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Mary, the Queen of Heaven

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Proved with Sacred Scripture Alone

Point One: Jesus has a queen who stands at his right hand. The following is from Psalm 45:7, a prophecy about the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

6 Your Divine throne endures for ever and ever, your royal scepter is a scepter of equity; 7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has annointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows; 8 Your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad. 9 Daughters of Kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the Queen in gold of Ophir.

What do you know? Jesus has a Queen! Very interesting . . . Moving on, let's continue with verse 17 of Psalm 45.

17 I will cause your name [speaking to the Queen] to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you for ever and ever.

Point Two: Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the woman prophisied in Psalm 45 to be called "blessed" by all generations.

Luke 1:48 For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;"

Do you see the connection between the Old Testament prophecy and the New Testament fullfillment in Mary?

Point Three: The male child in Revelation 12:2 is Jesus - it follows necessarily that the mother of the male child is Mary, who is seen in the heavens, clothed in the Sun, wearing a crown - a symbol of royalty.

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth . . . She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and His throne. Revelation 12:1-2,5.

Who is this child for certain? "I will proclaim the decree of the LORD, who said to me, "You are my son; today I am your father. Only ask it of me, and I will make your inheritance the nations, your possession the ends of the earth. With an iron rod you will shepherd them, like a clay pot, you will shatter them." " Psalm 2:7-9

For greater insight into archetypes of Heaven, notice in the following verses how the King establishes a throne for his mother, and makes her queen - Queen Mother if you will. The throne was the the Seat of David, and the king was king of Judah. Everything that happens with the Throne of David and the land of Judah is a foreshadow of the Messiah, since he inherits the Throne of David. "Then Bathsheba [a pre-figure of Mary] went to King Soloman [a pre-figure of Jesus] to speak to him for Adonijah, and king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king's mother, who sat at his right. " 1 Kings 2:19 Note that when someone wanted something from the King, they went to his Queen Mother first, and she intercedes for them, as in the example above . . . sounds very Catholic to me . . .

Summary

Jesus has a queen who stands at his right hand (Ps 45:9), Her name will be known throughout all generations (Ps 45:17, Lk 1:48), and she's the Woman depicted in Rv.12:1, wearing a crown, who has a throne at the right hand of the King (1 Kings 2:19).

In this essay now, I will refute both of his essays that go against that one point: Mary's part in our salvation. His two tracts are so similar in topic that it's useful to refute them both in one essay. They are entitled "Movement to declare Mary Coredemptrix underway!" and "Salvation is obtained from ..... Mary?" Thus, in this essay, I would like to clarify any misconceptions and refute any arguments against Mary's coredemptive act and her dispensing of graces.

First, let me state what the Catholic Church really teaches on Mary's mediatorship and co-operation in the redemption:

Although Christ is the Sole Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2, 5), since He alone, by His death on the Cross, fully reconciled mankind with God, this does not exclude a secondary mediatorship, subordinated to Christ ...
[Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 211].

The title Coredemptrix=Coredemptress ... must not be conceived in the sense of an equation of the efficacy of Mary with the redemptive activity of Christ, the sole Redeemer of humanity (1 Tim. 2, 5). [...] Her co-operation in the objective redemption is an indirect, remote co-operation, and derives from this that she voluntarily devoted her whole life to the service of the Redeemer, and, under the Cross, suffered and sacrificed with Him. As Pope Pius XII says ..., she "offered Him on Golgotha to the Eternal Father together with the holocaust of her maternal rights and her motherly love like a new Eve for all children of Adam" (D 2291). As "The New Eve" she is, as the same Pope declares ..., "the sublime associate of our redeemer" ... . Christ alone truly offered the sacrifice of atonement on the Cross; Mary merely gave Him moral support in this action. Thus Mary is not entitled to the title "Priest" (sacerdos). [...] Christ, as the Church teaches, "conquered the enemy of the human race alone (solus)" (D 711); in the same way, He alone acquired the grace of Redemption for the whole human race, including Mary. The words of Luke 1:38[,] "Behold the handmaid of the Lord," imply Mary's mediate, remote co-operation in the Redemption. St. Ambrose expressly teaches: "Christ's Passion did not require any support" (De inst. virg. 7) [Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 212-13].

Could anyone have stated it any more clearly and simply than Dr. Ludwig Ott? You see, the Catholic Church is clearly emphasizing that CHRIST is the ONLY redeemer and that his sacrifice was perfectly sufficient. It, again, seems like Michael Scheifler did not even bother to study the Catholic case. Scheifler says, "So one mediator in the Bible becomes one mediator and one mediatrix in Catholic teaching." No, that's not true. Read the text. Mary's mediatorship is subordinate to Christ's. By praying for each other, by preaching the Gospel, etc., we are all MEDIATORS for one another...in a sense. Yet, Mike Scheifler does not have a problem with that. Why not? What's the difference? The fact that we mediate for one another makes Jesus' sole mediatorship more glorified. Did Jesus not command us to pray for each other? Of course He did. Is this not mediating? Of course it is. So, Mr. Scheifler, you cannot have it both ways. Either you reject mediatorship completely, or not at all. You can't pick and choose. So, no, 'black' is not 'white,' all of a sudden. We must simply realize what 'black' means. (I refute the arguments about idolatry, bowing before statues, etc., in my essay "A Defense of the Veneration of Saints and Images".)

No, quoting from Church documents is fine, but simply ignoring the facts and still holding up the same misconceptions (even though Dr. Ott, for example, has made his points clear) is hypocritical. If one wants to attack the Church, fine, but please make sure it IS the Chuch that you're attacking, and not someone's misrepresentation of it. If the Catholic Church says, "We do not worship Mary," Mike Scheifler says, "They do!" - So, Mr. Scheifler, I'll turn the question back on you now: Does black mean white, now, all of a sudden?

I cannot quote enough from Ludwig Ott's masterpiece "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma." He so clearly shows what the Church truly teaches and what she does not mean by her teachings.

Now we come to a key passage:

In the power of the grace of Redemption merited by Christ [emphases mine], Mary, by her spiritual entering into the sacrifice of her Divine Son for men, made atonement for the sins of men, and ... merited the application of the redemptive grace of Christ. In this manner she co-operates in the subjective redemption of mankind. [Ott, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 213]

This passage struck Mr. Bible Light. He says, "[Dr. Ott] is claiming that Mary made atonement for the sins of men! Is this not blasphemy?" Let's make sure we understand what Ott is trying to say (note especially the emphasized part!). In what way did Mary make atonement for our sins? Did she die on the Cross? Is that what we Catholics believe and teach? NO. That indeed would be blasphemy. What, then, does Dr. Ott mean? Frs. Rumble and Carty, in their masterpiece "Radio Replies," put it excellently:

Mary's work was to be our co-redemptress, and to mediate for us together with Christ, but of course in subordination to Him. [...] If all Christians are members of Christ, and are called upon, as St. Paul says, to fill up what is wanting to the suffering of Christ, then you can be sure that as Mary, His Mother, was more closely associated with Christ than we are, so she is more closely associated with His redemptive work. ...[T]herefore, we call her co-redemptress. ...[I]n bringing forth Christ she brought us forth to life ...; and she is our hope as Eve was our despair. All this tells us what she is for. She is our spiritual Mother in Heaven, and she fulfills the duties of a Mother, winning for us by her intercession that grace of Christ which is life to our souls and which ... will mean eternal life in the end [Rumble/Carty, Radio Replies, Vol. 2, 162].

Now that she is in Heaven, the Blessed Virgin participates in the distribution of grace by her maternal intercession. Now, compared to Christ's, this intercession, of course, is a lot inferior; however, compared to the intercession of other saints', it is superior. Are there any biblical proofs? Not really (I am not saying, "Not at all."). But does there have to be any? No, because Protestants still have not managed to prove their belief in Sola Scriptura, "the Bible only for doctrine." In order to prove that, Protestants must AT LEAST come up with one verse that says, "Unless it's contained explicitly in the Bible, it is not so." And even if they did, they would have to prove the Bible's inspiration. Both of these challenges are equally impossible. I have discusses Sola Scriptura with Mike Scheifler, and he has so far not been able to rebut my response(s).

Anyway, however, if interpreted mystically, Jesus' words of John 19:26 ("Woman, behold thy son; son, behold thy mother") could help us understand all the doctrines about Mary. John, according to that interpretation, represents the whole human race. Now, this then would mean that the human race has a universal mother: Mary. And it makes a lot of sense. Mary bore Jesus; Jesus is God; thus, Mary is the Mother of God, and since we are Jesus' brothers and sisters, Mary is our spiritual mother.

That would be one kind of Biblical proof. The other would be the analogy with the vine and the branches (see one of the later paragraphs of this essay) - mediation is simply logical, and expressly commanded in the New Testament. The only argument one could have is to say that death separates us from the vine, but we know this is not true (see Romans 8:38-39). So, Mike, indeed there IS biblical proof, but even if there were not, it would not matter, because where does it say it has to be in the Bible? Your case for Sola Scriptura I have easily refuted.

If you are a Protestant, this may all sound very shocking and idolatrous and blasphemous to you. But why? Didn't Jesus honor his mother? Aren't WE supposed to honor our parents? Surely, Jesus did honor his mother (for a detailed discussion of this, please see my essay "The Veneration of Mary")! And thus, he gave gifts to his mother (everyone does - look at Mother's Day!); since Jesus was and is omnipotent, he could give her any gift he wanted - and he gave her the greatest gift of all: sanctifying grace throughout her life - sinlessness. Doesn't that seem just logical? But anyway, for details, please check the essay I just mentioned. Thank you.

"But Jesus is the ONLY Mediator between God and man, as 1 Timothy 2:5 clearly says."

Absolutely. Now, look closely at what this verse really says: the only mediator between God and MAN. Because Jesus was the God-Man, He can be the only mediator. Between humans and the Father, there is the Son, and He only. Does this refute our own belief that the saints in Heaven intercede for us? No, not at all, because these saints, TOO, are MEN; they are members of MANKIND. Thus, we (MEN) ask them (MEN, too) to pray to the ONE mediator (JESUS) in order to find favor with the Father (GOD). Did you notice it? We have not violated the principle. It goes from MAN to MAN to JESUS to GOD. As we believe: Jesus is the ONLY mediator between GOD and MAN. See, if I pray for you, I am already acting as a mediator. Does this violate Christ's role as the only mediator? No, because I, too, am a MAN. But how could the saints in Heaven hear us? Well, Jesus said that he is the true vine, and we are the branches. When one Christian (one branch, thus) dies physically and is then taken up into Heaven (he might have to go through purgatory first, of course), does that mean he is broken off of the vine? No, of course not. He remains there (see Romans 8:38-39). We are nowhere told otherwise. (And, quite logically, we come even closer to Jesus, because we are not anymore distracted by all the worldly things.) Actually, those who are broken off are the ones that refuse to love Jesus. So, the dead Christian is still united with the vine (Jesus) and the other branches (all other Christians).

The Catholic Church does teach that salvation is - in a sense - obtained through (not from!) Mary...but indirectly. And this is the point Mike Scheifler got wrong. The source of all grace and redemption is Jesus Christ, never a human being, no matter how saintly. Mary is a tool used by our Savior and only Mediator between GOD and MAN Jesus Christ (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, #970). So to say that Catholics believe that Mary redeemed us INSTEAD of Jesus is simply false. It was Jesus! But He gave His mother a special part in dispensing those graces.

Scheifler concludes his rebuttal of my refutation with this: "Nothing Mario Derksen ... will present, will in any way negate or refute this." Well, Mike Scheifler, it seems like you are too quick in judging.

Let's now look more closely at his second essay, "Salvation is obtained from...Mary?" First, he cites from encyclical "Octobri Mense" and is totally annoyed by what it says in there (obviously, or he wouldn't have included it in his essay). The interesting thing is that it says exactly what we Catholics believe, namely, that Mary is the mediator through whom grace is distributed. Mike Scheifler, however, never seems to argue against that. He keeps saying we Catholics believe that those graces originate in Mary, as the title of his tract inidcates. We believe, though, that Mary is simply the dispenser of all gifts. That's "her job"; the gifts themselves, however, come directly from God. All of the citations from the Church documents Scheifler brings up prove this. Mike Scheifler, thus, is simply misunderstanding the Catholic position.

Some might have a problem with the saying that as no one can come to the Father without Jesus, likewise no one can come to Jesus except through Mary. Indeed, some fundamentalists believe that this means Mary is taking God the Father's place here, because we also say that no one can come to Jesus unless "the Father draw him." Does this mean, now, that Mary has been made equal to God? Good heavens, no! It is, of course, originally, indeed the Father who makes it possible to find Jesus, but through Mary. Why? Well, why not? So, basically, the Father says to Mary, "Alright, intercede. Let this guy find to Jesus." Mary is nothing more than God's tool.

Properly understood, no one should have a problem accepting the Catholic concept of Mary's part in salvation. She - in a sense - offered Jesus (by bearing Him, for example); it is in this way that she helped redeem the human race. As a matter of fact, we all help redeem the human race by leading someone to Jesus. Or do you disagree? Aren't we helping someone toward salvation by showing him the way, truth, and the life, ie, Jesus? Of course! So if we can do it, why can't Mary? She is now in Heaven distributing the graces God gave to her to distribute. I advise you strongly here to read my essay "Why Mary is our Mother," which will appear soon. I also urge you to read the booklet "Refuting the Attack on Mary," which is available for less than three dollars from Catholic Answers. It is by Father Mateo and the best refutation of current fundamentalist attacks on Mary I've ever seen.

Next comes a gross misrepresentation (yes, Mike!) of Catholicism: Scheifler sums up what he thinks the Church teaches (ie, what he understood, or rather, wanted to understand (?), the Church's teachings to say):

The evidence I have presented in my article clearly shows that the Roman Catholic Church officially [Scheifler's emphasis] teaches that salvation is obtained directly from Mary [my emphasis and shock]as Mediatrix rather than directly from Jesus, and that this will likely be defined as binding dogma [Scheifler's emphasis] in the near future.

No, Mike Scheifler, no. Even though you have all kinds of Catholic sources, you still don't seem to understand the Catholic position. The Church does NOT (repeat: **NOT**) teach salvation is in any way obtained **FROM** Mary, but only **THROUGH** Mary, and that is what could be soon defined as dogma.

What's the big difference between THROUGH and FROM? Well, it's like saying, "I am getting my soda FROM the straw." Am I? No, I'm getting it "from the content of the cup," but THROUGH the straw.

Next, Mr. Bible Light shows us a painting of Mary, which shows her crowned and enthroned as the Queen of Heaven. On her chest there is the breastplate of the Levitical High Priest. Scheifler now suggests that this is "depicting Mary as the High Priest, intercessor between man and God." Well, as a response to that, let me say that the breastplate represents her Son, Jesus, who is the High Priest (don't forget that Mary gave birth to the second person of the Trinity!).

For the rest of his document, Mike Scheifler quotes lots of Church documents -- I don't have a problem with any. They all state the exact teaching of the Church. It is, therefore, indeed Mr. Scheifler himself who is twisting what is written down. Mary is merely God's TOOL, the CHANNEL through which grace flows. To claim that Catholics believe otherwise is simply a lie.

One of his last lines reads,

There is a word that aptly describes all of this... AntiChrist. Mary has been completely substituted for Jesus as the mediator, a concept that is utterly unbiblical, and worth only of the apostate church.

Okay, slow down. I think we've shown that Mary being the mediatrix does not contradict the Bible, and is therefore not unbiblical. In fact, it is even very logical and implied in the Bible (which my other essays on Mary demonstrate). That Mary has NOT been substituted for Jesus is clear in Ott's "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma," which I have already quoted.

So nothing that the Catholic Church believes contradicts the Written Word of God. I have shown how Mary can be a mediator BESIDES Jesus (ie, UNDER Him, not INSTEAD of Him, as Scheifler still likes to think), I have shown that we are saved by JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, and no one else. It is INDEED, as Scheifler claims, true that Jesus's sacrifice is sufficient, and this is the only thing that redeems man. But, who in the world is denying this? Have you ever heard a Catholic deny this? We simply believe that Mary plays a part in the distribution and application of those graces Jesus merited on the Cross. So, Mr. Bible Light, while Catholics may look to Mary for grace, they know she is only the channel through which GOD HIMSELF (the origin of all grace) lets His grace flow.

Lastly, Scheifler says Mary is "dead," so how could she hear our prayers. Well, I hope that he believes in the immortality of the soul. To say Mary is dead is simply denying Jesus' teachings. Those who have died are alive now, for all that died was their bodies and not their souls. Indeed, Mary even has her own body back already since it was assumed into Heaven at her death. So, either way, Mary's soul is definitely alive (remember, we are not cut off from the vine when we die).

To say, as Scheifler does, nothing Mary did assisted Jesus' sacrifice is simply wrong. Did she not bear Him? And nurse Him? And help Him (like when He was a child)? Did she not care for Him? Protect Him, etc.? If that's not assisting, what is? So, we can obviously conclude that whatever Mike Scheifler misunderstands must be "AntiChrist."

Lastly, and again, I want to say this (as a summary now): The Church teaches salvation is found in no other than Jesus Christ. The only thing Mary has to do with it is that she, in some sense, co-operated in Christ's sacrifice (of course, after all, He was HER SON! She bore Him, nursed Him, "took" Him to the Cross, etc.), and now she is one of the CHANNELS of the grace obtained by Christ on the Cross. That's all.

IN 1531, SHE APPEARED AS THE "VIRGIN OF GUADALOUPE" TO A SIMPLE MAN CALLED JUAN DIEGO.

SHE HAS BEEN DECLARED TO BE "THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION" BY POPE PIUS IX. THE YEAR WAS 1854. SOON AFTER, IN THE YEAR 1858, AT LOURDES, THIS WOMAN APPEARED TO BERNADETTE SOUBRIOUS, A YOUNG GIRL, AND IDENTITFIED HERSELF AS "THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION."

ON JULY 2, 1961, THIS WOMAN AGAIN APPEARED IN GARABANDAL, SPAIN. SHE IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS "OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL."

AT THE END OF THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL, POPE PAUL VI CALLED HER "THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH." THIS WAS IN 1965.

IN AKITA, JAPAN, IN 1973, THIS WOMAN APPEARED TO SISTER AGNES AND IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS THE CO-REDEMPTRIX/MEDIATRIX, THE ADVOCATE.

IN VENEZUELA, THIS WOMAN APPEARED TO MARIA ESPERANZA, ON MARCH 25, 1976. SHE IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS "MARY RECONCILER OF ALL PEOPLES AND NATIONS".

IN REVELATION, CHAPTER 12, SHE IS IDENTIFIED AS "THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN".

ON JULY 23, 1987, SHE IDENTIFIED HERSELF TO FATHER GOBBI, THE LEADER OF THE MARIAN MOVEMENT OF PRIESTS, AS "MOTHER AND QUEEN OF FAMILIES".

ON JANUARY 1, 1980 SHE AGAIN IDENTIFIED HERSELF TO FATHER GOBBI AS "MOTHER OF THE SECOND ADVENT".

IN 1990, IN SEATTLE, SHE AGAIN IDENTIFIED HERSELF TO FATHER GOBBI AS "THE MOTHER OF THE SECOND ADVENT".

IN 1990, IN SEATTLE, SHE IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS THE "VIRGIN OF GUADALOUPE, PROTECTRESS OF THE UNBORN".

IN 1992, SHE IDENTIFIED HERSELF AGAIN TO FATHER GOBBI AS "THE PROPHETESS OF THE LAST TIMES".

SO WHO IS THIS WOMAN? SHE HAS MANY NAMES. AND IN HER APPEARANCES, HAS MANY FORMS. WHAT IS THE COMMON THEME? WELL, WE WILL GET TO THE COMMON THEME IN A SHORT WHILE.

WE CAN SEE THAT HER APPEARANCES HAVE INDEED SPANNED A GREAT DEAL OF TIME. BUT THERE IS AN INTERESTING PHENOMENON WHICH CANNOT BE MISSED OR DENIED. I AM GOING TO RECITE SOME APPARITION DATES. YOU SEE IF YOU CAN DETECT THE PATTERN.

FIFTEEN HUNDRED THIRTY ONE

SIXTEEN HUNDRED THIRTY FOUR.....NOW TO THE 1800'S

1830, 1846, 1858, 1871, 1879, NOW TO THE 1900'S

1904, 1914, 1917, 1932, 1937, 1938, 1940

1945 TWICE

1947 THREE TIMES

1951

1953

1954 FOUR TIMES

1958, 1961, 1962, 63, 64, 65, 66, TWICE IN 68

TWICE IN 72, TWICE IN 73, THREE TIMES IN 74, 1976

THREE TIMES IN 1980, TWICE IN 81, 82 AND 83....

SEVEN APPEARANCES IN 1985!

TWICE IN 86,

SIX APPEARANCES IN 1987

FOUR IN 88,

THREE IN 89..........

AND THIS PATTERN CONTINUES!

WHAT DO YOU SEE? SHE HAS APPEARED ONCE IN THE FIFTEEN HUNDREDS, AND ONCE IN THE SIXTEEN HUNDREDS.

SHE APPEARED SEVEN TIMES IN THE 1970S

SHE APPEARED THIRTY ONE TIMES IN THIS INCOMPLETE LIST OF DATES ALONE JUST IN THE NINTEEN EIGHTIES ! IF THERE IS A MESSAGE TO BE HAD IT IS THAT SHE IS APPEARING MORE OFTEN AS WE APPROACH THE YEAR 2000!

SO NOW WE KNOW THAT THIS WOMAN HAS MANY TITLES. AND WE KNOW THAT THIS WOMAN HAS MULTIPLE APEARANCES. AND WE MIGHT ASSUME THAT WE ARE NOT DEALING WITH MASS HYSTERIA SPREAD OVER CENTURIES.

AND LET ME SAY ONE THING TO YOU NOW. I AM NOT HERE TO ARGUE WITH ANYONE. I AM HERE SIMPLY TO REPORT WHAT HAS BEEN RECORDED. AS IT HAS BEEN SAID, "FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE,NO EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY. FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE, NO EXPLANATION IS POSSIBLE."

PUT SIMPLY, WE ARE DEALING WITH THE INCREASING FREQUENCY OF APEARANCES OF THE VIRGIN MARY. SHE HAS COME TO US, AND IN INCREASING FREQUENCY RECENTLY, WITH SOME VERY SPECIFIC MESSAGES. THROUGHOUT TIME, THE MESSAGES REPEAT THEMSELVES. THEY ARE THE SAME. NOW WE WILL BRIEFLY LOOK AT THE MORE WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED APPEARANCES.

YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW THAT THIS TALK IS COMPOSED OF THE PRINTED LITERATURE CONCERNING THE SUBJECT. IN 1966, POPE PAUL VI ALLOWED FOR "PUBLICATIONS ABOUT NEW APPEARANCES, REVELATIONS, PROPHESIES, AND MIRACLES TO BE DISTRIBUTED AND READ BY THE FAITHFUL WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF THE CHURCH, PROVIDING THAT THEY CONTAIN NOTHING THAT CONTRAVENES FAITH AND MORALS." THIS MEANS THAT NO IMPRIMATUR IS NECESSARY.

THE PICTURE WHICH YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS OF LASALETTE, FRANCE. LOOKS MORE LIKE A RESORT THAN AN APPARITION SITE, DOESN'T IT? AT THIS SITE, ON SEPTEMBER 19, 1846, OUR BLESSED MOTHER APPEARED TO TWO CHILDREN, MELANIE CALVAT AND MAXIMIN GIRAUD. THIS APPEARANCE WAS APPROVED BY THE CHURCH IN 1851. OUR LADY TOLD MELANIE, "MELANIE, WHAT I AM ABOUT TO TELL YOU NOW WILL NOT ALWAYS BE A SECRET. YOU MAY MAKE IT PUBLIC IN 1858."

WHAT FOLLOWED WAS A PROPHESY FOR MANKIND FROM 1846 TO THE PRESENT. MANY OF THE APPARITIONS WILL DEAL, AS YOU WILL SEE, WITH MORE IMMEDIATE AND LIMITED TIME SPANS. HERE ARE FIVE OF THE EXCERPTS:

LASALETTE 1

IN THE YEAR 1864, LUCIFER TOGETHER WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF DEMONS WILL BE LOOSED FROM HELL; THEY WILL PUT AN END TO FAITH LITTLE BY LITTLE, EVEN IN THOSE DEDICATED TO GOD. THEY WILL BLIND THEM IN SUCH A WAY, THAT, UNLESS THEY ARE BLESSED WITH A SPECIAL GRACE, THESE PEOPLE WILL TAKE ON THE SPIRIT OF THESE ANGELS OF HELL; SEVERAL RELIGIOUS INSTITUTUIONS WILL LOSE ALL FAITH AND WILL LOSE MANY SOULS." ..................AND ANOTHER EXCERPT....

LASALETTE 2

"ALL THE CIVIL GOVERNMENTS WILL HAVE ONE AND THE SAME PLAN, WHICH WILL BE TO ABOLISH AND DO AWAY WITH EVERY RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE, TO MAKE WAY FOR MATERIALISM, AETHISM, SPRITUALISM AND VICE OF ALL KINDS." *** AGAIN I REPEAT THAT THESE ARE EXCERPTS FROM THE WHOLE TEXT. THE TEXTS WHICH I HAVE USED FOR THE STUDY ARE IN A BIBLIOGRAPY WHICH IS AVAILABLE AFTER THE TALK.*** "IT WILL BE DURING THIS TIME THAT THE ANTICHRIST WILL BE BORN OF A HEBREW NUN, A FALSE VIRGIN WHO WILL COMMUNICATE WITH THE OLD SERPENT, THE MASTER OF IMPURITY, HIS FATHER WILL BE B."

LASALETTE 3

" THE SEASONS WILL BE ALTERED, THE EARTH WILL PRODUCE NOTHING BUT BAD FRUIT, THE STARS WILL LOSE THEIR REGULAR MOTION, THE MOON WILL ONLY REFLECT A FAINT REDDISH GLOW. WATER AND FIRE WILL GIVE THE EARTH'S GLOBE CONVULSIONS AND TERRIBLE EARTHQUAKES WHICH WILL SWALLOW UP MOUTAINS, CITIES.....ROME WILL LOSE THE FAITH AND BECOME THE SEAT OF THE ANTICHRIST."

LASALETTE 4

"NOW IS THE TIME....THE BEAST WITH HIS SUBJECTS......WILL RISE PROUDLY......SMOTHERED BY THE BREATH OF THE ARCHANGEL SAINT MICHAEL.....AND THEN WATER AND FIRE WILL PURGE THE EARTH AND CONSUME ALL THE WORKS OF MEN'S PRIDE AND ALL WILL BE RENEWED. GOD WILL BE SERVED AND GLORIFIED."

FROM HERE ON IN YOU WILL SEE THAT AS THE APPARITIONS OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER BECOME MORE FREQUENT, THAT THEY ALSO BECOME MORE SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF WHAT SINS ARE OVERTAKEING THE WORLD, AND MORE SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF WHAT WE CAN DO TO CHANGE THINGS FOR THE BETTER.

BUT LET US FIRST INTERJECT A RECORDED EVENT CORRELATING THESE IDEAS. IT HAPPENED TO POPE LEO XIII. THIS STORY IS SUMMARIZED, HAVING BEEN TAKEN FROM SEVERAL DIFFERENT SOURCES.

ON OCTOBER 13, 1884, POPE LEO XIII HAD JUST FINISHED HOLY MASS WHEN HE HEARD A DEEP AND GUTTERAL VOICE SAY "I CAN DESTROY YOUR CHRUCH.....TO DO SO I NEED MORE TIME AND MORE POWER." THEN THE POPE HEARD A GENTLE VOICE ASKING "HOW MUCH TIME?" THE GUTTERAL VOICE RESPONDED: "SEVENTY-FIVE TO ONE HUNDRED YEARS AND A GREATER POWER OVER THOSE WHO WILL GIVE THEMSELVES TO MY SERVICE." THE GENTLE VOICE REPLIED: "YOU HAVE THE TIME......." LEO WAS FURTHER GIVEN TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF THE DEVIL DIDN'T ACCOMPLISH HIS PURPOSE IN THE ALLOTTED TIME, HE WOULD SUFFER A CRUSHING AND HUMILIATING DEFEAT.

THE POPE WAS DAZED. HIS PHYSICIAN RUSHED TO HIS SIDE. THE POPE GASPED, "OH WHAT A HORRIBLE PICTURE I WAS PERMITTED TO SEE." AFTERWARDS THE POPE WENT TO HIS OFFICE AND COMPOSED THE FAMILIAR PRAYER TO THE ARCHANGEL MICHAEL.......

"SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL, DEFEND US AGAINST THE ENEMY, BE OUR SAFEGUARD AGAINST THE WICKEDNESS AND SNARES OF THE DEVIL. MAY GOD REBUKE HIM, WE HUMBLY PRAY , AND DO THOU, O PRINCE OF THE HEAVENLY HOST, BY THE POWER OF GOD, CAST INTO HELL SATAN AND THE OTHER EVIL SPIRITS WHO PROWL ABOUT THE WORLD FOR THE RUIN OF SOULS."

THIS PRAYER CONTINUED TO BE RECITED AFTER MASS UNTIL SEPTEMBER 26, 1964, WHEN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SACRED LITURGY DECREED: "LEONINE PRAYERS AFTER THE MASS ARE NO LONGER TO BE SAID."

CONFIRMING THIS IDEA, MARY REVEALED TO FATHER GOBBI,THE LEADER OF THE MARIAN MOVEMENT OF PRIESTS, ON NOBEMBER 9, 1984, "THE APOSTASY ARISING FROM SATAN'S TRIAL OF THE CUURCH IS NOW IN ITS FINAL STAGES. THE LORD HAS GRANTED HIM THIS SPACE OF TIME, BECAUSE THE END OF THE PRIDE OF THE RED DRAGON WILL BE BROKEN AND CONQUERED BY THE HUMILITY, THE LITTLENESS, AND THE POWER OF YOUR HEAVENLY MOTHER, THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN, WHO IS NOW GATHERING ALL HER LITTLE CHILDREN INTO HER ARMY FOR BATTLE."

AS I INDICATED, THE APPARITIONAL IDEAS GET MORE SPECIFIC IN TIME AND RECOURSE WHICH WE HAVE. LET US NOW GO TO THE APPARITIONS OF FATIMA, AND SEE WHAT THEY PREDICTED, AND WHAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.

ON MAY 13, 1917, AT THE COVA DA IRIA, THREE CHILDREN IN PORTUGAL WERE PLAYING WHEN SUDDENLY A FLASH OF LIGHT APPEARED, AND THEN ANOTHER. A LADY APPEARED AND SAID TO THE CHILDREN, " DO NOT BE AFRAID. I AM FROM HEAVEN. I WANT YOU TO COME HERE ON THE 13TH DAY OF THE MONTH FOR SIX MONTHS AND I WLLL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT."

SHE TAUGHT THEM THE "OH MY JESUS" PART OF THE ROSARY. SHE ALSO TOLD THEM THAT TWO OF THEM WOULD BE TAKEN TO HEAVEN SOON. TWO OF THE CHILDREN, FRANCESCO AND JACINTA, DIED IN 1919 AND 1920 OF THE FLU EPIDEMIC. ABOVE YOU CAN SEE A PICTURE OF THE CHILDEN.

SHE TOLD LUCIA, HOWEVER, THAT LUCIA WHOULD REMAIN IN THE WORLD FOR A WHILE FOR THE EXPRESS PRUPOSE OF ESTABLISHING A DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. IN ADDITION, SHE TOLD LUCIA THAT A MIRACLE WOULD BE PERFORMED IN OCTOBER. IN THE MEAN TIME, THEY WERE TO CONTINUE TO ASSEMBLE ON THE 13TH OF EACH MONTH TO PRAY FOR AN END TO THE WAR. REMEMBER THAT AT THIS TIME THE FIRST WORLD WAR WAS RAGING.

DURING HER APPEARANCES, SHE GAVE THE CHILDEN A VISION OF HELL. HERE I QUOTE LUCIA IN HER DESCRIPTION. AND AGAIN I TELL YOU THAT I AM MERELY TELLING YOU DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE. THESE OCCURENCES AT FATIMA, ESPECIALLY THE MIRACLE WHICH WE WILL DESCRIBE, ARE IN THE PAPERS PUBLISHED AT THE TIME. ONE OF THE REASONS IT IS SO WELL DOCUMENTED IS BECAUSE THESE APPARITIONS CAUSED CONSIDERABLE CONSTERNATION FOR THE TOWN OFFICIALS. REMEMBER THAT THESE WERE TIMES OF SUPERSTITION. A TOWN DID NOT NEED A REPUTATION FOR THE SUPERNATURAL!!! HERE IS THE QUOTATION OF LUCIA:

"PLUNGED INTO THIS FIRE WERE DEMONS AND SOULS IN HUMAN FORM, LIKE TRANSPARENT BURNING EMBERS, ALL BLACKENED OR BURNISHED BRONZE, FLOATING ABOUT IN THE CONFLAGRATION, NOW RAISED INTO THE AIR BY THE FLAMES THAT ISSUED SMOKE, NOW FALLING BACK ON EVERY SIDE LIKE SPARKS IN A HUGE FIRE, WITHOUT WEIGHT OR EQUIBIBRIUM, AND AMID SHREIKS AND GROANS OF PAIN AND DESPAIR, WHICH HORRIFIED US AND MADE US TREMBLE WITH FEAR." THERE IS MORE TO THE QUOTE AND TO MANY OF THESE QUOTES. HOWEVER, I WILL DIRECT YOU TO THE SOURCES AT THE END OF THE TALK SO YOU MAY GO FURTHER IN THIS AREA IF YOU WISH....................... ...SO ONE OF THE MESSAGES MARY HAS GIVEN US IS THE REALITY OF HELL.

A SECOND MESSAGE GIVEN TO THE GIRLS CONCERNED RUSSIA. REMEMBER THAT MARY TOLD LUCIA THAT LUCIA WOULD NEED TO ESTABLISH A SPECIAL DEVOTION TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. MARY TOLD LUCIA: "IF WHAT I SAY IS DONE, MANY SOULS WILL BE SAVED AND THERE WILL BE PEACE. THE WAR IS GOING TO END: BUT IF PEOPLE DO NOT CEASE OFFENDING GOD, A WORSE ONE WILL BREAK OUT DURING THE PONTIFICATE OF PIUS XI. WHEN YOU SEE A NIGHT ILLUMINATED BY AN UNKNOWN LIGHT, KNOW THAT THIS IS THE GREAT SIGN GIVEN YOU BY GOD THAT HE IS ABOUT TO PUNISH THE WORLD FOR ITS CRIMES, BY MEANS OF A HOLY WAR, FAMINE, AND PERSECUTION OF THE CHURCH AND OF THE HOLY FATHER."

MARY FOLLOWED WITH A SPECIFIC REQUEST. "IF MY REQUESTS ARE HEEDED, RUSSIA WILL BE CONVERTED, AND THERE WILL BE PEACE; IF NOT, SHE WILL SPREAD HER ERRORS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, CAUSING WARS AND PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH. THE GOOD WILL BE MARTYRED, THE HOLY FATHER WILL HAVE MUCH TO SUFFER; VARIOUS NATIONS WILL BE ANNIHILATED. IN THE END, MY IMMACULATE HEART WILL TRIUMPH. THE HOLY FATHER WILL CONSECRATE RUSSIA TO ME, AND SHE WILL BE CONVERTED, AND A PERIOD OF PEACE WILL BE GRANTED TO THE WORLD."

BY THE WAY, THESE MESSAGES WERE KEPT SECRET FOR MANY YEARS. THERE IS A THIRD SECRET MESSAGE. IT HAS BEEN READ AND KEPT SECRET BY MORE THAN ONE POPE. I WILL NOT GO INTO THAT NOW........

AHHHHH, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MIRACLE AND THE LIGHT? HERE IS THE MIRACLE. AS PROMISED BY MARY, ON OCTOBER 13, 1917, A SEVERE STORM WAS IN EUROPE AND THE GROUND WAS MUDDY AND WET. NEVERTHELESS, A CROWD OF BETWEEN 50 AND 70 THOUSAND WAS ON HAND FOR THE MIRACLE. MARY APPEARED, AND, CALLING HERSELF "THE LADY OF THE ROSARY", REQUESTED THAT A CHAPEL BE BUILT THERE IN HER HONOR. THE SUN BEGAN TO SPIN, AND APPEARED AS A GIANT WHEEL OF FIRE. IT HURTLED TOWARDS THE EARTH AND ALL THE PEOPLE THOUGHT THEY WOULD DIE. THEN, IT SUDDENLY RETURNED TO THE CORRECT POSITION. AND HERE IS THE MIRACLE......REMEMBER THAT THE PEOPLE WERE IN THE RAIN WAITING BEFORE AND THAT THEY WERE SOAKED. INSTANTLY THEY AND EVERY PIECE OF THEIR CLOTHING WAS DRY.

THIS WAS REPORTED BY THE NEWSPAPERS, ONE OF WHICH WAS "O SECULO"

AHHHHHH, AND WHAT ABOUT THE LIGHT? LET ME QUOTE THE NEW YORK TIMES PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 26, 1938. HERE IS THE HEADLINE........

"AURORA BOREALIS STARTLES EUROPE: PEOPLE FLEE IN FEAR, CALL FIREMEN."

IT ALSO READS: "BRITONS THOUGHT WINDSOR CASTLE ABLAZE--SCOTS SEE ILL OMEN--SNOW CLAD ALPS GLOW."

THIS PHENOMENON WAS SEEN AS FAR EAST AS VIENNA. IT WAS ON THE FEAST OF ST. PAUL, WHO, YOU REMEMBER, WAS BLINDED FROM A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN. HERE IS THE ACUTAL NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE.

ONE WEEK LATER, HITLER PROMOTED HIMSELF TO MILITARY CHIEF AND ONE MONTH LATER MARCHED INTO AUSTRIA AND ANNEXED IT. WORLD WAR II HAD STARTED.

OH, ONE MORE THING. MARY'S REQUEST FOR THE CONSECRATION OF RUSSIA WAS FINALLY ACHIEVED IN SO FAS AS WE CAN TELL. ON JULY 7, 1952, WHEN POPE XII CONSECRATED THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE TO THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. THIS CONSECRATION WAS RENEWED BY POPE PAUL VI ON NOVEMBER 21, 1964 AT THE SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL.

ENOUGH ON FATIMA, BUT BEAR IN MIND, THAT WE THINK THAT THE MESSAGES OF MARY ARE BECOMING MORE SPECIFIC. WE SAW GENERAL PREDICITIONS IN LA SALETTTE. WE SAW MORE SPECIFIC REVELATIONS IN FATIMA. LET US GO ON TO GARABANDAL. AND IN ORDER TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE ORIENTATION AS TO WHERE WE ARE, HERE IS WHERE WE ARE IN THIS PRESENTATION. WE REVIEWED THE TITLES OF THIS WOMAN, WHOM WE NOW KNOW TO BE THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, THE MOTHER OF GOD. WE REVIEWED THE FREQUENCY OF HER APPEARNACES. WE HAVE SEEN HER AT WORK AT LA SALETTE AND AT FATIMA.

WE WILL NOW HEAR HER PLEAS AND REQUESTS THROUGH HER APPEARANCES AT GARABANDAL, SPAIN, AND FINALLY AT MEDJUGORJE, YUGOSLAVIA (NOW BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA). BUT NOW, HER MESSAGES GET MORE NEAR AND TERRIFYING. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY GIVE US HOPE, AND SOLUTIONS.

FROM 1961 TO 1965 AT SAN SEBASTIAN DE GARABANDAL IN SPAIN, MARY APPEARED TO CONCHITA GONZALEZ, 12, JACINTA GONZALEZ, 12 MARI CRUZ GONZALEZ. 11, AND MARI-LOLI MAZON, 12. FROM THEIR NAMES, YOU WOULD THINK THAT THEY ARE RELATED. THEY DON'T HAPPEN TO BE.

FOR THESE REVELATIONS, I WILL NOT OFFER TO YOU THE LONG QUOTES OF THE RESPECTIVE REVELATIONS. BUT HERE ARE THE MAIN POINTS.

1. "THE CHALICE IS OVERFLOWING"

MARY TELLS US OF THE CHALICE,OR CUP, WHICH IS FILLED AND OVERFLOWING. SHE TELLS US THAT IT IS OVERFLOWING WITH THE SINS OF THE WORLD. SHE WENT SO FAR AS TO TELL US THAT MANY BISHOPS AND MANY PRIESTS ARE ON THE PATH TO PERDITION AND THAT THEY TAKE MANY SOULS WITH THEM. SHE SAYS THAT TO THE EUCHARIST, THERE IS GIVEN LESS AND LESS IMPORTANCE.

2. "THE GREAT WARNING"

GOD IS ABOUT TO GIVE US A GRAND WARNING, ACCORDING TO THE GIRLS, AND ACCORDING TO CONCHITA SPECIFICALLY. THIS MIRACLE WILL BE FELT ALL OVER THE WORLD, WHEREVER YOU WILL BE. IT WILL BE LIKE A BARING OF ALL OUR SINS, TO ALL PEOPLE, BELIEVERS OR NOT. IT WILL BE LIKE A FACE TO FACE WITH GOD. SOME PEOPLE WILL ACTUALLY DIE FROM THE EXPERIENCE AS THEY SEE WHAT KIND OF LIVES THEY LIVE.

AS WE HAVE SEEN, THESE IDEAS GET MORE SPECIFIC IN CHARACTER AND TIME. GOD IS SLOW TO ANGER AND WILL TAKE MANY MEASURES AND OFFER MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR MAN TO COME BACK TO GOD.

3. "THE GREAT MIRACLE AND THE PERMANENT SIGN"

SPECIFICALLY, ABOVE THE GROVE OF PINES.....THERE IS A STAND OF PINE TREES IN GARABANDAL TO WHICH THIS REFERENCE IS MADE......WILL OCCUR A GREAT MIRACLE. IT WILL OCCUR ON A THURSDAY EVENING, AT 8:30 P.M. BETWEEN THE 8TH AND THE 16TH OF MARCH, APRIL, OR MAY. IT WILL BE ON A GREAT DAY OF THE CHURCH. IT WILL BE ON THE FEAST DAY OF A YOUNG MARTYR OF THE EUCHARIST. THE PEOPLE THERE WILL SEE IT AND HEALILNGS WILL OCCUR. CONCHITA KNOWS THE DATE AND WILL ANNOUNCE IT EIGHTS DAYS BEFORE IT HAPPENS. IT WILL TAKE PLACE, ACCORDING TO MARI-LOLI WITHIN ONE YEAR OF THE WARNING.

FOLLOWING THE MIRACLE, THERE WILL APPEAR THERE A PERMANENT SIGN. YOU WILL BEL ABLE TO SEE IT, PHOTOGRAPH IT, TELEVISE IT, BUT YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TOUCH IT. WHAT IS THIS THING? WELL, THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF SPECULATION ON WHAT IT WILL BE.

SO WHAT IS SHE SAYING? WE WILL SEE NOW WHAT SHE WANTS......OH, BUT BEFORE THAT I NEED TO TELL YOU ABOUT THE LAST ITEM REVEALED IN GARABANDAL.......THE CHASTISEMENT.

4. "THE CHASTISEMENT"

"IT WILL BE WORSE THAN HAVING FIRE ON TOP OF US....FIRE UNDERNEATH US AND ALL AROUND US. PEOPLE WILL BE THROWING THEMSELVES INTO THE SEA, BUT INSTEAD OF PUTTING THE FIRE OUT IT MAKES IT WORSE....." THIS IS THE TYPE OF CATACLYSM PREDICTED BY CONCHITA FROM MARY. IT WILL LAST 72 HOURS. YOU WILL BE PROTECTED BY YOUR HOLY OBJECTS. ALL MACHINERY AND ELECTRICITY WILL STOP. ONLY DEVICES SUCH AS SPRING WOUND CLOCKS WILL WORK. ALL THE DEMONS OF HELL WILL BE LOOSED TO TAKE THE ONES MARKED ON THE FOREHEAD BY SATAN. THEY WILL LEAVE THE ONES MARKED ON THE FOREHEAD PREVIOUSLY, MEANING DURING THESE TIMES, BY GOD.

WAIT.......THIS GETS VERY INTENSE AND WE COULD SPEND AN HOUR ON JUST THIS TOPIC. BUT OUR PURPOSE HERE IS TO LEARN WHO THIS WOMAN IS AND WHAT SHE WANTS.

SO LET'S GO ON TO THE LAST OF THE APPARITION SITES WHICH WE WILL SHOW YOU TODAY......TO THE SITE WHICH, BESIDES REITERATING THE MESSAGES OF GARABANDAL, TELLS US SPECIFICALLY WHAT TO DO TO HELP AND TO HEAL THE WORLD.......TO MEDJUGORJE.

MEDJUGORJE.....SOUNDS WEIRD, DOESN'T IT? MOST PEOPLE JUST LOOK AT THE NAME AND SAY FORGET IT. AND BESIDES THAT, THE PLACE IS IN YOUGOSLAVIA! NOW WHERE IS YOUGOSLAVIA?

ON JUNE 24, 1981, ON THE FEAST OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, OUR LADY APPEARED TO TWO CHILDREN. IN DISBELIEF, THEY RETURNED TO THEIR VILLAGE. HOWEVER, SHE APPEARED TO THEM AGAIN WHEN THEY WERE WITH OTHER YOUTHS, MILKA PAVLOVIC, AND VICKA IVANKOVIC AND IVAN DRAGICEVIC. SO, NOW, WITH THE FIRST TWO, MIRJANA DRAGICEVIC AND IVANKA IVANKOVIC, FIVE YOUNG PEOPLE HAD SEEN OUR LADY.

HERE I WILL PAUSE TO GIVE YOU A SUMMARY OF HER PURPOSE IN MEDJUGORJE, IN MARY'S OWN WORDS AS GIVEN TO THE YOUNG VISIONARIES:

"I WILL GIVE YOU MESSAGES LIKE NEVER BEFORE IN ALL OF HISTORY, AND I COME TO TELL YOU GOD EXISTS."

THIS IS WHY MEDJUGORJE IS SO POWERFUL. MARY IS SPECIFIC ABOUT WHAT SHE WANTS.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE TEN SECRETS OF MEDJUGORJE. I WILL NOT GO INTO THEM NOW. YOU CAN READ ALL ABOUT THEM. THEY CONCERN BASICALLY THE SAME WARNINGS THAT GARABANDAL TOLD US ABOUT. HOWEVER, MARY MAKES HER FINAL PLEAS HERE. HERE IS A SUMMARY OF THE REQUESTS OF OUR BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

1. "ONE MUST INVITE PEOPLE TO GO TO CONFESSION EACH MONTH, ESPECIALLY THE FIRST SATURDAY....MONTHLY CONFESSION WILL BE A REMEDY FOR THE CHURCH IN THE WEST. ONE MUST CONVEY THIS MESSAGE TO THE WEST!"......AUGUST, 1982

2. TO IVAN, ON AUGUST 14, 1984: "I ASK THE PEOPLE TO PRAY WITH ME THESE DAYS AS MUCH AS THEY CAN. FAST STRICTLY ON WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. EVERY DAY PRAY AT LEAST ONE ROSARY.....JOYFUL, SORROWFUL, AND GLORIOUS MYSTERIES."

3. "THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO PRAY TO THE HOLY SPIRIT SO THAT HE MAY DESCEND ON YOU. WHEN ONE HAS HIM, ONE HAS EVERYTHING." OCTOBER 21, 1983.....AND IN OCTOBER 1989, " YOU WISH TO LIVE ALL THAT I TELL YOU, BUT YOU ARE NOT SUCCESSFUL IN IT BECAUSE YOU DO NOT PRAY ENOUGH.........PRAY, PRAY, PRAY."

4. "COME IN LOVE AND ACCEPT THE HOLY MASS! LET EVERYONE COMING TO MASS BE JOYFUL! THE MASS IS THE GREATEST PRAYER FROM GOD, AND YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND THE GREATNESS OF IT. LET HOLY MASS BE YOUR LIFE!"

5. "I BEG THE FAMILIES OF THE PARISH TO PRAY THE FAMILY ROSARY." SEPTEMBER 27, 1984 TO JAKOV.

6. "TODAY I INVITE YOU TO PRAY FOR THE SOULS IN PURGATORY."

7. "PROTECT YOURSELF THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING, AND ESPECIALLY COMMUNITY PRAYER. RESTORE THE USE OF HOLY WATER. TODAY I INVITE YOU TO PUT MORE BLESSED OBJECTS IN YOUR HOMES, AND MAY EVERY PERSON CARRY BLESSED OBJECTS.....BECAUSE YOU ARE ARMORED AGAINST SATAN, HE WILL TEMPT YOU LESS." JULY, 1985

8. "EACH FAMILY MUST PRAY AND READ THE BIBLE." THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW TIMES MARY HAS EVER USED THE CROATION WORD MUST. REMEMBER, SHE IS SPEAKING TO THESE PEOPLE IN CROATION IN MEDJUGORJE.

9. ".......TO PUT THE CROSS AT THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE. PRAY ESPECIALLY BEFORE THE CROSS. WHICH IS THE ORIGIN OF GREAT GRACES. IN YOUR HOMES MAKE A SPECIAL CONSECRATION TO THE CROSS OF THE LORD....." SEPTEMBER 12, 1985

10. "YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING YOU CAN AVERT WAR AND SUSPEND THE LAWS OF NATURE."

THINK ABOUT THE LAST COMMENT.....THAT WE CAN, THROUGH PRAYER AND FASTING, SUSPEND THE NATURAL LAWS OF NATURE!!! NO WONDER MARY SO OFTEN ENCOURAGES US TO PRAY.

MANY MIRACLES, SUCH AS HEALINGS, THE CHANGING OF ROSARY BEADS FROM WHATEVER COLOR THEY ARE TO GOLD, AND THE SPINNING OF THE SUN HAVE OCCURED AT THE SITE OF MEDJUGORJE. THEY CONTINUE EVEN NOW IN THE TIME OF SATAN'S ATTACK AT THE SITE. HOWEVER AMAZINGLY THIS SITE HAS BEEN PROTECTED. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE TRAVELED THERE WITHOUT HARM.

SO WHERE HAVE WE BEEN OF THIS BRIEF OVERVIEW CONCERNING THE MOTHER OF GOD? WHAT HAVE WE SEEN?

WE HAVE SEEN MARY OFFER TO US THE SOLUTIONS TO THE EVIL AND SIN OF OUR WORLD. WE HAVE SEEN THAT SOMETIMES THE PEOPLE WILL RESPOND, AND SOMETIMES NOT. WE HAVE SEEN WARS ERUPT AND WE HAVE SEEN PREDICTIONS OF MUCH WORSE TO COME IF MAN DOES NOT PUT GOD BACK AS THE GUIDING FORCE IN HIS LIFE. WILL PEOPLE RESPOND? WILL PEOPLE RESPOND PARTIALLY OR WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS? TIME WILL TELL.

I WILL INTERJECT ONE IMPORTANT POINT HERE. WE HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE MOTHER OF GOD. SHE COMES TO CALL US BACK TO HER SON, JESUS, AND OUR HEAVENLY FATHER.....TO CALL US TO BE INFUSED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DOES NOT WORSHIP MARY. WE WORSHIP THE HOLY TRINITY AS IT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US. MARY IS NO LESS THAN A HOLY VEHICLE, WE VENERATE HER. BUT WE DO NOT WORSHIP HER.

SHE TELLS US, AS SHE DID DURING THE MIRACLE OF WATER TO WINE..........."DO WHATEVER HE SAYS."

SO NOW YOU KNOW ABOUT MARY. NOW YOU KNOW WHO SHE IS AND WHAT SHE WANTS. SHE AWAITS YOUR RESPONSE AS SHE LEADS MANKIND BACK TO HER SON, JESUS. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE, I WILL BE HERE FOR A WHILE. BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT I AM NO EXPERT. ALL OF WHAT I HAVE TOLD YOU COMES FROM PUBLISHED SOURCES. AND AT THE BACK TABLE ARE BOOKS YOU CAN PURCHASE IF YOU WANT TO. THEY COME FROM THE CATHOLIC BOOKSTORE MARIS STELLA IN BRICKTOWN.(ARRANGE WITH A LOCAL CATHLIC BOOK STORE) I HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE STORE. THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION. GOOD NIGHT.

A primary caution of the commission seems to be against the specific use of the title "Coredemptrix" in discussing the unique cooperation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with and under Jesus Christ in the Redemption of humanity. It must be strongly underscored that our present Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, has used explicitly the title "Coredemptrix" on at least five occasions in Papal Teachings during his present pontificate. 1 This is well illustrated in the 1985 Papal Address of Pope John Paul II in Guayaquil, Ecuador, where both the title "Coredemptrix" is used and an explanation of the role is given:

"Mary goes before us and accompanies us. The silent journey that begins with her Immaculate Conception and passes through the ‘yes’ of Nazareth, which makes her the Mother of God, finds on Calvary a particularly important moment. There also, accepting and assisting at the sacrifice of her son, Mary is the dawn of Redemption; ...Crucified spiritually with her crucified son (cf. Gal. 2:20), she contemplated with heroic love the death of her God, she "lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth" (Lumen Gentium, 58)...In fact, at Calvary she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church; her maternal heart shared to the very depths the will of Christ ‘to gather into one all the dispersed children of God’ (Jn. 11:52). Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity....In fact, Mary's role as Coredemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son" 2

More recently, in his general audience address of 9 April 1997 (at present, John Paul has given a series of over 50 Marian catecheses), the Holy Father uses the example of St. Paul’s call for all Christians to be "God’s fellow workers" (1 Cor. 3:9), or in some translations "co-workers," and also specifies Mary’s unique co-operation in the work of redemption (without inferring any equality between Christians, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the unique act of redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ alone):

"Moreover, when the Apostle Paul says: "For we are God’s fellow workers" (1 Cor 3:9), he maintains the real possibility for man to co-operate with God. The collaboration of believers, which obviously excludes any equality with him, is expressed in the proclamation of the Gospel and in their personal contribution to its taking root in human hearts.

However, applied to Mary, the term ‘co-operator’ acquires a specific meaning. The collaboration of Christians in salvation takes place after the Calvary event, whose fruits they endeavor to spread by prayer and sacrifice. Mary, instead, co-operated during the event itself and in the role of mother; thus her co-operation embraces the whole of Christ’s saving work. She alone was associated in this way with the redemptive sacrifice that merited the salvation of all mankind. In union with the Christ and in submission to him, she collaborated in obtaining the grace of salvation for all humanity." 3

In all instances of Magisterial usage of the term, "Coredemptrix," the prefix "co" does not mean equal to, but comes from the Latin word, "cum" which means "with." The title of "Coredemptrix" applied to the Mother of Jesus never places Mary on a level of equality with Jesus Christ, the divine Lord of all, in the saving process of humanity's redemption. Rather, it denotes Mary's singular and unique sharing with her Son in the saving work of redemption for the human family. The Mother of Jesus participates in the redemptive work of her Saviour Son, who alone could reconcile humanity with the Father in his glorious divinity and humanity. 4

Hence the title and role of Mary as Coredemptrix reveals Mary’s unique participation, her "co-working" and "co-operating" with and under Jesus Christ the sole Redeemer of humanity, while at the same time calling all Christians to cooperate in the saving work of redemption (cf. Col. 1:24). The teaching of our Holy Father that "the collaboration of believers...obviously excludes any equality with him..." corrects the somewhat misleading statement made in a commentary to the statement of the theological commission that the title "Coredemptrix," or the doctrine of Marian coredemption, inappropriately "names" Mary to be "on the level with the Word of God in his particular redemptive function."

Lumen Gentium, n. 62 articulates the rightful participation of creatures in the one mediation of Jesus Christ without the confusion of being inappropriately perceived as being on "the level with the Word of God": "No creature could ever be counted along with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer; but just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by his ministers and the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is radiated in different ways among his creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source" (Lumen Gentium, n. 62).

No claim is made here that the documents of the present Holy Father, where he employs the title "Coredemptrix," are the most definitive of his pontificate, as has been alluded to by commentators of the commission. At the same time, it would constitute an even greater error to unjustifiably claim that the Papal Teachings of John Paul II and the explicit usage of the title "Coredemptrix" have no theological importance and significance. They are clear, repeated, indications of how the Holy Father understands and would define what makes the Virgin Mother’s cooperation in the work of redemption under the Cross singular and non-repeatable by any other believer. To say that her cooperation is singular is not to say it is equal to Christ’s work.

And to specifically designate this unique participation of Mary, the "New Eve," with and under Jesus Christ, the "New Adam," as "Marian Coredemption," so as to define the singularity of that cooperation, hardly seems imprecise and ambiguous—anymore than it would be imprecise or ambiguous to the divine primacy of Jesus Christ to define the singular cooperation of the Blessed Virgin in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as Mother of God.

The further objection that "the titles as proposed are ambiguous" must be seen, again, in light of the rich Papal Magisterial Teachings of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Not only was the term "Coredemptrix" used under the pontificates of Pius X and Pius XI along with its contemporary usage by the present Holy Father, but the subsequent terms "Mediatrix" and "Advocate" and their roles have an even greater frequency of usage and teaching by the nineteenth and twentieth century Papal Magisterium. 5 Not only are the terms "Mediatrix" and "Advocate" contained in the teachings of the Second Vatican Council (cf. Lumen Gentium, n.62), but they are developed in great measure in the 1987 Papal Encyclical, Redemptoris Mater (Mother of the Redeemer), with the entire third section entitled and dedicated to the Church doctrine of "Maternal Mediation." 6

Perhaps the "ambiguity" mentioned by the commission came from a lack of full comprehension that the object of the petition is the solemn definition of the Maternal Mediation of Mary under its three essential aspects of Coredemptrix ("the Mother Suffering"), Mediatrix ("the Mother Nourishing"), and Advocate ("the Mother Interceding"), and not a request for a "triple dogma" or "three non-homogeneous terms" as members of the commission have previously stated. The roles of a mother, as heart of the family, are multiformed; the truth of her motherhood is singular. The same holds true for the "Mother of the Church" (cf. Second Vatican Council, Nov. 21, 1964). 

In 1984 in his Angelus address in Arona: "To Our Lady—the Coredemptrix—St. Charles turned with singularly revealing accents" (Inseg VII/2 (1984) 1151 [ORE 860:1]); On 31 January 1985, in an address at the Marian shrine in Guayaquil, Ecuador: "Mary goes before us and accompanies us. The silent journey that begins with her Immaculate Conception and passes through the ‘yes’ of Nazareth, which makes her the Mother of God, finds on Calvary a particularly important moment. There also, accepting and assisting at the sacrifice of her son, Mary is the dawn of Redemption;...Crucified spiritually with her crucified son (cf. Gal. 2:20), she contemplated with heroic love the death of her God, she "lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth" (Lumen Gentium, 58) ...In fact, at Calvary she united herself with the sacrifice of her Son that led to the foundation of the Church; her maternal heart shared to the very depths the will of Christ ‘to gather into one all the dispersed children of God’ (Jn. 11:52). Having suffered for the Church, Mary deserved to become the Mother of all the disciples of her Son, the Mother of their unity....

The Gospels do not tell us of an appearance of the risen Christ to Mary. Nevertheless, as she was in a special way close to the Cross of her Son, she also had to have a privileged experience of his Resurrection. In fact, Mary's role as Coredemptrix did not cease with the glorification of her Son" (Inseg VIII/1 (1985) 318-319 [ORE 876:7]);

On 31 March 1985, Palm Sunday and World Youth Day: "At the Angelus hour on this Palm Sunday, which the Liturgy calls also the Sunday of the Lord's Passion, our thoughts run to Mary, immersed in the mystery of an immeasurable sorrow. Mary accompanied her divine Son in the most discreet concealment pondering everything in the depths of her heart. On Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, in the vastness and in the depth of her maternal sacrifice, she had John, the youngest Apostle, beside her....May, Mary our Protectress, the Coredemptrix, to whom we offer our prayer with great outpouring, make our desire generously correspond to the desire of the Redeemer" (Inseg VIII/1 (1985) 889-890 [ORE 880:12]);

In commemorating the sixth centenary of the canonization of St. Bridget of Sweden on 6 October 1991: "Birgitta looked to Mary as her model and support in the various moments of her life. She spoke energetically about the divine privilege of Mary's Immaculate Conception. She contemplated her astonishing mission as Mother of the Saviour. She invoked her as the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Sorrows, and Coredemptrix, exalting Mary's singular role in the history of salvation and the life of the Christian people" (Inseg XIV/2 (1991) 756 [ORE 1211:4]. Cf. Monsignor Arthur Calkins, "John Paul II’s Teaching on Marian Coredemption," as found in Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate: Theological Foundations II, Papal, Pneumatological, Ecumenical, 1997, Queenship Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA.

2 Cf. Inseg VIII/1 (1985) 318-319 [ORE 876:7].

3 Pope John Paul II, General Audience of 9 April, L’Osservatore Romano, p. 7, 16 April English ed.

4 See Miravalle, "Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate: Foundational Presence in Divine Revelation" as found in Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate: Theological Foundations, Towards A Papal Definition, 1995, Queenship Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA.

5 Cf. Rev. John Schug, "Mary, Coredemptrix: The Significance of her Title in the Magisterium of The Church" as found in Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate: Theological Foundations, Towards A Papal Definition, 1995, Queenship Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA; and Monsignor Arthur Calkins, "John Paul II’s Teaching on Marian Coredemption," as found in Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate: Theological Foundations II, Papal, Pneumatological, Ecumenical, 1997, Queenship Publishing, Santa Barbara, CA.

6 Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, Part III: "Maternal Mediation."

7 Pope John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint, n.36.

8 Ibid, n.18.

9 Cf. Address to the Cardinals and Roman Curia (June 28, 1985),6:AAS 77 (1985), 1153; cf. Ut Unum Sint, n.79.

10 Ut Unum Sint, n.79.

11 Ut Unum Sint, n.94.

12 John Cardinal O’Connor, Letter of Endorsement to Vox Populi Mariae Mediatrici, Feb. 14, 1994, as published in Mary Coredemptrix, Mediatrix, Advocate, Cardinal Endorsements, Queenship Publications, Santa Barbara, CA.,1994.

13 Pope Paul VI, Encyclical Letter, Humanae Vitae, 1968, p. 6, n.6, Daughters of St. Paul, Boston, MA.

14 Cf. Address to the Cardinals and Roman Curia (June 28, 1985),6:AAS 77 (1985), 1153; cf. Ut Unum Sint, n.79.