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The Vision of Pope Leo XIII
And An Overview of Catholic Prophecy
Exactly 33 years to the day prior to the miracleof the sun, on October 13, 1884, Pope Leo XIII had a vision. Here follows anaccount of that vision:
According to the most widely accepted version ofwhat happened, On October 13, 1884, after Pope Leo XIII had finishedcelebrating Mass in the Vatican Chapel, attended by a few Cardinals and membersof the Vatican staff, he suddenly stopped at the foot of the altar. He stoodthere for about 10 minutes, as if in a trance, his face ashen white. Then,going immediately from the Chapel to his office, he composed the prayer to St.Michael, with instructions it be said after all Low Masses everywhere. Whenasked what had happened, he explained that, as he was about to leave the footof the altar, he suddenly heard voices - two voices, one kind and gentle, theother guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As helistened, he heard the following conversation:
Theguttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasting to Our Lord:
"I candestroy your Church"
Thegentle voice of Our Lord:
"You can? Then go ahead and do so."
Satan:
"To do so, I need more time and more power."
OurLord:
"How much time? How much power?
Satan:
"75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves overto my service."
OurLord:
"You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will."
Overview ofCatholic Prophecy
The followingexcellent overview of Catholic Prophecy was recently published by the MarianMessenger:
MARYWARNS, SCIENTISTS CONFIRM:
AFIERY THREAT TO THE EARTH
-bythe Marian Messenger Editorial Board
"Fire will fallfrom the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity."
Apparitions of theVirgin Mary warn of this punishment for mankind. It may happen before thecentury ends. Astronomers now seem to confirm the threat.
URGENTMESSAGE OF FATIMA
On July 13, 1917,Our Lady appeared to three children at FATIMA, Portugal and made the followingremarkable prophecies.
1.The October 13 great miracle of the sun witnessed by 70,000 people anddocumented by an atheist editor for his anti-clerical paper. The sun whirled inthe sky or "danced" then was sent crashing to earth before it returned to itsproper place.
PopePaul VI saw in this crashing sun a prophecy for a future event.
2.The end of World War I which was raging then.
3.A mysterious light in the sky given by God as a sign. This occurred on January25, 1938, was seen by millions, causing panic in Europe, and was reported inthe New York Times.
4.A new World War II in the reign of Pius XI ( who was not the Pope then).
5.The rise of atheistic Russia, and the spread of its ideology.
6.God will punish the world by means of war, hunger and persecution.
7.The eventual consecration and conversion of Russia. (The consecration was done,or at least partially accomplished in March 1984. One year later, in march1985, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power and began the process that tore downcommunism. The Soviet Union was declared officially dead on December 8, 1991,the great Marian Feast of the Immaculate Conception.)
8.The persecution of the church, especially the Holy Father. The good will bemartyred.
9."Various nations will be annihilated."
10.The Virgin's Triumph which ushers in a period of peace.
It is remarkable how this Marian apparition hadaccurately foretold the first seven items. The Wall Street journal (September27, 1991) featured an article entitled, "Fatima Fever: Did Mary Prophesy SovietGoings-On? Believers say Blessed Virgin Beat CNN to the News by More than 74years."
The said article quotes Francis Irons, a formerDefense Department analyst: "Recent events in the Soviet Union are 'onlyexplainable in supernatural terms,' he said."
A TIME magazine cover story on the Virgin Mary(December 30, 1991) highlights the following quote: "The world will recognizein due time that the defeat of communism came at the intercession of the motherof Jesus."
One of thevisionaries, Lucia dos Santos, entered the convent. Sister Lucia was told thatshe would live to see all the Fatima messages fulfilled. She is now over 90years old. So she will see the persecution of the Church and the Holy Father,the martyrdom of the good, the annihilation of nations, and the Virgin'sTriumph.
Mary at Fatima calls mankind to turn away fromsin -- or face annihilation. The nature of the punishment is hinted by themiracle of the sun: the ball of fire came crashing to the earth.
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, the Vatican's chieftheologian, said, "A stern warning has been launched from Fatima which isdirected... to the perils which threaten humanity today."
Fatima expert to Pope John paul II, Fr. Joseph deSte. Marie, said "Let there be no hysteria concerning dates or concerningexpectation of chastisements. The dates are unknown, the chastisement certain."
FIREFROM THE SKY THIS ENDING CENTURY
Marian apparitions imply that the chastisementthreatens mankind as the 20th century ends (or the beginning of the next).
Another visionary APPROVED by the Church isSister Agnes Sasagawa of Akita, Japan. In the apparition of October 13, 1973,the Virgin said,
"AsI told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflicta terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than thedeluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the skyand will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad,sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves sodesolate that they will envy the dead."
Bishop John Ito of Akita was very reluctant toapprove the apparitions. It meant confirming the truth of the terrible warning.He went to Rome again even after two commissions working for more than 10 yearscalled the apparitions authentic. The Vatican told him to go ahead with theapproval.
A journalist asked Bishop Ito, "What is themessage of Akita?" The bishop answered, "It is the message of Fatima."
In 1991 the bishop said in a statement, "It seemsto me that our Heavenly Father needs to purify this corrupt world beforeallowing mankind to enter the 21st century."
Other apparitions APPROVED by the Catholic Church speak of the urgency of the20th century: Quito (Ecuador), Corota (Italy), Betania (Venezuela), Cuapa(Nicaragua). The many other apparitions under investigation declare the sameurgency.
Numbers alone are significant. In the 19thcentury, there were only 5 Marian apparitions. In the 20th century there is anexplosion of more than 300 apparitions scattered around the globe.
SCIENTISTSCONFIRM THREAT TO EARTH
Astronomers now warn that yes, the Earth facesthe danger of fire from the sky. Here are some clippings:
"Earth Faces Asteroid Threat" Reuters, in Today, November 14, 1996. "The earthcould be hit at any time by a deadly asteroid, and governments should urgentlyfund more programs to seek them out and find ways of destroying them, Britishand Australian astronomers said on Tuesday. Scientists and amateur astronomersmet in London to discuss the best ways to track the thousands of asteroids thatpass close to then Earth every decade."
"A Shot Across the Earth's Bow: Last week's heavenly near miss was a record.Are we ready for the next incoming asteroid?" -- TIME magazine, June 3, 1996
"Scientists Warn of Asteroid Danger to Earth," DPA in the Philippine Star,November 28, 1996
"Pentagon Eyes Asteroids Threat." Agence France Press, in the Manila Bulletin,February 20, 1997. "The United States is taking seriously the threat ofasteroids collidingn with Earth and learning to track them when they are stillfarout in space,' a pentagon spokesman said yesterday."
"Close Calls from Comets on the Rise." The Boston Globe in Today, November 13,1996
"Mysterious Comets may One Day Destroy the Earth." The Guardian NewsService in the Manila Bulletin, February 15, 1997
"Geologists Say Earth Due for Extraterrestrial Bump." Reuter, Mercury News,February 18, 1997 "Geological data show the Earth could be overdue for a majorimpact from a comet or meteorite, experts said Tuesday. 'We can't say when, andwe can't say how big, but it will definitely happen.' Robert Hutchinson of theLondon Natural history Museum told Reuters."
"CometRains Can Cause Global Extinction." Manila Bulletin, November 20, 1996
Caution: the astronomers are NOT saying thatthere is a particular asteroid or comet on a direct collision course withEarth. At least not yet. (A check with PAGASA reveals no asteroid/comet headedexactly this way.) However, one visionary says that the astronomers will laterraise the alert but the public will not believe them.
FATIMAPOPE: JOHN PAUL II
On May 13, 1981, on the anniversary of Mary'sfirst apparition at Fatima, John Paul II was almost killed. The gun was aimedat his head, but the Pope was saved when he turned to a young girl wearing apicture of Our Lady of Fatima. The assassin fired two more shots at theabdomen.
At first John Paul II did not pay attention tothe fact that his brush with death took place on May 13. The Pope took themessage more seriously. While in the hospital, he asked for the documents onFatima, wrote to Sister Lucia, and reread the famous undisclosed Third Secretof Fatima.
John Paul II then obeyed the Virgin's request.Together with the bishops of the world he consecrated Russia to the ImmaculateHeart of Mary in March 1984. One year after, In March 1985, Mikhail Gorbachevcame to power, and the world watched as communism collapsed.
Pope John Paul II is now getting the Church readyfor the great Fatima events as humanity enters the third millennium. He said inCrossing the Threshold of Hope, "Mary appeared to the three children at Fatimain Portugal and spoke to them words that now, at the end of this century, seemclose to their fulfillment."
His subtle program is superior to sounding thealarm. It is the best preparation of all: prayer. Catholics are to spend inspecial prayer the years, 1997, 1998 and 1999. That is the subject of hisApostolic Letter Tertio Millennio Adveniente.
"The Pope seems to be hoping for some equivalent'collapse' in the power of evil, some great new 'springtime' for Christianityand the world," says the journal Inside the Vatican (December 1994), commentingon the document.
TIMEOF TRIAL: A SEQUENCE OF COMING EVENTS
The Marian Messenger complied the messages on theevents awaiting this ending century. The product of this research is a papercalled "
The Fatima Countdown: Coming Events According to the Marian Messages."
The events are based primarily on apparitionswhich have been officially approved by the Catholic Church. Pendingapparitions, or those not yet approved, repeat the themes and reveal moredetails.
These events arecontroversial and may sound hard to believe. The Church teaches that she willindeed pass through a final trial, but she does not say when this will happen.
Catholics are not obliged to believe thesemessages, even as the Church allows the faithful to distribute them. Believingthe Marian messages is a personal decision. We in the Marian messenger submitto the authority of the Catholic Church as regards apparitions underinvestigation.
Here is a summaryof the sequence.
1.Current situation: * Apostasy (loss of faith, disobedience to the Church) *Devotion to the Eucharist in decline. * Mary prepares her "cohort": her ownarmy of people consecrated to her, who pray and gather in cenacles. * Disastersserve as initial warnings: hunger, epidemics, etc.
2.Conflict erupts in the Catholic Church: cardinals versus cardinals, bishopsversus bishops. The immediate trigger of the conflict may be the Pope'sdeclaration of the Fifth Marian Dogma: the Virgin Mary is Co-Redemptrix,Advocate, Mediatrix of All Grace.
3.Schism: open revolt in the Church. A false church emerges, consisting of rebelbishops, priests, and laity. However, the Church in the Philippines remainsloyal to Pope John Paul II, according to an American visionary. Mary has aspecial plan for the Philippines, according to an Italian priest visionary, Fr.Stefano Gobbi.
4.Revolution breaks out in Italy. The Pope has to evacuate Rome.
5.A great Cross appears in the sky.
6.The Great Warning: we will all see our unconfessed sins and suffer pain forthem -- our souls will feel the fires of Purgatory or Hell. (The MarianMessenger suggests that all take advantage of the Feast of Divine Mercy everyyear. That's the first Sunday after Easter. Go to confession during Lent, evenbefore Holy Week. Then take Communion on the Feast. Those who do so will begranted complete remission of their sins and the punishment due them. Jesustold this to the Polish visionary Sister Faustina Kowalska.)
7.A comet or asteroid crashes to the Earth.
8.Aftermath of the crash: * Terrible earthquakes * Global freezing * Cropfailure, famine * Pest infestation
9.Global hunger
10.Global wars break out over resources.
11.World government emerges. Antichrist comes to power and puts the world inorder. (Note: the severe economic crisis and social chaos gripping Germany inthe 1930's called for a strong leader. This popular demand led to the rise ofAdolf Hitler, who put the nation in order.)
12.Antichrist rules Rome. Catholics loyal to Pope John Paul II are persecuted. ThePhilippines is kept safe, according to an American visionary ceives messages ofJesus under the title, "King of All Nations."
13."Great suffering" for the Pope.
14.The Great Miracle. * This will be Eucharistic and Marian. * Mary will appear asthe Great Sign described in Rev. 12:1 * It will be a gift of the Divine Mercy.There will be a tremendous outpouring of grace.
15.Climax of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart: mass conversions. Russia isconverted.
16.Nations enter the Church reunited and purified.
17.The Great Chastisement * "Atomic awakening." According to one visionary, theAntichrist instigates nuclear war. * Fire will fall from the sky. Another cometor asteroid hits the Earth. * Various nations are annihilated. * The Earth getsshrouded in darkness.
18.An Era of Peace follows.
FAMILIESPROTECTED BY JESUS AND MARY
When the atom bomb destroyed Hiroshima on August6, 1945, it somehow spared a building only eight blocks away from ground zero.In it were living eight Jesuits who were unharmed by the blast, heat, andradiation.
Some 200scientists have examined the priests, trying to determine why they were unhurt.Speaking on American TV, the German Jesuit Father Hubert Shiffner gave thestartling answer:
"In that house, the Rosary was prayed every day.In that house we were living the Message of Fatima," he said. His words seemedto repeat the essence of Sister Lucia's statement in 1977: "Our Lady willprotect all her dear ones."
How does one live the Fatima message? Howcan families secure Mary's protection?
1.People must first CONVERT: turn away from sin and go back to God. This entailsthe usual demands of the Christian life like prayer, reading Scripture,obedience to the commandments, concern for others. Beyond it there are specialrequests from the Blessed Virgin:
2.DAILY OFFERING. "Offer up each day whatever God requests of you... for theconversion of sinners and reparation for sin."
3.REPARATION. "Pray, fast, and make sacrifices for your sins and for the sins ofall sinners and unbelievers."
4.EUCHARIST. Frequent prayer, adoration and reparation before Jesus in theBlessed Sacrament.
5.FIVE FIRST SATURDAYS. "Confess, offer Mass, receive Holy Communion on the FirstSaturday of five consecutive months... with the intention of making reparationto me..."
6.ROSARY. "Each day recite the prayers of the rosary, five decades at least --meditating on the mysteries -- to make reparation for sin." (AKITA)
7.CONSECRATION. Consecrate yourself to the Sacred heart of Jesus and theImmaculate Heart of Mary. This means entrusting yourself to their care andprotection. Wear the brown scapular as a sign.
Here is a sampleconsecration prayer:
I, a faithless sinner,renew today in Your hands the vows of my baptism. I renounce forever Satan, hispomps and his works, and I give myself entirely to Your Sacred Heart, O LordJesus Christ. I will carry my cross after You all the days of my life and willbe more faithful to You that I have ever been before.
I choose you this day for my mother and Queen, OBlessed Virgin Mary. I deliver and consecrate to your Immaculate Heart my bodyand soul, my family and all those dear to me, my parish, and my country. Use usaccording to your good pleasure and for the greater glory of God. Amen.
TheApostasy
What is the apostasy?
[Webster'sdictionary defines "apostasy" as "an abandoning of what one has believed in, asa faith, cause, principles, etc.]
...manyare moving away today from the true faith, bringing to fulfillment the prophecywhich was given to you by me at Fatima:
`The times will come when many willlose the true faith.' The loss of the faith is apostasy.[406 l]...inthe letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians, it is clearly announced that,before the glorious return of Christ, a great apostasy must take place...Thespread of the apostasy is therefore the sign which indicates that the secondcoming of Christ is, as of now, close at hand.[420 d]
What will happen as the apostasy spreads? Yoursuffering will of necessity grow greater as the great apostasy spreads more andmore.[122 i]...there has now come for the Church the time of itsgreatest division, of the apostasy which has entered its interior, which willlead it to live through the moment of its gravest crisis, of its bloody andterrible persecution.[309 h]In appearance, everything remains calm andit seems that all is going well. In reality, [the Church] is being pervadedwith an ever widening lack of faith...Many bishops, priests, religious andfaithful no longer believe and have already lost the true faith in Jesus and inhis Gospel. For this reason, the Church must be purified, with persecution andwith blood.[332 g]People continue along the road of apostasy, ofrebellion against God, of sin, of social evil, of blasphemy, of hatred and ofimpurity.[386 g]The Holy Spirit will make you understand the signs ofyour time. They are the times foretold by Holy Scripture as those of thegreatapostasy and of the coming of the Antichrist.[450 d]Apostasy willspread like an epidemic and pastors will be stricken by it along with theflocks entrusted to them.[464 e]Satan...has entered...with the smokeof error and sin, of the loss of faith and apostasy, of compromise with theworld and the search for pleasure.[495 e]
What will happen when the apostasyreaches its greatest extent? ...this veritable apostasy from the Gospel willone day become general in the Church, before the great liberating purification.[074q]The Church will be, as it were, submerged in error which will beembraced and propagated, and thus apostasy, which already long since has beenspreading like an oil stain, will reach its peak.[147 f]In this periodof ten years [from September, 1988] the mystery of iniquity, prepared for bythe ever increasing spread of apostasy, will become manifest.[389 g]...theyear 1998... The apostasy will be, as of then, generalized because almost allwill follow the false christ and the false church.[407 p]The Churchwill know the hour of its greatest apostasy. The man of iniquity will penetrateinto its interior and will sit in the very Temple of God...[425 h]Whenthis Pope will have completed the task which Jesus has entrusted to him and Iwill come down from heaven to receive his sacrifice, all of you will be cloakedin a dense darkness of apostasy, which will then become general.[449 f]`The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.' (2Thes 2:3)[485 h]...when the apostasy becomes general and the man ofiniquity foretold by Sacred Scripture enters Her, [it will be] he who willbring the abomination of desolation into her interior. [536 l] In the Church,the great apostasy, which will spread throughout the whole world, will bebrought to its completion; the schism will take place through a generalalienation from the Gospel and from the true faith. [539 i]
Perhaps the mostoften quoted locution received by Father Stefano Gobbi follows:
"ICONFIRM TO YOU THAT, BY THE GREAT JUBILEE OF THE YEAR 2000, THERE SHALL
BEGIN
TO TAKE PLACE THE TRIUMPH OF MY IMMACULATE HEART, OF WHICH I FORETOLD YOU ATFATIMA, AND THIS WILL COME TO PASS WITH THE RETURN OF JESUS IN GLORY, TOESTABLISH HIS REIGN IN THE WORLD. THUS YOU WILL AT LAST BE ABLE TO SEE WITHYOUR OWN EYES THE NEW HEAVENS AND THE NEW EARTH."
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