Why is Our Lady Here So Long?: “She knows the times in which we live and she wants to do everything possible to save us.” Vicka Answers Important Questions

PADRE LIVIO – Why has the Madonna been here in Medjugorje for so long?

VICKA – Our Lady knows the reason better than us, because she knows the times in which we live and she wants to do everything possible to save us. Once we asked Our Lady how much time she would have stayed with us and she replied by saying: have you already got tired of me? So I decided not to ask her anymore. These are times of great grace and the fact that Our Lady is present here among us is the greatest grace.

PADRE LIVIO – According to what was reported in the messages of the first years, Our Lady would have said she had come for the last time to call humanity to conversion. What does it mean?

VICKA – You have made it clear that this is your last coming to Earth.

FATHER LIVIO – For you, what does this mean?

VICKA – You know, I never thought about these things. Our Lady has given that message and I think of living and transmitting what she wants and her living message, I want to live her truth and give this truth to others so that everyone can be happy as I am. I am aware of having been called as her instrument, and this I do. I tell her: I want to follow you and do everything you want. I want to be at your disposal and you know what I can do.

PADRE LIVIO – So you are interested in witnessing the messages, transmitting them and living them, however, do not ask yourself about their interpretation. But Our Lady said that we live in a time of particular graces, and we are called to conversion.

VICKA – Of course, every day must be a day of conversion. None of us can say “I am converted” but can say “I want”. Even I can not say I’m converted, I know I’m on a journey and I know that every day we must try to take a step forward and pray that God will give us the grace for our conversion. All life must be a journey of conversion.

PADRE LIVIO – The messages that Our Lady gives to the parish always end with the phrase: “thank you for having responded to my call”. In fact, even if sometimes Our Lady called us back because we were not faithful to the messages, if we look back at these 25 years we can see that the prayer of conversion has gone all over the world and that Medjugorje from a small lost country has become a light for all humanity. It seems to me that there was a good answer. Am I wrong?

VICKA – Look, I also think that Our Lady, like a mother, wants to invite us to follow the messages every time more and more. Our Lady sees that there are many among those who come to Medjugorje, who bring her message to the places where they live. She does not expect a great thing, but many small things done with love and humility.

FATHER LIVIO – So our prayers and little sacrifices also blesses them.

VICKA – We start with the little things. Also in prayer. It is useless to pray for hours if you then pray with your mouth and that’s it: in this way, a person feels more empty than before. The important thing is to start praying little, but what you pray to must pray with heart and love. That is our relationship between us and God. To others it may affect how much
have we prayed today? If we pride ourselves on the time we use in prayer it means that we do it for our vainglory, and this is useless. Things must be done with heart, with love and with joy.

PADRE LIVIO – But the fasting of bread and water that Our Lady asked to do on Wednesdays and Fridays is a great commitment and sacrifice.

VICKA – Fasting must be in bread and water, but for sick people it is enough to make small sacrifices such as not taking sweets, coffee or anything else so that we all give up something we like. A person who is well and does not want to fast and finds a thousand excuses for not doing so means that he does not have a strong will. With our strong will we can do everything because everything depends on our choice. Fasting serves to align our will. When Our Lady then recommends for fasting only bread and water, it means neither eating nor eating other things. Our Lady has spoken clearly, if you want to eat other things like pasta, etc. this depends on you.

PADRE LIVIO – However, with you seers, Our Lady has gradually led you to practice fasting: first only on Fridays and only later did you also add the day of Wednesday. This means that you can also make a journey. But what is the value of this fast?

VICKA – There are many people who start to fast but then say they are not able, they struggle, they get nervous, etc. However, this is not a true fasting because fasting does not just mean not eating but serves to help inner purification. We can not first fast and then do other bad things: we must fast with heart and love. The same thing must be done in prayer: when one asks for some grace with the heart and with love, Jesus and Mary are always ready to help, but if one asks without love then grace never comes.

FATHER LIVIO – Therefore fasting entails a personal journey of purification. Our Lady also said that with the fast, wars can be halted, however violent they may be. But many times we want to ask for the graces of healing or conversion for our loved ones. I think that to get them we must not only ask but also give something.

VICKA – Every day we are ready to ask, but little to give. Instead we should be happier when we are ready to give something. When we are ready to give something of ourselves, then the graces also come first. We must not turn to prayer by saying: I want this today, I ask you this one, etc. It almost seems like a purchase: I ask you this to have something else in return. This way of doing leads us to move away from Jesus and Mary as soon as we have obtained what we needed and then come back when we need something else. Madonna da mamma understands that this is a wrong way to behave. One must be ready to give some small sacrifice and when one gives something then one can ask and the graces arrive. We must not then ask, saying, I need this today. We must not put forward what I want but that the Lord wants. We must put ourselves in the perspective of being at God’s disposal and say: O Lord, you know the desires of my heart, I offer you my sufferings and do as you wish. The important thing is to do the will of the Lord.

FATHER LIVIO – So we must not make sacrifices, prayers and fasting just to ask, but also to give, for the intentions of Our Lady.

VICKA – A grace can not be bought, but only living day by day.

Source: Father Livio’s interview with Vicka of Medjugorje
Directed by Medjugorje, December 30th 2006