MOTHER MARY OF THE CROSS (1901-1999)

In 1939, she founded the Little Sisters, and later the Little Brothers, of Mary Mother of the Redeemer, an Institute of consecrated life approved by Rome in 1989. The Motherhouse is at Saint-Aignan-sur- Roe (Laval, France). Miraculously cured at Lourdes in 1929, Mother Mary of the Cross was stigmatized and possessed also several other mystical gifts. Her basic spiritual charism was centered on "Mary, the Associate par excellence of the Redeemer." She would die on April 9, 1999, "Friday of the Easter Week," a very significant day for her, indeed!

In 1982, Mary of the Cross let Dr. Jean Caux and Jacques Serre know that she "was praying every day for the visionaries of San Sebastian de Garabandal," expressing also her wish to "be kept informed about the progress of the work and the 'cause' of Garabandal." In 1990, the religious Foundress would reveal, through her Sister secretary, that: "We are now going to enter into the era of purifications": was not that referring also to the very difficult "time of the Pre-Aviso"?

Unfortunately, we are unable to have a photo of this discreet mystic. Undoubtedly because "her life represents a mystery of Love for the Church and the world in prayer, in suffering and self-sacrifice, but all in God's secret. We respect her total Marian silence; we worship God's designs before which we are so small . . ." (Excerpts from a letter dated August 7, 1995, from Sister Mary of the Sacred Heart, Mother Mary of the Cross's secretary, to Jacques Serre).
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 225]

Here's another one of those unknown saints of Almighty God, silently doing His work on earth and totally invisible from our eyes. How many are there today? Our Lady often speaks about Her consecrated souls, Her "White Army" She calls them. United with Her Immaculate Heart, they are saving souls and also holding back God's justice, which, as Mother Mary has said, would have been unleashed on the world already . . .

Are you a victim soul? Do you consecrate yourself daily to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary? Do you offer up your entire day, with all its toils and troubles, all your prayers and works for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary? Then you are part of Our Lady's "White Army", no matter what state of life you are in, what race of people you come from, or the color of your skin! God bless you and pray for me!
Deacon  John

Marthe Robin was a victim soul, a stigmatic, a willing victim of love who had imprinted upon her own body the sacred wounds of the Crucified One. In October of 1925 Marthe had made a decision that would direct the course of her life as a victim soul: she voluntarily offered up her sufferings in union with Mary for the sake of helping Christ to save souls who had sinned and needed atonement for their transgressions.

ORIGINAL VIDEO FROM THE TIMES OF THE APARITIONS:

June 18 1965 Rapture of the Second Garabandal Message en Yahoo! Video

Like a Thief in the Night . . .

Like a Thief

THE past 24 hours since writing After the Illumination, the words have been echoing in my heart: Like a thief in the night…

Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night. When people are saying, "Peace and security," then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman,and they will not escape. (2 Thess 2-3)

Many have applied these words to the Second Coming of Jesus. Indeed, the Lord will come at an hour that no one but the Father knows. But if we read the above text carefully, St. Paul is speaking about the coming of the "day of the Lord," and what comes suddenly are like "labor pains." In my last writing, I explained how the "day of the Lord" is not a single day or event, but a period of time, according to Sacred Tradition. Thus, that which leads up to and ushers in the Day of the Lord are precisely those labor pains that Jesus spoke of¹ and St. John saw in the vision of The Seven Seals of Revolution.

They too, for many, will come like a thief in the night.

PREPARE!

Prepare!

That was one of the first "words" that I felt the Lord was inspiring me to write in November of 2005 at the beginning of this writing apostolate.² It is more relevant than ever, more urgent than ever, more necessary than ever…

…it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. (Rom 13:11-12)

What does it mean to "prepare"? Ultimately, it means to be in astate of grace. To not be in mortal sin, or to have mortal sin remaining un-confessed upon your soul.³ Why is this the urgencythat I hear over and over from the Lord? This early morning hour, as we watch the pictures rolling in from Japan, the answer should be clear to all of us. Events are here and coming, multiplying and spreading throughout the world, in which many souls will be called home in an instant. I have written about this before and how, for many souls, this will be God’s mercy (see Mercy in Chaos). For the Lord is more concerned about our eternal souls than our present comfort, though He cares about this too.

Someone wrote me yesterday:

The illumination seems like it’s just around the corner, and although God has poured graces on me this year like I’ve never seen before, and has given me time, I still feel unprepared. My worry is this: what if I cannot withstand the illumination? What if I die of shock/fear? …Is there anything I can do to stay calm…? I just hope my heart doesn’t give out when it really is time to be purified.

The answer is to live each day as though at any moment you could meet the Lord, because this is the reality! Why worry about the Illumination, or a persecution, or other apocalyptic scenarios when you do not know if you will rise from your pillow next morning? The Lord wants us to be prepared "on a need to know basis." But He does not want us to worry. How can we be signs of contradiction in a world that is gripped by the fear of war, terrorism, unsafe streets, mutiplying natural disasters—and a world where love has grown cold—if we are not theface of peace and joy?And this is nothing we can manufacture. It comes from living moment by moment in God’s will, trusting in His merciful love, and depending upon Him for everything. It is an incredible gift to live like this, and it is possible for everyone. We begin by repenting of those attachments and habits that keep us bound in fear. If we are living in a state of grace, then whether my natural death comes or that moment of "illumination", I will be ready. Not because I am perfect, but because I trust in His mercy.

LETTING GO IN GOD

We have to give up sin. Many people want to be called Christians, but they don’t want to stop sinning. But it’s sin precisely that makes us miserable. That, and a lack of trust in God’s will that at times permits us to suffer. We need to repent! To abandon more and more to Him; to be at peace; to be content with what we have; to put an end to this busyness of seeking this thing or that, and begin to seek Him instead.

The truth is, there is coming a time for the Church when, if we have not voluntarily dispossessed⁴ ourselves of our attachments, the Spirit of God will do it for us through whatever means are necessary.⁵ For some, this will be frightening. And it should be. We should be frightened of persisting in sin because "the wages of sin is death"⁶ and the wages of mortal sin is eternal death.⁷ And as I just wrote in my last writing, we must also be wise as serpents but gentle as doves, for a spiritual tsunami is already headed toward humanity.⁸

THE GREAT SHAKING

This morning, my tears and prayers join with yours for the people of Japan and other areas that may be affected by this disaster. The world is really beginning to shake—a sign in the natural realm that a great shaking of mankind’s conscience is drawing nearer by the day. Volcanoes are beginning to awaken—a sign that man’s conscience must also be awakened (watch A Great Shaking, A Great Awakening). And for some, it is happening even now. Since the conference, where I spoke in Los Angeles, California in February of this year (2011), we have been hearing stories that several people had experienced some kind of "illumination of conscience" where their lives and all its details were shown to them like a ‘slide show,’ as one woman put it. Yes, God is already illuminating many consciences, including my own. And for this, we must be thankful from the bottom of our souls…

The consciences of this beloved people must be violently shaken so that they may "put their house in order"… A great moment is approaching, a great day of light… it is the hour of decision for mankind. —Servant of God, Maria Esperanza (1928-2004); Antichrist and the End Times,, Fr. Joseph Iannuzzi, P. 37 (Volumne 15-n.2, Featured Article fromwww.sign.org)

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober… Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:6, 16-18)

And so, beloved friends, Prepare! Let me close with an image from my writing on The Sacrament of the Present Moment:

THE MERRY-GO-ROUND

Think of a merry-go-round, the kind you played on as a child. I can remember getting that thing going so fast I could barely hang on. But I remember that the closer I came to the middle of the merry-go-round, the easier it was to hang on. In fact, at the middle on the hub, you could just sit there—hands free.

The present moment is like the center of the merry-go-round; it is the place of stillness where one can rest, even though life is raging all around. The moment we begin to live in the past or the future, we leave the center and are pulled to the outside where suddenly great energy is demanded of us to "hang on," so to speak. The more we give ourselves over to imagination, living and grieving over the past, or worrying and sweating about the future, the more we are likely to be tossed off the merry-go-round of life. Nervous breakdowns, temper flare-ups, drinking bouts, indulging in sex or food and so on—these become ways in which we try to cope with the nausea of worry consuming us.

And that’s over the big issues. But Jesus tells us,

Even the smallest things are beyond your control. (Luke 12:26)

We should worry then about nothing. Nothing.We can do so by entering into the present moment and simply living in it, doing what the moment demands of us for love of God and neighbour, and letting go of the rest.

Let nothing trouble you.  —St. Teresa of Avila 

Thanks for your prayers and support!

FOOTNOTES:

1. Matt 24: 6-8; Luke 21:9-11 [↩]
2. see Prepare! [↩]
3. "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent." —Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1857; cf. 1 Jn 5:17 [↩]
4. see Voluntary Dispossesion [↩]
5. see The Prophecy at Rome; also the video series by the same name atEmbracingHope.tv [↩]
6. Rom 6:23 [↩]
7. see To Those in Mortal Sin; cf. Gal 5:19-21 [↩]
8. see Moral Tsunami [↩]

PUBLISHED IN: | ON MARCH 11TH, 2011 | 1 COMMENT »

After the Illumination (Warning)

All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. —Divine Mercy in My Soul, Jesus to St. Faustina, n. 83
AFTER the Sixth Seal is broken, the world experiences an "illumination of conscience"—a moment of reckoning (see The Seven Seals of Revolution). St. John then writes that the Seventh Seal is broken and there is silence in heaven "for about half an hour." It is a pause before the Eye of the Storm passes over, and the winds of purification begin to blow again.
Silence in the presence of the Lord GOD! For near is the day of the LORD… (Zeph 1:7)
It is a pause of grace, of Divine Mercy, before the Day of Justice arrives…Read more here:
http://www.markmallett.com/blog/2011/03/after-the-illumination/#more-5201

The Apparitions of the Virgin Mary at Garabandal. The Prophecies.

MADRE MARIA NAYA (DIED 1966)

Image via Wikipedia

Blessed Maria Rafols had visions of the Sacred Heart.

Maria Naya is the famous "daughter" of Blessed Maria Rafols (1781-1853), who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Ann at Zaragoza in the mid-nineteenth century.

Among other religious functions, Madre Naya held the so-called delicate one of Mistress of novices. She became famous in Spain for having discovered the writings of the Blessed Foundress, but still more for having been the religious about whom the latter had prophesied who she was and when she would discover her own "Escritos" ("Writings")!

Gifted as well with a charism of prophecy that she exercised with regard to certain Church events, Sister Maria Naya also "used" her gift within the framework of the "events" then occurring at Garabandal.

Thus, for example, and without having been previously informed, she announced the "Milagrucu" to the religious sisters of her Congregation in Madrid, and she did so on the following morning without having received any information whatsoever about it!

Similarly, she made an astonishing prophecy about Fr. Luis Maria Andreu (see July 18, 1964), as well as about the last locution to Mari- Loli (see October 24, 1965).

Madre Maria Naya's keen interest in Garabandal is duly attested to by many other original documents in our possession.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 224-225]

Basilica Del Pilar, Zaragoza, Spain. Image via Wikipedia

God works in mysterious ways beyond our understanding! And he has His saints working and doing His will all over the world. Sometimes we get ourselves boxed in and only look at things that are happening around us, we forget there is a big wide world out there! Most of these saintly people lived in Spain and like me, you probably never heard of them. Well, guess what, they never heard of you either! So, be happy knowing that God is in control and He wins the battle!!! Satan has already been defeated . . . we just have to wait for time to be completed. And I guess one day in Heaven or in the Kingdom of God, we will meet all these people close up and enjoy their life stories . . .
I can't wait to tell mine!!!
Deacon John

PADRE MANUEL GARCIA NIETO, S. J. (APRIL 5, 1884 TO APRIL 13, 1974)

1970. Conchita and Aniceta with Fathers Neito (far right) and Rodrigo.

Succeeding Fr. Rodrigo, Padre Nieto, Servant of God (2000), also a Jesuit, was, in turn, Conchita's spiritual director from 1969 to 1974, a task he was to fulfill for more than forty years, in what an outstanding way, at the Pontifical University of Comillas. An exceptionally fervent "lover" of the Eucharist and of the Priesthood, he strongly defended the sublime grandeur of the first of the Sacraments, energetically protesting its desecration. Padre Nieto, also a great devotee to Mary, was already living in perfect harmony with two Messages of Garabandal.

Conchita, who, even from 1969 to 1972, met the Jesuit at Comillas almost monthly as her spiritual Father, caught even himself in ecstasy on several occasions! The visionary was to reveal to him the date of the future "D" day, because, we may presume, of his great moral authority and his recognized reliability in the "discernment of spirits"!

Shortly before his death, he wrote to Conchita "I offer my life so that you may attain holiness." A striking detail: in 1985, the "mortal remains" of the Father were transferred to the parish of San Jose, called "El Milagro," in Salamanca . . .

The "faith" of Padre Nieto in the divine origin of Garabandal is formally attested, among others, by John Bosco Ramos, one of the three Hospitaller Brothers of St. John of God, who, on August 6, 1962, had witnessed a Communion given to Conchita by the Angel St. Michael, at the Pines (see the post at this date). And later (1969), during a private encounter for advice with Padre Nieto, the latter assured Brother Juan Bosco that "Yes, Garabandal is true!"

The process for the beatification of Padre Nieto, opened on October 16, 1990, under the direction of Msgr. del Val Gallo, has now (December 2000) been introduced in Rome.
[From 'Garabandal' Book, page 223-224]

 

So you see, many famous and saintly people believed in Garabandal, which of course, strengthens my belief in these apparitions . . .

Conchita was blessed to have Fr. Nieto as a spiritual director! I believe divine Providence was responsible for that. When we need special help, God sends someone to us as our spiritual guide. It happened to me when I was going through formation for the diaconate. We were told to get a spiritual director and I was really having a hard time choosing one. My mind kept saying "No one will understand my Marian spirituality!" One day I went to Mass at the Franciscan Church of St. Francis in Manhattan and after Mass asked the Pastor, who was very Marian and I thought would be a good one to choose to be my spiritual director. He said he was too busy, but had the right priest for me, a convert, who I could help to know Mother Mary better. I said to myself, "Oh great, I'm looking for a spiritual director and I become one instead." Well, it turned out that this humble priest was the perfect one for me and believe me, I would have quit the program a few times, except for his wonderful spiritual advice that kept me going and growing! So, God sends the right person at the right time to help us!
Deacon John