We are brothers and sisters in Christ. Christ, Mary and Joseph are the Holy Family. Christ told us how to pray to Our Father. He told John from the Cross, "Behold your Mother", with the implication she was to be Mother of us all. Why on earth would we call her 'The Lady'?
Depending on who I'm talking to, I prefer either "a few fries short of a Happy Meal" or a Texas-ism "not the brightest porch light on the block." Sorry for the late entry into the conversation. I've been moving and JUST got my PC set up last night. Still have several months (seriously) of unpacking ahead, but I'm taking a break. As for events surrounding Sept. 23, 2017 I can see the Warning happening at that time. This will result in a great deal of confusion and distress in the world that isn't tuned into Christianity, much less Catholicism. We would have to be prepared to tell our neighbors, co-workers, and (sadly) priests and other religious that this was predicted, that it is NOT some group of "Ascended Masters" talking to us, and people need to get off the fence and choose once and for all to follow G_D and Jesus, or reject Him Who Saves. This will REALLY upset the leaders in several middle-eastern countries that are (shall we say) less than stable. It's quite possible that many non-Christians will be driven to research Christianity, and the leaders (both secular and religious) of these people would be threatened by this turn of events. Ultimately, this will lead to the War of Psalm 83 in the spring of 2018. I say "spring" because not even the Russians are insane enough to start a war at or in the beginning of winter. Given the number of Muslims who are converting now, there would be many more who would convert after the Warning. The only way to stop the hemorrhaging of Islamic followers would be to give them one last final victory to show that Allah favors Islam, and that is a major, all-encircling military assault on Israel. They will fail, of course, as "the guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps". If the end of the war coincides with the Miracle, then we'd have the possibility of not only major conversions from Islam but also from Judaism. (I believe the alleged apparition at Garabandal has a very strong Jewish component. Perhaps the Miracle will involve the Shekinah, the Glory of G_D that filled the Temple, which would be a sign that could be seen and photographed, but not touched.) These mass conversions might well be the start of the era of peace Our Lady spoke about.
The funny side of a serious situation. Being Irish I suffer from seeing the funny side of serious situations once they get too much for me. When I first heard about the Warning or Illumination of conscience, and how hoards and hoards of people would be clamouring to get to confession and receive absolution. And how Priests would die of exhaustion in the confessionals. Yes this was in some article I read years ago in relation to the Warning. Well, in my naievity, I thought the whole world would convert and want to be Catholic. I even was thinking of getting some 'porti potty's' to go around parishes to give Priests who I thought would not get a chance to go to the loo. Then I though I ought to be ready to make sandwiches and get bottled water to help preserve their lives as long as possible for when that day came. Thank God I never got the courage to go and share my concerns with any parish Priest, or I would have been referred to a doctor for my trouble which would have been deemed mental. Then I thought all the Jews would convert to Catholicism and when they arrive in the Church, us ordinary Catholics would not even get a foot in the door, because the Church would be packed like sardines and the area outside the Church would be packed with throngs of those who could not fit inside. So I thought, I can get ready for the Jews coming to Church and taking up all the space. I started sitting in the very front row. I used to say to Jesus, I am making the most of the chance to be close to You now, so when the Jews come, I wont mind taking a back seat if I can even get inside the Church at all. And I will simply rejoice in seeing Your beloved people clamour around You. Because after all blood is thicker than water, and I expect Jesus will be delighted to welcome His own people the Jews when that day comes. Since I have been able to read a lot more about the goings on among people, I have come to realise many people will most likely think the Warning of Illumination is some sort of hallucination, and get back to usual a short time after it all happens. Look how quickly the people forgot about the Twin Towers. I am glad I did not go out and stock pile porti potty's to distribute to parishes. Oh yes, and the other plan I had was to get a lot of note pads. So I could dish out a sheet at a time to each penitent in the Church for the expected throngs who would want to confess. I thought to get pencils or pens so penitents could write down their sins while they waited in the queue being the full of the Church to go to confession. I thought they would not have time to tell their life story to the Priest. I then thought, someone would need to be at the pulpit explaining that mortal sins would have to be confessed one to one with the Priest, and I thought the mortal sinners could sit on the right of the Church...nearest the confessionals and the venial sinners could sit on the left of the Church so the Priest or preferably if he had an assistant could give mass absolution to the venial sinners who could then be given a one penance fits all to be said or done; allowing that bunch of venial sinners to exit the Church and leave room for more venial sinners to enter ready for absolution and so it goes. And finally have a large drum where the sinners sheets of sins could be ceremoniously burnt. We don't want to have rubbish cluttering up the environment. Anyway that was all a long time ago, and I have come to realise God is in charge. Gods Holy Spirit will direct and enlighten the Priests if that time arrives. And besides I am old and sick and beyond helping myself never mind anyone else. Yes, if that abomination of desolation arrives any day soon, I will not be running for the hills; because God has ordained that I am not able to run anywhere ever again through age and infirmity. And thanks be to God, He is with me now and has always been with me in spite of all my plans to save the human race single handed. What a sense of humour our beautiful God must have. All we need to do is offer all the joys, sorrows and sufferings of each day in union with the sufferings of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and we are doing all we are asked to do to achieve our aim in the service of God. Sorry about the wittering. When things get serious, I have always started to see the funny side. And now it looks like we have come to that point in our troubled world.
Your post made me smile Julia I agree that we are not to worry about the future. Just pray, hope and don't worry! Although, I do remember downloading a booklet on 'What to do after the Warning'... Porta-potties...I love it!
Julia, I don't consider your visions so far-fetched, although I do think a mass-conversion of the kind you described would be a valid case for the application of general absolutions. So many converts would need many priests for their future, not to exhaust them to death in confession! Of course it could all be regularised with individual confession later on. I think that the proper role for General Absolution is its use in times of grave emergency, with the implicit intention that all survivors of the crisis go to ordinary confession as soon as they can. I'm not sure if people could be so glib about a Warning as an event like Twin Towers. The latter is just that, an event, an incident in Time, and quickly emptied of its horror by the passage of time and the occurrence of further events. On the other hand, the Warning would be a Supernatural Happening, which by its nature might not be easily confused with hallucination. Of course there will be many who fail to recognise it and many more who will know exactly what it is and still reject it. There is also the likelihood that there will be no 'usual' to get back to, with most people suffering an existential crisis because of wars, rumours of wars, and complete social and economic collapse. Many might be very relieved to hear the Warning.
DeGualle, my post was not describing visions. It was the honest overactive imagination of an Irish person when confronted with all the prophesy that was going on for some years, and how I considered responding to it all. It was how my thought process worked in the past. And how funny it all seems now. And yes, I do understand what you mean. There is an old Irish saying. "Many a true word spoken in jest."
Julia, I'm still chuckling at the thought of you hoarding portaloos. My first thought was "Julia's been in England so long she has gone native".
The "blood is thicker than water" observation belied your having gone completely native. I reckon that a priest taking any kind of break in that situation would risk being lynched. Goodnight, and thanks again for the chuckles.
Here is the final confession to Julia's final solution. The real reason I did not get hoarding portaloos was because I had heard that we would be told three days in advance about the Warning. So I figured in three days, I would have time to get the things ready to distribute. You would not believe how I had worked the logistics of this one man Julia band to save as many souls as possible. Our dear God must have been laughing His socks off watching my thought process. And all the time He knew I would grow old and infirm and maybe even pop my clogs before the Warning happens.
FWIW, in the case of mass conversions, many, many, MANY-MANY-MANY of the people would not have been baptized. Since baptism erases ALL sin, then it doesn't matter what they have done in the past. All of their sins, though they be as scarlet, will be white as snow. The reverts are another thing altogether.
Oh Julia, Thank you for putting a smile on my face today! I've come up with a few scenarios in the many years since I learned about Garabandal too. Sooo, let's see. I think Conchita has said that everyone would know that the Warning came from God? The seers have said the warning would come when things are at their worst. Priests in hiding, will the church be underground? Many conversions from other religions? Jews, Muslim, ect.? Wouldn't they need to be baptized? And if you are baptized, you don't need confession, sins are forgiven at baptism aren't they? Maybe we'll need a lot of Holy Water. Will we have hosts, wine to consecrate? Will we have priests? Will it be like the first Pentecost, when they baptized thousands that day? Ack, will I even be alive then
There is one ity bitty thing that I still think about from my old meanderings. If we do get that three day notice of the Warning. We should try and get the courage to let our Parish Priests know too, many of them probably have never heard of the prophesies about the Warning. Because if what was said about it was true. It was said that many Priests who would also experience the Warning or Illumination would be as desperate as everyone else to get absolution for their own sins, and would die of grief and heartbreak over the state of their own souls. And they would not be able to get to another Priest. So telling them for the love and honour of God get absolution themselves before the Warning, and save them that terrible personal agony. That is something I think I would do and risk being told thanks but no thanks. I would advise anyone reading this to try and let their Priests know too, if we are told to expect the Warning in three days time. I think that is why Blessed Mother asks us to confess regularly. We stand a better chance of not being caught with our 'lamps empty,' should the Lord visit us with the Warning unexpectedly.
Your post made me smile, too. But one thing is clear - your love for our Lord and our Blessed Mother and our faith.
