Pope Paul VI Gives His Blessing

This is an interesting post from Maria Saraco's Web Site (link below) on the first Pope to be aware of the Events of Garabandal:

 

POPE PAUL VI GIVES HIS BLESSING to Maria C. Saraco, Director of St. Michael's Garabandal Center for Our Lady of Carrnel. In his public address 
May 19, 1971, he said:

"We ask the Lord to sustain you, and through your apostolate of prayer, to grant increased holiness in the Church and especially in the hearts of priests." Mrs. Saraco in presenting to the Holy Father a Rosary, carefully explained that it was made from the PINE BRANCHES of the PINE TREES Our Lady Stood in at GARABANDAL. Attached to the Rosary was an object kissed by the Blessed Virgin during her numerous appearances there. The Holy Father, after accepting the Rosary, took Mrs. Saraco's hands in His, with great affection, saying: "Thank you, thank you very much." At the May audience, the Pope explicitly approved the custom of prayers for priests. The Vatican has made no explicit ruling on the reported apparitions as yet, and will not until the prophesied events take place.


From http://www.garabandal.org/index.shtml

PRIESTS ARE COMING IN EVER-INCREASING NUMBERS

According to Conchita, Our Lady insisted a great deal on "the devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and on prayer for priests." The very close correlation between the Eucharist and Priesthood was to be very present in Garabandal: "The Blessed Virgin spoke to us of the grandeur of the priest. She said that if we could see an angel and a priest, we should greet the priest first or even fall on our knees before him . . . Because the priest consecrates, something the angel does not do." (J. Pelletier, Le Journal de Conchita, p. 94).

Conchita asked the Vision if all the priests were good. She was very astonished to learn that not all of them were.
In 1967, the visionary wrote out a short text that we consider as a kind of charter for the priest of our time: "What the Blessed Virgin expects from the priest is first of all his own sanctification. That he be faithful to his vows for the love of God. That he bring many souls to God through his example and prayer . . . That the priest deny himself for the love of souls in Christ. That he withdraw from time to time in silence to listen to God who constantly speaks to him. That he meditate much on Jesus' Passion so that he may be more closely united to that of the Christ-Priest, and to invite souls to do penance and sacrifice, making the cross that Christ sends to each one easier to bear.To speak also of Mary: she is the most secure way leading us to Christ; to speak also that people may believe that just as there is a Heaven, so there is a hell.
That is what, I believe, Heaven is asking of its priests."
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 55.]

These powerful Truths of our Faith shine forth: Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and the holy priesthood! The devil has spent the last 2000 years trying to destroy belief in both of these Truths of Faith. Here Our Lady is reminding us, as She did in Fatima, of Jesus True Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, and that only a priest can consecrate bread and wine so that It changes into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Years ago, many people had a special reverence for a priest, and when they greeted him, they kissed his hand, because his hands were consecrated to offer Holy Mass and bring Jesus down from Heaven upon the Altar. Today, in most places, that reverence has almost disappeared. Never mind kneeling before a priest or kissing his hand, I've stood besides holy priests who were spat upon and called every name in the book, especially at Pro-Life events . . . I felt so sad for them, but then remembered that Jesus was spat upon, called names, and even crucified, so these priests were following their Master in imitation of Him!

What Conchita wrote about the Blessed Mother's ideals for her priest sons are good for us too! We are all called to holiness . . . We are to be faithful to our vows (marriage or single state) . . . All for the love of God . . . Save souls through prayer and example (especially our own family) . . . Deny ourselves (sacrifice for the love of Jesus) (Fatima Prayer) . . . Meditate on the Passion of Christ (Sorrowful Mysteries) . . . Sing of Mary, Our Mother . . . And as Our Lady did at Fatima, remind people that there is Heaven & hell, a major Truth of our Faith!

And remember: PRAY FOR PRIESTS! They need our prayers now more then ever!
Deacon John

THE THREE POPES AND GARABANDAL: REVISITED

Here is an interesting article that gives some light to Conchita's prophecy about the last Pope.Deacon John Revisited Again in Light of the Passing of His Holiness Pope John Paul II

Reprinted with kind permission: by Geoffrey A. P.Groesbeck 
April 2005

    For many years, some followers of Garabandal theorized that Pope John Paul II’s reign would see “the end of the times”. Although plausible on the surface, this scenario did not come to pass as some expected. While the pope’s passing is in many ways the end of an era or epoch – especially if considered from a moral perspective – there is nothing to indicate that his demise marks the fulfilment of any particular Garabandal prophecy tied to the warning or miracle.

The Facts

One of the more startling prophecies of Garabandal concerns the three popes who would follow Blessed Pope John XXIII (1958-1963), and especially the last of the three: John Paul II (1978-2005). According to some conjectures, John Paull II supposedly would witness the great miracle at Garabandal, and the end of his reign supposedly would usher in “the end of the times” (el fin de los tiempos, in the original Spanish).

The careful reader will note the use of the adjective “supposedly” twice in the previous sentence. This is deliberate. While one can speculate that Pope John Paul II may indeed have witnessed the miracle before his death – or will witnes it after death from Heaven --, this is speculation, not fact. It may be that he will see it, yet it also may be for another to see it. We simply do not know.

What is certain, however, is that by the end of his reign a very definite end of the present times, or “era”, had come about. In fact, one can argue convincingly that this time already had come, long before his death.

But first, let us turn to the aspect of the prophecy that deals with a pope seeing the miracle. That we do not know for certain if it was or will be Pope John Paul II needs to be underscored. For many years, some of Garabandal’s most prominent promoters have linked the pope who will see miracle as the same one whose reign will see the end of the times. Although plausible, we repeat, this scenario is not necessarily so.

The Original Dialogue

To understand the matter better, we need to go back and visit the events as they actually unfolded, in time and in their proper context. A careful reading of the dialogue as originally related by Conchita herself yields some very interesting information, which in its subtlety easily can be confused. For this, we first turn to the original Spanish text, as it appears in Se Fue con Prisas a la Montana, the Spanish-language predecessor to She Went in Haste to the Mountain.

On 3 June 1963 — the day of the passing of Pope John XXIII — after learning that the village bells were tolling for the pope, Conchita made a startling remark to her mother Aniceta: “For sure…now there remain no more than three [popes]!” (Seguramente… Pues, ya no quedan mas que tres!)¹ Although this was the first time that Aniceta had heard this announcement, it appears that Conchita had made mention of this more than six months earlier to others. She perhaps first was told this on 20 December 1962, as indicated by a letter that Conchita’s aunt Maximina sent to friends that same day.²

Naturally, Aniceta was shocked, and asked if this meant the end of the world was approaching (?Quiere decir que viene ya el fin del mundo?). Conchita’s response was that the Virgin did not say “the end of the world”, but rather “the end of the times”. Further, after being asked if these two were not the same, she answered only: “Well, I don’t know that.” (Pues, no lo se.)³

Subsequent recorded comments by Conchita on the matter are few. We know that some days later (probably 5 June) she mentioned three times to three women that there would be only three more popes (Digo tambien que ya solo quedan tres Papas.)⁴, after which would come “the end of the times”. Here she added that, again, she did not know what this enigmatic phrase meant.⁵ At least four other times Conchita repeated this statement (once to no less eminent a personage than Fr. Lucio Rodrigo, then a professor of moral theology at the Pontifical University at Comillas).

One person to whom Conchita repeated this message was Mother Maria des Nieves de Garcia, the headmistress of the school Conchita attended briefly in Burgos. In this conversation, which took place on 1 November 1966, instead of noting that she did not know whether “the end of the times” was the equivalent of “the end of [all] time”, Conchita drew a finer distinction.

According to Mother des Nieves’ own notes, Conchita earlier had asked the Virgin if these two events would be one and the same. The reply was emphatically that they would not be. Specifically, the Virgin mentioned that there would be two more popes after the then-current pontiff (Paul VI, 1963-1978), and then the end of the times.⁶ We do not know when Conchita was told this, except that it obviously was after Paul VI had been made pope.

Later Comments and Confusion

Since the last of these early conversations with others, we know of no additional comments by Conchita on the matter. However, if any had been made, it seems likely they would have been disseminated quickly amongst the Garabandal community. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it therefore seems safe to say that Conchita’s remarks as recorded by her former headmistress (and others) 37 years ago hold true, and with nothing new added to them. If so, we can state with assurance at least the following:

1. Pope John Paul II is the last of the explicitly referenced three remaining popes subsequent to Blessed Pope John XXIII.

2. The end of the times — but not the end of time itself — will coincide with the end of his pontificate.

That “the end of the times” is a momentous benchmark of some sort is obvious. One anecdotal suggestion of just how seriously Conchita takes this prophecy is revealed by her reaction upon hearing of the death of Pope John Paul I, whose brief reign of 36 days ended on 28 September 1978. An acquaintance of hers, with her on that same day, noted that the visionary became visibly agitated after hearing the news of the pontiff’s passing.⁷ Surely, that John Paul I’s death would provoke such a strong reaction is not something to be taken lightly.

On the other hand, in an attempt to buttress a belief that the present pope will be the last one (and in this case, of all time), some have attempted to link — erroneously — Conchita’s comments with the so-called prophecies of St. Malachi (Malachy), an eleventh-century Irish monk. These alleged predictions of St. Malachy are spurious, the work of a Belgian monk, Arnold de Wion (or de Wyon), who wrote them six centuries after St. Malachy died.⁸

An Attempt at Clarification

Where, then, does the prediction that a pope will see the miracle come from, and can we claim to know which pope it is who will see it?

According to Fr. Garcia de Pesquera⁹, sometime in September of 1962, Conchita made the statement that the pope — whoever it would be at that time — would see the miracle to come, whether he was in Garabandal or elsewhere. This prediction was made roughly three months before the Virgin told her of the three remaining popes. The Blessed Mother did not say in this earlier dialogue that the pope who would see the miracle also would be the last of the three popes to follow then-Pope John XXIII.

We note with equal interest that in the apparition of December that same year, the Virgin made no mention of the third (or any) pope seeing the miracle. In other words, her comments regarding a pope seeing the miracle were delivered in September of 1962, with no reference to who that pope would be. And in her later comments regarding the number of remaining popes, no mention was made of one of them being the one who would see the miracle.

From this, a number of conclusions arise, amongst them the possibility that any future pope could see — or could have seen — the miracle. This would include popes Paul VI, John Paul I, John Paul II, or anyone who follows.

It is probably safe to say that neither Paul VI nor John Paul I saw the miracle, as surely some mention would have been made of it. We know, of course, that Fr. Luis Andreu and St. Pio saw the miracle, but we also assume that no one else has seen it, including any pontiff. If Pope John Paul II was to have been the last pope of all time, it would have been a logical necessity that he would have see the miracle.

If, however, he is not the last pope, but instead the last pope of the[se] times, it does not follow that he must ipso facto be the pope to witness the miracle.

So do we have a right to infer that our beloved late pope did or will see the miracle? We do not. It may seem plausible, but there is no direct link between the miracle to come in Garabandal and which pope will see it.

Here we turn again to She Went in Haste to the Mountain. On page 486, there is a very important sentence written in 1963 by Fr. Luis Lopez Retenaga, as a summation of what was definitively known regarding who this pope will be: “The Virgin did not say specifically which pope.”¹⁰

What We Know for Certain

To the above two conclusions now can be added the following third one.

3. There will be a pope who will see the miracle to come.

It seems beyond all doubt that neither popes Paul VI nor John Paul I saw the miracle, and likely not John Paul II, either, which leaves one of his successors as the one who will see it.

The temptation to assume it would have been John Paull II is admittedly strong. If he is the third pope after Blessed Pope John XXIII, some say, then he is the chosen pope. But this does not follow from Conchita’s words. All we know for certain is that a pope will see the miracle.

We can combine this certainty with the fact that John Paul II’s reign marks “the end of the times”, a phrase that can mean many things, as will be discussed later in a subsequent article. But we cannot say that therefore this pope must also be the one who will see the miracle, because we do not know whether there will be another pope after “the end of the times”.

We repeat: If there is a successor to the late Pope John Paul II, this means only that John Paul II’s reign saw the termination of a certain epoch (i.e., “the end of the[se] times”). It does not mean that he saw the miracle, any more than it means he was the last pope.

The crucial point is that the phrase “last pope” is inextricably linked with “the end of the times”. This is nothing more than a re-stating of our original two conclusions. And if the end of the times means an end to a specific era or epoch (as Garcia de Pesquera and others argue¹¹), and not an end to time in an eschatological sense, there is no contradiction in saying that there will be a successor pontiff and therefore that another will see the miracle instead of the present pope.

End Notes

1. Garcia de Pesquera, Fr. Eusebio, O.F.M., Cap., Se Fue con Prisas a la Montana, 1972, p. 224.

2. Garcia de Pesquera, Fr. Eusebio, O.F.M., Cap., She Went in Haste to the Mountain (2000 ed., trans. by Dr. Brian Miller, edited and updated by Barry Hanratty and Irene Dutra), Lindenhurst, NY: Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal, 2000, p. 481.

3. —————., Se Fue con Prisas a la Montana, p. 225.

4. Ibid.

5. —————., She Went in Haste to the Mountain, p. 482.

6. Ibid. See also Perez, Ramon (trans. by Annette I. Curot Matthews), Garabandal: The Village Speaks, Lindenhurst, NY: Our Lady of Mount Carmel de Garabandal, 1998 ed., p. 61.

7. Author’s private correspondence, name withheld upon request.

8. Groesbeck, Geoffrey A. P., “9 Garabandal Myths” in Garabandal International Magazine (October - December 2003), Fyshwick, Australia: Canberra Publishing and Printing, p. 14. See also P?rez, Ramon, op. cit., p. 60.

9. —————., She Went in Haste to the Mountain, pp. 422-3.

10. Ibid., p. 486. See also the first edition of She Went in Haste to the Mountain (Book Three), Cleveland: St. Joseph Publications, 1981, p. 144.

11. Ibid., pp. 483-5.

---

TUESDAY, JULY 4, 1961:

Many priests witnessed the ecstasies

THE BLESSED VIRGIN GOES STRAIGHT TO THE ESSENTIALS: A SUPERNATURAL "MESSAGE"

Here is the first question the Blessed Virgin had asked the children on the previous 2nd of July:
"Do you know the meaning of the notice the Angel had under his
feet?"
- "No, we don't."
"It was a Message that I am going to tell you and that you will
repeat in public on October 18" (1961):

"WE MUST MAKE MANY SACRIFICES,
PERFORM MUCH PENANCE, AND
VISIT THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
FREQUENTLY. BUT, FIRST, WE MUST
BE VERY GOOD. IF WE DO NOT, A
CHASTISEMENT WILL BEFALL US.
THE CUP IS ALREADY FILLING UP,
AND IF WE DO NOT CHANGE, A
VERY GREAT CHASTISEMENT WILL
COME UPON US."

It was from this day on that Our Lady gradually initiated the young visionaries in a motherly way to the meaning and scope of this Message.
[Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 55.]

Unlike Fatima, Our Lady here instructs the girls to reveal the Message so there is no secret. And as we shall see, they did reveal it to a disappointed crowd, who wanted a more spectacular One. But, look at this Message! To me it's a powerful call to conversion! It also reminds me of the admonition of the Angel of Fatima who told the three children to pray and offer sacrifices to God for the sins of the world, for He was already offended too much! Here Our Lady asks us to pray, offer sacrifices, do penance, visit the Blessed Sacrament, but above all, we must be very good. See, Mother Mary is telling us, Her children, to be good, as any good mother would tell their child . . . And if we aren't good, what does a good mother do? Well, some punishment, of course, till we behave. Here Our Lady is warning us: If you are not good, the Father will definitely punish us, to correct us and then, maybe, we will be good.
Deacon John

From Mark Mallett: Maria Esperanza & the Illumination (Warning)

Esperanza

Maria Esperanza, 1928 – 2004

The cause for canonization of Maria Esperanza was opened today. This writing was first published on September 15th, 2008, on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Today is the feast of St. John Bosco, who prophesied many of the events that are echoed in the words of Maria Esperanza regarding our times.

THIS past year, when I would pray in the Spirit, a word would often and suddenly rise to my lips: "esperanza." I just learned that this is a Hispanic word meaning "hope."

  
CROSSING PATHS
Two years ago, I met with author Michael Brown (who many of you know is the driving force behind the Catholic website SpiritDaily.) Our families shared a meal together, and afterward, Michael and I talked about many things. When we were about to leave, he left the room and grabbed a couple of books. One of them was entitled, The Bridge to Heaven. It is a compilation of interviews Michael carried out with the late Venezuelan mystic, Maria Esperanza. She has been described as the female version of Padre Pio whom she in fact met several times in her life. He appeared to her the day he died (as he sometimes would to many souls), and said, "It’s your turn now." Remarkable mystical phenomenon surrounded her life, including the privilege of receiving apparitions from Jesus, as well as the Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints. And not only her; many who came to her village of Betania also saw the Virgin, in apparitions which have received a strong approval from the local bishop. 
On September 11th last week, I suddenly felt compelled to pick up this book and read it on my flight to Texas. I was stunned by what I read. For the words which have unfolded in my heart over the past three years are direct echo’s of messages Our Lady and Jesus gave Maria for the world. This has touched me deeply, since I sometimes struggle fiercely with the mission I have been given: it is a confirmation from someone who lived a holy and remarkable life and whose words, though they are not necessarily bullet proof, carry a weight which far exceeds anything I will ever say. I do not say this for my benefit, but yours. For Scripture commands us not to despise prophecy, but to discern it. Given the times which are unfolding rather dramatically now, I think it is important that many of you who are hearing a prophetic word in your heart are further confirmed in your spirit for what you have been sensing all along. 
It is strange, for I knew little of this woman until now, though I’ve quoted her a couple of times. But something in my soul tells me that when the Spirit prayed "esperanza," that it may in fact have been "Esperanza"—an invocation of the intercession of one who may likely one day may be called St. Maria. One whose name means hope.

THE MESSAGES
(Below, as I sift through Maria’s words, I have also linked certain phrases and titles to my writings so you can easily cross-reference them by simply clicking on them.)
Maria confirms that we are living in a time of grace, a "special time" which she also calls the "hour of decision." Through Maria, the Blessed Mother is calling us into a place of "prayer and contemplation," what I have called here "the Bastion." It is a preparation for a new evangelization of the world (Matt 24:14):

the Virgin has come… to unite a small group of souls called for a great future mission, which is already beginning. That is the evangelization of the world over again. —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 107 

I have written about a time which I felt the Holy Spirit calling "the Exorcism of the Dragon" when Satan’s power is going to be broken in many lives. 

The heavenly hurricane will come to help the weak ones, a battalion led by St. Michael the Archangel, who will defend you because he will announce the decisive time, and he will be open to listen to the drums, flutes, and bells, able to stand quickly to fight with the prayer of the Magnificat. —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p.53

What a beautiful confirmation!  When the Seven Year Trial series was completed, I sensed our Lord saying that we would be singing the Magnificat of the Woman—a song of praise and battle.  And of course, Maria says what the Church has been saying for centuries: that Mary is our refuge:

Something is coming, the hour of terrible things during which confused humanity will not find refuge in the human earthly heart. The only refuge will be Mary. —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 53

I have already quoted in my writings Maria’s reference to an illumination of conscience which is going to be a great gift from Heaven for the world—a Day of Mercy in which many souls will be given the grace to repent. Although Maria refused to answer whether or not she knew if Antichrist was alive on earth (wisely so, perhaps), the Virgin did say that we are living in "apocalyptic times":

Our Father’s intention is to save all His children from the mocking and ridicule of the pharisees of these apocalyptic times.  —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 43

Before the Blessed Sacrament, in what was a kind of inner vision a few years ago, I sensed the Lord saying that there was coming "parallel communities" which may solidify through the Illumination. Maria also speaks of these Christian communities:

I think that in a very little while we’re going to be living in social communities, religious communities.—The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 42 

And Maria also speaks often of what is called an "era of peace" in which the world and the Church will be renewed in a glorious age. It will be preceded in a "coming" of our Lord. Here too, Maria does not speak of the final coming of Jesus in glory, but an intermediate coming of Christ, perhaps in apparitional form:

He is coming—not the end of the world, but the end of this century’s agony. This century is purifying, and after will come peace and love… The environment will be fresh and new, and we will be able to feel happy in our world and in the place where we live, without fights, without this feeling of tension in which all of us live…  —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 73, 69

Here too, Maria refers to this movement of the Holy Spirit, which culminates in an Era of Peace, as a new dawning:

I try to prepare myself so that the Grace of the Holy Spirit can open the horizon of a new dawn of Jesus. —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 71

Indeed, when I searched my heart for the title of the book I am writing, the words came quickly: "Hope is Dawning." I received those very words in my heart several months ago in a what seemed a message from our Mother. Yes, when everything seems so dark and distressful, we must turn to the horizon and fix our eyes upon the rising of the Sun of Justice. Although the world is now entering perhaps its darkest moment, it is also going to be a glorious and powerful time in the Church, the Bride who will emerge purified, strengthened, and triumphant:

We are going through glorious times. It will make everything better. Many signs are being disclosed. We should be only joyful. Everything is in God’s control. —The Bridge to Heaven: Interviews with Maria Esperanza of Betania, Michael H. Brown, p. 107 

Yes, yes… esperanza is dawning!

THE BIRTH CANAL
Fr. Kyle Dave of Louisiana has often said, "Things are going to get worse before they get better." This is not a cause for panic for the Christian, but of heightened awareness that the Day "does not catch you like a thief in the night." Indeed, Maria also confirms in her writings the sense of an imminent war (which could possibly be averted through repentance and prayer), a possible schism, tribulations, plague, perhaps summarized in the words "great calamity." But these things are always set in the context of God’s mercy and love to in order to regenerate this world through purification and pave the way for Christ’s reign of peace. Think, my brothers and sisters, of the prodigal son. It was through the calamity of poverty and then famine that he finally returned to his father. This time of mercy has been permitted by heaven for us to return to Him without having to greatly chastise us. That is why He generously poured out the Holy Spirit through the Charismatic Renewal. That is why He raised up for us humble, holy, and wise popes for our times. This is why He has sent us His Mother. For I believe that the Day of the Lord has been imminent, but the degree of chastisement has always been dependent upon our repentance. And therefore, God will discipline us because we are his sons and daughters, and God disciplines those whom He loves.  

Oh, how pleasing to God is the soul that follows faithfully the inspirations of His grace! I gave the Savior to the world; as for you, you have to speak to the world about His great mercy and prepare the world for the Second Coming of Him who will come, not as a merciful Savior, but as a just Judge. Oh, how terrible is that day! Determined is the day of justice, the day of divine wrath. The angels tremble before it. Speak to souls about this great mercy while it is still the time for [granting] mercy. If you keep silent now, you will be answering for a great number of souls on that terrible day. Fear nothing. Be faithful to the end. I sympathize with you. —Mary speaking to St. Faustina, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 635

The reason I have introduced Maria Esperanza to my readers in this manner (or perhaps she is introducing me to you!) is that she has also said some things which indicate the immediate times we are living in. In my next writing, I am going to explain this. The time we have now entered is very serious and demands our full attention to Mary. The image I had in my heart yesterday was of a football team. Jesus is the head coach, and Mary is our quarterback. She receives the next "play" from Christ, and then comes to the huddle to relay it to us. The offense does not turn around and face the coach—no, they wait for the quarterback and then listen intently to what she has to say—what the Coach has told her. But Christ is our "Head" coach. He is God. He is our Savior, and Mary is His chosen instrument to direct and guide us. How wonderful that she is also our Mother!
This is why we must pray the Rosary. Why we must sit before the Blessed Sacrament. This is why we should gather in the "upper room", the Bastion, the divine huddle. Our Mother is preparing us as the heel, the offspring which will crush the head of Satan. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Stir into flame the gift which Christ has conferred on you through your Baptism and Confirmation! Pray, pray, pray!

Your lives must be like Mine: quiet and hidden, in unceasing union with God, pleading for humanity and preparing the world for the second coming of God. —Mary speaking to St. Faustina, Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, n. 625

Listen attentively, my brothers and sisters, for change is now going to come very rapidly, and you must be listening carefully to Heaven. Listen like a child. Empty, surrendered, trusting, waiting, at peace. For you are going to be used as God’s instrument, to be the presence  of Christ in this world in its greatest hour of evangelization (Matt 24:14). And we are not alone. I feel deep in my heart that God is sending us souls such as St. Pio and Maria Esperanza and many, many saints to pray for, help, and intercede for us at this time. We are not alone. We are one body. A triumphant Body.

Hope is dawning.   

The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of our goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it… I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence. —St. John Chrysostom, Liturgy of the Hours, Vol IV, p. 1377

P.S. As a kind of "wink" to this writing…. after it was written, a woman walked up to me yesterday and handed me her business card. The name of her company is "Esperanza-Hope Entertainment." Then, a few weeks later, a friend of the Esperanza’s sent me a strand of Maria’s golden hair—a beautiful gift..

Published in: DAILY JOURNAL,  

 

TIME OF GRACE | on January 31st, 2010 |

 

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A MOTHERLY PRESENCE

Conchita offering a pebble to the Child Jesus

To amuse the Child Jesus, the girls, in a spontaneous gesture, offered Him some little pebbles off the road. He did not take them but He really smiled.
The Blessed Virgin kissed these pebbles and asked the visionaries to distribute them around. Soon the Blessed Virgin would designate precisely the persons to whom they should be given. . .
This "practice," unique in its kind, was established very soon at Garabandal. Those present would entrust to the visionaries, on Mary's indications, only objects of devotion to be kissed by Her.

The children, their hands full of rosaries and medals, not knowing whose they were, with their eyes fixed on the vision, always handed them back to the owners.
A very soft scent sometimes emanated from these objects . . . As to their value, Conchita explained this on September 14, 1965: "The Blessed Virgin said that Jesus would perform miracles through these objects and that those who would wear them with faith and trust would do their Purgatory on earth," thus sparing themselves the purifications they would have to undergo to pass into Heaven.
An important detail: never did the Blessed Virgin at San Sebastian de Garabandal bless any object or person. This is totally in conformity with the Church's Canon Law that assigns this function to priests [and deacons] only. [Excerpted from 'Garabandal' Book, page 50.]

As a believer in Garabandal, I always wear a "kissed object", which in my case is a tiny piece of a prayer book that was kissed by Holy Mary, and sewn into my Brown Scapular, which I NEVER take off! I have a strong faith in Our Lady's words about serving my Purgatory here on earth and believe me, I really am!!! As for any miracles, I'm a walking one because Our Lady has turned my life around through my on-going conversion, teaching me, and leading me to Her Son, Jesus,
especially in the Eucharist!

In that last paragraph about blessings, I added "and deacons", but in the early 1960's, the Permanent Diaconate renewal had not even been discussed yet. After Vatican II, when the diaconate was brought back as a part of Holy Orders, the function of blessing people and objects was restored to deacons.

Also, I was just thinking that mothers & fathers can bless their own children, so Our Blessed Mother can certainly bless us! What do you think?
Deacon John