YEAR 1: INVITATION TO THE LIFE OF PRAYER AND LOVE
PHASE 2: BE PREPARED FOR "SPIRITUAL WARFARE"
3. 5th Armour - Holy Rosary with Fasting
Weekly message No. 24a (14th August 1984):
Praying with Our Lady: Prayer and Fasting.
This apparition was unexpected. Ivan was praying at home before going to the evening service at the church, when Our Lady appeared and asked him to convey the following message to the parishioners and to the world:
“I would like to ask all the people to pray more and more with me these days. I would like them to fast strictly on Wednesdays and Fridays! Pray the whole rosary every day, the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries."
DAILY SPIRITUAL EXERCISES WEEK 25, STARTING THURSDAY, 14 AUGUST 2014
1st day: Matthew 7:24-29. (Thursday)
Building on rock.
2nd day: Romans 13:14. (Friday)
Jesus is our armour. Cf. Ephesians 4:24.
3rd day: Acts 1:14. (Saturday)
Prayer with Our Lady. Cf. Acts 2:46.
4th day: Mark 9:28-29. (Sunday)
Prayer and fasting.
Cf. Matthew 17:21 (See note in week No. 22, 5th day- Some evil power can be overcome only by prayer and fasting. (The ‘Jerusalem Bible’ regrettably omits the word ‘fasting’ and in Matthew 17 verse 21 is left out. Faith in prayer is always needed to be effective in prayer, but sometimes more is needed, i.e. fasting and penance.)).
5th day: Tobit 12:8-9. (Monday)
Prayer with fasting and almsgiving.
6th day: Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:2. (Tuesday)
Jesus fasted for forty days.
7th day: Acts 13:3; Acts 14:23. (Wednesday)
Prayer and fasting in the practice of the early church. Cf. Luke 2:37.
SUGGESTION
If possible, pray the whole Rosary every day, the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. In addition, if not doing yet, start fasting two days in the week, Wednesdays and Fridays. In place of bread and water, for health reasons, you may use other forms of fasting. The purpose of fasting is not to torture our bodies, but to involve our whole person, mind, body, soul in prayer.