in prayer, living your lives in the love of your neighbour and God above all things. (Fr. Slavko Barbaric 27th December 1985) Previous : Conversion lasts the whole of one's life | | |||
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