Medjugorje: Praying From the Heart

The messages of Medjugorje about prayer correspond to the Western and Eastern spiritual traditions. Here are two examples :

"Yes, dear brothers and sisters, our Christian communities must become genuine « schools » of prayer, where the meeting with Christ is expressed not just in imploring help but also in thanksgiving, praise, adoration, contemplation, listening and ardent devotion, until the heart truly "falls in love." Intense prayer, yes, but it does not distract us from our engagement in history: by opening our heart to the love of God it also opens it to the love of our brothers and sisters, and makes us capable of shaping history according to God's plan."

(John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millenio Ineunte, Entering the New Millenium § 33)

"The person who has amassed heavenly treasures, by which I mean the presence and dwelling of the One who said: 'My Father and I will come and make our dwelling in him,' that person knows, with the knowledge of the soul, the greatness of the grace he has received and the beauty of the treasure he carries in the castle of his heart. Like a friend talking with a friend, he stands next to God with great confidence in the presence of the One who lives in the inaccessible light.  Happy who believes this! Three times happy who strives, by his actions and holy battles, to acquire the knowledge of what we said..."

(Simeon the New Theologian,

Cited in Seraphim of Sarov, by Goraïnoff,

Desclée de Brouwer 1979, p. 98)

Here are some excerpts from messages of Medjugorje, followed by their respective date:

"Dear children, today I call you to pray from your heart, not out of habit." 05/02/85

"Dear children, again I ask you to pray with your heart." 05/30/85

"I give great graces to those who pray from their heart." 06.02.86

"Pray with all your heart" 11/13/86

"Dear children, I call you to pray with your heart. Know that without prayer, you cannot understand what God accomplishes through you. This is why you should pray! I wish that God's plan may be accomplished within each one of you, that everything God gave you in your heart may grow." 04/25/87

"I ask for a sincere prayer from the heart." 12/25/87

"Dear children, today I invite all of you to pray with your heart." 04/25/91

"Dear children, today again I invite you to conversion, and to believe more firmly in God. Little children, you are seeking peace and you pray in different ways, but you still haven't given your heart to God, so that He may fill it with his love. This is why I am with you, so that I may teach you and bring you closer to God's love. If you love God above all, it will be easy for you to pray and open your heart to him. Thank you for answering my call." 05/25/99

"Little children, may your prayer rise from your heart like the fresh water of a spring!" 08/25/99

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F. Breynaert

Prier à l'école du Ciel,
les Messages de Medjugorje à la lumière de la Bible et de la tradition,
Edition F-X De Guibert 2003.