quote: "Conversing with the messages (praying and meditating) is a wonderful way to begin (or end) the day."

Our Lady's messages of peace are necessary to save us and we must begin by first creating peace in our own hearts. This can be done in the following manner: [communicate with God, faith, prayer,] fasting on Wednesday and Friday on bread and water [unless you are not in good health or sick] [& frequently receiving the Holy Sacrament.] If you are ill then instead of bread and water:-"It would be a good thing to give up television, because after some programs you are distracted and unable to pray." ~ December 8, 1981

"Dear children! Today I call you to renew prayer and fasting with even greater enthusiasm until prayer becomes a joy for you. Little children, the one who prays is not afraid of the future and the one who fasts is not afraid of evil. Once again, I repeat to you: only through prayer and fasting also wars can be stopped – wars of your unbelief and fear for the future. I am with you and am teaching you little children: your peace and hope are in God. That is why draw closer to God and put Him in the first place in your life. Thank you for having responded to my call." (25/12/2001)

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The visionaries say that they need to start praying the day before in order to have a good fast day. The evening before, you might say a prayer from your Heart for a good fast day and also to Fr. Slavko for his help and intercession with our living and renewing the messages that we're entrusted with. Our Lady says we all need to fast. She says the best fast is on bread and water, but for those who might not be in great health or might have an illness then although she still asks for fasting, our Lady asks to choose something equally as difficult, a bad habit, a particular fault we have and fast from this.

PRAYER ON FAST DAYS. On August 14, 1984, Our Lady said: "I would like the world to pray with me these days! As much as possible! To fast strictly on Wednesdays  and Fridays; to pray every day at least the Rosary: the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries."

"Dear Children: Today, I invite you to start fasting with the heart. There are a lot of people who fast because others do so. Fasting is a habit nobody wants to give up. I ask the parish to fast out of gratitude that God allowed me to stay in this parish so long. Dear Children, fast and pray with the heart! Thank you for having responded to my call"
(September 20, 1984)

Recommended reading:- "FASTING" by Father Slavko Barbaric. 1988 Franciscan University Press
Steubenville, Ohio 443952 ISBN: 0-940535-12-2

Sermon on fasting by St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop ~ from Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings for Ash Wednesday.

     “There are three things, my brethren, which cause faith to stand firm, devotion to remain constant, and virtue endure. They are prayer, fasting, and mercy. Prayer knocks at the door, fasting obtains, mercy receives. Prayer, mercy and fasting: these three are one, and give life to each other. Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. Let no one try to separate them; they cannot be separated. If you have only one of them or not all together, you have nothing. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to
others, you open God’s ear to yourself.
     When you fast, see the fasting of others. If you want God to know that you are hungry, know that another is hungry. If you hope for mercy, show mercy. If you look for kindness, show kindness. If you want to receive, give. If you ask for yourself what you deny to others, your asking is a mockery. Let this be the pattern for all men when they practice mercy: show mercy to others in the same way, with the same generosity, with the same promptness, as you want other to show mercy to you. Therefore, let prayer, mercy and fasting be one single plea to God on our behalf, one speech in our defence, a threefold united prayer in our favour.
     Let us use fasting to make up for what we have lost by despising others. Let us offer our souls in sacrifice by means of fasting. There is nothing more pleasing that we can offer to God, as the psalmist said in prophecy: ‘A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God does not despise a bruised and humbled heart.’
     Offer your soul to God, make him an oblation of your fasting, so that your soul may be a pure offering, a holy sacrifice, a living victim, remaining your own and at the same time made over to God. Whoever fails to give this to God will not be excused, for if you are to give him yourself, you are never without the means of giving.
     To make these acceptable mercy must be added. Fasting bears no fruit unless it is watered by mercy. Fasting dries up when mercy dries up. Mercy is to fasting as rain is to the earth. However much you may cultivate your heart, clear the soil of your nature, root out vices, sow virtues, if you do not release the springs of mercy, your fasting will bear no fruit.
     When you fast, if your mercy is thin your harvest will be thin; when you fast, what you pour out in mercy overflows into your barn. Therefore, do not lose by saving, but gather in by scattering. Give to the poor and you give to yourself. You will not be allowed to keep what you have refused to others.”

An excerpt from "A Man Named Father Jozo"
(A talk by Fr. Jozo given May 12, 1989, to American Peace Center pilgrims.)

But there is something else that I would like to tell you in order to help you recognize what Our Lady wants from us. The first step along the path of conversion on which Our Lady invited us was (as we have already heard) prayer, prayer with the heart, daily praying of the rosary. The second step along this path of conversion is fasting. Our Lady says fast.

To fast does not mean not to eat, but fasting is freedom - a freedom that is needed badly by us all. You might say, "Today is Friday; I want to be free, free from cigarettes".

To be free is something that we are all looking for. Very often we say, "He's addicted to drugs or to alcohol." We are wrong if we call only people that are addicted to drugs and alcohol "addicts" when there are so many who are addicted to cigarettes, to their weekends, to TV programs and movies, to so many things. Every kind of addiction is bondage. So one can fast by deciding to switch off the TV.

Fasting can be done with our eyes by deliberately trying to meet and see everyone with love. Fasting means "changing us". Fasting is freeing us from the mask of egotism. Only one who loves can fast. Fasting is sacrifice. Fasting is love. I will never be able to comprehend the cross of Jesus as the supreme mystery of love, unless I start to fast. Fasting is important to us being Adam's children.

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"Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one's flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, kindles the true light of chastity.......Fasting loves not many words, deems wealth superfluous, scorns pride, commends humility, helps man perceive what is frail and paltry.." St Augustine: Sermons on Fasting, 11.,11#147

 Fasting, "allows the mind to rise more freely to the contemplation of heavenly things" ~ St Thomas Aquinas

"Depriving the body can awake the hunger of the soul..." Fr Laurentin

to save space all messages marked: "...! or ... begin: 'Dear children!' and all marked: ..." end with: 'Thank you for having responded to my call.' - Suggestion - add in YOUR name, "Dear ** "

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