I’m on the winter blues bandwagon again! Yes, it’s still here in Chicago: heavy snowfalls, bitter cold and wind, and school closings. Last month I wrote how these humbling conditions can actually be a step in deepening our faith. However, the latest accumulation put me over the edge. Tired and irritable from the cold and snow, I began to beg God to have mercy on us this winter.
Yes, it seems we have control over many things, but the weather is a different story! Then I remembered one of Our Lady’s messages in Medjugorje:
“…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)
Of course! Fasting and prayer can make these bizarre and dangerous weather conditions ease, if that is God’s will. If I step up my fasting and prayer life, maybe, just maybe, God will soften the blow. If God does not want to ease the hardships of this winter, we can at least, receive the grace to firmly carry on.
My thoughts were confirmed when I read the Feb. 2, 2014 message from Our Lady in Medjugorje to visionary Mirjana Soldo,
“…My children, by means of a blessing, God’s grace will descend upon you and you will be able to retain it through fasting, prayer, purification and reconciliation.”
These are strong words that Our Mother uses to us. We cannot ignore them or read them and do nothing. They must be put into action. Our Lady is showing us her plan to obtain heaven and to help others get there.
Medjugorje, in Bosnia-Hercegovina, is the site of an alleged on-going daily apparition of Our Lady to six people, most who were teens when the events began June 24, 1981. She has a plan for peace: prayer, fasting, penance, reconciliation, and conversion.
In her August 14, 1984 message, Our Lady says, “…Fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays and pray every day pray at least one Rosary: the joyful, sorrowful and glorious mysteries.”
Our Lady says the best fast is on bread and water. She asks for fasting twice a week: Wednesday and Friday. It is a much more powerful witness of faith then the two fast days that are required today: Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
Readers, please join me at Our Lady’s request to renew fasting in your homes. It is an old tradition that is enjoying new fervor. It is an effective means to move men’s hearts and keep Satan from us. I have seen its fruit and I encourage you to practice this penitence and purification to God.
In my struggle to fast, I once read that one should ask and pray for the gift of fasting. I believe that I received it, but I have been an ungracious recipient: I have not fully accepted the gift. At times, those last two cookies just beg to be eaten. With God’s grace I get up and try again to be faithful in my fasting.
As Lent approaches, let us pray for the gift of true fasting with renewed vigor. It is a beautiful tool to bring us closer to God in a way we’ve never been before. And maybe the good Lord will end this brutal winter soon!
Copyright © 2014, Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell
Mary Mitchell, from Chicago, is a devout Catholic who likes to mix the divine truth with humor. She thinks it's the only way we can get through this life! Mary is the mother of three and has been married to her husband, Philip, more than 20 years. She has attempted to live the vows as a Secular Franciscan for about 20 years, but has a long way to go.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.