Medjugorje Blue Book

This book is the second of the four volumes of sermons and discourses given by Fr. Slavko Barbaric and Fr. Tomislav Vlasic during 1984 - 1987 in Medjugorje, and contains discourses given from January to June 1985.

30 Chapters of this book are now completed

"You ask me to stay with you always, not to leave you, but now I ask you not to leave me"

Our Lady appeared to bring us prayer, reconciliation, to peace and conversion, to fasting and monthly Confession. This is what she wishes, and if you have begun and if you go on, this is already a recognition; that of the people of God; in fact you know, one does not pray by decree. here one can see a church being born and suffering in birth, which is being born everywhere. The Church is born where you began to pray, with a group or with your family. And if you have begun and go on praying, you have already done much; this is what Our Lady wished. I told someone yesterday that I was cross because many stayed outside to look at the sun and the clouds. Our Lady did not ask you to look at the sun or the clouds at Medjugorje, she asked you to pray always; and I know that no one came to disturb the prayer; so I beg you, begin !

I know that you have prayed today, but when the evening liturgy begins, there is no excuse for anyone. I do not want to hear anyone I meet saying: 'I have already prayed.' This is the Mass for the pilgrims which Our Lady asked for.

She said: "I want Mass to be celebrated every evening." This is a special Mass with everyone; and that is why I ask you to help us; there must be silence in the courtyard too.

If you do not know how to pray, if you are tired, if you must smoke, go out of the courtyard. In this way all of us here become a sign of the faith, and of prayer. So I beg you to understand the responsibility of the message when you go back. This is the situation and I know that Our Lady can win if she finds her people, her children praying, fasting, reconciled and trying to love.

Now I will give you some of Her messages.

The last message was one which will keep us hard at work all our lives: "Cultivate and change your hearts so that the new Spirit of God can dwell there." A job for life. This is another word for conversion, also love, but above all conversion.

Root out every evil from our hearts. This is what Our Lady asks and you know how in a garden flowers and plants should be cultivated if we want the fruits; with patience and ever more patience. If a plant is closed and does not open to the sun it cannot bear fruit. If you don't put your heart into working in a garden and don't make the effort to pull out the weeds that choke the plants, you will have no fruit in autumn; to have fruit, a good gardener will even have to take a knife sometimes and in any case will have to do some very radical work and not leave even the smallest root of any weed that chokes the fruitbearing plants.

And so one must not work superficially but deep down gradually changing our lives, our behaviour, our prayers, everything. This is the way to walk with Our Lady along the road to peace for all mankind, and we know that every man wants peace, wants to be loved, but those who are unwilling to take up the means of achieving peace are so many.

To want water and not want to go to the spring is illogical.

And if Our Lady asks us all to cultivate our hearts as we cultivate our fields; then don't wait ! if you begin, the words of St. Paul are for everyone: 'The Lord gives, after all, rain and everything needed for growth.'

The last message but one was this: "Dear children, today I thank you for opening your hearts. I rejoice for every heart which opens to the Lord and especially for the hearts of the Parish. Say all the prayers for those hearts still burdened with sin, pray that they may be opened. I wish it, the Lord wishes it through me. Thank you for answering my call."

This is also a very beautiful message. The Mother rejoices for every man, every son or daughter who finds peace, who begins to love, to be reconciled, who resolves conflicts. She is full of joy. At the same time she says: "Pray that all may open their hearts."

Speaking on a human level, a mother suffers if her children live in conflict, do not love each other, behave selfishly and do not think of others.

This is again what Our Lady wishes, like cultivating our own hearts. In another message she invites us to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit and she said: "The Lord will give you more difficulties, more trials, but all will be of use for your faith." These are the same words as used by St. Paul when he said to all those who loved the Lord: everything will be converted to good.

This reminds me of a little message through Jelena. Our Lady said: "You ask me to stay with you always, not to leave you, but now I ask you not to leave me." When I looked at the date of the message, I saw that there were many difficulties at that time in connection with these events, and attacks in the newspapers. Look how she speaks: "You ask me to stay with you always, not to leave you, but now I ask you not to leave me." One very important thing; when there are troubles and problems, do not leave Our Lady, do not abandon the Lord; all our trials are for our good.

These are some of the messages; I chose them as I wish, as I know that you are well informed and this replaces the sermon during the Mass which is celebrated in Croatian; so you will have food for meditation during Mass.

(Fr. Slavko Barbaric 27th April, 1985)