Charlie Johnston.

Ok. That is the most wonderful/beautiful/messages I've ever read. Hands down. I'm bawling at my computer. God have mercy on us all. Thank you God! Can I get an AMEN!!
AMEN! THANK YOU JESUS!!

 

When I see the loss of faith or in many cases those never having any at all along with luke warm people (I could be acused of this at times) I simply can't see how most of these good/bad/indifferent people will ever be converted except by a drastic act by God.

In fact couldn't one argue that God owes it to us to reveal himself in such a way as to convert us.

My son who was raise Catholic stopped going to mass 1 1/2 years ago and now claims to be a full blown athiest. We are very open about everything we think and feel in our family but it's heart breaking to feel as a father you spend 18 years only to seemingly fail at such an important task. My son has strong "logical" arguments against God and Jesus being real and only a theologian could fully counter them. But I trust in Jesus and pray constantly knowing, ok more trusting he will convert him if and when he sees fit. This son, a man now, could be the strongest of catholics and possibly a true saint if God would just call him in a way he could hear.

I often wonder what if God never does? Doesn't God already know what it would take and then why wouldn't he just do it already!!

I can only see an illumination of conscience actually converting him.

 

Both my sons ages 23 and 27 are agnostic. Raised in a VERY Catholic family. Moved away, and the world got em....I pray every day for them and offer every Eucharist and pain for them.....God's will be done. A mother is only as happy as her least happy child. St Monica, pray for us.

 

Written with characteristic eloquence and depth, Charlie (both the post and the comment) ... The general point about God's confounding of our expectations is, of course, well-taken. I would however offer a slight different reading concerning the prediction made in Fatima on July 13, 1917 of a 'night illumined by an unknown light' that would be the harbinger of war, and the possible parallel to the predictions of the Warning made by the visionaries of Garabandal.

At Fatima, the language was very general and the reference fleeting - although as Charlie says it may have been interpreted as predicting a 'brilliant light in the night throughout the world', the prophecy itself does not imply that unambiguously. Furthermore, its fulfillment in the dramatic Aurora Borealis of January 1938 - recognized by Sister Lucia (and apparently prophesied as a sign of war by French stigmatic Marie-Julie Jahenny on Jan 1, 1938, three weeks before its appearance) was arguably not so far as all that from the prediction; as a visible sign in the heavens which caused widespread panic in Europe it was definitely in the same category and certainly close enough to the plain sense of the Virgin's words from 1917 to be recognizable as a sign.

If we try to draw an analogy between this case of prophecy-fulfillment and what may fulfill the predictions concerning the Warning, the conclusion that I draw from the parallel with the Aurora Borealis of 1938 would be that, yes, we may be in for some surprises in terms of the specific, but that the fulfillment will definitely be recognizable as related to the descriptions given prophetically. Here my sense is that the language of not only the Garabandal seers but also many others who have received similar visions is actually far more detailed than the few words concerning the 'unknown light' spoken by Our Lady in Fatima, and gives far less room for latitude of interpretation. Given the way in which it is described (which clearly relates to Matthew 24:30), it is evident that in order for the prophecy to be fulfilled there must be an event of worldwide dimensions which will necessarily have both a visible aspect and an interior one.

This interpretation is reinforced by other predictions which have been related to those of Garabandal which point directly to the appearance of a Cross in the sky. St Faustina's famous vision of 1934 has already been mentioned, but I would also like to compare four slightly less well-known accounts which, taken in conjunction both with Garabandal and St Faustina, provide a fairly compelling overall picture:

1. Felisa Sistiaga (Virgen de Unbe, Bilbao, Spain)
August 15, 1969.
'Before the chastisement God will send a Warning, and so that nobody should doubt this Warning, there will be a Miracle.'
June 22, 1971
'Before the chastisement, I will give you the Warning. The sky will be lit up with a cross, which on decomposing will produce an immense white light, which will even block out the sun from view. It will last four hours. Then a burning wind will strike the whole earth.'

2. Luz Amparo Cuevas (El Escorial, nr. Madrid, Spain)
‘Before the chastisement there will be a warning in the sky ; a star will light up the earth. All will see it; it will appear that the world is in flames, it will last 20 minutes, many will die from the shock, but those who believe in God and in the Virgin will meanwhile remain as if in ecstasy. After the warning and before the chastisement there will be a miracle.’ (1980, cited Luis E. López Padilla. Advertencias Marianas. México, D.F. 1987, p. 161)
'you will be given a warning and you will see you soul reflected as in a mirror as you have been during your whole existence, my children, your whole existence.' (July 30, 1983)

3. Edson Glauber (seer of the approved apparitions of Itapiranga, Brazil)
July 31, 2005
(Our Lady).
My son, see that the Father is outraged at humanity, which offends him, reviling and blaspheming his Holy Name. The Lord desires the return of each one of you.
Humanity is about to be purged and punished for its sins. Before the great chastisement the Lord will give his sign in the sky, when the cross will appear that will give illumination with its light. It will last for the required time, and when it dissolves it will emit its rays into the sun, which will heat up much more. Explosions will occur in the sun which scientists will not know how to explain.
Thus the earth will be cleansed, before the worst [happens] (antes do mais grave).
But men will feel great remorse of conscience for not having listened to the Lord's appeals.

4. Sulema (Canada) August 28, 2012
(Jesus) 'This evening, I come to tell you what the Illumination of Conscience will be like which is also called the warning. It is a direct intervention of God, it is a purification, the first sign for all that your epoch is coming to an end, that is the end of life as it is at present. This event is a unique moment in the history of humanity.
A deafening sound will be heard, and the luminous Cross will shine in the sky; it will stretch from the East to the West to announce the proximity of the Illumination of Conscience [...]
Each person will have a mystical experience through which they will be able to see the state of their soul in the light of Divine Justice, similar to the grace accorded to Saul of Tarsus who was penetrated by this light.'

To these I could add many similar descriptions in Don Gobbi (1992), Luz de Maria Bonilla (multiple references), Pedro Regis, Madeleine Aumont (six visions of the 'Croix Glorieuse' in Dozulé, France) et al., but I hope you get the idea.

For your discernment!

 

On some Sundays' when I go to 7:30 mass, I sometimes see Brother Vincent. He is a holy happy man. He is always holding his rosary and ready to tell a joke or give a friendly smile. His children our in there 30's, born and raised Catholics. He always tells me how he knows...one day God will bring them back to the Church. He is not sad but says - as long as I keep praying my Heavenly Father will take care of everything. I guess Brother Vincent understands everything will happen in Gods time.

So, to my point, don't worry and keep praying everything will be ok ...in Gods time not ours.

Brother al

 

Back up the truck! The universal illumination of conscience would be the most stunning act of divine mercy of all time. Just the thought of it inspires me to drop to my knees in awe and thanksgiving. GOD DOESN'T OWE IT TO US. We certainly don't deserve such a gift.

It's important to remember that our God is a consuming fire, and to pray for the holy fear of the Lord!

 

Totally agree!! The big difference with messages Verne received, is that they are so definitive where other messages are limited in specification. I also like how our Lord uses sacred scripture throughout his messages, which only add to its understanding. http://www.scribd.com/doc/22505473/God-Speaks-Will-You-Listen

 

Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. I know God owes us nothing we are so unworthy to be blessed out of pure love. He will do things in his time and I figure I just won't stop imploring his mercy, just like a 4 year old whining for candy, lol.

Thanks again. And yes Charlie great blog!! I have been following and you have a great perspective on things just like mark Mallett but a slightly different angle. Great faith resources.

 

The parable of the good seed and the weeds tells me about Gods mercy for us sinners. We all have good seed and weeds. sometime the weeds take over but God is patient as he knows our struggle in this dark and sinful world. Keep praying for those on the wrong path that they will eventually turn back and let the weed wither a bit. The weeds wont ever be completely gone until the harvest is reaped. God is ever patient, merciful and loves all sinners. I am sure your sons will return if you keep praying. You havent failed in any way. You are fighting the battle and will fight it right to the end.
Mary

 

I think this is what the illumination will be like:

Start around the 25 minute mark if you don't have time for whole video.

 

Thanks for this video Andy. Marino's testimony is so important and full of truth. I know of souls who have been converted after reading his book. What a grace his testimony is to the world in our day!

 

MMM - Peter Kreeft has a lot of free material available online - youtube, podcast, text.
I really love listening to him as he has great arguments in defense of all things Catholic, and is always enjoyable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6v-tcaIZ02I
I recommend you listen to him yourself and decide if it's worth passing on to your son.
But despite my respect for logical argument my favorite approach is still prayer (the Rosary) and let Mary do the hard work for you!
I too was the smart ass college kid (minus the smoking), so don't lose faith - you know who wants that to happen!

 

34:28 BINGO! Made my day. Thanks Andy.

 

I love this paragraph from Charlie in post 199:

God does not coerce our hearts – and in such things His spirit is magnified. So to those who seek hope, hope is renewed with vigor. For those who seek their own superiority or will, outrage is sowed. The prime failure of prophetic analysis, I think, is that we seek to yoke God with the constraints of our limited vision – when what He is doing is inviting us to look more deeply, to see through His eyes into eternal things. Jesus told followers if they would have life within them, they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Many were so horrified that they threatened to leave. Jesus could have soothed them quite easily by telling them it would be in the form of bread and wine. But He did not do that. He let them and their cramped imaginations leave. Those who stayed did not show any signs of understanding this any better than those who left. The difference was, they chose to trust the Lord and follow where He led, humbly conceding they did not understand – but did know that He had the words of everlasting life.

Thanks, Charlie.

Forward in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary!

 

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Thank-you Andy,
This testimony reinforces my belief in the warning/miracle.
I don't know if I could handle a subtle fulfillment of Garabandal, and other revelations, after all the expectations. I hope God moves with great and unmistakeable signs and awakenings...

 

I can imagine a load of us sitting around the camp fire with John the Evangelist on the island of Patmos, wondering....

 

The warning in 1938 was not an Aurora Borealis.
That would make Our Lady a liar when she said 'OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN'
Here is what Lucia said..
Lucia answered that this sign was the
appearance of the “Great Northern Lights”
of 1938 when unusual lights appeared in the
skies of the world. “This was the sign,” she
said, “that God used to make me understand
that His justice was ready to deal the blow
upon the guilty nations.”
“But the astronomers say that it was a
common aurora borealis (i.e. the Northern
Lights),” the priest countered.
“I do not know, but it seems to me that
if they had studied it well, they would have
realized that, owing to the circumstances
under which the light appeared, it was not
nor could it have been an aurora borealis.”

 

Once I read of a woman who was standing with Hitler and his friends. They were all at the house he had high up in the mountains. It was evening time and the sky lit up with the warning. They stood there looking at it for about 40 minutes and she wrote that it was the most terrifying thing she had ever seen - the sky was blood red and looked truly evil. She turned to Hitler and told him that this was a terrible sign that there would be an ocean of blood and he said let the chips fall where they will and turned and walked inside.

 

Bart....I was THERE....in his cave. It was one of the most moving places in my life....I sobbed like a baby!