Ivan of Medjugorje "Our Lady has a plan to implement"

Our Lady has been sending you messages for more than thirty years. What are the main ones?

«Peace, conversion, return to God, prayer with the heart, penance with fasting, the message of love, the message of forgiveness, the Eucharist, the reading of sacred writing, the message of hope. Our Lady wants to adapt to us and then simplifies them to help us practice them and live them better. When he explains a message, he takes a lot of effort to understand it. The messages are addressed to the whole world. Our Lady never said "dear Italians ... dear Americans ...". Every time she says "Dear my children", because we are all important to her. At the end he says: "Thank you dear children, because you answered my call". Our Lady thanks us ».

Does Our Lady say that we must welcome her messages "with the heart"?

«Together with the message for peace, the most repeated one in these years is the message of prayer with the heart. All other messages are based on these two. Without prayer there is no peace, we cannot recognize sin, we cannot forgive, we cannot love. Praying with the heart, not mechanically, not to follow a tradition, not looking at the clock ... Our Lady wants us to dedicate time to God. To pray with all our being to be a living encounter with Jesus, a dialogue, a rest . Thus we can be full of joy and peace, without burdens in the heart ».

How much does he ask you to pray?

«Our Lady wishes us to pray for three hours every day. When people hear this request they get scared. But when he speaks of three hours of prayer he does not mean only the recitation of the rosary, but also the reading of sacred scripture, Mass, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and family sharing of the Word of God. I add the works of charity and help to the next. I remember that years ago a doubtful Italian pilgrim came about the three hours of prayer. We had a little conversation. The following year she returned: "Does Our Lady always ask for three hours of prayer?". I replied: “You are late. Now he wants us to pray 24 hours. ""

That is, Our Lady asks for the conversion of the heart.

"Exact. Opening the heart is a program for our life, like our conversion. I did not convert suddenly: my conversion is a path to life. Our Lady turns to me and my family and helps us because she wants my family to be a model for others ".

Our Lady speaks of her "plan" which must be realized: 31 years have already passed, what is this plan?

«Our Lady has a specific plan for the world and for the Church. He says: “I am with you and together with you I want to carry out this plan. Decide for good, fight against sin, against evil ". I don't really know what this plan is. This does not mean that I should not pray for its realization. We don't always have to know everything! We must trust the requests of Our Lady ».

In none of the sanctuaries I know so many priests come as in Medjugorje ...

«It is a sign that here is the source. Those priests who come once, will return. No priest who comes to Medjugorje does so because he is obliged, but because he has heard a call ".

In this period, especially in the messages to Mirjana, Our Lady recommends praying for the shepherds ...

«Even in the messages he gives to me I feel this concern for the shepherds. But at the same time, with prayer for priests, he wants to bring hope to the Church. He loves his "beloved children" who are priests ».

Our Lady showed the visionaries the afterlife to remind us that we are pilgrims on earth. Can you tell us about this experience?

«In 1984 and also in 1988 the Madonna showed me Heaven. He told me the day before. That day, I remember, Our Lady came, took me by the hand and in a moment I arrived in Paradise: a space without borders in the valley of Medjugorje, without borders, where songs are heard, there are angels and people walk and sing ; all wear long dresses. People looked the same age ... It's hard to find the words. Our Lady guides us to Heaven and when she comes every day she brings us a piece of Heaven ».