The director of Radio Maria Italy Fr. Livio Fanzaga, recently interviewed one of the Medjugorje visionaries Marija, where Our Lady of Peace has been appearing for the last 35 years.
The conversation was mainly about the message of January 25, 2017, but also the ultimate meaning of this extraordinary spiritual event. I received the transcript of the interview from the online radio Maria Newsletter.
We post the entire text. The translation to English from the original Italian was done by Everyday for Life Canada.
Dear Friends,
The message from Our Lady Queen of Peace, in this centenary of Fatima, has a special solemnity, such as that of 25 January 1991, when the Soviet Union collapsed, and on January 1, 2000, the start of the third millennium, when Our Lady revealed that Satan was freed from his chains.
Our Lady reveals Satan’s ultimate attempt to have the entire world rebel (all humanity) against God through materialism, modernism and selfishness. Hence, Our Lady urges us to fight and to pray for all those who have responded to Her call.
Our Lady’s message to Marija – January 25, 2017:
“Dear children! Today I am calling you to pray for peace: peace in the hearts of men, peace in the families and peace in the world.
Satan is strong and wants to turn all of you against God, and to return you to everything that is human, and to destroy in the heart all feelings towards God and the things of God. You, little children, pray and fight against materialism, modernism and egoism, which the world offers to you.
Little children, you decide for holiness and I, with my Son Jesus, intercede for you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
Marija: It ‘a very strong message. Our Lady asks us to make a choice, a choice for God and the things of God. In a special way she asks us to pray for peace. The word “peace” has always been important in the messages of Our Lady but this time in a special way. For she says, that Satan wants us to rebel against God. He wants to destroy in our the hearts all feelings toward God through materialism, modernism and selfishness. Our Lady has been saying this for many years: in place of God we have put the ego.
P. Livio: It strikes me when she says, “Satan wants to turn everyone against God,” as if Satan was trying to push people to reject their faith in God and declare a war against Him.
Marija: Today many say they do not need God; they feel they themselves are God. We believe we are immortal, very beautiful, good and intelligent to the point that we no longer need God. Instead, Our Lady invites us to pray for peace in our hearts, in our families and peace in the world, because humanity without this peace is poor, insecure and uncertain. If we are at peace with God, we are at peace with everyone. Just look at countries where there is war, like Syria. A priest friend from Africa sent me a message: “Pray for us because even here there is war!” There are many countries where there is no peace! Our Lady calls us to have peace in our hearts and families. In many families, peace is destroyed because of many disorders. In families, where there is no prayer, where there is no God, there is also no peace.
P. Livio: This message made me tremble, because this time Our Lady repeats the word “all”as if Satan wanted to provoke a general rebellion between God and humanity and to destroy everything that is beautiful, good and holy.
Marija: I hope that humanity comes to understand its poverty: what matters most is not what we possess but how we live. Many young people today do not marry; many do not want to have children. We look after our bodies, our personal well-being and we become so selfish that we do not think of others. Instead, Our Lady tells us to pray and choose holiness. The modern ideologies that we now see in the schools and I learn about this when I meet young people are all about one’s own well being psychological and economic. This is happening even with good people. And with this, the devil has an easy time to do his work. People seek out gurus and even Eastern meditation. When I have so much for myself, I’m not interested in the welfare of others. This is terrible. When we become I, I, I, there is no God.
Father Livio: Our Lady sees the situation better than we do, but we also realize that in our world God is no longer put in first place, and so it strikes me that Our Lady tells us that, before this reality, we have to react and “Choose to be holy.” We must go against the tide to begin to rebuild the presence of God in our hearts.
Marija: It’s true. Yesterday we commemorated St. Francis de Sales, a cultured person, docile, beautiful and a perfect model for all of us. So too are all the saints. This is why Our Lady often tells us to read the lives of the saints and to imitate them. I see that among today’s students the start of many beautiful things: many are not afraid and have the courage to give witness to their encounter with God. Young people are interested in this testimony. Another hopeful sign is the young who are prepared to volunteer where there is a need. To those of us who feel warm and comfortable, it is not easy to put ourselves in the shoes of those who are in the cold, freezing, homeless and suffering because of an earthquake or war. We should do what we can to help. I think we should be more determined. The early Christians were recognized because they loved each other and shared what they had. This is what Our Lady asks of us; it’s an invitation to become saints.
Father Livio: Our Lady addresses us with three requests: Pray! Fight! Make a choice! Our Lady urges us to fight back the attack from the Prince of darkness, who wants to destroy all that is divine in the human heart. We must wake up from our sleep that has tired our souls.
Marija: It’s true. Our Lady invites us to fight, to struggle and to pray. It’s an invitation to faith, hope and charity. But she also says: “You are not alone, do not get discouraged, for I am with you because My Son is with you.”
Fr. Livio: Today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. And conversion is also the main message that Our Lady repeats in Medjugorje.
Marija: Yes, Our Lady invites us to change our lives. She said this in a very concrete way from the beginning to young people but also to families, calling us to a journey. For this, many prayer groups have been started so that we can help one another. We can journey together, supporting each other and sharing. Beautiful friendships were born. In the future, when we will be in Heaven, we will say “thank you” to the Our Lady because she put us together and we came to understand, be inspired and sometimes even pushed to the path of holiness. For me it was Father Slavko, who came to investigate and learn about the apparitions. Through that encounter was born a deep friendship in God, in prayer and in this journey of holiness. When we pray, when we’re with God, we become people of hope, because our hope is in God and Our Lady. Here we can think of Paradise and eternal life. This is most important for those who are weary, afflicted, sick and those facing many problems. Who does not have problems? We all have them but with God they can be resolved. During these 35 years, in Medjugorje many things have changed, but not the experience of the intimacy with Our Lady and with God, especially on the Hills early in the morning or at night or during the apparition. Everything leads us to the supernatural life. Medjugorje without Our Lady is nothing. Medjugorje is the Apparition Hill, Cross Mountain, the Eucharist and Adoration! When I see people kneeling for hours on stones or concrete, I ask myself: where else do you see this happening? It’s people who want to change; they want to return home as changed human beings, and this happens thanks to confession. The confessionals are always open. Many times at midnight there is still someone in the confessional. To priests who ask me what they can they do in Medjugorje, I tell them to go in the confessional because for a priest the greatest grace is the confessional. Yes, it’s true that Satan is strong, but God is stronger and we are with God. Certainly our humanity is fragile. This is why Our Lady invites us to draw close to God, prayer, the sacramental life, to be guided by a priest and go forth on the path of holiness.
The interview ended with Marija praying the Magnificat, the Glory Be, and Father Livio concluded the program.
–Everyday For Life Canada
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