If anyone comes to me without hating (… ) even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14,26
Why Jesus ask me to hate even my own life? What does it mean?

Have you heard about Padre Pio of Pietrelcina?

He is known for being able to be in two places at one time – He had the gift of bi-location.

There are witness statements from pilots who were flying during World War II who reported seeing him in the clouds.

In a few small towns people were asking him for protection and despite bombs dropping on those towns, nobody was hurt.

The same thing happened a few times in Poland; People heard explosions but nobody was hurt.

We are in a situation now [with respect to Syria?] when we cannot do very much. Actually, we can do nothing physically.

We don’t have power, and those who have the power to do something, don’t concern themselves with what we have to say about it.

The best thing we can do is acknowledge that we cannot do anything besides fasting and praying.

This is why Pope Francis calls us to fast and pray [Sunday] because it opens us up to hearing from God.

It opens our hearts that we may yearn for His salvation;

…that we may begin to change our lives more seriously and ever before.

Only a miracle of God can bring peace to this world.

It starts with us, with our prayers and with our fasting, with our conversion, [with our turning away from sin.]

A few years before the genocide in Rwanda, the Blessed Mother appeared to one of the visionaries in Medjugorie.

The Blessed Mother showed the visionary what may happen if people will not pray more often and will not change their lives.

The visionary was terrified by what she saw…

…and it and it happened…just as she saw it.

The deal is that our Almighty and Omnipotent God cannot save us without us…

…and even more important, God cannot save the world without us.

It is our prayer which will open people hearts to forgiveness and peace.

It is our fasting and our prayer which will change us and thus change the world.

It is not our knowledge, not money, not influence…but our prayer and fasting.

There are many ways of fasting:

• We can fast from our favorite drink, candy or other food
• We can fast from Facebook, or limit drastically the time spent on the internet
• We can fast from watching our favorite TV program and use that time to pray and read the Bible.
• We can fast from complaining.
• We can fast from wearing makeup.
• We can fast from sleep.

We are called to fast and to pray. It is up to us.