She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 189)

TIME certainly will not end until the finish of the present form of existence; an existence that is transitory, subject to succession and change; because of this, the end of time will coincide with the end of the world.
But “the times" may well not be the same thing as “time" . . .
Jesus, in His eschatological discourse,(32) according to the version of St. Luke (21: 24) said about the coming ruin of the Jewish city: And they shall fall by the edge of the sword; and shall be led away captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the gentiles;(33) until the times of the nations be fulfilled.
Thus the first chosen people, Israel, will remain dispersed and their capital, the Holy City, abandoned by God as in the grand captivity of Babylon. The gentiles who embrace the faith will then replace the unfaithful Jewish nation as the nation of God. Such a situation will last for a long time: the times of the nations. These times will be fulfilled when the time comes for Israel once again through a massive conversion to Christianity. The effects of such a conversion would have enormous significance, according to St. Paul:
Have the Jews fallen forever, or have they just stumbled? Obviously they have not fallen forever. But by their fall, salvation has come to the gentiles . . . For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their reception be, but resurrection from the dead! (Romans 11: 11-15)
History then will take a spectacular turn, unforeseeable and bewildering. Truly there will be new times. Is this being heralded by Garabandal for the near future? Can the end of the times, which is predicted to follow John XXIII’s third successor, be the consummation of the times of the nations, that will pave the way for Israel’s great new epoch in the service of God and mankind?
I would be inclined to say yes,(34) if it were not for a serious difficulty: the prediction that the third successor of John XXIII would be the last pope. It is hard to understand how the Church could exist without a head or a ruler. If there were no head, would not Our Lord have to appear to us, to achieve by His second coming the work which began with His first? That would be the Parousia.(35)
Or would He proceed to the great consummation supposed by the Last Universal Judgment, in which case, the end of the times would be practically the same thing as the end of the world.
Or would He only change the present state of things in such a way as to prepare the final path for the great consummation. Perhaps St. Paul refers to this when he says:
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. And when all things shall be subdued under Him, then the Son Himself must be subject also to Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all. (1 Cor. 15: 25-28)
There is also another possibility: in speaking of the three last popes, this could refer to their reigning in Rome like their predecessors. Only in this would they be the last, since perhaps there could later be some extra-Roman pontiffs. Can this possibility be excluded?

The more I think about it, the more I favor the last hypothesis.
The Catholic Church originated in Jerusalem where St. Peter had his seat. Following the falling away of Israel after the Jews put the Messiah to death and violently rejected his works, Saint Peter went to find a place among the nations, the gentile people, and his seat was established in Rome which was then the undeniable head of the gentile world.
The succession of Saint Peter was then perpetuated in the Bishop of Rome who was the Pope of the Church and the Head of the Episcopal College. From that time the same person was both Bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church.

But if Rome would perish or disappear, there would be no more bishops belonging to it. And if Jerusalem would become a converted Israel, a Christian one, a Holy City as had so often been predicted by the biblical prophecies, it would become the city of the great King. Here the word of the Lord would save all peoples and the successor of Saint Peter, the Vicar of Christ, would situate himself. The center of the Church would thus return to its origin.
Rome is called Babylon in passages of the New Testament (I Peter 5: 13) and there are many things in the 17th and 19th chapters of the Apocalypse about its destiny . . .
Concise and explicit is the final paragraph of the famous prophecy of Saint Malachy on the popes: In the last persecution of the Holy Roman Church the throne will be held by Peter the Roman, who will tend his sheep in the midst of Tribulations. When these have passed, the City of the Seven Hills will be destroyed, and the terrible judge will judge his people.
Mysteries! Mysteries! Mysteries!

But we should not ignore that Garabandal, from the days of 1963, has proclaimed that we are entering into decisive times, perhaps the last that will be marked by the arms of the great clock of history.

32. It is called this since it speaks of the last events, referring to the final consummation of man’s history. The theological study that deals with the last things of the world has received the name of Eschatology (from the Greek word ‘eschatos’ meaning last).
33. For the Jews, the gentiles comprise all other peoples and nations that are not descendants of Abraham, the chosen one of God.

The Israelites, sons and heirs of the promise, constitute a nation completely separate; the other nations are the common masses. Because of this, the word gentile, rather than having a religious signification, indicates the condition of being part of the masses.
34. Perhaps the fact of presenting herself at Garabandal as Our Lady of Mount Carmel, apart from its theological and mystical meaning (see the Ascent of Mount Carmel by St. John of the Cross), has also a mysterious reference to the nearness of the eschatological times.
Mount Carmel has been closely associated with the devotion to the Virgin from the remotest times; but it is also closely associated with the history of Israel (in the decisive hours of the Alliance) and with the activities of the great prophet of the old testament, Elias.
By appearing under her ancient title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in these modern times of the world, does the Virgin want to indicate that she will take decisive action so that the mass conversion of the Jews — that has been waiting for almost two millennia now — will be accomplished, fulfilling that way the times of the nations?
Does she want to point out the imminence of the final times when, according to the Apocalypse (ll:3-6) the man of Mount Carmel, Elias, will make his last acts as a preacher and witness of the Lord?
These are times in which I think I find a certain mimetic likeness between the sound of the word Garabandal and the sound of the Hebrew or Arab word for Carmel. It is almost as if there were two Carmels: one from the east, and one from the west, both chosen as locations for salvation by the presence of the Virgin.
35. Parousia is a biblical and theological term to designate the solemn manifestation of Christ at the end of time.

She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 188)

Pope Paul VI

If it cannot be accepted that Conchita invented such a definite and compromising prediction, neither could it be held that the prophecy of St. Malachy suggested it to her. First, because she was completely unaware of it; and secondly, because this prophecy and her prediction do not agree.
This prophecy concerning the popes, that is so talked about today, came out in 1595. A Benedictine monk from Belgium, Arnold de Wion, published at the time a voluminous work under the title of Ligum Vitae. It was a type of general biography of the great personages in his order. In this work were listed a series of 111 divisions or titles in Latin, which he reported as coming from an Irish saint of the twelfth century: St. Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh. These divisions tended to correspond, one after the other, to the popes that came after Innocent II, who died in 1143.
The authenticity of this enormous prophecy has been discussed endlessly; authenticity in a double sense: in whether it can be truly attributed to the saint, and in whether it really was inspired from above. I doubt if the question will ever be resolved. But there is something that strikes the reader; the amazing accuracy with which many of the titles describe the popes to which they correspond.
According to the prophecy of St. Malachy, after John XXIII there still remain five more popes. There are five more titles after his, ending with the name of the last successor of St. Peter. Conchita, on the other hand, speaks of only three. The discrepancy could be only an apparent one if, as some think, a new schism arises in the church, with the elevation of anti-popes. To these could correspond some of these last titles that seem to be in series,(29) attributing some to the legitimate popes and others to the false, or anti-popes.
The title of the last pope is given in these words, which if they are true, are shocking in their poignant sobriety:
In persecutione extrema Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae, sedebit Petrus Romanus, qui pascet oves in multis tribulation bus; quibus transactis, civitas septicollis diruetur, et Judex tremendous judicabit populum suum. Finis.“In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church, Peter the Roman will reign, who will pasture his sheep among multiple tribulations. When these have passed, the city of the seven hills will be destroyed and the terrible judge will judge his people. Finis."

Related to the succession of John XXIII and the possibility of the anti-popes is an episode which curiously is not mentioned either in Fr. Valentin’s notes or in the reports of the best-known witnesses of Garabandal.
On the suggestion of the pastor from Barro, who had his part in the episode, I wrote to Margarita Huerta in Madrid, asking for details. She answered on June 18th, 1973:
«Yes, I was in Garabandal during the visit of the false pope, Clement XV. But I can’t remember the date; possibly it was during 1963, as you suggest, or perhaps in 1964; I do remember that it was during my summer vacation, between July and August.»
(Concerning the year, there is no room for question. The November, 1972 issue of ‘La Verité,’ the magazine of Clement XV, contains an interview of the pseudo-pope with a reporter in which the psuedo-pope said, “I was in Garabandal on August 2nd, 1963"(30) (Just two months after the death of Pope John)
«He rode into the village in a big limousine, accompanied by two young laymen of about 21 years of age, and another one over 30 years old who seemed to be married.» According to Fr. de la Riva, those that accompanied him were wearing smart uniforms. «He wore an impeccable white cassock, and a similar white skullcap on his head, a ring like bishops wear, and on his chest there was a large cross hanging from a long chain. On seeing him, the people gathered around him immediately, thinking naturally that he was an important character. He gave his ring to kiss and all looked at him with the greatest respect.»
(Perhaps this reception was the basis for what he believed of himself . . . And what he told a reporter from Amsterdam, “I was received as the true pope. I was taken by the people of the village to the places of the apparitions. It was a triumphal hosanna. As I didn’t know the visionaries or their messages, I felt really surprised by such enthusiasm." The poor man had to believe that God had spoken there in his favor . . . But his euphoria was not destined to last long.)
«As neither he nor his companions spoke anything but French, my friend and I began to act as intermediaries. He told me that he had come to visit Garabandal by command of the departed John XXIII, who had confided to him the mission of investigating the events occurring there . . . At the time, I succeeded in getting away from him for a few moments and I went to where Fr. José Ramón García de la Riva had separated himself from the crowd’s commotion. I relayed his declarations to the priest and he told me, Go and ask him to show you the document that he brings from Rome.
When I asked him for it, he answered me, No. I don’t carry any document; John XXIII gave me the order verbally.
I went to tell this to Fr. José Ramón and he said to me, I don’t like the sound of this. Only God can know who this character is! Furthermore, I don’t want to know anything about this matter; I’m not looking for trouble. And he walked away.»

__________

Amused, people came in increasing numbers to see the curious personage, and all thought that they were in front of an important figure of the Church. He then manifested his intention of celebrating Mass for everyone there up high at the Pines, since he carried a portable altar and had permission to celebrate Mass in all places. But Margarita Huerta dissuaded him, making him see that would not cause a good impression on the people, since everyone knew of the Bishop of Santander’s prohibitions . . . The man was somewhat dismayed, and apologized for personally being unaware of such prohibitions, although for him, they didn’t oblige in any way.
Margarita could not know that, at the same time in separate conversation, two of his accomplices were telling her friend Fracasado that he was the authentic Pope, the Pope "Flos florum" predicted by the prophet St. Malachy to follow John XXIII. And that it was he, Clement XV, and not the false Pope Paul VI, who should be obeyed.
Frustrated with regard to saying mass, Clement XV expressed to Margarita another desire: to talk with the girls of the apparitions. Immediately someone went to find them, but the girls, for some reason (perhaps they had been alerted about this suspicious personality), did not want to come.
Clement XV was irritated, and so at the time Margarita tried to soothe over the situation:
«Understand that the Bishop of Santander has prohibited priests and religious from coming here without written permission. And as you don’t carry any certificate, either your own or from Rome, the people have started to look at you with suspicion.
Then he asked me to find a house for him where he could eat and sleep. I took them to Tiva’s house and they invited me to eat with them; I accepted the invitation. Before ending, Clement XV still insisted on his desire of talking with the girls; he said to the oldest of those accompanying him, Why don’t you go with this woman to Conchita’s house and tell her to come here? The man answered without even looking at him, I? Why should I go? In no way will I go. Clement XV remained without saying a word.»

__________

Finally they went to sleep. And on the next day, very early in the morning, they got away from the village in their limousine.
This sudden getaway had its reason. On the previous afternoon, as soon as rumors about this character wanting to pass himself off as the real Pope had come to his ears, Fr. de la Riva went to Ceferino, the Mayor of the village, to tell him this person’s stay would bring many troubles and problems to everyone. Then Ceferino went up to Clement XV to make him know, that if he did not immediately get out of the village, he would be turned over to the commandant of the civil Guard at Puente Nansa.
The warning had its effect. Clement XV dispensed with his pontifical air. Asking Ceferino not to do anything, he said they would leave right away, and would he permit them only to rest there that night.

* * *

This is the actual history of the episode that Clement XV experienced at Garabandal, and that nine years later in Amsterdam he encapsuled before a reporter in the words we have just seen, I was received like the true pope. I was taken by the people of the village to the places of the apparitions. It was a triumphal hosanna . . . I felt really surprised by such enthusiasm.
How is such self-suggestion possible? Or perhaps it is not self-suggestion . . .

In another place in this book, Conchita’s statement to the Mother at the college of Burgos on November 12th, 1966 was mentioned,
«You know Father Collin? Now he is passing for a pope. He was in my village. He wanted to talk with me, but my mother didn’t let him. Finally they threw him out of the village . . . Well, when I was in Rome, (January, 1966) they showed me a picture in a magazine on which I appeared next to him, and it was written there that he had been with me, and many other lies.»
Obviously, Clement XV wanted to exploit the events of Garabandal to his advantage, just as he has always tried to make people believe that the famous Secret of Fatima was in his favor.(31)

* * *

We have seen how Conchita repeated that she had heard that, after the last pope, there would not come the end of the world, but rather the end of the times. What is the difference?
This is a difficult question, which would require many pages for clarification. We will only make some brief considerations here, so that the matter will not be completely obscure.
If by end of the world is understood the annihilation of the cosmic world that we are acquainted with, we could well say that the end of the world will never come, since the world will not be destroyed, but substantially changed. To speak therefore of the end of the world is to refer to that final point in history when the existence of man as he is at present will be changed into another form, very different and much better.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were gone . . . And death shall be no more, nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away. And He that sat on the throne said: Behold I make all things new. (Ap. 21: 1-5)
Such a substantial change would certainly comprise a tremendous display of upheaval and destruction; since for man, the worker of iniquity (Matt.13: 41), the change from the temporary state to the permanent will not be smooth.
But the present heavens and earth, by the same word are kept in store, reserved for fire on the day of the judgment and perdition of ungodly men . . . But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up. (11 Peter 3: 7-10)
To all this we refer when we speak of the end of the world. If the expression end of the times does not mean the same, then it would have to refer to something prior to it and of exceptional importance. What would this be? That is the question.

29. The four divisions that follow John XXIII are:
Flos florum = Flower of flowers
De medietate lunae = Half of the moon.
De labore solis = From the work of the sun.
De gloria olivae = From the glory of the olive branch.

30. Surely this August 2 is a printer’s error, and should be August 22nd. A letter from Conchita to Father Laffineur makes me think this way:
«San Sebastián de Garabandal August 23, 1963

Just a few words to tell you that yesterday a car came to the village with a man accompanied by two others. He was dressed in white and carried a large cross on his chest, also a skullcap and a ring. He was French.
He came saying that he was the Pope chosen by God; that Paul VI was elected only by the cardinals. He also said that from the time he was 35 years old, he saw the Virgin and also God, Who was the one who told him to come here . . .»
31. But who is this individual?

His name is Michael Collin and he is a fallen-away, former Catholic priest from France.

In the interview just mentioned, he himself resuméd the most important times of his life: I was baptized in Béchy where I was born. I was ordained a priest by Cardinal Liénart in Lillie. On April 28th, 1935, I was consecrated Bishop by Our Lord at Vaux-le- Metz; and finally, Pope, by God Himself in Sorrento, on October 7, 1950.
If such direct interventions from heaven to promote him do not seem peculiar,
certainly his pathway to being elected is, as he himself describes it:

From my childhood, the Lord let me know that I had to help the world and save it.

And when I was 16 years old, He clearly confided to me the mission of "saving the
world." When I made my First Communion, Jesus told me privately, "Miguel, you will be a priest one day; afterwards, bishop; finally, Pope."

From those years, the Lord appeared to me and also the Virgin. When I was still
small, I thought that everyone saw them as I. When I didn’t understand His words very well. He said to me, "Everything will become clear; we must hope."

And for a long time I doubted like this. But now that I have seen the Most Holy Virgin, clothed in black, shedding tears and asking me to accomplish my mission, I have put all my doubts aside. I will fight until the day on which God reigns on earth as in heaven . . .
In 1950, God himself consecrated me Pope in Sorrento. It was on October 7th, the feast of the Most Holy Rosary. From four until eight in the morning, I was in communication with Him . . . And I descended from St. Peter in a direct spiritual line, through Pius XII . . .

To save the world from an immense deluge, moral and material, and to make
straight the Church, which is walking toward the abyss; here is the reason and purpose for my life. And so we have an answer to the secret of Fatima, which announced a "miraculous Pope" to bring this mission to an end.

_________

What got in the way to prevent him from doing this? Miguel-Clemente XV tells us point blank: Paul VI, friend of Satan . . . On the death of John XXIII, he himself declared, "I don’t want to be Pope; there is a French man who is already designated." He knew the secret of Fatima, since Pius XII had spoken to him about it. But later he preferred to be a usurper, and with his lamentable past . . .

________

And so from Pope Clement’s words, it is easy to understand our misfortune. And it
will be much worse:

The nations will be destroyed by an atomic war without precedent, if Clement XV
does not officially take over the direction of the Church.

Clement XV has spoken!

Santander Has A New Bishop

Pope Francis has nominated Manuel Sanchez Monge (68), as head of the Diocese of Santander replacing Bishop Vicente Jimenez Zamora. 

Here is a translated copy of his acceptance speech:

( Manuel Sánchez Monge , elected bishop of Santander) .- Dear diocesan Today, May 6, 2015, Pope Francisco has appointed me bishop of Santander . I express my deep gratitude to the Holy Father for his confidence in my humble person and, at the same time, I express my fraternal adherence and fidelity to the Successor of Peter. I gladly offer my prayer.

To be made ​​public my appointment as the new bishop of the pilgrim Church in Santander and Valle de Mena, I greet cordially you're going to be my new faithful and thank God with you for your faith and your enthusiasm in the work evangelizing.

From the moment I reported the appointment, I have you present in every Eucharist. In ecclesial communion ask the Lord to be with you and for you that you need Pastormodeled on the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

From now the Diocese of Santander is in my heart, and try to serve it with the wisdom that God gives me and always supported in prayer and collaboration of priests, religious and lay people who form part of it.

I assume from now the Diocesan Pastoral Plan for the 2014-2017 triennium entitled: "A diocesan Church in conversion and output" , drawn attention to the pastoral action program designed by Pope Francisco in Evangelii Gaudium and that preferably fixed on four needs, which must give priority attention: family, youth, social dimension of charity and vocational culture.

I entrust to the powerful intercession of the martyrs Emeterio and Celedonio, patron of the diocese and, especially, the Virgin Bien Aparecida, so loved and venerated by you.

Ask the Lord for me and for ministry. With my affection and my blessing,

+ Manuel Sánchez Monge, 
Bishop of Santander

She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 187)

Aniceta, Conchita with Fr. Rodrigo & Fr. Neito

Only Three Popes
Remain!

In the early days of June, not only what is called the Catholic world, but the entire world was closely following what was happening in the pope’s chamber at the Vatican.
There struggling in his last agony, was the one who had captured more swiftly and amply than anyone before, the admiration of almost everyone, and the love of a great many.
The final curtain was inexorably descending on Angelo Giusseppe Roncalli, the man called Pope John XXIII.
And the world was watching breathlessly for many days as he painfully died.
On June 3rd came the sudden notice that at last the flame had gone out. The Pope was dead.
As in so many other belfries throughout the world, the crude rustic bells in the church tower in Garabandal tolled for his death.
But beneath the clanging bells at Garabandal, a comment was made, very different from those made in other parts of the world.

* * *

The sound from the belltower came to the little kitchen where the widow Aniceta González and her daughter Conchita were on that afternoon.
— Listen; they are ringing the bells! — the daughter exclaimed immediately.
— It’s for the Pope — said the mother.

— Certainly . . . Now only three remain.

Surprised, Aniceta raised her head:

— What are you saying?

— What I heard. That only three popes remain.

— And where did you pick that up?

— I didn’t pick it up; the Virgin told it to me.

____________

It would be helpful if Conchita would have explained to us when and how she heard this. But even lacking her explanation, we have sufficient reason to think that this occurred during the locutions, and presumably during the month of May, the month of Mary:
In a locution, since the apparitions had ceased since January, as described, and in their place were the locutions.
During the month of May, since these locutions were occurring at intervals approximately once per month, and during the locution in May she had talked about the Pope with his terminal illness.

__________

Aniceta, amazed by what she had heard, reacted logically:
— Then, you mean that the end of the world is coming?
— The Virgin didn’t tell me “the end of the world," but “the end of the times."
— Aren’t they the same?

— I don’t know.(24)

__________

News of this amazing prediction soon spread out; it was not shouted aloud, but spoken quietly from person to person.
During those days Paquina de la Roza Velarde (Dr. Ortiz’ wife) was in the village. One morning a funeral mass for the dead pope was to be said in the parish church, and the bells began to ring early in the morning. Paquina, Maximina, another woman and Conchita, after having prayed the rosary in the Calleja (How delightful were those rosaries in the silence and freshness of the morning!) made their way to the church. On their way they were speaking of the current news:
— Perhaps with the pope’s death, the Council(25) will end too, since . . .
Conchita: Another pope will come and the Council will continue.

— Well, I agree that another pope will come; but as for the Council . . . Perhaps the new pope won’t think like John XXIII.
— Another pope will come and the Council will continue.

— You seem to be very certain of that; but I don’t see it so certain. It could well happen otherwise.
— I’m telling you, and I repeat: another pope will come and the Council will continue. And I also tell you that only three popes remain . . .
Dr. Ortiz’ wife quickly recovered from her surprise and responded to Conchita:
— Oh, you are saying that from the prophecy of St. Malachy . . .
— St. Malachy? That’s the first time I heard of that. The Virgin told me that after this Pope (John XXIII) there remain only three; and afterwards, the end of the times.
— Do you mean the end of the world is coming?

— The Virgin told me, “the end of the times."

— That isn’t the same?

— I don’t know.

__________

This episode is historically accurate(26) and Conchita’s statement cannot be taken for a simple, offhand remark, since she subsequently repeated it very seriously in the same words.
One time she told it to the eminent professor Father Lucio Rodrigo(27) at the Pontifical University in Comillas. This Father, on the occasion of a visit by Conchita and her mother,(28) asked the young girl if she had really said what had been attributed to her.
Conchita told him, «Yes Father. It’s true. The Virgin told me that after John XXIII only three popes remain, and this one, (Paul VI) is the first of those three.»
In October of 1966, Conchita became a boarder in the college of the teaching sisters of the Immaculate Conception at Burgos. On November 1st, the Feast of All Saints, she talked confidentially with the director of the center, Mother Nieves García. Among other things, she said this, which the religious sister wrote down very carefully:
«One day I said to the Virgin, ‘Will the end of the world be during the time of these events?’
And she told me, ‘No, the end of the times.’

After Paul VI, there will be only two more popes; and then the end of the times will come.»

24. Maximina, Conchita’s aunt and godmother, was present on the scene, judging from her letter which I saw in the Pifarré collection, dated June 5:
«On the day that the Holy Father died, when it was mentioned here that he died, I was with Conchita and she said: Oh, now only three more remain!

Slightly irritated, her mother spoke to her like this: What do you know?
And she answered with great conviction, Well, I know, since the Virgin told me this.
Her mother didn’t like her to say things like this since, although it could be seen that she believed, you know she always had the fear that this wasn’t true . . .»
25. Vatican II, convoked and inaugurated by John XXIII, had only finished one session (October-December, 1962) during which it had taken a direction that certainly was not what its planners had intended. The Council had just begun, and it was expected to continue, but all this depended on what the new Pope would decide.
26. Conchita spoke again about the three Popes that remained and the end of the times. It happened in Maximina’s house during the First Communion dinner of her son, Pepe Luis, to which Mrs. Ortiz was invited. Conchita repeated the same thing, without being able to give the explanations that the listeners’ curiosity desired.
27. † March 30th, 1973. On his deathbed he declared that he had received an unequivocal sign from heaven about the truth of Garabandal.
28. For some time Aniceta and Conchita traveled regularly to the seminary at Comillas — taking advantage of the cars of friends and acquaintances — to have their confessions heard by this priest.
Father Rodrigo wrote to Father Ramón on November 13th, 1965:
«A fortnight ago on Tuesday, the pastor of Barro brought Aniceta and Conchita to me . . . While I was alone with Conchita, she confirmed that the Virgin had told her on the death of John XXIII that there remain only 3 Popes (counting the present) until the end of the times.»
________

In this letter there is another interesting thing:
«She (Conchita) also told me: As the people were talking about trips to space, I asked the Virgin if there were persons living out there, and she told me: "Yes," but she didn’t add anything more.»

She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Page 186)

Following are the most interesting answers to Fr. Retenaga's questionnaire:To the question as to whether the interior voices had been heard by their physical ears, the two girls responded definitely: «No Señor.»Also they absolutely rejected any suggestion that it could have been their imagination or that they could have been dreaming. Opposing this latter idea, Conchita stated: «It was during the day», and Loli: «It was when I was wide awake.»

They denied likewise that they could have these interior voices when they wanted . . . «Listen Lolita» — Fr. Retenaga said — «since Jesus is in the tabernacle and you receive Him every day, holding Him that way, you are able to hear His words whenever you want, isn't that right?Oh! No Señor. If I could hear His words whenever I wanted, I would be hearing them all the time.»Conchita said that her locutions always came when she was in prayer: sometimes in her home, but ordinarily in the church. Loli said the same thing, declaring that twice she heard them in her room unexpectedly; another time, while she was praying at the Cuadro in the calleja; and the rest of the time in the church, one of these times after receiving Holy Communion.Most interesting was the response to Fr. Retenaga's question as to whether they would choose an apparition, a Communion, or a locution. «Communion! » They responded without hesitation.«Understand» — noted Fr. Retenaga — «the words of that answer, taking into account the state of happiness and the effects that followed for them from the apparitions and locutions, in contrast with the aridity and dryness that so often accompanied their Communions.»

During their locutions, many things must have been discussed by the visionaries that we will never know. This is clear from some of the remarks made by Father Retenaga:«One day Conchita told me that she gave a reply to a man who wasn't a Catholic; she also took another reply — which she was required to keep secret — to a young man who overtly didn't believe in God or in priests.(13) And with regard to herself, she had been told secrets concerning her actual life and her future, but she didn't specify what they were, since she lacked express permission from the Virgin.»

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But still more expressive was what happened to Loli:
«I had asked Loli to put some things in writing . . . I was speaking with her on the afternoon of July 25th when she told me that very morning she had wanted to write what I had asked her, and she was all set to begin. But a force from above held back her arm. At the same time, she was told in a locution: Do not write anything for him right now.

I hid my astonishment and told her that it was natural for her not to write anything about it, since what she wanted to tell me had slipped her mind. She answered that she remembered everything perfectly, but that she wasn't able to write because of the force from above that held back her arm . . . And that she had many other things that she couldn't mention either.»

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From these incidents, it can be seen that we still do not know a considerable portion of what actually happened in Garabandal . . . Is that surprising?
Everything there was of such extraordinary proportions, both in duration and in intensity.

* * *

The Most Holy Virgin was the first to intervene in the locutions that extended throughout 1963; later Our Lord took part.The locutions of the Virgin were imbued with her magnificent maternal attitude. In the locution of July 25th that was mentioned — the feast of St. James the Apostle, Patron Saint of Spain — the Virgin called Loli's attention to an attitude of the girl that could well be defined as a fault of vanity. «Change your ways» — she said — «and do not do it again.» With regard to this, here is an interesting dialogue:

FATHER RETENAGA — «After that reprimand, were you hurt, like a child who is disciplined by his parents?LOLI — No, Señor.

FATHER RETENAGA — Then, you didn't take it seriously?LOLI — No Señor. I can't explain it; but what I felt was a mixture of pain and consolation, or confidence, since there is no mother who is so understanding and good as the one we have in heaven, the Most Holy Virgin . . .»The locutions of Jesus had their own particular singularity. Conchita points this out in the last lines of her diary:But I like even more to have Jesus within me . . .
— Jesus, who give me the cross to purify me,
— And also to see if with my crosses I can do something for the world.

Two and a half years later (November 9th, 1966), she said to Sister María Nieves at her school in Burgos: «The apparitions and locutions of the Virgin fill me with happiness; but the locutions of Jesus are even better . . . They seem to be something superior.»

We have an illustration of these locutions, since one day Conchita wrote down in front of Father Retenaga, who was in Garabandal at the time, what she heard that very day(14) after having received Communion during the Mass he celebrated on July 10th, 1963:

(Though not part of Conchita's Diary, the girl wrote this shortly after her unfinished diary and its importance dictates the heavy print given to it here.)

I was making my thanksgiving and praying for things. He answered me . . .I asked Him to give me a cross since I was living without suffering — except the suffering of not having a cross.And he answered: Yes. I will give you a cross.And with much feeling, I went on praying . . .And I said to Him, Why is the Miracle coming? . . . to convert many people?He answered, To convert the whole world.— Will Russia be converted?

— It also will be converted; and so everyone will love Our Hearts.(15)

— Will the chastisement come afterwards?

(He didn't answer me.)

— Why do you come to my poor heart, without my meriting it?— I certainly do not come for you; I come for everyone.— When the Miracle comes, will it be as though I were the only one who saw the Virgin?— He answered me, By your sacrifices, your patience, I will allow you to
intercede for the accomplishment of the Miracle.

And I said to Him: Wouldn't it be better for me to be with all the others; or if not, that You don't use any of us to intercede?— No.

— Will I go to heaven?

— You should love much and pray to Our Hearts.— When will You give me a cross?

(He didn't answer me.)

— What will I be?

(He didn't answer me; He only told me that everywhere that I would be, I would have much to suffer.)— Am I going to die soon?

— You have to stay on the earth to help the world.— I am very small. I couldn't help in anything.— With your prayers and sufferings, you will help the world.(16)— When does one go to heaven? . . . when one dies?— One never dies.

( I thought that we didn't go to heaven until we were resurrected.)(17)I asked Him if St. Peter was at the gate of heaven to receive us; and He told me No.(18)While I was in this conversation, in this prayer with God, I felt myself out of the world.Jesus also told me that now His Heart should be loved.Concerning priests . . .

He told me that I must pray much:

* so that they would be holy and fulfill their duties;* so that they would make others better;

* so that they would make Me known to those who do not know Me;

* so that they would make Me loved by those who know Me and do not love Me.

* * *

This page from the history of the locutions in Garabandal is magnificent . . .What material for reflection!

But if this page from Conchita's life is well known, not so well known is a page from Loli's, which is equally valuable and instructive, and gives us new insight into the mystical phenomena with which the two visionaries were favored in 1963.It is reported in a letter to Fr. Retenaga, dated October 13th, 1963:«Reverend Father Luis,

So that you see that I do what I promise, I am going to tell you a few things . . .The Virgin has made me know when a priest is in sin. She has helped me to know that he needs many prayers and sacrifices.(19)Also she has given me to understand the Crucifixion in the Holy Mass,(20) since I comprehend the humility, the sacrifice for the world.

She has also made me recognize when a person needs prayers to be said for him. And one time she told me about a person who didn’t pray the rosary, and that person told me to write a note for him. And in it I wrote down that he should pray the rosary. And he then began to cry and said to me, Who told you that I don’t pray the rosary? And later he wrote and told me that since that day he had not missed saying it.

Well, Father, at another time I will tell you more, because now I am writing from my bed, since tomorrow I have to gather hay in the pasture, which is a long way from the village, and I have to get up early . . .

__________

Today is another day and I am going to see if I have more time to write. Well, I spoke with the Virgin in a locution and asked her to give me a cross to suffer for priests. She told me to bear everything with patience(21) and to be most humble, which was what pleased God the most.

And I said to her, Am I going to die soon?

And she said to me, No. You have to remain in the world to suffer. In whatever place you are, you will suffer.

And I said to her, Let my parents believe!(22)

And she said to me, They do not believe, so that you will have more to suffer. Suffer with patience.She also told me, Pray the rosary every day.

She told me, Pray for priests, since there are some who need more sacrifices for them every day.And again I said to her, Why don’t my parents believe?

And she said to me, Because you have to suffer. You have much to suffer in this world.And I said to her, What sacrifices should I make?

She said to me, You have to be more obedient.

I told her that one time I was going down the road, and suddenly a man with long hair appeared to me in a long coat, and said to me, I am hungry. And as I was carrying my lunch in my hand, I gave it to him. And suddenly he disappeared, without my knowing how. And I was very frightened. And I said to her, Who was that man? And she smiled and didn’t tell me.I’m not writing more. Don’t say that I don’t write much.(23) Goodbye.

María Dolores Mazón»

This letter does not require learned commentaries, but it should be re-read.It is evident that any similarity between the instruction that the Virgin gave her children at Garabandal and that which is now given to many children by our new theologians, is purely coincidental.No wonder. Today what is stressed is the importance of the individual, while in the school of Mary, the main focus has always been on the ancient pattern of giving oneself to God and denying one’s very self.

* * *

13. Things like this were the basis for people to think that Conchita read consciences. On November 8th, 1966, Conchita mentioned to the Mother Superior of the school at Burgos:
«I think back many times to what happened in my village. There were those who came there because they believed that I read consciences. This made me laugh. How was I going to read consciences? The Virgin advised me about the things that I told some people at the time.»14. The version given here basically follows the text from Fr. Retenaga’s letter; logical punctuations and separations were put in so that the contents can be better understood.15. Here the word hearts is used for persons. Conchita translates in her common vocabulary what she had received intellectually in a locution; in ordinary common Spanish expression the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the same as Jesus, just as the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the same as The Virgin Mary.

What is meant in the text of the locution is that mankind will have a new and better attitude towards Jesus and Mary after the general conversion brought on by the Miracle.16. What Conchita says is useful for all persons of good will. All can and should do something . . . Oh Mystery truly tremendous that is never sufficiently pondered! — exclaimed Pius XII in his encyclical "Mystici Corporis"— That the salvation of some souls depends upon the prayers and voluntary sacrifices of others.17. Death for the Christian is not the final end, but rather the passing from the present state into another very different state — which can be extremely marvelous or extremely horrible. The soul enters immediately into the new state; the body has to wait for the resurrection.18. Conchita expresses ingeniously the common belief — mentioned in so many jokes — that St. Peter is the gate-keeper of heaven. This belief has no more basis than being the erroneous interpretation of the words spoken by Jesus to his apostle during the episode at Caesarea Philippi. (Matt. 16:19)Reading the text of this locution shows well the truth of what Conchita said later to the Mother Superior in the school at Burgos:
«The Lord is very serious, and when He speaks to me, He seems concerned for everyone. The Virgin, as if more for me . . .» (Nov. 17, 1966)

______

However the Virgin’s style was not that different:
«When we spoke about things too personal, she didn’t answer us; she was very concerned about the others.»
(April 21, 1967)

19. There are numerous incidents demonstrating that Garabandal has always given preferential importance and solicitude for priests, antecedent to the greatest crisis in the priesthood that the Church has ever known.

20. Also in advance of the time when the primary meaning of the Catholic Mass, that of sacrifice — the sacrifice of the Cross — would be forgotten or lost by most people, the Virgin Mary would come to repeat this lesson.21. The Curé d’Ars used to repeat: One hour of patience is worth more before God than several days of penance.

22. It is known that Loli’s parents, especially Ceferino, held the greatest doubt about the truth of what was happening to their daughter; and she found this to be a heavy cross.23. This letter is exceptionally long. I have seen many letters written by the visionaries, and I can verify that almost all of them were very short.