The seer Jacov of Medjugorje speaks of his first encounter with the Madonna

Jakov's testimony of 26 June 2014

I greet you all.
I thank Jesus and Our Lady for this meeting of ours and for each of you who came here to Medjugorje. I also thank you because you answered the call of Our Lady, because I believe that whoever arrived in Medjugorje came because he was invited. from the Madonna. God wanted you to be here in Medjugorje.

I always tell pilgrims that the first thing we have to say is words of praise. Thank the Lord and Our Lady for all graces and God, because you allow Our Lady to stay with us for so long. Yesterday we celebrated the 33 years of the grace that God made us have Our Lady with us. This is a great gift. This grace is not only given to us six visionaries, not only to the parish of Medjugorje, this is a gift for the whole world. You can understand it from the messages of Our Lady. Each message begins with the words "Dear children". We are all children of the Madonna and she comes among us for each of us. She comes for the whole world.

Pilgrims often ask me: “Why does Our Lady come so long? Why are you giving us so many messages? " What is happening here in Medjugorje is a plan of God. God wanted it so. What we have to do is a very simple thing: to thank God.

But if someone accepts the words of the Madonna when she says "Dear children, open your heart to me", I believe that every heart will understand why you come so long to us. Above all, everyone will understand that Our Lady is our Mother. Mother who loves her children immensely and wants their good. Mother who wants to bring her children to salvation, joy and peace. All of this can be found in Jesus Christ. Our Lady is here to lead us to Jesus, to show us the way to Jesus Christ.

In order to understand Medjugorje, to be able to accept the invitations that Our Lady has been giving us for a long time, we must take the first step: to have a clean heart. Get rid of everything that disturbs us in order to welcome the messages of the Madonna. This happens in confession. As long as you are here in this holy place, cleanse your heart of sin. Only with a clean heart can we understand and welcome what the Mother invites us to.

When the apparitions in Medjugorje began I was only 10 years old. I am the youngest of the six visionaries. My life before the apparitions was that of a normal child. Even my faith was that of a simple child. I believe that a ten year old cannot live a profound experience of faith. Live what your parents teach you and watch their example. My parents taught me that God and Our Lady exist, that I must pray, go to Holy Mass, be good. I remember that every evening we prayed with the family, but I never looked for the gift of seeing the Madonna, because I didn't even know it could appear. I had never heard of Lourdes or Fatima. Everything changed on June 25, 1981. I can say that it was the best day of my life. The day when God gave me the grace to see Our Lady was a new birth for me.

I remember with joy the first meeting, when we went on the hill of the apparitions and we knelt for the first time in front of the Madonna. This was the first moment in life when I felt true joy and true peace. This was the first time that I felt and loved the Madonna as my Mother in my heart. It was the most beautiful thing I experienced during the apparition. How much love in the eyes of the Madonna. At that moment I felt like a child in the arms of his mother. We didn't talk to the Madonna. We only prayed with you and after the apparition we continued to pray.

You understand that God has given you this grace, but at the same time you have a responsibility. A responsibility that you are not ready to accept. You wonder how to go on: “What will my life be like in the future? Will I be able to accept everything that Our Lady will ask me? "

I remember at the beginning of the apparitions Our Lady gave us a message in which I found my answer: "Dear children, just open your heart and I will do the rest". At that moment I understood in my heart that I can give my "yes" to the Madonna and Jesus. I can put my whole life and my heart in their hands. From that moment a new life began for me. Beautiful life with Jesus and the Madonna. Life in which I cannot thank enough for all that he has given me. I received the grace to see the Madonna, but I also received a greater gift: that of knowing Jesus through her.

This is the reason why Our Lady comes among us: to show us the way that leads to Jesus. This way includes messages, prayer, conversion, peace, fasting and Holy Mass.

She always invites us in her messages to prayer. Often he repeated only these three words: "Dear children, pray, pray, pray". The most important thing he recommends to us is that our prayer be done from the heart. Each of us pray by opening our heart to God. Each heart feels the joy of prayer and this becomes its daily nourishment. Once we begin to pray with the heart we will find the answer to all our questions.

Dear pilgrims, you come here with many questions. Look for numerous answers. You often come to us six seers and want answers. None of us can give it to you. We can give you our testimony and explain what Our Lady invites us to. The only one who can give you the answers is God. Our Lady teaches us how to receive them: opening your heart and praying.

Pilgrims often ask me: "What is prayer with the heart?" I believe that nobody can tell you what it is. It is an event that is experienced. In order to receive this gift of God we must seek it.

Now you are in Medjugorje. You are in this holy place. You are here with your Mother. The Mother always listens to her children and is ready to help them. Make use of this time for you. Find time for yourself and for God. Open your heart to Him. Ask for the gift of being able to pray from the heart.

Pilgrims ask me to say this or that to the Madonna. To all of you, I want to say that everyone can speak to Our Lady. Each of us can speak to God.

Our Lady is our Mother and listens to Her children. God is our Father and loves us immensely. You want to listen to your children, but we often don't want your closeness. We remember God and Our Lady only in times when we are in extreme need of Them.

Our Lady invites us to pray in our families and says: "Put God first in your families". Always find time for God in the family. Nothing can unite the family like community prayer. I myself experience it when we pray in our family.

Source: Mailing List Information from Medjugorje