Mary has said that there are five things which we, as pilgrims, can do to help her in her mission. These five things are like weapons in our pack, which we can carry with us through life as we battle Satan and move towards conversion. Conversion, to a protestant, is a one-time event. Medjugorje challenges that idea by calling people to a constant conversion... to a daily, minute-by-minute turning over of the heart to God's will. Thus pilgrims to Medjugorje are fasting and praying for this type of conversion, a total dedication of themselves and their fellow pilgrims to God. With these five stones in your pack infused with FAITH, you have everything you need to taste God's peace.
Our Lady's call begins with prayer. Through prayer, she tells us, our hearts are converted as we seek the face of God. She tells us that God wants us to pray to Him, that by prayer we can change anything, and that God needs us--wants us--created us to pray. She implores us, over and over, to pray from the heart. To infuse every action of our day with prayer. To protestants, her messages on prayer can be both inspiring and confusing. She has often recommended prayer that is known to be Catholic-specific, namely praying the rosary, praying a consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and praying the Creed, followed by 7 Our Fathers, 7 Hail Mary's, and 7 Glory Be's. Catholics who have a regular prayer life know that the result of praying the Rosary is a meditation on the life of Christ which can only be described as life-changing. But if you are not comfortable with praying the rosary yet-- then please understand that Gospa's call to prayer is for everyone of us. In Medjugorje, the youth meet for prayer groups at Mary's request during which it is common to see them praying for three hours at a time. The rosary is said at 5 pm in the winter and at 6 pm in the summer, just before the apparitions. Medjugorje pilgrims attend mass daily, sometimes twice daily, because they know that the Mass is a perfect prayer. Pilgrims also pray to the Holy Spirit and ask for Spiritual gifts. She has asked that we call on the Holy Spirit before Mass and first thing in the morning so that He will be present throughout our day. She calls us to pray because God answers--- and now, more than ever, we need His mercy. She herself prays to her Son constantly and intercedes for us before the throne, and asks that we do the same for each other.
Fasting, Gospa says, is not the same as abstinence. When we fast, we offer up a sacrifice to God of our lives, and through fasting, God can work miracles in them! She has requested that people fast at least twice a week. Medjugorje pilgrims fast together on Wednesdays and Fridays at her request, and follow her advice that the "best" fast is on bread and water. She has said that everyone must fast if they want to see God answer prayers for conversion, both personal and of the souls of those around them, and that those who are sick or unable should fast from other things which distract them from the Lord-- televison, entertainment, etc.
The Eucharist is commonly known as Communion. Mary advises taking communion often because through it we receive her Son. Communion welcomes Jesus in our midst, reminds us that we are all a part of His body, and through it we receive great grace for life. Because scripture says to examine our hearts before communion that we would not take it unworthily and thus reap condemnation on our head, Mary knows that we are forced to face our sin in light of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Making communion a part of your life is a strong tool against the devil.
Mary has asked that people regularly confess their sins to God and to one another. The power in the sacrament of Confession, like in all the other sacraments, is grace. Through the grace we receive when we confess, we are freed from the death grip Satan wants to have on us through our sin. She recommends daily examination of conscience, and to go to actual confession "at least once a month." She says that the church in the West MUST go to confession, for the sacrament will be a remedy for the church in the West.
Most important, she says, is our regular reception of the Word of God. Not just at Mass, where it is read to us, but daily, in our homes. She asks that we keep scripture in prominent places in our homes so that we are more likely to remember to read it, and that we make it a point to read from it daily-- even if it is only a few sentences. Scripture, she says, is the living Word of God. It is only through scripture that we may know if she is really an emissary FROM God. It is only through the Word of God that life begins to grow in our hearts and that conversion becomes a reality.