As the year 2021 faded with Catholic mystics warning of tribulations to come, the Blessed Mother conveyed to stigmatist mystic Luz de Maria de Bonilla a call for continuing conversion and love of neighbors, as well as urgent prayers for the Church and for peace in the world.
There's a frantic rush of Heaven to sustain and even fortify its faithful agents on earth, as if a storm in the magnitude of Odette is about to strike, so that amid terrifying funnel, the strong will buttress the weak.
Yes, too the message also seems to confirm prophecies of how the Church will be shaken (though it will always stand even in shambles on a firm rock) and how nations are to confront each other in a war.
Here is the Blessed Mother’s message through Luz de Maria last Dec. 27:
“Beloved children of My Immaculate Heart: In union with my Child Jesus, I call you to continue on the way towards conversion.
“It is urgent that you understand that conversion is continuous: It concerns every moment. It means bearing My Son, grafted into your life of communion with Him.
It means receiving Him in the Eucharist, in fulfilling and living out the Commandments and the Sacraments.
“People of My Son, conversion is constant. Human beings must realize that they are a living process of conversion.
“Each step of the person who walks towards conversion is one more step towards living out the Sermon on the Mount.
“My children’s hearts are constantly anxious. Because of this, committing yourselves to a life in My Son gives you peace, gives you hope and increases your Faith because My Son is Love, and that is what those who decide to follow in His Footsteps receive.
“Children, if you are in a life of sin, repent and change.
“Call upon Me, knowing that you will not succeed on your own. I will not abandon you: I am your Mother, keeping you by My Side and correcting you when you are not on the right path.
“Beloved People of My Son, obey the call to humility, to fraternity, to Faith. Faith that increases with the Eucharistic Food, Faith that increases with prayer born of the heart in recollection, without distractions, prayer born of a pure and peaceful heart.
“Remain on spiritual alert, for evil is lying in wait for my Son’s people.....
“This January 1st, I invite you to be one with your brothers and sisters, to love your fellow men, to be grateful for the deeds and acts of your brothers and sisters towards you.
“I invite you to be authentic, improving in your spiritual life. You will improve by being better children of My Son and blessings will be drawn to you.
“People of My Son, I look upon those who refuse to change. These children of Mine do not see themselves, and that is very dangerous at this time in the face of the wiles of the Devil.
“I call you to pray to the Most Holy Trinity in your morning prayers that you would recognize My beloved Angel of Peace.
“I call you to pray for My Son’s Church: this prayer is urgent.
“Children of My Immaculate Heart, I beg you to pray for peace in the world.
“I call each one of you who form the People of My Son to personal prayer, so that each of you would ask for discernment before attending to what you are called to in general. You have been sealed with the Blood of My Son and need no other seal. Not everything that seems good for humanity really is so.
“People of My Son, I love you, I protect you and bless you. Pray for your brothers and sisters who are blinded by the things of the world.
“Pray in peace. Salvation is attainable at all times for human beings until the final breath of life.
“Have faith. A people with Faith are needed. Do not lose Faith.
“Each of the stars on my mantle multiply to infinity in order to illuminate the path of each one of my children. Receive My special Blessing.
“My Immaculate Heart will triumph.” (End of quote.)
The Blessed Mother’s call for cooperation is based on God’s respect for our free will. And because such free wills are bestowed on humans of imperfection, they are always open to the action of grace from God’s greatest attribute: Divine Mercy. But humans must cooperate, freely.
This calls to mind what the Blessed Mother said in her now famous apparitions in Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Sept. 4, 1986:
“Dear children! Today again I am calling you to prayer and fasting. You know, dear children, that with your help I am able to accomplish everything and force Satan not to be seducing to evil and to remove himself from this place. Dear children, Satan is lurking for each individual. Especially in everyday affairs he wants to spread confusion among each one of you. Therefore, dear children, my call to you is that your day would be only prayer and complete surrender to God. Thank you for having responded to my call. ”
The Blessed Mother also said: “Satan’s plan over this world is to further us from God every day. He puts himself in the place of God and is destroying everything that is beautiful and good in the souls of each of you. Therefore, little children, arm yourselves with prayer and fasting.”
May I also share the words of Medjugorje visionary Vicka during her interview by Fr. Livio Fangaza, director of Radio Maria, in regard to non-believers.
Fr. Livio: Vicka, many people seek you out, including people who don’t believe but would like to. What do you tell them ?
Vicka: We believers should be more aware of how immense the gift of faith is, and feel the need to dedicate time every day to prayer and be good examples for others. The excuses offered by non-believers who think that God should intervene directly are not valid. It takes personal commitment by each person to obtain God’s grace, and God who is Father full of mercy will not fail to answer us.
Vicka added: God is infinite love. We have to do all that we can to obtain His intervention. So, besides praying, we should make an effort to know the revealed Truth and keep away from evil. Unfortunately Satan is a tireless seducer: he hides evil beneath a good appearance; he tempts people, these days especially the young people and weak families, making them prefer fleeting joys, which lead inexorably to tragic unhappiness, thereby inducing them to renounce the immense joy which God grants straight away to those who resist temptation and live their Christian lives in an orderly and honest manner.
On suffering, Vicka shared: “At times of suffering, let’s thank Jesus for this gift and also tell Him, ‘If you have another gift for me, I am ready. But right now I am begging for Your strength, in order to have the courage to carry my cross and go forward with you Lord! I remember how the Blessed Mother spoke to me about suffering when she said: ‘If you knew the great value of suffering!’ This is really a very great thing! And then it all depends on us, afterwards, to be ready for this or not.
She added: It all depends on our Yes to Jesus. It takes our whole life to learn this and go forward. “
(Second of a series on Maria Valtorta in next column.)