Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M.
(c)Bernard Gallagher, used with permission

February 17, 2012

The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order

Dear Family of Mary!

I was looking through my Medjugorje books, and found the little prayer manual, Pray with the Heart, by Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M. Fr. Slavko wrote a beautiful set of meditations for the Rosary that he called "The Rosary of Peace". I am going to include those prayers in this reflection! They are beautiful. If we want to make peace our job, this Peace Rosary could be part of our daily work for peace.

The Rosary of Peace by Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M.

Introductory prayer:

Heavenly Father, I believe that You are the good Father of all people. I believe that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to the world to conquer evil and sin, and to accomplish peace among all people, for all people are Your children and Jesus' brothers. And once we know this, every destruction and every defilement of peace is all the more pitiable and incomprehensible. Grant now that I and all those who will pray for peace may pray with a pure heart so that You may answer our prayers and give us true peace of heart and soul. Peace to our families, peace to our Church and to the whole world! Good Father, remove from us all weeds of disturbance and disorder and give us the joyous fruits of peace and reconciliation with You and with all men. We ask You this with Mary, the Mother of Your Son and the Queen of Peace. May it be so!

The First Mystery: Jesus offers peace to my heart.

"I leave you peace, my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world gives pace. Do not be distressed or fearful" (Jn 14:27).

Jesus, quiet my heart. Open my heart to Your peace. I have had enough unrest and anxiety. Jesus, I have been cheated thoroughly by false hopes, bruised all over by heavy blows, cut by sharp blades. I have no peace. I am easily overwhelmed by worries. I am easily affected by fear and mistrust. Too often have I hoped to find peace in this world, but my heart is still restless. Therefore, Jesus, together with St. Augustine I ask You to appease my heart and let it find rest in You. Do not ever let the waves of sin overflow it. Be my rock and my fortress from now on. Come back to me and stay with me, You who are the only fountain of my true peace. Thank You for the consoling words recorded by Your dearest disciple: "I tell you all this that in me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world, but take courage! I have overcome the world" (Jn 16:33).

The Second Mystery: Jesus offers peace to my family.

"Look for a worthy person in every town or village you come to and stay with him until you leave. As you enter his home wish it peace. If the home is deserving, your peace will descend on it" (Mt 10:11-13).

O Jesus, thank You for having thought of our families as well. Thank You for having sent out the apostles to spread their peace in families. Now I ask You heartily to make my family deserving of Your peace. Cleanse us of all sinful thoughts and deeds that Your peace may grow and come into bloom within us. May Your peace remove all anxieties, all conflicts from our family. Grant that Your peace may completely overwhelm us and that You, the Peacemaker, may always be the first member of our family. I also pray to You for neighboring families. Let them, too, be filled with Your peace and we shall all be fine.

The Third Mystery: Jesus offers peace to the Church and calls her to spread peace!

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old order has passed away; now all is new! All this has been done by God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. We implore you in Christ's name: be reconciled to God!" (2 Cor 5: 17-19).

Jesus, I implore You to give peace to Your church. Reconcile all that is still un-reconciled in her. Bless priests, bishops and the Pope that they may live reconciled and perform the ministry of reconciliation. Remove from Your Church every un-reconciliation. Reconcile all those who are at variance in Your Church and who, with their mutual conflicts, scandalize Your little ones. Reconcile various religious groups.May Your Church, spotless and stainless, be steadily calm, let her be the promoter of peace.

The Fourth Mystery: Jesus offers peace to his people.

"Coming within sight of the city, he wept over it and said: 'If only you had known the path to peace this day; but you have completely lost it from view! Days will come upon you when your enemies encircle you with a rampart, hem you in, and press you hard from every side. They will wipe you out, you and your children within your walls, and leave not a stone within you, because you failed to recognize the time of your visitation" (Lk 19:41-44).

Jesus, you wept over Your city and over Your people. You offered them peace, but they were deaf and blind, and did not either hear or see. Thank You for the love toward Your people. Please grant that I may know how to lead my people, my town, my village, my homeland to the good. I pray to You for every individual member of my homeland, for each of my countrymen, for all those who are in authority. Grant that they may not be blind but that they may learn and recognize what they are to do for the realization of peace. Let there be no more ruin in my people, but let them all become slid spiritual buildings, which will shine with peace and joy. Jesus, give peace to my people. Give peace to every nation. Let everyone live in peace and let everyone proclaim peace.

The Fifth Mystery: Jesus offers peace to the whole world!

"Promote the welfare of the city to which I have exiled you: pray for it to the Lord for upon its welfare depends your own" (Jer 29:7).

Jesus, on the earth has long since been sown and now germinating the dangerous seed of wars and all kinds of conflicts. And I know quite well that my peace, too, as well as the peace of all people, firmly depends on peace in all countries and nations of the world. Therefore I ask You to root out, with Your divine power, the ill-fated seed of unrest and sin as the first cause of every disturbance. Let the whole world be open to Your peace. All people need You in their life's unrest, so help them all to find peace, to realize peace. Many nations have lost their character. Many live in fear of others who are stronger and richer. Many of the poor and the persecuted rebel while many of the rich and the wanton vent their fury over them. Generally, there is no peace or hardly any. So, Lord, send us Your Holy Spirit that he may bring that original divine order into this human disorder of ours. Let the nations be healed of their spiritual wounds so that mutual reconciliation may be possible. Send to all nations the messengers and harbingers of peace so that everyone may realize the deep truth of what You once said through Your great prophet: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation, and saying to Zion, 'Your God is King!'" (Is 52:7)

Closing prayer:

O Lord, heavenly Father, give us Your peace! We ask this of You together with all Your children in whom You have planted the desire for peace and appeasement. We ask this together with all those who, in unspeakable sufferings, are sighing for peace. And after this life, which we have spent in restlessness for the best part of it after all, take us into the kingdom of Your eternal peace and love. Accept also all those who fell as victims of wars and conflicts. Accept also those who are looking for peace on wrong paths. We ask this through Christ - the Prince of Peace - and through the intercession of our heavenly Mother - Queen of Peace! Amen!

(taken from Pray with the Heart! by Fr. Slavko Barbaric, O.F.M. P. 57-62)

"Dear children, do not tire of prayer. Pray for peace, peace, peace." (June 25, 2002, Ivanka)

In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!

Cathy Nolan

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