MANY of those who choose to ignore apocalyptic prophecies because of fear for their families, particularly their children, are not left without counsel....from the Blessed Virgin Mary herself.
Possessing full knowledge of dire prophecies revealed to them by the Blessed Mother, the visionaries of Medjugorje could have opted for celibacy and entered convents and seminaries and there do nothing but pray that most would be saved from eternal damnation in the face of apocalyptic times.
Yet, while they were too young for marriage when they first encountered the Blessed Mother in 1981, all the Medjugorje visionaries later married and now have grown-up children.
Indeed, Mirjana, one of the visionaries, once advised people “not to be afraid to have children.” Nay, she said that people would be mistaken not to have children for fear of prophesied tribulations and that to have more children would be a good option.
Mirjana disclosed this in an interview by Sr. Emmanuel Maillard, the French nun who has lived in Medjugorje since 1989, saying this was what she learned from the Blessed Mother herself.
Like other mystics I have so far quoted in this column, the Medjugorje visionaries are also aware of what is to unfold in the coming many years past the tribulations- that which is the only prophecy during the Marian Fatima apparitions that has yet to be fulfilled: the triumph of the Blessed Mother Immaculate Heart.
“When the secrets are revealed, people will understand why it was so important for them to have many children. We are all waiting for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary,” Mirjana told Sr. Maillard.
Fr. Jozo Zovko, the parish priest of Medjugorje during the first years of the apparitions of the Blessed Mother, was aware of what Mirjana was talking about. On April 23, 1992, he referred to the era of the triumph of the Immaculate Heart when he told Sr. Maillard: “Here ends a great war which in Europe began with the arrival of Communism. Here, the prophecy of Fatima, with respect to the conversion of the world and of the debacle of the atheistic communist regime is justified, is carried out.”
More, Fr. Jozo said: “And here where Communism and evil were perhaps the most deeply rooted, here where the Virgin Mary appeared for ten years (at the time of the interview), here is taking place what is going to be unique, grandiose: the victory, the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the downfall of human errors, the change of the human heart, the creation of a new mentality, the beginning of a better world.”
In 2010, Bishop Carillo Gritti approved a series of decades-long apparitions to, Edson Glauber of Itapiranga, Brazil as being supernatural in origin. Edson quoted the Blessed Mother as having told him that “the Lord is returning to fulfill all his promises. His kingdom on earth will be as it is in Heaven. (July 8, 2000)"
The Blessed Mother also told Edson: “Strive for the kingdom of heaven; not long remains before your and the world's definitive liberation from all evil. God is sending me, your Most Holy Mother, in order to prepare you for the great final battle against all evil...You are already in the times of the great transformations of the world and the Lord God is already marking his chosen ones, those who are obedient to Heaven's voice. (September 29, 2003)"
On March 23, 2004, Edson was also told: “I desire [to have] saints for my kingdom of love. The earth will yet be a great paradise. First will come the sorrows, but then will come the great transformation, when all will be renewed and all things will be made new. Humanity will be revived in love and peace. Thus my kingdom on earth will be as in heaven. (March 23, 2004).”
The Blessed Mother also prophesied: “There will be no more suffering. There will be no more weeping. God will wipe away the tears of all those who hope with patience and do not lose faith. Little children, take heart. Courage. A while more and everything will be transformed. (August 7, 2005).”
Meanwhile, for older ones (including me) who probably have to cross the veil sooner than the young ones, there is reason, good reason, to look forward to prepare for birth into eternity (delightful phrase used by some saints in their earthly lifetime). Such preparation can include knowledge of how it is in the afterlife and this can be obtained from the Manuscript of Purgatory which is the series subject of this column.
To refresh background: the Manuscript is a historical document, approved by the Church, on the coversation between Sr. Mary of the Cross who was then a nun in a convent in Europe, and the deceased Sr. Mary Gabriel who was then still in Purgatory.
To continue from the last column, more Q and A between the two.
Sr. Mary of the Cross: Do you speak to each other in Purgatory?
Sr. Mary Gabriel: Souls communicate with each other when God permits it, and after the manner of souls, but without words. Yes, it is true I speak to you, but are you a spirit? Would you understand me if I did not pronounce words? But for myself, as God wills it so, I understand you without your pronouncing any words with your lips. There is communication between spirits and souls on earth. Thus, when you have a good thought or a holy desire, they have been communicated to you by your Guardian Angel or by some saint, and sometimes by God Himself. That is the language of souls.
Sr. Mary of the Cross: Where is Purgatory situated?
Sr. Mary Gabriel: It is in the center of the earth, close to Hell, as you saw one day after Holy Communion. The large number of souls there are confined to a limited space. There are thousands and thousands of souls there. But then what space does a soul occupy? Each day thousands of souls come to Purgatory and most of them remain thirty to forty years, some for longer periods, others for shorter. I tell you this in terms of earthly calculations because here it is quite different. Oh, if people only knew and understood what Purgatory is and what it means to know that we are here through our own fault. I have been here eight years and it seems to me like ten thousand. (To be continued)