A fines de 1982, la Virgen por medio de locuciones interiores (Locutio cordis) se dirigió a dos niñas de diez años : Jelena et Marijana Vasilj. De 1983 a 1987, a través de su grupo de oración, la Virgen daba consejos al movimiento de oración que se formó desde el inicio de las apariciones.
When someone asked St. Ignatius how he would react if his order broke up, he replied that it would take him no more than "an hour of prayer" to get over the shock and disappointment. Anyone who prays - not just this saint - is able to experience that the fruit of prayer is peace. When a spiritual man pours out his soul to God through prayer (encounter with God), his restless heart finds rest. Just as it is the nature of fire to burn upwards, so do man's desires tend to go upwards. And it is in following this order of things, to which man is destined by the bonds of charity, that he finds peace.
On August 24, 2002, Jelena Vasilj got married to Massimiliano Valente in St James Church, Medjugorje. It was indeed a very prayerful and joyful wedding! Visionary, Marija Pavlovic-Lunetti, was Jelena's Maid of Honor. Rarely do we see such beautiful and striking newly weds! A week before the wedding, they visited our home and shared at length about their values as a christian couple. Let's remember that Jelena had been taught by Our Lady herself for many years, through inner locutions, under the wings of Fr. Tomislav Vlasic, and she was chosen by Our Lady to lead a prayer group until she started her studies in the US in 1991. I'll start reporting here some of Jelena's answers to my questions.
With the musical version of the Litany, the Saints were called to witness at the wedding celebration between Jelena Vasilj and Massimiliano Valente on 24th August 2002 in the Shrine of the Queen of Peace at Medjugorje.
Over 500 guests (mostly from abroad) filled St. James church to join the parishioners to pray for this new family. "From his shrine may the Lord bless you.." read Fra Dragan Rucic at the start of the Mass. A choir of splend-id voices from Vicenza (Italy), and several soloists, helped make the cele-bration more sacred and solemn.
For years, Jelena was formed by the Gospa. For years, Jelena was trained by the Gospa directly and today she remains a well of light for whoever wants to understand Our Lady's maternal spirit. Here are a few words that I gleaned these days from Jelena:
"Before I was married, my life was easier. I was studying, I was free, actually, I was working on my personal formation. Now my life as a spouse and mother obligates me to practice everything I learned. That is to say, to give all of myself constantly and without counting the cost. My children - they are my superiors. Looking at my children teaches me a lot about God. God is relationship and we are created in His image. I can tell by looking at my children! When a child makes noise, cries, weeps, hits, it's because he wants to enter into a relationship with us. A child, just like God, is always seeking a relationship. For a child this relationship is vital because it is through this relationship that he is built up. The richness of life is communicated through relationships. We all live out of relationships.
"When a child is experiencing relationship, he doesn't need television. Rather, he is at peace. He is satisfied. I've noticed that with my children. They never want television and even when they go to the homes of their friends, they don't want it. Television is interruption of relationship and sharing that unites family and friends. Often, we erect walls of protection against life and we lock ourselves in. When I am in a room with someone and I turn on the television, it is as if I am telling him that he is not interesting enough for me and doesn't deserve my attention.
We’re expecting our third child, but the pregnancy hasn’t been going according to previsions, and I’ve been confined to total rest. But I’ve seen how this condition of immobility regards my body only, while my spirit has been able to broaden out continually. So this has been a time of grace for me, because love has two sides to it. There is the joy and the enthusiasm of giving, even though this is accompanied by the cross, but it is when the cross is accepted, that our joy is even deeper. Then, everything is okay. It seems as though life should be always downhill to be true – or that’s how we imagine it. However, I am coming to understand ever more how suffering is our true life. So I can say that right now I am living this “true life.”