...total plan of God...

As the Blessed Virgin Mother speaks, from 'Medjugorje Day by Day' -

Heed the call to fasting because by fasting you will
ensure that the total plan of God here in Medjugorje
will be fulfilled. This will give me great joy.

As you know, Helen and I fast every Wednesday and Friday, on bread and water. Not bread and water in the strictest sense, but for me modified. The water is also coffee, and the bread (toast) will have Smart Balance and sometimes peanut butter. At night the bread can become pizza dough with a little cheese on it. Helen is much stronger, more focused than I am. I am a worm! I do it, but I struggle. It is a hard, physical thing that affects your body. You know about it. You can feel it, and for me, by the end of the day, I'm uncomfortable. All that said, on another level, apart from the physical is the mental, and that is where the real battle is waged, on so so many levels. Satan attacks us constantly, although some of us don't even know it. For those who have heeded the call from Mary, Our Mother, to fast, pray and say the Rosary the presence of the evil one is very real. For most, just a subtle touch from him is enough to turn a good person from a worthy life to one of faded light, which the rejection of God's word is. Pornography, lust, abortion, drugs, lying, the world around us is rampant with these and more vices, and satan rules them all. Jesus defeated satan at His Resurrection, but the evil one still prowls here. And for those who walk the Narrow Road his lies and deceptions ring loud in our ears every day. We hear and feel him, for he wants us not to listen to Her, the one who gave birth to the Son of God. She who was sent back to us by God to awaken the ones who still sleep, who have not responded to God's Word, which is Jesus Christ. That's why we must ignore satan, ignore the world if we have to, walk with head lowered if we must, and believe in the total plan of God, that is taking place not just in Medjugorje but around the world. If Our Lady calls us to fast then we must, even if we don't understand why. Fasting is not easy, but if one soul can be saved by my joining in heart, mind and soul, with Our Mother and Her Son, then I'm in it for the long haul. Months and months ago, at Adoration, I heard the words "Go Deeper", and I thought I understood those words. But God's ways are mysterious, and what I thought then is not what I know now. When I consecrated to Jesus, I put myself in His hands, and He does with me as He wills. Most times I forget He's even there, my worldly thinking shutting Him out. But He is patient, He waits for me to come around.

O Blessed Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Be with me today as I search through the darkness
for the Light that is you, waiting there for me.