MARTHE ROBIN (MARCH 13, 1902 - FEBRUARY 6, 1981)

The sixth child of a family of simple farmers of the Drome (France), Marthe, Servant of God (1991), was twenty-three years old when she wrote, in her own handwriting, her complete Consecration as a "victim of Love" . . . Today, her name, like those of Blessed Padre Pio and Blessed Madre Maravillas, shine in the firmament of the Church of God.

At the origin of the Foundation of the Homes of Charity, Marthe was chosen by the Lord to live His Passion "the most completely after My Mother," He revealed to her in 1933 . . . He even added, "no one in the Church will ever have lived IT as completely as you will!"

Paralyzed since the age of twenty-seven, and also stigmatized, Marthe Robin would spend some fifty years of her life without sleep or food, nourishing herself uniquely with the Eucharistic Bread.
When Fr. Laffineur, O.P. died in November 1970, he had left behind him his plan for the diffusion of the Message of Garabandal in a difficult situation. His close collaborator Fr. Combe decided to ask Marthe, whom he knew well, for her advice. The famous woman mystic welcomed him in the first months of 1971, in her house of La Plaine . . . Here is the account of her meeting as reported by Fr. Combe himself:
 
". . . Myself: "Dear Sister Marthe, as you know, I care aboutGarabandal . . ."
Marthe: "Yes, Father . . ."
Myself: "I was helping Fr. Laffineur . . . He died last November. And all that has followed . . ."
Marthe: "Yes, the critics . . ."
Myself: "I see that you know. So I come to ask for your advice. To me, the situation appears to be so difficult that from now on I would like to take care of only my parish of Chazay d'Azergues. I have already enough work in this ministry . . ."
Marthe: (in a firm and almost cutting voice): "That's it, Father . . . You want to let everything go! . . ."
Myself (I received the blow right through the heart and waited for the rest . . .)
Marthe: "Aye! What must we do, Father, when we have received graces?"
Myself: "I understand, Sister Marthe . . . I must then take up again the spreading of the Message of Garabandal? But, by doing so, I will receive blows from all sides, from the 'critics,' from the
priests, the vicar-generals, and even blows from the shepherd's crook of Bishops . . ."
Marthe: "Ah well! You will offer them to God. There, father, give me some news of the "children" of Garabandal . . ."
This I did. Marthe listened, sometimes asking for details . . . Finally:
Marthe: "Tell the four girls that I pray for them every day!"
The limited time allotted to me for our interview was drawing to an end. Then Marthe asked me: "Would you like us to say an Our Father and a Hail Mary together?" - "Yes, Marthe. For the girls of Garabandal and their Bishop, for yourself and for the Houses of Charity and also for the blows dealt to us with a stick! . . ."
After our prayer, I said: "Marthe, would you accept to have my Guardian Angel invite yours every day to take part in my Mass!" - "Oh! Yes, Father; they will pray together." And our conversation ended as usual with my blessing given with deep emotion.
My heart was freed and determined; I came down from Marthe's room to the chapel of the Home of Charity. On my knees before the Lord Jesus, I gave thanks for the light received. Then, turning to the Blessed Virgin, I said to her: "Most Blessed Virgin, I understand very well . . . You want this . . . I will therefore take up again my pilgrim's staff . . . I am ready to walk for you to the end of the world" . . .
Later, I saw Marthe Robin again. Every time, we spoke of Garabandal. She was interested in making known the Message; she loved to receive news from me about the four children, about their families and . . . especially about the Bishop of Santander . . .

Another of Marthe Robin's testimonies on Garabandal is the one she gave to Msgr. J. Bretault (Founder and first Bishop of the Diocese of Koudougou). One day, I took him to Chateauneuf-de-Galaure, which he liked so much. Before dropping him off, I asked him to remember me to Marthe and to ask her for a little word for me. The little word was a long report he wrote out immediately with tears of joy before the Blessed Sacrament . . . Msgr. J. Bretault had been overwhelmed by all the information Marthe knew about the difficulties in spreading the news about Garabandal in France after the death of Fr. Laffineur. She asked him to transmit a few details and some advice . . . that were very useful and effective for me."
[From 'Garabandal' Book, pages 228-229]

Another great Saint involved with Garabandal, Marthe Robin's cause for beatification was introduced in Rome in 1984.

There's some powerful stuff in this interview, especially for those of us who have received "blows" from certain church officials and "holier than thou" lay people who refuse to believe in Our Lady of Garabandal and the Messages . . . But as you can see, Marthe and many Saints have believed and with God's grace I will continue to do so too! Just the other day, a mystic friend told me to "wait - pray - listen." So I continue to spread the story of Garabandal with the grace of God! Yes, it is a grace to believe! How about you? Have you received that grace?
What will it take to make you believe, a Miracle? Well, one is coming soon, so hang on to your hat!!! I'm not the only one saying this, either. Many of today's mystics are saying the same thing. We are on the verge of a Divine intervention and the beginning of a new era for mankind!
Blessings+
Deacon John 

Image by garabandal archives via Flickr

BLESSED MADRE MARAVILLAS OF JESUS, O.C.D. (1891-1974)

Pope Paul VI at Fatima, May 13, 1976

This extraordinary Carmelite nun, who was beatified in 1998, less than 25 years after she died, founded the "Association of St. Teresa," with the purpose of restoring the rule of life of the original Constitutions of 1581, rigorously established by Teresa of Avila one year before her own death. More than one hundred Carmelite Convents belong to this Association of Discalced Carmelites, approved by Rome in 1973. The highest Church authorities all agreed to celebrate in Madre Maravillas the fact that she had, without any hesitation, 'received' the Vatican II ecumenical Council, its teachings but also, on the precise level of "consecrated life," the necessary adaptations to the new circumstances and conditions of our time. Pope John Paul II beatified her on May 10, 1998.

Mother Maravillas "knew" that Garabandal was authentic. She even clearly shared her conviction with her spiritual daughters, assuring them that "the phenomena occurring at San Sebastian de Garabandal come from God!"

On the other hand, it was very probable to her, not to Conchita as it was believed for a long time, that the Pope's trips to Fatima, and eventually . . . to San Sebastian de Garabandal, were revealed . . . before May, 1967! The prophetic mention of these trips appears in a notebook belonging to Padre Rodrigo, who knew the famous Carmelite nun, at least through the intermediary of her spiritual Father (in Madrid). "Hecho" ("Done"), Conchita's confessor was to write in his notebook, when Paul VI went to Fatima, on May 13, 1967. As for a Sovereign Pontiff's future visit to San Sebastian de Garabandal, Padre Rodrigo subtitled it as follows: "We are waiting . . .". We must recall how Padre Rodrigo had learned, also on April 25, 1967, the very day it was predicted, and thus in advance, the accident which was to cost Msgr. Puchol his life on the following 8th of May!
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 228]

It's amazing how many "special" people are involved in some way with Garabandal! So many Saints! St. Padre Pio, Blessed Maria Rafols, Blessed Madre Maravillas, Venerable Padre Nieto, Venerable Fr. Ciszek, Ven. Pope Paul VI, and even our beloved Venerable Pope John Paul II, who everyone thought would be the Pope who would go to Garabandal. Unless he went in
disguise, I guess the Pope who will go there, as the prophecy says, will be the reigning one after the Miracle. That could be Benedict XVI, if the Miracle comes soon . . . we shall see . . . in the meantime, tomorrow we will hear about a very special "saint" involved with Garabandal, Marthe Robin, whose cause for beatification is opened in Rome.
Deacon John

MSGR. JOAO PEREIRA VENANCIO (DIED AUGUST 2, 1985)

Top left: Statue at Fatima of the Angel of portugal about to give Communion to the seers.

Top right: image of Saint Michael the Archangel as he appeared at Garabandal holding the Host.

Middle left: The messages of Fatima were serious as reflected on the faces of visionaries from left, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta.

Middle right: The same held true at Garabandal. From left are: Mari Loli, Conchita, Mari Cruz and Jacinta.

Bottom left: Scenes of the crowd at Fatima October 13, 1917, when the Miracle of the Sun occurred.

Bottom right: the Pines in Garabandal where the great Miracle is to take place.



It was under the pastoral government of this well-known Bishop of Fatima-Leiria that the famous "third-secret" was brought to the attention of Pope John XXIII. Known for his profound Marian devotion, he had the privilege of frequently discussing with Sister Lucy, who herself informed him, so we are told, of the "events" of San Sebastian de Garabandal.

Conchita herself visited Msgr. Venancio for the first time in 1967; she returned several times later to Fatima. As for the Bishop, he would make the trip twice to see Conchita at Lindenhurst, N.Y., U.S.A. He quickly and firmly believed in the supernatural authenticity of the phenomena that had occurred at Garabandal. In 1983, he would declare to Fr. A. Combe that: "this Message given by the Blessed Virgin at Garabandal is the same as the one given at Fatima, but it is updated . . . At Garabandal, Mary came to upgrade her Message given at Fatima to new conditions of the Church (and of the world). It is obvious to me that the Message of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a Message of salvation for our time . . ." Yes, without any doubt, but perhaps much more . . .
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 226]

And so another great believer has left us as orphans . . . He certainly would be a great witness in our time when so many (even in our Church) do not believe in apparitions and the Messages that God is sending us! In the early 70's, when Our Lady appeared at Akita, Japan (an approved apparition) the bishop there also said the Messages of Our Lady of Akita were a continuation of Fatima. Those Messages were very similar to the Garabandal ones and with more detail regarding the chastisements that could come upon the world if it did not change.

What do you think? Will the world change after the Warning & Miracle? Lets pray that it does so that our grandchildren can live in the Peace of Christ!
Deacon John

FATHER WALTER CISZEK, S. J. (1904 - 1984)

Father Ciszek with Conchita

Father Ciszek, Servant of God (1990), born at Shenandoah, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.), of Polish immigrants, entered the Society of Jesus where he was ordained priest according to the Byzantine rite, in 1937. Moved by the desire to serve the Catholics behind the Iron Curtain, he left for Russia in 1940. He was arrested immediately after his arrival and spent almost twenty years in the Soviet gaols and camps. Released in 1963, he then returned to the United States . . .

Informed about the "events" of Garabandal, he quickly discerned their supernatural authenticity. A close friendship with Conchita allowed him to deepen even more his inner conviction about the divine origin of these "events."

The cause for the beatification of Fr. Ciszek opened at the end of the 1980's.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 226]

Father Ciszek is one of my favorite friends in Heaven, whom I pray for his beatification every day! His life was one long suffering and heroic worship of Almighty God! He wrote a couple of books about his life, which are best sellers. My favorite is "With God, in Russia."

Cover of He Leadeth Me

Here is a short review of this book from Ignatius Press:

Father Walter Ciszek, S.J., author of the best-selling "He Leadeth Me", tells here the gripping, astounding story of his twenty-three years in Russian prison camps in Siberia, how he was falsely imprisoned as an "American spy", the incredible rigors of daily life as a prisoner, and his extraordinary faith in God and commitment to his priestly vows and vocation. He said Mass under cover, in constant danger of death. He heard confession of hundreds who could have
betrayed him; he aided spiritually many who could have gained by exposing him.

This is a remarkable story of personal experience. It would be difficult to write fiction that could honestly portray the heroic patience, endurance, fortitude and complete trust in God lived by Fr. Walter Ciszek, S.J.

"A man of invincible faith and heroic fortitude, who is sustained by a great love for God and his fellow man. His story is highly recommended as a worthwhile reading experience for one and all."

May he intercede for us here below and hasten the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! Fr. Ciszek, pray for us!
Deacon John

After the Illumination (Warning) Part 2

The Coming Refuges and Solitudes

THE Age of Ministries is ending… but something more beautiful is going to arise. It will be a new beginning, a restored Church in a new era. In fact, it was this present pope who hinted at this very thing while he was still a cardinal:

The Church will be reduced in its dimensions, it will be necessary to start again. However, from this test a Church would emerge that will have been strengthened by the process of simplification it experienced, by its renewed capacity to look within itself… the Church will be numerically reduced. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), God and the World, 2001; interview with Peter Seewald

He was echoing, perhaps, Pope Paul VI, who made the startling admission that, because of the growing apostasy in the Church, there will likely be left a mere remnant of the faithful:

There is a great uneasiness, at this time, in the world and in the Church, and that which is in question is the faith… I sometimes read the Gospel passage of the end times and I attest that, at this time, some signs of this end are emerging… What strikes me, when I think of the Catholic world, is that within Catholicism, there seems sometimes to pre-dominate a non-Catholic way of thinking, and it can happen that tomorrow this non-Catholic thought within Catholicism, will tomorrow become the stronger. But it will never represent the thought of the Church. It is necessary that a small flock subsist, no matter how small it might be. —POPE PAUL VI, The Secret Paul VI, Jean Guitton, p. 152-153, Reference (7), p. ix.

It is the divine protection of this little flock in times to come that concerns this present writing…


A PURIFIED FLOCK
The Church must follow Jesus into her own Passion. It is through the Cross that she is purified. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit, He said.¹ Although the Church experiences this crucifixion continually, each minute of each day in her individual members, the time must come when, corporately, she will face a "final confrontation":

Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers… The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 675, 677

This corporate purification involves, as it did for Jesus, a Great Persecution that is already here and coming.²But the Lord will not abandon us. All those who remain faithful to Him will be protected in the Refuge of His Mercy. But there will also be for some—who are not called to martyrdom—physical refuges: geographical places where God will protect His people, lest the Church be entirely extinguished.³

THE PARALLEL COMMUNITIES
After the Illumination, the world will be reeling from the fulfillment of the Seven Seals of Revolution… those hurricane winds of change⁴ that are already beginning to blow and that will bring about a whirlwind of mass chaos and confusion:

When they sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind… (Hos 8:7)

In September of 2006, I wrote about a "word" the Lord has never ceased repeating in my heart, that there are soon going to be "exiles" all over the world:

New Orleans was a microcosm of what is to come… you are now in  the calm before the storm.

When Hurricane Katrina struck, many residents found themselves in exile. It did not matter if you were rich or poor, white or black, clergy or layman⁵ —if you were in its path, you had to move now. There is a global "shake up" coming, and it will produce in certain regions exiles. —from Trumpets of Warning – Part IV

These "winds" will also bring about that great moment of mercy—The Eye of the Storm—when souls will see themselves the way that God sees them in a moment. Thus, two things will emerge from the Illumination: many people searching for God—and many continuing to search for food and shelter.
Around that same time in 2006, I gathered with a small group of missionaries in the upper room of a small chapel in the mountains of Western Canada. There, before the Blessed Sacrament, we consecrated ourselves to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the powerful silence of that moment, I received a rare, flowing, and lucid interior "vision" that I want to share here again for your discernment and prayer:

I saw that, in the midst of the virtual collapse of society due to cataclysmic events, a "world leader" would present an impeccable solution to the economic chaos. This solution would seemingly cure at the same time economic strains, as well as the deep social need of society, that is, the need for community. [I immediately perceived that technology and the rapid pace of life have created an environment of isolation and loneliness—perfect soil for a new concept of community to emerge.] In essence, I saw what would be "parallel communities" to the Christian communities. The Christian communities would already have been established through "the illumination" or "warning" or perhaps sooner [they would be cemented by the supernatural graces of the Holy Spirit, and protected beneath the mantle of the Blessed Mother.]

The "parallel communities," on the other hand, would reflect many of the values of the Christian communities—fair sharing of resources, a form of spirituality and prayer, like-mindedness, and social interaction made possible (or forced into being) by the preceding purifications, which would compel people to draw together. The difference would be this: the parallel communities would be based on a new religious idealism, built on the footings of moral relativism and structured by New Age and Gnostic philosophies. AND, these communities would also have food and the means for comfortable survival.
The temptation for Christians to cross-over will be so great, that we will see families split, fathers turned against sons, daughters against mothers, families against families (cf. Mark 13:12). Many will be deceived because the new communities will contain many of the ideals of Christian community (cf. Acts 2:44-45), and yet, they will be empty, godless structures, shining in a false light, held together by fear more than by love, and fortified with easy access to the necessities of life. People will be seduced by the ideal—but swallowed by the falsehood. [Such wlll be the tactic of Satan, to mirror true Christian communities, and in this sense, create an anti-church].

As hunger and incrimination escalate, people will face a choice: they can continue to live in insecurity (humanly speaking) trusting in the Lord alone, or they can choose to eat well in a welcoming and seemingly secure community. [Perhaps a certain "mark" will be required to belong to these communities—an obvious but plausible speculation (cf. Rev 13:16-17)].
Those who refuse these parallel communities will be deemed not only outcasts, but obstacles to what many will be deceived into believing is the "enlightenment" of human existence—the solution to a humanity in crisis and gone astray. [And here again, terrorism is another key element of the enemy’s present plan. These new communities will appease the terrorists through this new world religion thereby bringing about a false "peace and security", and hence, Christian’s will become the "new terrorists" because they oppose the "peace" established by the world leader.]
Even though people will have by now heard the revelation in Scripture regarding the dangers of a coming world religion (cf. Rev 13:13-15), the deception will be so convincing that many will believe Catholicism to be that "evil" world religion instead. Putting to death Christians will become a justifiable "act of self-defence" in the name of "peace and security".
Confusion will be present; all will be tested; but the faithful remnant will prevail. —from The Trumpets of Warning – Part V

Since that "vision," the Lord seems to have confirmed many of its elements, such as Pope Benedict’s comments on the dark-side of technology⁶ and moral relativism;⁷ the Vatican’s release of a document on the new age and a coming world religion;⁸ and the collapsing of the economy that began in 2008.⁹ Most recently, the Holy Father has compared the collapse of our civilization to that of the Roman Empire, and stated that, ‘without the guidance of charity in truth’, the world risks ‘enslavement and manipulation’ to a ‘global force.’¹⁰
Essentially, the time of the refuges would be a at time of general lawlessness. If there are no longer moral absolutes, which seems already to be the case, have we not already entered into that period of lawlessness?¹¹

Given such a grave situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of self-deception. In this regard, the reproach of the Prophet is extremely straightforward: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness” (Is 5:20). —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Evangelium Vitae, “The Gospel of Life”, n. 58

Early Church Father, Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius (250-317 A.D), foresaw with great precision what this future period would look like… when the faithful would eventually flee to sacred refuges:

That will be the time in which righteousness shall be cast out, and innocence be hated; in which the wicked shall prey upon the good as enemies; neither law, nor order, nor military discipline shall be preserved… all things shall be confounded and mixed together against right, and against the laws of nature . Thus the earth shall be laid waste, as though by one common robbery. When these things shall so happen, then the righteous and the followers of truth shall separate themselves from the wicked, and flee into solitudes. —Lactantius, The Divine Institutes, Book VII, Ch. 17

After the Illumination of Conscience, there will form two camps: those who accept the grace to repent, thus passing through the door of Mercy… and those who will harden their hearts in their sin, and thus, be destined to pass through the door of Justice.¹² The latter will form that camp of the wicked who, for "forty-two months", will be "allowed to wage war against the holy ones and conquer them" (Rev 13:7). That is, persecute, but not destroy.¹³

WHERE ARE THESE REFUGES…?

"How will I get there?"
"How will I know where to go?"
"When will I know when to flee…?"

These are questions people have asked me on occasion. My answer is this…
In Psalm 119 it says,

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)

The Lord’s will for our lives is like a lamp that casts light a few feet ahead—not a high-beam headlight that lets one see way off into the distance. How, where, and when are turns in the road that perhaps neither you nor I can see ahead at this time. But if you are following God’s will for your life, moment by moment, along the path of the duty of the moment,¹⁴ one thing is for certain: the path will lead you to that crossroad. The light of wisdom will show you how, where, and when to go. You can’t miss the turn if you’re on the right path!
The key is that the lamp of your heart contains the Word, who is Jesus. That He is living and dwelling within you; that your heart is filled with the oil of faith; that you are listening to His voice, and obeying it. Then you will have the necessary light for the approaching time when the Sun of Truth will be completely¹⁵ and the only light will be that burning flame of Wisdom which is in your heart.¹⁶ Such a soul will be ready when, in the midst of the coming darkness, the midnight of Antichrist strikes, and the Master arrives to show the way that leads, ultimately, to the Wedding Feast of the Kingdom. obscured,

The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and
you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’… (Matt 25:1-9)

The wise will find refuge in the Lord, while the foolish will seek the false light of the parallel communities. To these who have ignored the mercy of God through the Illumination and a myriad of other signs of His love and presence in their lives, God will (with great sorrow) let them follow their chosen course: to fill their lamps with a false oil…¹⁷

…God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned. (2 Thess 2:11-12)

IN SCRIPTURE
I will say it again, the safest place to be is in God’s will. So if God wants you in downtown Manhattan or the suburbs of Baghdad, then that’s the safest place to be. But there may come a time in this Great StormGo." Will it be your guardian angel who wakes you? Will it be simple common sense? Or will the Blessed Mother or a saint speak to your heart? when God calls you to leave everything and "

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [the magi] departed for their country by another way. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. (Matt 2:12-14)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Luc Olivier Merson, French, 1846–1920

…the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle, so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year. (Rev 12:14)
The king sent messengers… to prohibit holocausts, sacrifices, and libations in the sanctuary, to profane the sabbaths and feast days, to desecrate the sanctuary and the sacred ministers, to build pagan altars and temples and shrines… Whoever refused to act according to the command of the king should be put to death… Many of the people, those who abandoned the law, joined them and committed evil in the land. Israel was driven into hiding, wherever places of refuge could be found. (1 Macc 1:44-53)
Bear the standard to Zion, seek refuge without delay! Evil I bring from the north, and great destruction. (Jeremiah 4:6)

So, yes, there are going to be physical refuges for God’s people. Some of these are already being prepared…

THE TRUE REFUGES…
Yet, these are temporal places, that in and of themselves, cannot save the soul. The only refuge that is truly safe is the Heart of Jesus. What the Blessed Mother is doing today is leading souls to this Safe Harbour of Mercy by drawing them into Her own Immaculate Heart, and sailing them safely to her Son. Such souls who have come to abandon themselves to God in these days are the ones who carry that spark, that light which will bring hope to the world in new communities of light… true refuges that even now have their beginnings, and will continue into the Era of Peace to build a new civilization of love…

These communities are a sign of vitality within the Church, an instrument of formation and evangelization, and a solid starting point for a new society based on a ‘civilization of love’… They are thus cause for great hope for the life of the Church. —JOHN PAUL II, The Mission of the Redeemer, n. 51
Make yourselves builders of communities in which, after the example of the first community, the Word lives and acts —JOHN PAULl II, Address to Focolare Movement, Rome, May 3, 1986

Pray Psalm 91, the great prayer of both physical and spiritual refuge:

PSALM 91

FOOTNOTES:

1. cf. John 12:24 [↩]
2. see Persecution is Near and The Collapse of America and the New Persecution [↩]
3. Although the Church may disappear from many regions, she will never entirely disappear, as Paul VI rightly said, and as Christ promised: cf. Matt 16:18. Note that, the seven churches addressed in chapters 2-3 of Revelation, are no longer Christian, but Islamic territories. [↩]
4. see The Winds of Change [↩]
5. cf. Isaiah 24:2 [↩]
6. "We cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in our world also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat into individualism. The expanding use of electronic communications has in some cases paradoxically resulted in greater isolation… Also of grave concern is the spread of a secularist ideology that undermines or even rejects transcendent truth." —POPE BENEDICT XVI, speech at St. Joseph’s Church, April 8th, 2008, Yorkville, New York; Catholic News Agency; see also The Great Vacuum; cf. Ch. 6 on "The Development of Peoples and Technology", Encyclical Letter: Caritas en Veritate [↩]
7. see What is Truth? [↩]
8. see The Coming Counterfeit [↩]
9. see The Great Unfolding [↩]
10. see On the Eve [↩]
11. see Dream of the Lawless One [↩]
12. Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice… —Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, Divine Mercy in My Soul, n.1146 [↩]
13. for further explanation, see True Refuge, True Hope [↩]
14. see The Duty of the Moment [↩]
15. Pope Benedict XVI recently said that we are living in an "eclipse of reason"; cf. On the Eve [↩]
16. see The Smoldering Candle and The Last Two Eclipses [↩]
17. see The False Unity and Part II [↩]

Published in: | on March 21st, 2011 | 

Divine Will Retreat in Garabandal 4/22 - 4/29, 2011

The Luisa Piccarreta Center for the Divine Will, Inc.

P.O. Box 340 - Caryville, TN 37714 

Tel: 423-566-5178 - - Fax: 423-563-7289 

March 19, 2010

Feast of St. Joseph 

Dear Readers of “Letters of Gold,” 

A few weeks ago I spent almost an entire day with my very holy spiritual advisor. He is an American Priest involved with the Reign of the Divine Will, and has the longest history on behalf of the Reign of the Divine Will of any American--Priest or layman, residing in the U.S.A. 

It was a wonderful day together sharing thoughts and ideas on the diffusion of the Reign of the Divine Will, and it was especially comforting to my soul that he and I are in complete agreement in our understanding of what God is accomplishing at these very moments in our times to bring about the necessary disposition in souls for the universal reign of the Divine Will and the work that both he and I are doing and must do for this divine purpose in respect to our particular callings and missions--he, as Priest, and I as layman.  New readers may want to know that both of us began our learning experiences in our efforts to foster the glorious Reign of the Divine Will back in the early 1970's. 

During our recent day together my holy spiritual advisor gave me instructions to carry out certain things, several of which are to be done quickly.  Some of these instructions may be alluded to in what I share with you below.  

I will now share several things of current interest to me and to our little staff.  

1. Full obedience to the Church in all that the Church asks of us, regardless of our own preferences. To do otherwise is to do one's own will and to impede Good. 

2. There will soon be a Divine Will Retreat at the House of Sanctification in San Sebstian de Garabandal. The official dates of the retreat are April 22 - April 29.  Significant dates associated with this retreat are Easter on April 24, preceded by Holy Thursday and Good Friday; Mercy Sunday on May 1 (after the retreat) and Luisa's birthday, April 23. Let us know if you are interested in attending this retreat.  

3. The events and predictions of Garabandal are all part of the Plan of God to bring about the proper dispostion in souls for the universal Reign of the Divine Will, after  much suffering and the conversion of hearts.  There are considerable efforts underway for a meeting of the Pope and the Orthodox Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia.  Most of you know what that portends.  It is most lamentable that Garbandal has been largely ignored and even opposed.  Obedience to Our Lady's requests there, beginning in 1961, would have spared the Church and the world much scandal and suffering.

Some of us living to day will have the most incredible and unprecedented experiences of meeting God during the universal “Illumination of Consciences” (the Warning) and then See the Glory of God and still Live! during the Great Miracle at Garabandal.  Can one even imagine the results in souls from such experiences, and what zeal they will have for God and the Reign of his Will on earth!! 

4. The Old Testament provided the necessary history of man and the laws and requirements from God for the religious life of the Jews, which began with Abraham.  The New Testament, provides the essential knowledge and instructions for the life of Grace established for us by Jesus, the Incarnate Word.  The Testament of the Kingdom, more commonly known as the “Book of Heaven,” provides the necessary knowledge for souls to possess the greatest Grace--living in the Divine Will, during the now coming reign of the Father's Kingdom in souls in fulfillment of the Lord's Prayer. 

5. Jesus explained to Luisa that the “Book of Heaven” supports the Scriptures and the New Testament and that the Scriptures and the New Testament support the “Book of Heaven.”  In regard to the all important doctrine concerning the origin of man, all three --Scriptures, New Testament, Book of Heaven-- are in complete harmony with the long history of Catholic belief, beginning with the Church Fathers, and her Doctors, Saints and Mystics.  [I am currently working, little by litte, as time permits, composing a paper on this subject based mostly on the most beautiful teachings in the “Book of Heaven.”] 

“The Beginning contains the End,” is a principle of immense importance for those who aspire to live in the Divine Will.  The Father's Kingdom began its Life in human souls in Eden, with Adam and Eve. God was in the process of infusing the knowledge of this Kingdom in the mind of Adam who began to share it with Eve when she was formed from his side. These divine instructions were broken off when Adam did his own will. Now, in our time, we are learing the same sublime teachings from the writings given to us by God through the life and writings of Luisa Piccarreta!! 

THE  KINGDOM  FUND 

About a year and a half ago, I mentioned THE KINGDOM FUND in one of our “Letters of Gold.”  I mention it again at this time, because our Luisa Piccarreta Center for the Divine Will needs your support. Some of our readers have been sending support for many, many years. Some support us with checks in the mail. Others do so by asking us to make monthly donations from their credit card accounts, and others call in and donate by credit card, while some include donations with their book orders.  We have a good-sized list of email addresses of those who receive the “Letters of Gold.” Perhaps many of you haven't realized that our operation depends on your support.  Since moving to this blessed house (provided in a marvleous way by Jesus and Mary), we have been able to reduce operating expenses considerably, but we still need you support.  Our mailing address is Center for the Divine Will - P.O. Box 340 - Caryville, TN 37714. You can mark the memo on your checks: “Kingdom Fund” or “K-Fund.” Our phone number found on the “Letterhead of this message” is 423-566-5178. 

In the Adorable Will of our Heavenly Father--       Thomas Fahy and Staff

 

AN "ILLUMINATION" IS NEEDED

Entering the Prodigal Hour

EVEN after he was completely broke having blown his entire inheritance, the prodigal son would not come home. Even after a famine swept through the land, he would not come home. Even after he—a jewish boy—could only find a job feeding pigs, he would not come home. It wasn’t until he was up to his knees in the pig slop of sin that the prodigal son finally had an "illumination of conscience" (cf. Luke 15:11-32). It was only then, when he was utterly broken, that he was finally capable of looking inward… and then homeward again.

And it is this place of painful self-knowledge where the world must now go before it too can receive its "illumination"…

NIGHT MUST FALL

This morning in prayer, I sensed the Father say:

My child, brace your soul for the events which must take place. Do not be afraid, for fear is a sign of a weak faith and impure love. Rather, trust wholeheartedly in all that I will accomplish upon the face of the earth. Only then, in the "fullness of night," will My people be able to recognize the light… —diary, March 15th, 2011;(cf. 1 John 4:18)

It is not that God wants us to suffer. He never created us for suffering. Through sin, mankind has brought suffering and death into the world… but through the Cross of Jesus, suffering can now be used as an instrument of purification and correction to bring about a greater good: salvation. When mercy fails to convince, justice will.

The tears flow readily when one begins to ponder the suffering taking place in Japan, New Zealand, Chile, Haiti, China, etc.. But then, as I minister to souls throughout the world in my travels and correspondence, there is another suffering taking place in nearly every region, but especially in Western cultures. It is the sorrows from a spiritual earthquake which began with the errant philosophies of the Enlightenment period —ultimately shaking faith in God’s existence—and that has swept like a moral tsunami through our times. 

The serpent, however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. (Rev 12:15)

This wall of apostasy is now receding, leaving in its wake the carnage of a culture of death, where even the value of a human life is now openly debated, openly attacked, openly killed—and then such actions openly celebrated as a "right" by the truly deaf and blind prodigal sons and daughters of our times.

And so, The Prodigal Hour has come. For it is impossible for a humanity that has turned upon itself to survive. And thus, the environment, resources, freedoms, and peace of the nations are at stake. Could the Holy Father have been any clearer in his most recent encyclical letter?

…we must not underestimate the disturbing scenarios that threaten our future, or the powerful new instruments that the “culture of death” has at its disposal. To the tragic and widespread scourge of abortion we may well have to add in the future— indeed it is already surreptiously present — the systematic eugenic programming of births. At the other end of the spectrum, a pro-euthanasia mindset is making inroads as an equally damaging assertion of control over life that under certain circumstances is deemed no longer worth living. Underlying these scenarios are cultural viewpoints that deny human dignity. These practices in turn foster a materialistic and mechanistic understanding of human life. Who could measure the negative effects of this kind of mentality for development? How can we be surprised by the indifference shown towards situations of human degradation, when such indifference extends even to our attitude towards what is and is not human? What is astonishing is the arbitrary and selective determination of what to put forward today as worthy of respect. Insignificant matters are considered shocking, yet unprecedented injustices seem to be widely tolerated. While the poor of the world continue knocking on the doors of the rich, the world of affluence runs the risk of no longer hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish what is human. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Caritas in Veritate "Charity in Truth", n. 75

The shaking of nature, one could say, is the consequence of the shifting and separation between the spiritual and moral tectonic plates; for creation and morality are intrinsically tied to one another:¹

The deterioration of nature is in fact closely connected to the culture that shapes human coexistence: when “human ecology” is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits. Just as human virtues are interrelated, such that the weakening of one places others atrisk, so the ecological system is based on respect for a plan that affects both the health of society and its good relationship with nature… If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to a natural death, if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology… Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality
and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Caritas in Veritate "Charity in Truth", n. 51

AN "ILLUMINATION" IS NEEDED

But what will it take for humanity to "wake up" from the perilous direction we are headed? Apparently, a lot more than what we’ve seen. We have blown our "inheritance"—that is, we have spent our free will on developing a world without God that has led to democracies without justice, economies without balance, entertainment without restraint, and pleasures without moderation. But even as we sit morally bankrupt (and the widespread destruction of marriages and families is evidence of this), it has not been enough to correct the consciences of humanity. No… it appears there must also come a "famine" and then a great stripping and breaking of a pride² that has set itself against God our Father. Not until the nations are up to their knees in the pig slop of self-made destruction, it seems, will they be capable of receiving an illumination of conscience. And hence, theSeven Seals of Revelation must be definitively broken in order that the merciful justice of God—that is, letting us reap what we’ve sown³—bring about an awareness of just how far we have fallen from grace.

And so, the night must fall; the darkness of this new paganism must take its course. And then, only then, it seems, will modern man be capable of distinguishing the "light of the world" from the "prince of darkness." 

BRACING THE SOUL… FOR GRACE

Ultimately, this is a message of hope: that God will not allow mankind to utterly destroy itself. He is going to intervene in a most sovereign and beautiful way. The coming Illumination of Conscience, perhaps what is called the "Sixth Seal" of Revelation, is going to be an opportunity for the prodigal sons and daughters to return home. Rather than descending upon the world in wrath, the Father will run to whomever will begin the journey home, and welcome them, no matter how grave or lost a sinner they have been.

While he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20)

What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)

Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God. (Rev 7:3)

Wherever I minister, I constantly encounter parents whose children have left the Church. They are broken-hearted and afraid that their children will be lost for eternity. This, I’m sure, is the case for many of you who are reading this now. But listen carefully…

When the LORD saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved. So the LORD said: "I will wipe out from the earth the men whom I have created… I am sorry that I made them." But Noah found favor with the LORD. (Gen 6:5-8)

Noah was the only righteous soul God could find—but He saved Noah and his family.

Go into the ark, you and all your household, for you alone in this age have I found to be truly just. (Gen 7:1)

So, those of you whose children, siblings, spouses, etc. have fallen away from the faith: be like Noah. You be the righteous one, living in fidelity to God’s Word and interceding and praying on their behalf, and I believe God will grant them the opportunity and thegraces to—like the prodigal son—come home,⁴ before the last half of the Great Storm passes over humanity:⁵

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers. (Luke 15:18-19)

God will grant those who receive His Mercy an ark of refuge in the times that are coming…⁶

Thanks for helping to keep this ministry afloat!

FOOTNOTES:

1. Rom 8:18-22 [↩]
2. see The New Tower of Babel [↩]
3. Gal 6:7-8 [↩]
4. see The Coming Restoration of the Family [↩]
5. see The Prodigal Hour [↩]
6. see A Miracle of Mercy [↩]

PUBLISHED IN: | ON MARCH 15TH, 2011 | 1 COMMENT »

FATHER PEL (DIED MARCH 5, 1966):

Great worshiper of Jesus in the Eucharist and exceptional Marian soul, Fr. Pel was a fervent "apostolic missionary" traveling everywhere mainly in France, and as far as the Holy Land.

During his only visit to San Sebastian de Garabandal, on June 18, 1965, he spent the morning in the village church, praying and hearing confessions. At the time of the apparition of the Angel to Conchita, Fr. Pel. left behind the crowd because of his advanced age, suddenly found himself inexplicably "transported" to only four and a half feet away from the visionary. We must also note that the priest knew before anybody else the hour of the ecstasy (11:40 p.m.) . . .

A much more detailed account of the unusual relationship of Fr. Pel with Garabandal will be published later . . .
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 225-226]

Again, I never heard of Fr. Pel until I read this book. There's more to tell about him, the author says, but unfortunately the next volume has not been published as of yet. One thing of note is that "transported" story. Many saints had the gift of being transported.

The Scriptures tell of St. Philip the deacon, who was transported here and there preaching and baptizing (see Acts 8:39-40). And how about Our Lady's house, the Holy House of Loreto, the house in which Mary was born, and where the Annunciation occurred, and to an ancient statue of Our Lady which is found there. Tradition says that a band of angels scooped up the little house from the Holy Land, and transported it first to Tersato, Dalmatia in 1291, Reananti in 1294, and finally to Loreto, Italy 

Interior of Holy House of Loreto

where it has been for centuries. It was this flight that led to her patronage of people involved in aviation, and the long life of the 
house that has led to the patronage of builders, construction workers, etc. It is the first shrine of international renown dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and has been known as a Marian center for centuries. Popes have always held the Shrine of Loreto in special esteem, and it is under their direct authority and protection.
How about That!

If I'm missing in action, hopefully I was "transported" to Heaven, so don't bother looking for me!
Deacon John