One of the most enduring characteristics of Marian Apparitions in modern times is the constant request from the Mother of God that the Faithful, her children might form prayer groups.
Why is this? Might it not be enough that people pray as individuals and in Church. Why does Mary so constantly and urgently require that these groups be formed??
When we look at the Third Joyful Mystery the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon Our Lady and the Apostles Assembled in Prayer, we see the Birth place of the Church. For this is the Church, the Priests and People in Prayer, The Mystical Body of Christ. In time when the Church emerged from massive persecution it was able to organize itself in administrative units such as Parishes and Diocese. So when we think of the Church we naturally think of our Parish and our Diocese.
However Mary's messages and calls have a very strong Eschatological character Eschatoligical in that they point to the End Times into which we have entered. By End Times I do mean that the End of the World is Coming, but the character of the Times into which we have entered. This was mentioned by such Saints as Saint Louis Grignion De Montford when he forecast how we would move towards the times of the Great Epic Struggle between Our Lady and the Old Dragon Satan. One theologian , writing of this said that in future times more and more people would have to become mystics in order to become Catholics. Or to put it another way the Faithful will have to shine as stars in the greater darkness. More and more the Church as we know it will be unable to continue. Mary is forming Her own Army against Satan and her principle means of doing so is through Marian prayer groups. The Church will grow more and more persecuted, this is prophesied in the Book of Revelation when the woman flies from the Dragon with her child to desolate places.
The means of this flight are the Marian Prayer groups. The activities of these groups will expand as time goes on so that they become the effective means not only of the Church continuing but of the actual physical survival of Catholics and especially Catholic priests.
Or to put it another way the Church as we know it will appear to die, reborn in another way in the form of these Marian Prayer Groups. It will be as though we have gone back to the Catacombs. It is Mary's answer to the Great Persecution. In addition physical societies and countries will no longer survive in many, probably most or all areas and the old diocese and parish just will not be flexible to flourish or even exist. The prayer groups are Mary's answer.
As time goes on we will see them more and more taking the weight as their importance increases. Already we see the Signs of this as they bear great fruits of Grace and sanctity) (by Padraig Caughey)
Our Lady's locutions to Father Gobbi are a very good example of all this:
Dec. 31, 1992 (Rubbio, Vicenza)
'I have announced to you many times that the end of the times and the coming of Jesus in glory is very near. Now, I want to help you understand the signs described in the Holy Scriptures, which indicate that his glorious return is now close. ... The first sign is the spread of errors, which lead to the loss of faith and to apostasy. ... 'The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.' (2 Thes 2,3) ... The second sign is the outbreak of wars and fratricidal struggles, which lead to the prevalence of violence and hatred and ... natural catastrophes ... The third sign is the bloody persecution of those who remain faithful to Jesus and to his Gospel and who stand fast in the true faith. ... The fourth sign is the horrible sacrilege, perpetrated by him who sets himself against Christ, that is, the Antichrist. He will enter into the holy temple of God and will sit on his throne, and have himself adored as God. 'This one will oppose and exalt himself against everything that men adore and call God. ...' (2 Thes 2,4.9) ... 'One day, you will see in the holy place he who commits the horrible sacrilege. The prophet Daniel spoke of this. Let the reader seek to understand.' (Mt 24,15) ... 'Now, from the moment that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. ...' (Dn 12,9-12) The Holy Mass is the daily sacrifice, the pure oblation which is offered to the Lord everywhere, from the rising of the sun to its going down. The sacrifice of the Mass renews that which was accomplished by Jesus on Calvary. By accepting the protestant doctrine, people will hold that the Mass is not a sacrifice but only a sacred meal, that is to say, a remembrance of that which Jesus did at His Last Supper. And thus, the celebration of Holy Mass will be suppressed. In this abolition of the daily sacrifice consists the horrible sacrilege accomplished by the Antichrist, which will last about 3½ years, namely, 1,290 days. The fifth sign consists in extraordinary phenomena, ... sun ... moon ... stars ... [are darkened]'
No comments:
Post a Comment