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Five Weapons with which to Defeat
Satan
1. The First weapon which to defend ourselves with is prayer. Prayer,
Our Lady has promised us can change the world and even prevent wars. One
of the secrets of Medjugorje which has been revealed to the visionaries
has been avoided because of prayer already. Pray Our Lady promises it
change the world. It is the only way to save the human race. "Pray!" is
the most frequent message of Our Lady. In prayer, she says, the spirit
is purified. Whether it is the Rosary, formal prayers, silent meditation
or prayers of consecration, it is important that prayer not become a
mere recitation of words. The Virgin calls us to pray with the heart, to
pray with love.
2. The second weapon against the attacks of Satan is the practice of
fasting.
In the Old Testament and in the New Testament, there are
many examples of fasting. Jesus fasted frequently.
According to Tradition, fasting is encouraged especially
in times of great temptation or severe trials. Certain
devils, "can be cast out in no other way except by
prayer and fasting", said Jesus. (Mark 9:29)
Fasting is essential in order to achieve spiritual
freedom. Through fasting, one is better able to listen
to God and man and to perceive them more clearly. If,
through fasting, we achieve that freedom, we will be
more aware of many things. Once we are aware that we can
enjoy the necessities of life without struggle, then
many fears and worries fade away. We become more open to
our families and to the people with whom we live and
work. Our Lady recommends fasting twice a week: "Fast
strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays." (August 14,
1984)
"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)
Fasting takes personal discipline. Start slow, and
work your way up to bread and water only. Fasting means
that we give up something that we like and offer that
sacrifice to God. One can give up sweets, coffee,
cigarettes, alcohol, television, etc. But, Our Lady
stresses that the best and most powerful fast is on
bread and water for a 24 hour period from midnight to
midnight. Great graces come from fasting and it can help
with situations in your life that seem hopeless. Fr.
Slavko always used to be asked how much bread and water
one should eat on fast days. His answer was very simple,
"as much as you need". The amount and frequency are not
really important, but rather our intention to fast out
of love for God. |
The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, are filled
with examples of abstaining from food for the purposes of penance and
purification. The Virgin informs us that the importance, effectiveness
and power of fasting have been all but forgotten, particularly in the
past century.
"Fasting and prayer can stop wars and suspend the laws of nature."
(7/21/82)
3. The third weapon in our arsenal against darkness is daily scripture
reading. The Virgin Mother encourages her children to display the Bible
in a visible place in the home, to encourage us to read it everyday and
apply it to our lives.
4. The fourth weapon is to do penance, to atone for our sins and those
of the world. For Catholics, this means going to Confession, at least
once a month, with a focus on transforming ourselves to become closer to
God. Again, this is a practice that has lost much of its significance in
the world today. Monthly confession, Our Lady goes as far as saying,
will be a remedy for the Church in the West.
5. The fifth weapon calls Catholics to receive the Eucharist as often as
possible. The Mass, she tells the faithful, is the most important and
most holy moment in our lives. It should be our life. Mass is the
greatest prayer of God, and we should prepare ourselves accordingly.
If the above five practices are our weapons against evil, our armour,
instructs the Queen, must be love. Without love, she says, nothing is
possible.
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