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Prayer Groups PDF    Print    E-mail

Our Lady's Prayer Group Prayer Group Rules Prayer Groups Today

 

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Jelena and Marijana (80's)

 

Jelena Vasilj and Marijana Vasilj are not visionaries but have received inner locutions from the Blessed Mother, in complement of the messages given to the six visionaries. Father Tomislav Vlasic, from St James parish, was Jelena Vasilj's spiritual director at the time.  When the apparitions started, she was 11 and she asked Our Lady to receive the grace to see her too.

 

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Jelena (90's)


The Blessed Mother told Jelena that she was not to see her in the same way as the six visionaries, but she will hear her voice in her conscience and have inner visions of her and of Jesus.  Today Jelena lives in Italy with her husband, Massamiliano Valente and their four children.

 

 

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Jelena On Her Wedding Day (2002)


Both Jelena and Marijana were instrumental in leading a prayer group which was created and directed by our Blessed Mother. In 1982, Our Lady created a prayer group in Medjugorje. For this, she gathered some young people under her wings, leading them through visionaries Marija and Ivan, and also through two girls who were 12 years old, Jelena Vasilj and Marijana. Our Lady gave them powerful directions and instructions in order to lead the group on the way to holiness.  Visionaries Marija and Ivan would receive these instructions during Our Lady’s apparitions at night on the mountain, whereas Jelena and Marijana, the “inner locutionists”, would receive them through inner locutions during the prayer meetings at Jelena’s house. When the Gospa first came to Medjugorje, the parish already existed as well as the families and the religious communities.

 

 

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Parish of St James, Medjugorje BiH

 

But, she insisted on creating a prayer group!  She, herself, chose those responsible for the group and she even indicated by name some young people who would be part of the group.  Surely, this was not to exclude others.  On the contrary, she blessed and guided the parish and its families.  But she knows that these groups can only be alive in God if, in fact, the union of hearts prevails in them.  She said:  “Dear Children, the aim of the prayer group is not prayer, it is love!  Prayer is the means of obtaining love”.  Parishes and families should be the most beautiful prayer groups! Speaking of families, Our Lady said: “May your first prayer group be your family.”  A family can only be strong if its members live together in a union of love founded on God.  It is the same for parishes, communities or diverse Christian groups.  Prayers groups have the grace to promote communion between family members or parishioners and if they are truly alive, initiatives and actions will start from their midst, as well as vocations.

The intensive training which the Gospa gave to the youth of the prayer group included demanding exercises for mutual acceptance and charity.  Natural feelings and fleeting attractions have to give way to this supernatural type of love that the Holy Spirit spreads in our hearts, a joyful and unselfish love; divine love.  At first glance, these demands and sacrifices asked from these adolescents and young adults by Our Lady could appear harsh, but not a single member of the group regrets in the least having been taught in such a school.  This school was the School of the Mother of God!  Youth are in need of these demands, they seek them! (We have an excessive fear of discouraging these youths in giving them the full Gospel, but how many Saints would never have attained Sanctity if they had been given a rose-colored vision of a Christian life!?  Isn’t it, in fact, this rose-colored vision that has emptied the churches?)

In June, 1983,   the Gospa dictated to Jelena Vasilj the rules for the prayer group which was just starting.  These rules will go right to the heart of many young and adults too, who are desperately searching for a worthwhile way in life!

On June 16, 1983, Our Lady dictated the Rules for the Prayer Group:

1.    Renounce all passions and all inordinate desires.  Avoid television, particularly evil programs, excessive sports, the unreasonable enjoyment of food and drink, alcohol, tobacco, etc.

2.    Abandon yourselves to God without any restrictions.

3.    Definitely eliminate all anguish.  Whoever abandons himself to God does not have room in his heart for anguish.  Difficulties will persist, but they will serve for spiritual growth and will render glory to God.

4.    Love your enemies.  Banish from your heart hatred, bitterness, preconceived judgments.  Pray for your enemies and call the Divine Blessing over them.

5.    Fast twice a week on bread and water.  Join the group at least once a week.

6.    Devote at least three hours to prayer daily, of which at least is half an hour in the morning and half an hour in the evening.  Holy Mass and the prayer of the Rosary are included in this time of prayer.  Set aside moments of prayer in the course of the day, and each time that circumstances permit it, receive Holy Communion.  Pray with great meditation.  Do not look at your watch all the time, but allow yourself to be lead by the grace of God.

7.    Do not concern yourself too much with the things of this world, but entrust all that in prayer to Our Heavenly Father.  If one is very preoccupied, he will not be able to pray well because internal serenity is lacking.  God will contribute to lead to a successful end the things of here below if one strives to work for God’s things.

8.    Those who attend school or go to work must pray half an hour in the morning and in the evening, and, if possible, participate in the Eucharist.  It is necessary to extend the spirit of prayer to daily work, that is to say, to accompany work with prayer.

9.    Be prudent because the devil tempts all those who have made a resolution to consecrate themselves to God, most particularly, those people.  He will suggest to them that they are praying too much, they are fasting too much, that they must be like other young people and go in search of pleasures.  Have them not listen to him, or obey him.  It is to the voice of the Blessed Virgin that they should pay attention.  When they will be strengthened in their faith, the devil will no longer be able to seduce them.

10.   Pray very much for the Bishop and for those who hold positions in the Church.  No less than half of their prayers and sacrifices must be devoted to this intention.”


On May 23rd , 1983, Our Lady said to Jelena:

“Assemble about twenty young people who are ready to follow Jesus without reservation.  Bring them together within a month’s notice.  I will initiate them into the spiritual life.  There can even be more than twenty.  Even some adults and children can participate, all those who will accept the rule.

I will ask these people to do penance for certain intentions.  They will fast and pray for the Bishop.  They will give up what they cherish the most: drink, coffee, pleasures, television.  It is necessary to have persons who wish to consecrate themselves to religious life.  Others have to be ready to consecrate themselves specially to prayer and fasting.  I will give them rules to follow.

The persons who will follow these rules, will be consecrated whatever their state in life may be.”

The prayer groups are a divine institution.  In effect, Jesus said to his disciples, “Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  (Matthew 18: 19-20).  In the Judeo-Christian thought, the expression ‘in my name’ has a very rich meaning.  We will see this later.

Prayer Groups Today

Today Our Lady is assembling a multitude of her children from every continent in Medjugorje. On the 23rd Anniversary of her apparitions (June 25, 2004) she said  to us: “The prayer groups are strong”.  Why did she not say: “the parishes are strong”, or “the seminaries are strong”, etc.?  It is useless to specify here an answer that all can guess: are not the families weaker than ever?  In designating here the prayer groups, the Queen of Peace seems to indicate her main cause of hope for the future of the world and of the Church.  She relies greatly on the prayer groups to hasten the coming of the New Pentecost of Love.  Like a lightning rod attracts the lightning, a prayer group attracts down the fire of the Holy Spirit.  In the past, we saw that little cells of prayerful people have been able to keep the Faith alive in their countries, and today, the West is indeed persecuted and oppressed by materialism, satanism and by the imposition of laws that seriously offend life and the Creator of life.

Now, to make up a prayer group, two or three people are enough if they form but one heart and unite their voices in prayer to God.  Thousands of small prayer groups have been formed throughout the world, in the spirit of Medjugorje.  Some are small in number but so important before God!  The Gospa has a predilection for humble realities, hidden to the eyes of men but splendid before God!  What is important is not the number of people, but the unity of hearts – a union which grows more Divine each day.  In this unity relies true strength.  This is dynamite!  Satan is horrified by this unity.

If today Our Lady is pointing out to us this strength in the Church, it is because she calls us to live this happiness to pray together!  If anyone is isolated in his faith and in his prayer, Our Lady will not refuse him the grace to receive a brother or a sister to pray with him.  As Vicka puts it, “You just have to ask!”