I dunno Indy but I'm always concerned at apparition sites that turn very 'commercial'. Lourdes have the second largest hotel site in France and apparently one can't walk down the streets there without seeing numerous shops selling all kinds of religious trinkets. Now, I do understand that to meet the large demands of pilgrims, there needs to be plans in place. One of the priests there came out with a statement yesterday, he said it was an 'economic mess'. To me, that says it all about the prevailing concern among religious there...
Ya, that crossed my mind also. Matthew 21 12 Jesus then went into the Temple and drove out all those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers. 13 He said to them, 'According to scripture, my house will be called a house of prayer; but you are turning it into a bandits' den.' Or else its a message about the wave of hatered etc coming over the whole Church.
When Aviso posted about the flooding back in Oct., he said the last time it happened was just before WWII.
"To whom much has been given, much is expected". This is why Lourdes is drowning. No country has been given more grace, mystics, saints and appartitions then France. Now look at it France... hardly a trace of the faith remians there. Youth not only do not go to Church they have not even heard of Jesus.........so say's may neice who is a Sister there.
I have also been thinking about repeat disasters...why is a certain region hit twice? There were the tornado devastation in Moore, Oklahoma recently and then in the not too distant past. There were wildfires that destroyed more than 300 homes near Colorado Springs, Colorado last year and now this year more than 500 homes on a different side of Colorado Springs. My sister lives there and she has said that many of the homes lost were from affluent people. I don't know...something to pray about...The Medjugorje visionaries have said that materialism was putting the souls of people at risk. On a different subject I would like to post something about the year of faith tomorrow but I don't know how to open a new thread. God Bless
The Medjugorje visionaries have lamented the fact of all the stores being open on Sunday in Medjugorje. This was a simple little village of a few hundred people before the visions. The people never worked on Sundays, Holy Days or feast days. There once was an old man in Medjugorje who told people that that the Virgin Mary would appear there, after he died. Of course everyone thought he was batty. He also predicted that the town would be flooded. The Woman and the Dragon. 1* A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman* clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.a 2She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.* 3Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon,* with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems.b 4Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth.c 5She 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.d 6The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God, that there she might be taken care of for twelve hundred and sixty days.* 7* Then war broke out in heaven; Michael* and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, 8but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9The huge dragon, the ancient serpent,* who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.e10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser* of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. 12Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time.” 13When the dragon saw that it had been thrown down to the earth, it pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.f 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle,* so that she could fly to her place in the desert, where, far from the serpent, she was taken care of for a year, two years, and a half-year.g 15The serpent,* however, spewed a torrent of water out of his mouth after the woman to sweep her away with the current. 16But the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth and swallowed the flood that the dragon spewed out of its mouth. 17Then the dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep God’s commandments and bear witness to Jesus.*18It took its position* on the sand of the sea.h I always wondered if this passage should be taken perhaps a bit more literally. On a different subject I would like to post something about the year of faith tomorrow but I don't know how to open a new thread. Mary Ann just pick a forum that you think your thread should go in. When you click on the forum at the top you will see: post new thread. Click on it and create your new thread
Check out the three photos here, adds to your point about reading The Woman and the Dragon more literally http://www.lovecrucified.com/archives/2012/signs_w_mary.html
Can we see the signs of the times? Lourdes, Oct 21. A catastrophic flood, the biggest since 1937, forced the closing of the sanctuary of Lourdes. The place the Immaculate had transformed from garbage dump into a place of grace and incomparable beauty, was covered with mud and debris. Mary's most visited sanctuary in Europe laid in desolation, yet Mary stood safe on the rock where she appeared to St. Bernadette, overlooking the murky waters with her hands folded in prayer. The Immaculate is also the Sorrowful Mother that comes to save her lost children. View attachment 1183
The article continues Queens N.Y.: Oct 30, 2012 Basilica of Lujan, Argentina: Oct 31, 2012 Can we see the signs of the times? Lourdes, Oct 21. A catastrophic flood, the biggest since 1937, forced the closing of the sanctuary of Lourdes. The place the Immaculate had transformed from garbage dump into a place of grace and incomparable beauty, was covered with mud and debris. Mary's most visited sanctuary in Europe laid in desolation, yet Mary stood safe on the rock where she appeared to St. Bernadette, overlooking the murky waters with her hands folded in prayer. The Immaculate is also the Sorrowful Mother that comes to save her lost children. Queens NY, Oct 29. Only 8 days later, Northeast USA is hit by Sandy, the biggest superstorm ever experienced there. It flooded populated areas including sections of NY city. At Breezy Point, the "Catholic Heart of NY", in the the borough of Queens, flood damage was compounded with a fire in the middle of the night. Neighbors lamented: "What is not flooded is burning" Entire blocks were leveled. Yet a statue of the Blessed Mother remained intact in her niche with her arms extended as channels of God's grace. There was no one on sight to receive those graces but the scene of Mary amidst the ruins appeared in the New York Times, The Washington Post and many others. Many saw it. But do they really understand or is it just a nice photo opportunity? Lujan, Argentina, Oct 31. 10 days after the flood at Lourdes, flood waters surround the Basilica of Our Lady of Lujan in Argentina. The news reports say: "They cannot explain why the water level does not go down... The river is behaving in a strange manner... there are entire fields and neighborhoods under water" >>> How much our Mother desires that we open our hearts to God's grace! How many warnings and apparitions! But since our hearts are hardened and we refuse to believe, God is making the spiritual reality visible to our eyes. The Blessed Mother's presence untouched by the powers of destruction is a powerful message: She is the refuge of sinners. Mother comes to take her children to safety. The Immaculate is victorious over evil. We are only safe with her. Natural disasters remind us that we are not gods, they offer an opportunity to repent from our pride and return with Mary to God. "Hail Mary, mother of God pray for us sinners!" -Catholics pray these words every day. But how many realize that we are truly lost without her? A new TV program flaunts that: "We are in 2012 and everything goes". How foolish and blind we have become! We are entering a huge spiritual storm where many are being lost, but at the end The Immaculate Heart will triumph and her faithful children with her. Let us turn our lives to Mary and go with her to Jesus Crucified. Let us reach out to bring as many as we can! Mother, pray for us sinners! Lift us up from the floods of confusion, immorality and heresy of our troubled times! As you have done throughout the ages, guide your children in the path of Christ to heaven! I just noticed all these dates are in October
God is not shy about sending us signs...and they are all around us to a degree we have not seen before...at least I haven't!! I've always wondered what the world would look like right before the Medj secrets started...I think we are seeing it now! Pray, pray, pray, and convert everyone...now is not the time to be half hearted or on the fence!!
It is my feeling that these flood waters are a sign of the many, many graces which were waiting to be poured out upon the world by Our Lady, but which were not given to the world because not enough people responded to her many requests for conversion. I'm also reminded of Our Lady's tears; a literal deluge of tears for souls that refuse to listen to and live out her many messages and warnings.
