An Evil Spirit of this Kind is Only Driven out by Prayer and Fasting

Help for fasting on this Wednesday of the 1st Week of Lent:

"Prayer is greatly aided by fasting and watching and every kind of bodily chastisement. In this regard each of you must do what you can. Thus, the weaker will not hold back the stronger, and the stronger will not press the weaker. You owe your conscience to God. But to no one else do you owe anything more except that you love one another."
— St. Augustine

© Janet Moore 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Jakov's Testimony on Medjugorje - "Dear Children, It is Enough to Open your Heart and I Will Do the Rest."

Help for fasting on this Wednesday of the sixth week of Lent

Today, I wanted to share a talk given by the Visionary Jakov Colo. He was only 10 years old when the apparitions began. In this talk, he speaks about what he believes is most important for us to know and live. It is refreshing to hear his wisdom and to place Our Lady's call to fast on this day within the context of her entire coming.
Let us, as always, pray for each other - asking for the grace to be able to place ourselves into the hands of Our Lady and God, allowing them to do the rest.

I pray you enjoy Jakov's talk:

http://www.orthodoxmedjugorje.com/jakovs-talk/

I've tried to write a few notes from his beautiful and inspiring talk:
The most important part is Our Lady's messages
Live the messages as a child...
It is difficult to describe the love Our Lady has for us
How much you feel loved and protected
There are not enough words to describe it
...to have the joy and peace that I never felt before.

New life began for me
First question, how is it possible to live this new life?
Our Lady said:
"Dear Children,
It is enough to open your heart and I will do the rest."
I realized at that moment, I could put my life into Mary's hands, my heart into God's hands and my new life started.
...
Through Our Lady I met Jesus.
This is the real reason Our Lady has come to bring us to Jesus
...
Don't ask why.  God knows why. It is God's plan.
We need to say something else, we need to say thanks.
We need to say thanks for all he gives to us and for giving Mary to us for so long.
You will understand that Mary is mother and she loves her children.
She wants to lead her to peace and joy - which is Jesus Christ.

Her messages are about how to recognize Him...
She invites us to pray.
Repeating, pray, pray, pray.
Pray with your heart. Feel the peace and joy in your heart.
Prayer is supposed to be our daily food.
Prayer is the answer to everything we ask for.

People come with many questions and ask us for answers.
If you open your heart and have a strong faith and prayer and God will do the rest.
Prayer should be the first place in our families.
Our Lady said, "Nothing can unite a family as praying together..."

So many people need us, but we don't see them.
To be Christian we have to show in our faith.
Smile I believe each Christian has to show joy of being with God.
Our Lady asks us to be her witnesses...
so we have to have the joy on our faces.

You parents are the ones that have to put the roots of faith in your children. And one day if they go away they will come back, because they have the roots of faith in their heart.

At 13:15 he begins to talk about fasting:
Why to fast?
Many decide it's difficult before they even start to fast.
"Dear Children, with prayer and fasting you can stop anything - even stop wars."
That is why we fast.
We are looking for many answers, searching...
We know what we are to do, but we don't do it.
To live in God is our strength.
And it is the answer to everything we are asking for.
Fasting is a very small sacrifice
How many people die because they're hungry?

You do many things... without blessing.
Many times we are asking without God's blessing
Then everything that we have is nothing....

Visiting Medjugorje:
The visionaries ordinary - we all want to be holy
There are signs all around us, we just don't recognize them.
Each person here is a sign of God, but many times we don't see them.
Conversion to change our life.
New life with God.
Even more important, is to bring that gift of conversion back home.

There is no coincidence.
The real pilgrimage starts when you come back home.
We have to be witnesses with our lives.
When others recognize God in us, it is the real example.
So many don't believe in God. We can help them by our example and prayers.

Pray for peace in our hearts.
This world needs peace.
War - war isn't only when you use a weapon.
How many young people are destroyed today?
How many abortions?
With our example and with prayer and fasting we can stop wars.

There is only one thing for us to do.
Open our heart to God and pray. The rest God will do.

Vicka and I pray for sick people.
I first pray for healing of hearts.
Sickness can be plan from God for us.
We can say, "God it might be your will."
Our God is our Father. Who knows better than Him what we need?
We just need to place ourselves in God's hands and let Him do the rest.

Open your heart to Our Lady.
"Dear Children,
If you knew how much I loved you, you would cry for you."
How much do I love Our Lady?

Think about her thanking us at the end of each message...
we are supposed to be thanking her and God for all the graces they give to us.

Lastly, a wanted to share a video of one of Jakov's annual Christmas apparitions:

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Our Lady of Medjugorje: "Pray and Fast that God May Give You Peace" - Wisdom from Father Slavko

Prayer and Fasting for Peace

Help for fasting on this Friday of the fifth week of Lent

In the message of May 25, 2001, Our Lady says:

” … pray and fast that God may give you peace … “

Fr. Slavko Barbaric's book, Fast With the Heart, offers profound teachings on fasting and praying for peace.
Here are some of them:

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Mary is the Queen of the Prophets
All the Prophets called for conversion, fasting and prayer as conditions for peace. She does not have any better or different means than those by which the Prophets called to peace, namely: conversion, prayer, fasting and firm faith.
In calling us to fast on two days a week, Mary remains in the tradition of her Israelite nation and reminds us of the multi-century tradition of the Eastern and the Western Church.
While the Second Vatican Council calls everyone to return to “the source”, we must admit that we have not discovered fasting but, instead, the opposite has happened. In the past decades, fasting has been reduced to the least possible measure – to two days a year: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
The apparitions in Medjugorje have not presented anything new nor have they revealed anything unknown. Instead, they help us accept what God asked for through the prophets – what Mary did and Jesus Himself has done.

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In Biblical revelation, fasting is connected with the call to prayer and conversion
Prophets fasted before accepting their service as prophets and before special revelations. Individuals fasted in various circumstances of life – of joy, gratitude, sorrow and sinfulness. Even the entire nation fasted in preparation for certain feasts, to be saved from a catastrophe or to come out of a catastrophe once they had fallen into it.

(Fasting and Visions: Ex 34,27-28; Dt 9,9-11; Dn 10,1-8.
Lamentation of Sins: 1 Sm 7,3-6; 1 Kgs 21,20-29; Dn 9,3-5.
Fasting in a Time of Sorrow: 1 Sm 31,11-13; 2 Sm 1,11-12; 1 Chr 10,11-12.
Prayer and fasting for healing: 2 Sm 12,13-17.
Fasting and Inner Healing in an Experience of God: 1 Kgs 19,6-13.
Fasting and Danger of War: 2 Chr 20,2-4; Jdt 4,12-13; 1 Mc 3,44.47; 2 Mc 13,11-12; Jon 3,4-9. Prayer and Fasting for a Blessing and a Safe Journey: Ezr 8,21-23.
Fasting after Destruction of War: Neh 1,3-4.
Fasting after Returning to the True God: Neh 9,1-2.
Fasting, Prayer, Almsgiving and Righteousness: Tob 12,8.
Life-long Fasting out of Sorrow: Jdt 8,5-6; Lk 2,36-38.
Fasting in a Situation Endangering the people: Est 4,1-3.15-16,17k.
Fasting in Psalms: Ps 35,13; Ps 69,11-12; Ps 109,24-25; Sir 34,26.
The Meaning of Fasting – a New Relationship: Is 58,1-6; Jer 14,11-12; Zeh 7,4-5; Zeh 8,18-19. Fasting and Preparation for Listening to the Word of God: Jer 36,5-7.
Responding to the Word of God with Prayer and Fasting: Bar 1,3-6.
Fasting and Prayer as a Way out of a Common Sinful State: Jl 1,13-14; Jl 2,12-15;
Jesus’ Fast: Mt 4,1-11.
Jesus Speaks about Fasting: Mt 6,16-18; Lk 18,10-14; Mt 9,14-15; Mk 2,18-20; Lk 5,33-35.
Fasting and Prayer Strengthen Faith: Mt 17,20-21.
Fasting and Prayer Used Against Satan: Mk 9,25-29.
Fasting and Prayer Before Being sent to Serve: Acts 13,2-3; Acts 14,21-23.
St. Paul Fasts: 2 Cor 6,3-8; 2 Cor 11,25-28.) 
[An Idea for continued help: Keep this list handy and pray with and ponder one bible verse each fast day]

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Fasting and Peace
Peace is a fruit of the Spirit.
The deepest longing of man´s heart is actually for peace. ... Clearly when good is being done, personal peace and the peace of others are being realized. On the other hand, when evil is being committed, it is a search for one´s own peace at the expense of the peace of others.
Looking at it from yet another perspective, we can see how often we lose peace because we are egotistical, selfish, envious, jealous, avaricious and consumed by power and honor. Experience confirms that through fasting and prayer, evil, egoism, and selfishness are overcome; the heart is opened and love and humility, generosity and goodness grow. Thus, true conditions for peace are realized. Whoever has peace because he loves and forgives also remains spiritually and physically healthy. He remains capable of shaping his own life in a manner worthy of man, who is the most exalted of God´s creatures. Through fasting and prayer, human needs are also diminished and brought to proportion. Also by this, conditions for peace along with a proper relationship with others and material things are being created.
This is why a misunderstanding comes about when fasting is experienced in a negative way, as a renunciation of something: namely, when its benefit is not recognized on the spiritual level. For this reason, it is not possible to speak about replacing fasting with good works or anything else. In this context, we can understand why peace is always promised after conversion and after fasting and prayer.
It is, therefore, through fasting that a person comes to understand what he must fight against in himself. In this way, our subconscious is also freed from everything that drives us to restlessness and disorder. The soul then becomes still and conditions for peace are realized. The following text beautifully presents an image of this battle:

“When a king wants to occupy a city of the enemy he first seizes the water source and stops every supply. When the inhabitants begin to die from hunger and thirst, they surrender to him. This is what it is like with physical cravings: when a religious comes against them with fasting and hunger, the enemies of the soul lose strength.”

Experience clearly confirms that without a battle against internal enemies of peace, it is not possible to come to peace. This is why fasting is a very tried and tested means. This is also why it is not accidental that all of the prophets, together with Jesus and then the entire Church tradition, have called man to fasting and prayer, so that he may open himself to true peace. The problem is that man is inclined to follow the way of false prophets who promise an easy peace that actually does not exist.

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Fasting and Prayer
Fasting, prayer and good works are often mentioned together both by Jews and Christians. Prayer does not stand ahead of fasting, and good works independent of them, but as something that binds them from within. The most complete understanding of prayer is particularly offered in its connection with fasting. When we briefly look at what is said about prayer and how it is defined, we can see that the emphasis is naturally more on the state of the heart and soul and less on the body as a possible expression of prayer or of prayer generally.
The answer to the question, “What is prayer?” is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is the definition of St. Therese of the Child Jesus:

“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”

It is also the definition of St. John Damascene:

“Prayer is the raising of one´s mind and heart to God or the requisition of good things from God.”

Primarily, the conversation with God as a spiritual activity is emphasized. However, there is also the practice and the experience that not only thoughts, conversation and spiritual acts on their own are included in prayer, but so is the body. Prayer becomes more complete by means of the body and the movement, which accompanies the words of prayer. The body and its movement support prayer making it more complete and expressive so that it may more easily encompass the entire person.
The unification of the body and soul in prayer are particularly manifested in fasting and prayer. The physical fast makes prayer more complete. A person who fasts prays better and a person, who prays, fasts more easily. In this way, prayer does not only remain an expression or words, but includes the entire human being. Physical fasting is an admission to God before men that one cannot do it alone and needs help. A person experiences his helplessness more easily when he fasts and that is why, by means of the physical fast, the soul is more open to God. Without fasting, our words of prayer remain without a true foundation. In the Old Testament the faithful fasted and prayed individually, in groups and in various life situations. Because of this, they always experienced God´s help. (Cf. Ezr 8,21-23; 2 Chr 20,12) Jesus ascribes a special power to fasting and prayer, especially in the battle against evil spirits (cf. Mk 9,29). The same practice is found in the tradition of the Catholic Church and is most evident in the rules of all orders and religious communities. St. Bernard wrote about the relationship between fasting and prayer saying:

“I will tell you something that you will understand easily and that you have often experiences, if I am not mistaken: fasting gives certainty to prayer and makes it fervent… By means of prayer, strength is gained for fasting and through fasting the grace of prayer. Fasting strengthens prayer and prayer strengthens fasting and offers it to the Lord.”

This is apparent because by means of fasting one becomes more awake and open to God and to what is spiritual. For the same reason, fasting is connected to the Eucharist. While a person practices renunciation and lives for a period of time with bread, he prepares himself for a meeting with the Divine Bread. This exceptional meeting with God, especially in connection with the Eucharist, is evidence of how fasting is positive in itself and how it enables us to realize the fundamental goal of prayer – the meeting of the entire person with God, the Savior.
In our time, Gandhi is known as a man who fasted and prayed. He said:

“My religion teaches me that in every affliction which cannot be alleviated, it is necessary to fast and pray.”

Although it is known that Gandhi fasted and prayed with political goals in mind, he deeply believed that only God could change the heart and man´s intentions through fasting and prayer. He believed that with fasting and prayer, man is purified within and frees himself from guilt, which, at the same time, is an expression of solidarity with those who suffer.
From the above, it must be concluded that fasting and prayer are inseparable just as man as a whole, comprised of the spirit, soul and body, is inseparable.

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Cf: Fr. Slavko Barbaric: Fast With the Heart, Information Center „Mir” Medjugorje, 2000

First published on the Medjugorje official parish website, here.

Sister Emmanuel's Teaching and Fasting Bread Recipes to Help Us Live Our Lady of Medjugorje's Call to Fast

Help for fasting on this Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent

I'm including a video teaching from Sister Emmanuel, who has lived in Medjugorje since the 1990s. She is an extremely wise teacher of Our Lady's messages and has compiled hundreds upon hundreds of miracle stories in her beautiful books on Medjugorje. 

May we gain insight from her teaching as we strive to "live the fast" and pray for each other today - knowing that fasting can conquer the demons that are attacking our families, our countries, our Church and our world. May this encourage and strengthen us to choose to fast today in love.
Our Mother, Queen of Peace, pray for us and thank you for being with us to help us and to lead us on this way of peace.

Notes from Sister Emmanuel's talk:

Of all of our Lady's messages, fasting is the most neglected...Why don't we fast?
It's difficult for us to do anything too costly.
Remember Jesus' teaching:
"This demon can only be cast out by prayer and fasting."
Is it more difficult to fast two days a week, or is it more difficult to repair the damage done by the demons who come against our families, our countries, etc?
We live in very serious times...many people are being lost in sin...
Those who have heard the message and know the power of fasting and don't do it, we are responsible. 
Feeling good should not be our goal...
But, rather our goal should be heaven.

For those who don't know who Sister Emmanuel is, her website shares this about her: 

"Sister Emmanuel tells that after receiving her first calling to the Beatitudes Community in 1976, she received another calling – to serve Our Lady in Medjugorje.  Sent by her community, she initiated the first branch of the community in Medjugorje in 1989.  During the Balkan war in the 90s, Sister Emmanuel became known for her regular faxes about the situation in Herzegovina, always related to the mission of Our Lady.  She has had an enormous impact on France, stimulating an extensive response to Medjugorje among French pilgrims, but her apostolate has broadened as her books have been translated into 22 languages and she has traveled widely to make Medjugorje known, particularly in the United States.  Today, “Les Enfants de Medjugorje” and “Children of Medjugorje, Inc.” allow her to be connected everyday to thousands of people around the world, who are motivated by and spreading, the messages of Our Lady in their own humble way.  Sister says that her greatest joy is to be part of a family formed by Our Lady, and being Her extended heart and hands for her children, especially those who do not yet know the love of God."

Sister suggests that we must fast on substantial bread. Here she offers multiple recipes below:

Medjugorje Fasting Bread Recipe
3 cups white flour
4 cups wheat flour
1 pkg. dry yeast - 1Tablespoon or 3 teaspoons of active yeast
½ cup of lukewarm water
2 cups of very hot water
1 beaten egg
1 Tablespoon of Salt
2 Tablespoons of Sugar
2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of butter
1 cup of Raisins (or fresh apple cut up into small pieces)
1 cup of Almonds or walnuts
1 cup of Plain Oats
Blend flour in a large bowl.  Make a well in the flour.  After yeast dissolves in ½ cup lukewarm water (5-10 minutes), add to flour.  Mix flour over yeast mixture making soft balls.  Add salt, sugar butter, oil, raisins (or apple) and nuts, ½ beaten egg to 2 cups of hot water.  Pour over yeast.  (Continually add flour and water as needed) Knead the dough until it comes clean from the bowl.  Let it rise 10 minutes covered.  Knead again until it is has spring to it.  Place in well greased bowl preferable 70-80 degrees F until it is double in bulk.  Form into desired shapes.  Brush the top with remaining egg and sesame seeds, oats, or poppy seeds, if desired.  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, until done and golden brown.  (Use the “wet knife” test) Makes 2 large or 3 medium loaves.  

Chiapati
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup hot water or as needed
Directions:
1.     In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
2.     Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.

Naan
“A yeast raised East Indian flat bread with a delicious chewy texture.”
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F
/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
Directions:
1.     Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set     aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
2.     Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted margarine. In a large bowl, mix flour,     salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once     and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or     water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
3.     Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl     and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for     about 4 hours or until doubled in volume.
4.     Preheat oven to 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) or your oven’s highest setting and     set a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a large pizza pan or iron griddle on     the rack and preheat. Also preheat the broiler.
5.     Punch the dough down and knead briefly. Divide into six pieces and shape them     into balls. Place them on an oiled plate and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap.     Let balls rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll out and stretch each ball until it is about     10 inches long and 5 inches wide. Remove the pizza pan from the oven, brush     with oil and place one of pieces of bread on it.
6.     Bake at 550 degrees F (285 degrees C) for about 4 to 5 minutes until bread is     puffed and has brown spots, then transfer to a wire rack, returning pizza pan to     oven to keep hot. Place bread under broiler until ‘charcoal’ dots appear on the     surface. Wrap finished bread in a towel while baking the remaining loaves. (If     your pizza pan is big enough, try baking two loaves at the time.)
Indian Naan II (Exotic Ingredients)
Ingredients:
2/3 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ghee
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
2 teaspoons kalonji (onion seed)
Directions:
1.     Whisk the warm water with the yeast and sugar until the yeast is dissolved. Cover     and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes.
2.     Sift flour and salt three times into a large bowl add the yeast mixture, half of the     ghee and all the yogurt. Mix into a soft dough then knead on a floured surface for     about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a large     greased bowl, cover and let stand in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until the     dough is doubled in size .
3.     Punch down dough then knead for 5 minutes. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Roll     each piece out into 8 inch round naans.
4.     Cover an oven tray with foil and grease the foil. Brush the naan with a little of the     remaining ghee and sprinkle with some of the kalonji. Cook naan one at a time     under a very hot grill for about 2 minutes on each side or until puffed and just     browned.
Easy St. Phanourios Bread
Fasting (with oil)
Preheat oven to 350.
1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1 cup oil
3. 2 cups orange juice
4. 3/4 cup raisins
5. 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
6. 1 tsp. baking soda
7. 4 cups flour
Mix oil and sugar, and beat until it’s a creamy yellow. This may take a long time.
Put the baking soda IN the orange juice, and stir until dissolved. [NB: this can be spectacularly dramatic if you use a two cup measuring cup with two cups of o.j. in it. (Please don’t ask how I found out.) It might be easier to hold a two cup measuring cup OVER the bowl full of oil and sugar and pour in *one* cup of o.j., mix in 1/2 tsp. baking soda, watch the fireworks, pour it into the bowl, and again mix *one* cup of o.j. with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, stir and pour again. If you don’t dissolve the baking soda completely, you get lumps of it in the cake. So, stir well.]
Add the flour, then the raisins and nuts.
Pour the batter into an ungreased 9″x13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes (or until a clean toothpick dipped in the cake emerges clean.)
I use a bundt pan instead of one 9″ x 13″, and my kids prefer this with chocolate chips in the place of the raisins and nuts. It doesn’t really need a frosting, but if you wanted to drizzle a stiff glaze made out of, say, powdered sugar and lemon juice and a little water over it, that would be okay, too.
If you wanted to put spices in the batter, I’d go with a tiny amount (1/4 tsp. or less) of ground cloves.

EZEKIEL FASTING BREAD
Combine the following whole grains:
* 2-1/2 cups hard red wheat
* 1-1/2 cups spelt or rye (Biblically spelt was used, Ezekiel 4:9)
* 1/2 cup barley (hulled barley)
* 1/4 cup millet
* 1/4 cup lentils (green preferred)
* 2 Tbs. great northern beans
* 2 Tbs. red kidney beans
* 2 Tbs. pinto beans
Stir the above ingredients very well.  Grind in flour mill.
(NOTE: all of these grains and beans can be ground in the GrainMaster Whisper
Mill with no problems).
Measure into large bowl or DLX:
* 4 cups lukewarm water
* 1 cup honey
* 1/2 cup oil
Add to liquids:
freshly milled flour from the above mixture of grains
* 2 tsp. salt
* 2 Tbs. yeast
Stir or knead until well kneaded about 10 minutes. This is a batter type bread and will not form a smooth ball.
Pour dough into greased pans. You may use 2 large loaf pans (10x5x3) or 3 med. loaf pans or 2-9×13 brownie pans. Let rise in a warm place for one hour or until the dough is almost to the top of the pan. If it rises too much it will over flow the pan while baking. Bake at 350o for 45-50 minutes for loaf pans and 35-40 minutes for brownie pans.
*For fasting divide bread into 8 equal parts weighing 1/2 pound each. Eat a 1/2 pound cake and drink a quart of water every day. For fasting I do not alter the recipe.
Beckers Bread and Roll recipe
This is a very sweet, moist, cake-like bread. For a more traditional bread texture I have used this combination of grains in The Beckers Bread and Roll recipe. Replacing the 7 cups of flour with the 9 cups of flour from the milled grains in this recipe. You may also add fruits and nuts or use the flour made from this mixture in other favorite recipes. This healthy combination of grains and beans is worth experimenting with. Combining grains and beans makes a complete protein.
Ingredients Convert Measures
* 1/2 c. rolled oats
* 3/4 c. boiling water
* 5 tbsp. butter
* 3 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 c. honey
* 3 c. 7 grain mix
* 3 tbsp. yeast
* 1/3 c. dry lowfat milk
* 2 c. hot water
* 1 c. gluten flour
* 3 to 4 c. white flour
Directions
1. You may grind 7 grain in a blender or possibly use as is. In small bowl, pour boiling water over oats. Add in butter, salt and honey. In large bowl, put 2 c. 7 grain mix, 1 c. gluten flour, 3 Tbsp. yeast and dry lowfat milk. Mix and add in oat mix plus 2 c. hot water. Add in remaining 1 c. 7 grain and mix. Add in sufficient white flour till dough loses stickiness. Knead 8 to 10 min. Place in greased bowl to rise. Divide into 2 loaves. Let rise. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 min. Makes 2 loaves.

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Satan Wishes to Seduce as Many Souls as Possible but the One Who Fasts is Not Afraid of Evil

On this Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent, I offer three of Our Lady's messages on fasting for us to ponder. May we reflect deeply on the power God gives to our sacrifices and prayers:

"The best fast is on bread and water. Through fasting and prayer one can stop wars, one can suspend the natural laws of nature. Works of charity cannot replace fasting... Everyone except the sick, has to fast." (July 21, 1982)

"Dear children! Today also I invite you to prayer. Only by prayer and fasting can war be stopped. Therefore, my dear little children, pray and by your life give witness that you are mine and that you belong to me, because Satan wishes in these turbulent days to seduce as many souls as possible. Therefore, I invite you to decide for God and He will protect you and show you what you should do and which path to take. I invite all those who have said "yes" to me to renew their consecration to my Son Jesus and to His Heart and to me so we can take you more intensely as instruments of peace in this unpeaceful world. Medjugorje is a sign to all of you and a call to pray and live the days of grace that God is giving you. Therefore, dear children, accept the call to prayer with seriousness. I am with you and your suffering is also mine. Thank you for having responded to my call." April 25, 1992

"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." January 25, 2001

Mary's greatest desire is to bring us to God. So the call of fasting is not to just stop wars throughout the world, (although I'm sure she desires this), but the core of the message is the stop the wars that are being waged within us (for wars within our world are caused by people who are, first of all, at war within themselves). 

So, ultimately, Our Mother is calling us to pray and fast to stop the wars raging within our own bodies, hearts, minds and wills... How greatly she must desire to replace the wars of sin, greed, gluttony, selfishness, lust, hatred and disbelief that rage both inside and around us with the "peace that surpasses understanding" (Phil 4:7). 

But the only way to do this is to bring us to God, Who alone gives us this type of peace. 
He is able to give us this peace only when we draw close to Him through prayer and fasting. 
The more we fast and pray, 
the more we are drawn into a relationship of love with God. 
The more we pray, the closer we become to God. 
The more we sacrifice our wants, the stronger are wills become... which helps us choose God over the seductions of the Devil... 
and the more we choose God and are in relationship with God, 
the more we realize how deeply He loves us... 
and this understanding of God and His Love for us, transforms us so much that we begin to realize we have nothing to fear...

For no one and nothing is more powerful than God. Nor can anyone or anything love us or intimately care and provide for our needs more than He does.

Perhaps that is why Our Lady came to Medjugorje as the Queen of Peace - because in this noisy, distracted, evil and sinful world we have so little peace in ourselves and in our homes - let alone the world. So she comes to remind us the only way to peace is to draw near to God, Who is the source of peace and all fulfillment.

May we take Our Mother's call for us to fast and pray to heart this day -- and may we always pray for one another and Our Mother's intentions and plans to be realized, so that wars can be stopped and souls may be drawn closer to God, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen. 

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

Vicka on Fasting: "If You Fast Out of Love it Will Not Be Difficult"

On this Wednesday of the 4th week of Lent, I'd like to share a video of radiantly smiling Vicka, one of the reported visionaries of Medjugorje, talking to pilgrims about fasting.

Here are notes from the video:

"Our Lady, when she speaks about fasting and recommends to us to fast twice a week on bread and water, she also added that all those who are sick do not have to fast on bread and water. On those days, they can give up something that is most dear to them.

For those people who are healthy and say they cannot fast on bread and water because they have problems with a headache or with various other problems, Our Lady says if you fast out of love for God or for her it will not be difficult. The only thing that's missing is their strong will to do it."

Today, we pray for ourselves and for each other -- asking for greater love and stronger wills to respond to Our Mother's call to fast this day
for peace, 
for conversion, 
for all those who do not yet know the love of God, 
for the sick and the dying, 
for families, 
for young people, 
for the suffering innocents,
for our priests, 
for our Pope and our Holy Church, 
and for all Jesus and Mary's intentions to be realized
and for their Triumph to come soon --
remembering that we are in a spiritual battle and that certain demons cannot be cast out except by prayer and fasting. This we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.

"Dear children, you forget that you are all important." Medjugorje Lenten Homily by Father Slavko

Help for us to "Live the Fast" on this Friday of the Third Week of Lent

We cannot live our fast without prayer, or by forgetting that we are all important in fulfilling God's plans - for He chooses to need us.
This powerful Lenten homily about prayer, fasting and conversion was given by Father Slavko Barbaric on April 26, 1986 in Medjugorje. 
May it be a grace for you, and may we not forget to pray for one another and Our Lady's intentions this day, as we read and ponder Our Mother's words:

"Dear children, you forget that you are all important." 

I will read you last Thursday's message and try to explain it in the context of all the other messages: 

"Dear children, today I invite you to pray. Dear children, you forget that you are all important. The elderly are especially important in the family. Urge them to pray. Let young people be an example to others by their lives and let them give witness to Jesus. Dear children, I beseech you, begin to change through prayer and you will know then what you need to do. Thank you for having responded to my call." 

The apparitions show us in a practical way how to go towards peace and how to achieve peace. I think that all of us can find the answer to "Why am I here?" from this fact. Perhaps because I believe that this place ... has become a place of prayer, of fasting, of re-awakening of faith, where peace is found, where it is possible to live reconciliation with God and other people. 

In her first five messages, Our Lady said, "Pray." Since 1st March 1984, she has been giving us a message every Thursday. When we read these messages, it can be seen that no message is without this strong invitation to "Pray". 

Naturally we must ask ourselves why there is this invitation to pray. If you read the messages you will understand the reason. Our Lady repeats many times, "Pray and you will have all you desire", "Pray and you will have peace, a deeper joy, you will overcome your tiredness, you will have love, strength for reconciliation", and much else. 

Many people have discovered something very important here: that they can pray and that they have time for prayer. 

Many of us caught up in the hectic routine of our modern world lose the time to pray and many people excuse themselves, "I haven't enough time". It would be more honest to say, "I don't see the need for prayer." We can't see the value of prayer anymore. Thinking of all of us who wish to peace, wish to love and be loved, it is true what Our Lady is telling us, "Pray and you will have all of this."And what do we do? We leave prayer, we haven't got the time for it, we believe that we can resolve everything with our money, by our devices, and I don't know what else. This is a great mistake, also in the lives of us Christians. 

But when we discover the value of prayer, then we find the time for prayer and we start again to organize our life with God. 

This is our conversion. This is the significance of the words in the messages where Our Lady says,"Abandon yourselves, let yourselves be guided by me." 

In her last but one message, she said, "You are too preoccupied with material goods, and in these goods, you lose everything that God wishes to give you." 

In other words, in the first place in your lives there is not God, love of God, or peace; material goods take the first place. 

Naturally, if we do not meet each other through our hearts, but with our money, our muscle, our heads, then conflicts and wars must follow. I would like to explain to you that Our Lady has never spoken against our belongings, against our money or against our work, never. But she has spoken many times about changing our relationship with all our possessions and finding a new order of values in our lives. This is what the apparitions are for, to produce this new order of values in our life. 

God is not inviting us, through Our Lady, to lose something, but to change our values in the light of our faith. This is why Our Lady is always telling us, "Pray." Without prayer, this change is not possible. But not all prayer helps us to change our lives and to bring harmony to them. You know that Jesus told us not to pray as the pagans do, only with our lips, but to pray from the heart; seeking first of all the will of God and the Kingdom of Heaven and then all else will be given to us. Here Our Lady is inviting us to heartfelt prayer and asks that it be active prayer, that the words be active. She said, "I invite you once again to pray." 

What does heartfelt prayer mean? It means feeling the words of God in our heart and allowing ourselves to be moved by these words. Do God's words move me or not? What does it mean to me when God says, "I give you my love", "I give you My Body", "Here is My Word for you", and from the Cross, "Here is your Mother. Here is your son", "Be reconciled to your neighbor", "Love your neighbor, love your God above all else, love yourself, do not destroy yourself." 

If these words leave us indifferent and if we continue to find excuses it means that prayer is not active, it cannot move us, and we are closed. Or in other words, what does the Cross mean for you in your family? When you look at it does it invite you to love and to reconciliation? Does it help you not to blaspheme and not to use swear words? Does it help you to love your neighbor? Does it help you to accept Our Lady? To pray or not? 

If we continue to behave selfishly in front of the Cross, if we affirm that we cannot forgive when someone has offended us, then it means that the Cross is silent and is no longer speaking to us. Our Lady, by inviting us to pray, wants us to be touched by God's Word once again, and not to be afraid in the face of these things. Like a Mother, Our Lady invites us, "Do this and you will receive all that you need." In one of her message, she said, "I know that you want to live all that I tell you, but you are not able to do so because you haven't yet started praying." 

In this message too, we have an example of whether the word moves us or not; Our Lady said, "Dear children, you forget that all of you are important." These words said by Our Lady are serious. She is telling each one of us personally, "You are important."

Sometimes we talk about inferiority complexes in psychology; how many people, especially amongst the young, have lost the meaning of life, of sacrifice, of love and many other aspects and do not want to live life, and so the way is opened for drugs, alcohol, crime and all that is negative. Our Lady says to each one of us, "You are important." I believe that these words must heal our soul and our heart of every fear and worry. We are important for Our Lady and important for each other. 

If we accept this and begin to live it, who will dare to hate someone anymore, or with hate destroy someone? What parent will dare to fight or get divorced if they become important to each other, and if their children become important to them? Look how important what Our Lady is telling us is. In the Kingdom of Heaven no one can be idle because no human being refuses love.

So, if I make up my mind to love I will always have much to do. Do not complain that you do not have any work to do. You have work. Many people are waiting for your help, a word from you, and your presence."

In this message we have an example, “The elderly are especially important in the family.” Guided by this message, I often ask myself and I ask you too, when did you last tell some elderly person in the corner in our home, or in the family: you are very important? Perhaps because we have never said this they have lost every desire in life, and all joy in it. Many of them have lived in the belief that someone is of value if they work, and after retiring they lose the meaning of living, they lose joy, and they feel of no importance.

Look at how Our Lady is educating us, how she wants to open our eyes to each other’s needs. From my words, perhaps from the words of a young person, depend the parent’s joy: and from the words of a parent depend the children’s lives. So, you see how important we are to each other, the life of another person can really depend on me, on you. If we discover these values life will change and perhaps we will have a new chance to discover and realize the nonsense of our fights, our hate, our envy, of our being closed and looking just for something for ourselves.

Our Lady said for the elderly people, “Urge them to pray.” These words must be understood in connection with the last words of this message. “Begin to change through prayer and you will know then what you need to do.” Through this message, prayer is once again a way to discover that I am important, that you are, that each one of us is. Through prayer, we can discover what we must do.

In her last but one message, she said, “Dear children, I want to guide you completely.” Why say, I don’t know what to do? I am frightened. If Our Lady tells us seriously, “I want to guide you completely,” then we must give Her our hand. I am sure that by coming here this is what you want to do.

And now a few words for the young people. Our Lady is asking a lot from you. She said, “Let young people be an example to others by their lives and let them give witness to Jesus.”

If you ask me how to give witness, I say, “Try.” How can you be an example for Jesus? By testifying. Jesus has invited us to live a life full of joy, of love for everyone, a life full of peace and a heart ready to bring peace. Jesus has invited us all to forgive when we are offended and not to be revenged; He has invited us to develop the gifts we have been given by God, and this is particularly valid for young people.

You have many possibilities of developing them. In the life of a young person, all laziness, all letting one’s self go is really a sin against the Holy Spirit. Our Lady has suggested two day’s fasting and prayer; why? Not in order to annihilate us. If a trainer wants to get the young people in his team ready, he doesn’t train them to reduce them to nothing, but to prepare them in order to have a good team for the new season. In the same way, Our Lady is asking certain things in order to prepare you young people to be able to face up to life, not to make you tired. We elderly can also be young on one condition, to be young in our spirit and soul. Someone who wants to renew his life doesn’t lose hope and even if difficulties come remains youthful.

What does Our Lady want of us? She wants to help us to open our hearts to peace, be ready to live the fullness of life; then it doesn’t matter how old we are.

We must be ready to open ourselves in prayer; as I open myself when I am with a friend, so I open myself to God. If I don’t spend time with someone, I will never open myself up; and it is the same with prayer.

Now I beseech you all to begin to change yourselves by prayer. I have already told you that Our Lady is asking for active prayer; this means that she is inviting us to be changed. If we accept the Word of God with our heart, then it will speak to us. The condition required to accept it with a new heart is prayer. If you read the messages you will realize that this is repeated in other words in every message.

But there is another important means available to us and that is fasting. It is a specialty of Our Lady. All our cookery recipes have become very complicated, but Our Lady has remained just as two thousand years ago; She has not changed the recipes of her kitchen which she is suggesting to us in our modern world where we have everything available. She says: the ideal is bread and water. But the stress is on bread.

When we come to Italy we find your specialties and, when you come to Medjugorje, you find this specialty. Why: Our Lady is not asking us for fasting because she is happy if we are hungry. This is not so. This is the chance to live on bread and it is an aspect, perhaps the first which we should discover, the Eucharistic aspect of this fasting. By living on bread for two days a week we will discover how important bread is and by discovering our daily bread we will more easily be brought to realize our Eucharistic bread. This will come to us step by step, slowly.

Fasting has its own value; it serves as a means, it serves us for our faith, for our prayer, for love and for reconciliation.

In the Beatitudes Jesus said that those who are poor of heart before God are blessed. He did not say blessed are those who do not have anything, but those who are poor of heart. We can interpret this as meaning blessed are all those who feel a need for God. This is what being poor means, that is, open.

Today, the editors of ... a local magazine asked Vicka how Our Lady guides her, how she could describe Our Lady: friend, mother, unapproachable being from above? Vicka described her in the loveliest way, “Mary is Mother.”

Afterwards they asked her, “What do you like most about this Mother?” She said, “Her exceptional goodness and tenderness. She is a Mother who loves everyone and wants us all to be saved, the whole of humanity.”

I tell you this because we must understand that everything Our Lady offers us, she offers to us as a mother who has understood and taken seriously the words of Jesus, “Here is your son.” She has kept these words in her heart. They are words which have moved Our Lady.

If someone says, “She is asking a lot, it is not possible,” we must accept. Our Lady loves us, and this is why she is inviting us, and I am sure that by coming here you will have understood and accepted her voice and will wish to continue.

I am inviting you. Our conversion will never be finished. So, be patient with yourselves. Conversion means growing in love, in peace, and in the spirit of prayer and penance.

Who of us is able to say that they have already grown enough, cannot love any more and cannot grow any further in faith? 

(Fr. Slavko Barbaric - 26th April 1986)

First shared by:

Cathy Nolan 
©Mary TV 2019
https://marytv.tv

Growing in Love of God through Fasting

On this Friday of the 2nd Week of Lent, enjoy the following talk on fasting:

Here are a few notes I took from the talk:
We fast to help us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Human heart is like silver
when we fast it is like we
mix the silver of our heart with the gold of God

We fast to pull away from the things of the world
Fasting helps us say no to a love that is lower than God
it helps us to say no to the tin to say yes to the gold

Fasting is good for our health
It helps us lose weight

Fasting for God is a spiritual exercise
St. Paul: "Our flesh lusts against the spirit"
Fasting strengthens the body
and humbles our flesh

Fasting is a pleasing sacrifice that God to atone for sin
Nineveh's repentance - spared the city

Listen for much more...

Know of my prayers for you!

And pray together: Lord, we offer this day to you! 
May we have the gift of fasting today
through the help of your grace and through the strengthening of our wills.
May our fasting be pleasing to you, and draw us ever closer to you!
We ask this in Jesus' Name. Amen.

© Janet Moore. 2019. All Rights Reserved.