Organization: University of Missouri-Columbia Campus Computing, 314-882-2000
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.catholic
Date:         Wed, 14 Oct 1992 12:22:25 CDT
From:         CCCAMPER@MIZZOU1.BITNET
Subject:      Fatima, Part 5 (Medjugorje

(Con't)

  In 1957 Lucia (Sr. Lucia) said that her purpose was not to tell the
world of physical chastisements, but to warn the world of "the
imminent danger we are in of losing our souls for all eternity if
we are obstinate in sin."
  The Blessed Mother has appeared many times since 1830, calling her
children back to God. The most remarkable of all these apparitions
continues today in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Hercegovina.
  In June of 1981 the Blessed Mother began appearing to six children
in what was then Yugoslavia. She has appeared there thousands of times
in the past 11 years and 3 months. This is an unprecedented event
to have gone on so long and she has told the visionaries that when her
visits cease she will never appear again in our world. The visionaries
are Jacov Colo, 21, Mirjana Dragicevic Soldo, 27, Vicka Ivankovic, 28,
Ivanka Ivankovic Elez, 26, Ivan Dragicevic, 27, and Marija Pavlovic, 27.
The Blessed Mother appears to each of them daily until they receive
a total of ten secrets, then her daily visits cease. Mirjana and Ivanka
have each received all ten secrets at this time, the other 4 visionaries
have received 9 of the secrets. Some things, they say, are good and some
are bad. They tell of events to occur that will "shake up" disbelievers,
then a great Miracle, then the Chastisement (or chastisements).
On April 22, 1986, when Vicka received her 9th secret she cried.
Mirjana, upon receiving hers, begged the Blessed Virgin to have it
lessened.
  Mirjana still receives occasional visits from Our Lady to help her
cope with the burden of what is in store for mankind. "She wants to
prepare us for this, so I do not make a mistake," Mirjana says.
"And she talked to me and said we need to pray more and more until the
first secret. And do penance and sacrifice, especially now before the
first secret. If you knew how it gets to me when I think about it! If
Our Lady wasn't with me I would probably go crazy, knowing what is
waiting for us. The young people don't know what's waiting for them.
I cry and pray for them and ask Our Lady to enlighten them."
  Mirjana has declared that the first 3 secrets involve warnings.
The Blessed Mother not only related secrets verbally, she gave them
also to Mirjana in written form on a strange piece of material that
is neither cloth nor paper nor fiber known to this world. She is the
only person who can read what is on this material and she is the
only one who knows the "day and hour" of each warning. Ten days
before the event of the first secret she will reveal it to Fr. Petar
Ljubicic, whom she herself has chosen, and he will then fast and
pray for 7 days and decide if and how to reveal the secret to the
world.
  In 1985, Mirjana gave Fr. Ljubicic several hints about the warnings.
The first, she indicated, was "nothing good" and more severe than
some to follow. She said it was not a "catastrophe in a huge sense
but to prove there is God".Some may try to explain the first two
warnings as natural,she said, but for many "the first warning will be
self-explanatory."
  The first warning will last a short time and there will be no
worldly indication of its coming. When asked who would see it, Mirjana
replied "All those who are going to be present where the secret is
taking place." She also said it would not be the sort of event that
would make people want to "come and see".
  There will be a period of grace between the first and second secret
to allow people the opportunity for conversion. Mirjana would not
divulge the length of time between the first 3 secrets, saying "One
secret could be today, another tomorrow, as just an example".
  The third secret involves a great sign to be left on Mt. Podbrodo.
It will be supernatural, "permanent, indestructible, and beautiful."
It will be like fire, but not really fire. When the sign appears,
Mirjana says, no one will doubt that God exists. But it will be too
late for many to convert. The encounter with Divine reality will be
catastrophic for those who have not already turned to God. But for
those who have done so, it will be a time of great joy."
  Little has been said of the fourth, fifth, and sixth secrets, and
the last 4 seem to relate to the Chastisemnt. Asked if Mary  had
spoken of the apocalypse or the Second Coming. Mirjana answered, "That
is part of the secrets. I would not like to talk about it."
  The apocalypse and the Second Coming are part of the secrets, and
so far all but Jacov, the youngest, have stated that they will be
alive to see the secrets come to pass.
  On November 6, 1982, Our Lady told Mirjana, "I have prayed, the
punishment has been softened. Repeated prayers and fasting reduce
the punishments from God". One of the punishments that was lessened
has to do with the seventh secret given to Mirjana, but it was
lessened, not eliminated.
  Mirjana says the eighth secret is "worse than the seven before it.
I begged the Madonna to get it mitigated, and at last she said if
everyone prayed it might get averted. But then she told me the ninth
secret and it was even worse. As for the tenth, it is terrible, and
nothing can alter it. It will happen."

  Once a month in Medjugorje the Blessed Mother gives a message for
the world. On April 25, 1992 she had the following to say:

"Dear children, today also I invite you to prayer. Only by prayer will
the war be stopped. Therefore, my dear little children, pray and by
your life give witness that you are mine and that you belong to me,
because Satan wishes in these turbulent days to seduce as many souls
as possible. Therefore, I invite you to decide for God and He will
protect you and show you what you should do and which path to take. I
invite all who have said yes to me to renew their consecration to my
Son Jesus and to His Heart and to me, so we can take you more intensely
as instruments of peace in this unpeaceful world. Medjugorje is a sign
to all of you and a call to pray and live the days of grace that God
is giving you. Therefore, dear children, accept the call to prayer with
seriousness. I am with you and your suffering is mine. Thank you for
having responded to my call."

  Jesus told the Pharisees and Sadducees, "You know how to read
the sign of the skies, but you cannot read the sign of the times."
(Matthew 16:3)

  We are each free to choose what we will believe.  Can we read the
"signs of the times"? Do we have preconceived notions that may
blind us to these signs? Have we defined God and His works in our
own way and will recognize nothing else? What does a spectacular solar
miracle viewed by tens of thousands 75 years ago mean to us today?
What do the conversions of multitudes in Medjugorje tell us? What does
it mean to us that these events are coupled with the Mother of God
pleading for all of us to return to God and pray with seriousness,
to make sacrifices and pray for sinners, to offend God no more?
And what does it mean to those who reject any role, beyond motherhood,
of the Blessed Virgin when one of the messages of Fatima was that
God demands reparation for offences committed against the Immaculate
Heart of Mary?

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of thy Mercy.
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