Reflection on the Message of January 25, 2001

Facing life

What is the best word to describe the lives we are living? Many would say that we could best describe it with the word fear. Previous generations have known suffering and fear. Present generations are also suffering and living in fear. What about future generations? Many have tried to answer this question and have been wrong.

We are fortunate because it is much easier to answer this question today. The Queen of Peace speaks unceasingly and waits until we finally understand how to behave in order to build our future. If we were in Her place, we would probably already have become tired of human inaptness. But She does not tire, because She loves us endlessly. She wants to transform our negative thoughts about the past, present and future into thoughts, which express the reality in a true way. What we stand for is not always true. Because of our wrong attitudes, we are overcome by fear, put on wrong glasses and see everything in black. What inattentiveness!

Even when we have taken a wrong path, we have the chance to come back on the right one. The Queen of Peace encourages us to pray and to fast. Our civilization might smile at this, saying that it is important to be rich, and that wealth is the means to heal us from our fear. Many have already proven this to be wrong, but our civilization doesn’t care. It behaves like a dishonest salesman who tries to cheat us, instead of serving us, in order to be recompensed in a just way. Willing or not, our civilization receives a gift from those who walk on God’s path, as we have been told by the Queen of Peace. Their fasting and their prayer give warmth and light to our world. In such a world it is good to live in, in such a world there are no wars and other evils. Men are brothers and not wolves who only want to survive. Henceforth, the competition of accumulating wealth is ridiculous. What to do with wealth? Nothing. It brings only fear and uncertainty. The one who prays, on the contrary, becomes free and joyful. He cannot be bought for anything in the world, he is able to stand for his profound convictions, felt in the depth of his being. We chose our friends, we go where we want to go, we take deep breaths without threatening anyone. A world of love and abundance opens up in front of our eyes. All obstacles are removed and it is not difficult to be a human being.

Who says that it is difficult to build the happiness the Queen of Peace speaks about? It is so simple. We only have to put God in the first place in our lives. But, unfortunately, there is only one first place, and there are many who would like to occupy it. Everyone pushes forward - except God. He is patient; He speaks to us through His love and waits for this love to penetrate our lives. It is like ice that melts in the sun. Life continues, but no longer like yesterday. It receives a new form and a new enthusiasm. We are surprised how beautiful and how lovable it is. If we have gone astray, we have the chance to turn back and to experience ourselves and those around us in a new way. How beautiful it is and how good it is to have such a friend who will never abandon us! Have we already had such an experience?

Medjugorje, January 25, 2001
Fra Miljenko Stojic