1st November 2009 - Tomislav Vlasic was formerly a Medjugorje priest but was excommunicated by the Vatican and reduced to the lay state recently. He could have been a good priest. No doubt, he preached well. Let us hope that he will find what he is looking for in life. Here, I would like to share his advice about prayers. I got this excerpt from a very old book, a grey book entitled "Open Your Hearts to Mary, Queen of Peace" given to me by a church member many years ago. This book was cowritten by Father Slavko Barbaric and Tomislav Vlasic. I find this book very meaningful and very beautifully written. It's a very good book and really worth reading. I have read it countless times for the past two years and am still reading it from time to time.
MEDITATIONS ON PRAYER by Tomislav Vlasic
"I am going to disappoint you to start with. On 24th April Our Lady said, 'That is enough news. People know enough. Tell people: this is a place of prayer.'
When people arrive here they say they are happy! Then they go home and continue the same life as before. So, please do not forget this, that I am giving you the items of news so as to bring you to prayer and to the path towards Jesus Christ. Remember this.
I will tell you something very interesting: you are always curious to know what Our Lady says, how she appears. Our Lady is very interested to know what is happening in your souls. I want to talk to you a little about this. During the apparitions, especially to Jelena and Marijana, Our Lady almost everyday says, 'Pray and fast.' In this way curiousity will have no place in your souls. Pray and fast. If you pray you will understand everything. (Medjugorje, 31st July 1984)
In February, Our Lady said, 'Do not be surprised because I often say pray, pray, pray. I have nothing else to tell you.' I must mention something else. Our Lady said, 'When I tell you to pray do not understand this as meaning only an increase in the number of prayers. I want to bring you to an attitude of a continuous longing and desire for God.'
Our life must be transformed into a day for prayer. A week ago, Our Lady said, 'Pray when you can, but always pray more and more.' And then added, 'Each of you could pray four hours a day. But I know that many people do not understand this because they think that they can live by their work alone.'
I said, 'If I tell people this, they will turn away.' She replied, 'Even you do not understand this. It is only a sixth of your day.' I added, 'I understand that you want us to pray all day.' Then she seemed happy.
"I tell you that it is really possible to pray all day, to be in contact with God all day long. When I told the peasants, they looked at me in a rather amazed way. I asked them what they did after half an hour's heavy work in the fields? They get up and try to rest for a while. So I asked them why not say, 'Jesus help me.' Why not say then, 'Jesus bless what I have done?' Why not keep in contact with God while you rest so that He may bless your work? This is how you can transform prayer into continuous prayer.
We must remember what Our Lady said in Autumn: 'Do not forget, man does not live by work alone but also by prayer. Your work will not go well without prayer.'
In fact, in the beginning of the planting season here I told the parishioners: If you want to tire yourselves out while planting the tobacco, do not pray and work very hard. But if you want God to help you plant the tobacco - which is very difficult here because the earth is dry, water has to be carried and the plants protected - if you want God to work for you and for you to rest ... then come to church. They came to church more frequently and everything went easily. They did not even have to carry one drop of water for the tobacco. God sent rain at the right moment.
I am giving you this example so that you can understand that we really must pray more. If we do not pray more, we are not truly converted."
Our Lady has given us another rule, 'If you want to be very happy, live a simple, humble life, pray a great deal and do not delve into your problems, let God resolve them.'
Another rule that you must learn is to simplify your homes, because life has become complicated: all those clothes, toys and pleasures. Give all this to the poor and you will be freer, less worried. When you have problems, do not have them analysed or go here and there trying to find out what has happened: leave them to God. You just pray and have faith.
(Medjugorje, 24th May 1984)
I wonder where can I find the time to pray, to manage my blog, to do God's work, to write my Ph.D. thesis and to teach in school. Well, let God take care of them. Let us not worry over what we are to eat, what to wear and what to put upon our feet. Have faith and pray hard and do your best today. God will take care of everything.
Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Which of you by worrying can add a moment to his life-span? Matthew: 6:26-27 (Please click here to view the contents page of this blog)
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