Our Lady in Medjugorje explains to you the importance of sacrifice and renunciation

March 25, 1998
Dear children, also today I invite you to fasting and renunciation. Children, give up what prevents you from being closer to Jesus. In a special way I invite you: pray, because only with prayer can you overcome your will and discover the will of God even in the smallest things. With your daily life, children, you will become an example and witness that you live for Jesus or against him and against his will. Children, I want you to become apostles of love. From your love, children, it will be recognized that you are mine. Thanks for answering my call.
Some passages from the Bible that can help us understand this message.
Judges 9,1-20
Now Abimelech the son of Jerub-baal went to Shechem to his mother's brothers and said to them and to all his mother's kinship: “Tell the ears of all the lords of Shechem: It is better for you that seventy men rule over you, all the sons of Jerub-baal, or that one man governs you? Remember that I am of your blood. " His mother's brothers spoke of him, repeating to all the lords of Shechem those words and their hearts bowed in favor of Abimelech, because they said: "He is our brother." They gave him seventy shekels of silver which they removed from the temple of Baal-Berit; with them Abimelech hired idle and daring men who followed him. He came to his father's house in Ophra and killed his brothers, the sons of Jerub-baal, seventy men on the same stone. But Jotam, the younger son of Jerub-baal, escaped, because he had hidden himself. All the lords of Shechem and all Beth-Millo gathered and went to proclaim king Abimelech at the Oak of the Stele which is located in Shechem.

But Iotam, informed of the matter, went to stand on the top of Mount Garizim and, raising his voice, shouted: “Listen to me, lords of Shechem, and God will listen to you! The trees set out to anoint a king over them. They said to the olive tree: Reign over us. The olive tree answered them: Shall I give up my oil, thanks to which gods and men are honored, and will I go agitating in the trees? The trees said to the fig tree: Come, reign over us. The fig tree said to them: Shall I give up my sweetness and my delicious fruit, and will I go agitating on the trees? The trees said to the vine: You come, reign over us. The vine answered them: Shall I give up my must which gladdens gods and men, and will I go agitating in the trees? All the trees said to the bramble: Come, reign over us. The bramble answered the trees: If in truth you anoint me king over you, come, take refuge in my shadow; if not, fire out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon. Now you have not acted with loyalty and honesty by proclaiming King Abimelech, you have not worked well towards Ierub-Baal and his house, you have not treated him according to the merit of his actions ... Because my father fought for you, he exposed the danger to life and freed you from Midian's hands. But today you rose up against my father's house, killed his children, seventy men, on the same stone and proclaimed king of the lords of Shechem Abimelech, son of his slave, because he is your brother. So if you have operated today with sincerity and integrity towards Ierub-Baal and his home, enjoy Abimelech and he will enjoy you! But if it is not so, a fire will come out of Abimelech to devour the lords of Shechem and Beth-Millo; let out from the lords of Shechem and from Bet-Millo a fire that devours Abimelech! ”. Jotam ran away, went to safety and went to settle in Beer, away from his brother Abimelech.